Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena

[9.0] "This was a very violent match that really felt like a fight. It was Brock's first match back in WWE, and the case can definitely be made for this being his best singles performance since coming back in 2012. Besides the still questionable finish, they did a really great job making Lesnar look like an unstoppable, scary monster here. There's something really cool about seeing Cena, who was presented as the ultimate PG superhero for so many years, covered in blood and struggling to even stand in the opening minutes. Brock viciously dominates for the majority of the match, and it does take a steel chain punch to the head and an AA onto the steel steps to take him down, but Cena winning here was clearly the wrong move."

[8.0] "A match that feels truly unique. After his long hiatus, Lesnar brings such authenticity to his MMA style that at times you can't help but worry about Cena's well-being. The intense physicality and the unusual structure, pretty uncommon for a Cena match thus far, make this bout well worth watching. The significant wear and tear on the ring refs and the fact that the match's format strays a bit from the classic match philosophy prevent it from getting top marks. Nevertheless, I'll gladly admit that this match, which as one of the very few in history truly deserves the label 'Extreme Rules', is perhaps one you should see at least once. Kudos to Cena for his portrayal and, of course, a clear recommendation for the match."

[9.0] "great introduction to brock post ufc with total domination in wrestling the ground and pounds were lethal so were the lariats johns selling was great especially when he took knees to the torso and was in the kimura the domination from brock made for a greater comeback from the underdog john cena when cena showed bursts of a comeback it was well received by the crowd and it would get instantly get shut down by brock the story of johns need for the chain was well told and let for an epic counter towards the end top moment for me was when cena countered brocks running offence with a punch to the head with the chain attached to his hand busting open brock in the process and knocking him down"

[10.0] "This may be the coolest thing WWE has ever done, and it's definitely one of the best WWE matches of all time as well, simply fantastic, here comes the pain! Brock Lesnar returned to the company after 8-years, when he was a young freak, that took the business by storm and became one of its hottest assets, and people loved him, he was a phenomenon at the time, so this is incredibly anticipated, a return match for Lesnar against the absolute face of WWE, John Cena, a guy that Brock wrestled in his first tenure, but Cena wasn't what he is at the time of this match, so this is very intriguing. We were all curious about how the match would play out, and it's based as fuck, a total badassery and looked like Brock returned even better after the MMA experience. This is basically a strong style match, and it's crazy that this happened under the WWE umbrella, it's incredibly unique and goes against many philosophies the company has adopted over the years, but I'm glad they chose to do it this way and my God, what a kick in the door, Brock returned having his best match ever, just amazing. Lesnar busted Cena open immediately after the bell, opening a wound on his head, and Cena started to bleed like crazy, creating an awesome visual, and instantly showing what the match is about. Those first minutes are godly with Brock demolishing Cena and brutalizing him with stiff strikes, and it's exactly the type of thing the people want to watch after waiting eight years to see Lesnar again, it's just delightful. The entire match has an incredible vibe, and it's super well done, every time I rewatch it I get it more, and I get why many folks love this, it's just special and irreplicable. John tried a few comebacks, specially with his chain, and I loved the storytelling of Brock refusing to hit Cena with the chain, because he doesn't need to, his hands are enough. Cena was the ultimate underdog here, but he survived the visceral attack, and performed a thrilling comeback at the end, showing that his heart is huge, and I've spend years of my life thinking the ending is anticlimactic, but it really isn't, and sometimes a match don't need to be about whoever gives more moves or if the guy was beaten enough... it's a very cool finish with Cena doing his 'you can't see me' taunt after Lesnar climbed on top of the steel steps, and he won the match with an AA on the same steps, recovering from the heartbreaking Rock loss at Mania, very symbolic. The sentiment that this match provoke is beyond awesome, and sometimes the simple way is by far the best way... the legitimacy has been brought back to WWE - {****3/4}"

[10.0] "Vince tries Kings Road booking, and it works? ! ? ! A big beefy boy who's been gone a good part of a decade comes back to make it feel legit, and even in his defeat this is the reinvention of WWE style wrestling before your eyes. 14 years on, and it's still jaw dropping to watch. The character beat of fruity pebbles Cena bleeding and attempting to get a weapon in the first five minutes shows a side of him they've rarely ventured into. This is edge of your seat watching, and you as a fan deserve to experience it if you haven't."

[10.0] "This is Brock's first match back since 2004, and his aim is clear: he's here to legitimize the WWE. It is fitting, therefore, that he immediately sets his sights on John Cena, the poster-child for everything illegitimate. This is a fantastic story, one of the best that the WWE has ever told in my opinion, because it springs so naturally from who these men are and what they represent. Cena is undoubtedly the top star in 2012, but as Lesnar says: "The only reason John's in the postion he's in is because I left." Hard to argue with an NCAA and UFC champion, but John's gonna try. Lesnar walks in with his MMA inspired gear. Cena walks in with his Thuganomics chain. The bell rings, and we get one of the greatest starts to any WWE match ever. John bravely charges at the beast, but Brock takes him down and cracks his skull open with brutal shoot elbows. There is soon a doctor stoppage that feels like it saves Cena's life for a moment. This is an violent invasion into the sanitized world of the WWE. Lesnar is genuinely scary here. Everything he does has such ferocity behind it that even simple moves like a clothesline, shoulder tackle, or Irish whip into the steps get a pop out of me. And he has such charisma as well: smearing Cena's blood on his chest and licking it; picking up lil' Naitch with one hand; setting up the stairs in the centre of the ring and proudly standing atop them like the king of the mountain. Truly awe-inspiring stuff. However, we also see Cena giving one of the best babyface performances of all time as well. He's always trying to fight back but it never seems to be enough. He tries to rush Lesnar, he tries to lure him into a back elbow, he tries to lock in a front facelock, but he gets pummeled every time. Cena's selling here is masterful: the thousand yard stare, the staggered exhaustion, the arm hanging limp at his side after a Kimura lock. And that blood never stops coming. Even Chicago sympathizes with John for once, because this feels about as real as the WWE has ever felt. The most common complaint about this match is that Cena wins it, but I think there is a certain beauty in the story they told here. That finishing stretch tells you all you need to know; Brock gets arrogant and tries a massive jumping knee, but goes hurtling out of the ring. I think there is a point here: Brock may be a better fighter, but he's not a better pro-wrestler. Brock limps it off and decides to try again, because he's bulletproof, and... WHAM, jumps straight into a steel chain to the face. Lesnar toyed with his prey a little too much, and now the prey fought back. Cena had been looking for an opportunty all match, and Lesnar gave it to him. Cena fires up, roaring defiantly. Lesnar is knocked loopy and staggers to his feet; he is bleeding too now. Cena grabs him and hits an AA on the steel steps for the win. No 5 moves of doom, just two back to back desperate weapon shots. I can't help but feel like Cena earned that one. A transcendent piece of professional wrestling. For my money, the greatest WWE match ever. [*****+]"

[8.0] "I loved this match. The crowd was amazing and so hot for everything they did. There were a lot of questions going into it about how good Lesnar was going to be in his first WWE match in eight years, but I think it's fair Lesnar was amazing in this match. Lesnar not only looked the part as a dominant heel, but he sold well for Cena too. That one bump that Lesnar took where he flew over the top and landed on the floor was scary, yet he was able to come back from it as if nothing happened. The one thing that bothered me about the match the most was that Lesnar lost. I think it was WWE's way of sending the message that their long-time top guy John Cena was superior to the former UFC guy Lesnar. I still think Lesnar should have won. I'm sure there are people reading this that agree with me on that one."

[9.0] "[4.5*] Incredible match, a classic. One of the best WWE bouts this decade. The WWE Hero vs The UFC Outsider and this went exactly how it should have. Brock beat the hell out of Cena for 15 straight minutes, busted his head open on the first seconds and created a whole scenario for Cena to overcome. Brock took a nasty bump where he landed on his head on the outside, crazy stuff. Cena did a comeback sequence at the ending and won with a AA on the steel-steps. Brock is so good on these matches where his only objective is to hurt his opponent, it is insane. Big match feel, obviously. EDIT: Hell yeah, what a war. Just rewatched this match and holy fucking shit, this is wrestling. An absolute fight. The Extreme Rules weren't meant for them to use cool weapons or anything like that, they were meant for Lesnar to kill Cena without any consequence. Even in kayfabe, he had an agreement with Ace that he could do anything he wanted with the referees. This felt anarquic, Lesnar beat Cena over and over again, busted him wide open and killed multiple referees. Fucking awesome. The crowd was on fire, they never gave up on their hero even when he was getting beat up like never before. Lesnar's blade job after Cena hit him with the chain was awesome too, creating an insane visual before the AA on the steel steps. This only had 17 minuted and I'm glad this match was short, they told the story they wanted to tell, made Lesnar look incredibly dangerous after an 8-year absence and ultimately gave Cena one of his biggest wins as the ultimate underdog. Just a fantastic spectacle all round, phenomenal business."

[9.0] "That opening onslaught from Brock is crazy and foreshadows what he would eventually do to Randy in 2016. I dont mind the stoppage to clean Cena up as it makes it feel all the more legit. Lesnars leap to the outside is crazy aswell. Perhaps the ending is slightly rushed but i cant fault it too much."

[9.0] "Amazing match, wrong winner. Would've been 5* if Brock was up even if admittedly the finish got a gigantic pop. at least brock got up first lol. honestly if you wanna defend this the match was so fucking disgusting and voilent in a way we've never really seen in WWE, let alone 2012 WWE, that if Cena loses he has to take a break to sell it, and the kids would be traumatised. still tho he lost to Johnny Ace like a month later. Brock was probably never better individually in his return than this night, and i think this is one of johns smoothest and fuck it performances ever. he was incredible. cannot gush more about this unbelieavable match. ****3/4"

[9.0] "Even on rewatch, this is a bit of shock to the system. WWE had been PG for awhile and it was very rare to have wrestlers get blood, hardway no less. That obviously was the plan here, which you can say halts the match a bit but I liked the med team in this situation because of how real the moment felt.. After that, its just nice to see Brock working a more traditional structure. At the time, i was bothered that Cena won but not anymore, really.. it was also at least a neat way to do it with the chain busting open Brock"

[9.0] "There's still elements of this match that hinder it from really feeling like a true brutal fight, but i'd be lying if I said this wasnt a spectacular match overall. My biggest complaint is all the ref bumps, so insanely unnecessary. When you have a no dq, (sort of) shoot fight style match, ref bumping is really just the silliest imaginable idea. Not one of the best matches ever to me but the first 20 seconds is undoubtedly one of the hypest ive been during a match. Also not one of my favorite cena performances personally, he just kind of got beat up, he sold well though, kind of overly cartoonish at times, but it worked. That weird move brock does where he launches himself off the steps and falls out of the ring just gets worse and worse every time I see it. I know I'm complaining a lot but this match is awesome. Even though cena just kind of hits an aa on the steps out of nowhere and wins, that was an awesome looking aa"

[7.0] "A slow brutal match with lots of blood and some good spots, the chain to the skull is iconic and overall a good first match back for Brock."

[9.0] "Brock Lesnar's first match in the WWE after his return, and he was up against the most successful guy during his absence, John Cena. Cena had just suffered a huge loss against The Rock, which made this match very crucial for him. The extreme rules stipulation was perfect for this match, as we saw an extremely brutal affair, with Lesnar beating the shit out of Cena. Seeing so much blood in this era of WWE was incredible to watch. It looked like Lesnar would win, but Cena hit him with the Chain, which was a very nice touch and an AA on the Steel Steps to pick up the win. Absolutely amazing encounter, with my only gripe being Cena's victory, as him beating a returning Brock Lesnar made no sense. [****3/4]"

[8.0] "Great David v Goliath match, Cena def made this match with his selling and whatnot, Lesnar's moveset is still kinda limited, even if this is when it was probably at its better. Satisfying product for the time period though."

[10.0] "An all timer. A great story of a man on a mission to beat an unstoppable monster. A shocker with how vicious it gets from the start, even more so if you look at the landscape of WWE at the time."

[7.0] "It's got some cool stuff, especially since there is this weird dissonance between this shiny 2012 WWE presentation that I associate with being a product for kids, being home to Cena's split open head gushing blood. A little sluggish but not short of great images."

[10.0] "After losing to The Rock at Mania, Cena redeems himself. Who does Brock think he is? coming back after leaving for UFC in a match against the guy who carried the company on his back for almost a decade? Cena overcame everything Brock threw at him, and in the end, he was the one standing tall. One of the most brutal matches of the PG era."

[4.0] "The one and only reason to remotely give this match a high score is the brutality. That's it. If you get over the shock of the brutality, this match sucks. Yes, for this era of WWE, the blood, gore, and physicality was shocking. It absolutely made it have a real and violent feeling. But this is either a really shitty worked UFC match or a really boring wrestling match. It's sitting on the fence and isn't good at either. Lesnar destroys Cena. And then loses to him in two moves. What does that say about Lesnar? He's a glass cannon? He can dish it out but can't take it? He's a paper tiger here. A monster in your closet that disintegrates when you turn the lights on. When the entirety of the match is building Brock up as an indestructible savage beast but then loses anyway, who cares? The very concept of this match undermines itself. And it's not interesting to watch, either. Yeah, I guess if all you crave in your match is seeing someone get pulverized in a half shoot half worked style with no interesting moves or storytelling, this one is for you. Wrestling should be an art form. I look for Da Vinci's or Picasso's in the ring. This is a Jackson Pollock match. This contest is one dimensionally entertaining and lacking entirely in every other metric."

[8.0] "Amazing match up until the last 3 minutes, where Cena hits two moves and then wins lol. At least Lesnar looked like a beast up until that point."

[9.0] "a shocking, brutal, bloody spectacle of a match. lesnar beating the piss out of john cena in the pg era with his fans front row and centre is quite unbelievable. a shame about the result, but fair play to cena for his work in this."

[9.0] "Love an extreme rules match that has minimal weapons but still feels brutal and graphic. Legit looks like Lesnar is trying to kill Cena."

[5.0] "Don't really get the praise for this one. Plays out like male PowerPoint fantasy reenaction rather than a full fledged wrestling match, pretty torturelike, has like one good spot -that being Lesnar springboarding from steel steps knee first into Cena in the apron- and it basically ends with Cena wins lol scenario."

[10.0] "After a deflating loss to the rock at his own demise and with a returning Brock Lesnar. There was a lot of doubt into how cena would respond post mania, and what does he do? Deliver one of his best performances to kick of his redemption tour. This match had everything you were looking for in match of this magnitude. It was brutal, it was hard hitting. It felt very real. Chicago never disappoints when it comes to big events. *****"

[9.0] "While this still holds up incredibly well and would probably be just as shocking if something of this nature with these elements happened today, this gritty, violent bout feels like such a surreal spectacle. The sight of Cena in that current direction as the curated PG face of the promotion back in a dangerous match, or should I say fight with blood after receiving shoot offense and getting mauled throughout but still getting his moments to reestablish and regain his pride that in storyline he'd lost, made this incredible. So with that, the context of John having lost to The Rock at WM and going through a depression of sorts, doubting himself greatly enhances this match. The unsettling feeling emanating in the atmosphere is unreal as well. ****1/2"

[7.0] "I liked Lesnar's dominance but Cena's comeback was rushed and I couldn't believe Brock went down that easy."

[7.0] "They (WWE creative) tried to show us that Brock was the most violent, the most vicious, the strongest during the match. It's a dun brawl because rhe feeling of seeing Cena so domitaed is absurd. We witnessed a huge bath of blood, a massacre signed by Lesnar. So how is it possible that Cena won this? That made absolutely no sense, especialy because he didn't do anything at all. They didn't need to protect Lesnar like this, the only way to do the right decision was to make him win. Maybe I'm taking like this because I already knew what would've happen (after 13 years it's normal) but Cena's victory damaged my rating for the match. The positive thing is that Lesnar was a monster in this, he totally desctructed Cena and made him bleed in the PG Era when blood was almost forbidden, I guess it was a shock."

[9.0] "An incredible spectacle, as Brock Lesnar's return brings a palpable danger and gravity along with it. In truth, the heavy lifting is done immediately on that front, with Lesnar swiftly drawing blood via elbow. He's such a force of nature here that much to Chicago's chagrin, Cena reclaims a heroism that he hadn't earnestly sported in quite some time. The boos are often still there, but they're overwhelmed by a sense of shock, with this sporting a a rhythm and tone that feel distinctly un-WWE. It's a special piece of business, and even with all the great matches ahead of Lesnar, captures a magic that he'd never fully regain. Some of that is contextual, with Lesnar's time away providing considerable mystery. It's also just incredibly direct, unapologetic with its presentation of Lesnar as a very different level of threat. ****1/2"

[9.0] "This is one of the most brutal and gritty matches ever, it feels like they are truly having a fight. The ending is a bit weird with brock taking so long to get into the move. Still a great introduction for brock lesnar to new young fans like me in 2012"

[8.0] "The last time I saw him was actually in 2012. At that point, I had only been watching wrestling for a couple of months and had no idea who Brock Lesnar was. At that point, the match seemed too brutal. It's still one of the rare cases I rooted for and worried about John Cena - and he won, which even now seems like the right decision, because the loss prompted Brock to win the feud against HHH, and later - to become the world champion"

[7.0] "Brock cuts open Cena early and dominates. 50/50 crowd, Cena makes the big comeback at the very end to the delight of Cena's supporters and to the dismay of his detractors. Slow paced brawl, but very compelling, just a fun, solid match with a great crowd. Cena does a little promo at the end New Japan style"

[8.0] "The story they were telling was so good, but then the match ends after Lesnar is hit with the chain and AA'd. The match ended too soon, and the wrong person won."

[10.0] "Cena who was recovering from his lost against The Rock beating Lesnar in his first WWE match back in 8 years was certainly controversial, but this is still without question the best extreme rules match ever and it's just phenomenal."

[2.0] "What a disappointment. I expected this to be more stiff and more brutal than it actually is, but I guess I was getting my hopes up too high considering this era of this company. Most of the match sees Lesnar dominate and taunt Cena and Cena trying to fight back. Granted, I think Cena's comeback performance is pretty good but the whole Lesnar dominating thing kind of drags out at some points and not in a good way. The way the ending was executed was great but this is a pretty infamous booking decision and for good reason as Cena's win sort of came out of no where."

[4.0] "For the first time ever I am nowhere near the average rating... This match was brutal no doubt, but for some reason I just did't care... No idea why... I love Cena, and Brock is good at this brutal stuff, but it did nothing for me"

[9.0] "This was a brutal match. I loved how dominant they made Brock look in this match, basically toying with Cena and making him bleed heavily off the bat. Ill always love the spot when Brock launches himself over the ropes and takes out Cena. This is exactly how Brock should have been portrayed upon his return, a legit, ass kicking, brutal badass whose offense actually made this match somewhat uncomfortable at moments. I dont get why Cena won due to the worst year story they were doing, but the match was so good I dont even really care."

[7.0] "Not as much a match, this was a straight up fight between an obnoxious bully and the face of WWE. It's all character work here. You can really feel the brutality and sadism. Lesnar destroyed Cena, yet, ironically, Cena still won. Did that make sense? In the context of the match, it probably didn't. But it did serve as a shocker. The match itself is one huge display of domination and destruction. It was huge then. Today, it's an intense fight, a unique feat in itself, but doesn't hold the same wow factor. Still incredibly raw and gritty. Three stars and three quarters."

[8.0] "Match wise couldnt do much more to make it better it was awesome. Brock looked amazing and like a beast cena looked great for overcoming lesnar. But this is lesnar first match in years WHY does he loose if theyre trying to tell a story of cena going on an arc to get back to mania 29 and beat the rock. Why the heck is he beating lesnar here when this should only be his first hurdle that booking makes ZERO sense the match is awesome but the booking logic is pretty much zero. This match shouldve been the summerslam 2014 match concept and then since lesnar squashed cena here in 2012 when the meet again whenever it is thats when we can have this match they legit did it backwards. And thats why there was no story going back into mania 29 because cena was on NO downward arc at all. Also how many ref bumps can you do in one match LOL. 4 1/4 stars"

[8.0] "Quite different from a wrestling match or even an Extreme Rules Match. Brutally, the 2 superstars start to bleed. The first fall is done after 10 minutes during a ref bump, the second will be the final fall. John Cena sells Lesnar's punches very well, taking his time with each of his punches, which we often watch in replay. Lesnar has the advantage throughout and Cena manages to counter a few times. (4*1/4)"

[9.0] "A very brutal match with some great beatdown spots to make Lesnar look like an animal, sadly Cena wins lol. 8.5/10"

[9.0] "Fantastic match with a wrong winner. A pretty brutal match in any era but especially for 2012 Wwe. Brock comes into this match with the intention of beating cena up and brutalizing him which he does do its like 90% Brock with cena getting in very offense. Some insane spots from Brock he was on a whole other level here. Now the unfortunate part is that cena basically super cena hitting Brock with a chain to the head and hitting a AA on the steps for the 3. Great match with an unfortunate finish. 4.25/5"

[8.0] "This was not a wrestling match as much as it is a 15+ minute beatdown with a couple of hope spots thrown in. 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 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. Brock 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."

[10.0] "Tremendous match. This is probably the best Lesnar performance ever after the Bryan match and the Angle Ironman. Here he comes off different, truly like a soulless mma killer. And the beating he gives Cena is spectacular. John for his part also gives probably his second or third best performance ever here, he's always been at his best as a stingesque babyface fighting monsters and pulling through. The ending being so abrupt works, but i'd still would have liked for Lesnar to go down to something a bit more impactful than the AA on the steps. The match is still fantastic though."

[7.0] "Maybe if I was watching this for the first time in 2012, the pure shock-factor of Cena actually winning clean might have boosted this up one more star, but the match doesn't get that benefit. Lesnar's entire arsenal throughout this match was more than what we were used to seeing from him from 2014 to 2020, but it wasn't even close to what we were used to seeing in 2002 to 2004. The match was still slow but it made look like the scariest monster WWE had seen in a long time, so it the slowness worked in regards to that. Cena's skull getting cracked open right away was pretty brutal and the referees coming into the match for the first few minutes after Cena was cracked open actually added to the match rather than "ruining it" or "slowing it down". Michael Cole did a good job of explaining why a ref' bump in an Extreme Rules match was significant for this match and it was a unique reason. The referee getting hurt meant that the ref' couldn't stop the match for safety purposes like he was when he was conscious, we is something we hadn't really seen before. The 3rd ref' bump to the second ref', John Kone, was hilarious. Brock destroys Mr. Kone for making a 2-count after Kone was only replacing little naitch'. Brock took a massive tumble to the outside while trying to deliver a leaping forearm...it looked like his right knee was demolished from the crash, but he got up after a few seconds and celebrated his survival in the ring. The final chain-punch from Cena to Lesnar cracked Lesnar open a bit before the finish of the match, but that wouldn't be enough to save this match from the finish. The finish was poorly constructed by WWEs creative team. Of course, they were trying to make Brock look as scary as possible while still giving Cena a great win after a big loss to The Rock at WrestleMania. If they wanted both of those things to happen, WWE probably shouldn't have put these two together right away. This Extreme Rules match could've easily been against Triple H, Brock could've squashed him, and then he could've faced Cena at Summerslam instead of HHH. Instead, John Cena did the chain-punch, hit an FU onto the stairs, and then pinned Brock on the stairs for a 3-count, which shouldn't have been legal. It's absurd how often WWE abandons their own rules and creative to satisfy something in the heat of the moment, but it didn't look great. This was a Super Cena win when the Super Cena factor was slowly starting to phase out. Brock got his revenge two years later and Brock recovered greatly, but still, during this moment, it was an ugly finish. This match was much more about achieving certain things for the future than it was about blowing off a feud or putting on a 10-star classic, but still, there were things that could've been better. This match gets 7 stars for the brutality of the match, the Lesnar moments, the way Michael Cole drove the in-ring story on commentary, and the way the story was constructed in the ring from a story perspective. This match doesn't go higher than 7 for the ridiculousness of the finish, the wrong person winning, Cena suffering too much to overcome and still pinning former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Brock Lesnar, for a 3-count in his very first exposure to WWE PPVs since 2004, the lack of true false-finishes (no one thought there was a sliver of a chance that Lesnar was going to pin Cena after the ref' bump). It was brutal, told a cool and unique story in the ring, but your brain does back flips wondering how Cena ended up surviving, let alone being victorious."

[8.0] "There's so much about this that rules - the genuine big fight feel, one of Brock's best performances as an arrogant bullying sadist pushing the refs away, the immediate blood, Cena's well-timed bits of offence, getting hung by his feet with the chain, Brock's ridiculous jump off the steps over the ropes - that's all let down a bit by the goofy finish that people are still shitting on 11 years later. Not the result necessarily, but Cena getting annihilated to this extent and then winning with one short burst of offence was classic lazy 5 Moves of Doom tier stuff. It'd be a good finish with more behind it too, and I can see Brock getting arrogant and overshooting the leap being vindicating in itself whether that was intentional or not, but it still feels all too rushed and unearned. That doesn't mean the rest isn't pretty awesome though. (****1/4)"

[6.0] "I cannot deny the excitement and how raw the action is here. It felt like a real fight. However, the ending dragged out the fun quite a bit. Great action which leads to a really lackluster finish. The chain spot is not that good for me. I feel sorry for the performers since they gave everything with an underwhelming finish."

[9.0] "This was an amazing and brutal match. Brock destroys Cena here and busts him open pretty much immediately with some incredibly nasty elbows to the head. Anytime Cena tried to get any offence he would get cut off by Brock and it made Brock look like a monster. Brock losing was definitely dumb but this was still an awesome match. ****3/4"

[9.0] "Yes, the finish is a bit dumb. And yes, Brock Lesnar should've won. But still... this match rules! Brock immediately brings some legitimacy to WWE just like he said he would, and this definitely stood out around this time (when the WWE was at its most PG). Props to Cena for taking all that. Such a crazy match, with refs flying all over the place and Lesnar showing that he hadn't lost a step since 2004. The two things that brought me back into wrestling around this time were The Rock and Brock Lesnar's returns, and yep it's easy to see why. The 2nd Brock run begins in an explosive way."

[10.0] "They need to rename this match to Cena vs Lesnar: Murder Fest part 1. Cena gets messed up in this match and Brock Lesnar, no pun intended, looks like a beast in this match. Cena gets busted open early on and it actually increases the feeling of the match. His face is very bloody at the start and it's such a visceral image. Brock throws him around like a ragdoll and beats the ever loving crap out of him. The way Lesnar taunts Cena in this match reminds me of a way a lion would stalk or play with it's food before killing it. This wasn't a bad match for Lesnar considering the fact that it was his first one back from the UFC but you can definitely tell that he is not used to being in a WWE ring yet. Cena did not need to win this match and it didn't make sense for him to win because Lesnar was murdering this man before the whole Super Cena sch tick came into play. The use of blood was great and really added the feeling of Extreme to the match. As Micheal Cole says, this match is grueling and vicious. I never understood, and this is my issue with this match, why they knocked the ref out seeing as how it is an Extreme Rules Match and no DQ. It was a bit stupid. But other than that, this is definitely a match you wanna check out. 5/5"

[10.0] "The more and more I watch this match the better it gets.This was a brutal match that actually felt like a real fight. John Cena coming off his loss at wm28 to The Rock in their epic encounter would meet a returning Brock Lesnar fresh off his run in the UFC at Extreme Rules. The match starts off with Lesnar going after Cena and delivering some hard shots to the head which causes Cena to bleed, this would stop the action. Brock would then just continue to brutalize Cena, whenever Cena would ever get any sort of offense Lesnar would just get back on the offensive and begin his punishment on Cena again basically not allowing Cena to ever get in control of the match. At the end of the match Brock's cockiness would go on to cost him the match as Cena plants him with AA onto the steps for the 123. Brock probably should have won but who cares this was a special match.*****"