WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan def. Kane (Extreme Rules Match)
It was all Kane from the get-go with Bryan occasionally rallying - a top rope Frankensteiner here, a suicide dive there - only to have his legs cut out from under him repeatedly by his onetime ally. The Demon took slow pleasure in assaulting the champion, slamming him onto steel chairs and smashing him with a kendo stick with sadistic glee. At times, it seemed as though Kane wasn't so much interested in winning the WWE World Heavyweight Title as he was in brutalizing Bryan.
Of course, quit is not a word in the autocorrect of the "Yes!" Man's cell phone, so he fought back every time he found an opportunity. He slammed into his opponent with a suicide dive and blistered him with the top of the announce table. The champion even fought off an attempted chokeslam through the announce table and countered with a tornado DDT on the arena floor, but nothing Bryan did could stop The Demon. Kane hadn't seemed this indestructible since he first emerged in WWE to terrorize his brother, The Undertaker.
When The Demon attempted to Tombstone Bryan on the steel steps again, Bryan fought him off and began to blister him with a kendo stick as the WWE Universe chanted "Yes!" with every swing. The brawl spilled into the bowels of the IZOD Center with Kane pinballing Bryan against the jagged edges of tables and into the unforgiving frames of parked cars. It was here that the WWE World Heavyweight Champion got his hands on a tire iron, which he used to knock The Demon out cold!
Now tasked with moving the motionless body of a 300-pound monster, Bryan ingeniously moved his opponent onto the front of a forklift, then drove the machine back into the arena and toward the ring. After expertly dumping Kane onto the canvas , WWE's "Yes!" Man climbed on top of the forklift and launched himself onto his fallen challenger with a blistering head butt.
Kane kicked out, but the exhilaration of the maneuver inspired something in Bryan. He threw himself at the big man with scary intensity, but Kane snatched him out of the air and chokeslammed him to the mat. Bryan powered out of the pin attempt and avoided another Tombstone before obliterating The Demon with 10 chair shots and applying a "Yes!" Lock with the aided pressure of a kendo stick.
As the battle went down the wire, the Demon escaped the hold and ended up on the outside of the ring where he again grabbed Bryan in midair and chokeslammed him through the announce table. At this point, Kane pulled a second table out from under the ring, covered it in gasoline and set the table on fire. It's horrifying to think what might have happened had The Demon succeeded in depositing the champion onto the searing flames, but Kane's plan failed. Bryan managed to fend the monster off and send him falling backwards off the apron into the inferno.
Divas Champion Paige def. Tamina Snuka
The Divas Champion began the highly-anticipated contest with a flurry of high impact maneuvers to her intimidating challenger, but it didn't take long for AJ's former bodyguard to take control of the bout. The No. 1 contender continued to control the contest using her size and strength, delivering one dominating move after another.
The youngest Divas Champion ever was not about to give in; however, as the tenacious titleholder mounted a gritty comeback, trading blows with her much larger opponent. In the end, the Divas Champion's intense, in-your-face in-ring attack proved to be more than her formidable foe could handle. When the opportunity presented itself, Paige locked in her trademark modified Scorpion Crosslock submission, forcing Tamina to tap.
Bray Wyatt def. John Cena (Steel Cage Match)
After a huge bulldog from the top rope, Cena again climbed to the top, only to be met by Harper. This time, though, Cena brought Harper inside the structure with him, dumping the behemoth down onto the canvas beside Bray. Rowan again turned Cena back, and Wyatt took full advantage. The former WWE Champion was able to reverse an attempted Sister Abigail into an excruciating STF, but Wyatt broke the hold. Now locked inside with both Wyatt and Harper, Cena's uphill battle grew steeper.
Even a stunning AA off the top rope to Wyatt was rendered for naught, as Harper broke up the attempted three-count. With monsters both inside and out, Cena and Rowan met at the top of the cage, where Cena incapacitated the giant before putting Harper down, as well.
Then, with all three Wyatt Family members lying prone, Cena had not only victory in sight, but the opportunity to literally leave the Wyatts - and their twisted message - inside the steel cage. Just as he climbed through the ropes and out the door, though, the lights in the IZOD Center cut out and a child appeared at ringside, disturbingly singing Bray Wyatt's twisted hymn over the sound system in an eerily distorted voice.
A stunned Cena stepped back through the ropes and into the ring, where he was met with a prompt and devastating Sister Abigail by Wyatt, who proceeded to climb through the ropes and down the steps to the ringside floor - and to a haunting victory.
While it can be said that, even in defeat, Cena stayed true to himself - and to the remaining members of the Cenation - Wyatt's sway over the masses only grew over the course of this battle of good vs. evil and the image of The Wyatt Family, walking hand-in-hand with a cloaked child, will remain in the collective psyche of the WWE Universe for a long, long time.
The Shield def. Evolution
In this match, all hell broke loose.
As the match's legal competitors, Reigns and Batista, struggled to get to their feet inside the ring, the other four combatants embarked on a wild free-for-all that spilled out of the ring and, eventually, into the WWE Universe. All the while, a loud "This is awesome!" chant took over the arena.
Ambrose ran the length of both announce tables and leapt onto Triple H and Orton. Within minutes, Orton rebounded and sent the unstable Shield member flying down a flight of stairs. As The King of Kings and WWE's Apex Predator worked over Ambrose hundreds of feet away from ringside, the collective jaw of WWE fans dropped as Rollins came flying down with an incredible cross body block off the balcony!
Back inside the ring, Batista dropped Reigns with a spinebuster and prepared for the Batista Bomb. But The Shield's Punisher - perhaps mindful of this year's Royal Rumble Match, which The Animal won after eliminating Reigns - shoved off Batista, recoiled and launched into a Superman Punch. A bone-rattling Spear later, and The Shield cemented their status as WWE"s new torchbearers.
Bad News Barrett def. Big E to become the new Intercontinental Champion
After besting a number of WWE's finest in a tournament to determine the No. 1 contender to the Intercontinental Championship, Bad News Barrett backed up all of his talk, defeating the massive Big E at Extreme Rules and claiming the prestigious title for the fourth time.
One of the top brawlers in recent WWE history, Barrett defeated former World Champions Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus and Rob Van Dam to earn the opportunity against Big E at Extreme Rules. After delivering his trademark "bad news" oratory, Barrett riled up the rowdy New Jersey crowd - some of whom rallied around the British Superstar.
As the bout got underway, it was obvious that Barrett and Big E's different styles would lead to a competitive matchup worthy of a championship held by WWE Hall of Famers like "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig and Ultimate Warrior. The power and agility of the monstrous Intercontinental Champion was matched by the unorthodox, pure brawling repertoire of Bad News Barrett.
The resiliency of both Superstars was also on display as momentum shifted back and forth. Barrett and Big E traded counters as the action even spilled to the outside. Most impressive from both competitors was their ability to remain in the fight and either counter or kick out from pinfalls following their respective signature maneuvers.
Highlighting the importance of the Intercontinental Championship, the battle raged with the WWE Universe on the edge of its collective seat. Late in the contest, Big E ducked the challenger's Bad News Bull Hammer Elbow, only to be caught by the devastating elbow as Barrett rebounded off the ropes.
For Big E, it truly was bad news as Barrett immediately secured the pinfall for the championship victory. Barrett's victory was certainly good news for him, but the question remains: How long can he deliver the news in his favor?
Alexander Rusev def. R-Truth & Xavier Woods (2-on-1 Handicap Match)
Rusev's explosive agility proved to be the difference in the contest. After a series of counters, both Superstars hit the ropes and ran across the ring, only for the Bulgarian Brute to launch himself skyward and impale Truth with a high leg to the skull. Lana gave Rusev the one-word command to "crush" and that was all the Ravishing Russian wrote. R-Truth tapped out mere seconds after Rusev's Accolade was applied.
The European duo was not finished administering carnage. Lana gave Rusev another order outside the ring while Woods was being attended to by WWE medical personal, hitting the felled Superstar with a bone-rattling Samoan Drop. Somewhere in Moscow, President Putin is smiling.
Cesaro def. Rob Van Dam and Jack Swagger - Triple Threat Elimination Match
With all three Superstars well-versed in the extreme, the brutality quickly spread both inside and outside the ring. However, moments after Cesaro displayed his renowned super-strength by suplexing Jack Swagger into the ring while perched on the second turnbuckle, RVD closed out The Real American with the Five-Star Frog Splash, sending both him and his mentor, Zeb Colter, back to the showers.
The action continued with one jaw-dropping maneuver after another, testing the determination of both competitors. While RVD introduced the trash can, Cesaro quickly kicked it back at him. The weapon then helped switch momentum back and forth. But when the King of Extreme tried to deliver his second Five-Star Frog Splash of the night with the trash can on his adversary's chest, Cesaro moved at the last second, then hit RVD with the Neutralizer onto the metal implement for the three-count.
Cesaro scored a strong victory equal to his power at Extreme Rules. What's up next for the Swiss Superman? Find out on Monday Night Raw.
El Torito def. Hornswoggle ('WeeLC' Kickoff Match)
While 3MB and Los Matadores neutralized each other at ringside, Hornswoggle regained control bybattering El Torito and laying him out on the miniature announcers' table. The leprechaun risked life and little limb with a daring elbow drop off the ring apron and through the table.
After emerging from the pint-sized wreckage, Torito had enough awareness to avoid a chairshot that sent Heath Slater hurtling through a stack of miniature tables. The tiny bull also prevented Mahal and Drew McIntyre from meddling any more, sending them crashing through undersized ladders and tables at ringside.
Torito saw Hornswoggle standing in front of a miniature table inside the ring and leapt into action. Seeing red, the bull springboarded from the top rope onto his foe, sending him through the table. The crushing blow was exactly what El Torito needed to earn the three count and etch his name into WWE history by winning the first WeeLC Match.
