WWE: The Four Greatest Post-WrestleMania Pay Per Views

Credit: WWE.com

#2-  Extreme Rules 2012

Brock Lesnar’s return to WWE in 2012 sent shock waves through the professional wrestling world. The Beast Incarnate had not been seen in the company since 2004, and given his acrimonious departure, along with his passion for, and success in, other endeavors, it seemed very unlikely that Lesnar and WWE would do business again.

A thunderous F5 to the WWE’s top star, John Cena, signified that Lesnar was back in the world of wrestling, and a match was signed for the next pay-per-view, Extreme Rules. The buildup to Cena vs Lesnar all-but promised that their match would be nothing short of a vicious brawl, and it did not disappoint. Lesnar and Cena pushed the boundaries of PG, and delivered a bloody battle that sent the crowd inside Rosemont’s Allstate Arena into a fever pitch.

Elsewhere on the card, World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus defended his title against Daniel Bryan in a two-out-of-three falls match. One month prior, in the opening contest of WrestleMania XXVIII, Sheamus shockingly dethroned Bryan in just 28 seconds, upsetting fans in the process who were looking to seeing one of their favorites compete in a hard-fought match, lengthy match. At Extreme Rules they would get just that. Bryan and Sheamus would have a technical classic, almost managing to steal the show from the Lesnar/Cena main event.

Extreme Rules that year also featured  hometown hero CM Punk taking on Chris Jericho in a Chicago Street Fight. CM Punk pay per view matches in Chicago are usually can’t-miss affairs, and this one was no different. The feud between Jericho and Punk had become very personal in the weeks leading up to their match, and the hatred and intensity translated from the microphone to the ring.