| Extreme Rules | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuringBecky Lynch andSeth Rollins | |||
| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown 205 Live | ||
| Date | July 14, 2019 | ||
| City | Philadelphia,Pennsylvania | ||
| Venue | Wells Fargo Center | ||
| Attendance | 12,800[1] | ||
| WWE event chronology | |||
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| Extreme Rules chronology | |||
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The 2019Extreme Rules was aprofessional wrestlingevent produced byWWE. It was the 11th annualExtreme Rules and took place on July 14, 2019, at theWells Fargo Center inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania. The event aired viapay-per-view (PPV) andlivestreaming and featured wrestlers from the promotion'sRaw,SmackDown, and205 Livebrand divisions. The concept of Extreme Rules is that the event features varioushardcore-based matches.
Thirteen matches were contested at the event, including two on the Kickoff pre-show. Only three of the main card's matches were contested under a hardcore stipulation. In an impromptu main event,Brock Lesnar cashed in hisMoney in the Bank contract onSeth Rollins to win Raw'sUniversal Championship for a record third time, right after Rollins andRaw Women's ChampionBecky Lynch retained their respective titles againstBaron Corbin andLacey Evans in aLast ChanceWinners Take AllExtreme Rulesmixed tag team match. In other prominent matches,Kofi Kingston retained SmackDown'sWWE Championship againstSamoa Joe,AJ Styles defeatedRicochet to win Raw'sUnited States Championship for a third time,The New Day'sBig E andXavier Woods defeatedHeavy Machinery (Otis andTucker) and defending championsDaniel Bryan andRowan to win theSmackDown Tag Team Championship for a record-tying fourth time, and in the opening bout,The Undertaker andRoman Reigns defeatedShane McMahon andDrew McIntyre in aNo Holds Barredtag team match, which proved to be The Undertaker's final match in front of a live audience in the United States before hisretirement in 2020.
Extreme Rules was an annualprofessional wrestlingevent produced byWWE since 2009. Theconcept of the event was that it featured various matches that were contested underhardcore rules and generally featured oneExtreme Rules match.[2] The defunctExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promotion, which WWE acquired in 2003, originally used the "extreme rules" term to describe the regulations for all of its matches; WWE adopted the term, using it in place of "hardcore match" or "hardcore rules". As first reported on March 4, 2019,[3] and later confirmed on March 18, the 2019 Extreme Rules event was the 11th Extreme Rules and featured wrestlers from theRaw,SmackDown, and205 Livebrand divisions. It took place on July 14, 2019, at theWells Fargo Center inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania. The event aired onpay-per-view (PPV) worldwide and waslivestreamed on theWWE Network. Tickets went on sale on March 29.[4] Philadelphia was the home of the former ECW promotion from 1993 to 2001.[5]
The event comprised 13 matches, including two on the Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brands,[6][7] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows,Monday Night Raw,SmackDown Live,[8] and thecruiserweight-exclusive205 Live.[9]
AtStomping Grounds,Becky Lynch retained theRaw Women's Championship againstLacey Evans, and later that night,Seth Rollins defended theUniversal Championship againstBaron Corbin with aspecial guest referee of Corbin's choice. Corbin chose Evans, who changed the match to ano countout,no disqualification match and Evans eventually attacked Rollins, prompting Lynch to come to his aid. Rollins subsequently retained his title.[10] The following night onRaw, Corbin and Evans brawled with Rollins and Lynch and challenged them to amixed tag team match. Rollins and Lynch agreed as long as it would mean the end of their respective feuds, while Corbin and Evans insisted that their opponents put their respective titles on the line. As a result, alast chancewinners take all mixed tag team match for both the Universal and Raw Women's championships was scheduled for Extreme Rules,[11] with anextreme rules stipulation added the following week.[12]
AfterRicochet won theUnited States Championship at Stomping Grounds,Luke Gallows,Karl Anderson, andAJ Styles interrupted a photoshoot, congratulating the new champion.[10] The following night onRaw, Styles defeated Ricochet in a non-title match, and following the match, Styles and Ricochet showed mutual respect to each other.[11] In a title match the following week, Ricochet retained against Styles. After the match,Gallows and Anderson attempted to enter the ring and taunted Styles, who held them off, only to attack Ricochet himself, turningheel. Gallows and Anderson also joined in on the attack, reunitingThe Club,[13] and another title match between Ricochet and Styles was scheduled for Extreme Rules.[14]
At Super ShowDown,Braun Strowman defeatedBobby Lashley.[15] On the June 17 episode ofRaw, Strowman eliminated Lashley from afatal five-way elimination match for an opportunity at the United States Championship; Lashley in turn helped in Strowman's elimination.[16] The following week, Lashley attacked Strowman after losing atug of war match.[11] Afalls count anywhere match on the July 1 episode ended in a no contest after Strowman tackled Lashley through the LED video wall of the entrance and both were taken to a local medical facility.[13] ALast Man Standing match between the two was then scheduled for Extreme Rules.[14]
On the Super ShowDown Kickoff pre-show,The Usos (Jey Uso andJimmy Uso) defeatedThe Revival (Scott Dawson andDash Wilder).[15] On the following episode ofRaw, The Revival defeated former championsCurt Hawkins and Zack Ryder and The Usos to win theRaw Tag Team Championship.[17] After more feuding on subsequent episodes, The Revival were scheduled to defend the championship against The Usos at Extreme Rules.[14]
AtSuper ShowDown,Shane McMahon defeatedRoman Reigns thanks to interference fromDrew McIntyre.[15] This led to a match between Reigns and McIntyre at Stomping Grounds that Reigns won, despite Shane's multiple attempts to distract Reigns.[10] On the followingRaw, Shane and McIntyre dominatedwild card guest Reigns in ahandicap match untilThe Undertaker appeared and attacked both Shane and McIntyre. Atag team match featuring Reigns and Undertaker against Shane and McIntyre was then scheduled for Extreme Rules,[11] which was made aNo Holds Barred match the following week.[18]
On the June 24 episode ofRaw, afterWWE ChampionKofi Kingston defeated bothKevin Owens and Sami Zayn in consecutivesingles matches (both Kingston andOwens appearing via the wild card rule), Kingston was randomly attacked bySamoa Joe, who performed auranage on Kingston. As referees tended to Kingston, Joe returned and applied the Coquina Clutch on him.[11] Kingston was subsequently scheduled to defend the WWE Championship against Joe at Extreme Rules.[19] On the followingSmackDown,Dolph Ziggler, whom Kingston defeated to retain the title at Stomping Grounds, faced Kingston in atwo out of three falls match in which if Ziggler won, he would have been added to the championship match, however, he was unsuccessful.[20]
At Stomping Grounds,Bayley retained theSmackDown Women's Championship against Raw'sAlexa Bliss.[10]Nikki Cross, who was in Bliss' corner, felt it was her fault that Bliss lost as she tried attacking Bayley during the match.[11] On the followingSmackDown, wild card guest Cross defeated Bayley, thus earning Bliss a rematch for the title at Extreme Rules.[20] On the July 8 episode ofRaw, Cross and wild card guest Bayley both competed in aBeat the Clock Challenge with the winner deciding the stipulation of Bayley and Bliss' championship match. Cross won and decided that the championship match would be a handicap match with Cross teaming with Bliss against Bayley.[14]
At Stomping Grounds,Daniel Bryan andRowan retained theSmackDown Tag Team Championship against Heavy Machinery (Otis andTucker).[10] On the followingSmackDown,The New Day'sBig E andXavier Woods defeated Bryan and Rowan in a non-title match, thus earning a title match at Extreme Rules.[20] The following week, Heavy Machinery were added to the title match after defeating the team ofKevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler, thus changing the title match into a triple threat tag team match.[18]
Since being drafted to SmackDown during the2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up in April,Aleister Black began appearing in ominous backstage promos in a dark room, awaiting a challenger. On the June 25 episode ofSmackDown, there was a knock on Black's door, indicating that someone had accepted his challenge.[20] The following week, however, Black stated that no one was at his door when he answered and said he would be waiting for them at Extreme Rules.[18] On the July 9 episode, Raw'sCesaro was revealed as the mystery challenger.[21]
On the Stomping Grounds Kickoff pre-show,Drew Gulak defeated former championTony Nese andAkira Tozawa in atriple threat match by pinning Tozawa to win theWWE Cruiserweight Championship.[10] On the following episode of205 Live, Nese defeated Tozawa to earn a rematch against Gulak on the Extreme Rules Kickoff pre-show.[22]
On the June 25 episode ofSmackDown,Intercontinental ChampionFinn Bálor talked about his title reign backstage when he was interrupted byShinsuke Nakamura, who state that he would be going after the title.[20] On the July 9 episode, Nakamura defeated Bálor in a non-title match.[21] The day of the event, a title match between the two was scheduled for the Kickoff pre-show.[23]
On the July 9 episode ofSmackDown, Dolph Ziggler took exception to referring to Kevin Owens as his partner the previous week. Owens and Ziggler then fought each other in the parking lot, and Owens got involved in Ziggler's match that night.[21] The day of the event, a match between the two was scheduled for Extreme Rules.[23]
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| English commentators | Michael Cole(Raw) |
| Corey Graves(Raw/SmackDown) | |
| Renee Young(Raw) | |
| Tom Phillips(SmackDown) | |
| Byron Saxton(SmackDown) | |
| Vic Joseph(205 Live) | |
| Nigel McGuinness(205 Live) | |
| Aiden English(205 Live) | |
| Spanish commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
| Marcelo Rodríguez | |
| German commentators | Carsten Schaefer |
| Tim Haber | |
| Calvin Knie | |
| Ring announcers | Greg Hamilton(SmackDown/205 Live) |
| Mike Rome(Raw) | |
| Referees | Danilo Anfibio |
| Mike Chioda | |
| John Cone | |
| Dan Engler | |
| Darrick Moore | |
| Charles Robinson | |
| Drake Wuertz | |
| Interviewers | Charly Caruso |
| Kayla Braxton | |
| Sarah Schreiber | |
| Pre-show panel | Jonathan Coachman |
| Charly Caruso | |
| Sam Roberts | |
| Beth Phoenix |
Two matches were contested on the Extreme Rules Kickoff pre-show. In the first match, Finn Bálor defended SmackDown's Intercontinental Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura. In the end, Bálor missed a Coup de Grâce, which allowed Nakamura to perform a Kinshasa on Bálor to win the title.[24]
In the second and final pre-show match, Drew Gulak defended 205 Live's WWE Cruiserweight Championship against Tony Nese. Gulak performed an Argentine Neckbreaker on Nese to retain the title.[24]
The actual pay-per-view opened with The Undertaker and Roman Reigns facing Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre in a No Holds Barred tag team match. Midway through the match, as The Undertaker attempted aLast Ride on Shane,Elias intervened and attacked The Undertaker. Reigns attempted to fend off Elias, only for McIntyre to performClaymore Kicks on both Reigns and The Undertaker. Shane then went to the top rope and performed adiving elbow drop on Undertaker through the English announce table. Back in the ring, with a trashcan positioned on The Undertaker, Shane performed a Coast-to-Coast, however, before Shane could pin The Undertaker, The Undertaker performed his signature sit-up. The Undertaker then performedChokeslams on Shane and Elias. As McIntyre attempted to perform another Claymore on The Undertaker, Reigns intercepted him with aSpear. Afterwards, Reigns threw Shane into The Undertaker, who performed a "Tombstone Piledriver" on Shane to win the match. Afterwards, The Undertaker gave a nod of approval to Reigns, and told him "it's your yard."[25][26][27]
Next, The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder) defended the Raw Tag Team Championship against The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso). In the end, The Revival performed the Shatter Machine on Jimmy to retain the titles.[25]
After that, SmackDown's Aleister Black faced Raw's Cesaro. In the end, as Cesaro went for a Neutralizer, Black countered and performed the Black Mass to win the match.[25]
In the fourth match, Bayley defended the SmackDown Women's Championship in a handicap match against Raw's Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. In the end, Bayley countered Bliss' Twisted Bliss by raising her knees and performed a Diving Elbow Drop on Cross to retain the title.[25]
In the fifth match, Bobby Lashley faced Braun Strowman in a Last Man Standing match. During the match, as Strowman ran around the ring, Lashley intercepted him with a Spear. They then fought into the crowd and into the concourse area. There, Strowman suplexed him into a wall. When the fight returned back to the crowd, Lashley sent Strowman through the barricade. Lashley then ran around the ring to send Strowman through the German announce table. Lashley then flipped it over, but Strowman stood before the ten count. Lashley then leapt over the barricade, only for Strowman to catch him and send him over the international announcer's tables. In the closing moments, after Lashley and Strowman fought up the steps at a different part of the arena, Strowman performed a powerslam on Lashley from an elevated platform. Strowman got to his feet, but Lashley was unable to make the ten count, thus Strowman won the match.[25]
After that, Daniel Bryan and Rowan defended the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against The New Day's Big E and Xavier Woods, and Heavy Machinery (Otis and Tucker) in a triple threat tag team match. The end came when Bryan attempted a backflip to avoid a charging Big E in the corner, who caught Bryan and tagged Woods to perform a Midnight Hour to win the titles for a record-tying fourth time.[25]
Next, Ricochet defended Raw's United States Championship against The Club's AJ Styles (accompanied by fellow Club members Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson). Before the match began, Ricochet was attacked by The Club. During the match, Ricochet performed aLionsault on Styles for a nearfall. Styles performed a brainbuster on Ricochet for a nearfall. Ricochet performed a Shooting Star Press on Styles and as Ricochet attempted a pin on Styles, Gallows notified the referee that Styles' leg was underneath the rope, thus voiding the pin. In the end, Anderson attempted to distract Ricochet, who fended him off. With the referee distracted by Anderson, Gallows attacked Ricochet and Styles performed theStyles Clash on Ricochet from the middle rope to win the title for a third time.[25]
After that, Kevin Owens faced Dolph Ziggler. As soon as the match started, Owens performed aStunner on Ziggler to win the match in about 17 seconds.[25]
In the penultimate match, Kofi Kingston defended SmackDown's WWE Championship against Samoa Joe. During the match, Joe crushed Kingston's hand between the steel steps. Joe performed a snapPowerslam for a nearfall. Kingston performed the S.O.S. for a nearfall. In the end, Kingston performed the "Trouble in Paradise" to retain the title.[25]
The main event was the Last Chance Winners Take All Extreme Rules mixed tag team match in which Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch defended the Universal Championship and Raw Women's Championship against Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans. Lynch and Rollins attacked Evans and Corbin with kendo sticks. Corbin performed aDDT on Rollins onto a steel chair for a nearfall. Evans performed aMoonsault on Lynch for a nearfall. As Rollins and Lynch were setting up tables outside the ring, Corbin and Evans attacked them and performed simultaneous chokeslams for a nearfall. Outside the ring, Lynch and Rollins positioned Corbin and Evans onto the previously set up tables. Lynch performed a Leg Drop on Evans while Rollins performed a Frog Splash on Corbin. Back in the ring, Rollins attempted The Stomp, but Corbin countered into a powerbomb and followed up with a Deep Six, but Lynch broke up the pin. Afterwards, Lynch sent Evans out of the ring, only to be knocked out with End of Days by Corbin. An irate Rollins then furiously attacked Corbin with a kendo stick and a steel chair, followed by three Stomps to retain both his and Lynch's respective titles.
Immediately after the match,Brock Lesnar (accompanied byPaul Heyman) came down to the ring and attacked Rollins with two German suplexes before Heyman cashed in theMoney in the Bank contract on behalf of Lesnar in what would become the first successful attempt for the Universal Championship. Lesnar then performed an "F-5" on Rollins to win the championship for a record third time.[25]
The following night onRaw, a cross-branded all-star top 10 battle royal was contested to determine the number one contender for the Universal Championship. Seth Rollins won the match by last eliminatingRandy Orton to face Brock Lesnar in a rematch for the title atSummerSlam.[28] Subsequently, Rollins was on the receiving end of brutal attacks from Lesnar on both the July 29 and August 5 episodes, which resulted in astoryline rib injury.[29][30]
Following Extreme Rules, The Club (AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson) were renamed to "The O.C." (Original Club), and Ricochet won a five-mangauntlet match on the July 29 episode ofRaw to earn a rematch against Styles for the United States Championship at SummerSlam.[29]
The Usos had another opportunity at the Raw Tag Team Championship against The Revival on the July 29 episode ofRaw, but in a triple threat match that also involved Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, who won to become the new champions.[29]
On the following episode ofSmackDown, Randy Orton, Samoa Joe, and Elias defeated The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E) when Orton pinned Kingston.[31] The following week, a match between Kingston and Orton for the WWE Championship was scheduled for SummerSlam.[32] Before SummerSlam, Kingston defended the title against Dolph Ziggler and Samoa Joe in a triple threat match atWWE Smackville on July 27, and Kingston retained.[33]
Aleister Black and Cesaro had a rematch on the followingSmackDown, where Black was again victorious.[31]
Dolph Ziggler and Kevin Owens also had a rematch on the followingSmackDown, where Owens won via disqualification after interference from Shane McMahon; earlier that night, McMahon banned Owens from the building, only for Owens to show up. After the match, Owens ran away from the arena while the other wrestlers chased him as the event ended.[31] This led to a match between Owens and McMahon being scheduled for SummerSlam under the stipulation that Owens were to quit WWE if he lost.[32]