8 WWE The Horror Show At Extreme Rules Impulse Reactions
Alexa Bliss brings Sister Abigail to life on a pay-per-view that was otherwise the death of a genre.
Lots of talk these days about the "new normal".
The ongoing global b*stard hasn't gone away, even if panic over it has gradually subsided. And even that's only because nobody can cope with staying inside anymore. But Leaving the house comes with a little bit of anxiety. You can go and see loved ones but maybe don't hug them. Public transport's still its own chamber of horrors. LOLWCW, remember that sh*t?! We'd never get an electric chair now. Not in October anyway, because it's Halloween in July!
This is the new normal. This pro wrestling pay-per-view is pro wrestling's new normal, just as Backlash was last month when Edge and Randy Orton had their enhanced audio and the tag team division had its bonus ninjas. There are no rules and regulations anymore, unless you count "the only way to win is to extract your opponent's eye" as one.
Which, sh*t, it was actually. Thinking about The Horror Show At Extreme Rules ahead of time was like trying to herd cats. Which will probably be a counter-programming tactic on NXT after AEW ran that dog battle royal.
It may be time to stop worrying about Wednesdays for a while anyway. There are some big, big issues with Mondays, Fridays and Sundays...
8. Kevin Owens Vs. Murphy
Kevin Owens defeated Murphy in a pocket rocket of a Kickoff clash that the commentary team were at pains to tell us could have ramifications on the Eye Of An Eye match later in the evening.
On Raw, Owens has been the slightly miscast mate of Rey Mysterio thanks mostly to his own never-ending issues with Seth Rollins. With the main players out of the way, 'KO' appeared to relish the agency of being the featured performer rather than the sidekick.
Rocking Rollins' chief acolyte with a stunning Merosault before eventually polishing him off with a Stunner, Owens worked the typical back-and-forth formula as if he was stretching out a squash rather than being dragged into something more serious with the underrated Aussie.
By virtue of Owens' win, all the talk was that Murphy's threat had been neutralised for later on in the show. How this played out later on would ultimately determine if we were to give any more than the requisite bare minimum of a sh*t about the nine minutes of action we'd just watched. Owens implored Murphy to be his own man after the battle, proving once again to be the real agent of change after finally getting those NXT extras some masks.