WWE Extreme Rules 2012: 5 Reasons the Pay-Per-View Will Be Worth the Money

Extreme Rules 2012 will not be WrestleMania 28, but should be an entertaining and meaningful pay-per-view well worth shelling out 45 bucks for. 

Brock Lesnar will be back in action against WWE's golden boy.  The WrestleMania rematches could top the originals. 

Daniel Bryan and Sheamus finally get a shot at putting on a show. 

Even with WWE's refusal to build up most of the matches or announce several others, WWE fans should order Extreme Rules. 

It should prove to be a fight that helps us get through our WrestleMania hangover and drag our hearts into our throats.  

Brock Lesnar Is Back

The Raw audience that witnessed Brock's emphatic return to WWE quivered in a fit of all-out markdom. 

We are more than thrilled to have him back. 

His MMA stint increases his tough guy aura and at least brings in a few curious MMA fanatics. 

The monstrous Lesnar brings power, an All-American amateur background and an infectious intensity.   He instantly infuses a new energy into the company.

Is starting him against John Cena the right move?  Will Lesnar be as impactful as he was the last go-around.

Seeing how those questions play out will make his PPV re-debut a must-watch.  

Extreme Rules is the hopefully just the opening number on a loud, explosive concert of violence for Lesnar.  

Gimmick Matches

Sometimes gimmick matches leave a rancid smell wafting from the ring.

I'm talking to you, Kennel from Hell.

Other times they provide a platform for a classic to be built.  Cage matches, brawls that slide out into the audience and ladder matches have been some of the greatest matches we've ever seen.

Plus they're a fun change of pace. 

Extreme Rules 2012 looks to be avoiding the goofy, asinine Hog Pen kind of matches in favor of more straightforward battles.

The two out of three falls stipulation for the Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus match is a perfect fit.

These two men don't need a bunch of furniture or weapons to thrill us.  The gimmick also ties directly into their feud; Bryan looking to avoid a repeat of his squash loss at WrestleMania.

Same goes for Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk.  

Their feud has grown increasingly personal and vicious.  A Street Fight feeds into exactly where their war is going. 

Unannounced matches may spring a few surprises on us with some innovative stipulations.

Cena’s Journey

Fans have been speculating ad nauseam that John Cena will turn heel.

He showed glimpses of a darker side during his feud with Kane, including several awkward attempts at looking angry.  

After losing cleanly to The Rock, we've been wondering what that means for Cena's character and career.

Is he going to return triumphantly to his Superman days and dispatch of Brock Lesnar with an Attitude Adjustment and a knowing glance at the audience?

Or will this be the feud and the match that turns him down a path lined with shadows? 

Seeing how he is booked, how well he does against Lesnar and what direction his persona takes is going to make his Extreme Rules match compelling. 

Daniel Bryan and Sheamus…Finally

As great as WrestleMania 28 was, its opening match punctured the fans' enthusiasm.  WWE denied fans an opportunity to see two of its best wrestlers at work. 

Extreme Rules can rectify that.

The match we wanted to see at WrestleMania will now be even more fulfilling and means more in terms of the storyline as well.

Their 18-second slap in the face had no buildup whatsoever.  Bryan has used his WrestleMania slight to grow as a character and to make winning or losing this match mean much more.

Will he prove that the last loss was a fluke?  Will he wrest the title back from Sheamus?

With a championship on the line, Bryan's supporters growing more vocal, styles set to clash and a story just hitting its crest, this could be Daniel Bryan's career-defining match. 

Punk and Jericho Will Top WrestleMania 28

CM Punk and Chris Jericho's great WrestleMania battle didn't get the attention it deserved due to a movie star beating a megastar and two legends ending an era on the same night.

Their chemistry was phenomenal, the two men in synch physically throughout.

Round 2 could be even better. 

The Chicago crowd will likely provide the match with an overload of energy. 

Their reaction and emotion should elevate the match even more once the first punch is thrown. 

Punk and Jericho are even more familiar with each other now and their ring work should be more fluid.

The added violence and unpredictability the Street Fight element adds should make this match the one people talk about the next day and for years to come.