WWE Extreme Rules: Top 6 most extreme matches in the PPV's history

Extreme Rules is just over a week away and if this week's WWE programming is any indication then we are set to see quite a few extreme moments. Recent editions have not had much brutality in them, but Extreme Rules still remains one of the secondary staples on the WWE calendar.

The pay-per-view has been around since 2009, making it one of the longest-running PPVs on the current list. There are various reasons for its survival, with the primary one being the flexibility of gimmicks on offer. WWE brands Extreme Rules as the "one night when rules are made to be broken", giving us a variety of gimmick matches on the same card.

Last year was a disappointment, with minimal gimmick matches and a real lack of extreme moments, aside from Kevin Owens getting thrown from the top of a steel cage. Hopefully, this year will provide us with some memorable matches and spots.

Obviously, Extreme Rules has a history of playing host to some really barbaric matches over the years. There has been no shortage of shockers, as the agonizing pain felt by superstars have been celebrated by the WWE universe.

Here are the six most extreme matches in WWE Extreme Rules history.

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#6. Sheamus vs. Triple H (2010)

This was the end of Triple H's full-time career.

Extreme Rules 2010 was main evented by a hellacious Last Man Standing Match between John Cena and Batista, but the finish let that match down. Cena tied Batista's feet together with duct tape to provide an underwhelming end to a great match.

Earlier in the night, we saw a more vicious battle. At the start of the pay-per-view, Sheamus brutally attacked Triple H with a lead pipe backstage, putting this Street Fight in doubt. However, a valiant Game marched on and faced the Celtic Warrior later on in the evening.

What followed was a methodical beatdown of the former DX leader. Sheamus had won the WWE Championship, but this was by far the biggest thing that happened to his career at that point.

After around ten minutes of violence, Sheamus gained control of Triple H on the ramp. He hit four vicious Brogue Kicks in a row to put away the Game and thus, getting the biggest rub of his career.

Sheamus even attacked him after the match, signalling the end of Triple H's full-time career.

#5. AJ Styles vs. Roman Reigns (2016)

This match helped Styles to no end.

Roman Reigns and AJ Styles only faced each other twice with both being pay-per-view main events for the WWE Championship. After WrestleMania 32, WWE put a lot of effort into building up new stars and focusing on the 'New Era'.

Styles came up short at Payback - a match filled with interferences from both the Club and the Usos. This match was an Extreme Rules contest, prompting the obvious involvement of both men's respective allied tag teams.

There were still a lot of spots in this match involving Reigns and Styles. They brawled all the way to the Kickoff show panel and back, with the Big Dog putting the Phenomenal One through two announce tables.

Following the obvious interference, Styles went ballistic as he hit Jimmy and Jey Uso with multiple chair shots. He landed a great Styles Clash onto the steel chair, but that was not enough to win the title.

Roman Reigns picked up the victory with a beautiful Spear to counter the Phenomenal Forearm. This was a fantastic match. A real war if you want to call it that. It helped AJ Styles move to the next level, with his heel turn and feud with John Cena coming shortly after.

#4. Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk (2012)

The attire of both men says it all.

The feud between CM Punk and Chris Jericho was largely based around alcohol consumption and substance abuse. Punk's straight-edge values were put to the test by Y2J in a series of weird segments. This followed a decent, but underwhelming WWE Championship match at WrestleMania.

The final match in their feud would take place in Punk's hometown of Chicago which was the perfect location for obvious reasons. It was a Chicago Street Fight and both men were dressed in street clothes, perfectly illustrating the feel of the showdown.

There were many ruthless spots involving kendo sticks, steel chairs, announce tables and exposed turnbuckles. It even involved beer, as Jericho poured some of it on Punk.

The action was great and was viewed as a massive improvement from 'Mania match between the two. Punk's sister also got involved, as she slapped Jericho after he taunted her.

The finish to this frenzied fight came when the (then) Best in the World hit Jericho with an exposed turnbuckle-assisted GTS, followed by a regular GTS. A brutal end to a brutal match.

#3. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane (2014)

The only title defence of Bryan's 2014 reign.

Daniel Bryan won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WrestleMania XXX. It was one of the greatest moments in the storied history of WrestleMania. However, the reign that followed was not so great.

Bryan had to relinquish the belt, but not before his one and only title defence. He faced Kane in an Extreme Rules Match which, whether you agree or not, was a really brutish one. A few spots from this match stood out.

The two former tag team partners fought all the way to the back, with Bryan knocking Kane unconscious with a crowbar at one point. He then used a forklift to get him back to the ring and performed the Diving Headbutt from the top of the truck. Not exactly the wisest move for someone with concussion issues.

By the time we reached the climax, this match was on fire, literally. Kane lit a table at ringside on fire and looked set to throw Bryan through it. But it was Kane himself who went through the flaming table, en route to a heroic Daniel Bryan victory.

What a crazy spot to end one of the most underrated matches in recent WWE history.

#2. Jeff Hardy vs. Edge (2009)

Story of both their careers.

Edge and Jeff Hardy are synonymous with one another and ladder matches as a whole. They both made their names in those matches, alongside Matt Hardy and Christian respectively. The two of them would consistently risk their lives to perform the craziest of stunts for the WWE universe.

That is why this 2009 ladder match for the World Heavyweight Championship was the ultimate full-circle moment. Edge and Hardy had been feuding on and off since Survivor Series 2008 and this was the conclusion of the rivalry.

We got everything one would expect from these two, especially one unbelievable bump. Both men were on top of a ladder outside the ring and it lost balance, leaving both men to crash onto another ladder bridged at ringside.

The finish was a lot less violent, as it just featured Hardy trapping Edge between the rungs of the ladder before retrieving the Big Gold Belt for himself. It was a classic match to end both - the first-ever Extreme Rules pay-per-view and the crazy feud between these two daredevils.

CM Punk would take advantage of the carnage and cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase on an exhausted Jeff Hardy after the match.

#1. Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena (2012)

This was not for the faint-hearted.

After all the extreme moments and matches WWE gave us in the past few years, only one of them could take the cake. That match is Brock Lesnar's return match in the WWE.

This was Lesnar's first WWE bout in eight years and a lot had changed. John Cena was now the face of the company, as WWE were now fully PG. However, this match was anything but PG.

It took less than thirty seconds for the Beast to bust Cena open the hard way. This was a real fight and is still considered to be one of the most legitimate matches in WWE history. The Cenation Leader had never been dominated like that before as Lesnar was toying with him.

This match even featured two referee bumps and it looked like an easy and dominant win for Brock Lesnar, but Cena had other ideas. He smashed the Beast's head with a steel chain and planted him with an Attitude Adjustment onto the steel steps for a largely questionable victory.

Whether or not it was a smart decision for Lesnar to lose his first match back, nobody could deny the brutality that ensued from the match. It was so ferocious, that Cena proclaimed that he would be taking a vacation (he did not).