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There has been 11 Extreme Rules events before this Sunday's The Horror Show at Extreme Rules. This PPV was apart of WWE's initial attempt to brand every PPV, introducing the event in 2009 along with Hell an a Cell and TLC. Throughout the event's history, we have seen a number of epic matches of different stipulations.
In 2012, Daniel Bryan and Sheamus nearly stole the show with their captivating two out of three falls match for the World Heavyweight Championship. Four years later at Extreme Rules, The Miz defended the Intercontinental Championship against Sami Zayn, Cesaro and Kevin Owens in a thrilling Fatal 4 Way Match.
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These two matches were both great and nearly made our list. Let's take a look at the 5 greatest matches to take place at WWE Extreme Rules.
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#5 Samoa Joe vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Balor - Extreme Rules Match (2017)
Ahead of Extreme Rules in 2017, Brock Lesnar was the dark cloud that hovered over Monday Night RAW. For the first time since his 2014 run as WWE Champion, Lesnar was the reigning yet absentee world champion on the RAW brand, this time as Universal Champion after defeating Goldberg at Wrestlemania 33.
With Lesnar away for the Extreme Rules event, RAW GM Kurt Angle decided to make a Fatal 5-Way Extreme Rules Match to determine the #1 contender for the Universal Title featuring the top stars of the brand.
Samoa Joe, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, and Finn Balor went out in the main event of Extreme Rules 2017 and put on a helluva show. So many different rivalries were at play in this one as Joe had issues with Reigns, Rollins and Balor while Balor became the first Universal Champion by defeating Seth. Bray Wyatt was the wildcard in this match and essentially played that role throughout.
There were pears through the guardrail, Sister Abigails, a Coup De Grace and a huge splash from the top rope through the announce table by Seth Rollins. We saw alliances formed throughout the contest with Joe and Bray working together as well as a brief Shield reunion.
To end this dramatic Extreme Rules encounter, it seemed like every competitor had a chance to win. Seth wanted to gain the victory, but Finn was able to catch him off guard. Balor hit a huge Coup De Grace and looked for the pin. However it was Samoa Joe who swooped in and locked in the Coquina Clutch to secure the victory and become #1 contender.
This set up a hoss battle of Joe vs Brock at Great Balls of Fire the following month.
#4 Edge vs. Jeff Hardy - Ladder Match (Extreme Rules 2009)
To build up this Extreme Rules encounter, WWE played up the history of both men and the stipulation chosen for their contest, the Ladder Match. Edge and Jeff Hardy made their names in the business through their TLC encounters in the early 2000s as part of Edge & Christian and the Hardy Boyz, respectively, along with the Dudley Boyz.
This was not the only history these men had before this huge match at Extreme Rules. At Armageddon in December 2018, Jeff won his first WWE Championship by defeating Edge in a triple threat match with Triple H. Then, at Royal Rumble, Edge regained the title by taking advantage of Jeff's brother, Matt, betraying him.
This was a grueling encounter that was more physical than their car crash style ladder matches of the past. Both men had gotten older and much better with in-ring psychology to the point that the ladder was just another tool to tell the story of their match here at Extreme Rules.
Of course, with these two men, there was going to be some crazy spots and bumps. And there were, like Jeff leaning the ladder over to once again hanging from the title similar to the scene at WrestleMania 17 or both men falling from one ladder through another on the outside.
In the dramatic conclusion, Jeff was able to wedge Edge in the rungs of the ladder, so the Rated-R Superstar had to watch his rival go up and grab the gold for the win. This was a fun main event and definitive end to their rivalry. Post-match, Jeff's celebration was cut short as CM Punk turned heel and cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase to defeat Hardy to close Extreme Rules 2009.
#3 Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles - Extreme Rules Match (Extreme Rules 2016)
The main event of Extreme Rules 2016 featured the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion and Impact Wrestling icon facing the golden boy of WWE and public enemy of the hardcore wrestling fan. This is a match that was born for the crowd on the east coast at the Prudential Center in Newark.
It was WWE Champion Roman Reigns defending the title against the 'Phenomenal' AJ Styles. The fans in New Jersey were loud and heavily in favor of the challenger in the WWE Title Extreme Rules Match. Styles was in top form in this encounter. His timing and chemistry with Reigns was terrific. He allowed Roman to look like a beast in the ring, selling his powerful offense superbly. AJ was out to prove himself as the best wrestler in the world on this night.
Roman also put on an incredible performance in this Extreme Rules match, not only looking great when he was in control, but also making Styles look like a certified main eventer and threat to his championship. Some of the highlights included a huge back body drop and running powerbomb through two of the three announce tables on the outside from Reigns to Styles. We also had interference from Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, and The Usos.
After all the extra participants went away, Styles went for the Phenomenal Forearm, only to be met with a Spear, which gave Reigns the victory in this instant classic.
#2 The Shield vs. Evolution (Extreme Rules 2014)
The Shield vs. Evolution at Extreme Rules 2014, in a lot of ways, was a 'passing of the torch' moment. Evolution was the last dominant heel faction in the WWE. Through the stable's run, it established Triple H as an all-time great heel, reignited Ric Flair and jumpstarted the careers of both Randy Orton and Batista. The latter part very much is seen in their opponents at Extreme Rules that year.
The Shield had run roughshod over the WWE for almost two years at this point. They were so dominant as heels that the fans naturally started to cheer the rebellious new stars. After turning their backs on the Authority and embracing the cheers of the WWE Universe, Triple H wanted to destroy what he created at Extreme Rules by bringing back a past creation in Evolution.
This match started in the third gear and never let up. It was non-stop action with brawling all over the arena. There were too many memorable sequences and spots to go over here, but there was definitely one that stood out the most.
Seth Rollins proved himself to be the daredevil of the Shield trio by jumping off a balcony at the Izod Center in East Rutherford down onto HHH, Randy Orton, and Dean Ambrose below. This incapacitated Orton and The Game long enough for Roman Reigns to hit a huge Spear on Batista back in the ring to get the victory.
This win solidified Reigns, Ambrose and Rollins as future top stars in the company and more than showed what they were all capable of.
#1 John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar - Extreme Rules Match (Extreme Rules 2012)
The in-ring return of Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules 2012 could have only been seen to be believed. The energy in the Allstate Arena was pulsating as they anticipated a match, unlike anything they had seen before. In Chicago, John Cena was public enemy #1, so Brock came in as the favorite among the fans. This was not the same Brock Lesnar who left WWE all those years ago; this was now a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and an individual who brought a level of legitimacy never seen in a WWE ring.
This Extreme Rules match did not take long at all to get brutal. Within minutes of the match, Brock took down Cena and rained down elbows to the top of Cena's head, which split him open.
The sight of John Cena's blood brought a jolt of energy to the crowd, which kept that up for the duration of this surreal contest. Cena was pouring blood in the proverbial crimson mask from the opening minute. Even the harshest of Cena critics could have trouble watching him lose so much blood. Brock dominated the Leader of the Cenation here, destroying him all over the ring and ringside area.
Just when it looked like Brock was going to finish him off, Cena was able to capitalize on Lesnar's overconfidence. Cena caught Lesnar with a chain assisted punch to the skull, which split open The Beast. Cena followed up with an Attitude Adjustment directly onto the steel steps, which were placed in the ring by Brock for the win. This was definitely a polarizing result that would not be rectified until Lesnar broke The Undertaker's WrestleMania Streak two years.
This match was incredible, intense and one of the most bloody contests in recent WWE history. This was everything an Extreme Rules match made its name on back in its ECW heyday, and on this night, Cena and Brock brought that energy back, becoming the greatest match in Extreme Rules history.
