WWE Extreme Rules 2012: Grades for Each Match

Extreme Rules 2012 was a fantastic PPV.

There, I said it!

In spite of a couple of pointless squash matches, the big-name showdowns on the card were, for the most part, very impressive.

This slideshow will break down every matchup and assign a grade for each.

Feel free to agree or disagree or just sound off on your own thoughts.

Santino Marella vs. the Miz (US Title Match): B-

A solid B- for the uneventful pre-show match.

It would have been foolhardy to expect a title change on the pre-show, but this match was still reasonably entertaining.

The Miz must still be in the WWE doghouse, as he follows up his slightly bizarre appearance on WWE Superstars with a defeat to Santino.

As for the Italian Stallion, this was a slightly predictable end, but he's still getting big pops with the crowd, so expect his title reign to last a little bit longer.

Kane vs. Randy Orton (Falls Count Anywhere): B

Falls Count Anywhere matches can almost be a little too predictable when both guys start advancing up the stage and into the backstage area.

But once both superstars made their way back to the ring, the match picked back up and ended up finishing nicely.

It would have been great to see Kane bring the Tombstone back, but I suppose Orton had more of an impetus to win, coming off his loss at WrestleMania.

Hopefully both can move on to other feuds now as well.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Brodus Clay: C

I may have been in the minority when I heard the words "Ladies and Gentlemen" and cringed to see the Funkasaurus making his way to the ring.

It's a real shame that Brodus Clay continues to get the best of the talented Dolph Ziggler, whose only opportunity to "show off" comes in his selling to Clay's attack.

The high point of this match was Ziggler bouncing off Clay's head late in the match.

Nice to see the Chicago crowd getting behind Ziggler, though.

Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes (IC Title Tables Match): B+

Oh boy, was that wheel spin awful!

It seemed to speed up halfway through the turn, destined to land on the Tables stipulation.

As for the match, it was fairly slow, as Rhodes struggled to get any momentum against the monstrous Show.

However, the ending was great as Big Show put his size-50 shoe through a table at the side of the ring to gift a victory, and the title, to Rhodes.

The aftermath was also entertaining, with Show breaking two tables (and Rhodes himself) in half out of frustration.

Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan (World Title: 2 out of 3 Falls): A

A special, special match, tempered only by a slightly disappointing ending.

Bryan and Sheamus did what they were unable to at WrestleMania: put on a wrestling clinic.

And it was Daniel Bryan who ran the tempo of the match, justifying his reputation as one of the very best in the industry.

Highlights included some great counters and submission holds from Bryan and a few knockout kicks to Sheamus' head.

And boy were the crowd into this one, seemingly divided in their affection for the American Dragon.

Hopefully Bryan wont be buried in a mid-card feud after this one—he proved tonight that he's a main-event talent.

Ryback vs. Aaron Relic & Jay Hutton: C-

A pointless squash match that only served to remind fans of the past dominance of Goldberg.

It seems Vince McMahon has big plans for Ryback, but these easy beats of local talents just seem like a giant waste of time.

Hopefully Ryback will be put into a meaningful feud before the next PPV.

CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho (WWE Championship: Chicago Street Fight): A-

Perhaps not as technical as their match at WrestleMania, Punk and Y2J certainly put on another show at Extreme Rules.

The undoubted highlight of the match came late on as Punk jumped from the turnbuckle onto the announcer's table, landing a perfect elbow on the prone Jericho.

Nice to see who I assumed was Punk's sister land a hefty slap on her tormentor as well!

I'm torn as to whether or not I want this feud to continue—perhaps a Raw rematch would be a nice to way to wrap up a rivalry between two experts of the game.

Nikki Bella vs. Layla (WWE Divas Title): C

Was I the only one who was disappointed to see Layla make her way to the ring as Nikki Bella's mystery opponent rather than the spurned AJ?

It was surprising (in a good way) not to see her interfere in the World Title match, but to have the title won by a Diva who hasn't wrestled in the WWE for months was an odd outcome to this matchup.

Pretty boring match, though.

John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules Match): B+

An inevitable outcome for this one.

The matchup mostly resembled a UFC fight for the first 20 minutes, as Brock systematically took Cena apart.

Lesnar's disdain for Cena was evident too, as the kayfabe line seemed to get crossed on a few occasions.

The AA onto the steel steps may have been a slightly predicable ending, but this match didn't disappoint for brutality.

Not sure about Cena's speech after the match, though.