-- WWE Extreme Rules PPV Reax 4/29

Jacob of Corpus Christi, Tex. (8.0): Best Match: Sheamus-Bryan 2-out of-3 falls. I could repeat the same thing that everyone else has said about Bryan and Sheamus, those guys deserve it with the match they put on. Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena is the match I'll focus on. First, let's go back to April 1 when John Cena was seemingly beaten by his own confidence. No one complained about that one - it was "Cena got what he deserved." Now at Extreme Rules, it was a reversal of roles where Cena was face this time and made Lesnar look like a monster. Lesnar NEVER looked better even in the UFC than he did against Cena tonight. In the end, Brock took one too many risks and Cena caught him. From a product standpoint, both guys come out looking good. Cena got his balls back after a lackluster April, and Lesnar had ammunition to come back like a house of fire. From a business standpoint, it made Brock look great because the main concern surrounding his return was the very plausible argument against Brock that he only put two guys over (in one-off matches on his way out) and anyone that has read his book knows how unhappy he was about doing it. Now, it wasn't a clean finish, which lends to a re-match possibly at Mania 29 or sometime sooner, and it gives Brock's aggressive side fuel to grow following the match. Thumbs up in general to WWE on this outing.

Brian P. of Salem, N.H. (9.0): Best Match: Cena-Lesnar. Worst Match: Divas. Enough with all the hate for Super Cena and for Brock losing. While I was shocked with the finish, I think it worked just fine. The KO blow with the chain followed by the AA onto the stairs is a legit thing for Brock to lose to. Not to mention he had Cena pinned with no ref after dominating him throughout the entire match. Let's not forget he lost his first MMA match/fight, too, and that didn't hurt him any there.

Michael Kelly of Garland, Tex. (8.0): Best Match: Cena-Lesnar. Worst Match: No real worst match, but I hated seeing Dolph Ziggler lose to Brodus Clay. This was one of WWE's strongest and best efforts at a PPV, period. All three of the big matches delivered, the under-card was good enough, and the main event was something so different and unique to WWE that it makes a replay (for those who did not see it) almost necessary. I liked the way they told the story in the main event because it makes me think they are going to do something with Lesnar that sort of mirrors his initial UFC run. In the scenario in my head, Cena is Frank Mir. He's dominated and dominated until Lesnar "slips on a banana peel," or "goes to the well one too many times" and Mir, or Cena, finds a way to win. It doesn't make Lesnar look weak or anything, just a little out of his element. So, then, there's Triple H, who interestingly enough, will be on Raw Monday. Triple H is Randy Couture (and I know, Triple H is NO Randy Couture in THAT sense, but here it kind of fits). He's the champion that everyone remembers, who is now kind of a special attraction called into action when needed. The way I see it, Triple H tries to over-ride Lesnar's previous demands and is "taken out" briefly. This results in a Lesnar vs. Triple H (Randy Couture) match. This is where Lesnar becomes VERY dominant. In UFC, he won the Heavyweight Championship. Here, he takes out Triple H and proceeds to run the table on his way to the WWE Title and WrestleMania. It also, in my mind, helps set the table for Randy Orton since he has history with both Cena and Triple H. It becomes that question of, "Can ANYONE stop Lesnar?" Enter Randy Orton, who is just "crazy" enough not to worry about "getting hurt" and just credible enough to be believable against Lesnar in a big match environment. Then, I think you re-visit Cena (Mir) with a different result, before moving to what I think would be the most intriguing match-up: Punk-Lesnar. I know all of the arguments against it, but it spells MONEY to me... Back to the PPV: Daniel Bryan is a legit main-eventer for life, Sheamus got some mojo back, and I see them going back to this one more time... Punk-Jericho was really good and could have stood on its own as a main event. I also see them somehow going back to this one more time... The rest of the show was good. Orton-Kane is likely over, which is great. Big Show can now turn heel if they want and he can be what he should be. Cody with the IC Title again is okay, but I am more eager to see what he will do at the next level. Overall, I was very pleased to have seen this PPV.

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