Extreme Rules (2016)

he Bulgarian Brute attempts to dominate the high-flying United States Champion. The Miz, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Cesaro engage in a whirlwind Intercontinental Championship free-for-all. See who emerges as WWE Women's Champion after a shocking turn of events.

## US Championship: Kalisto vs. Rusev

There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance. And not only has Rusev crossed that line, he has practically obliterated it. In an interview prior to his United States Championship Match at WWE Extreme Rules, The Bulgarian Brute told Tom Phillips that he was already the U.S. Champion, that victory was a foregone conclusion. Unfortunately for his opponent, Kalisto, Rusev’s hubris proved more of a premonition than an idle boast.

The Bulgarian Brute polished off the Mexican highflyer at Extreme Rules, though his path to victory was well paved by the atrocity he committed six days earlier on Raw when he nearly snapped Kalisto’s spine by locking in a merciless Accolade. The barbaric act left Kalisto unable to compete at SmackDown, just two days prior to Extreme Rules. The injury, strained back muscles, and its aftermath was still evident inside the Prudential Center when The Bulgarian Brute locked his opponent in a devastating bear hug, targeting Kalisto’s lower back. He released the hold only to drop an unflinching knee to Kalisto’s spine.

The masked Superstar, however, would hardly go down without a fight. At different points in the bout, he punished his massive foe with a sleeper hold and hurricanrana that propelled Rusev head-first into the steel steps. The flashes of offense would prove ineffective against the behemoth, though. After Kalisto was driven spine-first onto the ring apron, the referee summoned medical personnel to check on his condition. The delay frustrated Rusev, who disregarded the referee’s pleas and attacked Kalisto before snapping on a wince-inducing Accolade and forcing the champion to tap out.

## Intercontinental Championship Fatal 4-Way Match

Presumably, only one Superstar left WWE Extreme Rules 2016 believing the show-stealing Intercontinental Championship Fatal 4-Way Match ended in awesome fashion. That’s because The Miz entered and exited the four-way title fight at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., as the champion by pinning Cesaro to end a battle that will surely garner “Match of the Year” consideration come Slammy Awards time.

The collision course of this championship contest started at WWE Payback 2016 and quickly picked up steam. An unsettled clash between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens spilled into that evening’s Intercontinental Title Match between The Miz and Cesaro, which resulted in a controversial but ultimately successful title defense for The A-lister.

Instead of leaving WWE Payback as an undisputed champion, however, The Miz found himself fending off the advances of three aspiring challengers. Each of the four match combatants meddled in the others’ affairs in the days that followed, heightening old rivalries and resulting in a contest at Extreme Rules, where a new champion could be crowned without the previous titleholder being defeated via pinfall or submission.

Immediately after the opening bell, the numbers game commenced in earnest as Zayn knocked Owens out of action with a Helluva Kick. Cesaro responded in kind by clocking Miz with a clothesline, quickly turning a match between four Superstars into a battle between any grapplers who could keep their wits about them.

Each Superstar played to their strengths to build momentum. Cesaro swung more European uppercuts than are fit to print here. Zayn dealt Blue Thunder Bombs and hurricanranas with aplomb. Owens fired cannonballs with chaotic glee.

And The Miz? He bided his time, saving his strength for a timely reversal or a match-saving Skull Crushing Finale. He also endured a ring-rattling superplex by The Swiss Strongman, a crushing clothesline by Owens and ferocious forearms by Zayn.

The momentum finally started to swing in The A-lister’s favor thanks to an indirect assist by Maryse, who watched the carnage from ringside. Moments after a failed pinfall attempt, Maryse stepped in front of Owens on the ringside floor to prevent him from attacking Miz. Amid the confusion, The A-lister crept behind the Québécois prizefighter for a Skull Crushing Finale.

As that altercation played out, Zayn leveled Cesaro with a Helluva Kick that knocked the Swiss Strongman right out. However, Owens resurfaced to break up Zayn’s pinfall attempt, leading to a brawl between the two longtime rivals that spilled onto the ringside floor. With both NXT alumni mixing it up away from the ring, The Miz slipped in and pinned the lifeless Cesaro for a title-saving triumph.

With the victory, The Miz becomes the first reigning Intercontinental Champion to successfully defend his title at an Extreme Rules event. He achieved this feat just eight miles south of MetLife Stadium, the setting of WrestleMania 29 where, in 2013, The A–lister kicked off his second Intercontinental Title reign.

## WWE Women's Championship Submission Match: Charlotte vs. Natalya

Despite the fact that “The Dirtiest Player in the Game” was banned from ringside at WWE Extreme Rules, Dana Brooke’s "flair" for interruption paved the way for WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte to make Natalya tap out to the Figure-Eight Leg Lock.

Several weeks ago, Charlotte’s title match against Natalya ended in controversy at WWE Payback, making a rematch absolutely necessary. The following night on Raw, in an attempt to determine a clear winner in what was made a Submission Match for Extreme Rules, Stephanie McMahon informed Ric Flair that he would be banned from ringside. Furthermore, Shane McMahon added that, if Flair did step foot near the ring, Charlotte would instantly forfeit her title. In hindsight, however, these stipulations would not be enough to level the playing field.

The highly personal showdown proved explosive from the beginning. Though Charlotte and Natalya made early attempts to force each other to submit, The Queen of Harts clearly knocked the titleholder off her game. Things would intensify outside the ring; after the champion delivered a series of vicious chops, Natalya hurled her adversary into the unforgiving steel ring post. The move caused damage to Charlotte’s shoulder – an injury the No. 1 contender would continue to exploit throughout the match – but the champion fired back inside the ring with an earth-shattering powerbomb, one that allowed her to go to work on Natalya’s leg and bring herself that much closer to victory.

Back and forth the advantage swung until, in the final moments, Natalya was able to turn the tide and lock in the Sharpshooter. As the titleholder struggled to stay in the match, Ric Flair’s music suddenly blared through the Prudential Center. It was not The Nature Boy, though, but Dana Brooke who emerged, dressed like the two-time WWE Hall of Famer. When Natalya Superstar turned her attention to the intruder, Charlotte seized the opportunity and locked in the Figure-Eight to make the third-generation Superstar tap out.

As the smoke cleared, the real Ric Flair emerged and celebrated with his victorious daughter and Brooke – making it clear that they had been working together.

Though her victory was controversial, Charlotte walked out of WWE Extreme Rules with the WWE Women’s Championship.

## Results

* Rusev (w/ Lana) defeated Kalisto (c) to win the WWE United States Championship (9:32)
* The Miz (c) (w/ Maryse) defeated Kevin Owens, Cesaro & Sami Zayn in a Fatal 4-Way match to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship (18:18)
* Charlotte (c) defeated Natalya in a Submission match to retain the WWE Women's Championship; Ric Flair is banned from ringside. (9:30)

## Critical reception

* Overall, the women's match got mixed reviews, saying the ending hurt the match just like Payback (2016).
* **The Bleacher Report** graded the women's contest a **C-**. "WWE just can't leave things alone with this rivalry. Rather than have the women tell a story on their own, the company once again reverted to making Ric Flair a primary figure and hurting the bout with over-booking. Charlotte and Natalya looked well on their way to a solid outing. WWE Creative got too cute, though. This should have been a satisfying climax and technical display, but instead the women's title match ended up being a bridge to a marginally interesting Brooke-Natalya feud. What a miscalculation of what the audience wanted here."
* **Dave Meltzer** of **Wrestling Observer Newsletter** gave the women's match \*\*1/2.
* **John Canton** of **TJR Wrestling** rated the women's contest \*\*1/2, stating "That was a solid match from the ladies with another finish that was groan inducing. I’m just tired of the babyface women consistently booked like idiots and usually losing these matches due to a disqualification. I think not being able to do nearfalls hurt them a lot because the crowd wasn’t into it as much as they might normally react to things. I thought Natalya should have had more offense because she really didn’t do much before setting up the Sharpshooters spot. As for the Brooke involvement, I didn’t see it coming."