WWE Extreme Rules: Superstar Returns And Title Changes Hands

Shinsuke Nakamura wins the United States Championship in his match against Jeff Hardy

After failing to capture the WWE Championship, Shinsuke Nakamura set his sights on Jeff Hardy and his United States Championship. Following a war of words and actions, a match was made for Extreme Rules.

At Extreme Rules, the result of this match was, well, shocking. Before the match even started, Shinsuke hit Jeff with his patented low blow from behind.

Because the ref didn’t see and the bell didn’t ring yet, there was no disqualification.

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1018647218536869888

Despite getting hit low, Jeff Hardy isn’t one to quit, so he claimed he was still willing to compete despite being visibly hurt and shaken up. As soon as the bell rang, Shinsuke ran to Jeff Hardy full steam ahead and hit him with a brutal Kinsasha.

Jeff Hardy was out after that knee strike, and seconds later, Shinsuke Nakamura won the match to become the new United States Champion. This dominant and quick match left the audience shocked and stunned, but the events that unfolded after the match were what was really surprising.

Before Shinsuke could celebrate his first title victory on the main roster, Randy Orton’s music hit, and he finally returned to WWE programming after months away due to injury. Many assumed he was here to stake his claim for the United States Championship and challenge Shinsuke, but his motivations were something entirely different.

Instead of targeting Shinsuke, Orton had his eyes on the fallen and hurt Jeff Hardy. Orton dragged Hardy to the center of the ring, gave Hardy a swift kick to the nether regions, and then left. It appears that Orton has turned heel at Extreme Rules, and he may have good reason for it.

Let’s not forget the Superstar Shakeup when Jeff Hardy, new United States Champion, debuted on SmackDown Live. Who did Hardy upstage for his debut? None other than Randy Orton. Orton answered a challenge from Shelton Benjamin only for Jeff Hardy’s music to hit, and Hardy walked right by him to answer the challenge instead.

Perhaps Randy Orton never got over the fact that Hardy tried to cut in line and steal his shine on SmackDown Live. Or, perhaps the thoughts of the Viper are far more sinister than that. After all, he is the only one that can hear the voices in his head.

Next: Extreme Rules Review

Regardless of his motive, heel Randy Orton is BACK, and we have a NEW United States Champion in Shinsuke Nakamura. So, it looks like it’s still a good time to be a wrestling fan!