So guess who became the first and only person to appear on two different episodes of "Table for 3," thanks to last Wednesday's new episode?
 
Molly Holly.
 
Yep, no joke: Molly is clearly the most important historical figure in all of WWE history!
 
OK, maybe not, but somehow, OO still takes great joy and pride in this. Sure, maybe WWE used her just because she was the only one willing to do it, or something. But OO chooses to believe that OO was right for all those years, and Molly was, secretly, the super-awesome glue that helped hold the Golden Era of Divas together, and so she's a great go-to whether it's trading stories with someone like Madusa or (as was unfortunately the case on this latest episode) sitting at a table with Boobsie McTitsalot. Or was she Titties McSuperbowl? I think OO used both, at various times, for Candice Michelle, and does not regret it...
 
I digress. Point is that it's cool with OO if WWE wants to up Molly's profile; given the new practice of inducting a woman into the Hall of Fame every year (which I don't necessarily agree with, but that's another story), it won't be long before Molly's a very valid choice for that honor. And even if it never comes to that, Molly was just really, really outstanding. She was Bayley before Bayley was cool: incredibly skilled in the ring, and character-wise, capable of reducing the filthiest bastard to the most (relatively) innocent of schoolboy crushes.

Here's what happened at the just-completed Extreme Rules 2016 pay-per-view:

• On the Preshow. The kickoff show serves up the standard ratio of 4 parts pointless fluff to 1 part value-added content. I would be very curious to know how many new Network subscriptions WWE generates between 7pm and 8pm (eastern) on an average PPV Sundays... if it's a 4 digit number or larger, I hereby promise to quit referring to the majority of the preshow as "pointless."
  
  But if it's not, then I double down on my notion that the world has moved on from the days of the last-second impulse buy, and it's time to rethink the entire concept of a preshow. Because as is, it increasingly amounts to the same thing as going to a movie, and having to sit through half an hour of "Coming Attractions" trailer for the movie you're already there to see.
  
  The first of two value-add segments saw the Dudleys come out and talk about how they are "above" Extreme, and that's why they opted not to appear on Extreme Rules (along the way, they get some cheap heat for burying ECW, too). Enter Big Cass, who easily manages to kick both Bubba and Devon's asses. The Dudleys retreat, allowing Cass to give us his favorite spelling lesson.
  
  Then, closing out the kickoff show, Baron Corbin beat Dolph Ziggler by taking advantage of the No DQ stipulation. After an abbreviated/time-compressed 7 minute match, Corbin grew frustrated at his inability to put Ziggler away, so he blatantly punched Dolph in the ballsac. The ref can do nothing about, except stand back, watch Corbin hit the End of Days, and then count to 3.
  
  
• Opening Theme/Pyro/Etc. And we're live in Newark, NJ, where Cole & The Gang assure us that not only is this a completely and totally sold out show, but also that it will be an awesome one, so it's a good thing we all decided to tune in. Joining them at ringside are the German Announce Table and the Spanish Announce Table, so there's ample furniture, on the off chance that an entire show full of no DQ matches might put them to use.
  
  
• Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson beat the Usos, in a Tornado Match. Tornado Rules means that all four men fight at the same time, until a pinfall or submission. Notably, the Usos are getting booed out of the building for their flashy, fast paced start. Whoa, I know associating with Reigns isn't gonna do you any favors, but Reigns isn't actually out there... and yet, the Usos are really only getting a 30/70 split (cheers/boos).
  
  The Usos' fast tandem offense plays out, but as soon as Gallows and Anderson dodge a suicide dive by Jimmy, they are able to isolate on Jey, and begin a full-fledged heel beatdown. Jey takes a beating, then Jimmy rejoins the fight for a brief hope spot. Then Jey powders out, and Jimmy takes a beating, until Jey rejoins the fight for a hope spot. Then Jimmy powders out, and lather, rinse, repeat
  
  That's the basic story for a solid 8 minutes or so. The Usos are able to control the offense when it's 2-on-2... but the majority of the match is contested 2-on-1, in favor of Gallows and Anderson.
  
  This all builds up to Gallows deciding to use the ring bell to finish off Jimmy. Jimmy avoids the intial swing, catching Gallows with a superkick out of nowhere... but then Jimmy goes up top, and Gallows ducks his dive. Jimmy lands hard on the ring bell.
  
  Anderson dives into the ring, and he and Gallows snap off their combo neckbreaker finisher.
  
  Gallows and Anderson win a 12 minute opener, and do so in a surprisingly dominant/one-sided fashion. The Usos did not get any extended offense past the opening 2 minutes or so. Just a clinic in "divide and conquer," which doesn't necessarily make for a great "Wanker Star Rating" type of match, but which tells a very clear and compelling story.
  
  Then, on top of that, both Usos needed help leaving ringside, while Gallows and Anderson celebrated.... the obvious subtext here is that the Usos may not be able to have Reigns back in tonight's main event, but G&A are still going strong.
  
  
• Rusev crushed Kalisto to win the US Title. Kalisto is strong out of the gate, and then all of 45 seconds later, Rusev swats him out of mid-air and begins matchka'ing. Very vocal minority are cheering/chanting for him, too, so maybe that wasn't the Reigns Effect in the opener... maybe New Jersey is just filled with difficult, contrary wankers.
  
  A few hope spots for Kalisto are focused on trying to take out Rusev's left leg/knee, but those get snuffed out quickly. Rusev begins targeting Kalisto's torso.... the story there is that Kalisto still has strained oblique and intercostal muscles after the Camel Clutch on Monday. So Rusev is going after the pre-existing injury.
  
  Kalisto does finally manage to make a dent in Rusev with a brief sleeperhold. With Rusev woozy, Kalisto strings together a bunch of high impact moves, including a Tornado DDT and the low head scissors spike. Rusev tries to dive out of the ring to regroup, but Kalisto follows and hits a rana that sends Rusev into the steel ring steps.
  
  Back in the ring, Kalisto sets up for Salida del Sol, but Rusev again exits the ring. And again, Kalisto follows, and hits a big moonsault from the top rope to the floor onto Rusev.
  
  But this time, when Kalisto takes it back into the ring, Rusev catches him on the top rope and shoves him off, with Kalisto landing hard on the apron. The ref is concerned, as Kalisto isn't moving; he calls for the ringside doctor.
  
  But Rusev does not care about Kalisto's long term well-being. He cares about winning the US Title. So although the ref wants him to stand back in a neutral corner, Rusev presses his luck, and cinches in the Camel Clutch, with EXTRA TORQUE~!
  
  Kalisto insta-taps, so even if the ref was thinking about applying a 5 count and DQ'ing Rusev for not heeding the instructions to break, there isn't enough time for that to play out. THe insta-tap means the ref just calls for the bell.
  
  Rusev is the new US Champ after our second straight decisive/one-sided heel win. About 10 minutes, and easily the right/necessary move; as much as I enjoy Kalisto, the US Title deserves better than to be lost in the shuffle, around the waist of a tag wrestler. Rusev oughta be a strong, high-profile champ, and immediately gives John Cena something to shoot for when he returns to TV in 8 days.
  
  It all adds up to another match that doesn't rack up star ratings or re-watchability points, but which made for solidly entertaining and engrossing TV.
  
  
• The New Day retain the Tag Title with a win over the Vaudevillains. Before the match, the New Day regale us with a little promo, in which Eggsavier Woods is utterly distraught over the destruction of his time machine (and he asks all the ladies to stuff his inbox with photos and/or videos to, you know, console yer boy), while Big E still believes it was just a refridgerator box and thinks Woods is losing it. Heh.
  
  Then E and Kofi do a brief spiel about two hoes brandished by Big E, because Gotch and English aren't the only tools in the Garden State. Ha?
  
  Unconventional configuration for the New Day: Woods and Big E compete, while Kofi retreats to the cheerleader role. Huh.
  
  Woods opts to start the match, and in defiance of standard procedure, he doesn't bother getting off to a fast start. Instead, he's instantly in peril.
  
  Gotch and English keep the ring cut in half for about 4 minutes, but Woods is able to get separation... in comes Big E for a Level One Decoy Hot Tag. Big E dominates during a quick flurry, until he sets up for his through-the-ropes spear, only to run into a knee lift by English.
  
  Big E is in trouble, but Woods is able to reach in for a blind tag. As the Vaudevillains continue to focus on Big E, Woods gets involved, and it breaks down into a Pier Four brawl.
  
  Actually, make that a Pier Fiver. The ref gets distracted by E successfully hitting his through-the-ropes spear on English, and completely misses it when Kofi jumps up on the apron to kick Gotch in the head.
  
  Woods follows up with a Shining Wizard on Gotch, which scores the pinfall. New Day retain after a straight forward formulaic (but crowd pleasing) 8 minute match. I'm kinda bummed for the Vaudevillains, who have showed an entire other gear (in terms of character and promo work) than they ever did in NXT (where they were one-dimensional comedy/over-the-top fluff)... I mean, I'm not sure we needed them to win the belts, but this really was a total Monday Night special, and not even a PPV-worthy affair. That sends the wrong message for the Vaudevillains' credibility. Oh well.
  
  
• Miz retains the InterContinental Title after a Fatal Fourway win over Cesaro, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens. Trivia tidbit, according to Cole: by competing tonight, Kevin Owens has wrestled on EVERY SINGLE PPV during his first calendar year on the main roster. The only other man to do that is the Undertaker, who did it back when there were only 4 PPVs per year. Wow.
  
  Bell rings, and Owens is too busy jawing at ringside fans to see Sami Zayn get a running start and blast him with a Helluva Kick.
  
  Then Miz starts pointing and laughing at Owens' misfortune, so he's too busy to notice Cesaro get a running start to take him out with a stiff uppercut. Heh, just like that, both heels are on the floor.
  
  Zayn and Cesaro share the Eye Contact of Mutual Respect, but then they decide it's time to get down to business. The gentlemanly game of one-upsmanship seems to break in favor of Zayn, but that's when Miz is able to hop back into the ring and rejoin the fight.
  
  Zayn doesn't blink an eye, sending both Cesaro and Miz out of the ring, and taking them out with a big flying senton. Zayn isolates on Miz, and takes the fight back into the ring.
  
  Zayn sets up for a superplex on Miz, at which point Cesaro gets in, and seems to have his mind set on turning it into a Triple Decker Electric Chair... but Kevin Owens -- after a full 5 minute nap -- picks that moment to get in the ring and break up the fun.
  
  Owens breaks up the high spot, makes sure Miz and Cesaro powder out, and then focuses all his attention on his nemesis, Zayn. This extended sequence turns into one of those mathematically impossible deals where it sounds like it's about 80% cheers for Zayn, and about 80% cheers for Owens. Which means that 40% of the fans have picked a side, and the other 60% are cheering twice.
  
  Can't say I blame them.
  
  The Zayn/Owens set piece ends with Zayn setting up to hit a superplex. He can't quite get the leverage on the big man.... so he begrudging cooperates when Miz gets in the ring and offers to help. It's gonna be a two-man superplex on Owens....
  
  Or is it?
  
  Cesaro materializes, and gets under Zayn and Miz.... Cesaro powerbombs those two, which in turn causes Owens to flip over and take the intended superplex. Cesaro with his own take on the triple decker, and goddammit, it's amazing.
  
  Cesaro is standing tall, and rattles off a flurry of moves (including a double decker German Suplex, just in case you doubt Cesaro's strength), until his three opponents are scattered in three different corners. You know what's next: a three-pronged version of the Uppercut Express.
  
  Cesaro then picks on Miz, and eventually sets up for the Giant Swing.... but he can't get it started, as Owens breaks it up, and gets a flurry of his own that only ends after a three-pronged Cannonball (one for each opponent).
  
  Owens opts to focus on Zayn, and calls for the Pop-Up, but now is Cesaro's turn to break it up. Cesaro clobbers Owens, who crumbles in a heap. Cesaro then hoists Zayn up, and catches him with the Elevation Uppercut on the way down.
  
  Before Cesaro can even think of following up, Miz catches him with a flash Skull Crushing Finale out of nowhere. Miz covers and hooks the leg, but Cesaro is able to kick out at the last second. Miz is ultra-frustrated, and just bitchslaps Cesaro, screaming "You don't kick out of that, nobody kicks out of that!"
  
  But the bitchslap is a mistake, as it just pisses Cesaro off something wicked. As Miz keeps running his fool mouth, Cesaro actually starts visibly shaking with rage... and then, he unleashes it on Miz. It's glorious, and it involves a lot of forearms... and then: the Swing. He gets 16 full rotations (or, if you're the dunderheaded live fans and don't understand the concept of one rotation equally 360 degrees, 20)!
  
  Crowd is on fire as Cesaro follows up with the Sharpshooter. Miz has had his ass handed to him, and he's gotta be on the brink of tapping, right! Well, yes! But first, Maryse hops up on the apron and causes a distraction. The ref falls for it, because any chance to chat up Maryse is a good one.
  
  And in the meantime, Miz is tapping out like mad. But the ref isn't paying attention. So Cesaro has to release the hold and get the ref to refocus. So the ref turns around just in time to see Owens sneak up behind Cesaro and hit him with a cheap schoolboy.
  
  Cesaro kicks out at 2. Owens calls for the Pop-Up again, but Cesaro reverse the whip, and Owens tumbles out of the ring. Cesaro goes to swing Miz again, but Miz grabs the ropes. Cesaro is pulling hard to get Miz to release, and the result is that Miz's torso is about 12 inches off the ground, supported by the ropes on one end, and Cesaro on the other.
  
  This is when Kevin Owens suddenly climbs to the top rope and hits a wicked Frog Splash across Miz's elevated body. Awesome.
  
  But Owens doesn't get even a moment to celebrate, because as soon as he regains his feet, Cesaro hits him with the Neutralizer. Zayn re-appears and breaks up the pinfall.
  
  Zayn waits for Cesaro to get back to his feet, and then the two have a little staredown before they start throwing hands. They go back and forth, jockeying for position, and just when it looks like we may see another Neutralizer, Zayn counters it into an amazing flip powerbomb.
  
  Cesaro just barely kicks out in the knick of time. Zayn is frustrated, but steps back, looking for a Helluva Kick. Instead, he runs into an uppercut. Cesaro charges in, but Zayn digs down, and instead of the Forearm Express in the corner, we get Zayn suplexing Cesaro into the turnbuckle. Ouch.
  
  Zayn steps back, and again, the Helluva Kick seems to be his plan... but when Zayn charges, Kevin Owens rematerializes, and cuts him off with a stiff ass superkick. Cesaro tries to catch Owens off guard as Owens is focused on Zayn, but Owens has eyes in the back of his head... as soon as Cesaro charges, Owens hoists him up and nails the Pop-Up Powerbomb!
  
  But we've lost track of Miz, who has been recovering at ringside, and who breaks up this latest fall. Owens chases Miz out to ringside, where Maryse steps in and protects Miz. Owens, ever the gentleman, backs off, but in so doing, he allows Miz to sneak into position. Owens eats the match's second SCF out on the floor.
  
  Miz then sees an opening, and dives into the ring to cover Cesaro (who just took the pop-up powerbomb)... but Cesaro kicks out at 2. For the first time in 20 minutes, all 4 men are down and having a hard time getting to their feet. Ergo, for the first time in the match, the fans actually have an opening to do something other than just react to all the action. Their choice: "THIS IS AWESOME!" It is, indeed.
  
  Finally, Miz gets to his feet, and stalks, waiting for Cesaro to stand up in the corner. Miz wants to hit his hooking sit-down clothesline... but instead, Cesaro back flips him out of the ring.
  
  Roughly 1.7 seconds later, before Cesaro has any idea what's happening, Zayn follows in on the same flightpath as Miz, but this time, he nails the Helluva Kick to Cesaro.
  
  Zayn with the cover on Cesaro, who has now taken TWO consecutive finishers, but guess what? Owens yanks Zayn out of the ring to break it up. Zayn goes ballistic and starts brawling with Owens. The two end up going up the ramp, with Zayn losing track of what's happening in the ring.
  
  It's a shame, too, because what's happening in the ring is that Miz has hopped in and covered Cesaro (who has just taken two consecutive finishers). There is no kickout this time. Miz retains.
  
  Just an incredible 20 minute match, likely jumping to the top of my Match of the Year shortlist (though, as always, I'll have to rewatch it without the "heat of the moment" factor coming into play, before I'm sure). I don't know how it could have been any better, and so I see no point rambling on about it. If something is basically perfect, any attempt at analysis or punditry is superfluous at best.
  
  Except for this: to anyone out there who is thinking "It was good, but Miz winning like that ruined the whole thing," I assure you, you're doing it wrong.
   
  Whether you're a Network Subscriber or not, I whole heartedly suggest you use Any Means Necessary to find this match and watch it. And rewatch it.
  
  
• Dean Ambrose beats Chris Jericho in a first-ever Asylum Match. To reiterate, this differs from a standard cage match in two ways: (1) there are weapons hanging above the cage, and (2) win is via pinfall or submission only; escape accomplishes nothing.
  
  In deference to the ultra-violence that is about to be perpetrated, Jericho is eschewing the wrestling trunks, and is wearing jeans. Carpe denim, baby; I'm sure HBK is proud.
  
  Of course, Jericho being the chickenshit heel that he is, as soon as Ambrose hits one offensive move, Jericho goes begging to have the door unlocked so he can leave. COWARD~! Ambrose reacts by giving Jericho's face the ol' cheesegrater.
   
  Then some more back-and-forth punchy kicky, until Ambrose decides it's time to climb up and get a weapon. Jericho briefly blocks this, by joining Jericho on the top rope... and Jericho shoves him to the mat, and secures the mop as his first foreign object. It's more of a "wacky" weapon than an effective one, though, so Jericho is able to fight him off.
  
  In fact, Jericho even badmouths Ambrose's choice, mocking Ambrose for picking the mop, and then gesturing (Broadly) that he's gonna grab a REAL weapon... Jericho wants the barbed wire 2"x4"!!!
  
  After a grapple, Jericho is able to get separation and climbs up to get the 2X4.... but Ambrose is able to recover in the knick of time, and ascends the other side of the cage to grab the pair of nunchucks.
  
  The two men get back to the center of the ring, where Ambrose puts on a display of nunchuckery that strikes fear in Jericho. Even though you can't win via escape, you can ESCAPE via escape, and so Jericho climbs out over the top rope.... but before he can progress down the side of the cage, Ambrose catches him, and drags him back onto the lip of the cage.
  
  They jockey for position, and Jericho wins it. Ambrose tumbles to the mat, and Jericho reaches over to grab the kendo stick before descending to the middle of the ring.
  
  A series of kendo shots for Ambrose. Then, Jericho uses the nunchucks, too. Unsatisfied, Jericho climbs up and gets the thick leather strap from the top of the cage. He whips the shit out of Jericho with it, until he gets greedy. Jericho heads to the top rope, and Ambrose is able to catch him, yanking the strap to flip Jericho off the top and to the mat.
  
  Now, it's Ambrose's turn to play with the toys. After taking a whipping, Jericho once again decides he'll just leave the cage and forfeit the match. But once again, Ambrose catches him before he can escape. The two jockey for position on the top rope, until Ambrose knocks Jericho's leg out, causing Jericho to crotch himself.
  
  With Jericho writing in the middle of the ring, Ambrose goes and fetches the fire extinguisher... but before he can use it, Jericho drops him, and goes up to fetch the straightjacket. With that, all weapons have been brought into the match, except one: Mitch v2.0 is still hanging above the cage.
  
  Jericho descends, and Ambrose is waiting with the fire extinguisher... but Jericho snuffs that out by throwing the jacket over Ambrose's head and shoulders. With Ambrose blinded and disoriented, Jericho also hits him with the Codebreaker.
  
  Because he's a jerk, Jericho declines to go for a cover, and instead, starts trying to strap Ambrose into the straightjacket. Ambrose, as you might expect, is having none of this, and fights it off, and starts a big comeback.
  
  This segment of the match is the closest to a standard match, with the two guys trading actual wrestling holds for near falls. But when rebound clotheslines and running bulldogs don't finish things off, Ambrose takes it up a notch and hits his flying standing elbow FROM THE TOP OF THE CAGE~! Holy shit.
  
  But Jericho kicks out at 2.
  
  And it looks like I misspoke. There are still TWO things hanging above the ring: the potted plant, and the bucket that was originally paired with the mop. And inexplicably, Ambrose suddenly decides to go up to grab the seemingly useless mop bucket.
  
  But once he gets the bucket down into the ring, he reaches in and brings out a velvet bag. The crowd perks up, because they think they know what's in there... and sure enough, Ambrose dumps the bag out and scatters a couple thousand thumbtacks all over the mat in one corner.
  
  At this point, the match becomes a series of teases, as Ambrose tries to dump Jericho into the tacks, but Jericho keeps finding ways to counter it. On the fourth try, his counter is to go behind Ambrose and pick the ankle, turning it into the Walls of Jericho.
  
  There is no rope break, so Ambrose either has to get out of the hold, or submit. Ambrose is able to crawl over to grab the kendo stick, and swings it to break the hold. Once the hold is broken, Ambrose wants to keep swinging, but Jericho grabs the fire extinguisher, and shoots it into Ambrose's face. Ambrose drops the kendo stick, and Jericho gets a near fall.
  
  Jericho realizes that nobody's really used that barbed wire 2x4 yet, so he grabs it, and hits Ambrose across the back and in the ribs with it. Jericho is sure he's softened Ambrose up enough, so he goes for another Code Breaker...
  
  But Ambrose catches Jericho, spins him 180 degrees, and dumps him into the thumb tacks! HOLY SHIT AGAYN~!
  
  Jericho is punctured and perforated, but Ambrose wants to make sure, so he hits the Dirty Deeds. Then and only then does he make the cover to score the win.
  
  The cage is lifted, and Ambrose makes a celebratory march up the aisle, while Jericho pitches a hissy fit in the ring, abusing the ref and trainer, rather than accepting their help, despite several dozen oozing puncture wounds.
  
  Good match, better than the live crowd (who I'm assuming were just spent from the previous 4-way; either that, or they are just jerks) gave it credit for... and then obviously, an even bigger, gigantic stunt ending that'll be remembered for a long time. I'll take it.
  
  
• Charlotte beats Natalya in a Submission Match to retain the Women's Title. More trivia from Cole: Charlotte is the first woman in history to appear on 11 consecutive PPV events (in other words, ever single one since her main roster debut at SummerSlam last year). More than anything, I think this represents WWE re-emphasizing the women's title, as SummerSlam last year was the only one of those 11 matches where Charlotte wasn't holding the title or challenging for it. But still: impressive (even if, deep down, I know the Perpetually Awesome Trish Stratus would have crushed this record, if not for the brand split era of PPVs).
  
  Fast start for Nattie. Charlotte dives out of the ring to regroup. Nattie follows, and Charlotte catches her with a series of chops. Charlotte goes to chuck Nattie back into the ring, but Nattie reverse the whip, and Charlotte eats the ring post, shoulder first. So it's Nattie who tosses Charlotte into the ring... Nattie's follow up is an armbar submission, trying to take advantage of the damage done by the ring post.
  
  Charlotte uses pure power to deadlift Nattie (while Nattie held onto the armlock), and then drop her with a powerbomb. Nattie has to release the hold. And just like that, Charlotte takes control of the match.
  
  In keeping with the story of the match, Charlotte keeps a surgical focus on Nattie's right leg. It's submissions only, and Charlotte is the master of the Figure Eight, so it only makes sense to soften up the leg.
  
  Just to show off, Charlotte also hits a picture perfect moonsault... but she gloats over it, and when she gets Nattie in a half crab, Nattie is able to quickly power out of it, and rip off a snap German Suplex.
  
  Wasting no time, Nattie cinches in the Sharpshooter, and Charlotte's clearly in trouble, as it's in the center of the ring.
  
  But all of a sudden, Ric Flair's music hits, and a bleach blonde, robe-wearing person appears on the stage. Nattie immediately (and foolishly) releases the hold and tells the ref to give her the win, because Flair is breaking the no-run-in rule.
  
  The ref, however, waits to see if it's really Flair. And guess what? It isn't. Duh. I was all ready for it to be Li'l Naitch Charles Robinson... but instead, it's Dana Brooke. Huh.
  
  With this being a submissions-only match, that means it's also de facto no-DQ. So Dana hits the ring, gets up on the apron, and exchanges fits with Nattie. And while Nattie wins that exchange, the distraction allows Charlotte to strike from behind. She drops Nattie and cinches in the Figure Eight.
  
  Nattie taps out, and the champ retains. Welp, I guess I was pretty sure Charlotte would win (Nattie is said to be thinking about leaving WWE when her contract expires, since her husband has already been cut loose after his career ending injury), but never in a billion years would I have guessed that Dana would have anything to do with it.
  
  I can't say that I get it, other than maybe thinking of Dana as the girl version of Baron Corbin. Neither was going to benefit from more time in NXT, because both generated either boos or apathy from fans who expect a certain level of traditional in-ring skill. But both have a look that plays on the main roster, so rather than have them stay in NXT and let the stink of mid-card fodder accumulate, WWE appears to have brought them up to the main roster to see if they can spin them up a different way, in front of a less discriminating audience.
  
  Or maybe it's simpler than that, and WWE sort of realizes Dana's limitations, and now that Emma is out for 8 months or more (she just had back surgery), they're repackaging Dana as Charlotte's goon, instead of trying to keep her compelling as a singles act? I dunno....
  
  
• Roman Reigns beats AJ Styles in an Extreme Rules Match to remain the WWE Champion. Challenger AJ Styles entered first to solid cheers. And then, as soon as Styles' music cut out, the arena just stopped cheering and started booing, because the mere threat of Imminent Reigns upsets them that much.
  
  Full boxing style ring intros by Lilian Garcia, who makes sure that we understand the pinfall/submission only element of an Extreme Rules match, before introducing the two men. I'll be charitable and say the crowd is 80/20 in favor of Styles. It sounds like 90/10 might be more accurate, but I'll build in an allowance for the fact that Reigns' fans tend to be children and women, who can't make as much noise as indignant males, age 18-35, such as ourselves.
  
  Bell rings, and the Speed vs. Size Clash of Styles generally goes in Reigns' favor. Styles does get in a quick shot here and there, but then Reigns just drops him with a more effective power move. That gives the crowd plenty of chance to boo, chant "ROH. MANSUCKS," and inform Roman that "YOU CAN'T REST SULL."
  
  Styles eventually grows frustration that he can't string together more than 2 or 3 moves at a time, and leaves the ring to grab a steel chair from the timekeeper cubicle. While Reigns is able to disarm Styles, and the chair goes unused, Reigns' attention is distracted sufficiently by the chair that Styles can catch him off guard with some stiff kicks.
  
  The match spills out to ringside, where AJ continues to dominate by introducing Reigns to various props. AJ clears off the (English) announce table, but he can't finish that thought. Instead, Reigns had regained his feet, so Styles got a running start and clotheslined Reigns into the third row.
  
  AJ jumped the barricade, and the brawl spilled into the crowd, and eventually, all the way up to the secondary staging area where Renee Young holds court on the preshow. They brawl on the plexiglass table, and then start making their way back towards the ring, Styles still firmly in control.
  
  Once again, Styles pauses to do some prep work, this time, pulling back the ringside padding to reveal the concrete floor. However, while he does that, Reigns has time to recover, and when Styles tries to drop him on the unforgiving cement with a Styles Clash, Reigns back flips him off.
  
  Reigns follows up with some punchy-kicky, and then Reigns clears the German Announce Table. He intends to powerbomb Styles through it... but AJ fights out. Eventually, both men winds up on top of the German table, throwing fists and jockeying for position.
  
  Reigns is stunned by a flurry of right hands, so Styles steps back onto the ringside barricade, and gets a running start at Reigns... but at the last second, Reigns -- who is standing on the German table -- drops his head and backdrops Styles through the US announce table. Holy shit!
  
  Reigns hauls Styles' carcass into the ring, and hits a powerbomb. But Styles kicks out at 2.
  
  Reigns is frustrated, and decides to go big, setting up for the spear. But as Reigns sprints in, Styles drops down and takes out Reigns' left leg. Reigns sells it like his knee just completely blew out. Reigns even rolls out of the ring.
  
  But he may have misrepresented the severity of his injury, because when AJ follows, Reigns is quickly able to regroup. He does that one spot where he ragdolls Styles into the ringside barricade, then into the ring apron, and back again.
  
  Then, Reigns powerbombs Styles onto the Spanish Announce Table. Said table was unprepped and still had its "hood," but Reigns still put enough enough stank on it that the table broke.
  
  With styles crawling on hands and knees, and just starting to get to his feet, Reigns launches another spear at him... Styles dives out of the way, and Reigns crashes through the timekeeper cubicle wall.
  
  With both men down, the crowd fires up dueling chants. It's now down to 60/40, with "Let's Go AJ" barely beating out "Let's Go Roman."
  
  AJ is first to his feet, and he rolls Reigns into the ring. Then, AJ perches on the apron and waits for Reigns to start getting to his feet. When he does, AJ springboards to the top rope, looking for the Forearm... but Reigns catches him in mid-air with a Standing Superman Punch.
  
  Styles tumbles and lands hard on the floor. Reigns has to go fetch him and bring him back into the ring. It takes a lot of effort, as Reigns is spent, but when he finally get Styles where he wants him.....
  
  Nevermind. Here are Gallows and Anderson, running out to break it up. They take it to Reigns, until the Usos run out to even the score. All four extraneous men powder out, with Reigns hitting a spear on Anderson to finish that chapter.
  
  But also, that means Reigns was sufficiently distracted that Styles was able to catch Reigns with a kick, and then BAM!, a flash Styles Clash hits!
  
  But Reigns kicks out at the last second! Styles can't believe it, but he suddenly remembers he brought a chair into the ring, earlier. He finally grabs it again, and wears Reigns out with it.
  
  Then, Styles Clash ONTO THE CHAIR~! Surely that's it!
  
  Nope, and stop calling me Shirley... Jimmy Uso reaches in and pull Styles out of the ring to break up the fall.
  
  Styles snaps. He grabs the chair again, and goes to town on Reigns. Both Usos jump in the ring to interfere. Both Usos get utterly destroyed by Styles and the Chair. Both Usos powder out again. It's just Styles and Reigns.
  
  A few more chairshots for Reigns. Then, Styles has a vision. It's time for the springboard forearm... he loads up the forearm brace. He lines it up. He leaps...
  
  And he's cut in half by a mid-air spear. D'oh.
  
  Reigns makes the cover, and the ref counts to three. Reigns retains, and Newark is back to sounding like 80/20 boos/cheers. And with all due respect to the fact that it's fun to boo Reigns, that was one hell of a match. Sure, it's still second fiddle to the IC 4-way, but it's pretty much one of Reigns' 3 best singles matches. [Damning faint praise, since right now, if you put out a Reigns DVD, he's also only had about 3 matches worth collecting for said DVD, but hey, let's try to stay positive!]
  
  And in addition to being action packed, I think this is just about the best "out" for the Reigns/Styles feud as we could have hoped for. None of us (well, none of us who are sane) actually expected AJ Styles to win the WWE Title... but they made him look a lot more credible than I thought they would, and now, his final "defeat" actually required the Usos to interfere as much as -- or MORE THAN -- Gallows/Anderson, so Reigns didn't necessarily wipe Styles from relevance with tonight's outcome. AJ is still in good shape to rebound and remain a player on the upper parts of the card.
  
  But wait, there's more! Just as I finish up a paragraph talking about how that was a nicely done climax for a PPV, it turns out, it's not the climax at all.
  
  Instead, the live crowd has suddenly started cheering durings Reigns' celebration. That can't be right, can it?
  
  Actually, it's VERY right, because they aren't cheering Reigns.
  
  They are cheering the fact that Seth Rollins has begun sprinting to the ring!
  
  And when Rollins gets there, he sneaks in behind Reigns, clobbers him, and then hooks him up for a Pedigree!
  
  The crowd goes apeshit, and can't decide between "THANK YOU SETH" and "HOLY SHIT" chants. Cole makes sure everybody remembers that Rollins never lost the WWE Title, he vacated it due to injury 7 months ago.
  
  And now, he's back, and he holds the WWE Title belt high as we fade to black...
  

And so ends the show. I could argue -- accurately -- the the entire first hour of the show was rushed and felt more like the sort of material you expect on Monday or Thursday. Also: the women's title match was a disappointment, because instead of ramping up to a finale that could match the amazing genesis of the Charlotte/Nattie story (their epic match at the first NXT Takeover), they actually regressed to the worst of their series of matches, complete with the whole Dana Brooke thing that I don't get.
 
But I'm not gonna bother arguing those things. I mean, I guess I DID just sort of mention them, but I shan't harp on them, as (despite the fact that they are true) they are not the important things tonight.
 
The three matches that we showed up for all delivered above and beyond any reasonable expectations. The Reigns/Styles main event would probably have been Match of the Night on 4 shows out of 5. But tonight, it still paled in comparison to the IC fourway. Throw in a solid Ambrose/Jericho brawl that ended with such a giant highspot that it raises up the 20 minutes that preceeded it, and really, that's more than enough to placate The Rick.
 
Seth Rollins' return was an excellent added bonus, too. As recently as a week or so ago, the plan was to hold him off for another few weeks, so as not to steal Cena's thunder (Cena returns next Monday), but this came off like a million bucks. It'll be interesting to see exactly how this all plays out, because you need to throw out the fan reaction.... Rollins is a narrative heel, because WWE insists on treating Reigns like a narrative babyface. By attacking Reigns, Rollins is affirming his heel status, and all those cheer be damned. That said, Reigns and the Usos have spent the last month edging towards a darker side, complete with out-cheating Styles and G&A in tonight's main event, so maybe that long slow process continues?
 
I know that I, for one, would happily endorse a scenario in which Rollins expects to receive instant preferential treatment from The Authority, but things get all sideways, and at some point before SummerSlam, we get a big reveal where Reigns has quietly formed an alliance with HHH/Steph, and Rollins is on the outside looking in. Not only would that make for a very compelling WWE Title chase for Rollins, but you gotta remember: 8 months ago, everybody kind of expected a Rollins/HHH feud, and now, we have a chance to do that with added drama.
 
Anyway, strong show: a serious Match of the Year candidate, flanked by two other strong matches, a surprise return angle, and nothing that outright sucked. I believe I can apply a final grade of A-minus to Extreme Rules 2016.
 
Can WWE follow up? Who knows? But we'll all find out together soon enough, and I hope to see you all back here in 24 hours as we take a look at how Monday Night RAW piggybacked off tonight's outstanding PPV.