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Post by elliott on Dec 7, 2017 1:04:54 GMT -5
Brock Lesnar vs John Cena (WWE Extreme Rules - 4/29/2012)
This will almost certainly be my highest ranked WWE match. Probably because it is the least WWE WWE match ever. I just love this shit. Incredible story telling, pacing, selling, emotion, atmosphere. The opening minutes are unlike anything I've ever seen in WWE. Its like they watched the Hashimoto vs Ogawa series together and said "Lets do this but better."
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Post by Cap on Dec 7, 2017 20:42:44 GMT -5
Second
Great stuff. I concur with just about everything Elliott said, though - as of right now - it will finish behind at least three and probably five WWE matches for me. I love it as a singular piece of work in the company's history and think it is an absolute must discuss on this list. It is all the things that Brock is at his best, visceral... brutal.... larger than life. This was an incredible piece of business.
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Post by Grimmas on Jan 4, 2018 23:28:55 GMT -5
Perhaps the most brutal match in WWE (post being a publicly traded company) history. Brock was a MONSTER here and Cena was the ultimate underdog fighting babyface. If Brock stayed at this level his WWE run, he'd be #1 on my GWE.
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Post by twfi on Jan 5, 2018 4:22:37 GMT -5
This match stands out as it's different to others in WWF/E. John Cena takes a beating from the opening bell with Lesnar's elbows busting Cena open from the get go and Lesnar's repeated Kimuras. Brock runs at Cena from the outside fucking flying to the floor and he laughs it off! Cena survives to pull off the victory. A ***** match and how it stands out from other WWE matches will push it upwards.
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Post by superstarsleeze on Oct 1, 2019 11:15:20 GMT -5
I am surprised I didnt post my review here. I LOVE this match! This match exemplifies John Cena's Never Give Up mantra. I was beginning my appreciation of Cena back during CM Punk feud (I am ashamed to admit but I was teenage smark hating Cena once) and it grew during the Rock feud, but it was this match that made me a HUGE Cena fan. Never Give Up is one of my core values. I love that is what Cena preaches and love that this is the Ultimate Never Give UP Cena match. Oh yeah and BROCK FUCKING LESNAR is the GOAT! This made my list and will always be on the list.
John Cena vs Brock Lesnar - Extreme Rules 2012
Pride comes before the fall. My favorite gimmick in pro wrestling is the cocky shooter and there is no better cocky shooter than Brock Fucking Lesnar. Those sitdown interviews in the build to this match were amazing, obnoxious schoolyard bully bullshit that only works because Brock Lesnar is on the short list of legit baddest men on this planet. Give me those any day over the interminable Paul E. promos we get nowadays. Cena's subdued response was pitch perfect he recognized the credible threat of Brock, but he was going to defend the industry he loves.
Incredible match and we all know that. The violence is definitely an integral part. They set that tone early with Lesnar cutting Cena open hardway with his sharp elbows and they end the match with Cena getting his receipt busting Lesnar open with the chain. The blood flowed freely for the first time in years. To me more than the hard-hitting lariats and elbows, this match was made by the character work. The match was clearly designed to get Brock over as the new top star. The camera was on him the vast majority of the time. Cena did a great job selling, but more often than not we were watching Lesnar mug for the camera. I love the little shit like Lesnar using his foot to push Cena out of the ring onto the floor with a thud like he is human garbage. The cocky attitude of goading Cena to get back up. Of course, when it came time for Lesnar to show vulnerability he did so in spades. Look as Cena picks him up in the kimura and drives him into the steel steps. That look of fear is why Brock Lesnar is one of the smartest wrestlers ever. He knows it is a work. He can show ass. He can show fear. The match is greatly improved. What makes a bully a bully is in his heart of hearts he is an insecure coward. That is Brock Lesnar. He is a badass, but in pro wrestling he knows it is the best interest of the match, his opponent and the product for him to show fear and vulnerability.
That's Brock Lesnar, I think Cena did even more to put this match over as a classic. John Cena is clearly in way over his head against Brock Lesnar, but he never gives up. He is a scrappy, blue collar muthafucker thats going to tackle Lesnar, he is going to reverse elbow Lesnar hard, he is going to punch him. It is all to no avail. Lesnar quashes every takedown, every punch, every shoulder tackle with his own big ass offense. Cena never gives up. That's how to live life. We are all in over our heads at some point, fighting a Brock Lesnar, but we dont give up and we just keep fighting. It was Cena's hope spots and the subsequent cutoffs that made this match so engaging. I already mentioned one of the hope spots in the previous paragraph. There are few moments to me in wrestling history as John Cena picking up Brock Lesnar in the kimura and ramming him down onto those steel steps. Cena was getting his ass kicked from pillar to post and for him to do that to Brock. Goddamn! I was pumping my fist here six years later cheering him on.
Like many, I originally thought the finish was a copout, but I think it was genius now. The whole Brock does not where Cena went after after he missed the legdrop is great. I love how he gets on the stairs to look for him and then spots Cena's hand. The way Brock's face changes with that sick, sadistic smile. We say sick, sadistic smile a lot in pro wrestling, but no one has a better one than Brock Lesnar. You really believe especially in this match that Brock was going to do baddd things to Cena. That following bump by Brock was even MORE INSANE than I remembered it. Holy Shit! When Brock is on his A-Game, he is the best seller and best bumper in the WWE and he is like 300 fucking lbs. He is The Beast. What a fucking wipe out. He sells the leg, shakes it off and that look of "Lets do that again, but this time I KILL THE BITCH" is amazing.
That's when it happens in a supreme moment of pride and arrogance, Brock Lesnar goes for that very move that nearly seriously hurt him and leaves him completely vulnerable as he is flyign through the air, but this time John Cena has his Thug Life Chain and he drills Brock right in the head. Brock's selling after this is amazing, but all the focus is back on Cena's who is FIRED UP! F-U ON THE STAIRS! 1-2-3!
Home Fucking Run! Two of the all-time greats putting on a match that displays their unique characters and physical abilities telling the story of Pride vs Perseverance. *****
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Post by tetsujin on Oct 19, 2021 19:30:08 GMT -5
Just rewatched this gore masterpiece. Absolutely INSANE action, specially for PG Era WWE standards as everyone already said on this thread. This match feels like the most special thing ever, and maybe it is. I can't think of a better, more defining Brock Lesnar performance, and, while I need to rewatch the LMS Umaga match, I would say the same for Cena. That fucking pop up after breaking the Kimura is possibly my favourite John Cena moment, he managed to get the entire Chicago crowd behind him for the rest of the match, just marvelous pro wrestling, serously. No hyperbole.
The only thing keeping this match below the absolute best of the best, for me, is that I wish Lesnar suffered a bit more of punishment: I always feel like a "spinebuster" on the steps, a chain shot to the head and an Attitude Adjustment on the steps aren't enough to put away the fucking monster the match has established. The finish still works, but it could have been even better with some other big spot to help John secure the win, to give more of a "painful, but earned, victory" feel, instead of Cena just managing to win after his very first try.
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Post by Kadaveri on Oct 19, 2021 22:41:03 GMT -5
The only thing keeping this match below the absolute best of the best, for me, is that I wish Lesnar suffered a bit more of punishment: I always feel like a "spinebuster" on the steps, a chain shot to the head and an Attitude Adjustment on the steps aren't enough to put away the fucking monster the match has established. The finish still works, but it could have been even better with some other big spot to help John secure the win, to give more of a "painful, but earned, victory" feel, instead of Cena just managing to win after his very first try. I think a big part of the finish is just before this Brock injures himself going for the flying clothesline off the apron but crashes to the floor. |
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Post by [Darren] on Oct 19, 2021 22:53:55 GMT -5
This is without a doubt in my mind the greatest match in WWE history and a Top 5 lock for me. A perfect Ace defending his territory from the invader match. A more concise and effective Kandori/Hokuto. A bloody, violent spectacle unlike anything in modern WWE. It’s ugly an uncooperative in all the best ways. A match that gets more enjoyable and more perfect on every viewing.
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Post by cactus on Nov 16, 2021 1:54:10 GMT -5
This was as good as I remembered it. Lesnar is back in the WWE after a eight-year absence and he feels like a video game boss that feels nigh on impossible to beat. After cutting open Cena with shoot nasty elbows, Lesnar controls 90% of the match. I don't even mind the ref stoppages as they give us time to reflect on how brutal Brock's offense is as they replay the elbow multiple times, all while Lesnar is pacing around like a caged animal. Cena sells his injuries well and all of his hope spots feel organic and he even makes a usually anti-Cena crowd root for him. This was a violent spectacle between two of the best ever. ★★★★★
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Post by gramsci on Nov 16, 2021 4:19:39 GMT -5
Yes, for me this is the best match in WWF / E history, I remember the feeling I had when watching this for the first time and thinking for a second that Brock was going crazy and that the beating was being real. I've never had the same feeling with a match since then. Cena's promo at the end of the match only adds greatness to this act, it's a promo of an Ace who just beat the invading monster, it reminded me of Bryan's promo after his match with Morishima in Final Battle 2008, but this being better. It's awesome how this guy got Chicago to support him during the match and at the end of it. Probably top 25.
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Post by [Darren] on Nov 16, 2021 7:26:43 GMT -5
This is without a doubt the greatest WWE match I have ever seen.
and I’ll always kick myself for not going to this show. But, I didn’t fully appreciate this match until many years later. WWE is better when it’s a little ugly and scary.
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Post by TheDutifulWebmaster on Oct 25, 2023 22:31:31 GMT -5
I'm not as high on this match as other people, but I would say this is a rare case of WWE not being predictable when it comes to their main-event scene. Prior to the match, I'm sure less than 7 people had predicted that Cena would win clean.
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Post by [Darren] on Oct 26, 2023 6:47:34 GMT -5
The affluent family with young children decked out in Cena gear as they watch their hero take a bloody beating from a mad man with superhuman strength is one of my favorite aspects of this match.
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Post by lemming on Nov 29, 2023 9:46:20 GMT -5
I ranked this at #25 this year.
What a match. Incredible atmosphere and the match feels chaotic and dangerous in a way WWE never does (despite trying, often). Brock comes across like a megastar and has surely never been better than he was here as the outsider, UFC invader, a malignant unstoppable force not bound by the usual rules of the promotion he's intruding on. Bloodying the home champion right away and dominating him in a way never seen before. He feels like the big bad in the first act of a movie arriving and immediately defeating all the most powerful good guys with ease, so the protagonist is gonna have to go away and do a bunch of intense training montages and unlock the hero within or something to level up enough to stand a chance in the inevitable final showdown.
Credit to Cena for taking a tremendous beating here, and I think the finish is actually a classic - the monster is established as stronger than the champ, but the resilient ace is able to find a kill shot from nowhere to sneak out a win. For now.
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Post by TheDutifulWebmaster on Mar 17, 2024 18:55:44 GMT -5
The affluent family with young children decked out in Cena gear as they watch their hero take a bloody beating from a mad man with superhuman strength is one of my favorite aspects of this match. Hahaha. I didn't see that, but that sounds like a barrel of laughs. |
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