After the CM Punk pipebomb of 2011, 2012 started to see a transition to a more workrate focused era. There was still a ways to go, but this was definitely a move in the right direction.
Stars like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan were given more of a chance to shine and The Shield was introduced late in the year.
These were highlights sprinkled amongst a number of other great matches from more of WWE’s veterans and up-and-coming stars in 2012 as they all did battle on pay-per-view.
There were many candidates for this list but these are the eleven best WWE pay-per-view matches of 2012.
11. CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho – WrestleMania XXVIII
The WrestleMania XXVIII match between CM Punk and Chris Jericho was built on the back of who was the Best in the World.
While this match may not have been the all-time legendary classic some were hoping for, it was still a very fun battle.
By the time we got to the match, the focus had shifted to Punk’s straightedge lifestyle and his family’s history with drugs and alcohol. This felt a little out of place and only played into the beginning of the match with Jericho taunting Punk and trying to get him disqualified.
It may have hurt the flow of the match as they had to stop and have Punk contemplate getting DQed but once they got past that it was smooth sailing.
10. Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena – TLC
This was viewed as a breakthrough performance for Dolph Ziggler at the time. Defeating John Cena in the main event of a pay-per-view in 2012 was a big step forward for the man who was on his way up to the main event scene.
Well, we thought he was. A terrible run as World Heavyweight Champion derailed that train but for the night itself, this match was a big moment.
The finish saw the insane AJ Lee turn on John Cena and push him off a ladder, allowing Ziggler to retrieve his Money in the Bank contract. A good match with a wacky finish indeed.
9. John Cena vs. The Rock – WrestleMania XXVIII
WWE will probably try to tell you that this match was better than it was but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t great.
The falsely advertised “Once in a Lifetime” meeting between John Cena and The Rock at WrestleMania had a similar feel to the Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock match from a decade earlier. However, the match never quite reached the former’s legendary status.
A good match that probably went a bit too long, most issues with it faded away with the correct finish of The Rock beating Cena with a Rock Bottom clean in the middle of the ring.
A Once in a Lifetime match this was not, but a monumental main event of WrestleMania at the time nonetheless.
8. World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank Match
The World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank ladder match in 2012 had an… interesting lineup we’ll say.
It included clear-cut favorites like Dolph Ziggler and Cody Rhodes. Makes sense. The veteran presence of Christian. Right, I’m with you. An underpushed underdog in Tyson Kidd. Hell yeah, we’re rolling. And also Santino Marello, Damien Sandow, and Lord Tensai. Okay, you lost me.
The match was a bit sloppy but sometimes that can help make a match like this feel more chaotic. There were great moments like Kidd sunset-flip powerbombing Ziggler off a ladder and Tensai throwing Ziggler over his head onto an announcer’s chair.
All good story made that much better by Ziggler getting his long-awaited win. If only his title reign was this good.
7. CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan – Money in the Bank
This is a match that got by on the talent of the wrestlers in the ring despite a distracting story.
It is rather funny that WWE couldn’t think of a way to make CM Punk and Daniel Bryan interesting despite them being the two best workers in WWE at the time. Rather than focus on their immense history or who was the best in the world, they were in a weird love triangle with AJ Lee.
At one point it was even a love-square with Kane also in the mix. Nah, a square is lame. A love diamond? A love rhombus perhaps?
AJ Lee was the guest referee for this match and mostly just got in the way of the pacing. She never made a great impact on the match, doing things like throwing a stick in between both men and smiling as they beat each other up.
The work was good enough that the distractions didn’t matter much but c’mon y’all it’s Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. You don’t need wackiness for them to tell a great story.
6. Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan – Extreme Rules
One month after Sheamus infamously beat Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds at WrestleMania XXVIII, they proved why they should have been given as much time as necessary.
At Extreme Rules, they had a Best of Three Falls match and did a fantastic job of working the match to highlight the stipulation. Often in WWE, the formula for this match is to do a quick heel segment ending with a pin, then a comeback ending with a pin, then the finish with the third fall.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s usually a basic match with two extra falls. This match was different. Bryan sacrificed the first fall, getting himself disqualified but damaging Sheamus’ arm. He then quickly applied the Yes Lock to score the second fall with Sheamus now hurt.
The third fall was Sheamus’ comeback, battling through the pain to eventually hit a Brogue Kick and win. A tremendous match that could only happen in a stipulation of this nature.
5. CM Punk vs. John Cena – Night of Champions
Many people talk about CM Punk and John Cena’s matches on Raw and at Money in the Bank 2011, but few bring up this great match from Night of Champions 2012.
Punk was approaching one year as WWE Champion and Cena was his biggest threat to date. With a title match with The Rock looming months ahead, these were the two most logical opponents for ol’ Dwayne.
Punk and Cena capture much of the same magic they had at Money in the Bank, having an excellent battle in Boston.
The finish was a wonderful Dusty finish as well as Cena hit a German Superplex and pinned CM Punk. The crowd was shocked until the referee informed Cena that his shoulders were down as well and the match had been ruled a draw.
A tremendous match with a creative finish allowing the rivalry to go on and CM Punk fans to stay happy.
4. The Shield vs. Team Hell No & Ryback – TLC
The Shield finally arrived in WWE at Survivor Series 2012 and made an immediate impact. The group was different from anyone else in WWE and were protected like no one else as well.
In their debut match at TLC, they wrestled Team Hell No and Ryback in a TLC match. Well, sort of. It has always been weird calling these matches TLC matches when they end by pinfall or submission but whatever.
Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns all had their own distinct styles and worked better as a unit than any faction before them. There was always a two-on-one assault happening with The Shield managing to outnumber their opponent at every turn.
This was a tremendous way to introduce three men who would define WWE for the rest of the 2010s.
3. CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan – Over The Limit
When I said CM Punk and Daniel Bryan didn’t need wackiness to tell a great story, look at this match as an example.
One of the rare times a classic match took place at Over The Limit, Bryan and Punk put on a match that was still fresh to the WWE audience. They just wrestled. And when you are two of the best wrestlers in the world, odds are you can make it great.
Bryan and Punk were both very popular at the time and a WWE Championship match with fairly little build still became a fantastic match through their work.
It has been nine years and I am still not over John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis main eventing this pay-per-view over this match.
2. The Undertaker vs. Triple H – WrestleMania XXVIII
The story that spanned four WrestleManias came to a head at WrestleMania XXVIII. Triple H and The Undertaker had a match that rivaled the greatness of any of the matches they had previously and both the matches Shawn Michaels had as well.
The Hell in a Cell match they had was one of the most dramatic matches in WrestleMania history and think of the ground that covers.
While this was certainly not the End of an Era it was advertised as (I’m sensing a trend with WrestleMania XXVIII), it did mark the end of this rivalry.
DX’s Superkick into the Pedigree spot was one of the best nearfalls in WrestleMania history and the finish allowed The Undertaker to stand tall at WrestleMania for the first time in three years.
An incredible match, but there was only one better in 2012…
1. Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena – Extreme Rules
Brock Lesnar’s return match to WWE was one of the most unique and frightening matches in company history.
The level of violence and danger here was completely new to this audience who was deep into the PG era by this point. At any moment it felt like Lesnar might just leave Cena for dead.
Completely different from the WWE main event formula, this match would have been one of the greatest matches in WWE history had they not tripped at the finish line with such a terrible finish.
Brock Lesnar losing his first match back in WWE after being UFC Heavyweight Champion will always be one of the most boneheaded booking mistakes in WWE history and once again think of the ground that covers.
Despite all of that, this still manages to be the best match of the year in 2012. The violence and destruction made the match believable and truly special. Brock Lesnar is the man.
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