WWE Extreme Rules 2020: results and action from The Horror Show fights - including Rey Mysterio and Seth Rollins’ ‘eye for an eye’ match

Last night (19 July) saw WWE's annual Extreme Rules take place, with eyes being ‘gouged out’, people going through tables and brass knuckle attacks.

Each year, the event is characterised by a number of 'extreme' match stipulations, which see bouts go beyond the usual one-on-one set-ups.

This year was no different, and to reflect the horror-movie trappings of one particular fight, this year's PPV was given the subtitle, 'The Horror Show'.

Despite cases of Covid-19 continuing to rise in America, WWE is still running shows, despite basing its broadcasts out of its Performance Centre in Florida, one of the worst affected states.

In late June, it was reported multiple positive tests had been recorded among talent and staff in the Performance Centre, but the show continues regardless, under less than ideal circumstances.

Here's what went down.

Tables Match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships

The first match of the night 'proper' (Kevin Owens took on Buddy Murphy during the 'pre-show', a bout that threatened to steal the show early on), Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura took on The New Day for their SmackDown Tag Team Championships.

WWE often opens its PPVs with high-energy tag team matches, and it was no different here, with Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura winning the titles.

Table matches are only won by putting your opponent(s) through a table, and the finish here came when Cesaro caught Kofi Kingston in a hurricanrana attempt and drove him through a stack of them.

SmackDown Women's Championship Match: Nikki Cross vs. Bayley

Though this match between SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley and Scotland's own Nikki Cross may have been a straightforward singles match, on a night shaped by 'extreme' goings on, it still featured its fair share of shenanigans.

Just as it looked like Cross was about to get the win and secure the championship, Bayley's cohort Sasha Banks distracted the referee, slid Bayley a knuckle ring, and the champion used it to stun Cross behind the official's back.

The champion successfully retained her title.

United States Championship Match: Apollo Crews vs. MVP

What could have been a solid match-up was derailed last-minute by Apollo Crews' continued absence from WWE TV.

Crews has been the company's United States champion for nearly two months, but hasn't been seen on TV for a while.

The 'official' explanation is injury (he was announced as not having passed a pre-match medical shortly before the fight), but many have speculated coronavirus related issues may be at play.

Instead, we got MVP making his way to the ring and declaring himself the winner by forfeit, and the new United States Champion.

An Eye for an Eye: Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins

The match that had everyone talking ahead of the show, the rules of this bout stipulated it could only be won by removing your opponent's eye. Yes really.

There were even rumours WWE would employ CGI imagery for bloody special effects, among groans from fans that pro-wrestling was about to get even more campy than usual.

In the end, fans were delivered a solid match, with both men focusing on the other's peepers in a more 'realistic' fashion than many had anticipated.

Seth Rollins won by driving Rey Mysterio's face into the ring steps. The referee called for the bell, presumably as Mysterio's eye was now dislodged.

To drive the point home, Rollins vomited before leaving the arena.

Raw Women's Championship Match: Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

This match between two of WWE's best women went 20 minutes long, told a compelling story and featured some premium athleticism from both competitors.

It could've been one of the strongest bouts of the night, but was let down by a convoluted ending, which essentially had to be explained by WWE after the fact.

Asuka attempted to spit the 'green mist' (a blinding luminous liquid commonly employed by Japanese wrestlers) into the eyes of Banks.

She missed with the mist, and instead tagged the referee, who went down. Bayley (supporting her friend Banks after she was helped to retain gold earlier in the night) removed the official's shirt, put it on herself, and counted the pin.

It appeared Banks had therefore won the title, but WWE later clarified the match was deemed a 'no contest'.

WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler

On a night made notable by eye gouging and shirt-swapping shenanigans, the fact Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler simply had a solid match for one of WWE's most cherished prizes makes it seem - on paper - unnoteworthy.

But if you enjoy strong in-ring psychology and easy-to-follow stories, this is worth a watch.

Ziggler pulled out all the stops to take on the Scot, but eventually fell to McIntyre's devastating Claymore Kick.

Wyatt Swamp Fight: Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt

In response to Covid-19 restrictions, WWE have in recent months delivered matches in a 'cinematic' format; fights filmed and edited like a movie rather than presented 'live' as they would at a show with fans in attendance.

For this one, Braun Strowman visited the swamp home of the man who once led the cult he was a part of.

Sounds strange? It only gets stranger.

Much like Wyatt's Wrestlemania 'match' with John Cena - which more resembled an indie movie akin to Being John Malkovich - the deranged character took Strowman on a journey through his mind and inner demons.

If you like pro-wrestling kook, this is one to watch; Strowman was kidnapped, preached to and bitten by a snake, nearly drowned, and then assaulted with an oar.

Who 'won'? Who cares!