Ringside - WWE Extreme Rules Results

WWE Extreme Rules was a mix bag of hits and misses for the Raw brand but at least they FINALLY settled who will face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship and hopefully bring the title back to the televised Raw shows. Let's dive right in ....
Intercontinental Championship Match
The Miz def Dean Ambrose (C)
Stipulation: If Ambrose is disqualified he will still lose his title.
The Miz and Ambrose were given the task to kick off Extreme Rules with a bang and set the tone for the night. Both superstars did not disappoint as they tried their best to put the other competitor away. Near falls and quick pin attempts by Miz and Ambrose kept the crowd on the edge of their seats throughout the match but ultimately, it was Miz's shenanigans in his attempt to get Ambrose disqualified that quite literally stole the show and the IC championship.
PN: The Miz has got to be the dirtiest player in the game at the moment and with such a stipulation, was there any doubt the A-lister would once again hold the Intercontinental gold? Ambrose avoided disqualification multiple times but ultimately it was the lovely Maryse that played the biggest role. She distracted the referee John Cone long enough for Miz to push Ambrose into Cone, knocking the poor ref out of the ring. As Cone walked over to the timekeeper's table to disqualify Ambrose, Miz struck with a Skull Crushing Finale on a distracted Ambrose to get the pin. The next edition of RAW is going to be AWESOME!
AP: Not much of a convincing win for the Awesome One given that Maryse always play a major role in helping him to win titles. Hope that his title reign will be a short one as can't really stand him and his non-stop bragging.
AS: Well, well, well, seven Intercontinental title and counting for The Miz. A title that only looked right on him. It was just meant to be.
Sasha Banks & Rich Swann def Alicia Fox & Noam Dar
Stipulation: Mixed Tag Match
AP: Really have no idea why this match is PPV material.
AS: Why was this match even on the main cards again? With this win though, expect the Banks and Swann couple to stay together a little while longer and perhaps even have a rivalry with The Miz and Maryse soon.
PN: A filler match sneaked in at the last minute. Nothing much to say here other than how cute Banks and Swann looked dancing together.
Raw Women's Championship
Alexa Bliss (C) def Bayley
Stipulation: Kendo Stick on a Pole Match
AS: Such a disappointing match, this. Just when you thought the match was starting, it ended. This will definitely be the end of the road for Bayley, in terms of championship matches.
PN: Perhaps the weakest match of the night. I had no idea what the WWE hoped to achieve with this match. To add insult to injury (on the viewers) the match ended abruptly.
AP: As expected Bayley is just too soft and unable to unleash her extreme side which led to her losing perhaps her final chance to take the title away from the Wicked Witch Alexa Bliss.

Raw Tag Team Championship
Cesaro & Sheamus def The Hardy Boyz (C)
Stipulation: Steel Cage
PN: One of the better matches of the night. It's good to see a steel cage match end with a clean win rather than the 'whose feet touched the outside first' drama that is typical with cage matches. Overall a very good performance from both teams. I expect this rivalry to culminate with a TLC match somewhere down the line.
AP: Really a shocker to see Cesaro & Sheamus dethroning The Hardy Boyz who are known for their extreme side. But kudos to both of them for the great match. Hopefully there will be something better next when the The Hardyz invoke their rematch clause.
AS: I did not see this coming! Come to think of it, the cage is just made for the high-flying Hardyz. But we all knew their stay in Raw would come to an end, just like the brief cameo by the Dudleys last year.
Cruiserweight Championship
Neville (C) def Austin Aries
Stipulation: Submission Match
AP: Third time is not the charm for A-Double after all as he falls short once again to win the Cruiserweight title from Neville. Hopefully, this will really be the last time the two of them go up against each other.
AS: The end of the road for Aries perhaps? He's had his fair share of chances against Neville, and has failed yet again. Maybe, just maybe, one last title match between them? Hope not.
PN: The best match of Extreme Rules by far. I had my money on Aries finally winning the Cruiserweight belt but alas, that was not to be. Kudos to both superstars for putting on an EXREMEly good match.
Number One Contender Match for the Universal Title
Samoa Joe def Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt & Finn Balor
Stipulation: Extreme Rules Fatal 5-Way
PN: 5 men beating the hell out of each other ... what is there not to like? I've said it before, they need someone who looks capable of taking the Universal Championship away from The Beast and Samoa Joe certainly fits the bill. I expect another twist in the coming weeks where Finn Balor or Roman will be inserted into the match to make it a triple threat match. This way, Lesnar can drop the belt and go on vacation until the next big PPV.
AS: Predicted just that, and Joe rightly delivered. At least we now have an actual competitor for Brock Lesnar. I can even see him taking the title away, seeing that Lesnar is just a part-timer in the WWE.
AP: The certainly lived up to expectation. Though bit sad that Finn Balor was not able to win the match, at least there is finally someone on the cards to take the title away from Brock in the next PPV