Extreme Rules 2012: Brock Lesnar Returns to One of WWE's Best Nights of the Era

Randy Orton and Kane open the pay-per-view with a Falls Count Anywhere match that immediately establishes the night's more physical tone. They brawl through the crowd and backstage before returning to ringside, where chairs, the broadcast area and the arena floor become part of the match. Kane repeatedly absorbs punishment and forces Orton to find stronger answers, while Orton's movement keeps the long brawl from becoming too slow. The finishing stretch includes an elevated DDT onto the floor and several believable near-falls. Orton finally catches Kane with an RKO onto a steel chair and scores the pin. The match comfortably exceeds their WrestleMania encounter and gives the card a strong opening statement without exhausting the stipulation before the larger matches arrive.

Brodus Clay and Dolph Ziggler work a short singles match that exists mainly to preserve Clay's undefeated momentum while giving Ziggler room to make the larger opponent look more dynamic. Jack Swagger's ringside interference gives Ziggler an early opening, and the former World Heavyweight Champion uses speed and a sleeper hold to keep Clay from immediately turning the match into a squash. Clay eventually powers free and begins the simple comeback the match has been building toward. A headbutt stops Ziggler's final charge and leaves him exposed. Clay follows with the running splash and scores the pin. The match is too brief to become important, but Ziggler's bumping and timing make the showcase more entertaining than the routine booking suggests.

Cody Rhodes regains the Intercontinental Championship from Big Show in a Tables Match built around a deliberately unusual finish rather than an extended hardcore fight. Show controls most of the early action through size and repeatedly threatens to drive Rhodes through a table, while Rhodes survives by creating movement and attacking the legs. The champion eventually tries to climb back into the ring from the floor. Rhodes dropkicks Show's leg, and Show steps onto a table at ringside while trying to regain his balance. The table breaks under his weight, so Rhodes wins the match and the title without ever putting Show through it himself. The finish is clever and protects Show, though the short runtime prevents the bout from becoming more than a compact gimmick match.

Sheamus and Daniel Bryan get the competitive WrestleMania match they were denied one month earlier, and the two-out-of-three-falls structure gives their rematch a strong strategic spine. Bryan targets Sheamus' left arm and shoulder, eventually accepting a disqualification in the first fall so he can keep attacking the injury after the referee's count. He immediately applies the Yes Lock when the second fall begins and forces Sheamus to pass out, tying the match. The final fall becomes a fight over whether Sheamus can survive the accumulated damage. Bryan scores several near-falls and misses a diving headbutt, allowing Sheamus to recover. A final Brogue Kick earns the third fall and a clean retention, turning the eighteen-second WrestleMania controversy into an excellent championship match.

Ryback's handicap match against Aaron Relic and Jay Hatton is a sub-two-minute squash designed entirely to continue the new character's television winning streak. The local opponents receive almost no sustained offense, and the handicap format functions less as a competitive disadvantage than as a way for Ryback to demonstrate how easily he can overpower two men. He runs through both opponents with power offense and never appears threatened. The finishing sequence ends with Ryback delivering his finisher to Hatton. He then stacks both opponents and pins them at the same time. The presentation accomplishes its narrow goal, but it is difficult to justify as a meaningful pay-per-view match on a card already containing several major rematches and championship programs.

CM Punk and Chris Jericho use the Chicago Street Fight to transform their personal rivalry into a violent, emotionally charged WWE Championship rematch. Jericho repeatedly attacks Punk's straight-edge identity and family, including taunting Punk's sister at ringside, which gives the champion a reason to abandon a measured wrestling approach. The match escalates through the broadcast table, a fire extinguisher, a kendo stick and chairs without losing its underlying counter-wrestling. Jericho survives the diving elbow and lands a Codebreaker into a chair for a major near-fall. Punk later counters Jericho's attempted Go to Sleep and sends him into the exposed turnbuckle. A final Go to Sleep earns the pin, giving Punk a decisive hometown retention and a fitting conclusion to the WrestleMania rivalry.

Layla returns after nearly a year away and immediately challenges Nikki Bella for the Divas Championship after Beth Phoenix is ruled unable to compete. The surprise gives the match more interest than its brief runtime otherwise would support, and Nikki tries to use Brie Bella's presence to create the familiar Twin Magic advantage. Layla stays close enough to the champion to prevent the match from settling into a long control segment. The Bellas attempt the switch late, but Layla recognizes the opening and prevents it from deciding the result. She catches Nikki with a neckbreaker and scores the pin to win the championship. The title change is a pleasant comeback moment, though the match is too short to offer much beyond the surprise and the finish.

John Cena and Brock Lesnar produce a brutal main event that feels unlike almost anything else in WWE's PG-era presentation. Lesnar overwhelms Cena with takedowns, elbows, knees and the Kimura Lock, drawing blood early and forcing medical stoppages that reinforce the sense that Cena is being physically dismantled. The steel steps become central to the finishing stretch, and Lesnar repeatedly uses them as both platform and weapon. Cena survives an F-5 after the first referee is knocked out and later escapes the Kimura by slamming Lesnar onto the steps. When Lesnar charges from the steps toward the ropes, Cena meets him with a metal chain and finally creates his opening. An Attitude Adjustment onto the steps gives Cena the shocking pin in Lesnar's first WWE match since 2004.