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.