Neville Stays Untouchable
Another win and another impressive outing for “The King of the Cruiserweights.” Neville took on Austin Aries in a technically sound contest. Yes, the crowd was not completely into it, but I am not going to completely discredit how Neville and Aries performed.
It was calculating, intense and very physical. Hell, it was enhanced with creative offense from both men and ended with a beautiful Red Arrow onto the injured back and then into a Rings of Saturn. Austin Aries had nothing to do but tap out and it looks like he will NOT be the guy that dethrones the king from his throne.They were given 17 minutes, plenty of time to tell a story. It was injury vs. injury and the more ruthless guy won. I really enjoyed this match from a talent standpoint, but I wonder what they can do to make these guys connect more with the crowd.
Why do they not put Cruiserweights with the other talent? I think a mixed tag team match on WWE RAW with guys like Miz, Ambrose and others could make them FEEL like they are important to the crowd. Hell, let’s get rid of the purple ropes already. Making the stage purple and the outside of the ring is enough. We get it. These two small changes can really help these two guys. They are too good for them not to be an important part on the PPV. The live crowd is part of the rating, which is unfortunate. It does affect the performers in the ring.
WWE Made The Right Call
Many considered this a dream match when Brock Lesnar came back to WWE and Samoa Joe was cruising through the competition in NXT. The main event drew just under 30 minutes of action and was excellent. Let’s break it down in bullet points.
- Roman Reigns waited in the beginning and everyone got a shot in at the big dog before he tossed them out of the ring.
- Bray Wyatt and Samoa Joe were the perfect teammates to take out the three faces in the match, until Bray Wyatt turned on Joe.
- The physicality and athleticism from Seth Rollins was great, reminding us how effective he can be with multiple partners in the ring.
- Finn Balor’s agility and lower body strength might slowly make me suspend my belief he could beat Brock Lesnar. Probably not, but I still love Finn as the performer he really is.
- Samoa Joe winning is the best choice right now. If WWE is not certain if Braun Strowman will be back by SummerSlam, I think you might see them go all in on Samoa Joe. Outside of Strowman, there really is not a legit heel you want to see beat Brock aside from Joe. When he was able to choke out Finn Balor, it reminded me of why I love the guy. He is old school, physical and 280 pounds of submission and striking. He might not look like the Brock Lesnar’s of the world, but there is something about him in the ring that makes me want to watch him.
At the end of the night, I think WWE realizes their feuds heading into Great Balls of Fire and then more into SummerSlam should be Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar (Braun at SummerSlam if he is healthy), Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins at SummerSlam and adding Roman Reigns into Brock/Joe/Braun combination. Overall, this match was spectacular and the best of the night. It might be one of the best “Fatal” matches in recent memory. From beginning to end, the psychology was there and the right amount of “Extreme” was delivered.
@JoshIsenberg4 on Twitter. WWE Extreme Rules Rating:
