13 Match Star Ratings For WWE Extreme Rules 2019
3. Kofi Kingston Vs. Samoa Joe - WWE Heavyweight Title Match
A colossal disappointment perhaps explained by Kofi Kingston's back injury, this somehow contrived to be dull despite lasting just 09:45. In length, atmosphere, work, and drama, this didn't feel remotely like a WWE Heavyweight Championship match.
Much of the social media chatter centred on the disappointment that Samoa Joe once again lost a high-profile match. It's understandable - Joe is a great talker and a menacing presence - but equally, he is 40 years of age. His work is almost painfully slow in 2019, and aimless, too, which reflects poorly on his ability to work around it. In a great, harrowing-looking spot, which Kofi sold brilliantly, Joe almost sliced his finger off with the ring step. This "joint manipulation" trope works well within the context of a fast-paced technical match, but this was the sort of deliberate, methodical sprawl that is only halfway effective when the crowd is invested. They were not; the build was sudden and deeply contrived, and the placement of the blowoff demanded too much energy of a zapped crowd given little reason to come unglued. They didn't bite at all for Kofi's SOS. Like the match, it arrived from out of nowhere.
Disjointed, slow, and not very interesting.
Star Rating: **