The Vaudevillians vs. The New Day
The WWE Tag Team Championships were on the line with The New Day and Valdevillians doing battle. In what was surprisingly a shorter match that I expected, The New Day pick up the win. Again, more time in the ring would have helped Aiden and Simon really connect with the crowd on a deeper level, but they did a great job with utilizing the time that they had. During the match, Big E gets sent into the steel steps and then English brings Woods back into the ring. They hit Whirling Dervish and only gets a two count. Simon Gotch comes back in but Woods fights them both off. Big E finally gets the spear on English, sending both men to the outside. Kofi nails Trouble In Paradise on Gotch while the referee isn’t looking. Woods is able to get the pin and retain the titles.
I really enjoyed that this match was the ONLY match where you knew who was the heel and who was the face. So many times in the WWE will you have fans cheer the heel. Funny that the faces use heel tactics to win and the crowd loves it. Anyway, I was surprised not to see Enzo and Cass do something to get involved, especially since it is in New Jersey. A returning Enzo would have been huge for their tag team and would have really made it more important to see who faces New Day Next. It also preserves The Vaudevillians from not taking a clean loss on their first big championship match.
Match of the Year?
The Fatal Four Way match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship stole the show. Plain and simple, this may have been the best match of 2016. With the exception of some NXT bouts and potentially one or two more, Extreme Rules will be remembered for this (and one other moment). The match itself was booked to almost perfection. Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Cesaro and The Miz all got their offense in. Multiple two counts, finishers and kickouts kept the fans on the edge of their seat. They added splash moves, like a moonsault and Cesaro’s uppercut express. They also had Sami Zayn pull off just some fantastic spots.
When you look at this match, you realize that all four men could potentially become world champions. Is the decision for The Miz the right call? I do not think so, but I liked how they focused more on Sami Zayn getting so close, only for his obsession to beat down Kevin Owens costing him. It is such a simple and effective strategy for Owens to keep getting heat and to have the “underdog” type gimmick for Zayn to continue. The Miz needs applauded for his tactics in the match, as well as Cesaro for continuing to be the definition of excellence in the ring. Wow! What a showcase from four completely different characters and talents in the ring. The pace never slowed and the drama never disappeared.
Hopefully the First and Last
An Asylum Match featured a black steel cage with weapons hanging from the top, as Dean Ambrose took on Chris Jericho. Both men came prepared for war, decked out in jeans and extra protection around their elbows and knees. Anyways, WWE gave Dean another opportunity to shine and the only good spots that I enjoyed was the elbow drop from the top (even though I HATE the idea of a standing elbow drop) and the thumb tacks that ultimately put an end to Chris Jericho. The match did take way too long and should have been cut by 5-7 minutes.
Look, I hate bashing superstars because they put so much time into their craft and I COULD NEVER PULL IT OFF. But, for the sake of argument, can we all agree that Dean Ambrose is really good but has yet to be great? Chris Jericho and Dean Ambrose tried to pull off this feud, but it was very average. It was a combination of things. It was Ambrose’s bad booking at WrestleMania that hurt him, as well as WWE trying to be creative and coming off cheesy. There is not much to a face Dean Ambrose that fans love. The music is cool, his attitude is fun and his personality COULD shine. Why hasn’t it been shining in the absence of many top superstars? I wish I knew.
