WWE Extreme Rules Has PPV of the Year Potential, AEW's Roster Woes, More Quick Takes

Even with Hurricane Ian affecting the available rosters for WWE and All Elite Wrestling's flagship shows last week, both companies managed to make the most of who was available and produced solid shows.

Wednesday's Dynamite in particular was highlighted by standout performances from Bandido and Juice Robinson. As much as they added to the program, it's imperative AEW highlights those already under contract to ensure certain stars aren't lost in the shuffle, especially while bigger names are out injured and/or suspended.

As the head of WWE Creative, Triple H has given several Superstars a chance to prove themselves on Raw and SmackDown, but no one could have expected the experienced Sheamus getting over with the audience at the level he has.

His stock as a fan favorite has skyrocketed since Clash at the Castle thanks to how he's been presented and the consistent quality of his matches. WWE may have a major moment on its hands if he can dethrone Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship on Friday's SmackDown.

This installment of Quick Takes will examine Sheamus' recent rise, the stunning imbalance between the Raw and SmackDown women's divisions, the questionable booking of two top AEW prospects, and more.

One of AEW's greatest strengths with Dynamite since its debut has been the decision to regularly use talent from outside of the company, giving the show more of a must-see feel and constantly providing fans with fresh matches as a result.

Unfortunately, it has also come at the expense of the active roster. It's been especially evident lately with the company bringing in so much top talent over the last two years and many stars seeing their television time drastically curtailed.

Wednesday's Dynamite was the ultimate example of that with free agents Bandido and Juice Robinson being spotlighted, leaving fans to question why FTR, Miro, Wardlow and others weren't featured instead.

AEW is gradually reaching a point where certain competitors don't feel remotely as special or important as they once did when, in reality, they should be fixtures on the flagship show every week.

Now is the time to push fresh faces, with CM Punk, The Elite and others absent from the program. Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta have benefited from the increased exposure lately, but there should be more of an effort made to focus on who's already under contract as opposed to recruiting new names who will quickly fall by the wayside.

Extreme Rules was originally intended to be a spin-off of the short-lived One Night Stand event in which every match on the card carried a stipulation.

Despite that being the primary purpose of the pay-per-view, WWE slowly started moving away from that in 2014, and it has lost of its luster since then.

Of the many creative changes Triple H has made to WWE since July, restoring stakes, interest and excitement in Extreme Rules is among his best acts yet.

As of this writing, six matches have been announced for this year's installment of the event. Amazingly, every single one of them will have a stipulation of some sort.

It helps that they're all drastically different from one another and make sense within the context of the storylines. Matt Riddle and Seth Rollins will have the first-ever Fight Pit match on the main roster, while Bayley and Bianca Belair will have the main roster's first women's one-on-one ladder match as well.

Keeping the card to six matches is also wise in ensuring each of them get an ample amount of time, not to mention the buzz surrounding the "White Rabbit" that is rumored to be Bray Wyatt.

WWE has had some stellar shows in 2022, but Extreme Rules could lead the list if everything is executed accordingly.

Between Bianca Belair's dominant run as Raw women's champion and the debut of Damage CTRL, the Raw women's division has had a lot going for it as of late. Candice LeRae's return last Monday night only added to that.

The Poison Pixie was widely regarded as one of NXT's premiere female wrestlers during her lengthy tenure on the brand. She will be a valuable asset to the babyface side of the Raw women's division if booked properly.

However, LeRae's comeback also illustrated just how far behind the women's scene SmackDown is, and not due to a lack of talent.

To Triple H's credit, he has done an effective job of building Liv Morgan as SmackDown women's champion and Ronda Rousey as a compelling challenger. Shayna Baszler getting more screen time has been refreshing as well.

Beyond those three, though, the well runs dry. Sasha Banks and Naomi are sorely missed, and virtually no one else has been given nearly as much creative attention or direction.

Prioritizing Shotzi, turning Raquel Rodriguez heel and calling up another NXT star or two would go a long way in improving the overall state of the women's division on the blue brand.

Hook and Jade Cargill have been two of AEW's most protected talents in the last year, with neither suffering a single loss. They're arguably the best examples of homegrown stars the company has created.

On the flip side, they've lacked credible competition for the better part of 2022. Athena was the biggest threat to Cargill's AEW TBS Championship before she was beaten, and Hook has largely faced undercard competitors during his rise.

Racking up easy wins was part of their appeal early on, but both are ready for the next step. Staying at the same level for months on end has caused their popularity to wane ever so slightly.

For Cargill, AEW should start the process of figuring out who will be the one to ultimately dethrone her. It will be difficult for her to grow as a character if she isn't taken to her limit as champion.

Hook finds himself in a similar spot, but the issue with his booking is more apparent due to the AEW roster being as deep as it is. While he shouldn't be competing in main events any time soon, there's no excuse for him not to be at least at the midcard level by now.

Sheamus has spent over 13 years on the WWE main roster, but he has never been as hot as he is right now.

That isn't to discredit the last decade of his decorated career by any means. He has won virtually all there is to win except for the universal and intercontinental titles, and the latter being the bane of his existence has made him such an outstanding babyface as of late.

His Match of the Year candidate with Gunther at Clash at the Castle was exceptional enough to prolong their program and earn him another opportunity at the prestigious prize this coming Friday on SmackDown.

Regardless of whether he walks away as the new champ, The Celtic Warrior's spectacular string of matches and character work in 2022 should not go unnoticed. He's organically gotten over as one of WWE's best babyfaces despite never having a definitive turn.

At some point, Sheamus can be an exciting challenger for Roman Reigns' Undisputed WWE Universal Championship if he can continue to kill it and stay the course. He's been a undeniable MVP for WWE this year and is rightfully getting his just due.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.