WWE Extreme Rules 2015 Results: Biggest Stars of the Night
The results for WWE's Extreme Rules 2015 pay-per-view are in the bag. The champions are decided and the hierarchy has been reshuffled once again to reflect the roster's standings.
Despite how this event was missing a lot of marquee names like Daniel Bryan and Brock Lesnar, there were more than enough wrestlers to make a strong impression and step up in their absence.
In the past, when WWE has had shows marketed as free for new subscribers, it seemed as though people tried harder. Which wrestlers fell into that category and surpassed expectations? Was John Cena able to silence his critics? Did Neville fill the gap left by the Intercontinental champion? Who stood tall at the end of the night with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship?
Overall, which people looked the strongest and made themselves a talking point around water coolers tomorrow?
Based on the quality of their performances, the booking decisions of winners and losers and the overall wow factor, let's break down the biggest stars of the night for Extreme Rules.
5. Dean Ambrose
1 of 5
Although he did not win a championship, Dean Ambrose did accomplish quite a bit at Extreme Rules.
For months, the Lunatic Fringe has been on a losing streak, having not won on a pay-per-view since his days in The Shield in early 2014.
Finally that trend has been broken, which should be a good sign for the Ambrose's future and his position on the roster.
That's not all, though. If this list takes into account all different opinions regarding who are the biggest stars, then it isn't just solely about wins and losses, but fan perception.
In that regard, Ambrose will easily be one of the talking points when thinking back on what transpired during the show.
His Chicago Street Fight with Luke Harper was a weird change of pace that did something different and will be much more memorable than some random wins from other people on the card.
4. Neville
2 of 5
Replacing one of the most popular people in the company is a tough job, but seeing as Daniel Bryan was ruled unable to compete, Neville was given the chance to do just that.
He was one of the bigger fish in the smaller pond of NXT, but Neville's time on the main roster has been relatively short and this was an opportunity to either sink or swim. Thankfully, he did the latter.
This match was moved to the pre-show, possibly to get it out of the way and avoid as much disappointment as possible from the fans who were hoping to see the Intercontinental Championship defended.
However, that wasn't necessary. Neville and Bad News Barrett put on a great match to kick things off and turned an unfortunate situation and into a fun segment.
For Barrett, that would be expected of him, but for Neville, he took a step up in a big way by delivering and showing that he can hang with the midcard division not only in the ring, but in the mind of the audience as well.
There is a good chance that his performance and reliability for Extreme Rules gives Neville a big boost in his career going forward. WWE officials won't be quick to forget about how he helped them out of a bind.
3. The New Day
3 of 5
It's rare that the WWE Universe can unanimously decide that a character isn't over, chant that they aren't supportive of what's on their screen, and in turn, create something that is even more enjoyable instead of just forcing that character into obscurity.
Such is the case with The New Day, who have gone from cheerful babyfaces that the crowd can't stomach to overly optimistic heels that are a lot of fun to hate.
The last time that might have happened was back in the 1990s when Rocky Maivia went through the "Die Rocky die!" phase and transitioned into one of the most popular acts in wrestling history, The Rock.
This has yet to reach that level, but it's a similar story of going from rock bottom (no pun intended) to the top of a division.
Tyson Kidd and Cesaro worked along with Kofi Kingston and Big E to have one of the best matches of the night that kept the fans in attendance hot from beginning to end.
It would have been easy to just brush the smiling trio to the side and write them off as a failed experiment, but at Extreme Rules, they were able to prove that they have a lot to offer and will likely have a very fun reign as champions.
2. Roman Reigns
4 of 5
Undoubtedly, the goal WWE had when booking this Last Man Standing match between Big Show and Roman Reigns was to convince the audience that Reigns is not over and done with just because he lost at WrestleMania.
The story going into it was that Reigns can take a beating, but he'll still get back up. That's what happened throughout the entire thing.
This could have been a slow, lumbering match like a lot of Last Man Standing bouts are, but it had a bunch of fun spots that made up for the drag of the referee's counting eating up time.
Reigns is obviously not at the level that he would have been if he had won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania, but his positioning on this card and this win prove that he's still a commodity.
Fans of Reigns should be delighted to see that he is likely to be a big player in the months ahead and if things continue like this, he will get another title shot in no time.
1. Seth Rollins
5 of 5
Who better to top this list than the reigning and defending WWE World Heavyweight champion?
Above everything else that the rest of the people on this list accomplished, Seth Rollins went into the main event with the title and left with it still in his possession—a feat that trumps anything before it.
While that should be no surprise to the WWE Universe, it's still the biggest factor in determining who the biggest stars are in the company for a show.
This is even more impressive if you take into account who he defeated, as Randy Orton has won that same championship 13 times in the past and is without a doubt a future Hall of Famer.
Rollins has big shoes to fill succeeding Brock Lesnar as the primary champion in the company and it appears he'll fit that role just fine.
Retaining his title and putting on impressive performances in the main event of a pay-per-view will likely cement Rollins in this position for future lists to come at Payback, Money in the Bank and so forth.
Who do you think were the biggest stars of the night? On the opposite end of the spectrum, who would you say had the worst showings?
Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
