A2Z Analysiz: WWE Extreme Rules 2010 (John Cena, Batista)

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First Mainer Arena – Baltimore, Maryland – April 25, 2010

MATCH #1: Street Fight – Triple H vs. Sheamus

This is an interesting choice for an opener. Triple H’s music hits but he’s nowhere to be found. They cut backstage and Sheamus has attacked Triple H in the hallway! Sheamus assaults the Game with a lead pipe, cracking him across the skull with it.

Back in the arena the Unified Tag Team Champions, Big Show and the Miz, are making their way out. Jerry Lawler says they are not scheduled to be here right now. Miz is also the current U.S. Champion. He says Show-Miz is the greatest tag team in WWE history, and tomorrow night on Raw WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart will have to admit it. Miz then issues an open challenge. Smackdown General Manager Teddy Long comes out and is annoyed. He says if his chosen team beats Show-Miz tonight they will earn a future shot at the Unified Tag Team Titles. Miz talks more trash, so Long adds a second team to the challenge, and then a third. If any of the teams can beat the champs, they’ll get a title shot tomorrow on Raw.

MATCH #1: Gauntlet Match –Big Show & the Miz vs. R-Truth & John Morrison, MVP & Mark Henry, and the Hart Dynasty

Gauntlets are EXTREME! The first team is John Morrison & R-Truth, who lost to the champs in about three minutes at WrestleMania XXVI. Morrison and Miz start the match and Morrison gets a quick rollup for two. Miz tries to fight back with strikes but Morrison avoids him and bars the arm. Truth tags in and they hit a double hiptoss and a combination legdrop/standing shooting star press for two. Miz blocks an Irish whip and tags out. Show throws Truth around and chops him hard across the chest. Miz tags back in and hits a running kick to the face for two. Truth fights back with a heel kick to the jaw and both men are down. Tags are made and Morrison dropkicks Show but he doesn’t go down. Morrison goes to the second rope and Show grabs him by the throat but Morrison turns it into a modified triangle choke. For some reason Morrison won’t let go of the hold and the referee disqualifies him at 3:14.

Next up is MVP and Mark Henry, who battled Show and Chris Jericho when they were champions last fall. MVP runs right down to the ring and covers Show but he only gets two. Miz tags in and runs right into a clothesline for a one-count. MVP hits a snap suplex for two. Henry tags in and drills Miz with a headbutt. He charges into the corner but Miz avoids him. MVP tags back in as they continue to keep Miz isolated from Show, who is still recovering on the floor. Show makes his way back to the apron as MVP is Ballin’ for two. The referee loses control as MVP throws Show to the floor and hits the Playmaker on Miz. Unfortunately for him though, Show reaches through the ropes and hits the knockout punch. Miz covers for the pin at 1:56.

The final team is Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith, the Hart Dynasty, accompanied by Natalya and Bret Hart himself. They charge the ring and kick Show off the apron, and then hit Miz with the Hart Attack to get the pin at 0:12 (total match time 5:22). Yes, three tag team matches got a total of five minutes. The crowd popped for the Hart Dynasty, so they’re over. Why not put the belts on them on pay-per-view? Why not book a four-way and give it twice as much time instead of three short, meaningless matches?
Rating: *¾

MATCH #2: If CM Punk Loses, He Gets His Head Shaved – Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk

Punk slugs away at Mysterio right away and kicks him down in the corner. He tries to throw Mysterio to the floor but the masked man somersaults to avoid the bump, and then hits Punk with a headscissors to send him ribs-first into the apron. Back in the ring Mysterio goes for the 619 but can’t connect. Punk catches him in a powerslam for a two-count. Once again he throws Mysterio to the floor but this time he lands right on his chest. Serena comes over and takes a cheap shot behind the referee’s back. Punk goes out to the floor and kicks away. Back in the ring Punk locks on a headscissors and Mysterio fights out of it. Mysterio drills Punk with a kick to the head but only gets two. Punk fights back and Luke Gallows interferes from the floor behind the referee’s back. The Second City Saint hits Welcome to Chicago Motherfucker for two and then locks on a bow-and-arrow. Mysterio rolls that into a quick cover for two, and then Punk cuts him off with a clothesline for his own two-count. Punk continues on offense, keeping Mysterio grounded. He uses a Gory Special but Mysterio counters to an armdrag. Punk tries a powerbomb by Mysterio falls back on him for two-count. Mysterio delivers a headscissors that sends Punk’s face into the middle turnbuckle. He goes up top but Punk knocks him down. Punk goes for Go 2 Sleep but Mysterio counters it and gets Punk in position for the 619. Serena interferes right in front of the referee so he sends both her and Gallows to the back! While Punk is distracted, Mysterio dropkicks him down on the floor and hits a beautiful Asai Moonsault. Back in the ring Mysterio drops the dime but Punk kicks out at two. Mysterio continues on offense, hitting the seated senton, but when he tries the springboard cross body Punk dropkicks him out of the air for two. Punk hits the springboard flying clothesline for two. He goes for the Go 2 Sleep but Mysterio counters to a rana for a very close near-fall. Punk gets up and drills Mysterio with a kick to the head but it only gets two. Mysterio comes back and hits the 619, but a masked man pops up from under the ring and throws a chair into the ring. While the referee is distracted by the chair, the masked man grabs Mysterio and dumps him on his face on the floor. Punk pulls Mysterio back in the ring and hits the Go 2 Sleep to get the pinfall and save his hair at 15:59. I think it’s impossible for these two to have a bad match and this one was no exception.
Rating: ***¾

MATCH #3: Strap Match – JTG vs. Shad

The larger and more powerful Shad takes the first advantage and touches two turnbuckles, but JTG comes back and whips him with the strap repeatedly. They play tug of war with each other as the crowd snores. JTG hits the diving leg lariat and touches three corners before Shad breaks it up with a slam. Shad then pulls JTG’s shoulder into the ring post and whips him with the strap. Back in the ring Shad wraps the strap and JTG’s own arm around his neck and starts touching the corners. Of course JTG is touching the corners at the same time. They tug of war again and JTG hits the Shout Out and touches the final corner to win at 4:42. That would have been better suited to TV.
Rating: *¼

MATCH #4: Extreme Rules Match for the World Heavyweight Championship – Jack Swagger vs. Randy Orton

Swagger has been the champion since 4.2.10 and this is his second defense. He’s 2-3 since winning the title, so he wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire as champion. I think that’s a shame because I really like Swagger. They take it down to the mat to start, which is advantage Swagger. Orton fights back and knocks Swagger off the second rope and gets a one-count. He hits the Orton Backbreaker for two. Swagger powders and grabs a chair from under the ring. Orton joins him out there and unhands him. The champion tries to keep his distance from Orton, and then he sucker punches him and whips him into the barricade. Swagger hits a release Northern Lights Suplex out on the floor. Back in the ring Swagger continues to dominate. Orton fights back with punches but Swagger grabs him in a belly-to-belly suplex for two. Every time Orton tries to make a comeback Swagger is able to cut him off with a suplex or a slam. Swagger spends a lot of time stalling, and when he goes for the Swagger Bomb Orton recovers and hits him in the gut with the title belt. Orton goes on a flurry, but when he goes for the Orton DDT, Swagger backdrops him to the floor. Unfortunately for Swagger, when he tries to use a trash can, Orton takes it from him and smashes it over his skull. Orton repeatedly slams Swagger’s head into the announce table. He whips the champion into the ring steps, and then he stomps on Swagger’s head right on the same very steps. Back in the ring Orton executes the Orton Stomp. Orton goes for the knee drop but misses and Swagger rolls to the floor. Once again Swagger tries to use a chair and Orton takes it away from him. This time Orton hits the Orton DDT and signals for the RKO and the crowd is losing it. Orton sets up the chair and goes for the RKO but Swagger blocks it and Orton’s spine cracks on the chair. Swagger then picks Orton up in the gutwrench powerbomb to get the pin at 14:01. They started off a little slow but it got hot by the end, and Swagger went over squeaky clean.
Rating: ***½

MATCH #5: Street Fight – Triple H vs. Sheamus

Sheamus comes out and says that if Triple H is not man enough to come out and face him, the referee should award the match to him via forfeit. Against doctor’s orders, HHH makes his way out for the match! How is a street fight any different than an Extreme Rules match?

HHH wisely attacks Sheamus right away and sends him to the floor. He throws Sheamus around ringside and into the barricades. They make it back to the ring and HHH hits a spinebuster. HHH goes for the Pedigree but his arm is too injured to complete the move. He rolls to the floor and Sheamus follows him out to deliver an Axe Bomber. Sheamus continues to pound on the Game both in and out of the ring. He hits a neckbreaker out on the floor. Back in the ring HHH avoids a charge and send Sheamus’ shoulder into the ring post. HHH follows up with a DDT and both men are down. Back on their feet Sheamus hits the Irish Curse backbreaker for two. Sheamus follows up with a running powerslam for another two-count. HHH hits a facebuster but Sheamus counters by hitting him in the face with a lead pipe but HHH kicks out. He goes for Pale Justice but HHH avoids it and backdrops Sheamus to the floor! HHH goes out as well but Sheamus cuts him off and grabs a kendo stick. Sheamus runs right into a drop toehold and eats the steps. HHH picks up the stick and cracks it across Sheamus’ back multiple times. He goes for the Pedigree on the entrance ramp but Sheamus backdrops him! Sheamus then lands the Brogue Kick. Back in the ring Sheamus hits the Brogue Kick again. HHH gets back to his feet so Sheamus hits him with two more Brogue Kicks to get the pin at 15:49. It was slow in spots, but I like Sheamus’ relentless attack and the finish was perfect.
Rating: ***¼

MATCH #6: Extreme Makeover Match for the Women’s Championship – Michelle McCool vs. Beth Phoenix

McCool has been the champion since 2.26.10 and this is her first defense. She’s accompanied by Layla and Vickie Guerrero. The champion takes the first advantage but Phoenix counters with a cradle for two. Phoenix goes up to the second rope and hits a clothesline for another two-count. McCool tries to powder but the Glamazon will have none of it. Layla tries to interfere with a broom but Phoenix runs her off. McCool recovers and sprays hairspray in Phoenix’s eyes. She grabs an ironing board and throws it at Phoenix for a near-fall. Now the champ locks on a body scissors. McCool lets it go and tries to hit Phoenix with an iron but the cord isn’t long enough so Phoenix grabs a schoolgirl rollup for two. Phoenix can’t follow up though and McCool is right back in control. McCool goes to the floor to sample the weapons, and ends up going back to the ironing board. Phoenix dropkicks it back into her. Layla and Vickie try to hold Phoenix for McCool to spray hairspray in her eyes again but it backfires. Phoenix goes on a rampage and throws McCool around. Back in the ring Phoenix hits McCool with the bucket for a two-count. Phoenix sets McCool up on the top rope but gets thrown backwards onto the ironing board. McCool covers but only gets two. McCool goes for the Faith Breaker but Phoenix counters into the Glam Slam to get the pin and win the title at 6:36. That was solid if a little goofy.
Rating: **¼

MATCH #7: Steel Cage Match – Edge vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho stalls and tries to bring a chair into the cage but Edge cuts him off and throws him into the cage. Edge stalks Jericho, who is already trying to escape. It’s all Edge in the early going. Edge traps Jericho between the ropes and the cage and goes for a Spear but misses. Jericho hits the springboard dropkick, sending Edge crashing into the cage again. He follows up with a back suplex for two. Jericho works over the neck, and then runs into a back body drop that sends him into the cage. Edge hits a flapjack and a face plant for two. Jericho fights back with a bulldog but misses the Lionsault. He lands on his feet though and tries to escape. Edge joins him but Jericho takes him down right into the Walls of Jericho! I love that when Edge reaches the ropes the referee doesn’t make Jericho break the hold! Way to go Lil’ Naitch! Edge climbs out of the hold and rolls Jericho into the cage. He hits the Edge-o-Matic for two. Jericho tries the Walls again but Edge avoids it and hits a boot to the face. Edge sets up for the Spear and Jericho tries to scurry out the door! Jericho can’t escape but he does grab a steel chair. He slams the door on Edge’s head. Jericho almost walks out but he decides to go back in the cage and goes for a chair shot but Edge cuts him off with the Spear for two! Both men struggle back to their feet and Jericho hits a Codebreaker from out of nowhere. Edge kicks out at two. Jericho tries to escape over the top but Edge cuts him off, only to get crotched on the top rope. Once again Jericho climbs over but Edge stops him once again and drags him back in. They exchange punches on top of the cage and then climb down to the top rope. Jericho is able to surprise Edge with a springboard Super Codebreaker! That’s a great spot. Jericho can’t cover right away though, so Edge is able to kick out at two. He tries attacking with the chair but Edge thwarts him and starts whipping him into the cage. Jericho tries to escape but Edge pulls him back in again. Now Edge gets sadistic, as Jericho crawls toward the door and Edge slams it on his ankle. Edge continues attacking the ankle, and then hits the Spear to get the pin at 19:59. Cage matches aren’t the same as they used to be (in fact this match was a lot different from their cage match back in 2002), but this one was well done and the cage was smartly used.
Rating: ***¾

MATCH #8: Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship – John Cena vs. Batista

Cena has been the champion since 3.28.10 and this is his first defense. The champ starts off hot with a shoulder tackle and Batista powders. Back in the ring Cena hits another shoulder tackle and Batista bails again. Batista grabs a chair and tries to use it but Cena avoids it and hits the bulldog. Cena hits the Fisherman’s Suplex. He charges at Batista in the corner but runs right into a back elbow. Batista follows up with a boot to the face. The Animal works Cena over, attacking his leg with a steel chair. Batista hits a suplex and then goes right back to the knee. They take it to the floor and Cena reverses a whip, sending Batista into the steel steps. Both men recover and make their way back to the ring. Batista immediately clips the knee again and locks on a Figure-Four Leglock. Cena rolls it over but Batista quickly slips out. Both men get to their feet and clothesline each other. Back on their feet Cena fires up, hitting his signature offense. Cena hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle and Batista rolls to the floor and grabs a wrench. When Cena comes after him Batista jams it into his midsection. Batista puts a chair in the ring, and when they get back in Cena grabs him and hits the Attitude Adjustment right on that chair, but Batista gets up at 9. Cena is on the top rope so Batista pushes the referee into the ropes to knock him down. Batista hits a Spear, and when Cena gets up Batista drills him with another one. Cena won’t stay down though, getting back to his feet at 8. Batista goes back out under the ring and this time brings in a table, which gets leaned against a corner. Cena is almost able to trap Batista in the STF but Batista kicks Cena back into the table! That’s a cool spot. Cena rolls to the floor and Batista rams him back-first into the steel post. Batista then whips Cena into the barricade and it explodes! The champ just will not stay down though, so Batista gets frustrated. The Animal sets up the steel steps and goes for the Batista Bomb, but Cena reverses it to the Attitude Adjustment through the announce table! Amazingly Batista makes it back to his feet! Matt Striker’s constant cheerleading for Batista is getting really annoying. Back in the ring Cena sets up a table and goes for another Attitude Adjustment but Batista counters it and hits a spinebuster through the table! Cena makes it back to his feet at 9. Batista hits a Batista Bomb but Cena gets up at 9! Now Batista brings the steel steps in the ring, but Cena is able to trap Batista in the STF! Cena chokes Batista out but he still won’t stay down. The champ gets desperate and pulls Batista groin-first into the steel post, and then grabs some duct tape and tapes Batista’s feet together! Batista is obviously not able to get to his feet, and Cena retains the title at 24:33! A lot of people complained about the finish, but I really think people just like to complain about whatever Cena does because I thought it was pretty clever. The match was a great power brawl and these two have amazing chemistry together.
Rating: ****

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