WWE: Extreme Rules 2012 DVD Review

WWE Extreme Rules 2012 DVD Review

I found this at FYE for only $6.99 and I couldn't pass it up. I hadn't watched this event since it orginally aired and with John Cena & Brock Lesnar set to clash again at SummerSlam 2014, I figured now would be a great time to go back and revisit their first battle. On top of that, I wanted to see how this event held up as I remember loving it back when it aired. With that being said, let's get started!

1) Randy Orton vs. Kane - Falls Count Anywhere Match
I didn't really remember much about this match going into it, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Kane isn't the most exciting wrestler to watch and Orton isn't anything overly special, but this match was really good! The two worked the match stipulation very well as they brawled throughout the arena. The crowd was very into the match and that definitely helped it. Great opening match!

Match rating - ***1/4

2) Brodus Clay vs. Dolph Ziggler
Here we have an unadvertised late addition to the show. It honestly could have been left off, because it was basically a prolonged squash. Both of these guys have been incredibly misued by WWE over the years and this was an example of that. I can't complain much however because this match was kept short and served it's purpose which I'm guessing was to make Brodus look dominant. The crowd was chanting for Ziggler however as "Let's Go Ziggler" chants flooded the arena. Sound familiar? This exact thing is still happening today and WWE still won't push Ziggler to the top. That's a whole nother subject though. This match was pretty much just a showcase for Brodus that went maybe 5 minutes. Dud.

Match rating - **1/2

3) The Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes - Tables Match for the Intercontinental Championship
After getting his big WrestleMania moment just a few weeks before, Show was easily the favorite coming in especially considering that this was a tables match. I figured this would either be good or REALLY bad. It turned out to be the latter. Rhodes is just so crisp in the ring and he worked well with Show. Cody was the reason this match was watchable as he provided some exciting and innovative spots such as spring off a table set up in the corner and hitting the Disaster Kick on Show. This bout was going good, then we got an abrupt and odd finish as Big Show stepped off the apron through a table. It was logical because it kept Show looking strong, but it didn't really add to the match. Despite the disappointing early finish, the crowd got their fill of tables afterwards as Show put Rhodes through two tables including throwing him over the top rope to the floor through one. So in conclusion, this was good for what it was and kept me entertained.

Match rating - **3/4

4) Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan - 2/3 Falls Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Bryan and Sheamus only got 18 seconds at WrestleMania 27, but they were given MUCH more time than that here and it paid off. I'll just start by saying that I absolutely loved this match. It definitely got better with time. From the opening bell, these two had my attention and kept it with a well paced, exciting match up. Going into the bout, the odds were pretty even with Bryan having the edge because he's more technical and Sheamus having an edge because he beat Bryan so easily a few weeks earlier. That made for a pretty even match that was hard to predict. Bryan worked over the left arm/shoulder of Sheamus early on with various submissions and holds that reminded me of his days on the Indy scene. It's beautiful to just watch Bryan perform the art that he has perfected and that was the case here. This was during Bryan's heel aggressive phase and considering that he's been a babyface for awhile as of this writing, it was nice to see him in a different element. The first fall was clever as Bryan kicked the hell out of Sheamus' shoulder that he'd been working over. Sheamus had the ropes, but Bryan wouldn't stop kicking so the ref called for the bell. Bryan wasn't phased however as the damage was done so he locked in the YesLock to pick up the submission victory in the 2nd fall. The closing fall was quite exciting as the action went back and forth. Bryan kicking out of Sheamus' first brogue kick was epic as I figured it would be over. Sheamus ends up winning after a phenomenal match. As mentioned above, this one definitely grew better with time and I really enjoyed it. Bryan has had so many classics in his career that this type of performance was normal from him, but Sheamus really proved himself here and this will go down as one of his best bouts ever. Awesome match.

Match rating - ****1/4

5) Ryback Squash Match
The title above basically says all there is to say about this one. Ryback beat up two guys while the commentators made fun of them because they were "small". This served it's purpose, but this had no business on a PPV in my opinion. I've never understood why WWE thinks that putting someone in exhibition/squash matches every week will make the crowd like them.

Match rating - N/R

6) CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho - Chicago Street Fight for the WWE Championship
I had forgotten how great this feud was, but with the video package before this match, I was reminded of the brilliant story these two portrayed. Punk is a phenomenal storyteller as is Jericho so this was absolute gold. The action in this match off the charts and the emotion that feuled it made it even more awesome to watch. Moments like Punk's sister in the crowd slapping Jericho and Y2J going after her which made Punk snap and slam Jericho through the top of the announce table were brilliant. Beyond the storytelling, there were multiple jaw dropping spots such as Punk's elbow drop off the top turnbuckle which planted Jericho through the announce table. Fire exstinguishers, chairs, and kendo sticks all played a part in this match as well. This was an awesome match that told a phenomenal story. Match of the night!

Match rating - ****1/2

7) Nikki Bella vs. Layla - Divas Championship Match
Layla was a surprise opponent for Nikki and she came like a house of fire with some arm drags early on. This match kept a pretty high pace for its short duration thus it was entertaining. Wasn't too long and wasn't too short plus it served it's purpose. No real complaints here as I was hoping this one would finish up quickly because I was ready to see the main event. And it did just that. Short and sweet is the best way to describe this one.

Match rating - **

7) John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar - Extreme Rules Match
While several matches on the card grew better with time, this bout sadly didn't hold up as well. I remember watching this bout and calling it a classic, but going back & watching here, it wasn't as epic as when it happened. That's not to take away from it though, because this was a great match. Seeing Lesnar take it to Cena only for Cena to keep fighting back was a good story and everyone was on the edge of their seats the entire time including myself. If you've never seen this match, I'd highly recommend checking it out. But if you've seen this before, watching it again won't do anything for you so there's really no reason to go back & check this one out, unless you REALLY want to, of course. When this bout happened I probably would have given it nearly a perfect rating, but I think the rating I'm giving it is a fair represenation of this match after seeing it several times. Don't let my somewhat negative thoughts here refrain you from this match though, because it was easily a MOTY candidate in 2012. The only bad thing I have to see about it is that I didn't feel it held up well with time. None the less, outstanding match that told a great story.

Match rating - ****

Overall thoughts: Just by looking through at the match ratings, it's a mixed bag, but you will notice that there are several matches above 8 on the scale of 1-10. With that being said, this is a PPV that I would highly recommend adding to your collection. It's not normal to get THREE match of the year candidate bouts on ONE WWE PPV, but we got that here as Lesnar/Cena, Punk/Jericho, and Bryan/Sheamus were all MOTY quality encounters. On top of those three, Orton/Kane is a nice bonus for your money as well. Awesome show in which all the big matches delivered in a big way. Highly recommend checking this out.