10 Things WWE Regrets About Extreme Rules

4. CM Punk Closing Out The First Show

CM Punk Jeff Hardy Extreme Rules
WWE.com

It was the 2009 edition of the now-annual Extreme Rules PPV where WWE decided to move away from the One Night Stand name that they’d implemented for the company’s ECW-driven specials.

After two annual One Night Stands designed to showcase ECW talent of old and new, the 2007 and 2008 One Night Stands were entirely WWE productions. Hence, by ’09, the spot on the calendar held by One Night Stand was switched up to be Extreme Rules. But how did the first ever edition of this long-lasting WWE PPV go off the air? Why, that was with CM Punk standing tall.

We all know how WWE loves nothing better than to revisit the company’s history as each annual PPV comes around – the promotion is always keen to put together highlight packages detailing the origins of said PPV. Should WWE wish to do that with their Extreme Rules show, there has to be some footage or at least a mention of the PPV ending with CM Punk successfully cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase to take Jeff Hardy’s WWE Championship.

Considering that WWE has done all it can to neither show nor mention Punk since the Straight-Edge Superstar departed the company in 2014, WWE must be kicking themselves that they had the Second City Saint in such a prominent role on the first ever Extreme Rules PPV.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.