WWE Extreme Rules 2011: Rapid Reaction to the Year's Most Extreme Event
The 2011 edition of Extreme Rules is in the books and the annual event has created a number of memorable moments.
New champions were crowned, one of the most decorated Divas of all time departed while the most feared woman in the sport debuted, and R-Truth continued his surprisingly entertaining heel turn.
Join me as I take a look back, Rapid Reaction-style, at all of the night's events.
Last Man Standing Match: Randy Orton Defeated CM Punk
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The program between Randy Orton and CM Punk has been an interesting one in that it has had elements of an Attitude Era storyline. There has been a violence that is not typically seen on WWE television. especially with the succession of punts to the head of New Nexus members. The promos often go over the heads of the younger fan base and the two characters involved are not your typical "good guy" and "bad guy."
With that said, I expected more from the Last Man Standing match than was delivered at Extreme Rules. Do not get me wrong, the contest was a quality one, probably one of the best of the night. At the same time, however, there appeared to be something missing.
The two exceptional talents were given the proper amount of time to assemble a classic. The action was solid and the weapon use was different from the decidedly cookie-cutter nature of their weekly Raw antics.
But for two men involved in a rivalry that dates back to the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, there seemed to be a lack of aggression in the match. There was little sense of the hatred between the two and the intensity one would expect from the blow-off of a rivalry between the two.
With that criticism out of the way, as I mentioned above, the match was a quality contest that just missed being a truly great Last Man Standing. The spot where Punk wrapped the chair around the neck and throat of Orton and sent him crashing into the steel post, while done before, is always cringe-worthy.
The top-rope RKO was spectacular but, ultimately, forgotten later in the night when another top star would execute his finisher from the top rope.
If anything, the match provided a definitive wrap to a five-month program that featured Orton repeatedly defeating Punk. Now on separate brands, Orton will star as the face of the SmackDown brand while Punk's role is left in limbo, especially since he is reportedly yet to re-sign with the company.
United States Championship Tables Match: Kofi Kingston Defeated Sheamus
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Kofi Kingston and Sheamus are two Superstars, at one time last year, the most visible young talents in the entire company. They were destined for greatness, one having won multiple WWE Championships and the other on the fast track to collecting several of his own. Sometime between the summer of 2010 and now, however, their stars have faded significantly.
Now with both men switching brands in the 2011 Draft, Kofi and Sheamus have the opportunity to once again achieve the level of success they enjoyed as little as eight months ago. Their first chance at climbing back up the ladder occured at Extreme Rules, where they did battle in an unannounced Tables Match for the United States Championship.
It was not expected that Sheamus would retain the title and take it to SmackDown, so that the Friday night brand was in control of both mid-card championships. The lack of suspense, however, did not ruin what was a solid match that, despite the lack of build, had the fans interested by the time Kofi climbed the ropes and connected with the Boom Drop on Sheamus, through a table.
Kofi and Sheamus delivered the second quality match of the night despite no backstory and its status as a "bonus match" only announced moments before it occurred. Both men worked extremely hard and were worthy of their place on the card. Whether management was taking note and has any plans for the two going further, or if they will continue to waste away further down the card than where they actually belong, is the only question resulting from the match.
Country Whipping Match: Michael Cole & Jack Swagger Defeated Jim Ross & the King
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Allow me to keep the Rapid Reaction the Country Whipping Match between the team of Michael Cole and Jack Swagger and Jim Ross and Jerry "the King" Lawler short.
At WrestleMania, the elongated match between Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler proved to be unbearable. It was too long and not nearly as entertaining as one would hope for from a signature, high-profile WrestleMania match.
Fast forward a month and some assumed that the introduction of Jim Ross, as well as in-ring work of the vastly-underrated Jack Swagger, would add a new element to the mix that was previously missing.
Those of us who hoped Swagger would work with King and keep the match from achieving the negative reaction from fans and critics alike were wrong.
Rather than a more entertaining match full of sports-entertainment moments that, at the very least, would keep the fans in attendance interested, the match was another boring display of entertainment only Vince McMahon and the butt-kissers on his writing staff find funny.
Cole was terrible. As normal, he was overbearing and, rather than wanting to see him get beat up, the majority would much rather him just go away. Lawler worked hard, as he has since his push began way back in November, and Jim Ross tried his best to give the fans something memorable. As for Swagger, it is no secret that he is above the nonsense presented on tonight's show.
The worst part is the perceived continuation of the rivalry, taking into consideration Cole and Swagger's victory. As a fan of the sport for my entire 23 years on the planet, I can say without hesitation that I have never looked less forward to a single feud in my life. Please, Vince and Co., kill this angle before it does mental harm to your viewers.
Falls Count Anywhere: Rey Mysterio Defeated Cody Rhodes
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Rey Mysterio and Cody Rhodes had the longest rivalry heading into Extreme Rules. Starting in December and wrapping up on the first of May, they also came very close to stealing the show.
Rey and Cody utilized the "Falls Count Anywhere" stipulation to the best of their abilities, fighting into the crowd and up, into the lobby of the arena in a nod to the Attitude Era-style brawling of the hardcore division.
Rhodes continued to impress during a push that has resulted in an interest in the second-generation Superstar that just simply was not there before the program with Mysterio jump-started in December. The finish saw Rey use a mysterious colored mist to momentarily blind Cody, allowing him to snap off the 619 and a big springboard splash for the win.
While I did not argue Randy Orton's victory over CM Punk in then night's opening match, I cannot do the same here. As a result of the Draft, Rey Mysterio is now the property of the Raw brand.
He will appear on the Monday night brand and, more than likely, be featured as its second or third biggest baby face star. Rhodes, on the other hand, stays put on a Friday Night SmackDown roster seriously lacking in star power, a problem that could have been solved with a decisive victory for Cody at Sunday's event.
A loss for Rey Mysterio would have resulted in no harm done. Rey has reached a level of stardom where he is, as they say, "bulletproof." A win or loss does little to tarnish the legacy he has already built. But for Rhodes, whose character has evolved to such a great extent, a win would have allowed him to boast two successive pay-per-view victories over a bona-fide future Hall of Famer and it would have catapulted him into main event, championship contention on SmackDown.
This was undoubtedly a missed opportunity but one that, hopefully, the talented Michael Hayes and the rest of the SmackDown writers can improve upon in the coming weeks.
Rhodes will be a champion. It is only a matter of time and place.
Loser Leaves WWE: Layla El Defeated Michelle McCool
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The reign of LayCool, which lasted the better part of two years, ended with a thud at Extreme Rules. Layla defeated Michelle McCool in an unspectacular match to send McCool into what has been described as one of two things: an early retirement or a short hiatus.
Either way, Layla scored what was her biggest victory outside of her Women's Championship win and appears ready to take over the Smackdown brand's Diva division as its signature babyface.
Michelle's departure from the company leaves a major hole to fill. For the last three years, she has served as the most hated Diva on the roster and, at the same time, the most visible in the entire company. She has been the only Diva to be featured on the majority of the pay-per-views since 2008 and was trusted to carry either the Women's or Divas titles over that time span.
As we would see at the conclusion of the match, however, a suitable replacement for McCool, as the most dominant woman in the division, would not be hard to find.
Kharma Arrives!
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Kharma, formerly known as Awesome/Amazing Kong in both TNA wrestling and the female independent organization SHIMMER, made her much-anticipated debut at the event.
As Michelle McCool was left in tears following a loss to Layla that would spell her demise in WWE, she watched as the imposing physical being known as Kharma made her first appearance in the company she dominated for so long.
Paralyzed by fear, Michelle could only watch as the new predator stalked after her. Kharma entered the ring and wasted no time in destroying Michelle with the Implant Buster. Kharma's attack on the most featured Diva on the entire roster, one who has defeated every other woman in the company at one point or another, most definitely sent a message to the viewers at home.
A Divas division that has become irrelevant over the last few months has instantly been rejuvenated by the debut of the monstrous woman, who left destruction in her path at her previous stops.
Time will only tell if Vince McMahon and his writing staff will properly use Kharma as the beastly woman capable of destroying the pretty women lining the Divas roster or if she will be another failed star formerly of TNA.
Lumberjack Match for the Tag Team Championships: Kane & Big Show Def. the Corre
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There is no act in professional wrestling, or sports-entertainment, that has fallen off as quickly as The Corre. As Nexus, Wade Barrett and company dominated the entire company for the better part of six months.
They were the featured heel act on the number one show in the sport. Barrett worked several pay-per-view main events against John Cena and Randy Orton and appeared destined to become the leader of the WWE's youth movement.
Now Wade Barrett and the Corre are a complete afterthought, losing more matches than they win and serving as a mid-card act to be bounced around by Big Show and Kane. The new tag team champions,
Show and Kane have continuously dominated Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater and at Extreme Rules, despite a different line-up featuring Wade Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson challenging for the gold, The Corre once again was grounded by the reigning champions.
The match was over before I could finish typing. The dissension within the Corre was once again teased and, at the end of the match, Show pinned Wade Barrett to retain.
One can only hope that the WWE Draft, that eliminated Alberto Del Rio from the SmackDown brand, has opened up a spot atop the card for Wade Barrett to regain his position as a main event attraction. There is still a ton of untapped potential in the Englishman and allowing it to go to waste would be a major mistake.
World Championship Ladder Match: Christian Defeated Alberto Del Rio
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Earlier this month, the wrestling world was dealt an unexpected blow. Edge, the reigning World Champion, was forced to early retirement thanks to a neck injury that had worsened in the past few months.
He would vacate the title and a replacement was sought to fill his spot against Alberto Del Rio in a ladder match at the pay-per-view. It would prove befitting that Christian, Edge's real life best friend, would fill that role.
On May 1, 2011, the gut wrenching disappointment experienced when Edge announced his retirement was replaced by the joy of watching another long-time favorite finally achieve the goal so many have been calling for for so long.
Christian and Del Rio engaged in a decidedly aggressive, hard-hitting, high-impact ladder match that would prove to be the best contest of the night. Del Rio targeted Christian's arm while Christian used his experience in ladder matches to give him an advantage.
The closing moments of the match saw Christian move out of the way during an attempted high-risk maneuver. Del Rio crashed into a ladder at ringside and fans assumed Christian was on his way to victory. Then Brodus Clay, Del Rio's loyal NXT rookie from season four, entered the fray and pulled Christian to the mat.
When it appeared as though Del Rio would realize his destiny, Edge appeared at the entrance way, honking the horn of Del Rio's obscenely expensive car. Christian snuck into the ring and shoved Alberto down to the arena floor before climbing the ladder and retrieving the goal.
Extreme Rules will be remembered as the night that fifteen years of hard work finally paid off for Christian, a man many had given up on ever capturing one of the big two championships. It is equally as memorable for the post-match celebration with Edge, something we may well never see again.
Alberto Del Rio now graduates to the Raw brand where he will undoubtedly capture gold sooner rather than later. A fresh rivalry with John Cena awaits and as a result of the exposure on Monday nights, Alberto will become a much bigger star than he would have had he stayed on Smackdown and won the World Heavyweight Championship.
Christian will star on the SmackDown brand, the most popular star on the brand outside of Randy Orton. Will his Championship reign last or will it be a short, Rey Mysterio-esque reign. Only time will tell. What is certain is that Christian can finally celebrate the event so many of his extremely loyal fans have been begging and pleading for for such a very long time.
Steel Cage WWE Championship Match: John Cena Def. the Miz and John Morrison
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The disappointing reign of The Miz as WWE Champion has come to a conclusion. At Extreme Rules, John Cena regained the title he had not held since July of last year. Despite the cry of many fans that Cena winning is the same repetitive "crap" that has made the product stale, the decision to take the title off Miz and put it back on Cena was one that had to be made.
The Miz's reign as champion will go down in the annals as a major disappointment, largely due to the booking of the Cleveland native rather than any wrongdoing on his part.
The Rock, Edge's retirement, the never-waining spotlight on Cena, and the surprisingly effective heel turn of R-Truth have consistently overshadowed Miz to the point that he had recently become lost in the shuffle. The arrival of several new heel acts on Raw can only prove troublesome for The Miz and his future championship hopes.
The story of the match was the high-risk stunts of John Morrison and the continued evolution of the heel R-Truth character. The heel heat for R-Truth was amongst the loudest of the night and his impending program with Morrison should provide entertaining television.
As for Cena, several new arrivals to Raw could provide fresh storylines. Alberto Del Rio has been rumored to be in-line for a SummerSlam title match while men such as Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre could be fun stop-gaps between then and now. Regardless, the right decision was made in what was a decent, if forgettable steel cage main event.
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