Daniel Cormier says he had the time of his life at WWE Extreme Rules.
After serving as special referee for the Fight Pit match between Matt Riddle and Seth Rollins on the show, Cormier spoke about his experience to ESPN MMA.
“I was nervous,” Cormier said. “I started forgetting the match. I was, like, oh my goodness I forgot the end. So, I kept having to ask questions. I was so nervous but once I walked out there, it was so fun. The energy of the crowd is like second to none. I fought in front of bigger crowds than I was in front of last weekend but ultimately that’s – it’s a shoot, right? – I’m going to just fight, it is going to be what it is going to be. But to remember all the points of what you’re supposed to do in the match, dude, it was amazing.”
“Then I got fans heckling me. They calling me “Carl Winslow” in there. They were messing with me,” he continued.
“They said, ‘DC, climb up the cage.’ I’m standing at the bottom like, I’m not going up there with these dudes. They were up there actually wrestling on that little ledge.”
“Then when Riddle jumped off the top I was like, man, I couldn’t believe that I was actually in that moment. And I don’t know how much you pay attention but then Bray Wyatt returned right after so we were like the closer to a massive moment.”
“But my favorite part was I got to essentially be Herb Dean.”
Cormier was asked if he has more respect for the WWE athletes after his performance at Extreme Rules.
“Riddle and Rollins aren’t big guys but like some of these other guys, Drew McIntyre, Karrion Kross, all these guys that were performing earlier in the night, the things that they do at their size, it’s crazy, the amount of athleticism that these guys possess inside the wrestling ring.”
“I had the time of my life,” Cormier continued.
Cormier also says he spoke to WWE about working together again in the future.
“They were talking to me about doing future things in the WWE and I go, ‘I’ll do things but I got to get in shape first. Like, give your boy some time to get some of this baggage of this luggage.'”
“It was a good time and again, I’ve earned a new amount of respect for the performers inside the wrestling ring,” he continued.
The Bryan & Vinny & Craig Show is back with tons to talk about in our look at WWE Extreme Rules from Saturday night, all the matches and angles and the return of Bray Wyatt, plus our weekly LIVE Q&A with questions from our Youtube and Twitch listeners and Bryan’s Super Followers! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Ronda Rousey is once again a WWE women’s champion.
At Saturday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view, Rousey regained the SmackDown Women’s Championship by defeating Liv Morgan in an extreme rules match. Morgan passed out in a submission to lose the title.
Morgan was able to put Rousey through a table by hitting a senton from the top rope during the match, but Rousey kicked out when Morgan went for a pin. When Rousey tried to go for an armbar, Morgan fought it off and prevented Rousey from locking in the hold. But Rousey was able to eventually apply a biceps crusher where she put a piece of the broken table behind Morgan’s head. The referee called for the bell when Morgan passed out in the hold.
The loss puts an end to Morgan’s three-month reign as SmackDown Women’s Champion. The reign began when she defeated Rousey for the title at Money in the Bank this July. Morgan cashed in on Rousey after winning the briefcase earlier that night.
Morgan retained the SmackDown Women’s title against Rousey at SummerSlam in a match that had a disputed finish. The referee missed Morgan tapping out to an armbar and instead counted a pin.
This is Rousey’s second time holding the SmackDown Women’s Championship. She’s also held the Raw Women’s Championship once during her WWE career.
Six stipulation matches are set for tonight’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view in Philadelphia.
Matt Riddle and Seth Rollins’ personal rivalry will culminate as they step inside the Fight Pit tonight. The MMA-inspired cage match can only be won by knocking out your opponent or submitting them. UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier will be the special guest referee.
Two Women’s title matches are set for the PPV. Liv Morgan and Ronda Rousey will collide in an extreme rules match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship, while Bianca Belair puts her Raw Women’s Championship on the line against Bayley in a ladder match.
Drew McIntyre will take on Karrion Kross in a strap match, Edge and Finn Balor face off an in “I Quit” match, and there will be a six-man Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook between Imperium and The Brawling Brutes.
After weeks of teasers, tonight appears to be where we’ll get some answers about WWE’s “White Rabbit” QR codes. The teasers look to be hyping the return of Bray Wyatt.
Extreme Rules airs live on Peacock/WWE Network starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time. There will also be a pre-show starting at 7 p.m. Eastern.
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Kickoff show —
Kevin Patrick replaced Kayla Braxton as the kickoff show host, as the latter was feeling under the weather. Patrick, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Booker T, and Peter Rosenberg were the full panel. It’s mostly the typical assortment of promos, packages, and analysis.
At one point, the pre-show panel was interrupted by a White Rabbit video. The panel just kept talking as if nothing happened.
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WWE Extreme Rules report —
The show started with a really fun hype package surrounding a kid trying to spell “extreme” in a spelling bee.
Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland, & Butch) defeated Imperium (Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, & Giovanni Vinci) in a Good Old-Fashioned Donnybrook [17:50]
This was an awesome physical spotfest. This Sheamus-Gunther feud has been maybe the highlight of WWE programming in 2022.
Sheamus was so over in this match. There were barrels and bar tops set up at ringside. The two teams went right after each other at the bell, with the Brutes eventually landing a running dropkick on Kaiser before being leveled with a Gunther chop. Imperium gained control, using three-on-one attacks against their individual opponents. They sent Sheamus into the steel steps.
Gunther just killed Sheamus with repeated chops, then Imperium tried to take him out of the equation by dropping him hard onto the wooden bar top. With Sheamus incapacitated, it was a three-on-two advantage for Imperium, who hit the Imperial Bomb on Holland on the outside.
Imperium then beat down Butch for a good while until Sheamus fired up. The Irishman took out Kaiser and Vinci on the outside, leading to the big heavyweight face-off with Gunther in the ring. Gunther hit a German, but Sheamus fired back with lariats and a powerslam.
Sheamus hit the 10 Beats of the Bodhran, with his Brutes getting involved for good measure. White Noise followed. Sheamus nailed the Brogue Kick, but Vinci broke up the pin on a springboard. There was a parade of big moves, ending with Sheamus hitting the Irish Curse backbreaker and locking on the cloverleaf. Kaiser broke it up with a shillelagh shot.
The two teams brought themselves to their feet as the subordinates went after each other. Gunther and Sheamus, forehead to forehead, traded hard strikes. Kaiser took out Butch, Vinci took out Holland, but then Sheamus landed a rising knee for a near fall.
Imperium cleared off the announce table and set Sheamus up for the Imperial Bomb. Holland broke it up before Butch took them out with a moonsault off a barrel. Gunther smashed Sheamus with a shillelagh shot to the face for a good near fall. Gunther set up for the powerbomb, but Butch and Holland snapped his fingers and Sheamus whacked him with the shillelagh.
Holland and Butch laid in shillelagh shots on Vinci and Kaiser, then Sheamus hit the Celtic Cross on Gunther through the announce table. With the Brutes restraining him, Sheamus crushed Vinci with the Brogue Kick for the win.
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The Miz was backstage. An interviewer asked why he was at Extreme Rules, and Miz said he wanted to talk to Triple H in person about his birthday celebration this Monday. He was distracted by Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers’ mascot, who presented Miz with a T-shirt. Miz threw the shirt down, stomped on it, and walked off.
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WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship: Ronda Rousey defeated Liv Morgan (c) in an Extreme Rules match [12:48]
There were moments that this could’ve been really good — the layout was solid and Ronda comes across like a killer — but Liv was absolutely atrocious here. Her selling was, like, day one community theatre fake fighting, and she really struggled with some of the props/weapons. And then she smiles as Ronda’s putting her in a blood choke for the finish? Terrible.
Early on, Liv produced a bat, which Ronda effortlessly disarmed and tossed away. Ronda landed a knee to the midsection and went for an ankle lock, but Liv escaped. Ronda intercepted a dive, trapped Liv in the ring skirt, and slapped her straight across the face. Liv came back by letting a fire extinguisher loose in Ronda’s face, but Ronda took her down with an Olympic slam and baseball bat shots.
Liv avoided a swing and landed an enzuigiri. Ronda came back with whipping shots from her black belt, then bat shots, having tied her up. Liv got a brief moment of reprieve and propped up a table in the corner, but she took too long, allowing Ronda to smash her into the table and stretch her through the ropes.
Back in the ring, Liv tried to prop up a chair, but it fell out of the ring. She sent Ronda through the ropes anyway. Liv laid in chair shots and hit a something of a facebuster through the chair for two. She set up a table, propped Ronda on it, and landed a top-rope senton through the table for a good near fall.
On the kickout, Ronda immediately locked Liv in a triangle. Liv kind of powered out of it, but Ronda didn’t relinquish the hold. Ronda turned it into a key lock, then a leg sleeper, leading to Liv passing out and Ronda winning the title.
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Karrion Kross defeated Drew McIntyre (w/ Scarlett) in a Strap Match [10:03]
The pre-match brawl was pretty good. The match itself was barely anything, with 80% of it just being Kross heat on McIntyre’s arm/shoulder alongside a screwy interference finish.
Before the match, Kross played some mind games by taking a long time to put the strap on. He threw the strap to Scarlett, which distracted McIntyre and allowed Kross to attack. Kross sent McIntyre into the ring post and over the barricade. They fought up into the crowd — the match hadn’t even officially started — before eventually returning to the ringside area. McIntyre reversed a suplex on the floor into one of his own before planting Kross on the apron with a sidewalk slam.
Finally, back inside the ring, McIntyre put the strap on Kross, and the match was under way. McIntyre dominated until another Scarlett distraction allowed Kross to pull McIntyre repeatedly into the ring post. McIntyre sold his left arm and shoulder hard.
Kross attacked at McIntyre’s arm for a long time, driving him into the announce table at one point. He eventually started whipping McIntyre, with Scarlett cheering him on. Inside the ring, Kross hit the Doomsday Saito for two.
After a long beatdown — I’m talking 6-7 minutes — McIntyre started a comeback with lariats. He wanted the Future Shock DDT, but Kross fought out, forcing McIntyre to re-position and land a spinebuster for two. They laid into each other with strikes before whipping each other. McIntyre got the advantage, hitting the Future Shock DDT and kipping up.
McIntyre counted down to the Claymore Kick, but Scarlett entered the ring and got in between them. She blasted McIntyre with pepper spray, then Kross hit the Kross Hammer for the win.
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The Miz was backstage again, trying to find Triple H. He was interrupted by Gritty for a second time.
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WWE RAW Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair (c) defeated Bayley in a Ladder Match [16:11]
This was pretty good overall. The creativity of some of the spots was really cool, especially Bianca pressing out of being trapped and hitting the double KOD on Damage CTRL. However, there were also multiple minutes-long stretches where nothing really happened due to indecision or the props not cooperating.
No Damage CTRL out with Bayley. Both women went for ladders right away and jockeyed for position. After an extended exchange of climbing and pulling each other off, Bianca slammed Bayley onto a ladder and followed it up with a springboard moonsault. Bayley returned fire by driving Bianca into the corner with a ladder. She then landed a sunset flip into the ladder in a cool spot.
There was a long period of time where it seemed like Bayley couldn’t decide what she wanted to do next. She eventually set up a ladder bridge between the steps and the barricade, propped Bianca onto it, and landed a running elbow drop.
Back in the ring, they both traded climb attempts, with Bayley dumping Bianca out of the ring on one. Bayley altered her knee brace, but Bianca avoided a knee strike in the corner and hit the KOD. She made it to the top of the ladder, but Damage CTRL ran out and pushed the ladder over.
Bianca made a comeback and was able to hit a double KOD on Dakota and IYO. However, her strength was sapped, and Bayley took advantage with a ladder shot. Bayley then hit the Rose Plant and set up a ladder, trapping Bianca underneath. Bianca bench pressed herself out of the ladder, sending Bayley crashing into the ropes.
Once they both recovered, they raced to the top of the ladder. Bayley grabbed Bianca’s hair and used it to send her down, but Bianca recovered and whipped Bayley with her hair. She hit Bayley with a KOD onto a ladder, then climbed and retrieved the championship to retain.
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WWE Monday Night RAW Season Premiere lineup —
Johnny Gargano vs. Austin Theory
WWE United States Championship: Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Seth Rollins
D-Generation X Reunion
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Finn Bálor defeated Edge in an “I Quit” Match [29:39]
This ended up being so much fun. Classic WWE hokey melodrama, in a good way. The early portions of the match were nothing special — the crowd brawling was just okay — but I was so entertained by the Judgment Day, Rey, and Beth run-ins. Turning Bálor and Judgment Day into a legitimate heel stable is miracle work after how dead they were just a couple months ago.
The official had a microphone in hand to hear the loser say “I quit” as is tradition. Edge went right after Bálor at the start, but Bálor was able to come back and target Edge’s left knee. He locked on a figure four, but Edge wouldn’t quit. Bálor continued to dominate for a really long extended period, but Edge was defiant.
Edge finally started a comeback by driving Bálor through the barricade. They brawled into a floor area near the pre-show set and Edge hit a vertical suplex on the floor. Edge found a hockey stick (we are in the Flyers’ arena, after all) and choked Bálor with it.
They climbed up towards the concourse, where Bálor repeatedly sent Edge into the wall. Edge countered a running attack by sending Bálor into a concrete overhang. They made their way back towards the ring, with Bálor regaining control as Edge sold his midsection.
Back inside the ring, Bálor attacked with repeated chair shots. “Screw you, Finn,” was Edge’s response. “I don’t quit.” Bálor locked Edge in a crossface, but Edge still wouldn’t quit. Edge regained control by sending Bálor into a chair that had been propped up in the corner.
Edge laid in chair shots on Bálor’s left leg. He locked on an inverted crab, but Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio ran out to break it up. Edge fought them off and Speared Bálor through the ropes onto Priest and Dominik. He set up for another Spear, but Rhea Ripley appeared and handcuffed Edge to the ropes.
Judgement Day surrounded Edge, who fought valiantly but was eventually overwhelmed. Bálor attacked with a kendo stick until Rey Mysterio ran out to make the save. Rey took out Bálor and hit a 619 on Priest but was attacked by his son. Dominik beat Rey down.
Bálor resumed attacking Edge with the kendo stick until Beth Phoenix, Edge’s wife, showed up and dispatched everyone — except Rhea, leading to the two women brawling. Beth took out Rhea with a Spear and freed Edge from the handcuffs, allowing him to Spear Priest.
Edge and Dominik were alone in the ring. Dominik pleaded his case, but Edge low-blowed him; however, the distraction was enough to allow Bálor to hit a Sling Blade. Edge fired back with a Spear out of nowhere, then a second, then a third. Edge was about to try and win with a crossface, but Rhea took out Beth with brass knuckles and Priest and Dominik leveled Edge.
Bálor landed three Coups de Grâce. He demanded Edge say it, but Edge told him to “go to hell.” The three Judgment Day men restrained Edge as Rhea was about to con-chair-to Beth, leading to Edge quitting to save his wife.
– After the match, Rhea hit Beth with the con-chair-to anyway.
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Backstage, Miz had had it with Gritty, attacking him (it?). Dexter Lumis appeared behind him and choked him out. Lumis helped Gritty up, and Gritty got a shot in before they walked off.
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Matt Riddle defeated Seth “FREAKIN” Rollins in the Fight Pit (special guest referee: Daniel Cormier) [16:54]
This was a strong main event with some major high spots and cool sequences, but I can’t help but feel they left a big on the table. Some of the Cormier stuff was oddly paced too.
Riddle quickly used the cage structure to his advantage with a step-up enzuigiri. He laid in palm strikes, leading to Cormier pulling him off, and the momentary distraction allowed Rollins to attack and gain the upper hand. Cormier had to lay the law down on Rollins as well. Riddle attacked with overhand chops, but Rollins sent him into the cage.
Cormier made it to an eight count before Riddle got up. Rollins attacked with superkicks and laid in rabbit punches to the back of Riddle’s head. He then suplexed Riddle into the cage. Rollins took too long to capitalize, allowing Riddle to surprise him with an RKO out of nowhere.
Rollins reversed a second RKO attempt and hit the Stomp. He went for a Stomp from the top of the cage, but Riddle avoided it; however, Rollins was able to climb up to the top of the pit. Riddle pursued him and locked on a jumping rear naked choke around a one of the structure’s chains. Rollins escaped and repeatedly drove Riddle into the cage before hitting a powerbomb into the cage wall. He followed it up with a Pedigree on the platform.
Cormier wouldn’t count Riddle out, as he wasn’t in the ring. Rollins continued to plead his case with Cormier, allowing Riddle to hit an RKO on the platform, which sent Rollins back down to the mat. Riddle then hit a Bro-ton from the top of the pit.
Riddle went for a flying triangle, maintaining the hold even after Rollins tried to send him into the cage walls. Riddle eventually forced Rollins to tap for the win.
Bray Wyatt return
– After the match, as the end-of-show logo came on the screen, the lights in the arena went out. A recording of “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands” played. Various people in creepy costumes were shown around the building. A Fiend mask was on the announcer’s table, then The Fiend showed up at ringside briefly before a door appeared on the entrance ramp.
The broadcast cut to a video, presumably at the Firefly Funhouse. A broadcast played on a TV with someone in a creepy mask talking and laughing (a different mask than the Fiend one). The door on the entrance ramp opened, a light shined, and the new-masked man emerged with a lantern. He unmasked as Bray Wyatt, blew out his lantern, and the show ended.
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Final Thoughts —
Extreme Rules 2022 was a middling show with six matches: a stellar opener, three good-to-very good showcases, and two absolute duds. The live crowd adored the Bray Wyatt return; I’ll wait and see if it translates to entertaining wrestling matches.
Editor’s Note: The following is an opinion-based preview and reflects that of the writer and not of our website.
WWE heads to Philadelphia this weekend for Extreme Rules — a show that could prove to be more than a B-level pay-per-view.
It’s been a little over two months since Paul “Triple H” Levesque took over as head of WWE creative and we are starting to learn more about what we can expect with him in charge. He’s still lining up his chess pieces for whatever he wants to happen at WrestleMania and Saturday should give us a better idea of what that is.
We learned at Clash at the Castle that the new WWE regime has no plans to take the undisputed WWE Universal title away from Roman Reigns any time soon — even when 60,000+ fans in Wales were begging for it.
So, while it seems likely Reigns will walk into WrestleMania as champion, there is far less certainty concerning the two Women’s titles.
Extreme Rules could possibly see both the Raw and SmackDown Women’s titles change hands. It all depends on where the company wants those belts to be in the build-up to WrestleMania.
Our own Dave Meltzer reported in February that the plan was for Ronda Rousey to face Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 39, although he noted that “a million things may happen between then and now.” Well, a million things did happen, and one of those things was Vince McMahon’s resignation/retirement.
One thing we have certainly learned during Levesque’s two months in charge is that he’s not going to shy away from bringing back previously released stars. Saturday could see arguably the biggest return yet depending on what hole this White Rabbit takes us all down. Bray Wyatt looms large over this entire show, much like a poker chip-holding MJF watching from a luxury suite.
Here’s a look at the show.
The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Butch & Ridge Holland) vs. Imperium (Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci) in a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook match
WWE has latched onto something that works: put Gunther in the ring with Sheamus and let them have at it. The word “banger” has been used in moderation to describe such matches.
Meltzer gave Sheamus vs. Gunther from Clash at the Castle a five star rating. It’s the 16th time a WWE match has received five stars or higher and four of those have involved Gunther (against Ilja Dragunov twice and Tyler Bate once). In other words, he’s had a decent last three years with the company.
While Gunther has consistently shown he can put on top performances, the match at Clash at the Castle was something of a coming out party for Sheamus. Despite being 44, he seems to be reaching a new peak in his career. He was so over in Cardiff it was if it caused the rest of the wrestling world to say, ‘Yeah, Sheamus is good’ and then add, ‘something, something banger after banger.” His matches with Drew McIntyre tend to garner a similar reaction.
Whatever happens Saturday will likely depend on who wins Sheamus vs. Gunther II on Friday’s SmackDown. As of this writing, that match has yet to happen, but I feel confident in preemptively referring to it as “a banger.”
Predicted winner: Brawling Brutes
Edge vs. Finn Balor in an I Quit match
Whatever drama plays out on WWE programming involving this feud pales in comparison to the untold story of Rhea Ripley and Dominic Mysterio. Just what is going on off-camera that gives Ripley such power over Rey Mysterio’s son? We may never know what Ripley has been whispering to him in the same way we’ll never know what caused everyone to lay down in Radiohead’s music video for “Just” (a dated reference, but I stand by it).
It’s probably unlikely that top babyface Edge says “I Quit” here, but it should be interesting to see how things play out. Rey getting involved and Dominic trying to get his father to hit him does seem to be a likely scenario.
Balor vs. Edge will possibly be more about furthering the Judgment Day vs. Edge/Mysterio storyline than anything. Despite the beatdown he was subjected to on Raw, the possibility that AJ Styles becomes the next member of this spooky group remains as well.
Predicted winner: Edge
Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins in a Fight Pit match
The Fight Pit makes its main roster debut and could be the blow-off to the Riddle vs. Rollins feud. Rollins picked up the victory in their singles match at Clash at the Castle, but the odds seem stacked in Riddle’s favor on Saturday.
For the uninitiated, the Fight Pit is reminiscent of the Lion’s Den match between Ken Shamrock and Owen Hart from SummerSlam ’98. Levesque would bring it to NXT in 2020 in a match that saw Timothy Thatcher hand Riddle a loss before he got called up to the main roster.
The idea is to create a similar atmosphere to an MMA fight. Considering Riddle’s past success in the UFC Octagon, it’s likely WWE considers this something of a signature match for him.
Bringing in former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier as the special guest referee only helps in luring MMA fans in to check out the product, either for the first time or for the first time in a while. Cormier loves pro wrestling and has probably convinced more than a few MMA fans to consider becoming wrestling fans as well. If a longer-term relationship with Cormier develops out of this remains to be seen, however.
Shamrock volunteered his services as referee for this match before the Cormier announcement was made. One has to wonder if the WWE regime change might lead to more recognition of the contributions he made to the company in the late 90s.
Predicted winner: Matt Riddle
Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross in a strap match
Kross has only ever lost one match under Levesque’s booking. That was when he dropped the NXT Championship to Samoa Joe at TakeOver 36 as he was beginning his ill-fated first trip to the main roster. Levesque portrayed Kross as nearly unbeatable before that, winning the NXT title in just his seventh match with the promotion.
Kross and Scarlett were two of the first wrestlers Levesque brought back to the company after taking over. They have moved immediately into a program with one of the company’s top babyfaces in McIntyre. There can be little doubt that Levesque is going to run with Kross as a top guy. With this being his first main roster pay-per-view, it seems likely he’ll come away with the win here.
Granted, one could argue that McIntyre could be due for a win after losing to Reigns in Cardiff. McIntyre was portrayed as the better wrestler in that match, however, and had the title won if it wasn’t for interference from a debuting Solo Sikoa. It’s not as though he lost clean. A loss to Kross probably won’t hurt McIntyre much, especially if it is as a result of a more precisely-aimed fireball.
Predicted winner: Karrion Kross
WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair defends against Bayley in a ladder match
It’s entirely possible that Bayley wins the belt here, but it all depends on what WWE’s long-term plans are for the women’s titles. Working in her favor is that she just returned from a long absence, is the leader of a new faction, is her division’s top heel, and is a focal point of the television show.
Belair, meanwhile, recently completed something of a year-long saga. After losing her title to Lynch at SummerSlam 2021, she went on to once again win the championship at WrestleMania. Then to bring everything full circle, she defeated Lynch at SummerSlam 2022, earned her rival’s respect, and then fought alongside her against a new threat. That’s a nicely wrapped-up story. She might be playing the role of the number two babyface in the next story, however, with Lynch once again assuming the top spot.
Whether Bayley does or does not win the title really depends on what the company’s plans are for WrestleMania. Are they still looking at Rousey vs. Lynch? If so, would just one title be on the line or both? Not having those answers adds some unpredictability to the two title pictures right now.
It also seems as though Damage Control is headed to a WarGames match at Survivor Series with Raw’s top babyfaces, so we could see the start of that build on Saturday as well.
Predicted winner: Bayley
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan defends against Ronda Rousey in an Extreme Rules match
For a babyface champion, Morgan has been on the winning end of a dangerous amount of cheap victories. First, she cashed in the MITB briefcase to win the title after Rousey had just competed in a hard-fought match with Natalya. Then, Morgan tapped out at SummerSlam but the referee didn’t see it as he was counting Rousey’s shoulders down for three.
She got booed on the next SmackDown as a result, although was back to receiving cheers the following week. I doubt WWE wants a repeat of that. Morgan getting a fluke victory, or one due to interference, would hurt her far worse than losing clean would.
The most likely ending, I believe, would be Rousey winning the title after a hard-fought contest and Morgan having fought valiantly, winning over the new champion’s respect. There are other possibilities as well, however.
With Levesque in charge, the likelihood of Rousey going heel at some point seems greater than it used to be. It’s something she wants to do, too. On a video game stream earlier this year, Rousey even said she’d like to be a Roddy Piper-type heel.
“He was the real heel though, who wanted you to hate him. He wasn’t the cool guy heel,” Rousey said of Piper. “That jacket that I wear that is a replica of his jacket is actually stab-proof because people would try to stab him. That’s the kind of heel I want to be. I want to be the kind of heel that really inspires that vitriol and really gets the other person liked. I think a lot of people forget that the job of the heel is to get the babyface over, not for everyone to think that you were a cool heel.”
If WWE’s plans for WrestleMania remain the same as they were before the regime change, perhaps the dynamic is a babyface Lynch vs. a heel Rousey.
There was also a tease of something brewing involving Rousey and longtime training partner Shayna Baszler on the September 9th SmackDown. Rousey told Baszler to find her when she was ready to “take over the show.” In what direction that is all headed could come into play at Extreme Rules as well.
Predicted winner: Ronda Rousey
Potential White Rabbit-related activity
According to a report from Fightful, “those in the know” expect the White Rabbit reveal to take place at Extreme Rules. It does seem like the best place to deliver on several weeks of ominous clues and riddles.
For evidence of how much fan interest there is in this angle, you only need to look at the television rating for the September 23rd SmackDown. With Wyatt fans clearly expecting something at 9:23, the 9 PM quarter of the show drew 2,767,000 viewers and an 0.70 in the 18-49 demo.
It was the highest-rated WWE segment in over a year. For whatever complaints you may have about Wyatt or the Fiend character, people are intrigued. In addition to teleporting and various other superpowers he’s shown over the years, Wyatt also has the ability to move needles.
There was a big drop in the rating beginning at 9:25 and didn’t carry over to Raw the following Monday, however, meaning Wyatt fans are all done with the riddles and ready to see him return.
Meltzer also noted in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, that strong White Rabbit merchandise sales have not gone unnoticed as well.
“White Rabbit merchandise was also a hot seller over the past week. As a marketing ploy, it has been very effective,” Meltzer wrote. “There was talk that Paul Levesque would be doing more things like this going forward.”
There are a few complaints regarding how Wyatt has been used in the past. One of the most notable was mentioned recently by Seth Rollins in an interview with Ariel Helwani. He echoed previous sentiments made by our own Bryan Alvarez regarding the difficulty of booking the Fiend character.
“The Bray Wyatt character was just difficult,” Rollins said. “I mean, if you look at anybody that worked with the Bray Wyatt character for an extended period of time, they didn’t come out of it better than they went in. It was very difficult to have a story with him where, aside from Randy [Orton] obviously who killed him, it was difficult for anyone. I think maybe Daniel Bryan, Bryan might have escaped a little unscathed but I mean, everyone else pretty much met a dire end for their character. I mean, that was the end for the Seth Rollins character as you knew it, the Beast Slayer character. It was tough figuring out how to tell a good wrestling story with that character.”
It’s not clear what version of Wyatt could be returning to the company. He could be back as The Fiend, the original leader of the Wyatt Family, or as an entirely new character. Even if his new persona has similar characteristics to The Fiend, some tweaks can be made to limit the negative impacts on his opponents.
Wyatt could have been just as over without Seth Rollins selling his spookiness by crying in a corner. It’s not like Wyatt became popular because he made Rollins cry. He’d sell just as much merchandise if Rollins appeared to be “putting on a brave face” and wasn’t all freaked out that Husky Harris put on a mask. His opponents don’t need to be petrified of him.
Another aspect that made The Fiend hard to book is that he was being portrayed as an unstoppable monster incapable of being hurt. He can’t be booked as that without it taking away from those he’s working with. He’s going to have to sell moves or WWE will run into the same problems all over again.
Fans of Wyatt seem less concerned with how unstoppable of a monster he is, however, and seem to just really enjoy the mysteries, easter eggs, riddles, and general creativity surrounding his character more than anything. He could start selling moves and even getting pinned from time to time and it would not hurt him all that much.
The other complaint that is often made regarding Wyatt is the paranormal aspect of his character. This is something WWE fans have been arguing with each other about since The Undertaker rose from the dead at the 1994 Royal Rumble. What Meltzer wrote about the response to that angle 28 years ago still rings true today.
“If nothing else, the 1994 Royal Rumble is going to be the subject of a lot of controversy and polarized views,” he wrote. “The vehemence in the phone calls to the Observer was like no show in recent memory. Those who didn’t like the show, which was a greater than two-to-one majority, hated it with numerous calls saying it was the worst PPV show of all-time and many remarks that they expected this to be a 100% thumbs down poll. Yet of those who gave it a thumbs up, very few gave it a marginal thumbs up and some thought it was one of the best PPV show ever. I guess it comes down to the debate of whether pro wrestling should be a worked sporting event with showmanship involved that one can attempt to suspend disbelief during, or that it is nothing more than a broadway show with oversized actors using a wrestling ring as a set.”
Some fans do not want this in their wrestling at all. For them, it kills the suspension of disbelief. For other fans, however, they love when wrestling goes this route and often consider such angles and characters as their favorite part of the show.
How much WWE leans into the more magical aspects of the character remains to be seen. We’ll just see what awaits us down the rabbit hole at Extreme Rules.
Daniel Cormier says his deal with WWE for Extreme Rules is a ‘one-time thing’ but could perhaps lead to something bigger.
Cormier will serve as the special guest referee in the Fight Pit match between Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle at Extreme Rules on Saturday. He spoke to Mark Raimondi recently and was asked about how the deal came together.
“It’s crazy, right, because for years we’ve spoken about this,” Cormier said. “How many times have I been at post-fight press conferences going ‘I’ve talked to Triple H, I’ve talked to these guys’? We never really could find a role that worked but this made sense.”
Cormier continued to say Rollins texted him about possibly refereeing his match with Riddle in Philadelphia.
“It wasn’t really from the people in charge, it was Seth Rollins who texted me, he goes, ‘Hey, real-life fighting in the Fight Pit and we may be in the market for a special guest referee, would you have an interest in it?'”
Cormier continued to say that he put WWE in contact with his agent, who just so happens to also be Becky Lynch’s agent.
“I have always wanted to do something with the WWE,” Cormier continued. “But it can be intimidating with all the people, the fans, but now my career has now groomed me for this moment.”
Cormier was asked about the potential of reaching a longer-term agreement with WWE in the future.
“As of right now, it’s a one-time thing,” Cormier responded. “We’ll see how it goes this weekend and we’ll kind of go forward from there.”
“Maybe it does lead to something bigger but right now, all eyes are on Extreme Rules.”
He would continue to say that he contacted UFC President Dana White and was granted permission to take part in Extreme Rules.
Cormier was also asked about the possibility of facing Brock Lesnar in WWE.
“No, I haven’t heard anything about that,” Cormier responded.
“It seems to make a lot of sense but, as you know, just because something makes sense doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen. So, no, there is no talk of me fighting Brock Lesnar.”
It was announced today that Imperium (Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci) and The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland & Butch) will meet in a “Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook” six-man tag match at Extreme Rules. The match will be “an absolute free-for-all brawl with numerous weapons at every turn that guarantee a display of all-out mayhem.”
Extreme Rules is taking place on Saturday, October 8. The night before the pay-per-view, Gunther will defend his Intercontinental title against Sheamus on SmackDown’s season premiere episode. That’s a rematch from Clash at the Castle, where Gunther retained against Sheamus in a hard-hitting instant classic.
On SmackDown last week, Holland & Butch challenged The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles. Imperium got involved in the match and cost The Brawling Brutes a chance to become champions.
Sheamus also wrestled in a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook match this July, losing to Drew McIntyre on an episode of SmackDown.
Extreme Rules is being held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The updated card for the PPV is listed below:
Extreme Rules match: SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan defends against Ronda Rousey
Ladder match: Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair defends against Bayley
Fight Pit match: Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins
Strap match: Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross
“I Quit” match: Edge vs. Finn Balor
Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook match: Imperium (Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci) vs. The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland & Butch)
Edge returned to WWE TV on Raw, attacking The Judgment Day and issuing a challenge to Finn Balor for Extreme Rules.
After Matt Riddle scored a win over Damian Priest on Monday, the rest of Judgment Day joined in with Priest and attacked Riddle after the bell rang. That brought out Edge, who speared Priest and Balor. He said that even if it took nine years, he never quit and always came back. He then challenged Balor to an I Quit match for Extreme Rules on October 8.
On the September 12 edition of Raw, a match between Edge and Dominik Mysterio ended after members of the Judgment Day interfered. The show ended with Finn Balor giving Edge’s knee the coup de grace on a sitting chair.
Here’s the lineup for Extreme Rules, which will take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair vs. Bayley in a ladder match
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Liv Morgan vs. Ronda Rousey in an Extreme Rules match
Bayley ended Monday’s Raw by challenging Bianca Belair to a match for the Raw Women’s title at Extreme Rules.
Following a win over Alexa Bliss on Monday, Damage Control continued to attack Bliss. This brought out Asuka, who was laid out, and Belair, who managed to hold her own for a while. However, the numbers game played in Damage Control’s favor, and Bayley soon laid out Belair with a Rose plant. Bayley ended the show saying that she wanted the title match at Extreme Rules on October 8.
After Bayley pinned Belair at Clash at the Castle earlier this month, Bayley laid claim to being the next challenger for the Raw Women’s title on the following episode of Raw. Belair came out and said she would defend her championship right then and there. Bayley rejected the offer, saying it would be on her terms.
Here is the current match lineup for Extreme Rules, which will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Extreme Rules match for the SmackDown Women’s title: Liv Morgan vs. Ronda Rousey
Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair vs. Bayley
A Fight Pit match has been added to Extreme Rules on October 8.
Seth Rollins will face Matt Riddle in the third-ever Fight Pit match. After both got involved in each other’s matches on Monday’s Raw, the two were seen brawling backstage. As the two were seperated, Riddle issued the challenge for Extreme Rules, with Rollins immediately accepting.
The Fight Pit match is set inside a steel cage with no ring ropes. It has previously been seen in NXT, when Timothy Thatcher defeated Tomasso Ciampa in January of 2020. Thatcher later went on to defeat Riddle in the another Fight Pit match that was held on the May 20, 2020 edition of NXT.
On Raw, Riddle interfered in the finish of the Seth Rollins/Bobby Lashley match for the United States title, distracting Rollins long enough to be speared by Lashley. Later, Rollins came out during a Riddle & Rey Mysterio vs. Damian Priest & Finn Balor match, attacking Riddle.
Here is the current card for Extreme Rules:
Extreme Rules match for the SmackDown Women’s title: Liv Morgan vs. Ronda Rousey
Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair vs. Bayley
A rematch from SummerSlam is now set for Extreme Rules.
Ronda Rousey won a five-way elimination match on Friday’s SmackDown to earn a SmackDown Women’s Championship match against Liv Morgan. The finish of the match had Sonya Deville submitting to an ankle lock after Lacey Evans, Xia Li, and Natalya were eliminated.
After the match, Rousey met up with Shayna Baszler backstage. Rousey said that she knew that Baszler was upset about losing at Clash at the Castle, but then told her that there was one thing better than winning: revenge.
Rousey successfully retained the SmackDown Women’s Champion at Money in the Bank against Natalya when Morgan cashed in, pinning Rousey to win the championship. The two then met at SummerSlam, where Morgan retained. The finish had the referee seeing Rousey’s shoulders pinned to the mat while applying an armbar, but didn’t see Morgan submit beforehand.
Extreme Rules will take place on October 8 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with a ton to talk about including WWE Extreme Rules, all the matches and angles, the Raw lineup Monday, AEW Rampage and SmackDown recaps, ratings notes, G1, Stardom, PWG and more.
A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: Extreme Rules recap
30:31: SmackDown recap
39:24: Rampage recap
55:14: New TV ratings system
57:44: The latest on the G1
1:00:47: Stardom notes
1:03:24: PWG results
1:07:25: Aljamain Sterling pulls out of Petr Yan UFC bantamweight title fight
The scheduled match between Apollo Crews and MVP at tonight’s Extreme Rules event did not take place.
At the start of the segment, the announcers said that Apollo had failed a pre-match physical and was not cleared to compete at tonight’s show. They aired footage of Crews being laid out by Lashley with a full nelson submission, explaining that Apollo suffered a bulging disc as a result of the attack.
MVP and Lashley then came out. MVP told Lashley jokingly not to use the full nelson so much that it hurts his career. He then took the new United States title and left, declaring himself the new champion by forfeit. The announcers insisted that he wasn’t.
Apollo hasn’t been seen on television in recent weeks, most recently appearing on the June 29th episode of Raw where he was pinned by MVP. MVP has since introduced a new United States title design and has declared himself champion, even though the title was not on the line for their match.
