WWE Extreme Rules - Ranked From Worst To Best

What else did you expect? Extreme Rules 2012 is not only the finest WWE Extreme Rules event to date, it is also one of the best shows the company has put on in recent memory. The event once again contained four WrestleMania re-matches, but with the possible exception of the Cody Rhodes/Big Show tables match these all exceeded the meeting at the Show of Shows.

CM Punk and Chris Jericho finally clicked in their Chicago Street Fight, putting on the classic that many assumed they would at WrestleMania. The extra element of added brawling certainly helped, with the addition of more violence really upping the emotional ante of what was an obviously emotional storyline.

After their 18-second debacle at WrestleMania XXVIII, Sheamus and Daniel Bryan put on what was up until that point the WWE Match of the Year, Sheamus besting Bryan two to one in their two-out-of-three falls match. This was the match that truly announced Bryan onto the WWE stage, with him regaining all of the credibility lost in his all-too-quick defeat at Mania. Sheamus looked like a beast in winning, and the physicality between the two was as impressive as it was jarring.

But, and we all know this, the 2012 edition of WWE Extreme Rules was about the return of one man, and what a man. Brock Lesnar returned to WWE after eight years, and it was John Cena who stood in his way. Sure, complaints still ring round about Cena winning, but Lesnar's presence alone was enough to add a whole new atmosphere to the product. Their fight (let's be clear, it wasn't a match was it), was the stiffest bout WWE had seen in years. For the first time in however long, violence in professional wrestling was compelling.

If you're thinking of which Extreme Rules show to watch before the big event on Sunday, think no longer. 2012 is the best option, by some distance.