| Extreme Rules | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuringRey Mysterio | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Entertainment | ||
| Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown ECW | ||
| Date | June 7, 2009 | ||
| City | New Orleans,Louisiana | ||
| Venue | New Orleans Arena | ||
| Attendance | 9,124[1] | ||
| Buy rate | 213,000[2] | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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| Extreme Rules chronology | |||
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The 2009Extreme Rules was the inauguralExtreme Rulesprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced byWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion'sRaw,SmackDown, andECWbrand divisions. The event took place on June 7, 2009, at theNew Orleans Arena inNew Orleans,Louisiana. The event was initially noted by WWE to be a direct continuation of theOne Night Stand chronology and continued its theme of featuring varioushardcore-based matches; in2010, however, WWE noted that Extreme Rules was its own chronology of events separate from One Night Stand.
There were eight matches scheduled on the event'scard, though nine actually took place, and there was onedark match that occurred before thelive broadcast. Six of the televised matches were contested under a hardcore stipulation. Themain event was aLadder match for SmackDown'sWorld Heavyweight Championship, which sawJeff Hardy defeatEdge to win the title. After the match,CM Punk cashed in hisMoney in the Bank contract, which guaranteed him a title match at the time and place of his choosing, and defeated Hardy to win the title. There were also two other highly publicized matches; the first was aSteel Cage match for Raw'sWWE Championship between the championRandy Orton andBatista, as well as asubmission match betweenBig Show andJohn Cena. Featured matches on theundercard included atriple threatHardcore match for theECW Championship, aNo Holds Barred match betweenRey Mysterio andChris Jericho for SmackDown'sIntercontinental Championship, and CM Punk versusUmaga in aSamoan Strap match, which also Umaga's final match in WWE before his death.
The event had 213,000 buys, up from theOne Night Stand 2008 figure of 194,000 buys.
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From 2005 to 2008,World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) ran apay-per-view (PPV) entitledOne Night Stand. While originally a reunion show for the defunctExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promotion, which WWE acquired in 2003, the concept of One Night Stand was that the event featured various matches that were contested underhardcore rules.[3] In 2009,Extreme Rules was established to replace One Night Stand and was initially noted by WWE to be a direct continuation of the One Night Stand chronology, with Extreme Rules continuing the concept of featuring hardcore-based matches.[4][5] ECW originally used the "extreme rules" term to describe the regulations for all of its matches; WWE adopted the term and has since used it in place of "hardcore match" or "hardcore rules". The inaugural Extreme Rules event took place on June 7, 2009, at theNew Orleans Arena inNew Orleans, Louisiana and featured wrestlers from theRaw,SmackDown, andECWbrands.[6][1]
Theprofessional wrestling matches at Extreme Rules involved professional wrestlers performing as characters inscripted events pre-determined by the hostingpromotion, WWE. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands,[7][8] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows,Monday Night Raw,Friday Night SmackDown,ECW on Sci Fi, andSuperstars.[9][10]
The primaryrivalry heading into Extreme Rules from the Raw brand was betweenRandy Orton andBatista, who were feuding over theWWE Championship. At WWE's previous pay-per-view event,Judgment Day, Orton lost his match against Batista by getting himself intentionallydisqualified for hitting thereferee, but retained the WWE Championship.[11] As a result, on the May 18 episode ofRaw,Ric Flair, an associate of Batista, announced that theRaw general manager,Vickie Guerrero, had decided that Orton was to face Batista in aSteel Cage match at Extreme Rules, once again defending his WWE Championship.[12]
Another rivalry from the Raw brand was betweenJohn Cena andBig Show. At WWE's April pay-per-view,Backlash, Big Show interfered in Cena'sLast Man Standing match againstEdge andchokeslammed him though aspotlight, causing Cena to lose the match and theWorld Heavyweight Championship to Edge;[13] Cena exacted revenge at Judgment Day with apinfall victory over Big Show.[11] Then, on the May 18 episode ofRaw, it was announced Big Show would have a rematch with Cena at Extreme Rules in asubmission match.[12]
The main rivalry heading into Extreme Rules from the SmackDown brand was between Edge andJeff Hardy over the World Heavyweight Championship. After Edge retained the championship against Jeff Hardy at Judgment Day,[11]Theodore Long, theSmackDown general manager, announced on the May 22 episode ofSmackDown that, due toMatt Hardy's interference in the title match at Judgment Day, Jeff Hardy was to receive a rematch against Edge, to be contested at Extreme Rules, with the stipulation being chosen by winner of the match between the two later in the night; Hardy won the match, and chose aladder match.[14]
After defeatingCM Punk at Judgment Day,[11]Umaga continued to attack Punk, and interfered in Punk's match withChris Jericho on the May 22 episode ofSmackDown, assaulting him with a leather strap, and issuing a challenge to Punk for what he called aSamoan strap match at Extreme Rules.[14]
The primary rivalry from the ECW brand was betweenChristian,Jack Swagger, andTommy Dreamer, vying over Christian'sECW Championship. After Christian retained the ECW Championship against the former champion, Jack Swagger, at Judgment Day,[11] Swagger attacked Christian on the following episode ofECW and pushed him off the entrance ramp.[15] Two days later, onSuperstars, Swagger interfered in a title match between Christian and Dreamer, resulting in the match being ruled ano contest.[16] On the May 26 episode ofECW on Sci Fi, Swagger announced that Christian would be defending the championship against him again at Extreme Rules, but theECW general manager,Tiffany, stated that Dreamer had been added to the match, making it atriple threathardcore match. As Dreamer's contract with the company expired one day before the show, it was announced that he had signed a one-day extension to give him a chance at winning the title; if Dreamer were to fail to win the title, he would no longer wrestle for ECW.[17]
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Englishcommentators | Michael Cole(Raw) |
| Jerry Lawler(Raw) | |
| Jim Ross(SmackDown) | |
| Todd Grisham(SmackDown) | |
| Josh Mathews(ECW) | |
| Matt Striker(ECW) | |
| Spanish commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
| Hugo Savinovich | |
| Interviewers | Josh Mathews |
| Ring announcers | Lilian Garcia(Raw) |
| Justin Roberts(SmackDown) | |
| Tony Chimel(ECW) | |
| Jerry Lawler(Hog Pen Match) | |
| Referees | Charles Robinson |
| Mike Chioda | |
| Scott Armstrong | |
| Jack Doan | |
| Marty Elias | |
| Chad Patton |
Before the show aired live, the crowd in attendance witnessed anuntelevised match between the team ofMickie James andKelly Kelly against that ofBeth Phoenix and herstoryline intern,Rosa Mendes. The former team won the match after James pinned Mendes.[1]
The show started with afatal four-way match for theWWE United States Championship pitting defending champion,Kofi Kingston againstMatt Hardy,William Regal, andMontel Vontavious Porter (MVP). The match was fought at a quick pace that initially had Kingston and MVP work as a unit to eliminate the factor of their opponents. As the match progressed, Regal threw his opponents withexploder suplexes and heavyknee strikes before being countered by Kingston, who rebounded off the ropes, and retaliated against his opponent withTrouble in Paradise to get the pin to retain the title.[18]
The following match was aNo Holds Barred match betweenRey Mysterio andChris Jericho for theWWE Intercontinental Championship held by Mysterio. Prior to the match, Jericho entered through the crowd, insulting the fans and threatening those who touched him before being immediately assaulted by his opponent. The two fought outside of the ring on the floor of the arena with Mysteriodiving over the top rope onto Jericho who was still out of the ring. Jericho gained an advantage by attempting to remove Mysterio'smask, only to fail and have Mysterio throw him out of the ring todive through the ropes onto his prone opponent. As the action made its way back into the ring, Mysterio attempted another dive only to have Jericho counter it with aCodebreaker. Jericho left the ring to get afolding chair from the corner of the ring. When he attempted to hit Mysterio with it, Mysterio quickly kicked the chair into Jericho's face. After further attacks with the chair, Jericho halted Mysterio's momentum with his signaturesubmission hold, theWalls of Jericho. Mysterio managed to obtain the chair in the ring, and deliver one last hit to Jericho's face to stop the hold before he attempted the619; Jericho caught him and removed his mask before getting a quick cover to pin his opponent to win the Intercontinental title for the record setting 9th time.[18]
CM Punk andUmaga then fought in the Samoan Strap match, which could only be won by touching all four corners of the ring in succession whilst tethered to each other by the wrist with a leather strap. Punk got an early advantage by quickly touching three corners only to have Umaga use the strap, and pull his opponent towards him and neutralized his attempt before making one of his own to similar results as Punk pulled him over the top rope with him onto the floor. After continued attempts for the win, Punk touched three corners again before being blocked by his opponent, which led to Punk delivering aGo To Sleep, and touching the fourth turnbuckle.[18]
Next was the Triple Threat Hardcore Rules match for theECW Championship between the championChristian,Jack Swagger, andTommy Dreamer. The stipulation is that if Dreamer failed to win the title, he would no longer wrestle for ECW. The match had several weapons in use from around the ring, which had Dreamer and Christian proceeded to hit Swagger repeatedly withkendo sticks and trash can lids. The action fell to the outside, which led to Dreamer obtain a trash can lid to put over his shoulders, and dove onto his two opponents with asenton flip. Once the three returned to the ring, Swagger positioned Dreamer onto thetop rope, only to have Christian position himself under Swagger, and executed apowerbomb to Swagger as Swaggersuperplexed Dreamer. Dreamer delivered aDDT to Swagger to get the pinfall victory and the title.[18]
The following match was aHog Pen match between Rawgeneral manager,Vickie Guerrero, and Santina Marella (Santino Marella, in reality, posing as his fictitious twin sister) for Guerrero's title of Miss WrestleMania. It was later announced Guerrero would have her nephew,Chavo Guerrero Jr., involved in the match on her behalf. Chavo and Marella brawled in a pen full of mud. The match ended after Marella knocked out Chavo, and pinned an incapacitated Vickie to win the title of Miss WrestleMania. As the Guerreros made their way back to their office, Vickie'sstoryline husband, Edge, was waiting for them; Edge and Vickie had a verbal confrontation, leading to Edge saying he was divorcing Vickie.[18]
The next match wasRandy Orton defending theWWE Championship againstBatista in a Steel Cage match. From the start, Orton made numerous attempts to escape the cage, only to be brought back into the ring by the challenger. Batista then attempted his finishing move, theBatista Bomb, only to have Orton escape, and attempted theRKO; once that effort was stopped by his opponent, Orton made another climb over the cage, only to have Batista deliver a Batista Bomb to get the pinfall, winning the WWE Championship for the first time.[18][19]
The following match featuredJohn Cena versusBig Show in a submission match. The match started at a slow pace as both men attempted to apply submission holds. Big Show gained an early advantage by grounding his opponent with heavypunches,headbutts, and afull nelson. Cena recovered with some attempts of his own, only to have Big Show stop them, and proceed to apply more submission holds. The momentum shifted after Cena avoided an attempt at Big Show'schokeslam, and delivered anAttitude Adjustment. Cena went to apply theSTF, but was unable to apply due to Big Show's size. He then slid his opponent to the ropes to wrap his opponent's leg, so he could apply asleeper hold. After struggling to escape, Big Show eventuallytapped out, thus ending the match.[18]
The main event sawEdge defend theWorld Heavyweight Championship againstJeff Hardy in aladder match. The action started outside of the ring as both men jockeyed for control of the ladders. The two made early attempts at climbing the ladder to obtain the title, only to be stopped. The ladders soon came into play as weapons, as Hardydropkicked a ladder into Edge's face as he was seated in the corner of the ring; as Edge recovered, he placed Hardy into the ladder, and applied asharpshooter. As the two descended back out to the floor, Edge propped up a ladder between the ring and the barricade, allowing Hardy an attempt to attack Edge from atop another ladder with it only to have Edge run up the ladder that held Hardy only to have the ladder tip over, and both men fell through the ladder propped up on the barricade. When the action got back into the ring, Hardy climbed a ladder set up in an attempt to grab the title, but Edge climbed as well, and knocked him off as Hardy pulled Edge's legs through the rungs, trapping him, as Hardy climbed the ladder and retrieved the belt to win the World Heavyweight Championship.[18]
As Hardy celebrated his championship victory, CM Punk came down to the ring with hisMoney in the Bank briefcase he won atWrestleMania 25, which guaranteed a title match opportunity at the time of his choosing. He invoked his title match against Hardy, which was ordered to start immediately. After hitting the GTS twice, Punk pinned Hardy, capturing the World Heavyweight Championship for the second time.[18]
Extreme Rules was attended live at the New Orleans Arena by 9,124 people.[1] It garnered 213,000 pay-per-view buys, an increase fromOne Night Stand 2008's figure of 194,000 buys.[2]
The show received mixed reviews from fans and critics.Bryan Alvarez of theWrestling Observer Newsletter gave a live report of show, reporting on the action as it transpired; he expressed positives for the show including the Intercontinental title match, calling the end "the perfect finish", as well as giving a favorable review of the ladder match.[20] James Caldwell, the assistant editor of the wrestling newsletterPro Wrestling Torch, referred to the ladder match as "epic", saying both men told a great story, then commented on the intrigue of Punk's surprise title win. He also offered praise for the post-match celebration of Tommy Dreamer.[18] J.D. Dunn of411Mania praised the event and gave the main event ladder match their highest ratings of 4 stars out of 5.[21]
The show also was criticized for a number of reasons. Alvarez expressed his great disdain for the length and flaws of the submission match by saying: "It has been going on forever, it's the same match we see every time just without pinfalls".[20] Matt Mackinder wrote a review for theCanadian Online Explorer website, in which he called the show an "extreme disappointment", giving it a total rating of 4/10. Mackinder's criticism focused on the unoriginality of the show, and the event not being extreme enough to match the pay-per-view's title of "Extreme Rules".[22]
The following episode ofRaw saw Randy Orton and his protégés,Cody Rhodes andTed DiBiase (collectively known asThe Legacy), exact revenge on Batista by assaulting him, forcing him to vacate the WWE title (in reality, Batista had suffered alegitimate tear in hisBiceps brachii muscle, sidelining him for four months);[23]Triple H made his return that night, attacking The Legacy, leading to afatal four-way match between Orton, Triple H, John Cena, and The Big Show. Orton won the match, only to have Triple H be named number one contender after winning a10-man battle royal by last eliminating Cena.[24]
Following CM Punk's World Heavyweight Championship win at Extreme Rules, Punk was confronted by both Jeff Hardy and Edge over the circumstances in which he had won title. He had his first title defense on the June 15 episode ofRaw against both former champions in a successful effort before Theodore Long announced Punk was to defend against Hardy atThe Bash.[25]
With Chris Jericho winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship, he continued to abhor the behavior of Rey Mysterio, carrying his mask as a trophy; the following week onSmackDown had Mysterio interfere in Jericho's match against CM Punk before challenging the champion for the title at The Bash,wagering his mask for the title.[26]
The 2009 Extreme Rules pay-per-view became the inaugural event of an annual gimmick pay-per-view for WWE. The 2009 event would also be the only Extreme Rules to include the ECW brand as the brand was disbanded in February 2010.[27] Beginning with the2010 event,[28] Extreme Rules generally features oneExtreme Rules match; only the 2009,2011, and2015 events have not featured the namesake match.[29][30] In 2020, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the event being heldbehind closed doors, that year's event was titled asThe Horror Show at Extreme Rules.[31] Extreme Rules was discontinued after the2022 event, as Chief Content Officer Triple H stated that he wanted to discontinue some of the gimmick events.[32]