WWE Extreme Rules 2016 DVD Overview By Dave Adamson

WWE Extreme Rules is the PPV where takes the rules and throws them away - insofar as we’ve got a couple of matches that could be considered “extreme rules”, a few matches that were “extreme” by PG standards and far too much in the way of extreme disappointment.

The card for Extreme Rules featured:

 

Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows vs The Usos (Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso) in a Tornado tag team match

Rusev (with Lana) vs Kalisto for the WWE United States Championship

The New Day vs The Vaudevillains tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship

The Miz vs Cesaro vs Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn in a Fatal 4-Way match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Dean Ambrose vs Chris Jericho in an Asylum match

Charlotte vs Natalya in a submission match for the WWE Women's Championship
Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles in an Extreme Rules match

The Highpoints:

The Fatal 4-Way was an absolute dream of a match, bringing the skills of Owens, Zayn and Cesaro - all still very indy influenced, but with the showmanship and professional brought of the WWE system together with the pure WWE training of The Miz (alongside Maryse, who has completely revitalised her partner).

The women’s match highlighted the strengths of the women’s division, even with the Ric Flair stipulation, as Charlotte and Natalya pretty much extinguished memories of the old Diva’s era and continued to bring about the Women’s era.

Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles showed how Styles continues to exist at the top of his game, able to reach for the headiest of heights and bring credibility to the much maligned Roman Reigns.  The finale, with Seth Rollins making his much anticipated return, was a standout moment in the whole event.

Anderson and Gallow and Rusev, in their matches, were superb.

The Low Points:

The Asylum match, which was a ponderous affair that could have been a true showstealer, especially with Ambrose and Jericho throwing their all into it.  Sadly, the paint-by-numbers approach to weaponry showed how far away WWE are from doing this type of thing credibly - it didn’t help that it seemed to be a struggle to reach the weapons and keep the momentum going.

The tag team match, for the WWE Tag Team Championship, didn’t feel particularly special, despite both teams being hugely popular.  In a PPV environment, especially one with this name, it should have been bigger, bolder and more eventful, but felt like a filler, disappointingly. 

Extreme Rules, overall, had the feeling of a missed opportunity - a chance to push the boundaries in terms of “extreme” or surprising, yet managed to feel just above ordinary.  With the WWE card now featuring some of the best “outside” talents, including many who have spent years on the independent circuit, this was an ideal opportunity for these people to showcase their talents - it didn’t need to be blood and gore, just more brutal, yet it fell short and felt, at times, stilted.

Extras:

The DVD features the WWE Extreme Rules kickoff show featuring Dolph Ziggler vs Baron Corbin - a match that could have easily featured on the show itself.  Corbin has huge potential as the “lone wolf” of WWE, and certainly stands out, whilst Ziggler is a member of a cadre of underrated performers that bolsters the quality of WWE’s roster without being the focus.

Sound and video quality is good and the commentary team are slick, even if they occasionally fall flat.

The question, for WWE DVD's, especially for their secondary PPV's like this one, will always be whether it’s worth it when the WWE Network is so readily available.  

You can buy the DVD HERE