Extreme Rules (2021)

Extreme Rules
Extreme Rules 2021 poster WWE.jpg
Promotional poster featuring Becky Lynch
PromotionWWE
Brand(s)Raw
SmackDown
DateSeptember 26, 2021
CityColumbus, Ohio
VenueNationwide Arena
Attendance13,455
WWE Network event chronology
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Extreme Rules chronology
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Extreme Rules was a professional wrestling pay-per-view and WWE Network event produced by WWE for their Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. It took place on September 26, 2021, at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. It was the 13th event under the Extreme Rules chronology and the first to be held in September. The event was originally scheduled to take place on July 18 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, but it was postponed and relocated due to issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Though the 2021 event saw a return to its original name, after the previous year's event was titled as The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, only the main event match on the card was held under a hardcore wrestling stipulation.

Seven matches were contested at the event, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event, Roman Reigns defeated "The Demon" Finn Bálor in an Extreme Rules match to retain the Universal Championship. In other prominent matches, The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) defeated The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) to retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch faced Bianca Belair, which ended in a no contest after Sasha Banks made her return and subsequently ambushed both competitors, and Damian Priest defeated Jeff Hardy and Sheamus in a triple threat match to retain the United States Championship.

Production

Background

Extreme Rules is an annual gimmick pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network event produced by WWE since 2009. The concept of the show is that the event features various matches that are contested under hardcore rules, with at least one of them being an Extreme Rules match.[1] The defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion, which WWE acquired in 2003, originally used the "extreme rules" term to describe the regulations for all of its matches; WWE adopted the term and has since used it in place of "hardcore match" or "hardcore rules." The previous year's event was titled The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, due to having horror-themed matches on its card; the event would mark a return to its original name.[2] The 2021 event was the 13th event under the Extreme Rules chronology and featured wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brands.[3]

The 2020 Extreme Rules event was originally to take place at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, but had to be relocated to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida and held behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The SAP Center put out an official statement that they would instead host the 2021 event. The venue also announced that there would be no refunds (unless a new date was not determined within 60 days), but tickets purchased would be honored for the following year's event.[4] However, in May 2021, it was reported that due to the ongoing pandemic, the 2021 event would be held on July 18 from the WWE ThunderDome bio-secure bubble at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida,[5] but after WWE announced that they would be resuming live touring in mid-July, that date was instead given to Money in the Bank.[6] On July 9, 2021, WWE then announced that Extreme Rules would be held on September 26 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio,[3] which were the initial reported date and venue for Clash of Champions.[7]

Storylines

The event comprised seven matches, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. The matches resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands,[8][9] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.[10]

At SummerSlam, Bianca Belair was originally set to defend the SmackDown Women's Championship against Sasha Banks. However, Banks was unable to appear for unknown reasons. Carmella was then announced as Banks' replacement. Before the match could begin, however, Becky Lynch, in her first appearance since the Raw after Money in the Bank in May 2020, made a surprise return, attacked Carmella, challenged Belair, and subsequently defeated her in 26 seconds to win the title.[11] On the following SmackDown, Belair challenged Lynch to a rematch, however, Lynch refused. Belair then won a fatal four-way match to become the number one contender.[12] The following week, Belair challenged Lynch to a match for that night, but Lynch again refused, stating she would defend the title when she was ready. Later backstage, WWE officials Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville told Lynch that she would defend the title against Belair at Extreme Rules.[13]

On the July 23 episode of SmackDown, after Roman Reigns declined John Cena’s challenge to a match for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam, Finn Bálor challenged Reigns for the title at the event, which Reigns accepted.[14] During the contract signing, however, an altercation occurred, resulting in Cena signing the contract and becoming Reigns' opponent at SummerSlam[15] where Reigns retained.[11] Bálor then got his opportunity at the title on the September 3 episode of SmackDown, but he was unsuccessful.[13] A rematch between the two for the Universal Championship was scheduled for Extreme Rules.[16] On the September 10 episode, it was revealed that Reigns would be facing Bálor's alter ego, "The Demon", and it was later stipulated to be an Extreme Rules match.[17]

At SummerSlam, Damian Priest defeated Sheamus to win the United States Championship.[11] On the August 30 episode of Raw, Priest retained the title against Sheamus and Drew McIntyre in a triple threat match.[18] On the following episode, Sheamus defeated McIntyre to earn a United States Championship match against Priest at Extreme Rules.[19] On the September 20 episode, Jeff Hardy defeated Sheamus to earn a spot in the title match at Extreme Rules, thus making it a triple threat match.[20]

Event

Other on-screen personnel
Role: Name:
English commentators Michael Cole (SmackDown)
Pat McAfee (SmackDown)
Jimmy Smith (Raw)
Corey Graves (Raw)
Byron Saxton (Raw)
Spanish commentators Carlos Cabrera
Marcelo Rodriguez
Ring announcers Greg Hamilton (SmackDown)
Mike Rome (Raw)
Referees Jason Ayers
Jessika Carr
Dan Engler
Darrick Moore
Chad Patton
Rod Zapata
Interviewers Sarah Schreiber
Pre-show panel Kayla Braxton
Kevin Patrick
John Bradshaw Layfield
Peter Rosenberg
Booker T
Sonya Deville

Pre-show

During the Extreme Rules Kickoff pre-show, while The New Day (WWE Champion Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods) were interviewed backstage after arriving at the arena, they were confronted by AJ Styles and Omos. Bobby Lashley then attacked Big E from behind and all six men brawled. Shortly thereafter, backstage personnel separated them. A six-man tag team match was announced for the main card.[21]

Also during the pre-show, Liv Morgan faced Carmella. Before the match, Carmella insulted Morgan by stating that Morgan was not beautiful. Morgan then attacked Carmella from behind and the match began. In the end, Morgan threw Carmella into the announce table. Back in the ring, Morgan performed a Springboard Flatliner on Carmella to win the match.[21]

Preliminary matches

The actual pay-per-view opened with The New Day (WWE Champion Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods) facing Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, and Omos in a six-man tag team match. During the match, Kingston tried to make the tag to Big E, but Lashley pulled Big E off the apron and attacked him. Woods tagged in and hit a Tornado DDT on Lashley for a nearfall. Lashley then hit a Running Powerslam on Woods for a nearfall. Big E tagged in and hit three Belly-to-Belly Suplexes and a Warrior Splash on Styles. Big E and Kingston hit a Double Stomp/Powerbomb combination on Styles, but Lashley broke up the pin. Lashley went for a Spear, but Kingston sent him outside the ring. Kingston went for a Suicide Dive on Lashley, but Omos caught Kingston in mid-air with a Chop. As Lashley went for the Spear on Big E, Styles tagged himself in and missed a Phenomenal Forearm on Big E while Lashley tagged himself in and Lashley accidentally hit a Spear on Styles. Big E hit the Big Ending on Lashley to win the match.[22]

Next, The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) defended the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship against The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford). The Usos attacked the injured ribs on Ford throughout the match. Towards the end, The Street Profits hit a Blockbuster on Jimmy, and Ford got a nearfall. The Usos threw Dawkins into the barricade and Ford hit a Running Flip Dive on both Jey and Jimmy. Back in the ring, Ford hit a Frog Splash on Jey for a nearfall. The Usos hit a Double Superkick on Dawkins and one to Ford. The Usos hit a Double Superfly Splash on Ford to retain the titles.[22]

After that, Charlotte Flair defended the Raw Women's Championship against Alexa Bliss. During the match, Flair attempted a Top Rope Moonsault, but Bliss moved, however, Flair landed on her feet and hit a Moonsault for a nearfall. Flair missed Natural Selection and Bliss hit a Sunset Flip Powerbomb for a nearfall. Bliss went for Twisted Bliss, but Flair moved. Flair went for the Figure-Eight, Bliss countered into an Inside Cradle for a nearfall. Bliss hit a DDT, but Flair got her foot on the bottom rope. Flair grabbed Lilly and threw it at Bliss, causing a distraction for Flair to hit the Queen's Boot and Natural Selection to retain the title. Afterwards, Flair attacked Bliss and ripped Lilly apart. A distraught Bliss sat in the ring and cried while holding Lily's remnants.[22]

In the fourth match, Damien Priest defended the United States Championship in a triple threat match against Jeff Hardy and Sheamus. As the match started, Sheamus hit a Brogue Kick on Hardy. During the match, Priest hit a Falcon Arrow on Hardy, but Sheamus broke up the pin. On the outside, Sheamus threw Priest into the ring post. Hardy hit a Double Whisper in the Wind and got a nearfall on Sheamus. Sheamus locked in the Cloverleaf on Hardy, but Priest broke it up. Sheamus hit the White Noise on Priest, but Hardy broke up the pin. Hardy hit the Twist of Fate on both Priest and Sheamus. In the end, Hardy hit the Swanton Bomb onto both Priest and Sheamus. Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick on Hardy, and Priest got a roll-up on Sheamus to retain the title.[22]

In the penultimate match, Becky Lynch defended the SmackDown Women's Championship against Bianca Belair. Belair went for the KOD, but Lynch got out of the ring. Lynch then went for the Manhandle Slam and the Dis-Arm-Her, but Belair countered both times. Towards the end on the outside, Lynch hit a Hurricanrana to Belair into the steel steps. Back in the ring, Lynch attempted an Armbar, but Belair countered into a Powerbomb for a nearfall. Lynch locked in the Dis-Arm-Her, but Belair countered and went for the KOD, but Sasha Banks returned and attacked Belair, causing a no contest with Lynch retaining the title. Afterwards, Banks laid out both Belair and Lynch with a Backstabber.[22]

Main event

In the main event, Roman Reigns defended the Universal Championship against "The Demon" Finn Bálor in an Extreme Rules match. During the match, Bálor attacked Reigns with a bundle of kendo sticks taped together. Bálor pulled out a table, but Reigns hit the Running Driveby Dropkick to put Bálor head first into the ring post. The two brawled into the crowd where Bálor hit a Crossbody, putting Reigns through a table. Back in the ring, Reigns put Bálor through a table with a Uranage for a nearfall. Reigns hit a Superman Punch on Bálor for a nearfall. Reigns hit a Spear on Bálor and kicked out while also hitting Reigns with a low blow. Bálor hit the Coupe de Grace on Reigns, but The Usos came out and pulled Bálor out of the ring. Bálor put Jey Uso through the announce table with a Powerbomb. Reigns hit a Spear on Bálor through the barricade. With everyone down, red lights flashed and a heartbeat sound was heard as The Demon rose to his feet and attacked Reigns with a steel chair and put him through a table. As Bálor went for the Coup de Grace, the top rope snapped and Bálor fell and hurt his knee. Reigns hit a Spear on Bálor to retain the title.[22]

Aftermath

Raw

The Raw post-Extreme Rules opened with Big E defending the WWE Championship against former champion Bobby Lashley, which ended via disqualification due to New Day's Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods interfering with Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin, hinting a reunion of The Hurt Business. A rematch took place later in the main event which was contested inside a steel cage to prevent interference. Big E defeated Lashley to retain the WWE Championship.[23]

United States Champion Damian Priest defended the title against Sheamus in a no disqualification match, where Priest retained once again.[23]

Raw Women's Champion Charlotte Flair issued an open challenge for the championship after claiming that she had beaten every women on the roster. The challenge was answered by Doudrop who lost the match due to interference from Eva Marie.[23]

Results

No. Results Stipulations Times[24][22]
1P Liv Morgan defeated Carmella by pinfall Singles match[25] 7:52
2 The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) defeated Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, and Omos by pinfall Six-man tag team match[26] 18:15
3 The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) (c) defeated The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) by pinfall Tag team match for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship[27] 13:45
4 Charlotte Flair (c) defeated Alexa Bliss by pinfall Singles match for the WWE Raw Women's Championship[28] 11:25
5 Damian Priest (c) defeated Jeff Hardy and Sheamus by pinfall Triple Threat match for the WWE United States Championship[29] 13:25
6 Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair ended in a no contest after outside interference Singles match for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship[30] 17:26
7 Roman Reigns (c) (with Paul Heyman) defeated "The Demon" Finn Bálor by pinfall Extreme Rules match for the WWE Universal Championship[31] 19:45
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
  • P – indicates the match took place on the pre-show

References

  1. ^ "Specialty WWE matches: Hardcore match". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
  2. ^ Toro, Carlos (June 25, 2020). "WWE Adds "The Horror Show" To Extreme Rules PPV Name". Fightful. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "WWE announces additional dates on September live touring schedule". WWE. July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  4. ^ "POSTPONED: WWE EXTREME RULES PPV". SAP Center. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  5. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (May 4, 2021). "Report: WWE Extreme Rules Scheduled For July". Fightful. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  6. ^ Currier, Joseph (May 21, 2021). "WWE RETURNING TO TOURING THIS JULY, FIRST THREE EVENTS ANNOUNCED". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  7. ^ Johnson, Mike (June 24, 2021). "WWE CLASH OF CHAMPIONS PPV DETAILS". PWInsider. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  8. ^ Grabianowski, Ed (13 January 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  9. ^ "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  10. ^ Steinberg, Brian (May 25, 2016). "WWE's 'Smackdown' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c Powell, Jason (August 21, 2021). "WWE SummerSlam results: Powell's review of Roman Reigns vs. John Cena for the WWE Universal Championship, Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks for the Smackdown Women's Championship, Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg for the WWE Championship, Edge vs. Seth Rollins, Nikki ASH vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley for the Raw Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  12. ^ Powell, Jason (August 27, 2021). "8/27 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Becky Lynch returns as the new Smackdown Women's Champion, Roman Reigns holds a championship celebration, King Nakamura and Rick Boogs vs. Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Powell, Jason (September 3, 2021). "9/3 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor for the WWE Universal Championship, Smackdown Tag Champions Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso vs. The Street Profits in a non-title match, Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  14. ^ Powell, Jason (July 23, 2021). "7/23 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of John Cena and Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair vs. Carmella for the Smackdown Women's Championship at Rolling Live, Toni Storm debuts". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  15. ^ Powell, Jason. "7/30 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of the Roman Reigns and Finn Balor contract signing for the WWE Universal Championship match at SummerSlam, John Cena's latest appearance, Rey Mysterio vs. Jimmy Uso". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  16. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (September 9, 2021). "WWE Universal Title Match Official For WWE Extreme Rules". Fightful. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  17. ^ Powell, Jason (September 10, 2021). "9/10 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Brock Lesnar's MSG appearance, Edge vs. Seth Rollins, Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso vs. The Street Profits for the Smackdown Tag Titles, Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair contract signing for Extreme Rules". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  18. ^ Powell, Jason (August 30, 2021). "8/30 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of Randy Orton and Riddle vs. Bobby Lashley and MVP for the Raw Tag Titles, Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus in a Triple Threat for the U.S. Championship, The Miz vs. John Morrison, Eva Marie vs. Doudrop". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  19. ^ Powell, Jason (September 6, 2021). "9/6 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax for the Raw Women's Championship, Tag Team Turmoil for a Raw Tag Title shot, Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus for a U.S. Title shot, Natalya and Tamina vs. Rhea Ripley and Nikki ASH in a non-title match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  20. ^ Powell, Jason (September 20, 2021). "9/20 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, and Jey Uso vs. Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods, Natalya and Tamina vs. Rhea Ripley and Nikki ASH for the WWE Women's Tag Titles, Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler, the brand's final push for Extreme Rules". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  21. ^ a b Powell, Jason (September 26, 2021). "WWE Extreme Rules Kickoff Show results: Liv Morgan vs. Carmella and More". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g Powell, Jason (September 26, 2021). "WWE Extreme Rules results: Powell's review of Roman Reigns vs. "The Demon" Finn Balor in an Extreme Rules match for the WWE Universal Championship, Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair for the Smackdown Women's Championship, The Usos vs. The Street Profits for the Smackdown Tag Titles". Pro Wreslting Dot Net. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  23. ^ a b c Powell, Jason. "9/27 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of Big E vs. Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship, Charlotte Flair's open challenge for the Raw Women's Championship, Damian Priest vs. Sheamus in a No DQ, No Count-Out match for the U.S. Title, Riddle vs. AJ Styles". Pro Wrestling Dot net. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  24. ^ Moore, John (September 26, 2021). "WWE Extreme Rules Kickoff Show results: Moore's review of the pre-show". Pro Wreslting Dot Net. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  25. ^ Melok, Bobby (September 26, 2021). "Liv Morgan def. Carmella (Kickoff Match)". WWE. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  26. ^ Melok, Bobby (September 26, 2021). "The New Day def. Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles & Omos". WWE. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  27. ^ Melok, Bobby (September 26, 2021). "SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos def. The Street Profits". WWE. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  28. ^ Melok, Bobby (September 26, 2021). "Raw Women's Champion Charlotte Flair def. Alexa Bliss". WWE. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  29. ^ Melok, Bobby (September 26, 2021). "United States Champion Damian Priest def. Sheamus & Jeff Hardy". WWE. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  30. ^ Melok, Bobby (September 26, 2021). "Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair ended in a No Contest after Sasha Banks attacked both Superstars". WWE. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  31. ^ Melok, Bobby (September 26, 2021). "Universal Champion Roman Reigns def. "The Demon" Finn Bálor (Extreme Rules Match)". WWE. Retrieved September 27, 2021.

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