6 Best WWE Extreme Rules PPVs Ever
1. Extreme Rules 2012
It’s difficult to look beyond Extreme Rules 2012 as the best instalment of the PPV franchise. And that’s largely thanks to the epic in-ring return of one of the biggest draws in the fighting world, Brock Lesnar.
Even without a build-up, this match would have sold itself. But when Lesnar and Cena clashed in a bloody skirmish on Monday Night Raw—in the words of the great Paul Heyman—this match went from being can’t-miss to simply must-see.
As well as that clash, we had the excellent Chicago Street Fight between CM Punk and Chris Jericho, which could easily have headlined any PPV show. The same could also be said for Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan, who delivered the goods in a lengthy 2-out-of-3 falls match—Sheamus winning to retain his World Heavyweight Championship.
Orton vs. Kane in a Falls Count Anywhere match added to the occasion, as did—in my eyes—the Rhodes vs. Big Show Tables match finish. Show lost when he slipped from the apron and put a single foot through the table, for an unorthodox finish that thankfully wasn’t as goofy as some of his previous efforts…
Some may argue that it’s easy to get caught up in the Lesnar hype when dishing out the praise for Extreme Rules 2012, but there’s a very good reason why he’s rated so highly. It’s also worth noting that WWE.com once ranked this as its 11th greatest PPV ever—and we’d never disagree with the WWE, right?