WWE Extreme Rules Kickoff
#ExtremeRules
Original Air Date: July 14, 2019
Event Date: July 14, 2019
aired live on the WWE Network
City: Philadelphia, PA
Venue: Wells Fargo Center
Panel: Jonathan Coachman, Charly Caruso, Beth Phoenix, Sam Roberts
Commentary: Tom Phillips (1), Corey Graves (1), Byron Saxton (1), Vic Joseph (2), Nigel McGuinness (2), Aiden English (2)
Ring Announcer: Greg Hamilton
Brand: Co-Branded
Panel
Jonathan Coachman introduces the panel, and the panel goes over some matches on tonights show.
Video
A look at the feud involving Roman Reigns, Shane McMahon, Drew McIntyre, and The Undertaker.
Panel
The panel talks about the tag match featuring Shane and McIntyre versus Reigns and Undertaker.
Backstage
Kevin Owens walks by an ambulance, and Kayla Braxton stops him. Kayla is surprised to see Owens, but Owens says he wouldn’t miss tonight’s show.
Video
Clips of Strowman and Lashley going through the LED board on the stage during their Falls Count Anywhere match on RAW two weeks ago.
Panel
The Panel talks about Braun Strowman versus Bobby Lashley.
Backstage
Baron Corbin likes the way Lacey Evans looks. Corbin says tonight is about payback or both of them. Lacey says Becky and Seth’s relationship will end in heartbreak tonight.
Match 1
Intercontinental Title Match
Shinsuke Nakamura vs Finn Balor (IC Champ)
(referee: Danilo Anfibio)
Result: Shinsuke Nakamura wins via pinfall after Kinshasa and becomes the new IC Champ
Time: 7:36
Match Thoughts
Good match. Balor started strong and sort of reversed his and Nakamura’s roles from their match on SmackDown. Balor took the fight to the floor and used a dive and the barricades to gain an advantage. Back in the ring though, Nakamura found a way to hit some well-timed strikes to mount a comeback. I would have preferred to see this match on the main show so it could be longer, but this was entertaining. I like the recent resurgence of Nakamura.
Video
A look at the feud between Kofi Kingston and Samoa Joe.
Panel
New Day joins the panel via video to answer some questions. New Day is confident that they will all be wearing gold by the end of the night.
Match 2
Cruiserweight Title Match
Tony Nese vs Drew Gulak (Cruiserweight Champ)
(referee: Drake Wuertz)
Result: Drew Gulak wins via pinfall after the Cyclone Crash
Time: 7:30
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This felt like a fight between two guys who really don’t like each other and really want to hold the title. Both men were very aggressive, and many strikes were exchanged. Late in the match there were a few very nice sequences of counter after counter, and both men looked great. Being that Gulak was in his hometown, I feel like this title match should have been on the main card as well. The crowd was solidly behind Gulak, and the match was very good.
Panel
The panel goes over tonight’s matches one last time.
Video
A look at the feud between the team of Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins versus Lacey Evans and Baron Corbin.
Panel
The panel discusses the mixed tag winner take all match.
Show Impressions
Even though both the matches deserved to be on the main show, this was an entertaining kickoff.
Match of the Night
Tony Nese vs Drew Gulak
The energy and aggression combined with the fast-paced action made this an easy choice for the better match on the kickoff show.
>> Read the Recap & Review for Extreme Rules. >>