IWE Extreme Rules (2010)
From Iwe
| Extreme Rules (2010) | ||
 Promotional poster featuring Sheamus | ||
| Theme song(s) | "Time to Shine" by Saliva | |
| Imformation | ||
| Promotion | International Wrestling Entertainment | |
| Date | April 25, 2010 | |
| Attendance | 9,124 | |
| Venue | 1st Mariner Arena | |
| City | Baltimore, Maryland | |
| Pay-per-view chronology | ||
| WrestleMania XXVI | Extreme Rules (2010) | Over the Limit (2010) |
| Extreme Rules chronology | ||
| Extreme Rules (2009) | Extreme Rules (2010) | Extreme Rules (2011) |
Extreme Rules (2010) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by International Wrestling Entertainment (IWE), which took place on April 25, 2010 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the second event promoted under the Extreme Rules name. There were eight matches scheduled on the event's card, all of which featured an 'extreme' stipulation, with no regular singles matches on the card. The event received 182,000 pay-per-view buys, the same as the figure achieved by the 2009 Backlash event.
[edit] Background
- See also: Professional wrestling
Extreme Rules featured professional wrestling matches involving different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines which were played out on International Wrestling Entertainment's (IWE) television programs and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Wrestlers portrayed either a villainous or heroic character.
The main storyline from the Raw brand featured Dustin Simpson and |Batista feuding over the IWE Championship. The feud had begun several months previously and been a feature of several pay-per-views, including WrestleMania XXVI, where Simpson defeated Batista to win the championship. Following WrestleMania, on the April 5 episode of Raw, Batista attacked Simpson after a match, and it was announced that Batista would receive his rematch in a Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules.
World Heavyweight Champion Charlie Wilson from the SmackDown brand was scheduled to face Raw wrestler Kevin McAlmond. Wilson won the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania, earning a contract for a guaranteed championship match at the time and place of his choosing. He utilized the contract on the April 2 episode of SmackDown, defeating Khris Jericho to win the World Heavyweight Championship. After a number one contender's match between Jericho and Edge ended in a double countout, Raw guest host David Hasselhoff announced that Wilson would face McAlmond, who had beaten Wilson on two occasions, in an Extreme Rules match.
Khris Jericho and Edge also had a scheduled match on the card. Edge returned from injury at the Royal Rumble, winning the Royal Rumble match, and earning a match for a championship of his choosing at WrestleMania. Edge elected to wrestle the World Heavyweight Champion Jericho, but lost. On the following episode of SmackDown, Edge attacked Jericho, allowing Charlie Wilson to cash in his Money in the Bank contract and win the championship. After a number one contender's match between Jericho and Edge went to a double countout, it was announced that they would face each other in a steel cage match.
The secondary rivalry from the Raw brand heading into Extreme Rules was between Triple K and Sheamus. Sheamus felt that Triple K was responsible for him losing the IWE Championship at Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, and so challenged him at WrestleMania, but lost. As a result, the following night on Raw, Sheamus attacked Triple K with a lead pipe, and it was announced that the two would meet in a Street Fight at Extreme Rules.
CM Punk and Scott Wright had been feuding for several months prior to Extreme Rules, which included Punk tormenting Wright in front of his wife and children. They wrestled at WrestleMania, with Wright winning, and so avoiding being forced to join Punk's stable, The Straight Edge Society. When inducting members into The Straight Edge Society, Punk shaved their hair, while retaining long hair himself. As a result, Wright challenged him over it, and it was announced that the stipulation for their match at Extreme Rules was that if Punk lost, he would have his head shaved.
Also announced for the card was a match for the IWE Women's Championship between the champion, Amanda Johnson, and Chandra Denney. The feud began when Denney objected to SmackDown Consultant Lynn Lehr, aligned with Team Lehr-Son (Johnson and Victoria), and refused to grant Denney a title match. After earning her championship match, Denney was attacked on the April 23 episode of SmackDown by Team Lehr-Son, who hit her with an ironing board and drew on her with lipstic] to set up an Extreme Makeover match.
The final match on the card was between former tag team partners, Shad Gaspard and JTG. After Cryme Tyme lost a tag team match on the April 2 episode of SmackDown, Gaspard turned on JTG and attacked him, setting up a strap match between the two.
[edit] Reception
The event received mixed reviews from critics. In a mixed review, The Sun praised the quality of the matches but was disappointed in the lack of weapon use, stating that "the event failed to live up to its name". Overall they awarded the event a 6.5 out of 10.
In August 2010, IWE reported that the event had received 182,000 pay-per-view buys, down on what last year had.
