WWE Extreme Rules 2018: Star Ratings For All 12 Matches

7. Jeff Hardy Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - United States Title Match

Minus Four Stars
WWE.com

Tempting as it was to award minus points to this angle, on account of a referee stupid even by WWE’s standards, it wasn’t really a match.

Nakamura struck Hardy with a low blow before the opening bell.

“And the referee didn’t see a thing!” said Corey Graves on commentary.

He did, is the thing. He turned around well before Hardy crumpled to the mat. He looked nonplussed. What could Nakamura possibly have done to hurt Hardy? Could it possibly be the same illegal tactic he does on every episode of SmackDown?

In what was the overarching theme of the night, Hardy was depicted as an idiot, too. As a babyface, he had to show that his balls weren’t entirely destroyed. But, through trademark sports entertainment contrivance, he also had to agree to the match knowing full well he was going to lose.

This is what WWE’s sports entertainment storytelling does: where Shinsuke Nakamura turns testicles into mush, Creative performs a similar procedure on the brain.

Star Rating: N/A

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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!