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Mishal’s Top 5 Takeaways from (the Horror Show at) WWE Extreme Rules 2020

“I’m over the moon that WWE has let its creative chops flair more than ever, I just wish they’d think through what they presented more…”

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WWE Extreme Rules Horror Show Braun Strowman Bray Wyatt Swamp Fight Chairshot Edit

Mishal has you covered with his Top 5 Takeaways from The Horror Show at WWE Extreme Rules!

You know the drill, another month, another headline show to discuss from the world of WWE.

Extreme Rules was a show I had virtually no expectations for, just because the card itself was so bizarre I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. What we got, like the previous events, slightly exceeded my expectations from what I was expecting. Much like ‘The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever’ or an ‘Indoor Money in the Bank’, Extreme Rules at the very least had something unique going for it, a plethora of stipulation matches that could swing either way. What we ended up getting certainly had its moments of unpredictability, and some moments that are better left not spoken about.

Like every show I watch monthly, let’s take a look at 5 big takeaways I had after watching (The Horror Show) at WWE Extreme Rules 2020!

5. Seth Rollins in on his A-game

Regardless of your stance on Sunday nights gimmick, the angle leading into it or the direction of Rey Mysterio’s character in WWE or his status with the company as of this writing (as he’s allegedly still working without a legal contract), one thing is for sure as of last night, Seth Rollins has found his groove as a competitor & storyteller.

More than just put on (arguably) the best match of the entire evening against Mysterio under ‘Eye for an Eye’ rules, it’s clear that as a character, Rollins has found where he belongs. The role he’s playing as the ‘Monday Night Messiah’ is captivating, dangerous, unpredictable but more importantly, seems like the first gimmick Rollins has been handed that can potentially hold prolonged momentum in a business where the average gimmick lasts less than six months. Aside from furthering him as a performer, it allows a plethora of new talent to latch onto him and find new ground. Talent such as Buddy Murphy, Akam, Razar & Austin Theory have all been able to share the spotlight with one of the company’s largest, most important stars, and while there is work to be done on that part, it’s a solid place to start off from.

Along with his excellent character work & presentation, Rollins match quality is just as good as it once was at his peak just a year ago prior to his plateau. Extreme Rules showed us a lot of things, but it was a firm reminder to me that we’re finally seeing Seth Rollins come into his own in WWE.

4. WWE booking takes a dive

I’ve been watching professional wrestling since the late days of WCW. I’ve seen it all, the good, the bad, the worst & the atrociously terrible on a scale almost unimaginable by modern standards. Seeing that degree of terribleness sets you up with the expectations that nothing can get worse, which is rarely the case, but also that little will ever come close to what’s come before.

And for the most part, professional wrestling is generally consistently solid in quality, until we get to Sunday night.

Towards the tail-end of a genuinely fantastic contest, one of the finest of the evening between Asuka & Sasha Banks, WWE tested the waters of absurd booking in a way that had me baffled. In every single way. Rather than a simple booking to a contest that could on its own rank among the best of the year, they went the route of ending the contest on an incredibly sour note that wasn’t just silly but makes no sense to anyone sitting at home. In the midst of a referee bump, Bayley of all people donned the outfit of the matches referee and counted the three-count, handing her best friend Sasha Banks with the RAW Women’s Championship in a decision that surpasses all logic.

Bayley hijacking the match and claiming victory for her partner wasn’t just ridiculous by the very rule book the company has set up for years, it’s plain stupid, simply put. The booking benefits nobody, makes everyone involved look substantially worse, mocks the very foundation of the company’s rule set & is just a booking that doesn’t work anyway you spin it.

This post is fairly straightforward, but it’s hard to complexly discuss a booking that is so ridiculously stupid it deserves no further discussion.

3. Dolph Ziggler, WWE’s highest-paid enhancement talent

His match against Drew McIntyre was solid, for what it was. But Dolph Ziggler’s matches over the last 18 months have one element in common, the severe lack of tension each one has the tendency to possess.

Ziggler’s career peaked a very, very long time ago. Nothing I’m saying is to detract from the truly world-class performer that he is in the eyes of most fans, his dozens of championship reigns, high-caliber matches against the likes of Cena, Rollins, Mysterio, Jericho, Del Rio, Orton & a plethora of others or the dedication he’s had to always be a resident WWE talent that will never give up his loyalty to the brand that made him who he is. The heights of his career have sadly come and gone, but this past Sunday on paper could have been the ultimate redemption story in terms of delivering a high-stakes, emotional story against his former tag-team partner, with whom he has a tonne of history with.

And as I mentioned, the match did its job of putting McIntyre over as champion & establishing him as the best one in the longest time under the WWE banner. But it just shed more light on how low the stakes are for a modern-day Dolph Ziggler match. The level of credibility he’s lost is one of the largest among the current roster, and it isn’t entirely his fault, but the character hasn’t really shifted in a manner that brings along interest with it as he drifts onto other opponents. Ziggler has floated through dozens of gimmicks & teams over the last number of years, yet it hasn’t really aided him as we saw this past week, instead, it’s watered him down to a shell of his former self.

Where Ziggler ends up next is anyone’s guess, but it’s apparent that the man has become WWE’s highest-paid enhancement talent. Mind you he’s doing a solid job at what he does, but my has the tide changed.

2. Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura re-establish themselves

Could they be used in a different manner as single stars? Absolutely.

Should they be main event-level talent? Without question?

But, is this a better role for two of SmackDown’s most underutilized talents than what they’ve been given since last year? Yes, and I’ll fight anyone who disagrees.

2020 hasn’t been kind to Cesaro & Nakamura. With the absence of Sami Zayn and the loss of his Intercontinental Championship, the former trio has been reduced to a duo of men who’ve essentially been treated as your standard, resident henchmen. This kind of booking favours the standard company undercard but feels almost insulting to two stars with enough talent to carry an entire brand on their shoulders. The two have gotten a bit of shine in matches against Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan & Drew Gulak but for the most part, they’re the equivalent of background noise in terms of company storylines, simply existing to further narratives they hold no relevance in.

While my personal booking would look substantially different from what we’re currently seeing, Extreme Rules was a step in the right direction if anything. WWE shining a spotlight on them feels right, feels earned & couldn’t have come at a more crucial point in both men’s careers as they were on the verge of dwindling into obscurity prior to their solid performance opposite The New Day. On top of a pretty solid opening contest, they feel slightly rejuvenated as a duo, standing on their own as an aggressive team that has had enough of waiting, and instead plans on taking their success for themselves. Of all the bookings on Sunday night, few had me more optimistic than this one did.

1. What was the main event?

In terms of production value, Sunday nights ‘Swamp Fight’ between Bray Wyatt & Braun Strowman was as solid as you’d expect. It was filmed beautifully to deliver the aura of the world Bray Wyatt lurks within, the music blends not just the horror of the Wyatt Family but their specific theme, it visually presented certain concepts in ways I never predicted, showed Strowman’s range as a performer & further expanded the Wyatt character in ways that make sense while continuing to make him arguably the most compelling in the business at the moment.

Where the main event lost me was that it wasn’t really what it was sold as. Considering it was billed as a ‘fight’ between two stablemates, this was more of an angle to me than a grudge match. We had our fair share of brawling & foreign object use, but it was all so minimal to the sheer levels of drama on display that was used to expand on character over spectacle. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, in fact, it’s commendable, but never felt like the concept was justified, particularly on a night when the focus is on the ‘extreme’ overall.

Wyatt & Strowman’s bout felt more like a placeholder for their next (and presumably final) chapter in their current feud, which reduces the impact it should have due to how unique the concept itself is on paper. The match had the potential to rival the sheer excellence that the ‘Boneyard Match’ & ‘Firefly Funhouse’ presented at WrestleMania, but instead felt like a segment better suited to SmackDown as a progressive angle heading into their next encounter. This wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever seen by any stretch, but like a lot of the show never lived up to its concept on paper. Fans will find a lot to love in this, as a storytelling element this just didn’t possess the impact to stand on its own without the wider story coming into play to carry it along.

I’m over the moon that WWE has let its creative chops flair more than prior, I just wish they’d think through what they presented more than what was given to us.

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Opinion

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS: WWE Bash In Berlin Immediate Reactions

Join DJ and Tunney for their immediate reactions to WWE Bash in Berlin. For the latest, greatest and up to datest, ALWAYS #UseYourHead and visit THECHAIRSHOT.COM

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Join DJ and Tunney for their immediate reactions to WWE Bash in Berlin. For the latest, greatest and up to datest, ALWAYS #UseYourHead and visit THECHAIRSHOT.COM

Powered by RedCircle

@TheMindlessPod @PCTunney @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – TONS of Great designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

About Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE’s PPV/PLE history)

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Classic POD is WAR

 


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About Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

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Opinion

AJ’s Top 3 Favorite SummerSlams

AJ is back with his annual opinion article, and this time the SummerSlam buzz got him wondering about his personal Top 3.

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It’s been a while since I have done any form of writing and SummerSlam is this Saturday. Of all the SummerSlams I’ve seen over the years; which ones are my favorites? While it’s not a revolutionary idea, I figured everyone loves to debate favorites of well, anything. Don’t worry though because this isn’t just going to be pure recency bias. I’ve watched the majority of them so with the ones I put on the list, it hit me more in some way shape or form whether it was story, a really good match or it just felt like a solid event.

At least this proves WWE is trending in a good direction for me, when it gets the ol’ brain juices flowing just because a show is around the corner!

#3: 2022 (Ol’ Brock Lesnar Has A Farm)

r/Wrasslin - when did Brock lesner begin his farmer and cowboy gimmick and when did he stop doing the gimmick ? is it worth watching I believe it was 2021 but not sure when he stopped the gimmick
Starting off the show, we get Bianca looking for a rematch against Becky from last years SummerSlam and it was better than the 21 second affair that everyone claims was a squash. This time Bianca holds her own and beats the Man in a fairly decent match, good way to get the event started. Next up is the heat seeking missile, Logan Paul against the former heat seeking missile because, well he wasn’t cut out for it and wasn’t a guy in everyone’s eyes, The Miz. After they had their blow off at Mania with Logan coming out on top which… isn’t awful, I just don’t like Logan Paul because he has that dude bro aura and swagger to make him more hateable than any other person on the card. Which I suppose is his gimmick…so…kudos?

First Championship match is for the US Championship and it’s as expected that in Theory, he should never beat someone to the caliber of Bobby Lashley which is no surprise. Dominik and Rey still back when Dom wanted the good fight against the Judgement Day before joining them later. The former Colts players, which they hammered it dahn in this match up showed that the canal swimming, trash talkin’, podcastin’, current RAW Color Commentatin’ goofball we all love, Pat McAfee came out on top again Bum Ass Corbin.

Usos putting the Street Profits on lockdown in the penitentiary since I believe this was peak Bloodline with the belt collecting and running all of WWE. Liv beat Ronda Rousey which isn’t astonishing but it’s not something people had on their bingo cards for anything with WWE so it was a nice little shock factor. The most memorable part of the night is obviously the Main Event, Lesnar brings the tractor, Roman catching the Microphone and Brock stands on top of the vehicle. Damn good match that showed off what they do in the ring since Roman caught his stride as the main bad guy and Brock… liked people after all of this? That is still a weird statement in my head. Brock being a good guy people person. If Liv wasn’t on bingo cards for wrestling, that is not on bingo cards in any aspect of life really.

That is more of the event that had solid matches and story going for it. No weird double count out, multiple people involved, 5 tag matches on the card. Things made sense and weren’t convoluted, had shocking moments that were great to see like Liv actually getting a title defense and there were the results we all expected at the time like Theory losing in 4 minutes to Bobby Lashley.

#2: 2009 (Are You Ready for The Return?)

10 Greatest Summerslam Entrances in WWE History - GameSpot
This event wasn’t that strong. It was strong with the star power involved in 2009 with guys like Rey Mysterio as Intercontinental Champion, Orton and Cena for the WWE Championship as it was becoming as stale as month old chips and CM Punk was facing Jeff Hardy before he ultimately returned to TNA at the beginning of 2010 after this PPV. For me, it’s not so much of the show itself, it was more of the memories because the Balai as our friends Chris Platt and Rey Cash like to call my brother and I, we were just coming back into wrestling and we were TNA Fans. We didn’t watch WWE that much really, it was just what came on after another channel had old ROH shows before they moved to three hours and swallowed the 8pm Eastern Slot. No, the reason why this has so many memories for me is three main reasons. First, Orton and Cena. They have had their rivalry since the beginning it seems, being each others foils like Hogan and Piper before them and there had to be a stipulation where if Randy was Counted Out or DQ’d, he’d lose the championship regardless. This was prime Viper Randy and the obvious joke we had of Super Cena where he very rarely lost, unless it was SummerSlam surprisingly enough.

Number two reason was CM Punk and Jeff Hardy. Hardys known for the Ladder and TLC matches in the past and this being the penultimate match for this feud and it was a banger of a match. If you didn’t know Punk before, it was a great introduction to his wrestling. I used to like Punk a lot because of this match because he could talk, wrestle… and not insanely personal with things in wrestling. In all seriousness, this was a great match. Ultimate risks, high reward for Punk grabbing the World Heavyweight Championship and he was given his next feud because of the final boss of SmackDown at that time. Thanks, Teddy Long.

The main and final reason though why this match gave me the memories flowing back is more of the fact that one of my closest and longest termed friends of 23 years, also loves wrestling. Back when we were younger, he’d do MoCap videos on YouTube with his figures. We’d have friends come over for parties at his house and we’d do the one thing WWE always told us not to do and that was try it at home. He was always stronger than me, I was always more charismatic. He had the power aspect and did things with brute force, I could talk my way out of trouble with parents if we did something wrong. There was always one thing that our respective mother’s always called us though… it’s on the tip of my tongue… oh right, ‘Degenerates’.

As soon as we were called that, we kind of parodied the DX line. I was limber enough to do the HBK pose and do a Superkick before it became the new DDT and he would just Spinebuster people and knew how to do the water spit. So what do you think was the main reason we even ordered this PPV for his 13th Birthday? I think the two guys we were pretending to be were set to return on a tank and toss out some glow sticks. The return of DX, Shawn Michaels coming back after Mania with Triple H to deal with the Legacy problem was an amazing return for them and made everything so much fun.

So we have the solid card and this one has a personal story… what’s my number one SummerSlam? Is it personal? Well yes but not going into that. Is it a good card? To me, it was a phenomenal card! Is it memorable? Seeing how wrestling fans still mention at least three matches to this day.

#1: 2005 (Octopus in the Washer, Lover’s Quarrel and Where the F%#$ is Vickie?)

Vickie Guerrero on Rey vs. Dominik Mysterio: 'I wish I was part of it' -  Cageside Seats
Quite possibly some of the best matches I’ve seen and one that was just the most hilarious moments of overselling in wrestling history, I know why I love this SummerSlam but it’s also a really good card at the same time. Redacted beats Orlando Jordan in 25 seconds for the US Title and they made jokes about it like, he can make a coffee faster than he beat Orlando and stuff like that, it’s pretty funny. Angle getting sick of Eugene’s antics for his Gold Medal was also a great bit they had play up, the Year long feud of Randy Orton and Undertaker was still going on where Orton comes out on top this time around to get the win back from Mania, Jericho returning for the match with Cena in a whole promotional thing for each other’s groups, Fozzy for Jericho and the Chain Gang doing Bad, Bad Man for Cena leading up to a match for the WWE Championship. JBL won a 20 man battle royal on SmackDown to win the Championship…… Opportunity to face the newest member of SmackDown, Batista but the three main matches that a lot of people talk about to this day; Edge vs Matt Hardy, Rey vs Eddie for Dominik and Hogan vs HBK in the Main Event.

I have reasons to enjoy the Hardy/Edge match but it looked like a real fight, it really made us believe that Matt Hardy was going to kill Edge because real names were dropped during this tirade from Hardy. It wasn’t Edge and Lita, it was Adam and Amy. Matt was so dead set on beating the hell out of Edge that they made a situation into gold and it was a great moment for this match to happen, I believe it was also an Unsanctioned Match too which added the intensity until matt got concussed and knocked senseless that it looked like he couldn’t fight for anything but the build up was what made it seem like a marque match. It made it feel real, it made it feel awesome and it made it feel personal.

Eddie kept tormenting Rey Mysterio about Dominik not being Rey’s but Eddie’s for the summer. That’s all you heard from Eddie being the weasel he was is hanging out with Dominik, making the world believe it’s his son and what not (Let’s not do a fast forward to today where he has the mullet, mustache and everything like Eddie) but they settle this in a Ladder Match where the top of it is a document for the custody of Dominik and my god, this match is better than it should have been. I expect nothing else from Eddie because the man hated having a bad match, Dom got involved and stopped Eddie, Vickie was late and stopped Eddie. The whole match was good it was just very weird with the premise but was a great match. I wonder if Rey regrets his decision to win the match now…

Octopus in a Washing Machine… those five words have resonated with Shawn Michaels’ performance in this match, forever. It was supposed to be an amazing match up between Hogan and Michaels, Icon vs Icon it said and suddenly Hogan’s back gives out, can’t do a trilogy of matches so we can only do the one and then pull out of everything after. This match was set up to be a classic and instead turned into the most unbelievable sell fest ever. A Hogan big boot caused Shawn to tumble 3 or 4 times, getting crotched on the ropes had HBK bouncing higher than he should have, being tossed out of the ring made it look like Shawn never broke his back in 1998 from how much he flopped and flipped around like crazy. It’s bad… or maybe even good that a lot of current wrestlers watched this match that went, “I can sell like that, I want to be a wrestler” and did. So good or bad, I don’t know but for some reason this PPV has always had a place in my heart for how memorable it was.

Those are my top three SummerSlams so far but who knows, 2024 has potential to maybe bump something or at least get me to consider a shift. Should be fun to see how the show plays out! What are some of your favorite SummerSlams?

About Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast 

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR


Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand


Powered by RedCircle


Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
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