Posted in: Doctor's Orders
Doctor's Orders: The Extreme Rules Report
By Dr. CMV1
May 2, 2011 - 9:42:11 PM

I recently found a bar to watch WWE PPVs, so me and a good friend checked out Extreme Rules. We were both looking forward to the two title matches and Orton vs. Punk. Did they deliver? Did anything else? Let's do an old school CMV1 Review...

Match 1: Randy Orton defeated CM Punk in a Last Man Standing Match at about the 20-minute mark (CMV1 rating - ***3/4) (CMV1 note – Very good match from these two that just fell short of the 4-star mark, in my opinion, because it was so obvious that Orton was going to win. These matches are much better if there’s some question as to the winner. The drama of the near fall is not there, so it has to rely on creativity and doubt of whom will emerge victorious. This was creative, but the doubt wasn’t there. Nevertheless, Orton and Punk worked their butts off and capped off their nice feud with a strong match. Orton heads to SD as their unquestionable top dog, while Punk sinks back to Raw with an uncertain future)

Match 2: Kofi Kingston defeated Sheamus in a Tables Match to become US Champion in about 9-minutes (CMV1 rating - **1/2) (CMV1 note – Nice work from these two and I’m thinking it would’ve been a good idea to advertise this in advance. Sheamus does a nice job of selling false finishes through a table. Just when you think he’s going to go through or make someone go through, he audibles at the last second and it really helps boost a match like this. I hope Sheamus gets to move back up the card…he’s very good)

Match 3: Michael Cole and Jack Swagger defeated Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler in a Country Whipping Match at roughly the 10-minute mark (CMV1 rating - *) (CMV1 note – It was what it was and there’s little else to write. The best thing about this feud is that it gets Jack Swagger some air-time and keeps him relevant. Cole’s act is tired because it has been overplayed. He’s a good heel, but to hear him speak so often throughout each and every show is just downright annoying at this point and I’m tired of it. It’s time for the WWE to call it quits on this feud, presumably after Over the Limit is over and King kicks his ass)

Match 4: Rey Mysterio defeated Cody Rhodes in a Falls Count Anywhere Match at 12:00 (CMV1 rating – (**3/4) (CMV1 note – I was honestly hoping that this would be better. It started off well enough with some nice brawling through the crowd and some interesting spots when they reached the refreshment area. Unfortunately, their work back in the ring was a little sloppy and it lacked the requisite big near fall to push it to the 3-star mark. It was still a good match, so don’t get me wrong. I was just hoping they’d tear the house down. Losing to Rey at ER matters little since Cody beat him at Mania, but they’ll need to follow-up with Rhodes to make sure he doesn’t slink back to being irrelevant)

Match 5: Layla defeated Michelle McCool in a No-DQ, Loser Leaves WWE Match in 6-minutes (CMV1 rating - *1/2) (CMV1 note – They worked hard and had a perfectly acceptable diva match to end Michelle’s career. I have to admit that I always found McCool to be underrated. She caught a lot of flack over the years, but much of it was undeserved. Her and Layla were the most entertaining thing in women’s wrestling since the Mickie-Trish feud. I don’t really care much for the diva division and haven’t since Trish retired)

Match 6: Christian defeated Alberto Del Rio in a Ladder Match to become World Champion in 21-minutes (CMV1 rating - ****1/4) (CMV1 note – This was an excellent match for the World title that really showcased that both Christian and Del Rio belong in the 2011 main-events. To me, this is the evolution of the ladder match. Yes, there were several really good spots, but they were teased many times prior to occurring. It was spots with an unusual touch of psychology for a match of this type. Recall that the first match of the night was so predictable in result that it took away from the match, but the opposite was the case for this match. It was fairly unpredictable as to who would win on my side of the table, so it added quite a bit to the drama. The emotion of Christian winning the title was one of those great moments in wrestling, with Edge’s tears putting a nice finishing touch on it. This was a legitimate MOTY candidate in my book)

Match 7: World Tag Team Champions Kane and Big Show defeated Wade Barrett and Ezekial Jackson (CMV1 rating - *1/2) (CMV1 note – I didn’t have a problem with this match at all, as Jackson in particular showed some fire and a lot of potential. With as smart as that guy is and with as powerful as he is, it wouldn’t shock me to see him become a major player in the main-event on Smackdown. It would seem as if a minor feud with Wade is on the horizon)

Match 8: John Cena defeated The Miz and John Morrison in a Triple Threat Steel Cage Match at around the 19-minute mark to win the WWE Championship (CMV1 rating - ****) (CMV1 note – This challenged the ladder match for MOTN honors, as this was the first cage match to feature a lot of spots off the cage in quite some time. Recent cage matches have lacked the thrilling stunts of the past, but this one brought them back to the forefront. It wasn’t surprising given that Morrison was involved and that he thrives in environments such as these. He was made to look like a big star. Miz was the one that took the brunt of his spots and it looked quite punishing if you ask me. I was very impressed with what Miz was willing to put his body through to make this match special even though he knew he wasn’t going to win. It showed him to be a team player. Cena winning makes sense in the grand scheme, but I think Miz will eventually get the title back heading into Mania next year)

Backstage Skits and Interviews (CMV1 rating - ***1/2) (CMV1 note – This was a big hit. Kharma debuting was a nice touch at the end of the women’s match. She is an intimidating presence and, now that McCool is gone, she should make for a very good change of pace as the new top heel of the division. The backstage segment with the Divas before and after the match coupled with the above made it a good night for the Divas. There were some other good segments, too, including some interviews with Miz and Cena and the continued impressive heel turn of R-Truth)

CMV1 PPV Rating System

0-1.5 stars = Demand a refund and don't take no for an answer. If it was this bad, they should pay you to watch the next two PPVs, at least. (Great American Bash 2005)

1.75-2.25 stars = A below average PPV that wasn't worth the money spent watching. (Survivor Series 2010)

2.5-2.75 stars = An average to above average event that was worth watching on that given night. (Royal Rumble 2011, Wrestlemania XXVII)

3.0-3.25 = A really good show that you'd buy on DVD and watch again (Elimination Chamber 2011, Unforgiven 2006)

3.5 = This is how PPV should be done (Summerslam 2002)

3.75-5.0 = You never thought a PPV could be this good...

Extreme Rules 2011’s Final Score = **3/4 (CMV1 note – I really enjoyed this PPV from top to bottom and the top three matches all very much delivered. If Cody vs. Rey would’ve been a little bit better, then it would’ve made this even better, but this is still going to end up a strong contender for PPV of the year. It is a rare thing these days that we see a PPV feature – almost – three matches that reached the four-star level, including a MOTY candidate. The quality of the top matches this year has been really strong as compared to last year. I honestly rated as many matches at 4-stars this year already than I did all of last year combined)