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The descendant of the old ECW One Night Stand shows in the mid-2000s, the Extreme Rules pay per view lost the lustre of its ancestor. It isn't a show known for being a "must-see" event. It's usually a filler show on the road to SummerSlam, trapped in the mire of the post-WrestleMania slump.
2019's edition is somewhat different, though. Whether it's in response to declining ratings or All Elite Wrestling's Fight for the Fallen taking place on the previous night, Extreme Rules has a stacked card this year. It's the total opposite of Stomping Grounds last month. It might well be worth your time to actually watch this live, even if it will be a bit long.
Assuming you don't, though, there are 10 matches on the card. Ranking them in terms of quality will be hard. Which are likely to be worth watching again or going back to watch? Most of them, probably! Let's give this a try.
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#10 Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch vs. Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans
Sadly, the main event of Extreme Rules is also looking to be its weakest match. Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans, as many expected, have been duds in the main event picture, yet they continue to get title shots despite losing twice on pay per view already. Their Stomping Grounds performances were both unmitigated disasters, with many fans considering the main event there as one of WWE's worst matches of 2019.
Here they are again.
The mixed tag team stipulation has a chance to throw some kind of monkey wrench into that formula, but historically, these kinds of matches have been limited in the kind of spectacle they can pull off.
Keep your expectations low for this one. If it exceeds them, you won't lose anything.
#9 Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns and The Undertaker
Shane McMahon's matches in 2019 have been disasters. In fact, anything involving him since WrestleMania has been a disaster.
Also, the Undertaker doesn't belong in a ring in 2019.
This match is going to rely on Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre to carry it and they haven't exactly put on barnburners in the ring together. Their work has been passable, but nothing remarkable.
Additionally, none of this makes any sense whatsoever. The Undertaker just showed up randomly. There's no real reason for him to team with Roman Reigns, the guy who once boasted about WWE being "his yard now." Remember that?
Undertaker's entrance alone is going to make this match feel like a much longer drag than it should be.
Hopefully, the action in the ring itself doesn't last too long.
#8 Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross
Look closely at this picture and you can see how last-minute Nikki Cross' addition here has been.
Bayley and Alexa Bliss have never performed well together. We all remember that horrible feud in 2017. This match also comes as a result of the "wild card" rule and therefore feels incongruent.
Alexa Bliss title matches have never been remarkable, and now she's supposedly battling an illness.
This match could well be the worst of the night, but now that Nikki Cross is involved in it, she and Bayley should be able to carry it to a passing grade. There's also the opportunity that Cross and Bliss could begin to have their falling out on Sunday night, so that angle could work itself into the match to give it some extra layers.
#7 Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley
Here's where things get harder. Each match from here on out should be well worth watching. I needed to start somewhere, though, and this is a good place. Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley haven't usually been that good together. The last man standing stipulation should help, but look underneath the surface and there are more problems.
Many times, last man standing matches have disappointed. This is because WWE rarely makes full use of the stipulation. Action usually doesn't leave the ringside area and the same weapons more or less get used.
If these two are allowed to go all out and brawl all around the arena with innovative weapons and spots, it might actually be the match of the night. I'm betting they won't, though, so this will be a fun watch, but probably not something you'll remember a year from now.
#6 Daniel Bryan and Rowan vs. The New Day vs. Heavy Machinery
It's hard to rank any match involving the New Day and arguably WWE's MVP for 2019, Daniel Bryan, at "only sixth," but the triple threat stipulation will probably take away some from this match. It's a nice opportunity for Heavy Machinery, but they never managed to do anything truly memorable in NXT. Hopefully, the two will put on a performance befitting a bigger push for them in the company, but we shouldn't lose sight of what's really going on here.
This match is probably going to just be a pitstop to begin the feud between Bryan, Rowan, and the New Day en route to SummerSlam. That's how it should be.
This should be a fun watch, no doubt, but it's up against stiff competition from here. That's a testament to the card.
#5 Drew Gulak vs. Tony Nese
It's Drew Gulak and Tony Nese. They're going to do something fun together. They always do. The only weakness this match has is that it's undoubtedly going to be on the Extreme Rules kickoff show, which means that the crowd won't entirely be in the arena yet, and the cruiserweight division, bless their hearts hasn't in three years gotten over with crowds to the extent that it should. That means that the match is going to feel lower energy than it actually is.
Nevertheless, we know what Drew Gulak and Tony Nese are capable of. This might well be the best technically wrestled match on the night, as Gulak is going to try to keep Tony Nese grounded and in submission holds while the latter tries to use his speed to his advantage.
It's surprising to see this match happen now, though. We'll need to see what comes for SummerSlam.
#4 The Revival vs. The Usos
People have been thinking about this match for a long time. It's the Usos and the Revival on pay per view, with no interruptions. It's the kind of match that the long-suffering Raw tag team titles have needed for a long time, and it could well be the match of the night.
Why do I "only" rank it fourth, then?
Because I know what WWE has done with The Revival for the past two years. They always get in their way. Hopefully, this match can avoid nonsensical spots or stipulations and just let the wrestlers wrestle. For some reason, that usually hasn't been the case with the Revival.
Maybe we'll be surprised on Sunday night, though, and if we are, this match could well become a match of the year contender and one of 2019's hidden gems.
Don't get in your own way, WWE.
#3 Aleister Black vs. Cesaro
This was a long time coming. Aleister Black is finally returning to the ring as a singles competitor and he's going it against one of the best opponents possible. Black is a match of the year machine when he's allowed to be and Cesaro is one of the best in the business, too.
So why rank this "only" third?
Quite simply, I'm afraid that these guys aren't going to get the time they need to really crank this up into high gear. This is the kind of match that should get at least 10 minutes, and hopefully 15.
But with so many other matches on the card, this might be one that WWE decides to cut.
If these two get the appropriate time, there shouldn't be anything stopping them from being strong match of the night and possibly the year contenders. Hope!
#2 Kofi Kingston vs. Samoa Joe
Again, hopefully, this will be the end of the "wild card" rule, but it would be a good way to go out. Kofi Kingston vs. Samoa Joe is an exciting title match and has had a good build with little time. Joe always takes what's in front of him and turns it into gold.
Honestly, I wouldn't be upset if he wins the title here. Kofi Kingston had a fantastic rise to the title, but his reign does feel like it's passed its prime.
That isn't going to happen, though. Kofi Kingston is going to retain and hopefully will do so in a way that doesn't make Samoa Joe look stupid as many of his other title losses have been.
It's a filler match, but it should be a great one, with Kofi playing the babyface in peril.
#1 Ricochet vs. AJ Styles
Of course, this one has the strongest potential to be the match of the night. It's Ricochet and AJ Styles, and it will probably get the time that it needs. It's just the thing to elevate the prestige of the United States Championship, which has been battered for the past couple of years.
We saw what these two can do together on Raw. Now there won't be any commercial interruptions.
AJ Styles' heel turn also adds a new wrinkle to the equation. How will Gallows and Anderson affect the action? Ricochet is probably going to have to fend off all three at some point in the match.
This could well be a star-making moment for Ricochet. If he goes over here, as he should, he'd be well on his way to becoming a made man in WWE. It was an improbable rise from NXT. Hopefully, WWE will do the right thing here.
