WWE Extreme Rules 2012 Results: Sheamus Defeats Daniel Bryan to Retain Title

Despite an Allstate Arena crowd that was firmly in the corner of Daniel Bryan, Sheamus was able to retain the World Heavyweight Championship by defeating the former title holder in a two-out-of-three falls match at Extreme Rules.

Bryan's popularity has skyrocketed ever since dropping the belt to Sheamus at WrestleMania in just 18 seconds. Chants of "Yes! Yes! Yes!" have been bellowed out at WWE events ever since as a way for fans to voice their displeasure over the treatment of Bryan.

It brought an interesting dynamic to the match. Bryan, who's still working as a heel despite the crowd reaction, received a bigger pop and had better crowd reaction throughout the match.

That said, it shouldn't be a surprise that Sheamus came out on top. The company gave him a Royal Rumble victory to set up the title match at WrestleMania and then allowed him to go over Bryan, albeit in gimmick fashion.

Having him drop the title at a secondary pay-per-view after those two marquee wins just didn't make sense. He has built up a lot of momentum over the past few months, and a loss would have made it all evaporate in an instant.

It will be interesting to see how the creative team handles things moving forward. Bryan's massive support means taking him out of the main-event picture shouldn't be viewed as a realistic option. That said, it's tough for Sheamus to succeed as a face when Bryan overshadows him.

Either Sheamus must undergo some type of character shift to make him more appealing to the mainstream audience, or a third person needs to be added to the storyline if the pair's feud will continue behind Extreme Rules, which seems likely.

As for now, "The Great White" remains champion and will look to build off another big victory as the build for Over the Limit begins.