-- WWE Extreme Rules PPV Reax 4/29

Basil, PWTorch reader (8.5): Best Match: C.M. Punk-Jericho & Cena-Lesnar. Worst Match: None. I was live at the PPV and this was awesome! Miz in the pre-show felt weird. He has to do something to make himself fresh; maybe a face turn to get the crowd into him again? But, he had a good match with Santino and the Cobra is always a crowd favorite... Randy and Kane had a good match and kept the crowd alive by going into the crowd and actually came about ten feet away from me. The finish was good for the match and hopefully the feud... Daniel Bryan and Sheamus finally got the match the deserved! They took their time and put on a great wrestling match! I hope the loss doesn't bring Bryan down to mid-card status... C.M. Punk is obviously Chicago's favorite and the fans were glad to see him win. It was a brutal match and the classic Spanish Announce table spot was very good. But, when Jericho hit Punk with the top of the table, a piece went into the crowd. It was a very small piece and luckily didn't hurt anyone. The crowd was very anti-Cena when he came out, but when that match was over, the audience was applauding both Cena and Lesnar. The blood stoppage felt ridiculous in an Extreme Rules match, then Lesnar getting busted open was fitting. And, Cena didn't lose clean, so it didn't feel forced and all of us were happy for Cena. Great PPV, overall!

Richard H. of Wilmington, Ohio: Well that was different. Extreme Rules opened with a so-so Falls Anywhere match that I felt never caught on. Thankfully, Randy finally hit an RKO to end the match. Funkasaurus? In a regular match against Ziggy? At least the finish to the IC Tables match was unique. The match certainly wasn't. And, transitioning the Divas Title to Layla via arguably the best Diva on the roster was pretty low. Beth deserves better... But, things picked up with three quality bouts. Match of the night definitely goes to Sheamus-Bryan. Fight of the night I give to Punk-Jericho simply because they did not have to stop the fight twice for bleeding. The fire extinguisher bit could have been left on the cutting room floor, though, as neither man used it very well. As for the highly anticipated Cena-Lesnar confrontation, it went in fits and starts as they had to stop it twice due to Cena being busted open. Cena was also very over-matched in this fight and seemed be struggling from the start. Perhaps a mild concussion to go with the cut? Brock using the chain first "legitimized" Cena eventually using it to score the win. The curious post-match speech seemed to hint that Cena was going away for a while even if it looked like his arm was really injured. Then again, Beth sold her "injury" so well that only VKM knew it was a work. So, maybe Cena is doing the same (although he hasn't shown that he is that good of an actor in his movies). First half of Extreme Rules gets 2.0 (for Ryback and the tables ending), and the second half was a solid 8.0 for an overall score of 6.0.

Jean, machine operator: I give this PPV a 9.5 out of 10. If they would have brought Kharma back instead of Layla, I would have given it a 10 out of 10.

Ryan of Seattle, Wash., Restaurant Prep Cook: (9.0): Best Match: too hard to choose just one. Worst Match: Brodus-Ziggler. Extreme Rules made me feel like a kid again, falling in love with wrestling all over. This was one of the best PPVs in recent history. To me, THIS was WrestleMania, with each match seeming to end most feuds... Orton-Kane was well done; a good brawl that made both wrestlers look strong... Funkasaurus-Ziggler was, above all, totally frustrating. I'm sick of Ziggler getting the shaft like many seem to be sick of Super Cena getting a win. Cody getting back the IC belt was great - almost as great as Show's reaction as he stepped through the table. Classic... Sheamus-Bryan was fantastic, both wrestlers showcasing their abilities in a perfect way. Four-star-plus match. The same can be said for Punk and Jericho - chairs, fire extinguishers, and the elbow from the top rope onto the announce table. Great finish for Punk in his hometown... I thought Cena-Lesnar was stellar, a needed, raging 20-minute war. If people don't like Lesnar losing, they're missing a bigger picture. This will make him angry - hulk-smash angry. This sets up some interesting possibilities, including a Rock-Brock Mania match? (I beat Cena and Cena beat you type of scenario.) I like Cena and I'm not a teenage girl or a parent with kids - I'm an adult male that respects his work ethic and dedication. He is not Hogan with creative control. He's simply a guy that deserves a win. People wanted to see Lesnar destroy him, and they got their wish. A "win" doesn't change that. Cena got a victory, Lesnar got to look like a beast, and both men win. I hope Raw carries over from the PPV.

***

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "WWE PPV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on the PPV, click here or email us at pwtorch@gmail.com.

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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