10 Impulse Reactions Following WWE Extreme Rules 2017

6. King

Alexa Bliss Bayley
WWE.com

Hampered by the stipulation in their third (and presumably final) pay-per-view encounter, Neville and Austin Aries lost some of the mojo they'd had in choice Payback and WrestleMania encounters earlier this year.

The 'Submission' rule was an uneven challenge for the performers to work around, with Aries forced to release holds in rope breaks and unable to profit from Neville's Last Chancery tap out on the arena floor due to not being in the ring.

In actuality, that finish in particular would have suited a show such as this, but WWE have veered away from Extreme Rules really being about anything particularly...extreme.

Ultimately, the chase for the submission undermined the contest, despite the fabulous finish the pair managed to craft. Ducking out of the way of an insane dive from Aries on the floor, Neville rolled the challenger into the ring, hit the Red Arrow directly onto his injured back and immediately transitioned into the Rings of Saturn for the win.

It was a memorable end to a truly forgettable contest, and has to leave Aries frozen out of future title shots. Over nearly five months, 'The King' and the 'Greatest Man That Ever Lived' have carried the Cruiserweight Division on their backs. WWE owe it to both men to nurture them through their next respective feuds.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett