13 WWE Extreme Rules 2019 Impulse Reactions

9. Aleister Black Vs. Cesaro

Aleister Black Cesaro
WWE

What the f*ck did Aleister Black sit in that room for following WrestleMania? And why?

Not to downvote a superb technical scrap between Black and his apparent letterbox-botherer Cesaro, but if the payoff to that weeks-long build wasn't already odd enough, the match completed the backwards repackaging of one of the few developmental call-ups that had actually gone pretty well before this.

The two put on another one of those dreaded clinics for all of ten minutes before the 'Swiss Superman' fell to a wicked Black Mass, but the structure bizarrely favoured the loser rather than the winner. "Favoured", here, is pretty generous too - it was neither showcase for a reintroduced Black, not overwhelming losing effort for plucky runner-up Cesaro. Black went over but nobody got over.

It was, much like everything related to the repackaging of the former NXT Champion - completely counterproductive in achieving its stated aims. Where next for Cesaro following this defeat? For that matter, where next for Aleister Black? Back into his cupboard? This entire repackage should get locked away in there for good.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he 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 on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say. With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling. 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 music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.