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Extreme Rules has come and gone and fans and critics weren't shy to let the world know what they thought of the PPV. Several championships changed hands at the event, including the Universal Championship which was won by The Beast Brock Lesnar after successfully cashing in his Money in the Bank contract on Seth Rollins.
Once again, The Beast waited for his target to do all the work in the ring and all he had to do was march down the ring and leave with something shiny to take home. Nevertheless, Extreme Rules was a solid show and it made us want to tune into Monday Night Raw the following night.
Several Superstars left the show with new and shiny accessories around their waste and as always, WWE had the whole world talking and today, right here, we will look at the five points worth noting for Extreme Rules.
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#5 WWE is not done with Brock Lesnar
Paul Heyman kept his word when he said his advocate Brock Lesnar will cash in his contract at Extreme Rules and behold! The Beast did just that. But why did WWE hand the Universal title back to Lesnar despite knowing that the WWE Universe will be against it? Well, my colleague Riju Dasgupta wrote a piece on 5 reasons why WWE chose to award the Big Red Belt to The Beast Incarnate, and you'll find it interesting.
Riju points out that this was done so that a much bigger match could take place at WWE's second-biggest event of the year, SummerSlam, between Rollins and Lesnar. While Seth Rollins was a fighting champion, he didn't have meaningful challengers for the title (except AJ Styles) and WWE needed a much bigger match for the Universal title at SummerSlam and Seth Rollins vs Baron Corbin part 10 wasn't going to cut it.
Brock Lesnar is done with UFC, so it looks like he will be committed to WWE, and as long as he does so, the ratings for Raw will continue to increase, which is a wise business move. Whether fans like Brock Lesnar or not, in the end, they always tune in to see him compete or appear in the ring.
#4 WWE has bigger plans for Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura
Finn Balor lost his Intercontinental Championship to Shinsuke Nakamura at the Extreme Rules kick-off show. While it was sad to see Balor lose his title, it's worth pointing out that his second reign with the title wasn't very impressive, as he has been missing for weeks and he hardly defended it since winning it at WrestleMania 35.
It could be possible that WWE decided to make Balor drop the title because they had big plans for him. If you find that hard to believe, Samoa Joe is a recent example. After losing his United States Championship to Ricochet at Stomping Grounds, he immediately received a shot at the WWE Championship against Kofi Kingston. Even though he was unsuccessful, it's still considered a big deal to get a shot at the biggest prize in the entire industry.
Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff are the new Executive Directors for Raw and SmackDown respectively and perhaps they could be planning to have Balor join The Club. Sure, Balor and the members of The Club aren't on the same brand, but the brand extension doesn't seem to exist anymore so there's nothing preventing this from happening.
Shinsuke Nakamura, on the other hand, could be set for a push since WWE decided to hand him the title. The Artist is a big star and he can be a huge main event star if WWE books him right. Bischoff and Heyman will be running Raw and SmackDown Live now, so let's see what they could be planning.
#3 WWE no longer cares about the Women's Tag Team Championships
When WWE first announced that they would introduce Women's Tag Team Championships in 2019, fans and everyone in WWE was excited as this was groundbreaking news for the women's roster. When Sasha Banks and Bayley became the inaugural champions, we thought they would have a long reign with the titles. Come WrestleMania 35, and the team lost their titles to The IIconics.
What was originally supposed to mean something, turned into something forgettable and the titles were rarely seen on TV or on PPV. The IIconics, who are nothing but a comedic act, turned the titles into jokes. Another PPV has gone by and the titles are nowhere to be seen. The IIconics mainly defended their titles against jobbers on the blue brand while Superstars like Liv Morgan and Ember Moon are not getting the opportunity they deserve.
Sure, the card for Extreme Rules was stacked, but it's not like the titles were defended at Stomping Grounds either. With Asuka and Kairi Sane, known as the Kabuki Warriors possibly being the next challengers for the title, they could return it back to what it was supposed to be.
#2 Shane McMahon and Kevin Owens are set to clash at SummerSlam
Kevin Owens became one of the biggest faces in WWE when he delivered a "pipebomb" promo on the latest episode of SmackDown Live and completely rebuked Shane McMahon while letting the world know exactly how the WWE Universe feels about Shane and how he is waisting TV time while other Superstars on the blue brand are not getting any opportunity.
After being chased out of the arena by security, Owens returned later that night and delivered a Stunner to Shane. At Extreme Rules, Owens once again berated Shane and there is no doubt that these two will clash very soon. Shane is most likely done feuding with Roman Reigns after being Tombstoned by The Undertaker last night.
SummerSlam is a big event, and there is no doubt that WWE is saving this hot feud between Owens at Shane for the Biggest Party of the Summer.
#1 The Club could become the biggest heel stable of the new era
AJ Styles defeated Ricochet at Extreme Rules to become a three-time United States Champion. After his run as a face ran its course, the Phenomenal One reunited The Club with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson and if WWE books them right, they could become one of the biggest and baddest heel stables of the new era.
All three former Bullet Club members were successful in Japan and the success of Bullet Club can be attributed to them. What could make this stable even more formidable, is if WWE turns Finn Balor heel and adds him to The Club as the fourth member. They could feud with other factions like Undisputed Era and fans will be super invested. With Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff running things now, anything is possible.
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