Extreme Rules 2013 starts with a rematch from WrestleMania - Chris Jericho vs. Fandango. I was surprised how good Jericho and Fandango worked together at WrestleMania XXIX, but didn't expect much here. By this point, Fandango had an official "dance partner" (valet) in Summer Rae, who ends up getting the bulk of the attention from the commentators. Fandango's theme song had gotten over pretty big in the weeks after Mania, but by this point, the audience had mostly moved on. Again, Fandango and Jericho show off some good chemistry and, had the WWE found a way to make Fandango a more well-rounded character, its not hard to envision him being a successful midcard act. Unfortunately, they never really bothered to do anything with him after this until they teamed him with Tyler Breeze and let them do the Fashion Police stuff (which was also surprisingly great). I wouldn't consider this a great match or even as fun as their Mania match, but its still a solid opener that further pushes the idea that Johnny Curtis had more to offer than what the WWE ultimately did (and continues to do) with him. (2.5/5)
Dean Ambrose challenges Kofi Kingston for the United States Championship next. If you're Kofi Kingston, you had to see the writing on the wall after not even being featured at WrestleMania. The booking of this match is sorta interesting just because The Shield had, up till this point, still been booked as a package deal but were now wrestling an increasing amount of singles and tag matches. So, instead of being an unstoppable unit, we have Dean Ambrose coming across as quite beatable at times - which is both good and bad. On the one hand, it allows Ambrose and Kingston to put on a competitive match that makes Kingston look like a worthy champion, but, on the other hand, it keeps Ambrose from feeling like a legit top singles guy in a company that desperately needed legit top singles guys. While Ambrose would go on to have a lengthy run with the United States Championship (and ended a rather lengthy run that Kofi had had), it still wasn't a super credible or relevant championship and Ambrose doesn't come across as nearly as big of a deal as he would later become. Another good-not-great match. (2.5/5)
At the inaugural Extreme Rules show, every single match was a stipulation match but the WWE showed some restraint for this edition and the next match is the first "specialty" match of the night - Sheamus vs. Mark Henry in a Strap Match. I wrote about it in my WrestleMania XXIX review, but this was a weird time for "upper midcarders" as the WWE desperately needed top guys, but wouldn't go all the way with anyone. So, Mark Henry basically kills off any remaining mystique that Ryback had at the previous month's Mania show but then loses to Sheamus here in under 10 minutes so that Sheamus could...do nothing of real consequence for several months. To be fair, the match itself isn't that bad; Sheamus actually innovates a little with some of his attempts to touch all 4 corners. The crowd is into it too. Still, this never feels like a "great" match, just a good one, a clear example of how the "extreme rules" tag doesn't necessarily work when you're simultaneously offering a PG or PG-13 product. You would never confuse this match with what Vega and Austin did a decade-plus earlier or what a strap match meant in the 80s. Good for what it is, I guess, but nothing worth seeking out. (2.5/5)
The next match is a continuation of a somewhat confusing turn of events that Dolph Ziggler briefly win the World Heavyweight Championship (on the Raw after WrestleMania XXIX) only to essentially have to drop the title a few weeks later - and miss what was going to be a 3-way match at Extreme Rules - due to a concussion injury that was caused by Jack Swagger. So, instead, its Del Rio vs. Swagger here in a match to decide who the Number One Contender is. This is an "I Quit" Match between two guys with legit amateur credentials and a history against eachother but just no real spark. Del Rio was supposed to be the babyface, but never really caught on the way a top babyface should (I'd argue he never really caught on as a top heel either). Swagger was a midcard talent with a midcard gimmick thrust into a main event position on SmackDown at a time when Raw was being dominated by Cena, The Rock, Triple H, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, and the Undertaker. Their feud just felt paltry by comparison and this match doesn't make much of a case for it being an "overlooked gem" either. Like their Mania match, Del Rio and Swagger work hard and do a lot, but none of it grabbed my attention and I'm not even sure anything they could've done would - that's how little I cared about these characters. The most interesting part of this match is the finish, which sees Del Rio lose after the referee mistakenly believes his manager throws in the towel for him, only for a second referee to come down the aisle and reverse the decision (thus allowing Del Rio to lock in the armbreaker to make Swagger submit). I can understand why the company thought a finish like this would make Del Rio look even more heroic (as he withstands quite a bit of punishment from Swagger's ankle lock), but its so overwrought that I just wanted the match to end. An extra half-point deducted because of Mike Chioda asking if someone wanted to quit within the first minute of the match and not stopping from then on. (2/5)
The Shield (Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) challenge Team Hell No (Kane and Daniel Bryan) for the WWE Tag Team Championship in a "Tornado Tag" match next (this means there's no tags and everyone is legal at all times). This stipulation works against both teams as Kane and Daniel Bryan can't do a real face-in-peril stretch or build to a hot tag and The Shield can't get any heat by cutting the ring in half or doing things behind the ref's back. This match also gets well under 10 minutes, the match so short and the ending so abrupt that one has to wonder if the purpose of this match - and its layout - was to simply get the titles onto the Shield as quickly as possible so that they could begin Daniel Bryan's singles push. A really forgettable ending to an undeniably successful tag run for Kane and Bryan. The action in this match is good enough to make it the Match of the Night up to this point in the show. (3/5)
Randy Orton vs. Big Show in an "Extreme Rules" Match follows. Usually these type of matches end up with guys fighting all over the arena, destroying furniture as they go, but this was as tame a Last Man Standing match as I've ever seen (probably because they were explicitly told not to upstage Cena and Ryback's Last Man Standing match). There's some use of a kendo stick and Big Show goes through a ladder on a missed Vader Bomb attempt, but what makes this match work is Orton, in front of a hometown crowd, does a masterful job of being the David to Big Show's Goliath, selling for Show like a babyface should but also hitting his own offense with lots of fire. Orton has a tendency to step up his game in St. Louis and the crowd's pop for him is the biggest of the night. Big Show gets to kick out of the RKO, which was still a very protected finish, but ends up getting the W after a punt. I wouldn't quite call this an all-time great match, but it might actually belong on a shortlist of underrated Big Show or Randy Orton bouts, especially from this era (when neither guy was necessarily at their peak). (3.5/5)
The WWE Championship is on the line next in a Last Man Standing Match - John Cena defending against the newly-turned-heel Ryback. Much of Ryback's momentum had been lost once his undefeated streak ended and then was inexplicably booked to lose to Mark Henry at WrestleMania a month before this. Ryback and Cena don't have the best chemistry, though I'm not sure Cena is sandbagging as much as he's just not the world's best bumper and Ryback has always shined best when he's just been able to muscle through jobbers ala Scott Steiner. At the start of the match, Cena having an injured leg is sold on commentary but its not like Ryback targets the limb much. The first big spot occurs when Cena gets put through a table in the corner, which draws a great reaction from the crowd. Cena wasn't as polarizing a figure in 2013 he was in 2006, but unlike in his feuds with Punk or, later this summer, Daniel Bryan, Cena's opponent isn't all that popular with the crowd either. Cena and Ryback both get to hit their signature moves, including some powerbombs and spears and whatnot, but its Cena who seems to be reeling, taking 8-9 seconds to answer the ref's count. Things pick up a bit when they head out of the ring and Cena spears Ryback through the barricade. Its nothing new, but it looks impactful and the crowd likes it. They make their way to the stage for the closing stretch, which sees Ryback tackle Cena through the lighting wall. The match is called a draw at this point because neither guy can answer the 10 count, and the announcers treat it like Owen Hart's death. I think you can point to this ending as the end of any chance that Ryback had of being a top guy - heel or face - especially as Ryback is clearly the first man on his feet and should've been declared the winner and new champion (and probably would've got a massive pop for it, even as the heel in the match). Not a very creative LMS match with a crap finish to boot. I've actually read some glowing reviews of this as a strong "power sprint" that gets enough mileage out of just 4-5 big spots, but this felt like something I'd seen before done better. (2/5)
Main event time - Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H in a cage match. Like their WrestleMania match, I went into this not expecting much but, damn, Lesnar and Triple H delivered here. Shawn Michaels isn't around to help The Game, but Paul Heyman is much more actively involved and Lesnar puts on a terrific performance, selling knee damage from early in the contest up until the very end. Lesnar has his fans and his detractors and I'm definitely the former and this match is as solid an example as any of how captivating a performer he is. The match begins with Triple H jumping Lesnar before the bell, something different out of The Game, who usually has to have his big entrance and doesn't need to take advantage of their opponent. Its a small detail but it not only starts the match hot, but also helps define Triple H as something of an underdog going in, a guy that knows that, in a straight-up fight, he's up against a superior fighter. The story plays out that way too as Lesnar is hampered by damage caused when Triple H dodges a high knee and the Beast goes into the cage wall. From there, even as Triple H kicks out of an F5, the commentators (and Lesnar's selling) makes it clear that he's not 100% but still dangerous. In other situations, this might make Lesnar the sympathetic figure in the match, but because Triple H never actually dominates the match or gets cocky and arrogant and starts doing crotch chops and what nots - and because Lesnar continually cuts him off when he does seem like he might take over (as he does when Triple H initially grabs his trusty sledgehammer) - the face/heel dynamic works. Had this been their only match, I think I would rate it even higher, but because this comes after WrestleMania and how predictable that outcome was, this one is equally predictable the other way. Had they delivered this match at Mania, with this outcome, it would've been considered a HUGE moment for Lesnar - arguably the perfect stepping stone to what he'd accomplish the next year. Instead, Lesnar wins here with a finish that may have been Heyman-assisted but still seemed well-earned considering how much punishment he took to his knee. I wouldn't consider this an all-time classic like the commentators hype it up as, but it was no worse than good and maybe even worth checking out if you're a big Lesnar or, somehow, Triple H fan. (3.5/5)
With a Kwang Score of 2.69-out-of-5, Extreme Rules 2013 is a good-not-great show with at least two above average matches in the main event and the somewhat surprisingly strong Orton/Big Show match. Mileage will vary for Ryback/Cena as I can see some fans, especially those that haven't seen this type of match with these types of spots a hundred times before, enjoying it. The opener is in a similar boat as enjoyment does hinge a bit on your patience for Chris Jericho clearly trying to make a point about his ability to "carry" a less-experienced opponent through a complex back-and-forth match.
FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver
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