WWE ‘Extreme Rules’ 2017: Reactions & Review

The Hardy Boyz vs. Cesaro and Sheamus

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The Hardy Boyz will fight Cesaro and Sheamus at WWE Extreme Rules. (WWE.com)

Results: As is typical for the Hardy Boyz, this was an unbelievable match in which Jeff Hardy shocked the audience with several spots that could have easily killed him, not the least of which was his insane dive off the top of the cage onto Cesaro and Sheamus. Unlike some other matches this evening, this one was quite well paced, although the main issue comes down to just how illogical a lot of it turns out to be. For instance, when Sheamus was trying to get out of the cage, why didn’t Matt Hardy just let him go? He could have followed Sheamus out and therefore won, since Cesaro would still be in the cage. Also, the ending, which works in theory, was a bit strange in execution considering Cesaro and Sheamus for some reason very carefully and slowly climbed down from the cage instead of simply dropping down to ensure their victory. Still, this was an entertaining, classic cage match with a truly surprising ending, one of several shocking finales in tonight’s show.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars


Neville vs. Austin Aries

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Austin Aries will fight Neville at WWE ‘Extreme Rules.’ (WWE.com)

 

Reactions: Of all of the matches Austin Aries and Neville have had over the past few months, this may have been the best one, which made it all the more frustrating that the crowd was chanting about a beach ball the whole time. The match was elevated by Aries doing a great job selling multiple injuries, mainly to his knee but also to his arm at one point. Aries also performed an incredible suicide dive, which was a suicide dive in the true sense of the phrase. That said, this was another example of a match where some weird logic gaps distracted from it a bit. For instance, if it was set up that the only way to win was by submission, why was a possible disqualification teased several times?

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars


Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Samoa Joe

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A fatal five-way will take place in the main event of ‘Extreme Rules’ 2017. (WWE.com)

 

Reactions: This was a spectacular main event that lived up to the hype, plain and simple. All five performers came out of the match looking equally great, and it was particularly interesting to see a pairing of Samoa Joe and Bray Wyatt, something that hopefully comes back sometime down the line. A clear highlight was Finn Balor placing Bray Wyatt on the announce table, only to be interrupted so that the audience is teased into thinking this spot might not happen; then, Rollins dives off the top rope onto Wyatt, also executing a frog splash a few minutes later. The ending was the most unexpected possible outcome, but it’s certainly a pleasant surprise, although it was slightly disappointing to see Finn Balor be the one to take the pin.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars