The Extreme Landscape of WWE
You never can tell how good a Pay-Per-View is going to be until after the fact. For example, WrestleMania 24 was one of the worst WrestleMania’s I’ve had the privilege of watching, while smaller PPVS, like the first ECW One Night Stand in 2006, or 2001’s Unforgiven where Kurt Angle emerged victorious over Stone Cold Steve Austin, blew me out of the water.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to watch this months PPV, Extreme Rules (why they abandoned the One Night Stand title I’ll never know), as I only usually order the big events, like WrestleMania, Survivor Series and the occasional SummerSlam, and buy the others on DVD if I think it’s worth it. However, I was greatly disappointed that I didn’t order Extreme Rules, as it was an unlikely PPV that shook things up on the WWE scene, better than any draft or fake death could ever do.
Almost every title defended on the show changed hands that night, which I think was greatly needed to breathe some new life into some of the titles and their respective storylines.
Chris Jericho gained his record ninth Intercontinental Championship from Rey Mysterio at the event, but not before unmasking the Biggest Little Man. That’s not the first time someone has tried to take Mysterio’s mask and, much like The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak, it won’t be the last. Jericho, in my mind, should always hold a championship of some kind, as he works well with a belt and is the consummate heel. I doubt that the Mysterio-Jericho feud is over just yet, and it will be interesting to see who challenges for the IC title next. Just please, no more Triple Threat or Fatal Fourway matches for the title. I think they take credibility away from the championships and don’t really work outside of a stip or extreme rules setting.
As I’ve said in previous columns, I’m not a huge fan of ECW, but kudos are in order for whomever decided to put the ECW Championship on Tommy Dreamer. The ECW title seems more like an IC title, without the history, as it has been given to more of the up-and-coming or mid-card wrestlers in the past, such as Jack Swagger, John Morrison and Chavo Guerrero, rather than the big-time stars that hold the other two major titles in WWE.
I feel like a lot of original ECW fans would have lost faith in the WWE had Dreamer been defeated and exited the company (which was his initial plan), much like they would have if John Cena beat Rob Van Dam at the inaugural One Night Stand. As the only remaining original ECW star, Dreamer has been through thick and thin with both ECW and the WWE, and I think that his win was somewhat of a “thankyou” for all the hard yards he’d put in over the years. It’s easy for fans to take WWE and their treatment of ECW more seriously now, as a true champion, veteran and teacher is in the top spot. For how long, who knows…?
A major happening in the wrestling world last week was Batista’s bicep injury, causing him to lose his newly won WWE Championship and shelving him for about four months. It was only two months earlier that he returned from a hamstring injury he sustained four months prior. (I will be penning a column next week on wrestlers with a propensity for injuries, and Batista will feature prominently.) It was known that Batista was injured prior to his cage match with Randy Orton at Extreme Rules, so it baffles me as to why they would put the belt on him, only to take it away twenty-four hours later. We all know Orton regained the title this week on Raw, so wouldn’t it have made more sense to just keep it on him in the first place? Nevertheless, Batista’s injury really shook things up (but in a good way?) in regards to the Raw championship scene, and provided an opening for Triple H’s return. And once again, it seems that Randy Orton is left to pick up the slack for everyone else, being stuck in a short Cage Match where he mostly carried the injured Batista, and will now enter into yet another feud with Triple H. Yawn…
Whenever Edge or Jeff Hardy are in the ring, we’re in for an entertaining ride. But when they’re both in the ring together, we’re guaranteed a Match of the Year contender. Judging by reports, their Ladder Match was. And this would be the match that I most regret not ordering the pay-per-view for. The match was monumental for several reasons, one being that Edge and Hardy are two of the masters of the Ladder Match, and it’s a rare occasion to see the two of them in singles competition in said match. Secondly, Hardy winning the World Heavyweight Championship for the second time would solidify him as a true champion and not just a one-title-wonder. However, CM Punk shot that dream dead in the water, as he cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase to become a two-time World Heavyweight Champion via that contract.
Extreme Rules was by far CM Punk’s night, as he defeated not one, but two opponents, and eventually came out on top as World Heavyweight Champion. Conquering Umaga is no mean feat, and for Punk to be able to return to the ring later that night to take out new World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy really shows his tenacity and stamina as a performer. Yes, Hardy was already done and dusted from his intense Ladder Match with Edge, but Punk carried on the tradition of using the “ultimate opportunity” (to borrow a phrase from Edge) of the Money in the Bank briefcase to surprise the champion and take his title.
As I said, I haven’t actually watched the PPV, I’m just going by replays and reports, so if anyone has any thoughts or corrections, don’t hesitate to post them here.
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Wrestlemania 24 was awesome, 25 is rubbish.
yeah whats wrong with wm24. you had flair michaels, taker edge, and money in the bank. 25 was by far not incredible, but you had the best match in wrestlemania history at least for my money with taker and michaels.
I have to agree with them Harris, WM 24 was way better than WM 25, The only match i really watched was Money in the Bank were Christian should have won, and Michaels vs Taker (match of the year) I would say those 2 matches were worth the 50 dollar a paid to see but the other match that I injoyed wasn/t even on the WM card & that was The Colon’s vs Team “BE jealous” The Miz & Morrison. Great match
i agree wrestlemania 25 was an absoulute dissapointment apart from hbk taker match. extreme rules was great but being a jeff hardy fan i was severley dissapointed in cm punk cashing in money in the bank which to me felt like a slap in the face to jeff having him screwed out of his title twice at a ppv (yes punk cashed in money in the bank but the crowds reaction said it all with the mere slight silence when he evetually won it after 3 pin attempts) oh and btw im glad that we get the so called big ppv like the bash extreme rules etc for free on sky sports here in england as im so glad i didnt order wrestlemania on sky box office.
Sorry guys, I meant to say WrestleMania 23!!! 24 was quite good actually, and I have to say 25 was a bit of a let down too. 22 and 17 are probably my favourites. Edge and Foley’s Hardcore match at 22 was awesome, and so were Triple H and Cena’s entrances. The TLC match at 17 was gold.
the reason batista won the belt is to make him look good and eventually get orton over has a badass by breaking his arm.
If batista had lost, when he returned, it wouldnt make sense, now when he comes back, we’r gonna see him going after HIS WWE title, not just return for orton, it makes more sense that way!
i was dissapointed , well do you guys think that if you take jeff/edge match from ppv, was it that extreme ,
it was a travesty of extremeness , no blood , no high spots W.T.F, i bhought the ppv to look for some blood some hardcoreness but what , PG didn’t let it happen
VINCE why are you trying 2 destroy WWE , WHY??WHY??
Q. Why the “Extreme Rules” PPV changed the WWE landscape?
A. I DID NOT!
Tommy21: I can’t remember where I read it (I believe it was somewhere here on the site) that the prestige of the championships aren’t being honoured anymore, and they seem to change hands every other month. It’s not like Orton needed to be put over as a ruthless asshole, because we’ve been seeing that from him for the past two years at least. And there aren’t many other competitors for Batista to face when he comes back – it’s the same old, same old, John Cena, Triple H, Randy Orton… I think there was absolutely no reason to have the title change hands that night, only for Orton to regain it eight days later.
Kantankruz: Maybe Extreme Rules didn’t change the ladnscape of WWE like other monumental events (the Montreal Screwjob, the McMahon-Helmsley era, Austin’s heel turn), but it did change the immediate landscape, and shook up the championship scene a bit (bar the Orton, Triple H, Batista monotony).
The reason the name was changed was because it didn’t fit in with WWE’s “family friendly” concept… Tommy Dreamer winning the chamionship and the ladder match were the ONLY good things about the PPV. Everything else was crap. Edge vs. Hardy…. second place for match of the year. Taker vs. HBK wins that category by a long shot. And WM24 was great. WM25 was the dissapointment. At lease those are my opinions on the matter.
I could swear I saw CM Punk cash in his money in the bank contract on a Smackdown against Edge a little while back.
He came out to cash it in but Umaga cut him off.
I have a answer for why they let batista have the belt. They wanted his name on the WWE Championship. Most championships are remembered by the people that held them. With batista talking about retirement here soon. They basicly wanted to put his name on the title so they could have it on record that he held it. WWE did the same thing to The Rock when Brock Leasner beat him for the title. That was suppost to be a Wrestlemania match. But with The Rock being the biotch that he is. Put in his resignation sooner than expected so they had to give him the belt in a months time & then take it away.
Why do you all hate The Rock?!
Cause he followed his dream and did what made HIM happt? He has already given us loads of great memories and he dosent need to be tied to the company like HHH has, because then he just becomes a bore. And really and truly i feel its lucky that Rock got out when he did or WWE could have changed him for the worst *cough* Jericho. Im glad that The Rock isnt associated with this horrid sham they call sport entertainment.
Death to the PG Era.
i dont know wats wrong wit you guys, wm25 was awsome. i enjoyed all the matches that night, other than triple h and orton. maichaels/taker was crazy. the money in the bank was the best one so far, and seeing ricky steamboat wrestle was great.
yes, the rock went on to greater things. i agree Lazar, we should just look back and enjoy what he has given to the sport. It’s not his fault wwe sucks, it’s the ppl they got now not getting the job done in his place. the rock’s leaving opened the door for many to show they belong, but i have yet to see n e 1 come close to the rocks greatness.
Shane Walker: I haven’t really read much about Batista retiring soon, so I’m sure there will be more opportunities for him to challenge for the WWE Championship. And in my opinion he’s not that good of a wrestler anyways, so it’s not imperative that he go down in history as having held it.
As far as The Rock is concerned, I’m split. When I’m talking to non-wrestling fans and they mention the obvious three mainstream stars, The Rock, Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold, I call The Rock and Hogan sell-outs, because they went where the money is. In Hogan’s case, that seems to be true, however I do personally like The Rock and think he’s extremely talented, both in the ring and out. You can’t blame him for heading for Hollywood if his heart wasn’t in wrestling anymore. If he had’ve stayed, he might’ve ended up like some others who have lost their passion for the business, with drugs, suicide etc. While it may not have been the smartest move career-wise (after The Scorpion King, Walking Tall and Welcome to the Jungle – which weren’t major box-office hits or critically acclaimed films, what has he really done?), he has proved his acting chops, especially comedy-wise, by hosting the Nickelodian Kid’s Choice Awards and SNL for a third time.
SJCrows: You’re totally right about the dismal reaction CM Punk got when he cashed in Money in the Bank. I watched the replay on SmackDown and it was painful to watch. I felt quite sorry for Punk, but judging from the “boo”’s he got on SmackDown he’s well on the way to picking up momentum as a heel. I’m really looking forward to seeing him develop as a heel.
Shane Walker: I also think that Triple H’s WWE Championship win at No Mercy 2007 was absolutely pointless. While I’m the biggest Triple H supporter you can find, and I really hope he surpasses Ric Flair’s 16 championship wins, it seems like it was a cheap attempt at adding to Triple H’s championship tally. I’m still a fan of earning the title and keeping it credible rather than swapping in from wrestler to wrestler just to get them over or make a point.
Actually, the first “ECW One Night Stand” was in 2005 and was far superior to the one in 2006 which had too much of WWE in it.
Someone above said “Vince, why are you trying to kill WWE with PG?” Seriously, at the end of the day its a buisness and WWE are making money from Kids who buy bucket loads of merchandise.
I hope they don’t turn CM Punk heel just yet as it would be too easy. I would like them to feud him with a top heel and then turn him heel at Royal Rumble or somewhere. Make it suprising and allow the Kids to warm to him again, then it will be twice as impactful.
Harris, There have been a few Message’s on this page and others about interviewers talking to batista about retirment. I beleive Batista said he’s still got 1 good year left in him. No dout in my mind your right about Bastista not being that good of a wrestler. But the fact of the matter is some of the worst “so called” wrestlers are the most popular. Hogan, Cena, Bastista.