NEWARK, N.J. — When you hold the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, there is never any time to rest and never any time to celebrate. Roman Reigns found this out first hand at Extreme Rules. After narrowly defeating AJ Styles with the Spear in a brutal Extreme Rules match, The Big Dog found himself on the receiving end of a Pedigree from Seth Rollins.
Rollins never lost the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but was forced to give it up due to a devastating knee injury that kept him out of action for more than six months. In front of a raucous, sold-out crowd at the Prudential Center, The Architect sent a clear message to the reigning champion: Seth Rollins is redesigned, rebuilt and ready to reclaim the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
The shocking return of the former champion was the cap on a brutal evening surrounding WWE’s top prize. Despite the anything goes nature of the bout, Styles tried to employ traditional grappling methods to take control shortly after the opening bell. However, Reigns was in no mood for catch-as-catch-can exchange, instead opting to pummel Styles with hard clotheslines and a jumping knee to the face. The clobbering forced The Phenomenal One to change his game plan on the fly, introducing a steel chair into the bout before the action spilled out into the WWE Universe.
See images from Roman Reigns and AJ Styles' Extreme Rules Match over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match at WWE Extreme Rules 2016, including Seth Rollins' surprise return.
The championship struggle made its way to the set of the Extreme Rules Kickoff, where Reigns threw Styles onto the panel’s desk in hopes of taking a breather. However, the champion’s brief respite also gave the challenger time to recover and connect with a Phenomenal Forearm that brought the sold-out crowd to its feet.
When the battle returned to ringside, Styles realized how ruthless he needed to be to walk out of New Jersey with WWE’s biggest prize. The Phenomenal One ripped protective padding off of the ringside barricade and exposed the unforgiving concrete floor of the Prudential Center. Reigns recovered before Styles could drive him into the cement and brought the bout on top of the German announcers’ table, eventually hurling Styles through the air, sending the challenger crashing tailbone first through the English announcers’ table.
Reigns saw the writing on the wall after taking Styles from the debris back into the squared circle, but Styles managed to avoid the Superman Punch. The Phenomenal One could not avoid Reigns’ wrath, as The Big Dog grabbed his challenger and whipped him into the LED board on the ring apron and the barricade before viciously powerbombing Styles through the Spanish commentary table.
Despite all this, Styles got back to his feet and tried to springboard back into the ring, only to dive right into a Superman Punch. The Champion pressed on his prey, Spearing Styles into the arena floor. The WWE World Heavyweight Champion looked to have the bout won, but Gallows & Anderson prevented him from retaining, connecting with the Boot of Doom on Reigns. The Usos rushed to ringside and evened the odds, taking out The Club and crushing Styles with a flurry of superkicks and a top-rope splash.
The Big Dog and The Phenomenal One compete in a knockdown, drag out match with no rules for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.
Styles emerged from the fray and countered another Spear, driving Reigns into the canvas with a Styles Clash. A second Clash onto a steel chair should have had the championship won for Styles, but Jimmy Uso pulled the challenger out of the ring to break up the pinfall. A furious Styles unleashed his rage on all three members of The Bloodline, demolishing them with a chair. The challenger then springboarded into the air, aiming to connect with the Phenomenal Forearm, but flew straight into a Spear, which allowed Reigns to pin Styles and retain the title.
A battle-worn Reigns was able to clutch his title, but only for a moment, until The Architect made his return. After planting Reigns into the mat, Rollins took the title he never lost and held it high, letting the world know that he’s back, and nothing will stop him from getting the WWE World Heavyweight Championship back.
NEWARK, N.J. — When you hold the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, there is never any time to rest and never any time to celebrate. Roman Reigns found this out first hand at Extreme Rules. After narrowly defeating AJ Styles with the Spear in a brutal Extreme Rules match, The Big Dog found himself on the receiving end of a Pedigree from Seth Rollins.
Rollins never lost the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but was forced to give it up due to a devastating knee injury that kept him out of action for more than six months. In front of a raucous, sold-out crowd at the Prudential Center, The Architect sent a clear message to the reigning champion: Seth Rollins is redesigned, rebuilt and ready to reclaim the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
The shocking return of the former champion was the cap on a brutal evening surrounding WWE’s top prize. Despite the anything goes nature of the bout, Styles tried to employ traditional grappling methods to take control shortly after the opening bell. However, Reigns was in no mood for catch-as-catch-can exchange, instead opting to pummel Styles with hard clotheslines and a jumping knee to the face. The clobbering forced The Phenomenal One to change his game plan on the fly, introducing a steel chair into the bout before the action spilled out into the WWE Universe.
See images from Roman Reigns and AJ Styles' Extreme Rules Match over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match at WWE Extreme Rules 2016, including Seth Rollins' surprise return.
The championship struggle made its way to the set of the Extreme Rules Kickoff, where Reigns threw Styles onto the panel’s desk in hopes of taking a breather. However, the champion’s brief respite also gave the challenger time to recover and connect with a Phenomenal Forearm that brought the sold-out crowd to its feet.
When the battle returned to ringside, Styles realized how ruthless he needed to be to walk out of New Jersey with WWE’s biggest prize. The Phenomenal One ripped protective padding off of the ringside barricade and exposed the unforgiving concrete floor of the Prudential Center. Reigns recovered before Styles could drive him into the cement and brought the bout on top of the German announcers’ table, eventually hurling Styles through the air, sending the challenger crashing tailbone first through the English announcers’ table.
Reigns saw the writing on the wall after taking Styles from the debris back into the squared circle, but Styles managed to avoid the Superman Punch. The Phenomenal One could not avoid Reigns’ wrath, as The Big Dog grabbed his challenger and whipped him into the LED board on the ring apron and the barricade before viciously powerbombing Styles through the Spanish commentary table.
Despite all this, Styles got back to his feet and tried to springboard back into the ring, only to dive right into a Superman Punch. The Champion pressed on his prey, Spearing Styles into the arena floor. The WWE World Heavyweight Champion looked to have the bout won, but Gallows & Anderson prevented him from retaining, connecting with the Boot of Doom on Reigns. The Usos rushed to ringside and evened the odds, taking out The Club and crushing Styles with a flurry of superkicks and a top-rope splash.
The Big Dog and The Phenomenal One compete in a knockdown, drag out match with no rules for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.
Styles emerged from the fray and countered another Spear, driving Reigns into the canvas with a Styles Clash. A second Clash onto a steel chair should have had the championship won for Styles, but Jimmy Uso pulled the challenger out of the ring to break up the pinfall. A furious Styles unleashed his rage on all three members of The Bloodline, demolishing them with a chair. The challenger then springboarded into the air, aiming to connect with the Phenomenal Forearm, but flew straight into a Spear, which allowed Reigns to pin Styles and retain the title.
A battle-worn Reigns was able to clutch his title, but only for a moment, until The Architect made his return. After planting Reigns into the mat, Rollins took the title he never lost and held it high, letting the world know that he’s back, and nothing will stop him from getting the WWE World Heavyweight Championship back.
