WWE Extreme Rules 2016: 10 Things WWE Got Right
3. Introducing Thumbtacks To The Asylum Match
Weapons like a potted plant (Mitch 2.0), a mop and a bucket don't exactly scream gratuitous violence. The problem is, that's what major grudge matches of the past have relied on, but Dean Ambrose and Chris Jericho didn't have that kind of luxury. They had to stay inside strict guidelines, at least for most of their Asylum Match.
Eventually, that changed, and it was what was inside the bucket that provided the biggest pop of the bout. Pouring thousands of thumbtacks onto the mat, Ambrose looked suitably sadistic. Only then did the majority of the watching audience start to really become invested.
Jericho deserves credit for taking such a nasty bump onto the tacks, they left his arm mangled and his body bloody and shaking. There's nothing 'PG' about this kind of fare, but it was shrewd to introduce the pins when WWE did.
Without that big bump, the Asylum Match would have been deemed instantly forgettable. For something the company would like to become Dean's trademark battle, that's not a good thing.