LIVE Extreme Rules thoughts - April 26, 2015

10:56 - Interesting booking at the end.  Was the RKO banned in general, or was Randy Orton banned from using it?  Ambiguous enough to warrant a rematch.  Good match and a fun finish.

10:50 - Loved the Pedigree spot there.  I actually thought we'd see a pin.

10:43 - I don't know why, but I find it awkward how the announcers keep calling them "Seth" and "Randy" instead of "Rollins" and "Orton."

10:39 - By the way I'm guessing that Rollins wins here, after some help from Kane.

10:21 - Just goes to show you that, in all due time, WWE fans will eventually move past you.  Here is the Chicago crowd cheering and chanting for Ryback, who CM Punk had torn apart on more than one occasion.

10:14 - Isn't Randy only convincing Kane to help Rollins when he says that the Authority will throw him out when he's no longer doing what is in their best interests?

10:10 - Hard hitting match and the fans, amazingly, actually were solidly in Reigns' corner.  The only thing is that the ending seemed off.  There were A LOT of brutal spots there....and you end with Reigns throwing a table on top of him?  I think the spear spot would have worked just as well and probably would have looked even more brutal.  Now, let's move on and go a couple years without these guys fighting each other.

9:55 - I do like the psychology here of Big Show destroying all of the weapons so they can't be used on him....but the way they're going about it is backwards.  Cole just said that Big Show is a giant and doesn't need a weapon.  Wouldn't that make him the hero here?  They should push this as Big Show being afraid and destroying the weapons out of self preservation.  Instead, it looks like Reigns needs the weapons to win, and Big Show wants to beat his opponents with his bare hands.

9:54 - Big Show can't even put a table back correctly.

9:50 - Chicago is being surprisingly inviting to Reigns.  I'm surprised.  Also, Reigns' top confuses me.  Is it supposed to be a vest?  A shirt?  A shield?  A chest protector?

9:48 - The only thing worse than seeing this match yet again, is that we're going to be hearing the referee count to almost-10 for the next 15 minutes.

9:42 - Brie's cheering is quite grating.

9:34 - Finally some new music for Naomi.  Not great, but better than the last one.  And I just can't buy the Bellas as faces, sorry.

9:29 - I liked the booking of the finish, with Cena reversing the Accolade and Rusev realizing that he got credit two posts as a result.  And then the final moments, where each hit separate posts before realizing that they both had the same one left.  Good stuff, although I do think it would be a mistake to break up Lana and Rusev.

9:12 - I like how one of the chain cuffs has the Russian flag, while the other has the American flag. Nice touch.  I'm guessing Cena wins here -- as he should.  By the way, Eden seems to be doing a lot more announcing than JoJo.  What's the breakdown of responsibilities here?

9:03 - Fun match and premise, with the right winner.  And once again, have Ambrose move on and onto somebody bigger and better.  And have him win THAT feud too.  There's no reason why this guy shouldn't be considered as a next possible WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

8:54 - Wow, pretty surprised by that result.  Don't get me wrong, I'm always happy to see Kofi get a push/opportunity....but it feels like Cesaro/Kidd were just finding their stride as a team.  As Vince would say, they were connecting with the audience.

8:46 - Some new gear for Tyson Kidd here.  I suspect that this "face turn" for the tag champs does not last.  They'll be back to heels and feuding with Lucha Dragons by next month.

8:43 - I suspect that Cesaro and Kidd retain here.

8:32 - Glad to see Ziggler win.  I'm guessing a post-match beat down will result in Ziggler doing the ass kissing anyway.

8:30 - Charles Robinson tweeting a message asking people to let him know where Ambrose and Harper are is pretty funny.

8:22 - New gear for Ziggler.  I'm guessing Sheamus wins this, although I'd like for Ziggler to win.

8:19 - Is this JoJo's first PPV?  Well, except for Survivor Series, I guess.  I'm still sad we never had an AJ/JoJo program of adorable petite girls.

8:15 - I do love the idea of this match continuing throughout the night (not necessarily all night, but throughout the course of the night) as the camera follows them at various places.  Back when my friends and I used to do the whole backyard wrestling thing (moons and moons ago), we came up with an idea for a match where this exact thing would happen.  In the opening match, one person would put another in their car and drive off.  Then in between matches, we'd check in and see where they're fighting.  The match ultimately ended as the main event (of course, there were only, like, six or seven of us).  It'd be cool if that happened tonight, too.

8:05 - Something is severely wrong with this world (and company!) if Dean Ambrose doesn't win this one.  Talk about a guy in need of a big victory.  As I've said before, Ambrose definitely wins more than he loses....but he never seems to win the feud.  And thus, he has the perception of being a loser.  They need to get past that.  Have Ambrose win here and move him onto somebody bigger and better.  And then have him win THAT too.

7:56 - I'll say it.  I love Cena has United States Champion.  His pride in holding that championship goes a long way in establishing it as a prestigious title.  And the Open Challenge has given us some fresh matches and frequent title defenses.  All around awesome stuff, as far as I'm concerned.

7:51 - Tough to say who "should" have won that match, since both guys could have used a victory.  Ultimately, though, you can't argue with going for the over babyface.  I wish they could think of doing something with Barrett, because he has a lot to offer.  But until they figure that out, why not give Neville a big win?

7:40 - Apparently capes are popular in the UK?

7:34 - Watching the Roman Reigns/Big Show recap brought up what I can't stand about most WWE faces -- particularly the ones at the top of the card.  Nobody ever gets upset about anything.  Yes, there's a thin line between whining and expressing displeasure, but I really can't stand this "I had the victory but Seth Rollins cashed in....which he had every right to do" followed by "I was about to become the #1 Contender but Big Show interfered.  Oh well, now I'm going to kick his ass."  Yeah, but what about becoming #1 Contender?  Doesn't he still care about that?  Show some displeasure.  Show that you're pissed.