Ranking the 5 most common gimmick match types in WWE Extreme Rules history
Every year, WWE holds the Extreme Rules pay-per-view. It has become an annual tradition to dedicate one night to a whole host of varied match stipulations. Most of the matches, or all in a few cases, are contested under different match types. This is the one night every year in WWE where "Rules mean nothing". Therefore, they incorporate as many gimmick matches as they can to make it as extreme as ever. It helps to enhance feuds, or even end them. Extreme Rules has been a staple for almost a decade now.
Initially serving as the post-WrestleMania pay-per-view event, Extreme Rules used to end feuds with hardcore rematches from 'Mania. It served as a good purpose, but it then shifted to May, then June, and then July. But the one thing that remains is that every Extreme Rules event is sure to have a few match types, depending on the circumstances of the rivalries going on at the time. We have seen a ton of different stipulations across the nine Extreme Rules pay-per-views WWE has produced so far, some being more extreme than others.
There are a few match types which are basically the same thing under a different name. The likes of Street Fight, No Holds Barred, No Disqualification, Hardcore and Extreme Rules matches are basically the same thing. But for the purpose of this list, each of them will be classed as separate based on their name. Other match types are also similar in nature but, again, classed under different names. Anyway, here are the five most frequent gimmick match types in the history of the Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
#5 Submission Match (3 times)
Submission matches are not exactly common in WWE, but they do bust it out when in need of a stipulation. This match is not flexible because some wrestlers may not have any submission holds in their movesets. The rules are a bit confusing, as there were countouts during the said match between Neville and Austin Aries for the Cruiserweight Championship last year. These inconsistencies make Submission Matches feel a lot less extreme.
The first Submission Match at Extreme Rules was in 2009 between John Cena and The Big Show, probably the most predictable match ever. Charlotte Flair defended her WWE Women's Championship at the 2016 edition against Natalya in the same match. This was the one where Dana Brooke interfered as Ric Flair. WWE's booking of such matches has not been the best. However, there is a more extreme variation of this match.
There has been one 'I Quit' Match in Extreme Rules history. It came in 2013, as Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger faced off to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. An 'I Quit' Match is basically an extreme Submission Match where one has to say the words "I Quit" instead of just tapping out. It is not limited to submission holds, as seen in various different matches of this kind over the years. However, it would not come under the bracket of Submission Matches.