13 Match Star Ratings For WWE Extreme Rules 2019
5. Ricochet Vs. AJ Styles - United States Title Match
Why were the Club not ejected after brazenly attacking Ricochet in full view of the referee?
Given the customary tainted finish typical of the first match in a pay-per-view series, this was a massive, obnoxious plot hole. It was also not dramatically necessary nor effective. Every WWE babyface fights from underneath, and Ricochet has fought from underneath in every match he has wrestled on the main roster.
This feeling extended beyond the result; the sense of something being held back pervaded everything. AJ and Ricochet staunchly operated in that certain, imposed WWE "gear", resulting in a match mostly lacking in dynamism, urgency and excitement, a pacing that undermined the strengths of both performers. AJ diversified and subverted his arsenal in a manner that was interesting and fresh, and Ricochet is incapable of wrestling a bad match, but that pacing, Christ. We've seen this so often, particularly with AJ: it is as if WWE's production team is inherently incapable of recognising that the wider industry has changed. The methodical, traditional WWE pacing is totally antiquated at this point and not at all flattering to the modern super-athletes of the roster.
This is why the quiet crowd sat on their hands, waiting for something to happen. The expectation has been set, by these specific performers no less, of a new, accelerated breed of in-ring storytelling. Hell, NXT has set it. Methodical Ricochet is an oxymoron. Styles can excel within this gear - his 2018 series with Samoa Joe looked agonising, in the best way - but this wasn't as physical.
This was solid, and in patches, very good. But it cannot be classified, on the whole, as anything other than a disappointment.
Star Rating: ***1/4