Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
WWE Extreme Rules - April 29, 2012
1. Randy Orton vs. Kane in a Falls Count Anywhere Match - Another enjoyable match between these two. While the overall storyline behind the feud hasnt been great, it hasnt kept them from delivering some good matches. This one was easily the best, in my view, and was just an enjoyable brawl. The story of this match saw Kane coming off as a near indestructible monster that was giving Orton as much as he could handle. There was some really good back & forth action during the match and I like that it ranged all over, including backstage, rather than just fighting within the arena area. There were some good near falls, including a great & very believable near fall close to the end where Kane lands a chokeslam on Orton. Orton eventually makes a comeback and winds up hitting the RKO on Kane for the win at the 17 minute mark. Fun match that made both guys look good. Both guys have scored solidified wins, so now its time to move on. ***1/4
2. Brodus Clay vs. Dolph Ziggler - This is really the first match that Clay has had since his debut as the Funkasaurus. The highlight of this match, for me, was Zigglers selling. Whether you like Ziggler or not, nobody in wrestling sells better than he does. The match went about 4.5 minutes and was ok for what it was. Clay ends up getting the win after hitting the battering ram style head butt and the splash before dancing ensued. This match didnt do anything for me really, but it served its point as a buffer. Its too bad to see Ziggler being used this way. Im wondering if he pissed someone off. *1/2
3. The Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes in a Tables Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship - This match went about 5 minutes. In all honesty, I enjoyed this match much more than I thought I would. The stipulation, which was announced during the pre-show, was a good indicator that Rhodes was going to win here. There was some fun action during the match, including Cody hitting a good looking Beautiful Disaster kick after countering an attempted toss through a table via Big Show. The end of the match was kind of flukey. Show tries to get into the ring but Cody lands a dropkick that knocks Show off balance, forcing him to step back and break a table outside. Cody wins but Show demolishes him afterward. Cody regains the IC title and Show was kept looking strong. Im sure some wont be happy with the flukey ending but I think we all saw it coming. If this means that theyll be getting back to business with Rhodes, then itll be worth it. **1/4
4. Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match for the World Heavyweight Championship - This match was excellent. Its taken over a year for fans to get the sort of match we hoped for out of Sheamus vs. Bryan, but the wait was worth it in my opinion. This was a fantastic back and forth match that made both guys look like stars. I also cant state how relieved I am to see that they didnt go with Sheamus getting another quick win as they did at WM. It wouldve just killed this entire match. I really dug Bryans aggression here and he gave Sheamus all he wanted. Bryan kept working on Sheamus shoulder throughout the match. Sheamus wins the first fall via DQ, which I honestly didnt expect, because Bryan was basically beating the shit out of his shoulder while ignoring the refs warnings to break it up. Sheamus wins the first fall via DQ about the 14.5 minute mark. Bryan starts to smile as hes informed of the DQ decision in which Cole, with surprising insight, says that this was Bryans strategy. The strategy was to lose the first fall going apeshit on Sheamus shoulder, thus weakening it. Soon afterward, Bryan finally slaps on the YES! Lock after unsuccessfully trying to do so several times earlier. The crowd is really just super hot for this match. Bryan keeps it up while Sheamus sells the move. Eventually, however, Sheamus loses consciousness rather than tapping out. Bryan wins the second fall about the 17 minute mark. He celebrates with the YES! chants while medics check on Sheamus. After the ref starts the match, Bryan charges in and eats a Brogue Kick but kicks out right at the last possible second for a helluva great near fall. They soon start trading bombs with Bryan, surprisingly, getting the best as he delivers a big kick to the head. Bryan goes up top, Sheamus cuts him off but Bryan pushes him away. Bryan leaps off and misses the diving headbutt before Sheamus gets his wind back. He mounts some offense on Bryan, including hitting the Irish Curse. Sheamus winds up winning the 3rd fall at the 23 minute mark after hitting a massive Brogue Kick that Bryan sells incredibly by turning himself inside-out. Sheamus wins and retains the World Heavyweight Championship. Sheamus comes out looking like a strong, babyface champ that wouldnt quit and Bryan came off as a calculating heel that gave as good as he got. Both men looked like stars here. ****
5. Ryback vs. Aaron Relic & Jay Hatton - This was a buffer handicap match to sort of give fans a bit of a breather. There were a lot of Goldberg! chants for Ryback. Nothing really to say here. Ryback spent a total of about 2 minutes decimating these guys. N/A
6. CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho in a Chicago Street Fight for the WWE Championship - An excellent, excellent outing that was, in my mind, better than their match at WrestleMania. Basically, this match had pretty much everything including great storytelling, killer action, a white hot crowd and both men looked like a million bucks after leaving it all in the ring. Punk put on another fantastic performance as the resilient champion and Jericho did his thing. There were some great spots, with both guys hitting their signatures sometimes multiple times, including Punks flying elbow off the top rope & putting Jericho through the announce table. Punk locks in Jericho in the Anaconda Vice in the center of the ring but Jericho manages to reach a Kendo stick and clocks Punk with it to break the hold. The end comes with Jericho hoisting up Punk to hit the GTS and proclaims himself the best in the world. Punk counters the move, however, lands a kick upside Jerichos head and then delivers the GTS for the pin in the center of the ring a little after the 25 minute mark. Like their match at WM, it started out slowly and consistently built up perfectly. Punk retains the WWE Championship. ****1/4
7. Nikkie Bella vs. Layla for the WWE Divas Championship - Prior to this match, there was a backstage segment in which Beth Phoenix was told by Eve that she wasnt medically cleared. Layla came out and, unfortunately for her, the fans didnt give a shit. They were hoping for Kharma. Anyhow, the match was ok for what it was but it was little more than a buffer. Layla looked good, shes been out for over a year with a knee injury. The Bellas try to pull twin magic in which Brie switches with Nikki. Layla manages to get the win, however, as she hits a neck breaker on Brie for the win at the 2.5 minute mark. Itll be a little interesting to see what happens here. After all, Nikki wasnt really the one that was pinned and Im sure theyll make some sort of issue out of it tomorrow on Raw. Layla is the new WWE Divas Champion. *
8. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar in an Extreme Rules Match - This was an extremely physical match from the very beginning. It was definitely unique the way they very believably mixed in aspects of MMA with this match. Cena gets a bad cut on the head early on in the match and takes some rough shots from Lesnar. Like a lot of great Cena matches, this one told a helluva story and just flat out had some killer action. I thought the multiple ref bumps served a purpose here, especially with Lesnar taking out a couple of them, as it brought Lesnars angle in which he wont be punished for putting his hands on officials. Cena sold Lesnars move perfectly and Lesnar brutalized Cena at various points. At one point, I thought Cena was about to tap as he certainly sold the submission well. Lesnar was dominant at times but Cena never stopped and kept coming back, mounting his offense for a while only to get shut down eventually. Great back & forth stuff all in all. Cena's chain came into play a couple of times, including when he hit Lesnar with it and caused him to bleed. The end comes about the 18 minute mark with Cena hitting an AA on the ring steps. The crowd popped huge for Cena and his promo at the end of the match was great. A super hot end to a super hot ppv. ****
Final Thoughts - WWE, in my view, is on a roll. They've delivered 3 consecutive ppvs that, again in my view, were absolutely killer and most definitely worth watching again. In a lot of ways, the way this entire ppv went down was very similar to how WM went down: the undercard went exactly as I figured it would, a much better than expected match between Orton & Kane and 3 incredible matches to carry the show. My only real complaint about this whole show was Ziggler's use. He's too good to be jobbed out to Brodus Clay. The Divas match & Ryback squash match were filler, as expected, but they served their purpose. It was nice to see Layla back. Cody Rhodes regained the IC title, it was kind of a cheap way, but at least he has it back. Now let's hope they get back on track with him. Sheamus vs. Bryan was fantastic. The only thing that could've made it better, in my view, was if it'd just went on longer. If this match had gone 30 minutes or more, it would've definitely gotten a five star rating. Punk vs. Jericho ended their feud with another killer match, one that I thought was better than WM. Cena vs. Lesnar was an intense, kick ass, physical match that had a surprising amount of blood in it. There were times where it legitimately felt like the lines between MMA & pro wrestling were blurred. Cena scoring the win doesn't bother me at all. Truth is, I like it as this is a good indicator that Lesnar now just won't be tearing through the entire WWE roster. I'm sure some will find a way to complain but I thought it was a great ending to a great ppv.
Grade: A
1. Randy Orton vs. Kane in a Falls Count Anywhere Match - Another enjoyable match between these two. While the overall storyline behind the feud hasnt been great, it hasnt kept them from delivering some good matches. This one was easily the best, in my view, and was just an enjoyable brawl. The story of this match saw Kane coming off as a near indestructible monster that was giving Orton as much as he could handle. There was some really good back & forth action during the match and I like that it ranged all over, including backstage, rather than just fighting within the arena area. There were some good near falls, including a great & very believable near fall close to the end where Kane lands a chokeslam on Orton. Orton eventually makes a comeback and winds up hitting the RKO on Kane for the win at the 17 minute mark. Fun match that made both guys look good. Both guys have scored solidified wins, so now its time to move on. ***1/4
2. Brodus Clay vs. Dolph Ziggler - This is really the first match that Clay has had since his debut as the Funkasaurus. The highlight of this match, for me, was Zigglers selling. Whether you like Ziggler or not, nobody in wrestling sells better than he does. The match went about 4.5 minutes and was ok for what it was. Clay ends up getting the win after hitting the battering ram style head butt and the splash before dancing ensued. This match didnt do anything for me really, but it served its point as a buffer. Its too bad to see Ziggler being used this way. Im wondering if he pissed someone off. *1/2
3. The Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes in a Tables Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship - This match went about 5 minutes. In all honesty, I enjoyed this match much more than I thought I would. The stipulation, which was announced during the pre-show, was a good indicator that Rhodes was going to win here. There was some fun action during the match, including Cody hitting a good looking Beautiful Disaster kick after countering an attempted toss through a table via Big Show. The end of the match was kind of flukey. Show tries to get into the ring but Cody lands a dropkick that knocks Show off balance, forcing him to step back and break a table outside. Cody wins but Show demolishes him afterward. Cody regains the IC title and Show was kept looking strong. Im sure some wont be happy with the flukey ending but I think we all saw it coming. If this means that theyll be getting back to business with Rhodes, then itll be worth it. **1/4
4. Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match for the World Heavyweight Championship - This match was excellent. Its taken over a year for fans to get the sort of match we hoped for out of Sheamus vs. Bryan, but the wait was worth it in my opinion. This was a fantastic back and forth match that made both guys look like stars. I also cant state how relieved I am to see that they didnt go with Sheamus getting another quick win as they did at WM. It wouldve just killed this entire match. I really dug Bryans aggression here and he gave Sheamus all he wanted. Bryan kept working on Sheamus shoulder throughout the match. Sheamus wins the first fall via DQ, which I honestly didnt expect, because Bryan was basically beating the shit out of his shoulder while ignoring the refs warnings to break it up. Sheamus wins the first fall via DQ about the 14.5 minute mark. Bryan starts to smile as hes informed of the DQ decision in which Cole, with surprising insight, says that this was Bryans strategy. The strategy was to lose the first fall going apeshit on Sheamus shoulder, thus weakening it. Soon afterward, Bryan finally slaps on the YES! Lock after unsuccessfully trying to do so several times earlier. The crowd is really just super hot for this match. Bryan keeps it up while Sheamus sells the move. Eventually, however, Sheamus loses consciousness rather than tapping out. Bryan wins the second fall about the 17 minute mark. He celebrates with the YES! chants while medics check on Sheamus. After the ref starts the match, Bryan charges in and eats a Brogue Kick but kicks out right at the last possible second for a helluva great near fall. They soon start trading bombs with Bryan, surprisingly, getting the best as he delivers a big kick to the head. Bryan goes up top, Sheamus cuts him off but Bryan pushes him away. Bryan leaps off and misses the diving headbutt before Sheamus gets his wind back. He mounts some offense on Bryan, including hitting the Irish Curse. Sheamus winds up winning the 3rd fall at the 23 minute mark after hitting a massive Brogue Kick that Bryan sells incredibly by turning himself inside-out. Sheamus wins and retains the World Heavyweight Championship. Sheamus comes out looking like a strong, babyface champ that wouldnt quit and Bryan came off as a calculating heel that gave as good as he got. Both men looked like stars here. ****
5. Ryback vs. Aaron Relic & Jay Hatton - This was a buffer handicap match to sort of give fans a bit of a breather. There were a lot of Goldberg! chants for Ryback. Nothing really to say here. Ryback spent a total of about 2 minutes decimating these guys. N/A
6. CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho in a Chicago Street Fight for the WWE Championship - An excellent, excellent outing that was, in my mind, better than their match at WrestleMania. Basically, this match had pretty much everything including great storytelling, killer action, a white hot crowd and both men looked like a million bucks after leaving it all in the ring. Punk put on another fantastic performance as the resilient champion and Jericho did his thing. There were some great spots, with both guys hitting their signatures sometimes multiple times, including Punks flying elbow off the top rope & putting Jericho through the announce table. Punk locks in Jericho in the Anaconda Vice in the center of the ring but Jericho manages to reach a Kendo stick and clocks Punk with it to break the hold. The end comes with Jericho hoisting up Punk to hit the GTS and proclaims himself the best in the world. Punk counters the move, however, lands a kick upside Jerichos head and then delivers the GTS for the pin in the center of the ring a little after the 25 minute mark. Like their match at WM, it started out slowly and consistently built up perfectly. Punk retains the WWE Championship. ****1/4
7. Nikkie Bella vs. Layla for the WWE Divas Championship - Prior to this match, there was a backstage segment in which Beth Phoenix was told by Eve that she wasnt medically cleared. Layla came out and, unfortunately for her, the fans didnt give a shit. They were hoping for Kharma. Anyhow, the match was ok for what it was but it was little more than a buffer. Layla looked good, shes been out for over a year with a knee injury. The Bellas try to pull twin magic in which Brie switches with Nikki. Layla manages to get the win, however, as she hits a neck breaker on Brie for the win at the 2.5 minute mark. Itll be a little interesting to see what happens here. After all, Nikki wasnt really the one that was pinned and Im sure theyll make some sort of issue out of it tomorrow on Raw. Layla is the new WWE Divas Champion. *
8. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar in an Extreme Rules Match - This was an extremely physical match from the very beginning. It was definitely unique the way they very believably mixed in aspects of MMA with this match. Cena gets a bad cut on the head early on in the match and takes some rough shots from Lesnar. Like a lot of great Cena matches, this one told a helluva story and just flat out had some killer action. I thought the multiple ref bumps served a purpose here, especially with Lesnar taking out a couple of them, as it brought Lesnars angle in which he wont be punished for putting his hands on officials. Cena sold Lesnars move perfectly and Lesnar brutalized Cena at various points. At one point, I thought Cena was about to tap as he certainly sold the submission well. Lesnar was dominant at times but Cena never stopped and kept coming back, mounting his offense for a while only to get shut down eventually. Great back & forth stuff all in all. Cena's chain came into play a couple of times, including when he hit Lesnar with it and caused him to bleed. The end comes about the 18 minute mark with Cena hitting an AA on the ring steps. The crowd popped huge for Cena and his promo at the end of the match was great. A super hot end to a super hot ppv. ****
Final Thoughts - WWE, in my view, is on a roll. They've delivered 3 consecutive ppvs that, again in my view, were absolutely killer and most definitely worth watching again. In a lot of ways, the way this entire ppv went down was very similar to how WM went down: the undercard went exactly as I figured it would, a much better than expected match between Orton & Kane and 3 incredible matches to carry the show. My only real complaint about this whole show was Ziggler's use. He's too good to be jobbed out to Brodus Clay. The Divas match & Ryback squash match were filler, as expected, but they served their purpose. It was nice to see Layla back. Cody Rhodes regained the IC title, it was kind of a cheap way, but at least he has it back. Now let's hope they get back on track with him. Sheamus vs. Bryan was fantastic. The only thing that could've made it better, in my view, was if it'd just went on longer. If this match had gone 30 minutes or more, it would've definitely gotten a five star rating. Punk vs. Jericho ended their feud with another killer match, one that I thought was better than WM. Cena vs. Lesnar was an intense, kick ass, physical match that had a surprising amount of blood in it. There were times where it legitimately felt like the lines between MMA & pro wrestling were blurred. Cena scoring the win doesn't bother me at all. Truth is, I like it as this is a good indicator that Lesnar now just won't be tearing through the entire WWE roster. I'm sure some will find a way to complain but I thought it was a great ending to a great ppv.
Grade: A
. So if cena has a torn rotator it certainly wasnt because of the kimura. 