Extreme Rules 2022

[Oliver]

To be honest, there's a part of me that's still a bit salty that they didn't give Shayna the win at Clash At The Castle. I know some will disagree, and I know I say this as someone who has always enjoyed Shayna, but I think they really need to actually do something of note with Shayna right now, and I thought that was the moment to strike with her as champion. Liv hasn't worked as champion, but I think there's value in her chasing someone like Shayna and properly playing the underdog. To be honest, I'm so done with 'underdog' champions who spend 75% or more of their title matches on the backfoot then manage to get their finisher in by luck and win.

I think Liv, and the whole roster on Smackdown, would benefit from dropping the title to someone else right now - I'm not convinced that's Ronda, but I also wouldn't be surprised if the long(er) term plan is to do Ronda vs Charlotte again. I don't necessarily know how they get there, but I can see it being a Wrestlemania thing, or at least a tease for a Wrestlemania thing.

I could see them doing a finish at Extreme Rules that unites Shayna and Ronda on the roster formally. They teased it coming off the back of Clash when Ronda won the title opportunity, and then Shayna's not really been seen since on TV but they have teamed together on the house show circuit. Could they put them together on the main roster as a duo - and if so, does that tie in with Shayna attacking Liv to get Ronda the title?

[Powder]

I've said it before, that they have been hinting at a feud between Shayna and Rhonda or a tag team. I was hoping for a feud.

With all the little jabs that Rhonda was taking at Shayna, that could be taken as encouragement, can give reason for Shayna to interfere in the Title match and cause Rhonda to lose.

[Team Farrell]

That entire reveal of Bray was done so well last night...but I can't be the only one who noticed that Abbey the Witch was a Spirit Halloween alien mask, right?

[Oliver]

I thought the same - both on the mask and the reveal. I like that they've brought him back as Bray and not as The Fiend because I think that immediately means it's more interesting. The Fiend was a good idea for a moment that, ultimately, didn't work because it was a good idea for a single moment. Bray was always much more interesting as Bray.

I didn't mind Extreme Rules overall - they shot their wad with the Donnybrook match opening things, and nothing was going to be able to follow it to the same high standard, somewhat sadly. I thought Liv/Ronda really struggled to do anything of note with it's time, Liv looked like she was being very careful with any weapon shot which took me out of it a bit. I hate I Quit matches in the same way I hate Last Man Standing ones so Edge/Balor didn't work for me, especially when Beth - who we've been shown time and again is one of the toughest women going and not six months ago was competing in the ring, as well as being enough of a presence to stop Judgment Day beating down Edge just by stepping in front of them - is suddenly a 'wrestler's wife' character. That just doesn't work for me with her - I get the emotional side of things, even though I think it's goofy as heck, but it's the wrong people in those roles for me. It was also fucking long.

Bayley/Belair and the Fight Pit I would put on the same 'very good, not quite great' level for me - I expected the Damage CTRL interference in the former, but wasn't really expecting it to be very quickly dismissed by Belair without her really breaking a sweat and then her simply just winning, but it is what it is. WWE are clearly really invested in Bianca being champion, but like some others in recent history I'm just not sure it's working for me - she seems to be having a lot of 'challenger of the month' type feuds without anything to particularly invest in. The Fight Pit was decent but I think lacked the raw nature that made the two in NXT appealing to me - this just felt like a bit of a cage match, and I know that's what it is but the other ones felt like actual fights in a cage, this felt like a wrestling match in a cage.

The Donnybrook and, slightly unexpected, Kross/McIntyre were the two in ring highlights for me - they both shone.