WWE Extreme Rules 2021 - Star ratings for every match

Roman Reigns vs. The Demon Finn Balor in an Extreme Rules Match for the WWE Universal Championship - WWE Extreme Rules 2021

The main event of Extreme Rules 2021 was the only bout that had the titular stipulation attached to it. Roman Reigns defended the WWE Universal Championship against The Demon Finn Balor in the show's closer. The two men have interacted a lot since Balor's return to the main roster back in July.

Finn Balor stepped up to The Tribal Chief and wanted an opportunity at the title he never lost. Balor was about to sign a contract to face Roman at SummerSlam 2021 when Baron Corbin intervened and allowed John Cena to sign the contract himself. Finn beat Corbin and was then attacked by The Bloodline to put him out of action until after SummerSlam.

Following Reigns' victory over John Cena at the Biggest Party Of The Summer in Las Vegas, Finn Balor stepped up again and challenged Roman. The two men faced on the September 3rd episode of SmackDown with The Usos attacking The Prince before the match and Reigns using a low blow to beat Balor. The following week, The Demon returned to set up this Extreme Rules 2021 main event.

Both men carried a superstar aura and brought off unique spots to the Extreme Rules match. Roman pulled out a kendo stick, while Balor counteracted with a Demon-themed bundle of kendo sticks.

They fought in the ring, at ringside and into the crowd. Roman showed tremendous poise, having Paul Heyman hand him a mask before he went into the crowd.

In the crowd, the Demon hit a running crossbody and put Roman through a table. Reigns planted Balor with a Rock Bottom through a table back in the ring. He later connected with the Superman Punch for a two count. Finn hit the Slingblade and looked to hit a Shotgun Dropkick, but Reigns countered with a spear for a nearfall that Balor hit a low blow with in a callback to their SmackDown clash.

The Demon hit the Coup De Grace and looked like he would walk out of Extreme Rules 2021 with the Universal Championship, but The Usos intervened and pulled Balor out of the ring. They brought out a table at ringside. However, the Demon fought them off and powerbombed Jimmy through the announce table. Roman then hit a spear out of nowhere through the guardrail.

Things got weird when the red light hit and Balor's heartbeat intro started. This revived The Demon who made a comeback to beat down Roman Reigns. He hit a shotgun dropkick that put Reigns through the table at ringside. Back in the ring, he looked for the Coup De Grace when the ropes just suddenly broke and Balor fell in the ring.

Roman followed with a spear to win and retain the Universal Championship. This was a great Extreme Rules Match that was severely let down by the ridiculous finish. It is understandable that WWE wanted to protect The Demon in this loss, but there were other ways to do that.

The two men worked extremely well with one another and put together a memorable main event at Extreme Rules 2021 though.

Star rating: ***3/4