10 Most Violent WWE Matches Of The Modern Era
5. Sheamus Vs. Daniel Bryan - Extreme Rules 2012
Sheamus is one of the stiffest workers that WWE has. If his series with Cesaro didn't do enough to show that he kept his roots from European wrestling intact, then watching his WrestleMania rematch with Daniel Bryan at Extreme Rules will definitively prove it.
While Bryan's technical prowess sometimes overshadows how sadistic a worker he is, he is one of the toughest and hardest hitting men in wrestling history, with kicks that sound like gunshots and the ability to stretch his opponents into agonising holds. Pairing the two of them together, in a match with something to prove following the WrestleMania XXVII debacle, was guaranteed to be masterful.
One of the best matches of both men's careers, the two worked a perfect 2 out of 3 falls contest, utilising masterful psychology alongside relentlessly sickening strikes to craft a masterpiece. The best and most violent moment of the match involved Bryan forcibly disqualifying himself in order to apply his LeBell Lock even further, squeezing relentlessly tight on Sheamus' head as it genuinely looked like all the life faded from his eyes.
It might not have any blood but it's hard to find a match that feels more like a fight than this.