credit: wwe.com
14. Extreme Rules – 2012
Make no mistake, the 2012 Extreme Rules is one of the top 5 pay-per-views of the past 5 years. With 4 title matches, 3 matches that are very easily main-event quality, 10 former or current world champions on the card, and an appearance from Brock Lesnar, yeah this one was going to be good no matter what. And what did we get? Three hours of non-stop action that produced 3 matches that were in the top 10 of 2012.
The first of the three classics was the Daniel Bryan/Sheamus World Heavyweight title Wrestlemania rematch. After these young studs were given an insulting 18 seconds at Wrestlemania, they were allowed to shine at Extreme Rules in the form of a 22-minute 2 out of 3 falls match that was about as precise, hard-hitting, and technical as a match gets. CM Punk got to shine in his hometown of Chicago against long-standing rival Chris Jericho in their vicious Chicago Street Fight in the second of this amazing trio of matches. True to the matches namesake, Punk and Y2J beat each other senseless with a myriad of weapons and gimmicks which led to a win and the culmination of their feud.
The main event pitted John Cena and Brock Lesnar in an Extreme Rules match. Now, normally some people would be angry over Cena being in the main event with 2 world titles being contested on the under card, especially since Punk is a Chicago native. However, this was no ordinary occasion. This would be the first match “The Beast Incarnate” had wrestled in a WWE ring in over 8 years. And the result? The guy hadn’t lost a step as he and Cena went at it for 18 punishing minutes as Lesnar laid on Cena one of the biggest beatings of “Big Match John’s” career. And yes, Cena would go on to get pinfall but did he really win that night? Lesnar clearly did the most damage while cementing himself once again as the most dominant, dangerous force in the WWE. But the real winner that night? The WWE fans.