Extreme Rules Recap, Reactions, and Spoilers

Stuck between the inherently bigger events of Money in the Bank and SummerSlam, it was easy to shrug off Extreme Rules. However, WWE was able to put together a pay-per-view that made us want to watch.

Extreme Rules is about setting the table for the rest of 2018. Even though Brock Lesnar and his Universal Championship aren’t advertised their presence will certainly be felt. While WWE hasn’t said this explicitly tonight’s match between Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley has SummerSlam implications.

Will the big red belt has the night off the rest of WWE titles will be on the line. Plus Ronda Rousey!

Here’s everything you need to know from Extreme Rules:

B Team Becomes Raw Tag Team Champions in Cosmic Upset

When Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel were snipped from The Miztourage, things looked bleak. Then they started winning matches as The B-Team. And now, their champions.

Extreme Rules opened with a wonderful humanitarian moment when Bo Dallas hit a corkscrew DDT to pin Matt Hardy. Dallas’  blank-faced reaction was similar to the crowds, but once everyone realized what happened it was celebration time.

Congrats to Dallas and Axel!

 

Balor Escapes The Constable

Perhaps more than any WWE Superstar at Extreme Rules, Finn Balor needed a win. And that’s exactly what happened.

However, Balor’s victory didn’t come easily. Raw’s Constable, Baron Corbin dominated most of the math, but a sneaky roll-up pin from Balor supplied him the three-count he so desperately needed. 

It looks like this rivalry is just getting started. If we had to guess, this will lead to Corbin spending his Mondays tormenting Balor on the way to a SummerSlam rematch. 

Carmella Denies Asuka Again

After James Ellsworth poisoned her chances to become SmackDown Women’s Champion at Money in the Bank, it felt like Asuka would get her retribution at Extreme Rules.

But instead of a championship coronation, Asuka was handed another high profile loss.

For Carmella, it’s quickly becoming apparent that WWE is happy with her work as a heel champion. With Ellsworth around, it seems like Becky Lynch is on deck for SummerSlam.

Nakamura Gets His WWE Gold and Orton Returns

After a pre-match low blow rendered Jeff Hardy useless, the ever-opportunities Shinsuke Nakamura hit his Kinsasha to become United States Champion.

The match lasted literally seconds, but it was the post-match shenanigans that will make more headlines. Randy Orton slithered from the dressing room to attack a helpless Hardy.

Orton has been out of action for a few months following a knee surgery. But it looks like his back as a menacing heel and will be tossed into the US Championship picture for Summerslam

Kevin Owens Beats Braun Strowman (Kind of)

Kurt Angle granted Kevin Owens’ personal nightmare by booking him in a cage match with Braun Strowman. Technically, Owens won. But it was Strowman’s decision.

After a little back and forth, Strowman ended the contest after choke slamming KO off the cage and onto an announce table. The horrific impact made Owens a winner, and also unlikely to attend Raw tomorrow.

Team Hell No Dismantled

An hour before their match, the Bludgeon Brothers attacked Daniel Bryan and Kane backstage. The effects of the beatdown were all-too-present in the actual match and Team Hell No took a rather anticlimactic loss.

It’s hard to say where WWE goes from here. The use of Kane never seemed like a long-term fix for Daniel Bryan’s summer, and given his “leg injury,” he’s probably been written off television.

The Bludgeon Brothers have had quite a stranglehold on the Smackdown Tag Team Championships since WrestleMania and look to carry them into SummerSlam. However, their next defense likely won’t involve Daniel Bryan. 

Lashley Stuns Reigns

Roman Reigns is officially in a funk.

Bobby Lashley dropped Reigns after a brutal match at Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view. The clean loss makes Reigns an unimpressive 2-3 in his last five major matches. For Lashley, it could prove to be the biggest win of his WWE career.

This match had loads of Universal Championship subtext, and with Lashley emerging the winner he now seems to be the unofficial number one contender for Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.

Alexa Bliss Keeps Her Title

Given the amount of focus Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey has been given, the chances of Nia Jax winning the Raw title a month before SummerSlam seemed slim. Those long odds were actualized after Bliss pinned Jax after a chaotic match.

Amongst the madness, WWE was able to plant Rousey vs. BLiss for SummerSlam. No wrestlers who “buys” a front row ticket ever stays behind the barricade and Rousey was no exception. She hopped into the fray and got a few licks in before getting kendo stuck by Mickie James.

From our perspective, it appears that Rousey vs. Bliss in Brooklyn is all but guaranteed.

AJ Styles Parties on Rusev Day

With SummerSlam so close, it seemed terribly unlikely AJ Styles would lose his WWE Championship at Extreme Rule.s While Rusev certainly was a viable opponent, Styles left the match with his title. 

Despite the loss, WWE appears to be behind Rusev. However where he goes from here is a bit of mystery.

For Styles, popular sentiment has him meeting Samoa Joe in Brooklyn. But WWE has yet to hint at such a match. Regardless of rumors, we’ll likely know Styles’ future on the next episode of SmackDown. 

Dolph Ziggler Snakes Ironman Victory

By the slimmest of margins, Dolph Ziggler is still Intercontinental Champion. 

Seth Rollins and Ziggler’s Ironman match ended in a 4-4 tie, allowing Ziggler to keep his title on a technicality. But Kurt Angle ordered a sudden death finish.

The match was restarted and seconds later, Drew McIntyre laid out Rollins and Ziggler scored the fateful pin. It certainly looks like there will be another chapter for this rivalry – potentially with Rollins adding Dean Ambrose for SummerSlam.