Top Rope Collapse Ends Roman Reigns Vs. Finn Balor At WWE Extreme Rules 2021
A deliberate rope "malfunction" led to The Demon's loss to the Universal Champion last night.
Last night's WWE Extreme Rules 2021 pay-per-view ended in a deliberate rope collapse, as Finn Balor literally fell to Roman Reigns in the main event.
The duo were contesting Reigns' Universal Championship in a heated walk-and-brawl that spilt out of the ring and into the crowd. One of Balor's control periods led to the inevitable Usos interference, though this was unravelled when Finn took the trio out, only to be Speared through the ringside barricade by Reigns.
All three were down. Suddenly, The Demon's heartbeat and entrance music pumped through the speakers as the arena lights turned red, willing Balor back to life. Given a second wind, the challenger battered Roman with a chair, put him through a table, then set him back inside the ring, before scaling the ropes to ready a Coup de Grâce.
That's when things went south.
WWE rigged the top rope to collapse, sending Balor tumbling to the mat. Selling his leg after eating dirt, Finn was made easy prey for Reigns who wiped him out with a Spear, scoring the victory.
This planned banana skin was likely done in an attempt at protecting Balor in defeat. Though it has largely been met with a dismissive response online, whether scripting a deliberate Shockmaster tumble achieved WWE's goals is in the eye of the beholder.