I mean there is no getting around it. This was an Extreme Rules (2021) show in name rather than in action for the most part. This wasn’t exactly ECW in 1996 revisited! But if you are going to get overly upset over a PPV name not matching the action rather than focussing on the action you do get you might want to evaluate your take on life.
The card looked more than decent on paper and for the most part it delivered in terms of the action. Of course as this is WWE it wasn’t without “controversy” over some of the booking. Specifically the main event for the Universal Title between Roman Reigns and Finn Balor. It was a good match. That was only to be expected. Anyone still peddling the line that Reigns “can’t wrestle” in 2021 needs to seek help. And Balor is Balor. But what was a very good match was hampered by the ending. We expect “The Demon” to take part in some strange things but the top rope break that effectively cost him the match went contrary to The Demon having all the powers. That perhaps was the point. Although to my knowledge it was never adequately explained. Still that couldn’t ruin a great match for me and it’s infinitely better than another Uso’s run in.
There was more “booking” issues for some people in the Smackdown Women’s Title match between Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair. To call it a rematch from Summerslam would be both accurate and slightly damning but if there was a feeling that both women needed to step up to the plate somewhat to make people forget what went down there (which was the fault of neither of course) then they certainly did that. It was another very good match (no doubt helped by the two honing their efforts on the UK tour that preceded this event) that some people will have a downer on because of the ending where Sasha Banks returned to our screens. Booking wise the DQ made sense as it wasn’t really the time for Becky or Bianca to lose. And once again, why should that booking decision ruin the effort that both women put in.
The RAW Women’s Title was also on the line and as we were in challenger Alexa Bliss’ hometown WWE rules suggested that she was unlikely to win. And, of course, she didn’t. I really enjoyed the match Bliss and Charlotte Flair had a few years ago at Survivor Series and this was more of the same. They dialled down the “nonsense” and concentrated on having a good wrestling match that served it’s purpose.
There were other titles on the line too. The Smackdown Tag Team Title match between The Uso’s and The Street Profits was an entertaining affair which kept you guessing until the end in terms of a winner. The US Title three way between Damian Priest, Sheamus and Jeff Hardy also had that feel to it, even it Priest’s eventual winner was probably the only sensible outcome.
The one non-title match on the main show was the bonus six man tag opener of The New Day Vs Lashley, AJ Styles & Omos. This was here to get the WWE Champion Big E on the show and the fans were certainly up for it. In reality it was a little bit of something and nothing really, even given the Big E/Lashely dimension, but it was a fun solid opener that set a good tone for the evening.
Overall then whilst perhaps lacking that one real killer of a “five star match” (shudder) this was a show where all the matches were at the very least “good” and some were approaching “excellent”. Maybe there are some legitimate “booking” quibbles but there was nothing here that offended me too much and overall if it’s “wrestling” you are after this show delivered and is well worth a second look.
The DVD adds the Kickoff match between Liv Morgan and Carmella. It’s far from essential viewing but it was part of the show that was, Extreme rules 2021.
8 out of 10 | Photographs courtesy of Fetch and WWE.
Thank you to WWE Home Video for our review copy of Extreme Rules 2021 which is out Monday 8 November on DVD. You can buy your copy from WWEDVD.co.uk by clicking here. You can find me on Twitter @IWFICON