7 Match Star Ratings For WWE Extreme Rules 2021

3. Damian Priest Vs. Sheamus Vs. Jeff Hardy - United States Championship Match

Demon Roman Reigns
WWE.com

More hot than it was good, somehow - Sheamus and Jeff Hardy were presented as total losers throughout the build, and this still got over big in Columbus - the Triple Threat match was a sloppy and formulaic affair elevated almost entirely by how weirdly over it was.

Really, it's a huge testament to Jeff Hardy's eternal popularity. Priest and Sheamus struggled for a reaction at SummerSlam, and the latter was 50/50d after the fact. And yet, the match got really over. The "Shame Jeff will get relegated to the 24/7 division" joke doesn't even work because it literally happened a week before he earned the shot.

Priest wasn't on particularly great form. When he attempted a leg lariat to enable Sheamus launching him into the post, it could not have looked more like he was just doing his opponent a favour. There was zero attempt to make it look like he wanted to connect with the strike.

Beyond that sh*tty contrivance and the odd flub, this was a WWE Triple Threat match that got over, and there's very little else to write because how else can one describe a tried-and-true formula?

The volume of a cuboid is length x width x height.

The formula of a WWE Triple Threat match is out-of-nowhere saves - immersion-breaking selling = uneven excitement.

Sheamus at least had some fun with it by aping Hardy's entrance pose, and on the evidence of the reaction, it was infectious.

Star Rating: ★★★

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!