10 Stiffest WWE Matches Of The PG Era
1. John Cena Vs. Brock Lesnar - Extreme Rules (April 2012)
Everyone and their dog may be in agreement that the wrong man won this match, but what happened in the action beforehand truly isn't up for debate at all. This was Brock Lesnar's first match back in World Wrestling Entertainment after eight years, and all of that time spent punching guys for real obviously stayed with him.
Cena immediately charges Brock, but Lesnar responds in the most Brock Lesnar way by obliterating Cena with elbows. It's all ground and pound from Brock, busting Cena open the hardway in the blink of an eye. The doctors stop proceedings to check on Cena, giving Lesnar the chance to gesture to his elbow to the ground. It shouldn't work, but oh lord it worked.
Big Match John keeps coming, but Big Match John keeps getting bludgeoned with the stiffest punches and elbows the WWE Universe has seen in years. Lesnar was put across as a true beast here, the legitimacy of his violence plain for all to see. He's vulnerable though, and one such moment sees him vault off the ring steps (which had been brought into the ring) and fly over the ropes to the outside, clipping the top rope and taking Cena out with him. It was a scary moment, until you remembered it was Brock Lesnar.
Cena won of course, and whilst that still rankles it is the violence of the match that lives on. This was the stiffest match of the entire PG era (so far).