WWE Extreme Rules 2018: Live Review, Results, Highlights, and Grades

Photo Source: WWE.com

WWE Championship Match

AJ Styles (c) vs. Rusev

Result: AJ Styles defeated Rusev via pinfall

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

Much like the Reigns/Lashley match, the WWE Championship match felt like it started really slow. But there was one big difference: Reigns and Lashley were slow for the sake of being slow, with no real limb targeting or game plan. Styles and Rusev each focused on a particular body part to soften the other up for a possible submission finish.

Throughout the entire opening, Styles focused his attack on Rusev’s left leg — the target of his Calf Crusher. Makes sense for a few reasons: Rusev is much larger than Styles, so the odds of hitting a Styles Clash were low, plus wearing down the leg negates Rusev’s kicks.

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Rusev, on the other hand, worked the back — bear hugs, suplexes, and the like. Again, it’s perfect strategy, because the Accolade wrenches the back. If you want to make someone give up, you attack an injured body part.

And that strategy from both superstars really made the match. Once the initial feeling out/wearing down process was done, and the pace picked up, it was an easy pick for match of the night to this point.

Even better, all that work trying to set up body parts for submissions proved futile for both men, and they had to adjust on the fly. Rusev sucked up the pain for a couple of Machka Kicks, and Styles won via springboard 450 and Phenomenal Forearm.

A-plus effort all around leads to great matches.