Mirror Sport's WWE column is back and if this year has taught us anything, it’s that there is never a dull moment within the world’s most famous wrestling promotion. Following the success of WWE’s UK stadium show in 30 years, Clash at the Castle, earlier this month, the company are pulling out all the stops for Extreme Rules.
Finn Balor, a member of the villainous faction The Judgement Day, previously spoke of his desire to compete against WWE Hall of Famer Edge in a singles match. “Oh, I hope so, yeah I hope so [If we’re heading into Balor vs. Edge. So, like, from a personal standpoint, when Edge retired, I was, you know, disappointed at the fact that you know, that match will never happen,” he told Inside the Ropes earlier this month.
“When he returned, you know, Royal Rumble a couple years ago, kind of like that spark was kind of reignited.” Balor competed against Edge in a tag-team match at Clash at the Castle, which involved Rey Mysterio and Damian Priest, but he’s never faced the Rated R Superstar one on one. Balor concluded by remaining optimistic about having a singles showdown with the multi-time world champion.
“But we’ve had a couple interactions with run ins and stuff like that,” the Irishman added. “But yeah, hopefully we can get to that singles match with Edge, that’s something that I’m dying for.” This past Monday on Raw, the 41-year-old got his wish as Edge made his first appearance two weeks after he was brutally attacked following his bout with Dominik Mysterio.
After Matt Riddle scored a win over Priest on Monday, the entire Judgement Day attacked Riddle after the bell rang. This prompted the Canadian to sprint to the ring and spear Priest and Balor. He said that even if it took nine years, he never quit and always came back.
He then challenged Balor to an 'I Quit' match for Extreme Rules on October 8, and it was made official shortly after. This will mark the first men’s 'I Quit' match to take place in WWE since Roman Reigns’ brutal encounter with Jey Uso inside Hell in a Cell in October 2020.
The rest of the match card has started to come together, as Seth Rollins ’ intense feud with Riddle continues. They are set to compete in a ‘Fight Pit’ match. This match will see the ring surrounded by cage match-like walls, and there is also a balcony/platform on top of the walls that the competitors can walk around on. In keeping with the idea of this being an MMA-styled concept, competitors can only win via a knockout or submission.
Riddle, a former MMA competitor, competed in the first ever Fight Pit match against Timothy Thatcher on WWE NXT back in 2020. He will feel very much at home in those surroundings, while Rollins will participate in a match of this kind for the first time. Elsewhere, this Monday’s Raw confirmed Bianca Belair will defend her Raw Women’s title against Bayley in a ladder match, while over on SmackDown, Liv Morgan is set to face Ronda Rousey in an 'Extreme Rules' match for her coveted title.
Rounding out the matches to take place at the Wells Fargo Centre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania so far, will be the UK’s Drew McIntyre, still seething from his loss to Reigns in Cardiff, as he looks to vanquish Karion Cross, who has been a thorn in his side for weeks, in a strap match.
