WWE Extreme Rules 2015: Results and observations from the show

My expectations were not very high heading into this year's Extreme Rules, but for the second month in a row, the WWE exceeded them with a solid offering on pay-per-view.

Extreme Rules wasn't necessarily a great pay-per-view. There were some good matches and I believe the lively crowd at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. certainly helped make things seem better than what they really were, but it was a lot better than I was expecting it to be.

Mind you, my expectations, or lack thereof, were based on the lackluster build to the show. We have a lot to sift through, so without going further in depth, let's go through the full match results from the event.

- Kickoff match – Neville def. Bad News Barrett

- Kiss Me Arse match – Dolph Ziggler def. Sheamus

- WWE Tag Team Championship – The New Day def. Ceasaro & Tyson Kidd

- Chicago Street Fight – Dean Ambrose def. Luke Harper

- WWE United States Championship (Russian Chain match) – John Cena def. Rusev

- WWE Divas Championship – Nikki Bella def. Naomi

- Last Man Standing match – Roman Reigns def. Big Show

- WWE World Heavyweight Championship (Steel Cage match) – Seth Rollins def. Randy Orton

Now, let's dive into my full highlights and observations from the show:

Main event was terribly overbooked

The thought of the match between Randy Orton and Seth Rollins being overbooked is nothing new. In fact, I expected it.

I thought going into this match that there would be plenty of shenanigans and unfortunately, the WWE didn't let me down.

Firstly, when Orton announced that the match was going to take place inside the confines of a steel cage, it was a dead giveaway that there would be some form of interference. When Kane was named the gatekeeper, it was a dead giveaway as to who would do the interfering. Add that to the fact that the RKO was banned in a steel cage match on a show titled Extreme Rules and you had the recipe for an overbooked disaster.

To be fair, the match we all saw Sunday night wasn't a disaster per se. I've certainly seen worse. As a matter of fact, the match itself wasn't bad at all.

However, was it overbooked? Oh yes it was.

As expected, Kane got into the ring and choke slammed everyone. Kane looked so dominant, I began thinking that he should be WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Why not? He can beat everyone up anyway.

Then you have the finish, where Rollins used Orton's RKO against him to get the victory. Rollins' use begged the question of whether the RKO was banned for either man or just Orton?

I was under the impression that it was banned for Orton only since it is his move, but I don’t blame people for being confused. We shouldn’t have to think that much when it comes to a steel cage match on a show called Extreme Rules.

Everything should be simple and self-explanatory. Steel cage matches don't have rules other than the ways you can win the match. When it's a steel cage match on a show called Extreme Rules, you should expect a pretty straightforward affair.

But nope, the WWE had to overdo it. And it was fitting being as though the WWE has over-thought this program ever since Orton returned to television.

In my opinion, adding the unnecessary stipulations added confusion, not intrigue, and did nothing in the way of helping either guy look better, which is the whole purpose of this endeavor.

Roman Reigns-Big Show exceeds expectations

To be honest, if I had to measure my expectation level on a scale of 1-10 for this match, they would have clocked in at a resounding zero, so saying that this match exceeded my expectations isn't saying all that much.

But I have to give credit where credit is due. Roman Reigns and Big Show put on a very fun match. There were a lot of fun moments and the fans in Chicago were eating it all up.

I was specifically impressed with Reigns, who showed me a lot during this encounter. He showed me a lot during his WrestleMania match with Brock Lesnar as well, but that was showing me how much of a rag doll he could be. To his credit, he played a damn good rag doll.

At Extreme Rules, however, Reigns got to showcase more of his skill set and I think he came out looking better because of it. Finally, a match with Big Show actually did Reigns some favors.

Now, I don't ever want to see these two wrestle each other ever again.

John Cena-Rusev feud isn't over yet

I was under the impression that Russian chain match would give us a decisive end to a feud, but apparently I was wrong.

Unlike the Roman Reigns-Big Show match, I had very high expectations for John Cena and Rusev's encounter.

The match was good, but I actually thought it could have been better considering the level of talent involved. Maybe it was the fact that we got more fighting between Rusev and Lana, which I never like to see.

But after Cena defeated Rusev again, we found out that Lana asked The Authority for yet another match against Cena at Payback, except this time it will be an "I quit" match.

Now, let's talk a walk down memory lane for a second. This isn't Cena's first rodeo. He's been in this position many times before.

It almost seems like an annual ritual that Cena is embroiled in a feud where it comes down to a last man standing match or an "I quit" match, and every time Cena is faced with such a stipulation, he comes out on top in the end.

Remember, he's the guy that never gives up and him not answering a 10 count or actually muttering the words "I quit" would just break the hearts of every little kid on the planet, right? Well, that's the way the WWE treats it.

With all of that said, I'm expecting more the same with this upcoming match, which means Rusev would have suffered three consecutive losses to Cena. After a year of building up this unstoppable monster in Rusev, all it would take is three months and three matches to bring him right back down to earth. I'm not so sure I would agree with that.

Dean Ambrose finally wins on pay-per-view

I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the last time Dean Ambrose won on pay-per-view was when he was still a part of The Shield. Since he has become a singles competitor, I don't think he's won a pay-per-view match.

Well, that all changed Sunday when he defeated Luke Harper in a rather eventful Chicago Street Fight.

This match actually opened the show and was pretty standard fare considering the circumstances, but eventually the two lunatics fought their way backstage, hopped in a sports utility vehicle and drove out of the arena to seemingly fight in the actual streets of Chicago. Or at least that what was implied because we never got to see what took place during the 30 minutes or so they were out of the arena, which was a missed opportunity in my eyes.

I would have loved to have seen Ambrose and Harper fight it out in downtown Chicago somewhere and make their way back into the arena before the end of the night to end the match. Instead, we got the car speeding back in and the two just picking up right where they left off. For all we know, Ambrose and Harper went tank top shopping together.

Despite the WWE dropping the ball there, I was glad to see Ambrose finally get a win on a show not named Raw or Smackdown.

WWE misses opportunity with Naomi

I'm not sure the WWE really knows what it wants to do with its divas division.

First, it turns Naomi heel because she began using logic in her promos. Then, the WWE inexplicably turned the Bella Twins babyface.

Then during the match at Extreme Rules, the Brie Bella interfered to help her sister (a blatant heel tactic) retain her title. Meanwhile, Naomi loses for seemingly no reason at all.

I think Naomi has got something here with this heel turn and maybe there's more on the horizon for her, but I've got this funny feeling her time in the spotlight will be brief. Sort of like Alicia Fox when she went crazy some time last year. Remember that?

A New Day has arrived

A month ago this time, I would have put The New Day at the top of the list of things that I didn't like about the WWE and it wouldn't have had anything to do with the three men in the group. It had everything to do with the gimmick not getting over with the fans. It had no hope quite frankly.

After Extreme Rules, however, I love what the WWE is doing with The New Day. Sure, it's a meta-story, but it is working. It's working not only because the WWE has finally turned The New Day heel but because The New Day is running with the gimmick now. They seem much more comfortable in their new roles, especially Xavier Woods, who was fantastic with his Sunday night.

On top of that, their match with Tyson Kidd and Cesaro was an absolutely fantastic tag team match and is probably my match of the night. It was a clinic in tag team wrestling and I loved it.

The decision to have The New Day win was the right one and I'm interested in seeing what this trio will do moving forward as champions.

Dolph Ziggler wins, but still loses

Another very good match was the one between Dolph Ziggler and Sheamus.

Although I hated the stipulation of the loser kissing someone's arse, I enjoyed the work these two put in during the contest.

I was surprised that Ziggler was given the nod to win as I thought Sheamus wouldn't be losing for a while with his new heel persona, but Sheamus got some of his heat back after the match by low-blowing Ziggler and forcing him to kiss his arse.

Poor Ziggler. Even when he wins, he has to kiss someone's arse.

Awesome kickoff show match

Due to Daniel Bryan not being medically cleared to compete, the Intercontinental title match was removed from the show and was replaced with a match between Neville and Bad News Barrett.

To say that Neville shined during this match would be an understatement. He stepped to the plate in a rather tough situation and knocked the ball way out of the park.

Neville was essentially replacing the guy that everyone wants to see and Bryan and delivered in a very big spot. If he didn't win the right people over in the back after his performance Sunday night, I don't know what will.