The Case
WWE's superstars are back in action at WWE: Extreme Rules 2010, the
one pay-per-view during which most rules are thrown out and the wrestlers get to
fight without worrying about disqualifications. Here's a look at the complete
lineup:
• Big Show & The Miz vs. R-Truth & John Morrison vs. MVP
& Mark Henry vs. The Hart Dynasty in a Gauntlet Match
Big Show and The
Miz must face and defeat three teams in a row in this Gauntlet Match, a mediocre
opening battle that fails to offer any surprises but picks up decent speed as it
progresses. Each pair of wrestlers offers the audience a few cool team moves,
but other than that, this 6-minute matchup is a tad too chaotic. Nothing out of
the ordinary to look for in this one. Let's move on…
• Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk
If CM Punk loses this fight, he
gets his head shaved. I know that's not necessarily an original idea, but as
long as the wrestling action delivers, I'm fine with it. Luckily, Mysterio and
Punk put on a good show, complete with some well-coordinated maneuvers and
dives, and some sleek submission moves. Clocking in at 16 minutes, this match
easily bests its predecessor in terms of quality.
• JTG vs. Shad in a Strap Match
Both athletes are strapped
to each other in this one, and that means we're in for a lot of pulling. Alas,
this is not as exciting as it may sound, and even JTG and Shad try hard to make
this an entertaining battle, they ultimately fail. Luckily enough, this battle
doesn't last very long. Disappointing.
• Jack Swagger vs. Randy Orton in a World Heavyweight
Championship Match
The championship match between Swagger and Orton is an
Extreme Rules match, which means anything goes. At 14 minutes, this battle for
the gold works pretty well, with both Swagger and Orton delivering some powerful
moves inside and around the ring. I would have preferred more extreme, but in
terms of solid, classic wrestling, this is surprisingly entertaining matchup
after all.
• Triple H vs. Sheamus in a Street Fight Match
I've seen
both Triple H and Sheamus do better, but their match here at Extreme
Rules is not a major disaster. Triple H enters this match with an apparent
injury. Of course, that slows him and the match down at times. I wish the show
writers would have spun this one differently, but what can you do? Still,
Sheamus and HHH show enough aggression to engage in some powerful moves, and the
action inside the ring ends up being entertaining enough. It's outside the ring
where things fall apart, even though this is technically a street fight. Alas,
there's barely anything extreme about this battle.
• Michelle McCool vs. Beth Phoenix in an Extreme Makeover Match
for the Women's Championship
The divas are at it again, but this time,
they get to use all sorts of ridiculous tools to compete in this title match.
WWE writers may think hairspray, ironing boards, and makeup make funny weapons,
but to be honest, I'd rather watch these athletes perform a bunch of passable
wrestling moves. Needless to say, this match is not among the best, and even
though Phoenix and McCool do indeed deliver one or two cool maneuvers, they
ultimately fail to turn this one into a memorable battle. It's a forgettable
matchup instead.
• Edge vs. Chris Jericho in a Steel Cage Match
While it's
by no means a memorable battle, this steel cage match between Jericho and Edge
qualifies as one of the better matches of this PPV. Both wrestlers deliver a
bunch of powerful moves inside the ring, but it's when they try to escape the
cage that the coordination between the two starts to fall apart. Needless to
say, they both bring a lot of energy to the ring, and that's eventually what
turns this one into an entertaining show. Extreme? Sadly, no.
• John Cena vs. Batista in a Last Man Standing Match for the WWE
Championship
The main event is a Last Man Standing match, which means this
fight for the gold can only be won via count out. Cena and Batista deliver a
classic wrestling match filled with punches, kicks, and a great variety of
submission and signature moves. All in all, this is a fast-paced battle, and
Cena and Batista give each other an equal amount of momentum periods, which
creates a welcoming buzz among the audience. The match is by far not as extreme
as I hoped it would be, but at least it's not boring. It's a solid finish to an
overall decent event.
As always, the quality of the image on this DVD does the job, and the same
goes for the audio. The bonus material on the disc includes a brief segment
highlighting Shawn Michaels' farewell speech during a Raw event.
The 2010 edition of WWE: Extreme Rules boasts some good matches.
Unfortunately, none of the action here is extreme enough to really stand out.
That said, I've seen more disappointing pay-per-views recently, and in this
sense, this one's worth checking out after all.
