The Horror Show at Extreme Rules is WWE’s twist on a pay-per-view concept that has been around since 2009.
Yes, there will be a table game for the SmackDown tag team championships, and a stipulation that has yet to be announced as of the time of the show for the WWE Championship between Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler.
But WWE is also leaning towards some campy horror tropes. Universal champion Braun Strowman returns to the swamp where he came to fight his creator, Bray Wyatt. There is even a match in which Seth Rollins or Rey Mysterio must take out the eye of the other to be declared the winner. How that could develop in reality is unknown.
Look out for the other three games on the card, all with titles on the line. Each has the potential for significant ramifications for the August SummerSlam card, and Sasha Banks and Bayley’s upward trajectory comes to a crossroads. Sunday night ends with one of three results: both women leave the conquering champions of the Extreme Rules, both fall short when it matters most, or only one of them leaves with a title in hand and a goal in the back.
Tim Fiorvanti and Sean Coyle are here to break down all the live action, with Coyle rating each match on his custom 0-5 scale.
(c) – indicates defending champion
Tack match for SmackDown tag team championships: Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura def. The new day (c)
Full summary to come …
Kevin Owens vs. Murphy
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Extreme # ExtremeRules @FightOwensFight pic.twitter.com/wWWz9Uep1h
– WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) July 19, 2020
Kevin Owens vs. Murphy kicked off The Horror Show action at Extreme Rules, in a clash that opened up the possibility of some consequences for the Eye for an Eye match between Seth Rollins and Rey Mysterio later in the evening.
Owens continued his winning ways, finishing Murphy with a Stone Cold Stunner. He found success with the move that had earned him a win over Rollins on Raw in the past few weeks, but only after failing to make the move early against Murphy on Sunday night.
There were, unsurprisingly, several impressive high points throughout the match, including a vicious Owens DDT that shot Murphy in the top of his head, a brainbuster that brought out Murphy’s brute force, and a moon jump. Owens trampoline effortlessly. Owens finally used a superkick to set up the stunner for victory.
Whats Next: Hard to say, really, without having seen Rollins vs. Mysterio. Murphy will likely continue to follow Rollins anyway, but Owens feels ready to switch to a higher profile match as attention turns to SummerSlam.
Still to come:
Wyatt Swamp Fight: Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt
WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler
Raw Women’s Championship: Asuka (c) vs. Sasha Banks
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bayley (c) against Nikki Cross
Eye for an eye: Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins
United States Championship: Apollo Crews (c) vs. MVP
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