WWE Extreme Rules 2015 Review

Just a few weeks removed from my favorite WrestleMania of all time in WrestleMania 31, the WWE takes things extreme as the newly crowned WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins must defend his gold against Randy Orton inside a steel age. Also, Rusev looks to even the score against John Cena in a Russian Chain match!

Match 1: Chicago Street Fight - Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper
Since Luke Harper tossed Dean Ambrose through a ladder at WrestleMania, they face off in a singles match in the curtain jerker of the show. Good brawling action from the two with kendo sticks and steel chairs being tossed into the fray. The fight spilled to the backstage area before Luke Harper hopped into an SUV as Ambrose jumped in before Harper drove off with Ambrose in the car with him. We then cut to the announcers wondering where they went as the ridiculous CM Punk chants ring in the background. Thought it was a pretty fun way to kick off the show despite the smarky crowd loudly disagreeing with that statement. The match would continue after The New Day was getting interviewed after the match. They take it back into the ring where Ambrose hits a Dirty Deeds on Harper onto a set of chairs to win. Decent match for what it was and pretty creative to have them continue it on later on in the night.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
Rating: **

Match 2: Kiss Me Arse - Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus
After making his return on the Monday Night Raw after WrestleMania and turning heel, Sheamus takes on Dolph Ziggler with an odd stipulation in place. Despite the chants he was getting, I think Sheamus made a smart move in changing his look and he really looked comfortable as a heel here. Pretty good match here with Sheamus looking dominant before the train ran off the tracks late in the match and finally, he fell victim to Ziggler rolling him up for the surprise win. Afterwards, Sheamus refuses to pucker up for Ziggler as the referee hilariously demands him to kiss his ass. However, Sheamus pretends to lean in for the kiss but instead, hits Ziggler with a low blow and a Brogue Kick. A bit bizarre but an easy way for him to cop some heel heat. Sheamus then forces Ziggler to kiss his ass. Time to move on.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Rating: ***

Match 3: WWE Tag Team Championships - Cesaro and Tyson Kidd (c) vs. The New Day
Funny how these smark fans are, they booed the living daylights out of The New Day during their initial stages before they started cheering their lungs out eventually for them. Chicago was hot for Cesaro and Tysonn Kidd with Cesaro really being the standout of the match as he displayed so much strength and athleticism while he tossed around both Big E and Kofi Kingston with ease. However, some distraction from Xavier Woods at ringside and a handful of tights grabbed by Kingston allowed The New Day to win and secure their first title victory. Fine tag match here that was just the beginning for something big in The New Day.
Winners: The New Day
Rating: ***

Match 4: WWE United States Championship - Russian Chain - John Cena (c) vs. Rusev
Trying to avenge his big WrestleMania loss, Rusev challenges John Cena for his United States Championship in a Russian Chain match. Always was a sucker for these bull rope style matches and this made sense for their heated feud. If you saw their matches previous to this one, you would know what to expect. Regardless, it was enjoyable to watch as Lana left the side of Rusev which forced him to fight his biggest opponent ever by himself. All three corners were touched for both sides as one last corner was left for whoever was first to touch it. Finally, Cena was able to hit an Attitude Adjustment on Rusev and touch the last corner for the win. They made great use of the chain and added some extra drama at the end but it just was not enough for me to hold my interest at a forefront. Still, decent match and something the live crowd still enjoyed. Well, at least the kids did.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: **3/4

Match 5: WWE Divas Championship - Nikki Bella (c) vs. Naomi
Nikki Bella is accompanied by her sister as she takes on Naomi. Very sluggish match that kind of made me cringe at times. Sorry. A little distraction from Brie helped Nikki put Naomi in a Rack Attack to pick up the win. What else do you want from me? Same recycled Divas match as usual.
Winner: Nikki Bella
Rating: 3/4*

Match 6: Last Man Standing - The Big Show vs. Roman Reigns
Putting the hated Roman Reigns against The Big Show in a Last Man Standing match in front of a Chicago crowd sounds like a disaster in the making. They really had to bring out all the bells and whistles for this one to keep the crowd from turning it upside down. And for the most part, they did a great job or keeping their short attention spans in check. They made great use of some sweet table spots that even saw Big Show deliver a huge Chokeslam on Reigns from the inside of the ring to the outside through two tables. Reigns would later follow it up with a Spear through a barricade and then a Spear through one of the announcers table. Finally, Reigns toppled Show with the other announcers table as the referee counted him out. To my surprise and to my delight, that was a great match that certainly exceeded the expectations of everyone while helping Reigns maintain his bright star after his loss at 'Mania.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Rating: ***1/2

Match 7: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Steel Cage - Seth Rollins (c) vs. Randy Orton
With the RKO being banned for this bout and Kane being placed ringside as the gatekeeper, we have another WrestleMania rematch for the night and all the marbles are on the line. I can't be the only one that hates it when the stipulation calls for Randy Orton being unable to hit his RKO. He has one of the best finishers in the game and in my opinion, it takes out much of the drama knowing that he won't be able to hit it out of nowhere... no pun intended. Good action between the two and great utilization of Kane as the gatekeeper who didn't seem too interested in opening the cage door for Rollins while refusing to open it for Orton and one occasion. Finally, hell breaks loose as Kane enters the match and lays waste to everyone before Orton nails him with an RKO. However, Rollins hits Orton with his own version of an RKO and escapes the cage to win. Clever ending there with the surprise RKO from Rollins and once again, stealing another big win. Not the best main event ever but definitely a fitting one to close out the night.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Rating: ***1/2

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Match quality, the show was a fairly weak offering for a PPV. But as far as advancement of stories and making sense, the WWE hit it on the nail. The show was average at best until the two main events came around and resulted in saving the face of the show. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins are the new stars of the company and for good reason, these guys are as good as it gets.
Rating: 6/10