WWE Extreme Rules 2019: 5 things WWE did wrong at the PPV

#1 Extreme Rules No More

WWE has really toned down the "extreme' part of what made Extreme Rules special

I actually think that having both TLC and Extreme Rules is redundant even though they are held at different times of the year. WWE has tried to tout this as a PPV that is different than others because it has "extreme rules" or involves matches with "extreme stipulations".

The main point is that throughout the PG Era, this PPV has simply been a normal PPV with some matches that have stipulations. With a card of 12 matches (13 if you count Lesnar's cash in), only three had stipulations.

The opening match of the card was touted as a "No Holds Barred" match but didn't utilize that at all. Shane McMahon did his usual "Coast to Coast" move, albeit with a trash can, and he also did his trademark jump from the ring to the announce table.

Outside of those two things and Elias hitting the Undertaker with his guitar, it was a RAW match with regular moves. "No Holds Barred" matches need to use weapons and tables and more dangerous spots.

The match between Strowman and Lashley actually utilized the name of the PPV the best because Strowman is a monster and does things that normal men can't do. And the main event was an "Extreme Rules" match, but other than that, every other bout was simply a match.

There was little to set this apart from any other PPV on the schedule. If you looked at a blind list of the matches and had to choose which show it was, you would have had trouble picking this out as Extreme Rules. For a show that was in Philadelphia, the home of ECW, and one that had Paul Heyman, the "King of ECW", Extreme Rules seemed more like "Tame Rules" or "Basic Rules".