WWE Extreme Rules 2015: Greatest Title Matches in PPV's History
On Sunday, April 26, WWE will present its Extreme Rules pay-per-view, a show oftentimes rife with rematches from WrestleMania as the company's writing staff desperately tries to recover from the busiest time of the calendar year.
Despite the reputation the event has garnered as WrestleMania-lite, it has been home to some stellar championship bouts since its inception in 2009.
From Chris Jericho's vendetta against Rey Mysterio and their No Holds Barred match for the Intercontinental Championship to Daniel Bryan and Kane's fiery title bout at last year's show, Extreme Rules is a broadcast typically littered with hidden gems and extraordinary title tilts.
This year, WWE has announced three title bouts ahead of the event, all of which have the potential to steal the show.
John Cena will defend his United States title against Rusev in what will be the third consecutive match between the two on pay-per-view. New IC titleholder Daniel Bryan will put the gold on the line against former champion Bad News Barrett in what should be a hard-hitting battle.
And in the night's main event, new WWE World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins will attempt to prove his reign is not the product of some fluke or luck associated with the Money in the Bank briefcase as he defends against No. 1 contender Randy Orton.
With the top of the 2015 card stacked with championship bouts destined to wow the vocal, passionate fans inside Chicago's Allstate Arena, relive the outstanding title bouts that preceded them with this look back at the greatest championship clashes in Extreme Rules history, ranked according to overall match quality and significance.
8. Extreme Rules Match for the World Heavyweight Title: Daniel Bryan vs. Kane
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In his first title defense as WWE World Heavyweight champion, Daniel Bryan battled former tag team partner-turned-Authority henchman Kane. The Big Red Corporate Demon from Hell, or something like that, threatened not only Bryan's health and title reign but also his wife, Brie Bella, adding even more of a personal edge to the bout.
The action spilled out of the ring and into the backstage area, where Bryan commandeered a forklift to return an unconscious Kane back to the squared circle. It was a spot right out of the Attitude era and fit the rest of the contest perfectly, given the wild and crazy antics that would plague the finish.
Kane, known for his love of all things pyrotechnic, engulfed a table in flames, no doubt hoping to put his former tag team championship partner through it. But the resilient Bryan fought off the mask-wearing challenger and sent him crashing through the blazing table instead.
Seconds later, Bryan retained the title.
In an era when PG television ratings and an abundance of children in the stands dictates the direction and tone of the product, it was refreshing to see two competitors with such a rich history together go to the ring and bet the unholy hell out of each other for 22-plus minutes before resorting to an over-the-top element such as fire to finally put one of them away.
Unfortunately, it was the only successful title defense of Bryan's reign as a neck injury would sideline him for almost a year.
7. No Holds Barred Match for the IC Title: Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho
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The year 2009 saw a Chris Jericho more determined and more despicable than ever. A hated heel, he was no longer the loud, brash and arrogant competitor he once was. Instead, he was cold, calculating and critical of those he believed to be fakes and frauds.
Heading into June's pay-per-view extravaganza, the SmackDown-exclusive star targeted Rey Mysterio, someone he felt was hiding behind a mask.
At Extreme Rules, the celebrated in-ring workers crafted an phenomenal wrestling match that climaxed with Mysterio attempting a 619. As he hit the ropes and spun his legs around to catch Jericho in the head, Y2J grabbed hold of his mask, ripping it off and forcing the champion to rush to cover his face.
The dastardly-yet-resourceful heel scored a pinfall victory and the IC title, the ninth time he captured the coveted and celebrated championship.
The finish was brilliant in that it played into the story that had been told in the weeks ahead of the bout. Today, all too often, we see conclusions to rivalries not necessarily making sense within the context of the story.
On that night, Jericho and Mysterio put together not just an stellar wrestling match but one that took into account everything that had been done to get to the point and made sure it played into the outcome.
6. Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Title: John Cena vs. Batista
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At WrestleMania XXVI, John Cena and Batista waged war in a WWE Championship match that saw them unleash all of their signature maneuvers and finishers on each other with the goal of incapacitating their opponent and leaving Arizona with the most prestigious prize in the sport.
It was interesting, then, that Cena caught his opponent in the STF and forced a submission out of the Animal for the win.
That would not be an option weeks later at Extreme Rules.
In a punishing Last Man Standing match, the only way to win would be to assault and attack your opponent to the point that they could not make it to their feet by the count of 10. Doing so would net the competitor the WWE title and bragging rights.
For nearly 25 minutes, the giants of the Ruthless Aggression era pummeled each other, and once again, Cena's willingness to resort to nontraditional methods earned him the win.
Late in the match, he took Batista down, wrapped is legs around the ring post and proceeded to duct tape them together, making it impossible for the former titleholder to make it to his feet in the necessary time.
Cena emerged victorious, but he would not see the last of Batista for another month.
5. Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Edge
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The main event of the first Extreme Rules pay-per-view pitted longtime rivals Jeff Hardy and Edge against each other in a Ladder match for the Rated R Superstar's World Heavyweight Championship.
Neither man was a stranger to the match type, having built their careers on taking death-defying leaps and bounds off ladders. But unlike previous matches between them, the number of high spots were limited. The hitting was harder and there was a greater deal more high impact involved than before. Thus, every spot meant more and each of the major bumps captivated the crowd in ways they otherwise wouldn't have.
Hardy proved resourceful and opportunistic, two qualities typically reserved for his opponent.
Late in the match, he trapped the champion between the rungs of the ladder, making it impossible for him to defend himself or prevent Hardy from retrieving the title. He did just that, and the fans in New Orleans erupted as SmackDown had a new franchise player.
For few minutes, anyway.
Shortly after Hardy's victory, CM Punk's music played and the Money in the Bank winner cashed in his briefcase and took the title in a moment that planted the seeds for his eventual heel turn.
4. Chicago Street Fight for the WWE Title: CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho
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There was a personal hatred developing between CM Punk and Chris Jericho heading into Extreme Rules in 2012. The latter had insulted Punk's family, humiliated him by pouring beer all over the Straight Edge Superstar and repeatedly made claims about what he described as Punk's sister's drug abuse.
With that same sister sitting ringside, Punk set out to punish his top contender in a Chicago Street Fight, using everything from Kendo sticks to steel chairs, showing reckless abandon by putting his own body at risk as he dove through the ropes at the challenger to his WWE Championship.
In spite of the hardcore stipulation, Jericho and Punk were able to use counter-wrestling and near-falls to create drama while hometown fans cheered for the champion to retain.
There were a few times when that did not look like a possibility, but Punk survived the Code Breaker and the Walls of Jericho to come back and finish Y2J off with the GTS, putting an end to that rivalry before celebrating with his friends and family at ringside.
It was a memorable homecoming in a brutal match for Punk. Both champion and challenger punished each other, and while the contest never really achieved the greatness it could have, it was still a phenomenal match, but it was quickly overshadowed by the showdown between John Cena and Brock Lesnar later in the night.
3. Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Title: Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio
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In April 2011, Edge was forced to retire from active competition due to a neck injury that threatened not just his career but his life. At the time, he was the Heavyweight champion of the world, so his retirement necessitated a new champion being crowned.
His rival at the time, Alberto Del Rio, was a logical choice to compete for the gold, while his best friend, Christian, also made sense.
At Extreme Rules, they clashed for the right to earn their first heavyweight title in WWE and in a match revolutionized by the Rated R Superstar: a Ladder match.
Much like the contest between Edge and Jeff Hardy some two years earlier, Christian and Del Rio sacrificed high spots for brutality, using the ladder in innovative and interesting ways rather than creating a spot show in which guys climbed up and fell off of the appliance.
Interference from Brodus Clay, Del Rio's heavy, threatened Captain Charisma's chances of accomplishing his boyhood dream.
But the Canada-born competitor fought back, busted open the big man and soon found himself climbing the ladder and retrieving the title, with the assistance Edge, who provided the distraction that prevented Del Rio from achieving the glory.
2. Steel Cage Match for the WWE Title: John Cena vs. John Morrison vs. the Miz
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The 2011 Extreme Rules main event was everything that WrestleMania's marquee match should have been.
John Cena, fresh off a loss in the biggest bout of the year and the revelation that he would battle the Rock at the following year's spectacular, was one of two challengers for the Miz's WWE title. The other? John Morrison, who was embroiled in a rivalry with R-Truth but had emerged as a leading candidate for the title thanks to elite in-ring skill and tremendous popularity.
The three Superstars would meet inside a steel cage in a match designed to keep Miz associate Alex Riley out of the match.
The action was fast, furious and unpredictable, with the sequences crafted by the performers constantly keeping the fans guessing as to whom was going to leave with their arm raised in victory, even if the outcome appeared obvious heading in.
That is the sign of three tremendously talented individuals.
Truth's interference late in the bout led to the elimination of Morrison from contention due to injury, leaving Cena and Miz to contest the championship. Ultimately, the leader of the Cenation delivered a huge Attitude Adjustment off the top rope to pick up the title and end the braggadocios Miz's first—and, so far, only—run with the gold.
1. 2-out-of-3 Falls for the World Heavyweight Title: Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan
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WrestleMania XXVIII was home to one of Daniel Bryan's biggest indignities. There, in the night's opening match, he was booked to lose the World Heavyweight Championship to Sheamus in 18 seconds.
The competitors, capable of having a tremendous match with each other, were robbed of the opportunity to do so on the grandest stage known to sports entertainment for the second consecutive year.
Fans were outraged by the blatant disrespect shown to the former Ring of Honor star but by the time Extreme Rules rolled around just weeks later, he and the Celtic Warrior would have the opportunity to prove to management just what kind of match they could have and the potential classic they had sacrificed at WrestleMania.
The two competitors, known for their brutal, hard-hitting strikes, punished each other in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match in front of the rabid fans inside the AllState Arena.
Sheamus scored the first fall via disqualification when Bryan, determined to set his opponent up for the debilitating Yes Lock, targeted the shoulder of the champion and relentlessly punished it while trapped in the ropes. The referee ended the fall at that point, but moments later, the challenger applied his trademark submission hold and scored a win in fall two.
With Sheamus' ability to continue, let alone successfully defend his title in doubt, it looked like SmackDown would be gaining a new champion. Instead, Sheamus caught his top contender with the Brogue Kick and retained.
The contest was an incredibly physical one with stellar storytelling throughout. The shoulder injury caused in fall number one played a factor in number three, and that is exactly what should happen in bouts such as this.
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