10 Impulse Reactions Following WWE Extreme Rules 2017
Work-to-rule.
After Payback, the bar had been set unusually low for Monday Night Raw's next pay-per-view, but WWE didn't over-reach in promising anarchy for their traditionally chaotic Extreme Rules supercard.
An event normally guaranteeing WWE's best PG approximation of plunder, disarray and aggression, this year's card was more an effort in hamstringing performers with tricky stipulations to work around rather than offering them opportunities to embrace their inner rage.
Only Bayley's effort to regain her Women's Title against Alexa Bliss had a precondition befitting the show's title and lineage to ECW One Night Stand, with other contests based more around what stars couldn't do, rather than what they could.
Dean Ambrose wasn't allowed to get disqualified without losing his title. Neville and Austin Aries couldn't win by pinfall, but also would be able to win by submission on the arena floor too. The Hardy Boyz couldn't pin Sheamus and Cesaro to retain the tag team titles (as they had done repeatedly in recent months), but instead had to escape a cage they put themselves in when given the chance to pick a stipulation.
The challenge was laid down to the red brand's finest to break out of these shackles, but only some would emerge from the night physically and creatively unscathed.
10. Disqualify Him, Ref!
The Miz and Dean Ambrose opened up Extreme Rules with a choice 20-minute battle that circumnavigated the inward-looking stipulation that saw Ambrose faced with losing his Intercontinental Title should he get disqualified.
Despite being the antithesis of 'Extreme', the contest was a well-worked affair, with Miz trying everything to get the 'Lunatic Fringe' disqualified in an effort to take the title.
Miz played chicken with the referee throughout, avoiding having his face slammed into an exposed buckle when Ambrose nearly took advantage of the steel, and even insisting Maryse slap him in another failed attempt.
Ultimately successful by more conventional means, Miz took advantage of Ambrose's brief distraction with the referee nearly disqualifying him to floor the champion with the Skull Crushing Finale and snare his seventh Intercontinental Title.
It was just desserts for The Miz and Maryse act, having seen their stock plummet following a move to Raw's bloated roster. In the subversive way wrestling works in 2017, Ambrose may also be liberated in defeat.
Holding the title since January, stewardship over the secondary strap has effectively separated Ambrose from the upper echelon in the process. He may be able to reestablish himself as a new face amongst Monday's heavy hitters in the aftermath of this loss.