| Extreme Rules (2012) | |
| |
| Promotion | WWE |
|---|---|
| Date | April 29, 2012 |
| Venue | Allstate Arena |
| City | Rosemont, Illinois |
| Attendance | 14,817 |
| Last Event | WrestleMania XXVIII |
| Next Event | Over the Limit |
Extreme Rules (2012) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on April 29, 2012 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. It was the fourth event under the Extreme Rules chronology. Eight professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event's card and one pre-show match was streamed on YouTube. It included Brock Lesnar's first WWE match since WrestleMania XX in 2004.
Event summary[]
Brodus Clay vs Dolph Ziggler[]
It seems The Funksaurus won’t be facing extinction anytime soon. Despite a Herculean effort by Dolph Ziggler, The Funky One rolled through his opponent to keep The Show-Off in check at Extreme Rules at Chicago's sold-out Allstate Arena.
This unlikely rivalry between Ziggler and Brodus Clay first unspooled the night after WrestleMania XXVIII, when Ziggler attempted to charge U.S. Champion Santino Marella on the entrance ramp and Clay ran interference. Since then, The Show-Off has clashed with The Funkasaurus over several weeks, but on this night, the two took their issues to the pay-per-view stage. The contest was appropriately high-volume, with Ziggler relying on his technical prowess and Clay staying grounded in his signature power game.
Brawn ultimately prevailed in the end, when The Funkasaurus shook off a Ziggler sleeper hold (and Jack Swagger interference) and Clay administered his signature headbutt-splash combo to pin The Show-Off’s shoulders against the mat. When it was all said and done, Ziggler was left to retreat to the locker room area, while Hornswoggle and The Funkadactyls swarmed the ring and celebrated the only way they knew how: a dance party.
And funk is still on a roll.
Nikki Bella vs Layla[]
After being absent from WWE for nearly a year, Layla stunned Nikki Bella and the entire WWE Universe with a surprise appearance at Extreme Rules to capture the Divas Championship inside the sold-out Allstate Arena.
The win came via a vicious neckbreaker from Layla to Brie, who entered the fray when the twins switched places in the match. Despite past successes with such tactics, this time, Twin Magic failed.
Although Beth Phoenix was originally scheduled to compete against Nikki, she was not medically cleared to compete, as first reported earlier in the day on WWE’s Breaking News Alert service. “As soon as I’m medically cleared, this (the Divas Title) is coming home with me,” the unfazed Glamazon said regarding the news.
Before the match, Eve announced a mystery opponent would take The Glamazon’s place. However, no one could have expected it would be the British-born beauty, Layla!
The win marks the second Divas Championship for Layla. However, her first reign came amidst controversy when she and Michelle McCool were self-professed co-champions in 2010.
As part of her championship resume, Layla is also recognized as the final holder of WWE Women's Championship when the title was retired in 2010. She won the coveted prize with McCool at her side in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match against Phoenix on the May 14, 2010 edition of SmackDown.
Layla’s surprise appearance at Extreme Rules 2012 was her first in the ring since the May 13, 2011 edition of SmackDown, when Kharma brutally assaulted her. The attack aggravated an already injured knee Layla sustained in an emotionally-charged Loser Leaves WWE Match at Extreme Rules 2011 when she beat Michelle McCool.
With Layla back and better than ever, who will be the first to challenge her? Tune in to Monday’s Raw SuperShow at 9/8 CT on USA Network.
Results[]
- Singles match: Brodus Clay (with Cameron, Hornswoggle and Naomi) defeated Dolph Ziggler (with Jack Swagger and Vickie Guerrero)
- Singles match for the WWE Divas Championship: Layla defeated Nikki Bella (c) (with Brie Bella)
Other on-screen talent[]
- Ring announcer: Lilian Garcia
Image gallery[]
