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WWE Extreme Rules has always been a pretty exciting event. It is the one WWE event all year almost all if not all matches on the card have no rules.
We have been treated to the likes of a Steel Cage, Ladder matches and Last Man Standing matches, and more, all in a single night!
Extreme Rules has also provided us with some of the best matches of the entire year, and by the look of this Sunday's 2018 Extreme Rules card, we may be in for some more. So with Extreme Rules this Sunday, here I will take a look at what I feel are the top 10 best Extreme Rules matches in WWE history.
Honorable Mentions: Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio - 2009, CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio - 2010, Edge vs. Chris Jericho - 2010, John Cena vs. The Miz vs John Morrison - 2011, Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H - 2013, and Roman Reigns vs. Big Show - 2015
#10 Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk - Extreme Rules 2012
This was set to be the final match of the feud between them. Chris Jericho and then WWE Champion CM Punk had been feuding since January, and had a hard fought battle at WrestleMania 28, the month prior to this event. Here, they looked to up their game, and they sure did.
A 'Chicago Street Fight', Punk and Jericho brought everything but the kitchen sink. So much pounding from both men with a kendo stick that the crowd broke into several 'ECW' chants. Jericho gave an awesome heel moment as he poured a beverage on the straight edge Punk. We had some nice exchanges and finishing move reversals at a pretty fast pace.
Some more exchanges, brawling, weapon use and a broken announcers table later, and Punk would finish it off with a GTS for the win.
#9 AJ Styles vs. Roman Reigns - Extreme Rules 2016
WWE Champion Roman Reigns was struggling to be cheered by fans every bit in 2016 as he is today, which is why it was such a perplexing decision to have WWE's newest most popular star, AJ Styles, feud with him.
AJ feuding with him certainly didn't help Reigns get any more popular, but it did bring out the best of Reigns ability in his one-on-one matches. Roman hadn't had many good one-on-one matches since going solo, but this one made it seem like he had been. Just goes to show how phenomenal AJ Styles really is.
Like every other night, the live audience was almost completely against Roman here. They brawled it out early on until Reigns took control with help from the barricade and steel chair. AJ battled back and the two brawled into the crowd. Reigns tossed Styles onto the glass table at the Kick-Off panel, but Styles fought back. They fought their way back to the ring and Reigns sent Styles through the announcers' table.
We had some more brawling and big moves before Roman powerbombed AJ through the second announce table. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, and The Usos all interfered to help out their allies and fought each other off. A frustrated AJ would hit Roman with about 10 steel chair shots before going for a Phenomenal Forearm that was reversed into a mid-air spear in an awesome sequence as Roman got the three count
#8 Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Bálor vs Samoa Joe - Extreme Rules 2017
Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, Finn Bálor and Samoa Joe were here to battle it out for the number one contendership for the Universal Championship, and they left it all in the ring.
Bálor, Wyatt, Rollins, and Joe would brawl it out as Roman awaited them in the ring, and where he would take them all down one by one until it was just he and Shield brother Seth Rollins. They briefly go at it before being attacked by Wyatt and Joe. We got some hot exchanges from all men, which is pretty non-stop throughout the entire match.
A lot of team-ups near falls and more fast-paced action. We got a cool sequence of Finn almost putting Bray through the announcers' table before Joe grabbed him a with the clutch before Reigns speared them both through the barricade.
Back in the ring, Finn hits Reigns with the shotgun dropkick and then hits the double stomp, but is stopped by Joe before making the cover, who locked him in the clutch for the win.
#7 Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus - Extreme Rules 2012
This was the match we should have gotten at WrestleMania!
The month prior to this event at WrestleMania 28, Sheamus famously defeated Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds to win the World Heavyweight Championship. The move and reaction to Bryan's loss did certainly help demonstrate how popular Bryan had become, but the one remaining bad thing about it was that these two were very well capable of tearing the house down.
Unless WWE were looking for Sheamus to beat Bryan in 36 seconds, fans knew this was going to live up to the hype as it was to be a 2 out of 3 Falls match.
Bryan entered the match continuing to ride his newfound popularity, while babyface Sheamus entered to scores of boos. The match would be a nice mix of Sheamus's brawling style, as well as Bryan's technical style.
The two clashed their styles for the first while, before slugging it out until Bryan reverse Sheamus and kicked him so many times that he loses the first fall to a disqualification. The second fall went to Bryan as he hooks the YES LOCK right away for the submission, leveling it at 1-1.
They slugged it out some more, with another chain of reversals until Sheamus pinned Bryan clean with a Brogue Kick for the third and final fall of the match.
#6 The Miz vs. Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn - Extreme Rules 2016
This match was one of those unexpected gems. I mean I think most knew it was going to be good, but not as outstanding as it was. This was Match of The Year candidate stuff.
Sami Zayn started the match off with a quick Helluva Kick on Owens as soon as the bell rang with KO going straight to the floor. This was a fun cool way to get things going. Cesaro hit Miz with an uppercut next to send him out, which leads to a reminiscent moment of the classic epic matches Sami and Cesro had in NXT. The two gave us some great exchanges before Miz recovers.
We have some dives from the ring, an attempted tower of doom, and then an actual tower of doom. With the quick exchanges and near falls in between, this was a great sequence. Cesaro hit uppercuts on all three guys as they were all standing up against turnbuckles before being reversed by Owens. Several more solid exchanges before Zayn hits a Helluva Kick on Cesaro, only to have the win taken away from Owens who dragged him out of the ring, while The Miz steals the three count just after.
#5 Randy Orton vs. CM Punk - Extreme Rules 2011
Now, this is how you open up a pay-per-view!
A fantastic match, this Last Man Standing Match is one of the best matches in WWE history to ever open up a show. Extreme Rules 2011 was an excellent event overall and this set the tone for what was to come.
The action started off fast with some quick exchanges. We had a lot of use from a kendo stick from both men as they slugged it out. We get a few varieties of suplexes from both as Punk screamed at Orton to stay down before he wrapped Orton's neck in the chair and sends him into the ring post.
After Punk barely survived the count after an RKO, Orton charged for the Punt, but Punk counters to a modified GTS where he used the ring steps instead of his knee. Punk grabbed a kendo stick as Orton makes it to his feet at the count of nine. Orton battled back and relentlessly beat Punk with a kendo stick in the corner.
Randy then hits a top rope RKO for the 10 count.
#4 Jeff Hardy vs. Edge - Extreme Rules 2009
In my opinion, this is one of the most overlooked Ladder matches in WWE history. Many fans knew that Jeff Hardy was likely on his way out of WWE sometime over the next few months, so were not expecting a win for the Charismatic Enigma.
Jeff and Edge went back and forth for a couple of minutes before Jeff retrieved a ladder. Jeff makes the first climb, but Edge hauls him down and flapjacked him into the ladder. The two had some good exchanges and back and forth action, both on the ground and on top of the ladders.
We had some attempted high-risk Swantons and Spears, before Jeff connected with a high Whisper in The Wind. We got several more ladders involved, some normal sized, some extremely high. Several more high spots, including both men going through a ladder on the outside of the ring and Edge diving off a huge ladder, to which Jeff caught him with a Twist of Fate in mid-air to bring him down.
As both men climb the ladder, Jeff locked Edge in a ladder step and unhooks the gold to become the new World Champion. Unfortunately for him, his reign is short lived as CM Punk then successfully cashed in his Money in The Bank to lift the gold from him.
#3 John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar - Extreme Rules 2012
Brock Lesnar returned to WWE on the post-WrestleMania 28 edition of RAW and immediately began a feud with John Cena.
The two had a pretty good build-up to this match, with some of the best pull-apart brawls in WWE history. Fans were ready to see a Match of The Year candidate between these two, and that is exactly what they got.
Brock kick-started the match by taking Cena down and immediately splitting his head open. The Chicago crowd almost lost it right from the get-go. As the doctors tried to attend to John, he kept attempting to go for Lesnar, only to be stopped and suplexed. Lesnar seemed to take pride in wiping Cena's blood on his chest.
Brock hit some seemingly stiff shots and knees, before attempting some submissions. As Cena kicked out of the F-5, Brock destroyed not one but two referee's, as he continued to mercifully beat down on John. Brock launched Cena to the floor from the apron a couple of times before Brock is busted open from Cena's chain. John hits Brock with an Attitude Adjustment on the steel steps for the surprising three count.
#2 Evolution vs. The Shield - Extreme Rules 2014
Triple H certainly doesn't have the best reputation for putting others over, and extremely well, but here, along with Randy Orton and Batista, they helped make The Shield look like a Million bucks.
A big brawl started things off as The Shield clear Evolution of the ring. Triple H and Seth Rollins started things off, officially. The Game had control for a while before Rollins fights back and tagged Dean Ambrose. The lunatic quickly took down everyone before Evolution triple assaulted him to take control back. All six men got involved soon as it became Tornado style rules.
Some fun brawling and exchanges, that led into the crowd. Rollins gave the best moment in the match when he performed a Cross Body off a balcony. Back in the ring, Roman Reigns reversed the Batista Bomb into a Superman Punch and Spear for the win.
#1 Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian - Extreme Rules 2011
Just one month earlier, Edge was the reigning World Heavyweight Champion and it seemed like it was going to stay that way for a while. Then, all of a sudden, he would retire. t was sad to see him go, but it did open up the door for the always underrated best friend of Edge, Christian to finally become something in WWE.
Not even a 3 year run with TNA and two NWA World Championship reigns were enough to elevate Christian in WWE's eyes, but now he being in the right place at the right time finally would.
Alberto Del Rio was drafted over to RAW just one week earlier, which made the outcome a little obvious, but that didn't take away from anyone's enjoyment of it. Why? Because not only did the long overdue well deserved Christian finally make it to the top in WWE, but the match itself was outstanding.
Del Rio and Christian fought over the ladder in the early going, with some good back and forth exchanges. This continued for a while as we saw plenty of reversals between them. Del Rio shoved Christian off the top rope, but landed on a nearby ladder, and then caught Del Rio with a crossbody from off the top of it. Alberto used the ladder as apart of a cross arm breaker, but eventually Christian fought off the hold.
We have some more good exchanges, reversals, and high-risk action before Del Rio's bodyguard Brodus Clay interfered. Edge made an appearance in a jeep and honked the horn to distract Del Rio. That gave Christian the chance he needed as he tipped over the ladder to send Del Rio crashing onto Clay. With Edge cheering him on, Christian pulled down the title in one of the most feel-good moments in WWE history.
WWE had so little faith in Christian as a top star that he would lose the title to Randy Orton just 2 days later, but despite that, it was still one of the best Championship wins in the history of WWE.
