It’s no secret that the WWE Universe is getting anxious about the WWE championship still sitting around John Cen…I mean Roman Reigns’s waist. That being said, last night’s WWE Extreme Rules special event provided some good, and some bad WTF moments to counterattack a little of the frustration.
#5. Rusev is the new United States Champion..for now
Kalisto went bye bye in devastating fashion from the US title scene. Rusev beat him senseless and put him in one of the most painful looking Accolade submission finishers I think I’ve seen in a while. It’s a good thing because Rusev is funny, charismatic, and likable which is a rare combo today. So, what does this mean? It means a returning John Cena will probably come back and bury him again when he arrives on the Memorial Day RAW. Still, it was a pleasant surprise.
#4. Ambrose wins two in a row via death by thumbtack!
For fan favorite Dean Ambrose to win two in a row is a rarity when it comes to special events. Chris Jericho is such a business man and cares a lot about putting younger talent over. He’s already rich and he understands that it’s fake and people know that. Spot or no spot in the top tier of the company it’s about making money, and also doing the right thing. Dean slamming Chris on to the thumbtacks was brutal and the DDT a short time later in to them was epic.
#3. BLOOD!
We all know WWE is struggling right now. They have inexperienced writers when it comes to what fans want. What we want is to suspend our disbelief and be taken to a place where wrestling is real. I hate to say it, but blood makes it real. The PG “no blood” era will be remembered for very few things other than the birth of WWE Network and they know it. They may be making a sneaky transition in to TV-14 territory right under our noses if last night’s unflinching camera focus on the bloody thumb tack holes in Jericho’s body was any indication.
#2. That epic fatal 4 way
Sami Zain, Kevin Owens, and Cesaro put on a heck of a match and made Miz, who was really just there, look great. The spots were exciting, the atmosphere was electric, and they showed why wrestling makes fans happy and not authority figures. Miz won and we were robbed of one of the other three more deserving performers being recognized, but that aside, it was fun.
#1. Seth Rollins returns!
The crowd was booing Reigns out of the building so loudly that even Kevin Dunn in the production truck couldn’t mute it all the way. Just when depression set in that Roman kicked out of a very large number of finishers like Super Cena – here comes Rollins returning from an injury to set the place on fire. Seth pedigreed Roman and the crowd went absolutely bonkers for it proving that Reigns is not the man to carry the company forward. We shall see tonight if WWE buries him immediately to stop him from outshining Roman, or if they will acknowledge what the fans want.