WWE Extreme Rules 2012 Results: Cena's Promo and the 15 Most Memorable Moments

Extreme Rules has now come and gone with a surprisingly positive reaction from a lot of fans. Three great potential Match of the Year candidates took place, two new champions were crowned and one shocking announcement took the wrestling world by storm. There were a lot of interesting moments last night, including the return of a champion Diva and the first match back for one of WWE's most destructive forces.

There was a lot of blood, a bunch of destructive spots, two matches that were last-minute adds and forgettable anyway, four WrestleMania rematches that were considered better than their original bouts and one table that couldn't handle being stepped on. All in all, Extreme Rules has certainly set the bar high for the other pay-per-views as the new year for events begins, ending with WrestleMania XXIX in MetLife Stadium next April.

Here are 15 of those moments that can jog memories and some that you can recall when thinking about Extreme Rules 2012.

Cameraman Falling Down

Perhaps the superstars should be holding the cameras more often, because cameramen taking bumps seems to be rather common on live TV.

Extreme Rules saw a cameraman who followed Kane and Randy Orton backstage fall back while trying to get out of the way of the two men. He may have been pushed by Kane. He may have fallen down by himself. Either way, it will be one of those funny little moments that will be butchered on YouTube by fans who wish to laugh at others for their mistakes.

Also, nice shoes on the part of the cameraman. They reminded me of Santino Marella's shoes from his debut in Italy a few years ago. They certainly were something we could have avoided seeing on television.

Sheamus Debuts a Submission Hold

Sheamus had just a few options in getting falls in his Two Out of Three Falls Match against Daniel Bryan. Who would have believed that it would be Bryan, not the short fuse of Sheamus, who would give a fall away from a disqualification?

It also seemed unusual that Sheamus had developed a submission hold. Suddenly, the Texas Cloverleaf, a move made famous by the likes of Dean Malenko, was being applied by the current World Heavyweight Champion.

Malenko actually was a worldwide trend on Twitter last night because of it. Still, we can anticipate an Irish-like name for it with Sheamus using it. Why not call it the Celtic Cross? Sheamus has used that name for a few of his finishers already.

Cody Rhodes' Disaster Kick off the Table

Cody Rhodes and Big Show put together a match that lasted just a few minutes, but it had some memorable moments in it. It seemed like it would end very early when Big Show tried to throw Cody Rhodes into a table propped up in the corner. Instead, Rhodes gathered himself and set off a Beautiful Disaster kick, using the table as leverage.

It was an unusual spot, and a pretty cool one at that. It was also some of the best offense Rhodes had in the entire match.

The Boos for Ryback

Ryback has been back for just a few weeks and has had all of his matches on Smackdown episodes. The real test of Ryback's early impact would be his first pay-per-view bout in front of a very hostile crowd. In front of the Chicago faithful, Ryback got a chorus of boos, which he could have probably gotten in other crowds.

There was no way to use canned cheers this time around, though. Ryback also heard a bunch of "Goldberg" chants, which may be a reality check for the man formerly known as Skip Sheffield.

If there is a change in Ryback's character, know that the Chicago crowd may have helped cause it.

Layla Returns

Beth Phoenix was announced as not being cleared for the Divas Championship match against new champion Nikki Bella. It was Beth who seemed to cause herself an injury earlier in the week that gave the title to Bella. When she was going to be replaced, nobody was quite sure as who would be the secret opponent.

Layla suddenly came out after almost a year out of action. Layla would return and show off some decent moves before pulling off the victory and winning the Divas Championship on her first night back.

Cody Rhodes Walks out on His Own Power

Cody Rhodes was hurting last night. He literally yelled out about his hip bothering him during the match. Still, Rhodes won the Intercontinental Championship back.

Following the match, an angry Big Show manhandled Cody and put him through two tables. The second one had some scary flashbacks to when Wade Barrett was injured on Raw prior to WrestleMania.

Rhodes was banged up and needed help to the back, but he refused the attention, and as his music played, he was given a great ovation by the crowd. Try to make the assumptions of Rhodes and his character all you want, but a moment like that shows exactly the amount of toughness that Rhodes really has.

Nearfall After Nearfall Between Kane and Randy Orton

Kane and Randy Orton led the night off with a match that seemed to be better than their WrestleMania match. At any point, it seemed that the bout could be over. Nearfalls just seemed closer than usual ,and either man could have won that Falls Count Anywhere match.

It was a great opening bout to a great pay-per-view. They really utilized the first spot as a way to get people invested in this match. For a storyline that few cared about, the crowd was able to pop for this match and set the tone for the night.

CM Punk and Chris Jericho Wearing Street Clothes

It's a Street Fight classic. Street clothes being worn over classic ring gear was a nice touch by both Punk and Jericho. It really gave the feel that it was more about fighting for these two than what they tended to look like. Punk wore ragged denim shorts, while Jericho's jeans seemed to be a little bit worn as well. Both men wore knee pads as well, giving them both unusual looks.

However, it helped to tell the story right off the bat in what was a better story that was told than their WrestleMania match. Punk and Jericho had a better wrestling match then, but this story was more captivating.

The Teased Return of Kharma

How cruel to play such a joke with people's heart strings...

After Beth Phoenix was ruled out of her Extreme Rules match, Kharma trended on Twitter, but WWE did not seem to want to acknowledge it. Were they trying to hide something? Then again, WWE all but said that Kharma was going to be involved. She tweeted an eluding text message, which was retweeted by WWE. It was all a swerve that many of us fell for. It certainly was eaten up by dirt sheets worldwide. I guess this proves to us all to avoid believing everything that you hear.

Big Show Steps Through Table

It was a spot that we have not seen in a Tables match before. Rhodes kicked out one of Big Show's legs, which slipped off the ring apron and went through a table. Match over.

Just like that, as Big Show stood halfway on the apron stunned, he had lost his Intercontinental Championship after just a few weeks of holding it. Big Show's face told the entire story then, and his way of losing was one of the more unexpected ends to a table match since John Cena fell through one during his match with Sheamus at TLC 2009.

CM Punk's Diving Elbow Through a Table

Punk seemed more rugged with his offense in the street fight. He tried the flying elbow a few times in the match, paying tribute to Randy Savage every time. The most brutal one was the one putting both him and Jericho through the Spanish announce table. Upon impact, it looked as if Jericho's head snapped back and he suffered a concussion of sorts during the spot.

To be fair, that table never had a chance.

Alternating 'Yes' and 'No' Chants

It was one of those classic crowd situations. Following Daniel Bryan tying up the Two Out of Three Falls match with Sheamus, trainers and referees are attempting to revive The Great White. As Bryan sees a break in the action, he keeps the Chicago crowd involved by starting a "YES!" chant. Not to be outdone, the anti-Bryan fans responded with chants of "NO!".

This led to alternating chants of the two in one of those great moments where it is obvious that the fans are completely involved in Bryan as a character and this match as a world title match.

The Chicago Crowd

I've given a few individual moments a nod from this Chicago crowd, but the crowd in general was a memorable thing to see. It's no wonder that Chicago often is involved in pay-per-view schedules. The crowd is always very good, and the arena is often available at all parts of the year. It has gotten to the point where Chicago not hosting a pay-per-view, or at least an episode of Raw, would be disappointing.

Sure, there are other great crowds in cities like Los Angeles, New York, Miami and a few spots in Canada, but Chicago is a definite proving ground. New York is where legends are made, but Chicago is where you find out if you are a big deal or not. Ryback found out the hard way last night that something needs to be changed for him going forward.

Brock Lesnar's Suicide Dive

There's so much to say about Brock Lesnar's destruction of John Cena. Despite losing the match, Lesnar clearly won the war with the pain that Cena was in after the match. It's hard to pick one specific moment to remember about Lesnar, but the one that sticks out in my mind is his dive to the outside onto Cena. Both men were laid out following it, and it seemed like absolute desperation on Lesnar's behalf.

The strong man with furious fists and an unmatched mean streak resorted to an area that he is not an expert in: high-flying. That's what Extreme Rules does to people, I suppose.

John Cena's Unusual Post-Match Promo

This is what this great event will always be overshadowed with. A barbaric match between John Cena and Brock Lesnar will ultimately be remembered for John Cena barely able to move his left arm, bleeding from a laceration on his head.

Cena would grab a microphone and address the crowd, saying that he would be taking some time off. It's unclear whether or not this was a planned hiatus for Cena and that the injuries sustained are simply piled on top of that or if the decision was quickly made by Cena to tell the world that he was hurt and would be out for a while.

Still, as we saw a banged-up Lesnar squirm to the backstage area, an injured Cena stood under his own power and told his fans that he was hurt and was taking time away. For a guy who is so passionate about the business and takes pride in showing up each week, this was not a side of Cena that is often seen and for that, will be remembered at the end of this show.

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