Tag: WWE Extreme Rules

15 best WWE PPVs of all time: Which WWE events were the greatest ever?

Which WWE PPV was the best of all time? We give our list of the top 15.

Long before WWE decided to start calling its biggest shows premium live events, pro wrestling fans knew them as pay-per-views, or PPVs. It was a fitting name since everyone literally had to pay extra to watch them, as opposed to weekly TV broadcasts on network or cable (though of course, viewers paid for that too).

While the history of wrestling PPVs traces its history back to the 1983 edition of Starrcade shown on closed-circuit television, the then-WWF first dipped its toes into that water with the first WrestleMania in 1985. Since then, WWE PPVs have become part of the rhythm of wrestling fandom, usually taking place monthly but for some years even more often than that.

That means there have been now been hundreds of these big cards over the decades, from WrestleMania to SummerSlam to Royal Rumble to all kinds of shows that have come and gone. And while most were examples of what WWE does best, some have withstood the test of time to linger in the memory longer than the rest.

Picking the best of the best is no easy task, and while the Wrestling Junkie staff has its own opinions, we decided to make this a more democratic affair. Like we did for our list of the best WWE matches of all time, our list of best pay-per-views utilizes reviews left by fans on Cagematch to sort through the gems.

And yes, premium live events are eligible as well. They’re all still PPVs to us, even if they come via a monthly subscription.

Without further ado, here are the 15 best WWE PPVs of all time, starting at No. 15 and working up to the top.

Ronda Rousey asked if the finish to her Extreme Rules match with Liv Morgan could be more, well, extreme

Ronda Rousey even suggested “little maple leaf pins” if thumbtacks were a nonstarter.

The Ronda Rousey–Liv Morgan Extreme Rules match at the recent event of the same name had more than its share of cool, hardcore spots, along with some that weren’t as great (lots of Rousey hitting Morgan in the backside with a baseball bat, for instance).

The finish to that match, however, was not very extreme, consisting of Rousey applying a submission hold until Morgan passed out. It was effective in making Liv, who was defending her SmackDown Women’s Championship, look fairly strong in defeat, but nothing special otherwise.

But if Rousey had her way, the ending of that bout would have been a bit different and definitely would have lived up to the name of the event. She commented about the finish she pitched on a recent YouTube gaming stream (h/t to POST Wrestling for the transcription).

“Yeah, actually I pitched the finish to be on thumbtacks [at Extreme Rules but it was turned down],” Rousey said. “She [Liv Morgan] put down thumbtacks and powerbomb me onto the thumbtacks and then as a repeat of our finish before, I would go for the armbar on the thumbtacks, but they start counting the pin, but then I would have to push up onto my one shoulder, like into the thumbtacks to keep the arm bar on… and Liv would be biting her hand trying not to tap and then pass out face down into the thumbtacks and have her hand there to protect her face.

“But, they said we can’t do thumbtacks anymore. That legally, we can’t purposely injure people and cut their skin and stuff. I don’t know, so I was like, ‘Well, how about tiny, little maple leaf pins?’ They’re like, ‘No.’ I’m like, ‘How about a bunch of screws? There on the side, it’s the ground.’ They said, ‘Nope.’ So …”

Rousey’s story lines up pretty well with recent comments made by Paul “Triple H” Levesque about how he feels intentional use of blood during matches is unnecessary and that he couldn’t see WWE doing it going forward. Thumbtacks would definitely qualify there.

Still, it’s nice to know that Rousey was brainstorming ways to give fans in the home of extreme, Philadelphia, a spectacle worthy of the name. Much appreciated.

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Daniel Cormier on doing more with WWE: ‘I got to get in shape first’

If we see Daniel Cormier in a WWE ring as a competitor, he doesn’t want to be hearing ‘Carl Winslow’ chants.

After refereeing the Fight Pit match between Matt Riddle and Seth Rollins at Extreme Rules, UFC commentator and former two-division champion Daniel Cormier says he’s open to doing more work with WWE.

He just needs to hit the gym first.

Cormier described his Extreme Rules experience as “the time of my life” in an interview with ESPN MMA. Interestingly, the UFC Hall of Famer said he was more nervous wearing the stripes than he ever was stepping into the cage for one of his own fights (h/t to Wrestling Observer for the transcription).

“I started forgetting the match,” Cormier said. “I was, like, ‘oh my goodness I forgot the end.’ So, I kept having to ask questions. I was so nervous, but once I walked out there, it was so fun.

“The energy of the crowd is like second to none. I fought in front of bigger crowds than I was in front of last weekend but ultimately that’s — it’s a shoot, right? — I’m going to just fight, it is going to be what it is going to be. But to remember all the points of what you’re supposed to do in the match, dude, it was amazing.”

Cormier also talked about how his respect for the athleticism of WWE wrestlers grew even more after seeing them perform up close. He singled out Drew McIntyre and Karrion Kross, who competed in a Strap match earlier in the show, saying “the things that they do at their size, it’s crazy.”

The question now is whether Cormier would be open to trying those things himself. A popular theory is that fans will eventually see him have a WWE match against Brock Lesnar, as the two men teased a UFC fight in 2018 (that WWE even promoted) that never came together.

While Cormier didn’t mention Lesnar by name, he did sound like this might not be his only WWE appearance. But if he has a match in his future, he knows he’ll need to do some training ahead of it.

“They were talking to me about doing future things in the WWE and I go, ‘I’ll do things but I got to get in shape first,'” Cormier said. “Like, give your boy some time to get some of this baggage of this luggage.”

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Bray Wyatt’s return at WWE Extreme Rules ‘very well received’ internally

People within WWE are just as excited about seeing Bray Wyatt again as you are.

The dramatic return made by Bray Wyatt at WWE Extreme Rules has been a hit with wrestling fans, and people inside the company feel the same way.

Fightful Select cites sources saying that “Wyatt’s return was very well received” and that internal sentiment is that decision makers are “very happy with the buzz created in the weeks leading up to WWE Extreme Rules with the QR codes and cryptic videos.”

Beginning in mid-September, WWE began seeding hints for Wyatt’s return, starting by playing the Jefferson Airplane song “White Rabbit” during house shows and commercial breaks at TV tapings. That campaign picked up in intensity in recent weeks with QR codes in the background of Raw and SmackDown or displayed briefly on-screen, each leading to mysterious clues fans were more than happy to dive into to try to decipher.

It was a different tactic for WWE, which historically has either promoted major returns more obviously with vignettes on its TV shows, or gone the opposite route and used them as outright surprises at events like the Royal Rumble. But it’s certainly seemed to pay off, with legitimate and widespread excitement when Wyatt and his new band of Firefly Funhouse friends arrived to close out Extreme Rules Saturday night in Philadelphia.

It’s also worth noting that WWE delivered exactly what the majority of fans were hoping for in the sense that the White Rabbit campaign had been suggesting that it would be Wyatt for some time. There can be value in swerves — and pro wrestling history is full of successful examples — but often it’s best to give the people what they want, which was the case here.

Fightful Select backed up that idea too, with one source saying they were “completely convinced that Wyatt was back with WWE and heading back” a month before Extreme Rules. There’s work to be done now to assure that the goodwill generated by this popular return isn’t squandered, but for now, call this both an internal and external success.

WWE Extreme Rules 2022 results: Matt Riddle rules the Fight Pit, Bray Wyatt returns

Get full WWE Extreme Rules 2022 results, including the Fight Pit main event and the return of Bray Wyatt.

If it’s possible for the most anticipated part of a WWE premium live event to not even be a match, that might be true of WWE Extreme Rules.

To be sure, there’s nothing wrong with the card advertised for the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. We’re talking six matches, plenty of hardcore stipulations and several titles on the line. Perhaps the most intriguing one of the bunch is the Fight Pit bout between Matt Riddle and Seth Rollins, the first of its kind for a main roster WWE show and one that will have a special guest referee in former UFC champion Daniel Cormier.

There’s also a grudge match between Edge and Finn Balor that could potentially be overbooked but in a good way. And both women’s titles are on the line, one in a Ladder match and the other in an Extreme Rules match.

But let’s not kid ourselves: Fans want to see if the White Rabbit saga will pay off tonight in the form of a returning Bray Wyatt. If it does, expect the roof to come off the Wells Fargo Center before the night’s end.

WWE Extreme Rules 2022 results:

  • The Brawling Brutes def. Imperium by pinfall in a six-man tag team Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook Match
  • Ronda Rousey def. Liv Morgan by submission to become the new WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion
  • Karrion Kross def. Drew McIntyre by pinfall in a Strap match
  • The Miz sees Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers mascot, and yells at him
  • Bianca Belair def. Bayley in a Ladder match to remain the WWE Raw Women’s Champion
  • Finn Balor def. Edge in an I Quit match
  • The Miz is about to enter Triple H’s office when Gritty appears to offer him a t-shirt … which unfortunately gets him a beatdown from Miz, who then turns to see Dexter Lumis behind him, and yep, Lumis chokes him out again, then picks up Gritty, who kicks Miz in the gut
  • Matt Riddle def. Seth Rollins by submission in a Fight Pit match w/ special guest referee Daniel Cormier
  • Bray Wyatt makes his return (watch here)

Scroll down for more detailed results of every match and major in-ring segment.

Watch: Bray Wyatt returns with new mask, suitably spooky vibes at Extreme Rules

Now Bray Wyatt really does have the whole (wrestling) world in his hands.

The chase for the White Rabbit appears to be over, and it’s led to the person many WWE fans were hoping it would all along: Bray Wyatt.

Weeks of QR codes and various other hints and riddles paid off at Extreme Rules from Philadelphia on Saturday night — but not until the very end of the show.

After the Fight Pit match finished up, a confused Michael Cole questioned whether the event was still on the air. The lights went out and the fans lit up their phones like fireflies from Wyatt’s previous run in WWE.

As “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands” played (another Wyatt staple), spotlights illuminated human versions of Bray’s various Firefly Characters in different places around the arena. Cole and Corey Graves freaked out as a severed head was on the announce table, then the Fiend appeared nearby.

But that wasn’t Wyatt. His return came shortly after, via a mysterious glowing door.

The broadcast showed a look at the Firefly Funhouse, but in a state of disuse and disrepair. A new masked figure appeared on a TV there.

“Who killed the world? You did,” said the masked visage, echoing a phrase found in the White Rabbit clues.

The door was flung open, then the light behind it went out. Replacing it was a lantern, held by the masked figure from the TV. As you may have guessed, it was Wyatt under the mask, who said “I’m here” and extinguished the lantern. The last thing on the broadcast was the symbol pictured above.

Here’s what Wyatt’s return looked like to fans in attendance at Wells Fargo Center in Philly:

Wyatt’s return comes 15 months after his surprising release from WWE. Unlike many other released performers, he never surfaced elsewhere, leading many fans to hope he would pop back up in WWE eventually.

WWE began stoking the flames for his comeback in mid-September, playing the Jefferson Airplane song “White Rabbit” at house shows and during commercial breaks at TV tapings. What followed were weeks of scavenger hunt-style clues, usually found by following QR codes flashed during Raw or SmackDown.

Though Wyatt was the most obvious candidate to be at the center of it all and recent hints pointed toward Extreme Rules as the night he might appear, WWE did an excellent job creating just enough doubt that no one could be 100% sure either would be the case. It’s hard to imagine Wyatt won’t be one of the hottest personalities in pro wrestling for the rest of 2022 now, as people will be tuning in to see what he does next.

 

WWE Extreme Rules throughout history: Every match, every winner

Check out the winners at every WWE Extreme Rules throughout history, going back to the first show under that name in 2009.

Every year since 2009, WWE has found time to get extreme. Call it a nod to ECW, as the pay-per-view/premium live event called WWE Extreme Rules has its origins in the defunct promotion’s One Night Stand events that carried over once it was acquired in 2003.

There really wasn’t much difference between ECW’s “Extreme Rules” (which were in place for almost all of its matches) and WWE’s “Hardcore Rules,” so it only made sense to sort of merge them over time. The first dedicated Extreme Rules show took place in New Orleans in 2009, and it’s been an annual event ever since.

While not every match on an Extreme Rules card is actually contested under those rules ⁠— meaning no DQs and weapons are allowed ⁠— most main events have been. In addition, the show generally is the place to find other gimmick matches with a similar spirit, like the Fight Pit bout on the docket for the 2022 edition.

While Extreme Rules isn’t the premium live event with the longest pedigree or the one that first comes to mind for most fans, it has had a number of memorable matches over the years. Scroll down to check out the details and results for every WWE Extreme Rules throughout history.

WWE taps former UFC champion to referee Seth Rollins-Matt Riddle Fight Pit match

What DC say, you must obey.

The feud between Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle has been pretty heated, and even in a Fight Pit match at Extreme Rules, may get out of hand. A normal referee may not be able to keep things under control, but what about a former two-division UFC Champion?

That’s exactly what the match will have on Saturday, Oct. 8 in Philadelphia. Prominent MMA journalist Ariel Helwani broke the news on Saturday night that Daniel Cormier, the former UFC Light Heavyweight and UFC Heavyweight champion, will serve as guest referee when Rollins and Riddle square off in the Fight Pit.

Though the 43-year-old Cormier has never dabbled in pro wrestling himself, his bona fides as an amateur wrestler rank up there with some of the very best. Cormier has made the US World or Olympic team six times, has medaled at the World Wrestling Championships and was an NCAA Division I national finalist during his college days at Oklahoma State.

His presence adds even more of a shoot fight feel to the Fight Pit match, which can only be won by submission or referee 10-count and takes place in a steel cage (with a catwalk around the top) that doesn’t have the typical ropes or turnbuckles. That environment would seem to favor Riddle, who had a successful career as an MMA fighter before he turned to pro wrestling.

However as numerous people have pointed out on social media, Cormier and Rollins are friends who have supported each other for big events in the past. If WWE chooses, it can have some fun with accusations that perhaps D.C. might not call things right down the middle, though with the announcement coming just a week before Extreme Rules, there isn’t a whole lot of time for that.

In any case, having Cormier on one of the typically less important premium cards is a shrewd move for WWE that might get some people to check it out who would normally skip it. It’s hard to ask more of a guest referee than that.

Will you watch WWE Extreme Rules just for the White Rabbit reveal?

Are you ready to let the White Rabbit in at Extreme Rules?

The fascination over the White Rabbit gimmick and the ongoing hunt for clues has been an undeniable success for WWE. It’s got fans talking, which is the point. Now the true test of the QR codes and videos might be less than two weeks away: Will people watch WWE Extreme Rules just to find out who the White Rabbit is?

There’s no guarantee the reveal will take place in Philadelphia, but all signs are pointing in that direction. Fightful Select provided the latest, citing sources saying that “WWE Extreme Rules was supposed to be the ‘reveal’ of the White Rabbit.” The outlet also suggested that “WWE creative has been largely hands off with the segment,” so the person or persons behind the teases has plenty of control.

The consensus (also backed up by Fightful Select) is that Bray Wyatt is the White Rabbit. So in a sense, it’s become a referendum on whether fans will watch Extreme Rules to see Wyatt make his return (whether physical or otherwise) if they weren’t already planning on watching the show live.

Thanks to the barrier for entry for premium live events being so low compared to the pay-per-view days, stunts like this are tailor made for the 2022 version of WWE. Most people who care to watch the big cards already have Peacock subscriptions, so it’s just a matter of setting the time aside to watch. Compare that to asking fans to plunk down $50 or more in the PPV days based on anticipation alone and there’s no question it’s a much more viable tactic today.

That said, WWE still has some downside here if it either makes people wait longer than Extreme Rules, at which point some fans may tire of the chase, or fails to pay it off in a satisfying fashion. The guess here is that anything less than Wyatt will seem like a letdown, and anything in addition to him will be icing on the cake. We may know as soon as Oct. 8.

AEW Battle of the Belts IV will air Friday, Oct. 7 after Rampage, avoiding Extreme Rules

Battle of the Belts IV will avoid going head to head with WWE in October.

Thus far, the AEW Battle of Belts specials have aired on Saturday nights. That’s about to change in early October, and for good reason.

As hinted at by AEW’s advertising for tickets for next week’s shows and confirmed by Wrestling Observer, AEW Battle of the Belts IV will air after Rampage on TNT on Friday, Oct. 7. That means it will start at 11 p.m. ET and go for an hour, which was also the length of the first three specials.

WWE is holding its Extreme Rules premium live event the next night in Philadelphia, which is likely the cause of the change in nights. AEW also aired two hours of wrestling last Friday, Sept. 23, as part of a special AEW Rampage Grand Slam special episode.

Rampage and Battle of the Belts IV will also air live, which hasn’t always been the case for either show. Perhaps the most interesting part of the whole week is that AEW is also airing Dynamite live from the same venue, the Entertainment and Sports Arena (that’s seriously its name) in Washington D.C., two days prior. It’s asking a lot for fans to attend two shows two nights apart, though AEW has done it before (often in the lead-up to a pay-per-view, like when it spent the whole week in Las Vegas culminating in Double or Nothing) and is offering combo ticket deals to those interested in going Wednesday and Friday.

No matches have been announced yet for Battle of the Belts IV, but that should change during this week’s AEW programming. All three previous specials have featured three title matches apiece, always including the AEW Women’s World Championship (meaning Toni Storm should be preparing to wrestle) but interestingly never including the AEW World Championship.