WWE Extreme Rules 2011 Pay-Per-View Review

WWE: Extreme Rules 2011 [Blu-ray] WWE: Extreme Rules 2011 [Blu-ray]WWE: Extreme Rules 2011WWE Extreme Rules 2011 Pay-Per-View Review


By Phil Allely

Coming hot on the heels of an at times iffy WrestleMania the WWE were always going to push hard with their next big event. Extreme Rules (a stipulation heavy affair) of course has a little bit less meaning these days in the organisation, yet like any gimmick matches they can work very well indeed to assist storylines and re-build momentum in feud that have been losing pace. Fortunately this year everything worked as best it could and Extreme Rules put many of those Mania bad memories to rest.

Kicking things off Randy Orton and CM Punk continued their bitter feud with an above average Last Man Standing brawl. Both combatants battling as if their lives depended on it, inside and outside the ring, each narrowly making it back to their feet before the ten count to keep things rolling along. After some give-and-take action and brutal hits all it took was an Orton RKO from the top rope to keep Punk down for the count.

United States Champion Sheamus saw himself make a PPV event (after he and Daniel Bryan being bumped from the main Mania card) once again, this time defending against Kofi Kingston in a Tables match. This battle of brawn versus speed had its moments and proved to be very enjoyable. Kofi winning the gold after a top rope move drove the Celtic Warrior through the wood.

The Country Whipping match between the teams of Jack Swagger/Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler/Jim Ross had great potential, but with two non-wrestlers in the mix and such an odd stipulation it really had its work cut out for it. Cole’s bubble-wrapped appearance (to cushion the leather strap blows) was a good move for his character though and the action, limited as it was had some nice moments. The short straps and the fans adoration for Ross/Lawler helped elevate this to very decent fayre. Cole snagging the win on a prone Ross, to keep his mini war with Lawler continuing.

Next up Cody Rhodes and Rey Mysterio went all out in their falls Count Anywhere scrap. Rhodes Mania win and Mysterio’s lingering injuries only seemed to fuel this particular series of bouts. This time however it was Rey’s turn to leave as victor, hitting a 619 and big splash combo for the popular win.

The Divas tried their best to keep things moving next, the deal here being that former co-champions/team mates Michelle McCool and Layla were going to put their one-time friendship aside to compete in a Loser Leaves WWE match. The action was pretty decent for those involved and the ending surprising as McCool (WWE superstar Undertaker’s real life wife) fell to a Layla backslide.

As the Lay/Cool team cried and Layla left a video package played and the artist formerly known as Awesome Kong in TNA made her way to the ring (as Kharma), Kharma making her debut by helping erase McCool from the WWE by way of an ’implant buster.’

Alberto Del Rio must have felt short changed by his Wrestlemania World Heavyweight Title match loss (especially considering the fact that his opponent Edge has now had to retire), Del Rio was seemingly on fine form for winning the gold after his Royal Rumble debut and well on his way into the history books. That attempt was cut short and now he faced Edge’s (storyline) brother Christian for the precious title Edge was forced to leave behind. The Ladder match between the two was always going to be more in ‘Captain Charisma’s’ area of expertise than WWE newcomer Del Rio’s, however both put their heart and soul into this one and the ladder stipulation whilst being more in Christian’s department proved itself to be yet another thing the talented Del Rio can do. After much ladder based shenanigans and close calls it was Christian who was able to scale the heights and take the belt. The post-match celebration with Edge and Christian’s jubilation made this match all the more special.

Unfortunately after the previous exciting attempts at extreme bouts the Lumberjack match between Elzekiel Jackson/wade Barrett and WWE Tag Team Champs Kane/Big Show to be a short and yet slightly enjoyable education in how the big guys in the WWE handle their challengers. Even with the interference of outside agencies the big guys were able to retain their gold.

The main event was an interesting if not as exciting as it could have been, WWE Champion The Miz of course has always been a guy who even the WWE made seem like an unlikely world champion. With R Truth out of the picture (until recently the third man in the match) and John Morrison/John Cena in as they were, this was a war. The Triple Threat cage match did tick a lot of boxes, but as Miz has been portrayed as a poor quality champ and defender of his gold this is perhaps how we will see him leave the title chase. Miz fell to an unpopular ‘Attitude Adjustment’ to lose his strap to John Cena.

Extreme Rules really did try to appease the fans who felt shot-changed by Wrestlemania, the card as a whole had many more hits that misses. The title changes, Wrestlemania’s results, and the (in attendance) crowd’s enthusiasm all made Extreme Rules a fore-runner for the WWE event of 2011.Post-mania many people were thinking WWE had dropped the ball or went too far down the TV/Movie star route, an event like shows how well they can do an event without the hype. We at Running the Ropes are eagerly waiting the next one to see.