Credit: WWE.com

Headlined by the return of The Undertaker to pay-per-view, a Mixed Tag Team match for both the universal and Raw women's titles and the greatest threat to Kofi Kingston's WWE Championship reign to date, WWE's Extreme Rules pay-per-view promised a noteworthy night of sports entertainment.

Did it deliver?

Who left the annual gimmick-heavy event with championships intact, egos inflated and momentum on their sides?

Find out with this recap that provides analysis, grades and commentary for all of the evening's high-stakes matches.

Credit: WWE.com

Two of the most celebrated in-ring competitors of their generation took to the squared circle in front of a half-empty arena, kicking off the night's festivities as part of the Extreme Rules pre-show and leaving fans facepalming around the globe.

Finn Balor sought revenge after a brutal defeat at the hands of a more focused Shinsuke Nakamura. He started aggressively, taking the fight to The Artist from the opening bell. He brutalized Nakamura at ringside, sending him into the guardrail multiple times in an ode to the beating he endured five days earlier.

Nakamura grounded Balor, but the IC champion fought out and mounted a comeback. Nakamura cut it out with a sliding German suplex. Balor recovered and set the challenger up for a Coup de Grace, but Nakamura rolled out of the way. A knee to the back of the head and the Kinshasa from Nakamura earned him his first intercontinental title.

Result

Nakamura defeated Balor to win the IC title

Grade

B-

Analysis

First, there is no scenario on the planet where Balor and Nakamura should be competing in the opening match of the kickoff show in front of a nearly empty building. It is an insult to two world-class performers who could be plying their craft anywhere else.

This had nothing to do with Balor and was, instead, the culmination of Nakamura's story.

No longer saddled in a tag team or left to wallow in midcard mediocrity, he has rediscovered his passion, refocused himself and now holds his first intercontinental title.

It was a solid enough match but lacked heat because they couldn't feed off the audience. 

Credit: WWE.com

The intense rivalry between Drew Gulak and Tony Nese drove an early tussle between champion and challenger.

Gulak earned the early advantage, dropping Nese with a wicked clothesline from the ring apron. His control was short-lived, though, as Nese turned the tide in his favor and dominated the majority of the bout. He delivered a German suplex into the corner, a springboard moonsault and 450 splash but was unable to put the champion away and regain his title.

Gulak ultimately reversed an attempt at a sunset driver by Nese into a powerbomb for a near-fall and then put him away for the pinfall victory.

Result

Gulak defeated Nese

Grade

B

Analysis

This was interesting in that the champion essentially played tackling dummy for the majority of the match, selling Nese's offense and the idea that he may lose in his hometown. Given WWE's treatment of hometown competitors in years past, it was a fake-out that worked.

Gulak, though, sustained the offense and scored a win that will only serve to strengthen his title reign.

The question now is which Superstar the 205 Live bosses pick to challenge Gulak next. There is no obvious choice. 

Credit: WWE.com

The No Holds Barred match marking the return of Undertaker to pay-per-view kicked off Extreme Rules as Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre looked to put away The Dead Man and Roman Reigns at the top of the broadcast.

They nearly succeeded.

Elias appeared midway through the match, blasting Undertaker with a guitar and preventing a powerbomb to McMahon through the announce table. Instead, the heels ganged up on The Deadman, and McMahon drove him through the same table with an elbow drop from the top rope.

Coast-to-Coast followed, but The Deadman sat up before a pinfall could be rendered and obliterated Shane-O-Mac with a chokeslam. He delivered a second to Elias. Just as it appeared as though McIntyre was set up to deliver a Claymore kick to the legendary Superstar, Reigns exploded from out of nowhere with a spear.

A Tombstone to McMahon followed, and the babyfaces scored a decisive victory.

Result

Undertaker and Reigns defeated McMahon and McIntyre

Grade

B+

Analysis

This was exactly what it needed to be.

McMahon, McIntyre and Elias appeared to have the win in hand before Undertaker and Reigns summoned the resiliency that makes them former champions and put the opposition away. Best of all? It was the overexposed McMahon who ate the pinfall and, hopefully, was officially written off the show.

Kudos to the Philly crowd for warmly welcoming Undertaker back and treating Reigns like a babyface instead of booing him out of the building as they have in years past.

Credit: WWE.com

The Usos sought to dethrone The Revival early, keeping them off guard with their speed and agility, not to mention a double plancha.

The champions slowed things down, Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson taking turns working over Jey Uso. The crowd erupted into a "ref, you suck" chant after a missed tag, but the official would not miss another as Jimmy exploded into the match.

The action broke down, all four men coming and going from the squared circle.

At one point, Dawson and Wilder delivered a brilliant superplex/splash combo, but the pin was broken up by Jimmy, who soared in with a splash of his own. It resulted in a strong near-fall before Dawson made the save.

Late, Jey missed a blind tag, and The Revival put him away with Shatter Machine for the win.

Result

The Revival defeated The Usos

Grade

B-

Analysis

We keep waiting for these two teams, the two best in WWE over the last five years, to have a show-stealing classic. It has not happened yet, and after this opportunity on pay-per-view, one has to wonder if it will.

Sometimes, no matter how great workers are, they lack the in-ring chemistry to deliver up to expectations. While time will only tell if that is the case between The Usos and The Revival, this was yet another solid addition to their series but one that did nothing to generate any excitement for another high-profile match between the teams.

Which means we will probably have to sit through some contrived two-out-of-three falls match on Raw.

Credit: WWE.com

Cesaro came knocking, Aleister Black welcomed him in and the two Superstars clashed in the third match of the pay-per-view main show.

Black targeted the knee of his opponent, looking to take away The Swiss Cyborg's base. Cesaro answered, grounding Black and working him over. The Dark Destroyer was able to create separation with a springboard moonsault, but Cesaro popped him up into a nasty European uppercut.

Cesaro tried his own springboard, but Black caught him with a knee to the face. Cesaro recovered, applied the sharpshooter and transitioned into a crossface.

Frustration set in and Cesaro unloaded with uppercuts to Black. He pulled him in for a Neutralizer, but Black targeted the knee one last time and then caught Cesaro with Black Mass for the hard-fought pinfall win.

Result

Black defeated Cesaro

Grade

A

Analysis

If you want to get a guy over as a gutsy, cerebral performer, you let him take everything his opponent can throw at him and still have him come back to score the win. Black did just that, shaking off Cesaro's uppercuts to catch him with Black Mass from out of nowhere.

Like Randy Orton's RKO, Black's kick has the ability to be hit from out of nowhere, making it a finisher destined to get over with fans. Throw in his dark persona, undeniable presence and charisma, and you have a Superstar poised to be a major player for WWE in the months and years to come.

Hopefully, this is but the beginning for Black.

As for Cesaro, he is so good and so underappreciated by WWE management that it doesn't deserve him. May he one day get that long-awaited, more-than-deserved sustained push.

Credit: WWE.com

The numbers game was against SmackDown women's champion Bayley as she defended against Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross in a 2-on-1 Handicap match.

Bayley started hot, knowing the disadvantage she faced. Bliss, though, sent her face-first into the ring steps, earning the heels control of the bout.

Cross and Bliss took turns working over the champion, eager to end her reign atop the division. Bayley fought back, though, delivering a side suplex to create some separation. From there, she trapped Cross and Bliss in a double submission.

Bliss broke things up and Cross capitalize, delivering a tornado DDT for a near-fall. Bliss would scale the ropes and come off with Twisted Bliss, but Bayley got the knees up. She followed with a knee to the face of a flying Cross and finished the unhinged competitor off with a flying elbow to successfully retain her title.

Result

Bayley defeated Cross and Bliss

Grade

C

Analysis

This was a disappointingly basic handicap match that did nothing to advance the ongoing storyline between Bliss and Cross.

When Cross was pinned, losing the title opportunity for her, Bliss did nothing to strike out at the Scot. She embraced her, looking on unapprovingly at the successful champion. Considering how much time and energy went into strongly hinting that Bliss was manipulating Cross, one understandably assumed there would be some significant payoff.

That was not the case, and now there is no route WWE Creative can take to put Bliss and Cross back in title contention considering the fact that Bayley just convincingly beat them all by herself.

Credit: WWE.com

Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley engaged in a war of attrition that spilled into the stands, around the arena and left one the Last Man Standing.

Lashley blasted The Monster Among Men early with a spear that further damaged the previously injured spleen and pelvis of Strowman. From there, he beat him into the stands, up the stairs and into the concourse. It was there that Strowman countered a suplex and sent The All Mighty into a merchandise stand.

A second spear by Lashley sent his opponent crashing through the guardrail and put Strowman in jeopardy of defeat. The big man proved double-tough and resilient as he withstood the attack, shook off the considerable pain he was in and tossed Lashley into the international announce team.

From there, the action spilled into the camera side of the arena, where they battled several feet off the ground. Strowman gained the upper hand, hoisted Lashley onto his shoulder and delivered a powerslam all the way to the floor.

The Monster Among Men answered the referee's count and secured the victory.

Result

Strowman defeated Lashley

Grade

A+

Analysis

This was the best Bobby Lashley we have seen since he returned to WWE last year. He showcased his athleticism, raw power and ruthless aggression as he controlled the match. He beat the hell out of Strowman, and when the time came, he bumped around for the big man.

While Strowman delivered the big spots, Lashley was the glue that held the match together. On a night promising extreme, this was a throwback to the routinely hardcore matches of the Attitude Era and delivered on said promise. 

Strowman won, but do not be surprised to see Lashley enjoy a push coming out of the show. He was that good, a revelation of sorts. Considering how long he has been around the industry, that may sound ridiculous, but that is an indication of how much he jumped off the screen in this one. 

Credit: WWE.com

The New Daniel Bryan and Rowan entered the night as SmackDown tag team champions, but to leave that way, they would have to fend off the challenge of New Day's Big E and Xavier Woods, as well as Heavy Machinery's Otis and Tucker, in a Triple Threat match.

Faced with the unenviable task of following Lashley vs. Strowman, the three teams delivered a high-impact match in which big men like Big E, Tucker and Otis flew through the air to wipe out the opposition. When that did not work, Heavy Machinery delivered the Compactor to Big E and would have won the titles if it not for Woods' last-second save.

A blind tag from Bryan preceded a Tower of Doom spot, but the former WWE champion was unable to secure the win on the surprise. Frustrated, Bryan unloaded with an insulting slap to Big E, who dared him to do it again.

Instead, Bryan ran the turnbuckles and tried for a moonsault. Big E caught him, tagged in Woods and together New Day delivered Midnight Hour to score the win and their sixth tag team title reign.

Result

New Day defeated Heavy Machinery and Bryan and Rowan to win the titles

Grade

B+

Analysis

Whereas Revival vs. Usos failed to live up to expectations, this one exceeded even the loftiest of them.

It was a fun, action-packed match that never gave fans the opportunity to rest. Heavy Machinery starred, looking every bit a team capable of winning the tag titles and running as credible champions. Otis, in particular, is a Superstar who will have a lengthy career as an athletic big man who can mesh humor with his incredible skill set.

Bryan held this one together, but it was Big E who stood out. He sold the offense of Heavy Machinery, and when the time came to fire up and put Bryan away, he did just that.

New Day winning the tag titles completes the set and allows the trio to hold gold at the same time.

At least for now.

Credit: WWE.com

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson accompanied AJ Styles to the ring for his United States Championship match against Ricochet. Before the bell sounded, The Good Brothers made their presence felt, attacking the champion and leaving him at a disadvantage right out of the gate.

Ricochet recovered and even wiped Gallows and Anderson out at ringside.

Back inside the squared circle, Ricochet and Styles exchanged counters and reversals, their raw athleticism and escapability making it difficult for either to maintain a sustained upper hand.

At one point, Styles dropped Ricochet with a fireman's carry neckbreaker across the knee and appeared to hurt himself. He brushed it off and tried for the Phenomenal Forearm. Ricochet dodged it, but Styles still put him down.

The One and Only countered the Styles Clash with a rollup for a near-fall. Champion and challenger engaged in an exchange of kicks before Ricochet downed his opponent and executed a beautiful Shooting Star Press. Anderson hopped on the apron and alerted the official to the fact that Styles' foot was under the rope, breaking the count.

Anderson interfered moments later and ate a kick for his trouble. The distraction allowed Gallows to interfere and Styles to recover, and then he delivered the Styles Clash from the middle rope. Three seconds later, Styles was the new champion.

Result

Styles defeated Ricochet to win the title

Grade

B-

Analysis

Styles felt a step slow here, like he may not be fully healthy. As a result, this was good but never became the extraordinary contest fans would hope out of the competitors.

Gallows and Anderson interfering was to be expected, and as WWE Creative tells the story of The Club, it makes sense they would be instrumental in Styles winning the title. The question now is whether Ricochet will find any backup as he seeks to regain the title stolen from him.

Credit: WWE.com

When the bell rang, Dolph Ziggler talked trash to Kevin Owens.

He followed with a slap, and Owens answered with a stunner. Three seconds later, the match was over.

Owens, apparently not paid by the hour, cut another version of his pipebomb promo from Tuesday night to a thunderous ovation.

Result

Owens defeated Ziggler

Grade

D

Analysis

Unless the goal was to bury Ziggler, this was likely cut short due to time constraints.

The crowd reacted favorably to Owens, greeting him with a loud pop as he entered and exited the arena, suggesting it is ready to accept KO in the role of loudmouth antihero.

Considering the alternatives, it is a role he should embrace and WWE management should be eager to present.

Credit: WWE.com

Kofi Kingston faced the toughest threat to his reign as WWE champion at Extreme Rules as he defended against Samoa Joe.

The Samoan Submission Machine brutalized Kingston early, grounding him and cutting him off at every turn. Still infuriated by the lack of respect shown him when Kingston flipped him the bird two weeks ago, Joe took the champion to the floor, put his finger in the ring steps and stomped it. Kingston screamed in pain, his title in jeopardy.

Kingston mounted a comeback, but Joe cut him off. He applied the Coquina Clutch, transitioned into a uranage slam and flattened him with a senton for two.

Joe looked to continue his onslaught, but Kingston ducked out of the way, rebounded off the ropes and delivered Trouble in Paradise from out of nowhere for the win.

Result

Kingston defeated Joe

Grade

C+

Analysis

The layout of the match was mindbogglingly basic, with no fire or explosion from either Superstar.

Joe was methodical and cunning, and Kingston bumped around the ring, but that did not at all make for a better match. Yes, the finger spot was a nice play of events that preceded the match, but it did not go anywhere. It was an afterthought in the closing moments of the match, which came quickly and without any build.

The latest title defense by Kingston had the potential to be rife with storytelling. Instead, it was just a match. That's disappointing given the fact that Joe may never get back to this point again and Kingston still needs that one great championship match to define his reign.

Credit: WWE.com

The main event of the evening saw Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins defend their Raw women's and universal titles against Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans in an Extreme Rules Mixed Tag Team match.

Rollins and Lynch introduced weapons to the fray—first kendo sticks, then chairs—but soon fell prey to them. They were forced to fight from underneath to retain their gold and continue their run at the forefront of the WWE Universe.

They did just that, delivering a nasty double suplex to Corbin and Evans that drove the heels back-first into the steel entrance ramp. From there, The Man dropped a leg on Evans, driving her through a table, and Rollins executed a frog splash to The Lone Wolf, through another table.

The most shocking moment of the contest occurred when Corbin delivered End of Days to Lynch, sparking a rage and fire in Rollins that ended with The Architect unloading on the former Raw GM with chair shots and kendo stick shots.

Three stomps later, Rollins and Lynch retained their respective titles.

Until Brock Lesnar showed up.

The Beast paid off Paul Heyman's "spoiler" by showing up, obliterating Rollins and successfully cashing in Money in the Bank to win the universal title. Lesnar celebrated to close out the show.

Result

Rollins and Lynch defeated Corbin and Evans; Lesnar cashed in to win the universal title

Grade

A+

Analysis

Lesnar is a spoiled, entitled diva who would resort to showing up when he wants, cashing in a briefcase and doing the least amount of work possible to regain the universal title. His Money in the Bank win worked for that reason, and his cash-in here did as well.

That he appeared moments after Rollins expended the amount of energy he did taking out fury on Corbin for The Lone Wolf's attack on Lynch only made it that much more effective. Corbin is now even more unlikable, The Man is out of the equation, and Lesnar can easily capitalize on the situation and win back the title he lost to Rollins at WrestleMania.

Looking forward, the question becomes whether WWE headlines SummerSlam on August 11 with Rollins vs. Lesnar or if the writing team comes up with obstacles for The Beastslayer to overcome in his quest back to the title.

And what role will Lynch play after essentially promising she would not lose Rollins' title for him and then indirectly doing just that?

The possibilities are endless. With Heyman heading up the flagship as new Executive Director, one can only hope he capitalizes on the potential and delivers a compelling product from here on out.