10. WWE World Heavyweight Championship Extreme Rules Match:
Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kane – Extreme Rules 2014
I probably liked this match more than some other people. Daniel
Bryan getting a sustained run as WWE Champion was a dream come true that turned
into a nightmare unfortunately. It started when he was put into a feud with a
tired Kane that nobody really took seriously. Add in the awful acting of Brie
Bella and you had a recipe for disaster when it came to the buildup to this
match. However, when it came time for the actual match to go down, Kane and
Daniel Bryan found some of the magic that they had when they were awesome
together as Team Hell No. They were wise enough to try and work around Kane’s
limitations at his age, putting on a match filled with fun spots. They fought
backstage, which we don’t see often anymore, brought into multiple weapons and
had a crazy finisher. Bryan used a forklift to bring Kane back to the ring and
dove off of it with a headbutt. To top all of the unique spots, they brought a
goddamn flaming table into play. That was unheard of in the PG era of WWE.
Hell, it was rare in WWE period. A fun match that used the Extreme Rules
stipulation very well.
9. Hair Match: CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio – Extreme Rules 2010
While compiling this list, I came to the conclusion that CM Punk usually managed to perform very well on the Extreme Rules Pay-Per-View. He appears here, later in the list and nearly made it for his outing against Randy Orton at the 2011 version of this show. CM Punk was in full on Straight Edge Messiah mode here and was in the midst of a really good rivalry with Rey Mysterio. The highlight of the feud was Punk singing “happy birthday” to Rey’s daughter in a very creepy segment. Punk lost a disappointing match to Rey at WrestleMania the month before but put his hair on the line in the rematch. This one got the time that Mania didn’t and it was much more fun. The Straight Edge Society got involved, though it may have been a bit too much which kept this from being a great match, but it made sense given the angle. Entering the match, Punk only had Luke Gallows and Serena but a third follower in a mask showed up to swing the momentum. He was revealed to be Joey Mercury and Punk finished Mysterio with the GTS to save his hair. Well, for another month at least since he’d get shaved a month later.
8. WWE Tag Team Championship: Tyson Kidd and Cesaro (c) vs.
The New Day – Extreme Rules 2015
The lone match to make the list from last year’s Extreme
Rules Pay-Per-View, though Roman Reigns vs. Big Show came close. Again, this
might be a match that I rated higher than most but I love both teams involved.
The New Day were dead in the water shortly after their debut because cheesy
babyfaces don’t really work often. The crowd quickly turned on them and heading
into this, they began to show off more heel tendencies. This was a really good
back and forth tag team match without many shenanigans to start. Xavier Woods
and Natalya had some interaction at ringside but nothing more. It was just
Tyson Kidd, Cesaro, Big E and Kofi Kingston doing damn good things in the ring.
Hell, Kidd and Cesaro only being able to team up for about six months is a damn
travesty. They looked so comfortable in their new babyface role here. It was a
distraction from Woods that allowed Kingston to rollup Cesaro and become the
champions. It kick started the incredible run of the New Day for the next year,
but at the time, it came across as very shocking since Kidd and Cesaro were
gaining momentum.
7. WWE Championship Chicago Street Fight: CM Punk (c) vs.
Chris Jericho – Extreme Rules 2012
Chris Jericho returned on the first Raw of 2012 (in a
very, very strange way) and the rumors began running that we’d get CM Punk vs.
Chris Jericho at WrestleMania that year. Well, it happened and while I found it
to be very good, it came across as a bit disappointing. People wanted a five
star classic but it wasn’t in the cards. Jericho chose to target Punk’s straight
edge lifestyle and his family history, making things more personal as they
headed for a rematch at Extreme Rules. In Punk’s hometown of Chicago, they met
in a street fight and right from the start, I was excited because Punk showed
up in street clothes. It’s not a big thing but it adds a lot to a street fight
in my eyes. Now this wasn’t the all-time classic that fans expected either, but
it proved to be a more heated match than Mania and it really fit the street
fight feel. Punk had family in the front row, only adding to the ongoing angle.
They made sure to include some big spots (like Punk’s elbow through a table)
while not overdoing it. Some of the near falls near the end had the crowd
losing their minds as the final stretch was great. Punk would eventually retain
in one of the better matches from his excellent WWE Title run.
6. WWE Intercontinental Championship No Holds Barred Match:
Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Chris Jericho – Extreme Rules 2009
Speaking of Chris Jericho, his crowning moment in Extreme
Rules history came at the inaugural event. Entering this, Jericho was in the
midst of his incredible run as the slow talking, serious heel. While he had
dropped the World Title rather quickly, he was just embarking on a fantastic
feud with Rey Mysterio. For a few months, these two made the Intercontinental
Title relevant and important once again. This one was held under the No Holds
Barred stipulation though it wasn’t a case where they used a ton of weapons or
anything like this. It just allowed them to showcase their hatred for one
another in a physical form. Throughout the course of this match, Jericho
continually tried to remove Mysterio’s mask. Yea, most of us know what he looks
like, but an unmasked Rey was unheard of in the WWE. There were a fair amount
of reversals, especially near the end, but they saved the best for last.
Jericho caught Rey’s 619 and removed his mask in one fell swoop, leading to a
win and a record ninth Intercontinental Title reign.
5. World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match: Alberto Del
Rio vs. Christian – Extreme Rules 2011
In a very unfortunate turn of events, Edge was forced to
retire after WrestleMania XXVII. Edge was the World Heavyweight Champion at the
time so he was forced to forfeit the gold. Most likely, he was set to drop the
title to Alberto Del Rio at Extreme Rules after retaining against him at
WrestleMania. In his place, we got his best friend Christian battling Del Rio
in a ladder match for the gold. Coming into this, everyone assumed Del Rio
would win. The WWE had never pulled the trigger on Christian and seemed to have
very big plans for the “Mexican Aristocrat”. They still managed to go out and
deliver a match filled with drama and close calls that had the crowd on the
edge of their seats. This proved to be one of the most overlooked ladder
matches in history as people don’t talk about it much but it was arguably the
best match of Del Rio’s WWE run and one of the best World Title ladder matches
I can recall. Probably only behind another on this list and Jericho/HBK off the
top of my head. In a surprising move, Christian pulled down the title to
fulfill his dream before celebrating with Edge in an emotional moment.
4. World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match: Edge (c) vs.
Jeff Hardy – Extreme Rules 2009
The string of World Title Ladder matches continues, though
ends at two. The rivalry between Edge and Jeff Hardy was certainly a long one.
It started as members of tag teams in the very late 90’s and progressed through
the years before involving the World Title in 2009. Hardy won the WWE Title at
the end of 2008 and quickly dropped it to Edge a month later. Some title
switching fuckery happened and Edge ended up with the World Heavyweight Title
leading into this match. The video package beforehand billed this as the final
battle between them, set to “You’re Going Down” by Sick Puppies. I felt like
the match itself worked as a bit of a greatest hits for the guys since the
ladder match is synonymous with both men. The fane ate everything up and you
got the feeling that both guys really disliked each other. The finish was
original and cool as Edge was pulled into the open ladder, leaving him stuck
there while Jeff captured the gold. An added moment followed as CM Punk showed
up to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and crush Jeff’s heart.
3. World Heavyweight Championship 2 Out of 3 Falls Match:
Sheamus (c) vs. Daniel Bryan – Extreme Rules 2012
Ah, this infamous feud. Sheamus won the 2012 Royal Rumble
and faced Daniel Bryan for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania. Fans
expected a really good match but instead got Sheamus winning the title in 18
seconds in front of a crowd that was pretty pro-Bryan. That began the “yes
movement” but Bryan would stay heel for a while. At Extreme Rules, we were
treated to the Sheamus/Daniel Bryan match that we all wanted. Bryan, being at a
significant size disadvantage, used his brains to his advantage as he gave away
the first fall via disqualification. Normally you wouldn’t think that was a
good idea, but it allowed him to win the second fall via submission almost
instantly. Their final fall, though shorter than the first one, proved to be
the best part of the match, with both guys going back and forth and trading
close calls. Sheamus was able to rally and scored a clean victory over Bryan
with the Brogue Kick. This was easily in the top ten matches of Bryan’s WWE
career and, as far as I can recall, the best Sheamus match I’ve ever seen.
2. Extreme Rules Match: Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena – Extreme
Rules 2012
In one of the coolest post-WrestleMania Raw moments in
history, Brock Lesnar returned after nearly eight years away from the WWE. He
went after John Cena instantly and the build for the match saw Brock bust Cena
open, setting the stage for what would be an excellent match. Man, this showed
the world that this post-UFC Brock was a completely different animal. Brock
busted Cena open again, within minutes of the match. Like their SummerSlam 2014
bout, Brock beat the shit out of Cena though it was not as one-sided. Brock
wipes Cena’s blood on his chest and just treats the top guy of the company like
he’s completely worthless. There was something incredible about watching this
and just seeing Cena take a pounding after years of dominating the entire WWE
roster. Unfortunately, the one thing that keeps this match from the top of the
list was the outcome. Cena did his big comeback and won after the AA on the
steel steps. It was and still is baffling that they would make this decision. In
my opinion, Brock should still be unbeaten since his return because he
shouldn’t have lost here and he damn sure didn’t need to lose to Triple H at
WrestleMania 29.
1. Extreme Rules Match: Evolution vs. The Shield – Extreme
Rules 2014
It was pretty obvious that the Shield was the best thing
in the WWE during 2013. As the calendar turned to 2014 though, they embarked on
a new challenge. Instead of just dominating and outperforming the rest of the
company, the Shield would now be tested to see if they’d work as babyfaces.
They did and it was simply because they didn’t change anything about themselves
except for their targets. They kept everything that made them cool. Anyway,
their rivalry with the Authority led to Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton
reforming Evolution and leading to a clash of two dominant stables. Like the
Shield’s matches earlier in the year against the Wyatt Family, this was
tremendous and more than lived up to the hype. Everyone came to perform at a
high level, even Batista who was picking back up after struggling early in his
return. Seth Rollins stole the show with an insane dive in the crowd that
proved to be the most memorable moment of the match. The best thing about this
though was that the Shield won, fair and square. They beat the best stable of
the past fifteen years and did it again a month later in two standout matches
before their eventual split.
