Views From The Turnbuckle: Extreme Rules Review, WWE Falls Off The Wagon Once More

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Leading up to Wrestlemania 31, it was widely speculated that the show was going to be very disappointing. Instead, we were treated to a thoroughly enjoying show that proved that predictions and speculation can only get you so far, sometimes you really don't know how good a show is going to be until you watch it. Extreme Rules also looked pretty lackluster on paper, but unlike Wrestlemania, most of the predications and speculation were correct. All aboard, the Wrestlemania Momentum Train is leaving the station.

Seth Rollins vs Randy Orton: ***1/4

Overall the main event was not a terrible showing, but it suffered from many of the problems that plagued the build-up to the match. It appears that Seth Rollins is feuding with two different people, Kane and Randy Orton, and because of that, neither program has really taken off. Actually, I would say that the feud between Rollins and Kane is hotter than the one with the number one contender, which isn't good. Surely another match is in-order between Orton and Rollins, although at this point it looks like Kane will have to be involved in some capacity, perhaps a Triple Threat, which won't be very good since nobody in their right mind would think Kane could win the title.

The match itself was okay, but it was not nearly as good as the previous encounter at Wrestlemania. An argument could be made that the steel cage match is an outdated match-stipulation in 2015. Think about it, when was the last truly great steel cage match in WWE? In an era where guys work outside of the ring and use the ropes more than ever, it is no wonder that the match at Wrestlemania was better.

The show ending with the argument between the announcers about whether or not Rollins was allowed to use the RKO isn't a great sign. Rollins using the RKO to pick up the win was a quality heel move, but it was also kind of a cheap way to win the match. Rollins won the match because of the debatable wording of a stipulation, and that is about as weak of a victory you can have as a champion.

John Cena vs Rusev: **

Pretty much exactly what most fans expected out of this match. The guys yank each other around, hit each other with the chain a bit and Cena ends up overcoming the odds and picking up the victory. Much like the cage match, the steel-chain match is also kind of an outdated match-stipulation, which is probably why you don't see many of them anymore. It limits what each guy can do in the ring, and when you consider Cena and Rusev are both limited workers already, it just wasn't very exciting. The rules were somewhat confusing, what exactly constituted a stoppage in one's momentum? When each guy rang up three lights, they stopped in the middle of the ring and stared at each other for about 10 seconds. Why didn't that count as a stoppage of momentum? Even the announcers were confused.

Cena picked up another victory over Rusev, which isn't going to help Rusev at all. Even worse, Lana wins the "Worst Manager of the Year" award for getting Rusev into an "I Quit" match with John Cena. John Cena doesn't quit, he has the phrase "Never Give Up" written on all of his merchandise. It would take a miracle for Rusev to win. Rusev is going to get pegged with his third straight PPV loss to Cena, making him look like the exact opposite of what they should want him to be. Instead of being an unstoppable brute, he has become just another bad guy for Cena to slay. WWE already used this formula to screw up Wyatt, and it looks like Rusev is going to go the same way.

Roman Reigns vs The Big Show: ***1/2

Pretty standard fare Last Man Standing match, with a lot of spots and very few lockups or technical exchanges. Something like that is how Reigns and Big Show can have a solid match despite both being limited workers. The spots were pretty decent, particularly the chokeslam out of the ring and through the two tables, and the spear through the announce table. It was far from perfect however, the finish with Reigns pushing over the table was kind of lame, and WWE really needs to cut back on the "spear through the barricade in front of the timekeeper" spot.

The biggest issue however, is that this was your typical Cena match with Reign's mug slapped over it. Reigns took an unbelievable amount of punishment but he never gave up and eventually won. Cena had a very similar match last year at Payback against Wyatt, the only real difference being Cena put Wyatt through a table and Reigns put a table on top of Big Show. WWE should learn that the fans don't really want another Cena-like character. Historically, when Hulk Hogan got stale, WWE originally tried to push the Hogan-like Lex Luger and the fans rejected him. It wasn't until they found a new type of star in Bret Hart did they find success. When Hart left WWE in 1997, instead of looking to replace him with another Hart, they went the opposite direction and found Steve Austin and The Rock. History indicates that pushing Reigns in the exact same way as Cena will not work out very well.

Dolph Ziggler vs Sheamus: **1/2

The match stipulation was silly, but it actually ended up working out really well. Ziggler winning was a surprise, and the crowd really got behind Sheamus having to kiss Ziggler's backside. (How extreme is Extreme Rules? They can't even say ass!). Sheamus sold the potential shame extremely well, and him attacking Ziggler and then making Ziggler kiss HIS ass was some quality heeling and sets up another match fans will care about. The match itself was kind of mediocre, with Sheamus controlling most of the match operating at a snail's pace and Ziggler occasionally trying roll-ups. Hopefully their next match will be a bit more exciting, but still a solid effort from both men.

The New Day vs Kidd and Cesaro: ****

Easily the best match on the card, The New Day have not changed their character in any serious way, but as heels that refuse to accept that they are disliked, they are now much more interesting group and they are getting some of the best heat on the roster. Cesaro and Kidd are still probably best served as heels, but for now they can work as the defacto babyfaces just because The New Day are so hot right now as heels. Everyone involved is a quality worker, and WWE smartly moved them onto the main show and gave them a fair amount of time to work.

Dean Ambrose vs Luke Harper: **1/2

Broke away from the standard street fight match that WWE has been spamming us with over the last year or so, because they shoved Ambrose and Harper into a car and they drove away. Ambrose is good at these street fights, but every big match he seems to be in is like this. He has so much talent and so much more to offer to WWE, especially with a face vacuum opening up, yet he seems handicapped to doing these matches.

Naomi vs Nikki Bella: *

For a long time, the only Divas in the whole division who had solid characters where The Bella Twins. However, WWE has once again inexplicably decided to make them pseudo-faces even though they are natural heels and turned Naomi into a heel even though she is a natural face. Naomi looked lost trying to be a bad girl, and she clearly didn't understand basic psychology (if you shake your ass, the mostly male audience is going to cheer). Nikki winning via interference compounded things even further, and now the whole Diva's division is off even worse than it was before, which is saying something.

Ryback vs Bo Dallas: DUD

Bo Dallas got in some pretty good jabs at the Chicago crowd, but Ryback coming out and squashing him put an end to that. WWE has been attempting forever to get Ryback over by having him squash opponents, but it still hasn't worked. "Feed Me More" is certainly over, but the crowd doesn't really care that much about Ryback and whether he wins or loses. The formula never changes with him, so they must be happy with the results he gets, even if he is in pretty much the exact same spot he was in when he first debuted the character.

The post-Wrestlemania lull has been such a part of WWE in the last several years that it is almost become an accepted fact by everyone that it is going to happen. Wrestlemania is seen as the end of the year for WWE, and a new chapter begins after the big show. However, with the exception of a few titles shifting around, things are the exact same as they were back in February. The product seems to be running in circles and while there is some capable workers in the company, they need really strong, consistent booking to make sure that WWE looks good more than on one day of the year in April.

You can follow Jesse Collings on Twitter @JesseCollings