RAW Has Seen Tougher Rules...

Good Evening, Enthusiasts!

Enjoy Extreme Rules?  You know, to be honest it was one of the more solid PPVs they've had in a while, definitely blew Stomping Grounds out of the water.  Yes, Brock Lesnar cashed in but I don’t have a problem with it.  I would have preferred more of a shock to it but we all knew he was gonna drop it at some point.  Don’t act so surprised or upset.  I know there are capable wrestlers on the roster who could carry the title but remember these sorts of things are handled more like popularity contests in the WWE Universe.  Who really has that kind of swagger inside and outside the ring?  Whether anyone likes it or not, Lesnar makes this stuff more fun for the casual fan to watch.  People generally know who he is and he looks the part.  Who else has that?  Roman Reigns everyone is currently sick of though he’s staying relevant and Drew McIntyre is too new and Braun Strowman is the new Big Show.  Not that I have a problem with this it’s just right now, Lesnar is the only real “Big Guy” they got right now and so, it’s inevitable that the Universal Title will land on him from time to time for the remainder of his career.  Until someone else or others can establish themselves just the same, that’s kinda how it’s gonna be.  All they have to do is keep it interesting and at the moment, I’m listening.

In any case, Extreme Rules was more entertaining than I anticipated.  Thankfully, Aleister Black and Cesaro didn’t disappoint and I have to give a couple honorable mentions to Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley and to the opening tag team match with the Undertaker & Roman Reigns against Drew McIntyre & Shane McMahon.  In both cases, these aren’t exactly the matches to watch but all these gentlemen came together to throwdown and it worked.  I was expecting both to be kinda painful but they both delivered.  Kudos to them all.  Strowman and Lashley were experimental by fighting through a section of the arena and naturally, Strowman “busted” his way through to the finish.  And as for the opener, we all didn’t know what to expect after Undertaker’s last match and he did as well as he could for an old-timer.  I always commend Shane for getting out there and getting his hands dirty.  I know people bitch & moan because with him in it, it’s not really a relevant match but he’s entertaining us and putting himself on the line, I respect it.  As for McIntyre and Reigns, they held their own and let the elders take the lead.  Very wise decision given the set-up.  I know I called some “interference” on this one and was not completely chagrined when Elias came out, kinda knew that was coming but I suppose it served the counter purpose of getting heat as a heel ought to do so, I won’t completely knock it but it did make the whole thing feel predictable.  They cleaned it up at the end so, I couldn’t really complain.  Again, was more impressed that the whole thing didn’t completely suck.  Good job, gentlemen.

  

The final aspect I’ll note was the true shock of the night as Baron Corbin performed an End of Days on Becky Lynch.  Here’s where this gets interesting.  She is “The Man”, right?  So, does that only apply when she’s playing with women?  This is a delicate line to walk because on the one end, if you get too dick-ish about it, then it’s the same as having a Straight Parade in the face of Pride.  Yet, if you probe the issue of should the WWE have men and women fight, some progressive action could be achieved.  Besides that, we all know that Lynch had to agree to the End of Days move and she portrays herself as a tough lass so I see her saying, “Bring it…” but at the same time, a lot of these dudes have at least 100lbs on her, Corbin included.  I don’t mind inter-gender wrestling but some ground rules will have to be set and this will probably have to come from the ladies.  I’m all for playing with the boys but these sort of interactions will have to be handicapped to some degree to keep it fair and realistic.  We’ll see what they do.  You know it will more or less have to be addressed tonight.  Let’s see if they keep it provocative or if it just gets dumb.  Funny tweets get retweeted and as for Likes/Favorites, well the build will be towards Summer Slam but we are a month out.  See how they segue and go from there.  We can ease up a bit but the point is to maintain some pressure due to the occasion.  Summer Slam is a big, fucking deal.  We’ll be looking to see if they treat it that way believably.  If you’re so inspired, you may just find yourself not only Liked, but retweeted as well.

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)