3/5 Middle of the Road, Yet Again
  by R.A. McKenzie (New York)
"Extreme Rules 2009" is par for the course this year in WWE PPVs. It neither blows your mind, nor does it bore the hell out of you. Oddly enough, the more family-friendly direction for an "Extreme Rules" event isn't the main problem. There are deeper issues in store:

1) United States Championship
Kofi Kingston (champion) v. William Regal v. Matt Hardy v. MVP
---In case you care, the only Extreme part here is that Fatal Fourway Matches are No-DQ, which doesn't even factor in anyway. Not to dismiss the work of these four men, but I bet you can guess what kind of match you're gonna see here. This opening contest isn't going to surprise you, but it's going to entertain you and set the tone. You're gonna see all four men bounce around the ring, get their one-on-one chances to shine, and get near-falls that you knew weren't gonna get a three-count. You're gonna see some suplexes from Regal & MVP, some one-handed action from Matt Hardy, and some Jamaican-Me-Crazy stuff from Kofi. It's forgettable, but it's fun, and it gets you ready for the rest of the event.
"6.5 / 10"
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2) No Holds Barred - Intercontinental Championship
Chris Jericho v. Rey Mysterio (champion)
---The first thing you need to remember is that this isn't one of those matches that rely on weapons or high-risk spots to get your attention. It's another strong wrestling match between two gifted veterans that includes a couple of "anything-goes" moments. But more importantly, it's Jericho and Mysterio putting on another impressive contest that surpasses their "Judgment Day" showdown, but doesn't quite match their "Bash" classic. Then again, does it really matter which match is best? These two have had the best in-ring rivalry so far this year, and I doubt there will be a better one.
"7.5 / 10"
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3) Samoan Strap Match
Umaga v. CM Punk
---Surprisingly boring considering the talent involved. Umaga is one of the more gifted larger athletes, and CM Punk is one of those performers you can't classify. I like four corners matches like this, but this one didn't do it for me. I think that's mainly due to Umaga being even more dominant than he was with the "Judgment Day" opener between these two. Plus, the Strap doesn't really come into play all that much. It's almost like these guys could've have the exact same match, except throw in a couple of tug-of-wars and the corner tapping feature. I admire that these two were going for something different (one of the central focuses is Punk trying to lift Umaga for the GTS). But in the end, my mind wandered more than it should have.
"4.5 / 10"
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4) Hardcore Match - ECW Championship
Christian (champion) v. Tommy Dreamer v. Jack Swagger
---Bad news first: This isn't an old-school ECW match where everyone becomes a broken, bloody and/or bruised mess. Now for the good news, it's still one entertaining ride. These three guys try very few traditional wrestling maneuvers. It's one of those blasts from the WWF past, where "hardcore" matches meant you grab a toy, and swing away. Jack Swagger is appropriately the least successful when using the weapons, but he's talented enough to pull off some impressive moves, not to mention tough enough to put up with the pain he did. Christian is the exceptional wrestler he's expected to be, with a good dose of wrestling and hardcore skills. But this is Tommy Dreamer's night, and what a glorious one. Dreamer gets to pull out all sorts of tricks we rarely get to see him use anymore, and his title victory is a much-deserved honor. The championship may be made of silver, but someone as humble and dedicated as Tommy Dreamer probably doesn't care. Besides, I'm sure all three men are just as proud of their Hardcore Match as we are pleased to have witnessed it.
"7.0 / 10"
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5) Hog Pen Match for the "Miss WrestleMania" Crown
Santina Marella v. Vickie Guerrero & Chavo Guerrero
---Why, oh why, oh f___king why? There are many reasons why this was a terrible reason to begin with, but I'll focus on two of them. First off, I'm all for comic relief and understand taking a break from hard-hitting action. But this Hog Pen disaster simply isn't funny, and it's another embarrassing attempt from the WWE to try to make us laugh. Secondly, the match doesn't `SOUND' good. Mud and hog pens are soft surfaces, so there's no sound to get us into the fight. You can't hear the punches, you can't hear the falls, and you can barely hear the dialogue. Now...combine these with every other insult that everybody else has hurled at this waste of time, and you've got a PPV catastrophe. It's not even "so-bad-it's-funny"...it's aggravatingly awful.
"1.5 / 10"
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6) Steel Cage Match - WWE Championship
Randy Orton (champion) v. Batista
---The build up was solid. The two rivals deserved a rematch. The match type was perfect. Unfortunately, we only got 7 minutes after all the hype. Some hardcore fans expected something like this; it was leaked that Batista was injured going into the match. Thankfully, Orton getting dominated hasn't hurt his career much. But it does hurt this PPV. Orton and Batista use a small number of moves to begin with, but there was hardly any sort of Cage suspense or brutality. I don't need blood, but I need to be surprised. I guess I didn't think WWE would surprise me like this. This Steel Cage Match is entertaining while it lasts, but leaves you feeling empty afterwards.
"6.0 / 10"
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7) Submission Match
Big Show v. John Cena
---`IF' you read my "Judgment Day 2009" review - (you faithful few) - you might remember that I hate when these two guys mix it up. You may also recall that I thought that particular match was god-awful. Well, they somehow managed to put on their best match together at "Extreme Rules". I'm dead serious; there is more back-and-forth battling between Big Show and Cena. The match is kept to a decent pace, and it's one of those rare underdog matches I wasn't bored by. The only real problem (and it's a big one) is that it's just too darn long. I can tolerate Cena constantly getting stopped in his tracks every time he gains momentum. After all, John Cena is 200 pounds lighter than Big Show. But it becomes repetitive after a while, which ruins a potentially `good' match. Plus, the finish was poorly-executed. I expected this match to ruin the PPV; instead, it kept it from getting any worse.
"6.0 / 10"
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8) Ladder Match - World Heavyweight Championship
Edge (champion) v. Jeff Hardy
---These two men are probably more responsible for the WWE's Ladder Match lineage than any other in the company's history. But after 10 years of innovation, it's sad to think that there's not much Edge or Jeff Hardy could've done to top themselves, let alone make the match fresh. As it stands, both guys put on a very solid match to end their rivalry, filled with a few Ladder spots I hadn't seen before. The New Orleans crowd was surprisingly quiet for most of this main event (most of the PPV, actually). But one thing that's been bothering me with Ladder Matches lately is that the wrestlers don't try to grab the belt often. It's almost like they're more focused on punishing the other guy for 20 minutes, rather than just knocking him down to grab the strap. That might not seem like a big deal, but it kinda took me out of this one from time to time. But don't let that last comment discourage you from checking this one out. Jeff Hardy and Edge took some serious risks (even by their standards), and put on one of the PPV's best matches. Just don't expect a show-stopper.
"7.5 / 10"
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As we all know, CM Punk cashed in his Money-In-The-Bank briefcase to win Jeff Hardy's hard-fought World Heavyweight Championship. I give a ton of credit to WWE for not trying to make us like CM Punk taking the strap from Jeff. His MITB win wasn't well-received at "WrestleMania", and even though his weekly efforts to get his title match were delayed, WWE wisely didn't ask us to celebrate Punk's opportunistic victory. Has there been a better character development in the past few years? Doubtful, in my book.
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You know, even with a handful of good matches, "Extreme Rules 2009" is probably my least favorite WWE PPV so far this year. Aside from the excellent Ladder Match and IC Title contest, not much really stands out. I think my 3-star score is mostly due to the Hog Pen Match, and also because the WWE Championship Steel Cage Match was really just a throwaway (Batista was written out of storylines the next night).

It's kinda frustrating for reviewers like me, because WWE's repeated middle-of-the-road quality forces me to write the same formulaic review:

"It's Not Bad, But It's Not Great Either."
"It Has Some Great Things, But It's Nothing To Go Out Of Your Way To See."

C'mon, WWE. Gimme something better to type, will ya? I don't mind a more PG version of "Extreme Rules", but I do mind when even 20 dollars seems too high for a WWE DVD.

3/5 The Best Extreme Rules Still a Weak PPV
  by phenomenal
1)Kofi Kingston,MVP,Matt Hardy,William Regal US Title 8/10
This match suffers from the time limit but it's a good match for the time it is given with only 8 minutes to work with all the competitors put on a nice show with Kofi being the most entertaining part of the match everyone gets some nice shots in the ending comes relatively quickly but its a decent match
2)Rey Mysterio vs Chris Jericho IC Title 9/10
This is my least favorite match in their feud with the best being at The Bash but with that being said this is still the 2nd best match on the card the action picks up quickly and doesn't slow down plenty of near falls and reversals the no DQ doesnt come into play much except for a chair shot i wasnt a big fan of the ending but it extended the feud so it works
3)CM Punk vs Umaga Samoan Strap Match 7/10
This match was better than expected Punk is one of the few people that can pull a good match out of Umaga this one is slightly better than their Judgment Day match IMO Umaga doesnt dominate as much Punk gets in some nice shots and there are alot of close finishes Punk finally hits the GTS to win
4)Christian vs Tommy Dreamer vs Jack Swagger ECW Title 8/10
This match disappointed me a little bit if you're expecting an ECW type weapons filled match you wont get it and it also suffers from what makes a triple threat great the near falls and saves which doesnt happen much but its still an enjoyable title match it gets a higher rating because of the emotional nature of the win for Dreamer
5)Vickie Guerrero vs Santina Marella 0/10
This is a huge waste of time that could have been added to other matches on the card why does this segment get more time than the US title match it makes no sense its not entertaining its not even funny its just boring and useless
6)Randy Orton vs Batista WWE Title 6/10
This match suffers because Batista was injured which begs the question why even give him the title in the first place it only lasts about 7 minutes and that mostly consists of Orton trying to run and escape so you get very little action this is probably the worst title match of the year so far
7)John Cena vs Big Show Submission Match 5/10
Just as boring if not more so than their Judgment Day match i wanted to take a 20 minute long nap while this match was going on this feud is not gonna work when is WWE gonna realize it Big Show dominates again then Cena fights back at the end to win with the worst submission ever Big Show's foot actually falls off the ropes so its basically just a weak crossface Cena wins again YAWN
8)Edge vs Jeff Hardy World Title 10/10
While this is not the best ladder match i've ever seen it is definately the best match of the night both men take some hard falls but why the ladder change they look like very cheap ladders as u can tell when Edge and Hardy snap the ladder like nothing Edge gets pulled through the rung while hardy wins the title once again then we all know what happens next Punk cashes in the Money In The Bank contract to take the title from Hardy another short reign no wonder he's unhappy with WWE

3/5 A "PG" One Night Stand
  by D.P. (California)
United States Champion Kofi Kingston vs. M.V.P. vs. Matt Hardy vs. William Regal - This was your average match that was fast paced & did it's job as an opener with a few botched "crash & burn" spots but nothing special past that.

No Holds Barred Match: Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho - One of the best feuds of the year (if not THE BEST just based on the matches alone) continue here as they stuck the formula that was worked with great wrestling that had the fans get more into it and added the No Holds Barred element well here but didn't overdo it using a mass amount of weapons as only a chair was used. The crowd got more into it as time passed & had a very creative finish that also makes sure this feud will continue...and that's not a bad thing, that's a good thing! (thanks DDP) Match of the night for me.

Strap Match: C.M. Punk vs. Umaga - This is one of those one of those matches where the gimmick hurt the match more than helped and the being absolutely dead didn't do it any favors either. This was under the "touch all four turnbuckles" stipulations & there really isn't much to say or remember here except that this ended up being Umaga's last match in WWE.

Extreme Rules Match: ECW Champion Christian vs. Jack Swagger vs. Tommy Dreamer - This was "do or die" for Tommy Dreamer as we would leave WWE if he didn't win the championship here. Tommy Dreamer went back to his "Innovator Of Violence" ways here by coming up with some different ways to use the weapons & breaking out some of his old spots which lead to the first "ECW" chants I've heard in WWE in a very long time. This was a very fun match & the emotional aftermath was well deserved as well.

Hog Pen Match for the Miss WrestleMania Crown: "Santina" Marella vs. Vickie Guerrero - I'm going to be honest, I never found Santina to be funny & I didn't even watch this...I pressed the skip button right away since the only noteworthy thing here was that this turned out to be one of Vickie's last appearences as she quit the next night.

Steel Cage Match: WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. Batista - For those who didn't already know, Batista had already reinjured himself (after being back for around 2 months) going into this match so it was kept short but because of that. Despite all that, this turned out to be their best PPV match because it had the high impact & intensity that their previous matches were lacking. It was a dominate performance by Batista that resulted in the first ever time the WWE Championship changed hands in a steel cage match...it you don't count the Elimination Chamber back in Feb. This was good concidering how Batista was injured.

Submission Match: John Cena vs. Big Show - This was the second match that was a rematch from Judgment Day that used the same formula in their previous match...however, this gave up the complete opposite result that the Mysterio/Jericho match did as this is possibly the worst feud of the year so far. Cena was again getting dominated by Show for what seemed like forever before he made his comeback & even had a finish with the STF that got botched. Another match that I would press the skip button on because these two just don't have the chemistry that they had 5 years ago.

Ladder Match: World Champion Edge vs. Jeff Hardy - I'll give credit in that they've tried to do what Jericho/Michaels did at No Mercy in delivering a different type of ladder match than the usual "non-stop spotfest" that we're used to seeing. They tried to find new ways to use the ladder in this match along with revisiting old "highlight reel" spots from all their previous ladder matches. Again, it was a good match but it wasn't the blowaway classic everyone was expecting...but to be fair, they've set the bar so high for the past decade in regards to ladder matches that they just couldn't top it in this case. This was one of those matches where if you judge it on it's own instead of comparing it to all of their past ladder matches (I counted at least six) then it's a good match. But the major story at the end of the night was the aftermath that resulted in a new World Champion...AGAIN!

The only DVD extra here was a post-match interview with Chris Jericho setting up the next stage in their feud. In the end, this ranks right around there with the 2007 edition as one of the most dissapointing editions of this PPV because there was just as much good here as there was stuff that's either bad or easily forgettable so this is one I would recommend for a rental & make your own call here.


4/5 extreme rules 2009
  by
extreme rules 2009 best ecw pay per veiw ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!! really


Frist Match Kofi Kingston vs Matt Hardy vs MVP vs William Regal for US Title

Okay match up good opener it had speed power and it was a good match Winner Kofi Kingston

Next Match IC title No Holds Barred match Rey Mysterio vs Chris Jericho

very good storyline better than the first match not bad match had some extreme spots speed and power Winner Chris Jericho

Next Match Samoan Strap Match Umaga vs CM Punk

Pretty good id say 3 stars punk gets some good moves not as good as it could have been Winner CM Punk

Next Match Hog Pen Match santina marrela vs vickie G

Just a filler match not good no power or speed and this is for the miss wrestle mania crown Winner Santina Marella

Next Match Tommy Dreamer vs Jack Swagger vs Christian for ECW title

good match i see dreamer sould have gotten more credit for winning this one fast paced match Winner Tommy Dreamer

Next Match Subbmission Match John Cena vs Big Show

very good match good storyline cena good try on the stf Winner John Cena

Next Match WWE title match steel cage match Batista vs Randy Orton

good match with some good spots first time the wwe title has changed hands in a cage Winner Batista


World Heavy Wegiht title ladder match Jeff Hardy vs Edge

Best match on the card only bad part is where punk cashed in then bad!!!!!!!!!!!





All In All The Best ECW Pay Per View EVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! REALLY


3/5 WWE Extreme Rules 2009
  by Horror Spooky
Fatal Four-Way United States Championship Match: Kofi Kingston (Champion) vs. Matt Hardy vs. MVP vs. William Regal
I love this match because it gives William Regal, a superstar we haven't seen much from for a long time, a chance to prove himself. While he does botch a few moves, everyone in the match does a great job, and MVP as a good guy works great. The match started off with Regal betraying Matt Hardy and pushing him into Kofi and MVP, but then Hardy did the same to Regal later in the bout. Kofi was particularly impressive with some unique counters, even taking a couple pages out of Christian's book a few times, as well as his array of kicks. He scoop slammed Regal on top of Matt and hit one of his finishing moves, a double leg drop, that he calls Stereo. MVP also hit an elbow drop that received a huge pop and the crowd chanted along to "Ball'n!" Regal messed up what was supposed to be a combination of moves. Regal was supposed to hit a super tigerplex on Kofi while MVP simultaneously German suplexed Regal, but MVP lost his footing and Regal went along with the move anyway. At another point, Regal yanked Kofi out of the corner and Kofi landed pretty funky, and Regal also botched a knee to the face towards the end of the match. The end came when Kofi hit the Trouble in Paradise (a move where he kicks the opponent in the back of the head) to get the victory and retain his title. I wish this match was longer. Winner: Kofi Kingston. Match Rating: 4/5

No Holds Barred Intercontinental Championship Match: Rey Mysterio (Champion) vs. Chris Jericho
YES! The rivalry between Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio continues! At the beginning, Mysterio beat the crap out of Jericho for quite a while, smacking him in the head with the cover to the announce table and doing some general brawling. Mysterio countered Jericho's attempt to toss him into the steel steps by FLIPPING over the steps, using his hands to propel him! DAMN! Mysterio also hit a unique 619 while Jericho was resting against the ring post, and Mysterio hit the Seated Senton off the top turnbuckle, only to get a two count. Jericho tried to pull off Mysterio's mask a couple of times, but Mysterio battled out of the attempts. Mysterio tried to hit the 619 again, but Jericho countered into the Walls of Jericho! Mysterio managed to twist out of it and hit a 619 to the back of Jericho's head! Jericho countered the Swan Dive by Mysterio with a Codebreaker that came out of NOWHERE, but THAT ONLY GOT TWO! Frustrated, Jericho went to the outside to get a steel chair, but when he brought it into the ring, Mysterio dropkicked it right into Jericho's face! Mysterio followed this up with the Swan Dive, only to get TWO!!! Holy crap this is a great match!!! Mysterio then hit a Sabu-style double leg drop on Jericho with the steel chair but still only got two! Jericho eventually locked on the Walls of Jericho right in the middle of the ring, but Mysterio grabbed the steel chair from earlier and managed to twist Jericho over and smash the steel chair on Jericho's head! This caused Jericho to land right on the second rope, but when Mysterio went for the 619, JERICHO YANKED OFF HIS MASK!!! This gave Jericho the opportunity to pin Mysterio and become the first ever nine-time Intercontinental Champion! Winner: Chris Jericho. Match Rating: 5/5

Samoan Strap Match: CM Punk vs. Umaga
Gah! Another "blah" performance by CM Punk who has been average at best for the last three pay-per-views. Umaga tried to make the match work by using the strap to whip Punk around, but in all honesty, neither individual really had much of a chance to make this interesting. I've only seen one match like this that I really liked and that was Kane vs. Triple H at Judgment Day 2001. The match was rather uneventful and boring, with the only cool thing happening being CM Punk being able to hit the Go To Sleep on Umaga after he failed to do so at the last pay-per-view. The rules of this match, by the way, are to touch the four top turnbuckles in succession in order to win. Winner: CM Punk. Match Rating: 2/5

Special Stipulations Triple Threat Hardcore ECW Championship Match: Christian (Champion) vs. Jack Swagger vs. Tommy Dreamer
The special stipulation for this match is that if Tommy Dreamer loses, he will have to leave the WWE forever. The match wasn't as "hardcore" as you would expect, but it's still very innovative, entertaining, and the ending is awesome as hell. The only weapons used is a Singapore cane, trashcans, trashcan lids, and a crutch. Dreamer was very impressive, hitting a side-Russian leg sweep on Jack Swagger with the cane on his throat and also hitting a pumphandle slam on Christian with the cane right on his genitals! Swagger took a lot of shots to the gut with the cane and plenty of shots to the head with the trashcan lid, so I was pretty impressed with his willingness to get hardcore. At one point, Swagger and Christian were both on the outside. Dreamer grabbed a trashcan, held it on his shoulders, ran off the apron, and did a flip onto Christian and Swagger! Christian tried to do his usual run at the corner and propel off the top turnbuckle to the outside clothesline move, but Dreamer countered by throwing a trashcan into his face! Dreamer set Swagger up in the corner and placed a trashcan in front of his head, but Christian pulled Dreamer to the outside before he could do anything, and then Christian ran forward and dropkicked the trashcan right into Swagger's face!!! Swagger got the advantage again though and set up three trashcans right next to each other in the middle of the ring, and they were all ones that had been used so they were jagged and bent up. Swagger then set Dreamer up on the top turnbuckle to superplex him into the trashcans, but then Christian POWERBOMBED Swagger, causing Dreamer to ultimatley hit the jagged trashcans with much more force!!! Christian and Swagger had great chemistry once again, with Christian countering the gutwrench powerbomb in a Killswitch attempt, only to have Swagger counter it into another gutwrench powerbomb attempt! Dreamer broke up the move by smacking Swagger in the ribs with the crutch, knocking Christian down, and then BREAKING THE CRUTCH ON SWAGGER'S BACK!!! Dreamer then hit the Dreamer DDT...AND WON THE MATCH!!! I forgot to mention that at one point, Swagger took another nasty bump when Dreamer smacked his fingers against the turnbuckle using the cane. Overall, all three performers gave it their all and I was very impressed, and it's nice to see Tommy Dreamer actually win once in a while. Winner: Tommy Dreamer. Match Rating: 5/5

Handicap Hog Pen Miss WrestleMania Crown Match: Vickie Guerrero (Miss WrestleMania) and Chavo Guerrero vs. Santina Marella
Vickie Guerrero won the Miss WrestleMania crown from "Santina" thanks to William Regal, so now Santina looks to reclaim her rightful throne. Well, at the last second, Vickie, the General Manager of Raw, changed the match into a handicap match and made Chavo get into the hog pen! Basically, they wrestled in a pen with some hogs, buckets of slop, mud, and feces everywhere. Santina threw some mud at Chavo to start things off and then it was a lame brawl. Chavo went for a piledriver, but Santina countered it with a back body drop. Santina also dumped Chavo into the hogs, but Chavo started to gain the advantage, and Vickie tagged herself in. Santina got the advantage quickly and was prepared to throw a bucket of slop onto Vickie, but Chavo ran back in and knocked Santina down. He then tried to throw slop on Santina, but Santina moved out of the way, and the slop went all over Vickie!!! Santina then dumped a bucket of slop onto Chavo's head, punched the bucket while it was still on his head, and then threw Vickie to the ground to pin her and get the victory! While it was stupid, it was still kind of entertaining. Winner: Santina Marella. Match Rating: 3/5

Steel Cage WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton (Champion) vs. Batista
This match was way too short, but at the same time, the short length helped it. Orton tried to escape from the cage quickly right when the match started and nearly made it out, but Batista threw him back down into the ring. Orton got beat up on for the large portion of the beginning of the match, being thrown face-first into the steel cage multiple times, but Orton finally started to gain the advantage and Batista took some shots into the cage himself. Batista nailed a Spinebuster out of nowhere, but when he went for the Batista Bomb, Orton countered with a back body drop that sent Batista into the steel cage! Orton then dropkicked Batista right in the face as he stood up, bouncing the back of his head off the steel! Orton was about to escape, but then decided to go for his concussion punt to put Batista on the injured list once again. Batista countered the punt, and Orton quickly tried to escape again, but Batista went for another Batista Bomb as he dragged Orton off the cage. Orton desperately tried to grab the cage to escape from Batista, but a few right hands enabled him to hop off. Orton went for the RKO, but Batista pushed him face-first into the steel, and then hit the Batista Bomb as he bounced back. It was better than their match at Judgment Day, but both of these men can do better. Winner: Batista. Match Rating: 4/5

Submission Match: John Cena vs. The Big Show
I was surprised with this match. John Cena and Big Show's match at Judgment was awful, and I thought this match, a submission match of all things, would be even worse. The match ended up being okay, nothing special, but it was a step up from their previous match. Big Show beat up on Cena for most of the match, and it felt like Judgment Day all over, with all of John Cena's counters and attempts at offense being easily thwarted by Show. However, Cena locked on a nice sleeper hold on Big Show that lasted quite a while, but he couldn't get the STF (apparently it is no longer called the STFU for some stupid reason) locked on. Cena did manage to nail an FU and his usual arsenal of moves on Big Show, but Big Show nailed a Chokeslam. Big Show's second attempt at a Chokeslam was countered, and then the fight spilled to the outside. At first, Big Show had the advantage, throwing Cena rib-first into the steel ring post, but Cena managed to counter a charge by Big Show and send him face-first into the post! Cena followed up on this by climbing to the top turnbuckle as Show crawled back into the ring, nailing his usual leg drop, and then came the ending. The ending was very unique as Cena used the ring ropes to hold Show's leg while he did the upper body portion of the STF!!! Big Show tapped out. Better than I expected, but nothing to get excited over. Winner: John Cena. Match Rating: 3/5

Ladder World Heavyweight Championship Match: Edge (Champion) vs. Jeff Hardy
Match of the night, without a doubt. The usual ladder spots were used, like a baseball slide by Edge that sent a ladder smacking right into Jeff, as well as the men incorporating the ladders into their usual moves. Jeff Hardy hit his swinging mule kick in the corner with the ladder pressed against Edge's head, for example. At one point, Edge set the ladder up in one corner and threw Jeff into the corner so hard that the ladder bounced off the turnbuckles! Edge then set the ladder up on the other corner, threw Jeff into it, and then ran full speed at Jeff for the Spear, but Jeff jumped over Edge and Edge smacked his face on one of the ladder rungs! One neat spot was when Jeff got out the 20-foot ladder, prepared to hit the Swanton Bomb on Edge off of it, but Edge rolled out of the way. As a result, Jeff just tipped the ladder over and grabbed the belt on the way down! Jeff was unable to unhook the belt however, and Edge yanked him down to have him smack his face right on top of the ladder that fell! Another cool spot was when Jeff set the ladder upside down, and then performed a faceplant suplex on Edge through it that not only broke the ladder but looked like it nearly cut Edge in half! The fight spilled to the outside and some steel steps spots were used as well as more ladder shots. Jeff missed the Poetry in Motion on Edge and fell into the crowd and smacked his body right onto the concrete! Both men hit their signature moves, like Edge hit the Spear and Jeff hit the Twist of Fate, but any attempts to grab the World Heavyweight Championship suspended above the ring were thwarted. Edge set a ladder up bridge-styled on the security barricade and the ring apron, harkening back to the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 23. A suplex attempt on top of the ladder by Edge was countered, and then Jeff got another 20-foot ladder ready after setting Edge up on the ladder bridge! Jeff was prepared to Swanton Bomb Edge through the ladder, but Edge got up and ran up the other side of the ladder to battle Hardy. The men tilted the ladder and...THEY BOTH WENT THROUGH THE LADDER BRIDGE!!! The action returned to the inside of the ring, and Jeff was climbing the ladder, about to grab the World Heavyweight Championship while Edge climbed a ladder set up in the corner from earlier. Edge tried to Spear Jeff in mid-air, a reference to one of their TLC matches, but Jeff saw it coming and hit the Twist of Fate on Edge in mid-air!!! Jeff then started to climb, but Edge pulled him down and started to climb on the other side! Jeff quickly recovered and pulled Edge's body through the rungs so Edge was stuck, flailing like a fish!!! Jeff climbed the ladder and RETRIEVED THE TITLE!!! We have a new World Heavyweight Champion! Winner: Jeff Hardy. Match Rating: 5/5

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Jeff Hardy (Champion) vs. CM Punk
But Jeff's title reign was short lived. CM Punk ran out with his Money in the Bank contract, and he decided to cash it in right after the ladder match! Poor Jeff looked like a sad child as he prepared to face CM Punk. Punk didn't waste any time and hit the Go To Sleep on Jeff...BUT JEFF KICKED OUT!!! Astonished Punk went for the move again, but Jeff quickly rolled Punk up...only for a two. Punk's second attempt to nail the Go To Sleep connected and he pinned Hardy for the victory...and we have ANOTHER new World Heavyweight Champion! It wasn't really much of a match, but it was still exciting as hell. Winner: CM Punk. Match Rating: 4/5


BACKSTAGE SHENANIGANS
Oh yes. Once again, I was very impressed with the backstage antics of the WWE superstars. CM Punk cashing in the Money in the Bank contract was only the tip of the iceberg though. Vickie Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero are gold on screen together, despite the fact that Vickie can't really act worth a damn, and Edge announcing he wanted a divorce from Vickie after Vickie refused to get any Raw superstars to help Edge retain the World Heavyweight Championship against Jeff Hardy in the ladder match was awesome. Vickie and Chavo walking through the hallways and running into Hornswoggle and GOLDUST was GREAT! I love Goldust! Jericho also did a great promo through the arena before his match with his Mysterio that's worth checking out. Tommy Dreamer's celebration in the fans was reminiscent of the old ECW, and it was icing on the cake. Rating: 5/5


EXTRAS
What the hell? The third straight pay-per-view in a row where the extras are barely anything at all. All you get here is an interview with Chris Jericho, alluding that he will stipulate a match where if Mysterio loses he will be banned from wearing his mask. If it wasn't for Jericho's good mic skills, this would be abysmal. Rating: 3/5


OVERALL EVENT
It wasn't as "extreme" as it promised to be, but the entire event was still pretty solid. The opening match was great, and I would love to see Matt Hardy, Kingston, Regal, and MVP do battle again. Jericho and Mysterio put on another match of the year caliber performance, as did Jeff Hardy and Edge in their phenomenal ladder match. CM Punk's Samoan Strap Match with Umaga was the third straight pay-per-view where Punk was disappointing, and it's a shame that Umaga's last pay-per-view mach in the WWE had to be a crapfest. Tommy Dreamer winning the ECW Championship was wildly entertaining and a long time coming. Santina Marella, Vickie Guerrero, and Chavo Guerrero made the Hog Pen match actually entertaining, while John Cena and The Big Show put on a match that wasn't terrible for once. Orton and Batista improved their match from Judgment Day, but they could still do better.