WWE Extreme Rules 2018 results: Lashley upends Reigns, Kevin Owens takes scary fall

Brian Fritz

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WWE Extreme Rules 2018 results: Lashley upends Reigns, Kevin Owens takes scary fall image

Bobby Lashley scored a big and somewhat surprising win over Roman Reigns at WWE Extreme Rules 2018 but that wasn't the only one on the show.

There were plenty of surprises and tricks throughout the night from nine falls in a 30-minute Iron Man match to the B-Team becoming tag team champions and a Pittsburgh crowd that many times decided to entertain itself than leaving that to the action in the ring.

MORE: Who would be selected in a fantasy G1 Climax-style tournament?

When it was all over only one championship changed hands, Ronda Rousey decided to get involved from her front row seat, and there was the return of a former WWE Champion. And let's not forget about James Ellsworth hanging upside down from a shark cage. And let's definitely not forget about Kevin Owens being thrown off the top of a cage through the announcers table. 

Maybe the best way to describe the show was strange as it got weirder as the night went on. Sporting News had all the WWE Extreme Rules 2018 coverage you needed with a live blog that you can check out below.

WWE Extreme Rules 2018 live updates

Dolph Ziggler beats Seth Rollins in a 30-minute Iron Man match for the Intercontinental Championship

10:40 p.m. FINISH: Well, that didn't take long. The match restarts and McIntyre comes from the crowd and jumps on the apron but Rollins knocks him off with a big knee. Ziggler takes advantage of the moments and connects with a Zig Zag for the pin. Ziggler wins 5-4.

That was nothing like anyone thought it would be. Rather than letting those two talented wrestlers simply tear it up for 30 minutes, WWE decided to muck it with nine falls and interference. Between that and the crowd reaction, this was a bit of a mess rather than what could have been a classic.

10:37 p.m. Rollins is going for submission moves but Ziggler gets outside the ring. They go back inside and Ziggler catches Rollins with a Famouser but can't get the three count. Final seconds and Rollins hits a superkick and the stomp. He crawls over for the pin but the clock runs out with them tied 4-4. 

The ring announcer says that the match ends in a draw and Ziggler retain's the I-C title. Cue Kurt Angle as the "RAW" GM says that we're going to sudden death overtime with the next fall deciding the match.

10:35 p.m. FINISH: Rollins with a rollup and he scores the pin to tie this up with about three minutes to go. Rollins and Ziggler are tied 4-4.

10:33 p.m.: Time is starting to run out on Rollins as we're down to under five minutes remaining. He connects with a Falcon Arrow and Ziggler barely kicks out. 

10:31 p.m.: This...

10:29 p.m.: Oh no - the clock is back on the TitanTron and the crowd went crazy. Rollins went to the top rope but Ziggler connects with a drop kick to knock him to the floor. Rollins is out but gets back in the ring just before being counted out.

10:27 p.m.: There was a running clock on the stage but it has been taken down so the live crowd can't see it. That's hasn't stopped them for making up a countdown over and over going 5, 4, 3, 2,1 ... ehhhhh!!!!! Some crowds are just weird. Meanwhile...

10:22 p.m.: This has been so much different than anyone could have imagined. We've got about 16:30 and hopefully this match can get on track. FINISH: Nope! Ziggler covers Rollins and uses the ropes for leverage to get another pin. Ziggler leads 4-3.

10:18 p.m. FINISH: McIntyre stays on the attack and the ref finally sends to the back but doesn't give Rollins another fall. Ziggler has his wits and covers Rollins for the pin. Rollins lead 3-1. Then Ziggler with a superkick and another pin! Rollins leads 3-2. A minute later, Ziggler with the Zig Zag and we're back to even. Rollins and Ziggler tied at 3-3.

10:15 p.m. FINISH: It's been all Rollins so far and he hits the stomp and scores another pin. Rollins leads 2-0 And Drew McIntyre is so frustrated that he jumps in the ring and attacks Rollins so the referee gives Rollins another fall via disqualification. Rollins leads 3-0.

10:14 p.m.: Some quick news as WWE.com is reporting that Kane has a broken ankle.

10:12 p.m. FINISH: Rollins hits a bucklebomb and cradles Ziggler to score the first fall of the match at the 25:25 mark. That was quick. Rollins leads 1-0.

10:10 p.m.: Rollins going for a lot of pins earlier so Ziggler decides to slow things down and goes outside the ring. Meanwhile, Rollins is doing jumping jacks in the ring. Of course, he is.

10:06 p.m.: Yes, Drew McIntyre is ringside to "support" Ziggler. I wonder how long until the referee sends him to the pack. Well, if he doesn't get caught interfering he'll be fine. 

10:04 p.m.: Buckle up - this should be fun.

10:02 p.m.: One more match to close out the show. With Styles retaining the WWE Championship, I wonder who he will defend the title against at SummerSlam? Maybe it will be Daniel Bryan. Hmmm...

AJ Styles beats Rusev to retain the WWE Championship

9:58 p.m. FINISH: English was trying to distract Styles from outside the ring but Styles takes him out with a running kick and then finishes Rusev with a huge Phenomenal Forearm. A really good match and showing for Rusev although the crowd wasn't as jacked up for parts of the match as you would think.

9:56 p.m.: Rusev looks to put away the champ with the Accolade but his injured leg won't let him put the move on so he only gets it on halfway but can't do enough damage. English removes the top turnbuckle but it backfires and Rusev hits it. Styles with a 450 splash but Rusev kicks out. This is really heating up.

9:53 p.m.: Styles has Rusev in the Calf Crusher and Aiden English pushes the bottom rope to make it easier for his guy to break the hold. Styles chases after English outside the ring but there's Rusev with a big suplex. He hits the Machka kick in the ring but Styles barely survives.

9:50 p.m.: Nice sequence as Styles went for the 450 splash but rolled through, then got caught with a boot to the face. Styles with a reversal into the Calf Crusher but Rusev almost turns it into the Accolade. Styles comes off the ropes going for a big forearm but Rusev catches him with a kick to the head. 

9:46 p.m.: Styles is working on Rusev's left leg and just kicked it out from under him while the "Bulgarian Brute: was on the top rope and he took a spill to the floor. Styles follows that up with a big crossbody.

9:40 p.m.: This man is ready!

9:37 p.m.: Believe it or not, this is Rusev's first one-on-one match for the WWE world championship. How is this possible?

9:33 p.m.: So far, this has been a solid show with some twists and turns on storylines. We've got two matches to go and this could end on a really strong note. Next up is the WWE Championship match so the 30-minute Iron Man match is closing out the show. That's probably a smart decision since it should be the best match on the show. 

Alexa Bliss defeats Nia Jax in an Extreme Rules match to remain the "RAW" Women's Champion

9:31 p.m. FINISH: Rousey beats the hell out of James and then goes after Bliss who tries to escape over the barricade. Rousey gets her hands on her but James returns with a kendo stick and she nails Ronda in the back. Bliss and James go back in the ring and the champ finishes Jax with a DDT on a chair. There was a lot going on which definitely helped the match and the crowd was very much into Rousey.

9:27 p.m.: Nia Jax misses Alexa in the corner and hits a chair and trash can hard. Mickie James is on the apron handing Alexa weapons and Natalya tries to stop her but gets laid out. And Ronda can't stand for this anymore!

9:24 p.m.: Witness the power!

9:23 p.m.: We've got weapons! Alexa Bliss immediately tries to use weapons but Nia is grabbing each one and tossing it in the ring. Remember, this is an Extreme Rules match so anything goes. Now, we've got chairs, trash cans, and a kendo stick in the ring.

9:20 p.m.: Nia did not come to the ring alone as Natalya is out there with her while Mickie James came out with the champ. And don't forget about this person...

9:18 p.m.: We'll see where the storyline goes but it is something that after all this time, WWE did not have Reigns win and went with Lashley. This could be a shift in direction but who knows what will happen at "RAW" on Monday night and at SummerSlam. 

Bobby Lashley defeats Roman Reigns

9:13 p.m. FINISH: Back in the ring, Lashley is up on the top rope but Reigns catches him with a Superman punch. He goes to finish him off with a spear but it's Lashley who connects with the spear and scores the win. Good match especially in the last few minutes with the big moves and reversals. Now we just need to get Brock Lesnar back to defend the Universal Championship against him.

9:11 p.m.: Outside the ring, Reigns charges at Lashley who catches him with a big suplex.

9:09 p.m.: Lashley connects with a huge suplex but Reigns kicks out at two. Lashley is setting him up for a spear but Reigns connects with a picture-perfect Superman punch. He makes the cover but Lashley kicks out at the last second. The crowd is slowly getting back in this match. 

9:06 p.m.: Reigns had Lashley up on his shoulders and just dumped him over the top rope to the floor for a nasty spill. That looked really painful.

9:03 p.m.: These guys are working hard but the crowd does not care and has been amusing itself with various chants including "Rusev Day" and "boring". The life has been sucked out of the crowd. 

9:00 p.m.: WWE has an important question for everyone...

8:56 p.m.: This match is only about 30 seconds old and the crowd is already booing. Reigns got his typical reception of boos on his way out to the ring too.

8:50 p.m.: Well, how about that? This match is not going last. That means either the WWE Championship match or the Iron Man match will close out the show. I approve of either.

The Bludgeon Brothers beat Team Hell No to retain the "SmackDown" Tag Team Championships

8:47 p.m. FINISH: Kane hits some chokeslams but there's only so much he can do on one foot. Bryan connects with some "YES!" kicks but the Bludgeon Brothers take control and powerslam him off the top rope for the win. Good match despite having to work around Kane's injury.

8:44 p.m.: Bryan could use some help and here comes Kane! And he's in a walking boot but his buddy needs help.

8:42 p.m.: Here comes Bryan again!

8:40 p.m.: Bryan was a ball of fire for a few minutes but the Bludgeons take control including Bryan laying outside the ring and Rowan scooping up Harper and slamming him on Bryan. Ouch.

8:36 p.m.: Daniel Bryan is going it alone in this one with Kane taken out earlier in the show. Can he at least find a 10-year-old in the crowd to team with?

8:32 p.m.: Some potential breaking news...

8:28 p.m.: Here's another look at that fall. Owens has always been willing to take some big bumps but that is terrifying.

Kevin Owens beats Braun Strowman in a cage match

8:24 p.m. FINISH: Owens has handcuffs and cuffs Strowman to the cage by the door. He's dishing out some retribution but Strowman stops him in his tracks and chokeslams him. But Owens gets up and starts to climb up the cage so Strowman breaks free. The two meet at the top of the cage where Strowman THROWS HIM OFF THE TOP THROUGH THE ANNOUNCER'S TABLE! Owens wins because his foot hit the floor first but Strowman is the only one walking out as Owens is leaving on a stretcher. 

8:20 p.m.: Strowman is pummeling Owens but then KO hits a Stone Cold Stunner and Strowman is down. Owens is trying to crawl out through the door but Strowman stops him and slams the door shut ... on his face.

8:17 p.m.: Well, Owens is fighting. He gets Strowman down and hits a frog splash but Strowman kicks out at one. And now he's mad. And KO looks scared. I can't blame him.

8:14 p.m.: The bells rings and Owens immediately goes to climb the cage but Strowman stops him. Braun is now yelling at Owens to fight him and is calling him a coward. Sure, he can call him that but can win the match by escaping it first. So can you blame him for trying to get out?

8:06 p.m.: Now, Randy Orton comes out to a big pop as we haven't seen the Viper in a few months. Nakamura gets out the ring and Orton gets in and stares at him. But it's a swerve! Orton attacks Hardy and delivers a stomp right to his, er, nether region. Heel Randy Orton is back!

By the way, Hardy has been banged up with an arm injury which explains the quick match and the angle with Orton.

Shinsuke Nakamura beats Jeff Hardy for the United States Championship

8:01 p.m. FINISH: Even before the bell, Nakamura hits Hardy with a low blow behind the referee's back. Hardy is a gamer and the bell rings with Nakamura immediately connecting with Kinshasa for the win. Just like that, we've got a new champ!

7:58 p.m.: Looks like no Kane later tonight as he's legit injured according to PW Insider which explains the backstage beatdown by the Bludgeon Brothers.

Carmella beats Asuka for the "SmackDown" Women's Championship with James Ellsworth suspended over the ring in a shark cage

7:52 p.m. FINISH: The ring crew is trying to get Ellsworth unstuck from the cage but Asuka is beating all of them up. Carmella sneaks up from behind her and pushes Asuka face-first into the cage and gets the pin. Yep - more bells and whistles as the Princess of Staten Island keeps her title. Not good, just a bunch of hokey stuff there. After the match, Asuka is ticked and beats up Ellsworth some more. 

7:49 p.m.: Asuka hits Carmella with a suplex outside the ring and Ellsworth is free after he picked the lock on the shark cage. He tries to jump out but his clothes got stuck and he's hanging upside down from the cage and Asuka is kicking him over and over.

7:47 p.m.: Just like anyone who has ever had to go into the shark cage, Ellsworth didn't want to go in it but does. He's above the ring but he's really not too high. And apparently no one checked him for weapons since he pulled out a chain and tried to drop it down to Carmella and then another weapon but his efforts haven't worked so far.

7:41 p.m.: Remind me, why does WWE need a SHARK CAGE? Does Ellsworth have teeth like a great white? Wait, that dude might.

7:36 p.m.: Backstage, the Bludgeon Brothers are beating up Team Hell No! Daniel Bryan goes face-first into the wall and Kane gets smashed in the ankle with a mallet and is writing in pain. (Imagine Michael Cole's voice) The question is will Bryan and Kane be able to compete later tonight? Find out as Extreme Rules rolls on! 

Finn Balor beats Baron Corbin

7:33 p.m. FINISH: Balor again saw an opening and went to the top rope but Corbin knocked him off and then went for the End of Days but Finn with a small package and scores the pin. The lesson here — you can't keep a good, little guy down. Solid match with a simple premise.

7:31 p.m.: Finn gets a little offense in and went to the top rope for the Coup de Grace but Corbin grabbed him by the throat and then chokeslammed him across his knee but Balor kicks out. Then Corbin hits the Deep Six but again, Balor kicked out. He's a feisty little guy.

7:28 p.m.: It's all Corbin early on because, you know, he's a bigger, stronger guy. And he keeps saying that during the match.

7:25 p.m.: In case you were wondering, yes, the constable of "RAW" is wrestling in his street clothes although he did remove his vest.

7:22 p.m.: The "RAW" General Manager just said that he recently re-opened negotiations with Paul Heyman regarding Brock Lesnar's next opponent with Heyman saying that Brock isn't interested in defending the WWE Universal Championship anytime soon. Angle is not happy and issued an ultimatum: either come to Raw or come to terms to defend the title or Angle will strip him of the championship. About time.

The B-Team defeats Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt for the "RAW" Tag Team Championships

7:16 p.m: FINISH: We've got new champions! Hardy and Wyatt were about to finish off Dallas but Hardy got knocked into Wyatt who went crashing through the ropes to the floor and Dallas hitting Hardy with a draping neckbreaker for the win. Dreams do come true! Quite the celebration afterward and a post-win interview where they were asked how they feel and Axel exclaiming, "How does a rainbow feel? How did Stretch Armstrong feel when he landed on the moon?"

7:14 p.m: Hardy and Wyatt in control early but the B-Team have turned it around. The crowd is actually split with dueling chants. 

7:10 p.m.: Someone is excited to be in the front row. 

7:04 p.m.: Tag titles up for grabs to kick things off.

7:00 p.m.: Here we go with the main card of Extreme Rules! Check out my predictions at the bottom of the page but I already know one of them is wrong. That's because The Miz isn't at the show and is playing at the MLB Celebrity Softball game. 

6:58 p.m.: A really good video package for tonight's Roman Reigns - Bobby Lashley match. There's no question that match will be closing the show.

6:55 p.m.: RONDA ROUSEY UPDATE! She's in the building. Somehow, she scored front row tickets for tonight's show. She must know someone.

Sanity beats The New Day in a Tables match

6:51 p.m. FINISH: Woods was jockeying with Alexander Wolfe on the apron with a table just outside on the floor. Wolfe ended up holding Woods with Eric Young flying off the top rope and putting Woods through the table for the win. This is Sanity's first TV/PPV win since coming up to the WWE main roster. Another good match for the time given.

6:47 p.m.: Yeah, this match has been all over the place since the bell rung. Several teases of the table so far and some high flying with Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston with stereo somersault dives outside the ring. Then the big man Killian Dain followed that up with a big dive onto them. 

6:41 p.m.: Match time again. The rules are simple — put one member of the opposing team through a table and you win. Let's see if this gets wild since it's all six members of these two teams. 

6:39 p.m.: Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre have joined the broadcast table and are pretty confident about the Iron Man match later tonight with Seth Rollins. Not exactly a surprise that Ziggler is acting cocky. 

6:28 p.m.: Question time with Shinsuke Nakamura who was backstage. The entire time, Nakamura acted like he couldn't hear them and had a "bad connection" so he barely said anything other than he was going to take Jeff Hardy's title. Hell Shinsuke getting the best of the broadcast table.

Andrade "Cien" Almas defeats Sin Cara

6:24 p.m. FINISH: Sin Cara connects with a frog splash but while he makes the cover, the referee is distracted by Zelina Vega starts screaming from the apron. Almas takes advantage, hits the double knees in the corner and finishes him off with the hammerlock DDT. Good, short match between the two.

6:20 p.m.: Lucha action!

6:16 p.m.: First match of the night up already. These two squared off Tuesday on "SmackDown" in a really good match with Almas scoring a win despite Sin Cara on offense for most of it. We'll see if that's different this time around.

6:13 p.m.: More on the Hulkster who is in the building in Pittsburgh tonight and spoke with the locker room earlier today. Hogan addressed everyone and again apologized regarding the racist comments that got him booted from the company.

6:07 p.m.: There is some big WWE news today that Charly Caruso just briefly mentioned on the kickoff show. Hey brother...

6:00 p.m.: Here we go with the Extreme Rules kickoff show. It's the regular cast at the broadcast table with Renee Young, Booker T, David Otunga, and Sam Roberts. 

5:45 p.m.: Welcome to SN's live coverage of WWE Money in the Bank. We still have a few minutes before the kickoff show so before then, check out Kevin Eck's most recent post and follow the Sporting News wrestling section on Twitter @sn_wrestling.

WWE Extreme Rules 2018 lineup

— Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley

— AJ Styles vs. Rusev for the WWE Championship

— Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins in a 30-minute Iron Man match for the Intercontinental Championship

— Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens in a cage match

— Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the United States Championship

— The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) for the “SmackDown” Tag Team Championship

— Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax in an Extreme Rules match for the “RAW” Women’s Championship

— Carmella vs. Asuka for the “SmackDown” Women’s Championship with James Ellsworth suspended over the ring in a shark cage

— Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt vs. The B-Team (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel) for the “RAW” Tag Team Championships

— Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin

— Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Sin Cara on the kickoff show

— The New Day vs. Sanity (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, and Killian Dain) in a Tables match on the kickoff show

WWE Extreme Rules 2018 predictions

— Bobby Lashley powers past Roman Reigns.

— AJ Styles holds off Rusev to retain the WWE Championship.

— Dolph Ziggler keeps the Intercontinental Championship as he and Seth Rollins steal the show.

— Braun Strowman pummels Kevin Owens in a victory.

— Shinsuke Nakamura goes low again to steal away the United States Championship.

— The Bludgeon Brothers retain the “SmackDown” tag titles after The Miz interferes against Daniel Bryan.

— Alexa Bliss keeps the “RAW” Women’s Championship with Ronda Rousey getting involved in the match.

— Carmella scores a cheap win with help from James Ellsworth.

— The B-Team’s winning streak ends with a loss to Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt.

— Baron Corbin and his vest beat Finn Balor.

— Andrade “Cien” Almas gets a second straight win against Sin Cara.

— Sanity scores the win against The New Day.

Brian Fritz can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrianFritz and listen to his Between The Ropes podcast on iTunes.

Brian Fritz

Brian Fritz Photo

Brian Fritz is a contributor with The Sporting News covering the NBA and NFL who previously worked at BasketballNews. He is a 20-year veteran of sports talk radio in Orlando, Florida, after graduating from the University of Central Florida. He now resides in Durham, North Carolina.