WWE Extreme Rules 2017 Results: Was Samoa Joe the Right Choice to Win?

In the main event of Extreme Rules, five men met inside the ring to see who would become the new number one contender for the Universal Championship. Which superstar was able to stand tall, and will he be capable of dethroning Brock Lesnar?

Due to the limited appearances, Brock Lesnar has in his contract, the Universal Champion hasn’t been present since winning the gold at WrestleMania 33. Without the boost of a world title match to promote interest, the creative team for Monday Night Raw had to come up with a strong main event for Extreme Rules. So, they had the top five men on the brand meet in an extreme rules match. As an added bonus, whoever wins the contest will go on to face Lesnar for the title at Great Balls of Fire.

Out of the five men involved, who can we expect to see rise above the rest and win? Will it be the dominant Samoa Joe, or could we see Balor begin the journey of winning back the title he never lost? If these men fail in their quest, Lesnar contending with the likes of Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, or even Seth Rollins is equally appealing. Regardless of the result here tonight, all five men could potentially build on their respective legacies with a strong showing in this match.

The first man out to the ring is Bray Wyatt, who is greeted by hundreds of “fireflies” inside the arena. His entrance is followed by Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, and finally, Roman Reigns. Wasting little time, four of the athletes go after one another once the bell rings. Reigns is able to watch the conflict for a time, that is until Wyatt goes after him.

Despite nailing several strong strikes, Wyatt quickly falls to a Samoan drop. Joe tried to take advantage of Reigns being preoccupied, but he too was driven from the right. Even Balor followed suit, which left Rollins to try and take down his former teammate. At that moment, the other competitors recovered and attacked both men.

From here, the momentum shifted to Balor, who dropped three of his opponents with a running dive to the outside. He contended with Reigns for a moment, but their confrontation didn’t last long. Joe and Wyatt decided to team together for a time, using steel steps to level their competition. Taking the action to the inside, they slowly picked apart Balor.

Trying to fight his way back into the match, Rollins recovered and attacked the heels. His assault earned him control for a moment, however, things turned south when Wyatt retaliated with a DDT on the steps. The Eater of World took a steel chair from ringside and teased hitting Joe. Instead, he opted to strike Balor, allowing both he and Joe to hit a running senton on the Demon King, with the chair on top for good measure.

Reigns was the next man to gain momentum, laying waste to the three men combating inside of the ring. He delivered several strong offensive moves, but once again Wyatt halted an opponent’s momentum, this time by slamming Reigns into the announce table.

With Reigns down and out, Rollins was the next man to fight his way back into the match. Using his speed to his advantage, going for his vintage suicide dives to the outside, he managed to hit Joe when Wyatt pulled him into harm’s way. He followed up this strategic move with a Sister Abigail to Rollins, but Joe was able to break up the pin. Angered at the betrayal, he took the fight to the Eater of Worlds.

Once Joe and Wyatt damaged one another, Balor was able to strike again and level everyone. Bouncing Wyatt’s head repeatedly on the announce table, he decides to go for a dive. Joe cuts him off with his submission finisher, hoping to end his momentum. However, they got too close to the barricade, and Reigns delivered a double spear which sent all three of them crashing through it. Rollins wanted in on the action too, so he delivered a frog splash on a prone Wyatt, which sent both men crashing through the announce table.

As the only two men left standing, Reigns and Rollins continued the action. Following a frog splash by the Architect, it appeared that he hurt his ankle. Despite this, he attempted a phoenix splash, which Reigns ended up dodging. Nailing a spear on a recovered Wyatt, Reigns continued the assault with two superman punches to Rollins and Balor. The Demon King was able to fight back though, hitting the infamous Coup De Grace.

Just when he went for the cover, Balor was caught in Joe’s submission finisher. Unwilling to submit, he passed out to the hold, giving Joe the win.

Winner and NEW number one contender: Samoa Joe

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By giving Joe the surprise victory, WWE has actually managed to create a rather enticing match. This upcoming battle with Lesnar is going to be a power of two legit tough men, which could be rather promising. An established veteran, Joe may not leave Great Balls of Fire with the title, but he’s going to deliver one hell of a fight.