WWE Gets Extreme This Sunday In The 8th Annual ‘Extreme Rules’.
Starting in 2009, WWE throws the rules out and dives into all things extreme for one night only. After the ECW/WWE flop, Vince McMahon honors the former “hardcore” brand with a night of gimmick matches named ‘Extreme Rules’.
Throughout the show’s history, we’ve seen some duds like last year’s lifeless main event but for the most part, there is some real stellar showings. I remember the first time a show stood out to me was the 2012 event. The card followed an uneven Wrestlemania but made up for it with the massive return of Brock Lesnar and some brutal matches. Since then, I’ve always looked forward to event.
So I had the pleasure of going through each card from the past ‘Extreme Rules‘ PPVs & chose the five best matches in the show’s history.
5. Hornswoggle vs El Torito – (Preshow 2014)
-Probably the most obscure pick on the list but something about the match makes a lasting impression. Before the 2014 ‘Extreme Rules‘ show even began, the audience was treated to something unique. El Torito and Hornswoggle faced off in a TLC match which was dubbed a “WeeLC” match. You get it cause there was wee bit fellas in the match. The concept was horrid but the match turned out to be hysterical and entertaining beyond belief.
4. Edge vs Jeff Hardy (2009)
-From the first ever ‘Extreme Rules‘ event, the 2009 edition provided some interesting matches like a Samoan Strap match and Jericho v Mysterio match but nothing shined like the ladder match between Edge and Jeff Hardy. Two innovators for the match type, the men risked their lives once more for the sake of entertainment. As expected, the face-off was stellar. They did their signature spots and kept people on the edge of their seats.
3. John Cena vs Brock Lesnar (2012)
-After years away from WWE, Brock Lesnar returned with a point to prove. He was going to beat John Cena within an inch of his life. It was upsetting that Brock didn’t win the match but he made such a glorious comeback by mixing the brutal UFC style with WWE theatricality. Also, I believe this opened the door for WWE to bring back to some hardcore wrestling. Each Brock match after this has gotten more intense; 2012 ‘Extreme Rules‘ seems tame now.
2. The Shield vs Evolution – (2014)
– New School Faced Old School. 2014 brought the return of heel group Evolution fronted by HHH as well as the uprising of the beloved team The Shield. When the two teams faced off in a three-on-three tag, all hell broke loose. The match culminated with Seth Rollins diving from the arena entrance onto three men below while Roman Reigns gets the pin in the ring. This put the young men of The Shield over like crazy.
1. Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus – (2012)
–Daniel Bryan’s redemption match. After the tragic 18-second loss at ‘Wrestlemania 28‘, Bryan needed something to recover. The 2-out-of-3-falls match with Sheamus at the stellar 2012 event was exactly what the doctor ordered. The grappler Daniel Bryan played off Sheamus’s brawler style. This was one of the first times in WWE that Bryan got to truly be himself as a performer; this was the turning point of an epic WWE career.
Do you agree with my list? Let me know in the comments below!
