WWE Extreme Rules 2012 Review

Match 1: Falls Count Anywhere - Randy Orton vs. Kane
Kicking off the big show is a rematch from WrestleMania between these two in a feud that has led to their families getting involved. I’m normally not a fan of this type of match but these two have a very good chemistry and they managed to make this match more than enjoyable. Fighting through the crowd can become so repetitive but in this case, the first match of the night with two big stars going at it, lots of fun to watch. More than anything, this match was simply two guys beating the living hell out of each other in a fight that led in the crowd and backstage. Zack Ryder even tried to take out Kane but he had no effect at all as Kane continued his focus on the slithering Randy Orton. Great back and fourth action before Kane looks to slam Orton atop a folded chair until Orton escaped Kane’s grip and landed a nasty RKO to avenge his loss a month ago.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***¼

Match 2: Brodus Clay vs. Dolph Ziggler
Not liking how we get more Brodus Clay matches on PPV and this should be example A. Ziggler is going to be a future big name for the company so putting him against Clay on PPV in a glorified squash match is so odd to me. Clay gets the win and does the normal routine dances. Nothing to say here, same thing we have seen for months on end.
Winner: Brodus Clay
Rating: ½*

Match 3: Intercontinental Championship - Tables - The Big Show © vs. Cody Rhodes
Another WrestleMania rematch as before the match started, Teddy Long spun a wheel that declared that the two would go at it in this type of match. The match ran for about five minutes with The Big Show basically tossing Rhodes around with ease and looked to have a major advantage in the match due to his size and strength. However, Rhodes managed to land a kick as Show was heading back into the ring which led to Show unintentionally breaking a table with his foot! The referee calls for the bell and Rhodes picks up the fluke win along with the Intercontinental Championship. Show absolutely destroys Rhodes by a Chokeslam through one table followed by tossing him outside of the ring onto another. Interesting way for Rhodes to get the win, something fun and different which may not be liked by most, but I liked it. Show dismantling Rhodes after was also really cool.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Rating: *½

Match 4: World Heavyweight Championship - 2 out of 3 Falls - Sheamus © vs. Daniel Bryan
Yes, it is another rematch from WrestleMania and this time, we will not be getting a squash match for the World Heavyweight Championship! The action kicking off the match is just brilliant, Bryan is truly a master craftsman in the ring and his abilities to counter move after move and use submission after submission shows that. The crowd is hot for this one and Bryan is easily the favorite as they are serenading him in all sorts of chants. Bryan puts his focus into the shoulder of Sheamus and gets disqualified after landing an array of nasty kicks to his shoulder. Bryan doesn’t look the slightest bit concerned as he smiles knowing that he has Sheamus on the ropes. He locks in the Yes Lock and the referee has no choice but to give a fall to Bryan to even up the score. Such a thrilling rematch that looks to have no line of stopping in sight. The doctors are checking up on Sheamus as we get set to begin the final chapter of the match. Sheamus lands a quick Brogue Kick upon Bryan but Bryan kicks out and the crowd goes crazy. Bryan and Sheamus go back and fourth once more until Sheamus lands another Brogue Kick for the big win. That was probably the best match that we have seen from the two in the WWE so far, an amazing wrestling match in front of an amazing crowd. Bryan needed a match like this to legitimize himself once again following his ridiculous match at WrestleMania. However, let’s not discount Sheamus of anything here. He held his own against the red hot Daniel Bryan and looked so confident and worthy of being called champion. Fantastic match that I believe that may end up being the sleeper hit of the night.
Winner: Sheamus
Rating: ****¼

Match 5: Ryback vs. Aaron Relic & Jay Hatton
I am not a fan of squash matches on PPV. This looks to be a complete mess with Ryback, a guy who is to premature to be on this PPV stage in front of Chicago. He faces these two jobbers and destroys them in under a minute. I understand the exposure reasons but the crowd didn’t like it and I am sure as hell that the people at home watching didn’t care for it.
Winner: Ryback
Rating: n/a

Match 6: WWE Championship - Chicago Street Fight - CM Punk © vs. Chris Jericho
This is the fourth and final rematch from WrestleMania. This one certainly has the chance to blow them all away. In front of Punk’s hometown of Chicago and in front of his family, Jericho has quite the load to deal with. Due to the heavier circumstances of the situation, this match was much more different than their last match. In wrestling terms, this is called psychology and it was nicely in full effect here. Lots of brawling to start off the match with Punk bringing in the always fun kendo stick into the thick of things. However, Jericho looked strong in his role and even toyed with Punk’s sister in the audience before Punk ambushed Jericho and landed nasty blows. Seeing them bring Punk’s sister into the action was great and really makes the audience at home watching see what a jerk Jericho is. He is been amazing in his role as a heel and he is displaying it here. Cool spots in the match included a huge elbow dive off the top turnbuckle from Punk onto the commentators table, Punk escaping a Walls of Jericho with a fire hydrant, and Jericho escaping an Anaconda Vice with nasty kendo stick shots onto Punk’s head. The action was fast, the action was brutal, and the crowd ate up every second of it. It’s almost as if the two were thriving off the energy the crowd was pouring onto them and when Punk reversed Jericho’s attempt of a GTS to his own GTS, the crowd exploded even more. A fitting end to a really special match, I personally don’t think that it topped the World Heavyweight Championship bout earlier but it was close. A big win for Punk as his reign as top dog continues.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ****

Match 7: Divas Championship - Nikki Bella © vs. Layla
Because Beth Phoenix was unable to compete, Eve set a surprise opponent for Bella which ended up being the returning Layla. Crowd is definitely not into this match at all as the anticipation for the main event overshadows everything about this match. Even still, the two had a fun little Divas match which saw Layla win in her return.
Winner: Layla
Rating: *¼

Match 8: Extreme Rules - Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena
This is it. One of the biggest matches in modern day professional wrestling history is about to take place as the returning Brock Lesnar looks to tackle down the face of the WWE, John Cena. The crowd is absolutely hyped for this match and the commentators are nicely building this match as a groundbreaking match in the WWE. Lesnar quickly destroys Cena in the opening seconds of the match with nasty elbows that cuts Cena open up big time. Blood pours out of Cena’s head as this match looks to a complete polar opposite of the PG style wrestling that we have come accustomed to seeing in the WWE. Lesnar looks like an absolute animal in this match as Cena looks to be struggling to even stand correctly. While we have seen many Cena matches that have the same type of story, nothing can simply compare to how real this feels. Lesnar is a beast, him manhandling Cena around in and out of the ring makes perfect sense and allows the viewers at home to gain sympathy for Cena in a different shade of light. To add more fuel to the flame, the referee bumps in this match actually made sense and made Lesnar look stronger than he already was. Lesnar looks to have easy control of the match until Cena uses the chain he brought out to the ring to nail Lesnar straight into his head. Lesnar is cut open! Cena takes a dazed Lesnar and lands an Attitude Adjustment onto the steel steps in the middle of the ring to capture the big win! The Chicago crowd erupts as Cena has tackled the beast in a respectful and incredible effort. It’s tough to see where Lesnar goes after this but that was one fantastic match. I don’t remember a time when Cena pulled out a match like this and the same goes for Lesnar. This match was worthy of headlining a WrestleMania and hopefully, we will be able to see the rematch in the future.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ****½

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Three fantastic matches easily ranks this PPV among the best in a long time. Sheamus had his best match in his career against Daniel Bryan in a match that legitimizes Bryan after his tough loss, Punk put on a show in front of his hometown against Chris Jericho, and John Cena closed out the night in a memorable main event against the beast incarnate. Ignore the fillers and focus on these matches so you can go out of your way to see this show because this show may be the one that defines the year when all is said and done.
Rating: 9.25/10