Extreme Rules 2017

Extreme Rules 2017 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE which took place on June 4, 2017 at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. This was the ninth event under the Extreme Rules chronology.
==Background==
Extreme Rules featured professional wrestling matches that involved wrestlers from pre-existing feuds, plots, and storylines that played out on WWE's primary television programs. Wrestlers portrayed villains or heroes as they followed a series of events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.
At Payback, Braun Strowman defeated Roman Reigns. After their match, Strowman continued to attack Reigns with the steel steps. On Raw Talk immediately after, as Reigns was about to be taken to a medical facility, Strowman appeared and attempted to attack Reigns. However, Reigns retaliated by slamming an ambulance door against Strowman's arm multiple times. The next night on Raw, General Manager Kurt Angle addressed the conditions of the two and said that both were injured, but were not finished with each other. The following week, Strowman, in an arm sling, said that after he was finished with Reigns, he wanted Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. Later that night during Strowman's match against Kalisto, Reigns came out and attacked Strowman, targeting his arm with a steel chair. The following week, it was revealed that Strowman required surgery on his injured arm, and would be inactive for up to six months. Also at Payback, Seth Rollins defeated Samoa Joe, giving Joe his first loss since debuting on the main roster. The following night on Raw, Rollins said that his business with Joe was done. He then turned his attention to Lesnar, however, Finn Bálor came out and stated that he should be the next person to face Lesnar as Bálor was the inaugural champion and never lost the title. The two then participated in an Intercontinental Championship number one contender's triple threat match, also including The Miz, who won. During the match, Joe attacked Rollins and Bray Wyatt attacked Bálor. On the May 15 episode, due to Strowman's situation, Angle scheduled a Universal Championship #1 contender's extreme rules fatal five-way match for Extreme Rules between Reigns, Rollins, Joe, Bálor, and Wyatt. Later on Raw, Reigns defeated Bálor and Rollins defeated Wyatt by disqualification after Joe attacked Rollins. The following week, Wyatt opened the show, stating that he would be the one to defeat Lesnar. Reigns came out, followed by Angle, who scheduled a match between the two that Reigns won by disqualification when Joe interfered and attacked Reigns. Rollins then came out and attacked Joe. Angle then scheduled Reigns and Rollins to face Wyatt and Joe in the main event, which Wyatt and Joe won. Also in the show, Bálor's in-ring promo was interrupted by Lesnar's advocate Paul Heyman, who said that he wanted to see Bálor face Lesnar. For the next Raw, Angle scheduled a triple threat match between Bálor, Joe, and Wyatt, and a singles match between Reigns and Rollins.
On the May 1 episode of Raw, Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose interrupted an argument between Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor over who should face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. Ambrose criticized Lesnar for not appearing and wrestling often and claimed the Intercontinental Championship to be the top title of the Raw brand. The Miz then came out and said that he should be the one to face Ambrose for the title. A #1 contender's match was scheduled between Rollins, Bálor, and Miz. During the match, Samoa Joe attacked Rollins, taking Rollins out of the match, and Bray Wyatt attacked Bálor with Sister Abigail, allowing Miz to score the pinfall. On the May 15 episode of Raw, Miz faced Ambrose for the title. At the climax of the match, Miz attempted a low blow on Ambrose, but Ambrose countered and performed a low blow on Miz, who won by disqualification. Later, Ambrose was scheduled to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Miz at Extreme Rules with the stipulation being that if Ambrose were disqualified, he would lose the title. The following week, The Miz interfered in Ambrose's match against Elias Samson, who was having his Raw in-ring debut. Instead of attacking Ambrose, Miz attacked Samson, making Ambrose lose by disqualification. Ambrose chased after Miz, but Samson attacked Ambrose with a Rolling Cutter.
At Payback, The Hardy Boyz (Jeff and Matt Hardy) retained the Raw Tag Team Championship against Cesaro and Sheamus. After the match, Cesaro and Sheamus attacked The Hardys, turning heel. The next night on Raw, Cesaro and Sheamus explained their reasoning for attacking The Hardy Boyz by calling them a novelty act and criticized the fans for living in the past instead of appreciating the present and claimed that The Hardys stole their moment at WrestleMania 33. The Hardys then appeared and ran Cesaro and Sheamus out of the ring. The following week, Cesaro and Sheamus won a number one contender's tag team turmoil match, which included Enzo Amore and Big Cass, Heath Slater and Rhyno, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, and The Golden Truth (Goldust and R-Truth), for another title opportunity. After the final match of the tag team turmoil, Cesaro and Sheamus continued to attack The Golden Truth, but The Hardy Boyz came out for the save and Cesaro and Sheamus retreated. The following week, the tag team title match was scheduled for Extreme Rules and Jeff defeated Sheamus. On the May 22 episode, Matt faced Sheamus in a match where the winner chose the stipulation for their Extreme Rules tag team championship bout. Matt won and decided on a steel cage match.
At Payback, Alexa Bliss defeated Bayley to win her first Raw Women's Championship, as well as becoming the first woman to win both the Raw Women's Championship and SmackDown Women's Championship. The following night on Raw, Bliss had a coronation for both accomplishments. The other seven female wrestlers on the Raw roster were also in the ring. She insulted Mickie James, Sasha Banks, and Bayley before a brawl broke out that resulted in an eight-woman tag team match where the team of Bliss, Nia Jax, Emma, and Alicia Fox defeated the team of Bayley, Banks, James, and Dana Brooke. The following week, Bliss aligned with Jax and defeated James. After the match, Bliss continued to attack James. Bayley came out for the save and chased Bliss backstage. Jax then attacked James. On the May 15 episode, Bayley confronted Bliss and invoked her championship rematch for Extreme Rules. A brawl ensued and Bliss found a kendo stick under the ring and attacked Bayley with it. Later, their Raw Women's Championship match at Extreme Rules was made a Kendo Stick-on-a-Pole match. The following week, after Bliss defeated James, Bliss retrieved a kendo stick from under the ring and attacked James with it. Bayley came out for the save, but Bliss retreated.
At Payback, Austin Aries defeated WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville by disqualification, but Neville kept the title. The following night on Raw, T.J. Perkins, now going by TJP, was defeated by Aries, but after the match, TJP attacked Aries and attempted to injure his leg. The following week, TJP defeated Gentleman Jack Gallagher. After the match, TJP continued to attack Gallagher, who was saved by Aries. The following night on 205 Live, Neville said that TJP was deserving of a title shot for his attack on Aries, but TJP did not defeat Aries. The next week on Raw, it was announced that Aries would have another title opportunity against Neville at Extreme Rules. Neville and TJP then defeated Aries and Gallagher in a tag team match. On the following 205 Live, Aries defeated TJP by submission. It was then revealed that Aries and Neville's WWE Cruiserweight Championship bout at Extreme Rules would be a submission match. On the May 29 episode of Raw, Aries and Gallagher faced Neville and TJP where Aries made Neville submit, the first time Neville ever submitted. The following night on 205 Live, Aries said he would make Neville submit again at Extreme Rules. He was then attacked from behind by TJP and Neville applied the Rings of Saturn on Aries while TJP continued to attacked Aries' leg and Aries passed out.
Also in the cruiserweight division, Noam Dar had been dating Alicia Fox. Fox then began receiving gifts from an anonymous sender on 205 Live. Rich Swann revealed that he was the one sending the gifts, but Dar tried to claim credit, including the final gift, which ended up exploding powder in Fox's face. Fox then split from Dar, which was Swann's intention as Fox had previously dated Swann's friend Cedric Alexander and split from him. However, Dar and Fox got back together after Dar defeated Swann on the May 2 episode of 205 Live. On the May 8 episode of Raw, Sasha Banks began a feud with Fox, where the two traded wins over the next couple of weeks. After Banks defeated Fox on the May 22 episode of Raw, Dar got in Banks' face and she smacked him, but Fox attacked Banks with a scissors kick from behind. A mixed tag team match pitting Swann and Banks against Dar and Fox was scheduled for Extreme Rules. Banks then appeared for the first time on 205 Live on May 30 where she accompanied Swann for his match against Dar, which Dar won.
==Match Preview==
Reigns vs. Rollins vs. Bálor vs. Bray vs. Samoa Joe	Preview
Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz 	Preview
Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley 	Preview
The Hardy Boyz vs. Cesaro & Sheamus 	Preview
Neville vs. Austin Aries 	Preview
==Results==
;
;
*Pre Show: Kalisto defeated Apollo Crews (w/ Titus O'Neil) (9:36)
*The Miz (w/ Maryse) defeated Dean Ambrose (c) to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship (21:03)
:*If Ambrose was disqualified, he would lose the title
*Rich Swann & Sasha Banks defeated Noam Dar & Alicia Fox (6:13)
*Alexa Bliss (c) defeated Bayley in a Kendo Stick-on-a-Pole match to retain the WWE Raw Women's Championship (6:10)
*Cesaro and Sheamus defeated The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy) (c) in a Tag team Steel Cage match to win the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship (14:58)
*Neville (c) defeated Austin Aries in a Submission match to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship (17:24)
*Samoa Joe defeated Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Finn Bálor & Bray Wyatt in a Fatal 5-Way Extreme Rules Match to determine the #1 contender for the WWE Universal Championship (29:13)
==Other on-screen talent==
;Commentators
*Michael Cole
*Corey Graves
*Booker T
*Marcelo Rodríguez - Spanish
*Carlos Cabrera - Spanish
*Calvin Knie - German
*Tim Haber - German
*Carsten Schaefer - German
;Pre-show Panel
*Renee Young
*Sam Roberts
*David Otunga	
;Interviewers
*Charly Caruso
;Ring announcer
*JoJo
;Referees
*Dan Engler
*John Cone
*Shawn Bennett
*Darrick Moore
*Rod Zapata
==See also==
*List of WWE pay-per-view events
*WWE Event History
*Event gallery
*Extreme Rules
==DVD release==
* Extreme Rules 2017 on DVD
==External links==
* Extreme Rules 2017 Official Website
* Extreme Rules 2017 on WWE Network
* Extreme Rules 2017 Kickoff Show on WWE Network
* Extreme Rules 2017 Pre Show at CAGEMATCH.net
* Extreme Rules 2017 at CAGEMATCH.net
Category:Extreme Rules
Category:World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view events
Category:2017 pay-per-view events
Category:Events with Steel Cage matches
Category:Events with Submission matches
Category:Events with Pole matches