Biggest Takeaways From 2022 WWE Extreme Rules Results

Heading into WWE Extreme Rules, the card looked like a C-level show with some bells and whistles added to distract from what was missing.

Only two titles were on the line and big-name Superstars such as Roman Reigns and The Bloodline were missing, but the lineup was set to feature gimmicks and stipulations galore to compensate.

The ingredients might have been messy, but the recipe produced a rather notable show with some major moments that will have major consequences going forward.

Let's look back at what happened on Saturday and break down the biggest takeaways of the night.

• Six-Man Tag Team Good Old-Fashioned Donnybrook: The Brawling Brutes defeated Imperium by pinfall.
• Extreme Rules match: Ronda Rousey defeated Liv Morgan by submission to win the SmackDown Women's Championship.
• Strap match: Karrion Kross defeated Drew McIntyre by pinfall.
  
• Ladder match: Bianca Belair retained the Raw Women's Championship over Bayley.
  
• "I Quit" match: Finn Bálor defeated Edge
• Matt Riddle defeated Seth Rollins by submission inside the Fight Pit.

The Wells Fargo Center was riddled with jeers when Ronda Rousey was in control of the SmackDown Women's Championship match, as the crowd was firmly behind Liv Morgan from the start.

Morgan entered the match looking more like a star than ever before, decked out in purple-and-green ring gear and wielding a decorated baseball bat to fit the theme of the night. Against any other opponent, she would have been a shoo-in to retain her title.

She put up a good fight and didn't even properly submit—instead she passed out and the referee called the match—but all the boos didn't prevent a new SmackDown women's champion being crowned.

Morgan's run with the belt never quite got out of the "lucky to just have won it in the first place" range, and dropping it back to the former UFC star comes off like business as usual and going back to the original plan after a brief detour.

At this point, it seems Rousey is just too big of a star for WWE to resist being champion heading into WrestleMania 39 season, while Morgan will have to take a step back and find a new role to play as a fan favorite no longer in the title scene.

When Karrion Kross was originally called up to the main roster, it was a disaster.

Nearly everything that made him interesting in NXT was stripped away. Instead of being unbeatable, he lost his debut match. Instead of walking out to the ring with a creepy entrance, he looked like a Demolition cosplayer.

Since coming back to WWE in August, it has felt like a fresh start for The Herald of Doomsday. And this match is the true beginning of a redo.

With Scarlett back by his side, his proper entrance looking and sounding great and a big win over Drew McIntyre, this is the Karrion Kross who gives off the vibe of a future main eventer.

Although he won the match with Scarlett's help and some pepper spray, he took the fight to The Scottish Warrior in a way few others on the roster can. Had McIntyre hit the Claymore, it might have been over, but there's no guarantee Kross wouldn't have kicked out.

That level of credibility is what he needs to keep gaining momentum.

This was a big step in the right direction toward reestablishing Kross as the juggernaut he was as NXT champion.

The Four Horsewomen have dominated the WWE women's division for years, allowing only a handful of others Superstars to even glimpse the upper echelon.

Even the likes of Rhea Ripley and Asuka tend to take a step back to those four, with Ronda Rousey, arguably, the sole exception...until Bianca Belair cemented her main event status on Saturday night.

The EST of WWE has toppled Sasha Banks at WrestleMania 37, taken out Becky Lynch at The Show of Shows and SummerSlam this year and has now scored the most definitive victory of her career over Bayley.

Even with help from Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky, Bayley was unable to capture the title. Belair didn't need aid from allies Alexa Bliss, Raquel Rodriguez, Shotzi or anyone else. By herself, she was able to take out Damage CTRL and retain her title.

This win doesn't mean more on paper than her Royal Rumble and title victories, but it does illustrate that even with the odds stacked against her, the 33-year-old has what it takes to beat any of the Four Horsewomen. She's firmly at the same level, if she hasn't already surpassed them.

The only one of the quartet left for Belair to face is Charlotte Flair, which sounds like a WrestleMania title match if ever there was one.

The whole mystique of The Judgment Day is supposed to be that they're a dark force that "run Monday Night Raw" with their anger and evil, yet their bark has been far worse than their bite.

Recruiting Finn Bálor after he had lost the night previously was a weak move. Excommunicating Edge only led to The Rated-R Superstar becoming their archrival, rather than a smart play. Converting Dominik Mysterio has been more laughable than intimidating.

Finally, though, The Judgment Day have proved they have a sinister side.

Ganging up on Edge is nothing new to them, but forcing him to quit out of a threat to lay out his wife, Beth Phoenix, with a con-chair-to only to follow through with it anyway, was the best possible way to end this match.

Edge's loss is only on a technicality, so he retains his credibility. Bálor's win is legitimate, as this was all within the rules. Being crafty and devious is what this group should have been from the start.

This win did more for Bálor and The Judgment Day as a whole than anything since the group's inception. It may be a sign of greater things to come.

Above all else from this event, the biggest talking point will be the return of Bray Wyatt.

All the "White Rabbit" teases from recent weeks were pointing to someone of an otherworldly nature, making Wyatt the top suspect, but you can never guarantee anything in WWE until you see it for yourself.

As Matt Riddle was celebrating his victory over Seth Rollins, the lights went out in Wells Fargo Center, Wyatt's rendition of "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" played, and life-size versions of the Firefly Fun House puppets appeared in the crowd.

The fans erupted upon seeing Wyatt actually appear from a door, blowing out the lantern as the television feed cut out.

Wyatt has had his fair share of ups and downs in WWE with a track record of starting a story, leading it on for months and having a poor finish, but there's always been something interesting about this character.

Perhaps now that he's working with new creative management in Triple H, all aspects will finally click and we'll get the modern-day version of The Undertaker we've been wanting all these years, starting with this awesome reintroduction.

Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, Spotify and everywhere you find podcasts. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.