Extreme Rules 2022: WWE Finally Remembers the Name on the Marquee

Extreme Rules 2022 opens by remembering what the event name is supposed to mean. The Brawling Brutes and Imperium begin fighting before anyone can settle into a conventional six-man rhythm, and the bar-themed props around ringside become useful without turning the match into comedy. The result feels violent rather than decorative.

Sheamus and Gunther remain the center of gravity. Every time they collide, the crowd reacts as though the Intercontinental Championship rivalry has simply continued without the belt being present. Butch, Ridge Holland, Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci are not filler; they keep the pace high enough that the larger feud never consumes the six-man.

The match is especially good at escalating its weapons. Shillelaghs, barrels, the ringside bar and the announce table all enter only after the wrestlers have established the physical tone. Nothing feels like someone waiting for the next prop to be handed to them.

The closing stretch is excellent. Vinci breaks up a Brogue Kick pin, Kaiser interrupts the Cloverleaf with a shillelagh, and the Brutes finally neutralize Gunther by sending him through the announce table. Sheamus then finishes Vinci with the Brogue Kick for a decisive faction victory.

Cagematch currently lists the matchguide rating at 8.74 from more than five hundred votes, while the reported Observer rating was 4.5 stars. Bleacher Report graded it A-minus and contemporary reviews repeatedly identify it as one of the two best matches on the card. WrestleFile lands at A / 9.1.

Liv Morgan and Ronda Rousey have the correct stipulation for their feud and never quite find the chemistry needed to make it work. Morgan brings a baseball bat and approaches the match like a champion trying to weaponize the environment against the more dangerous grappler. Rousey keeps dragging the action back toward control.

The weapons create individual moments without creating a strong match. Morgan uses the fire extinguisher and chair effectively, while Rousey answers with the bat and increasingly aggressive submissions. Several exchanges look hesitant rather than chaotic.

Morgan's senton through the table provides the biggest near fall. It is the one point where the champion appears capable of surviving the rematch through sheer willingness to take punishment. Rousey recovers quickly enough that the momentum never becomes a sustained title-defense story.

The finish is visually awkward and decisive. Rousey traps Morgan in the biceps crusher against the broken table and forces her unconscious to regain the championship. Morgan's smile after losing adds ambiguity without giving the match a satisfying final emotional beat.

Cagematch currently lists the match at 4.34 from more than three hundred seventy votes, and the reported Observer rating was two stars. The effort is evident, but the pairing remains clunky even with weapons available. WrestleFile lands at D+ / 5.2.

A strap match should solve the central problem of Karrion Kross repeatedly attacking Drew McIntyre and escaping before retaliation. Instead, Kross initially refuses to be attached to the strap, and the match spends several minutes fighting around the stipulation before it officially begins. The setup works against the very purpose of the gimmick.

Once both men are connected, the physicality improves. The strap cracks loudly enough to make every shot look unpleasant, and McIntyre finally has the opportunity to return the punishment that has built the feud. Kross targets the shoulder and keeps the pace methodical.

The match never develops a satisfying strategic layer beyond hitting harder with the leather. That is not fatal for ten minutes, but it limits the ceiling of a feud featuring two wrestlers presented as major threats. The audience waits for McIntyre's comeback rather than becoming absorbed in the stipulation.

Scarlett decides the result. She stands between McIntyre and the Claymore, sprays him in the face and leaves Kross the opening for the Kross Hammer. The heel win is logical for extending the rivalry and weak as a first major payoff.

Cagematch currently lists the matchguide rating at 5.03, while the reported Observer rating was 3.25 stars. Contemporary reviews frequently describe it as underwhelming rather than disastrous. WrestleFile lands at C- / 5.8.

Bianca Belair and Bayley make the first one-on-one women's ladder match in WWE history more about problem-solving than reckless escalation. That choice keeps the match coherent even when ladders occasionally refuse to cooperate. Belair's strength becomes the defining advantage.

Bayley works the champion toward the ladder rather than simply racing for the belt. The Rose Plant onto the steel and the use of Belair's braid create credible openings, while Belair repeatedly responds by turning awkward positions into power spots. The match feels competitive rather than exhibition-driven.

Damage CTRL's involvement gives Bayley the numerical advantage she has relied on since returning. Belair answers by hitting IYO SKY and Dakota Kai with a double K.O.D., one of the match's most memorable images. The interference is expected but does not decide the result.

Belair ultimately drives Bayley onto a broken ladder with another K.O.D. and climbs for the championship. The clean victory keeps the champion strong while preserving the faction feud for later. The finish is decisive enough for a ladder match.

Cagematch currently lists the matchguide rating at 7.07 from more than three hundred sixty votes, and the reported Observer rating was 3.5 stars. Bleacher Report graded it B-plus, while other reviews note occasional clunkiness with the ladders. WrestleFile lands at B / 7.8.

Edge and Finn Bálor enter the I Quit Match with a stipulation that actually matches the feud. Judgment Day has spent months dismantling Edge's creation and pulling Dominik Mysterio away from Rey, so forcing the founder to surrender carries more weight than a pinfall. The nearly thirty-minute runtime is ambitious but justified by the story.

The first half builds through increasingly personal violence. The fight reaches the crowd, a hockey stick enters the match and Bálor attacks Edge's ribs while the referee keeps asking the question neither wrestler intends to answer. The pacing is deliberate without feeling empty.

Judgment Day eventually turns the match from one-on-one revenge into a test of Edge's ability to protect the people around him. Damian Priest and Dominik interfere, Rey Mysterio tries to help and Beth Phoenix arrives to neutralize Rhea Ripley. The chaos is extensive but every participant belongs to the feud.

The finish is vicious and perfectly suited to an I Quit match. After three Coup de Grâces fail to make Edge surrender, Ripley threatens a Con-Chair-To on Phoenix and Edge finally quits to save his wife. Judgment Day then delivers the blow anyway, making the surrender emotionally meaningful and completely futile.

Cagematch currently lists the match around 7.68 from more than four hundred votes, and the reported Observer rating was 4.5 stars. WWE's own recap centers the family threat as the decisive mechanism, while contemporary reviews widely praised the dark ending. WrestleFile lands at A / 9.0.

Matt Riddle and Seth Rollins receive the first Fight Pit match on a main-roster WWE premium event and the obvious special referee in Daniel Cormier. Riddle's MMA background gives the cage a natural purpose, while Rollins approaches the unfamiliar environment like a wrestler trying to turn structure into opportunity. The matchup is more tactical than the card's earlier stipulations.

Cormier is used carefully. Both wrestlers test his patience, but the guest referee never becomes the actual opponent or steals the finish. His presence gives the match legitimacy rather than celebrity clutter.

The upper platform finally gives the Fight Pit its defining visual. Rollins hits a Pedigree above the cage, Riddle answers with an RKO and then launches himself with a Broton from the platform to the mat. The risk is substantial enough that the spot does not need several sequels.

Riddle traps Rollins in the triangle choke and refuses to release it through repeated attempts to slam him into the cage. Rollins taps, giving Riddle the clean grudge-match victory the feud requires. The ending arrives a little abruptly but preserves the logic of the environment.

Cagematch currently lists the Fight Pit at 7.03 from nearly four hundred votes, and the reported Observer rating was 3.75 stars. Several reviews call it good rather than the classic its main-event placement suggested. WrestleFile lands at B+ / 8.2.