10 WWE Superstars Who Helped Define Extreme Rules

Gone but not forgotten. CM Punk may have never fulfilled his wish of closing a WrestleMania show, but he can at least claim to have done so at Extreme Rules.

In 2009—the inaugural showing of the PPV—Punk made headlines when he cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on a beaten and bruised Jeff Hardy. Hardy had just beaten Edge in a memorable TLC tussle, rendering him no match for the fresher Punk, who won after hitting the GTS twice on the champ.

But that wasn’t the Straightedge Superstar’s only taste of gold at Extreme Rules.

He also defeated Chris Jericho to retain his WWE Championship in 2012, after a highly entertaining Chicago Street Fight—complete with some badass alternative street attire.

Add to those victories a win over Rey Mysterio and a loss to Randy Orton, and Punk’s Extreme Rules record stands at a perfectly respectable 3-1.

If he’d only stuck around longer, he’d be sure to have ranked higher on this list.