Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

WWE: Extreme Rules 2011 Blu-ray Movie Review

Where the rules can be more extreme than the actual wrestling.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 23, 2015

One must pardon the WWE for branding "Extreme Rules" as such when it's not particularly "extreme" in the truest sense of the word, and in the truest sense of the word in the professional wrestling universe at that. Sure, it allows the wrestlers some added wiggle room to do some things normally reserved for select matches or engage in the kind of antics that would get them immediately disqualified in a garden-variety clash. Throw down a cage, toss around some chairs, climb a ladder, or brawl backstage. That's all well and good. But long gone are the days of truly hardcore wrestling, the sort of blood-and-guts of the Attitude Era and the raucous shenanigans of ECW. But even if it's not as "extreme" as fans would like, the event at least makes for a welcome reprieve from the standard issue WWE match. A little more punishment and a few more opportunities for insanity help give the universe an edge it desperately needs more than once per year, but in this PG climate, WWE fans will have to settle for what they can get. At least it's not Monday Night RAW, Thursday Night SmackDown, and Sunday evening Tea and Crumpets. At least not yet, anyway.

He hears voices in his head. They council him, they understand, they talk to him.

2011's Extreme Rules, the third in the series (previously named the more "suggestive" One Night Stand), will likely not be remembered for any of its particulars as much as it will be remembered as the Pay-Per-View after Edge's sudden, and emotional, announcement of medically forced retirement from professional wrestling only weeks earlier, leaving his defense of his World Heavyweight Championship belt in the hands of longtime in- and out-of-ring friend, Christian. The event featured a deep roster and saw several titles up for grabs with a handful of ongoing feuds that would be dealt with in the ring mixed in, one of which involved three of the WWE's most prominent members of the announce team in Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Jim Ross moving a few feet center into the ring for a unique contest. Despite some comic relief -- maybe a little too much -- 2011's Extreme Rules proves an action-packed event with several spectacular matches and very little that could be considered filler beyond that announcer (plus Swagger) match. Though not quite so extreme as it should be, there's still plenty of nontraditional shenanigans in play, including a tables match, a ladder match, a lumberjack match, a falls count anywhere match, and of course a classic steel cage confrontation featuring a trio of Superstars in John Cena, The Miz, and the since-departed John Morrison.

It's always a little disconcerting to go back and watch, never mind review, something like Extreme Rules 2011 several years after the fact, when the story lines have all but evaporated, titles have changed hands many times since (or been scrapped altogether), new faces have arrived on the scene, and old ones have long since faded away. What looked like a packed-to-the-gills event then is sort of ho-hum now on paper, but the fun in going back into the archives comes in rediscovering that magic of the moment, trying to recapture those thrills of anticipation, and reliving the surprises the various matches, be they for a title or not, had in store when the event was still fresh in the minds and central to the running stories that dotted the WWE universe. But there's been quite a bit of change since 2011. The World Heavyweight Championship has been folded into the WWE Championship. Cody Rhodes has been rebranded as "Stardust." Michelle McCool is out of wrestling. CM Punk exited the WWE in a messy divorce. Albert Del Rio was fired from the company. Rey Mysterio, Ezekiel Jackson, and John Morrison have moved on to Lucha Underground (as has Del Rio). Christian is reportedly "retired" from in-ring activity. But despite the different landscape, there's still plenty of fun to be had in going back in the time machine if for no other reason than to watch some great wrestlers do their thing in a PPV that allowed them take the gloves off and go harder than they normally go on any given Monday, Thursday (though really Tuesday), or Sunday.

The Following matches comprise Extreme Rules 2011:

• Last Man Standing Match: Randy Orton vs. CM Punk.
• Tables Match for the United States Championship: Sheamus vs. Kofi Kingston.
• Country Whipping Match: Jerry "The King" Lawler & Jim Ross vs. Michael Cole & Jack Swagger.
• Falls Count Anywhere Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes.
• Loser Leaves WWE Match: Layla vs. Michelle McCool.
• Ladder Match for the Vacant World Heavyweight Championship: Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio.
• Lumberjack Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship: Big Show & Kane vs. Wade Barrett & Ezekiel Jackson.
• Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship: The Miz vs. John Cena vs. John Morrison.

WWE: Extreme Rules 2011 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Extreme Rules 2011 features a fairly typical transfer for some of the earlier WWE Home Video Blu-ray releases. The 1080i, 1.78:1-framed image looks nice enough on the surface, revealing plenty of quality intimate details, such as wrestler sweat and skin, tattoos, and costumes with commendable definition. Likewise, the mat and rope textures, digital and handmade crowd signs, and basic crowd definition, particularly close to the ring and some rows back, are all strongly defined. Colors are rich and pleasing, again with the red ropes, signs, and wrestler attire being most prominent. Unfortunately, the image is shaky below the surface. Mild, moderate, and severe compression issues appear with regularity, particularly across some of the darker backdrops through the arena. Additionally, there's a steady haze that hovers and dismisses some of the finer points of clarity and color. Overall, however, this is a decent enough effort from WWE Home Video.

WWE: Extreme Rules 2011 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Extreme Rules 2011 crashes onto Blu-ray with a boisterous but not quite precise Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. It's at least energetic, spilling wrestler intro music into the stage with plenty of vitality and energy to spare, sometimes at the expense of raw clarity. Overlaid music is likewise strong but a little on the sharp side, favoring power over subtlety but not to bad effect. Crashes into the mat from the top rope or as the result of some slam hit hard -- harder than normal, seemingly almost amped-up -- while other details like the match bell and various other sounds from the action offer a little more balance. General in-ring dialogue is clear and precise, while play-by-play and color commentary are accurately presented. It's hardly a spectacular listen, but it's a fun, energetic ride that suits the "extreme" nature of the matches well. A Spanish language commentary track, presented in uncompressed 2.0, is also available.

WWE: Extreme Rules 2011 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Extreme Rules 2011 contains a few interviews and moments from the time around Extreme Rules (spoilers for one of the matches follows).

Home Video Exclusive:

• Interview with the New World Heavyweight Champion (1080i, 1:03): Christian discusses his win. Extreme Rules -- May 1, 2011.

Blu-ray Exclusives (1080i, 1:04:37 total runtime):

• Edge's Retirement Announcement: Edge says it's time to hang 'em up. SmackDown -- April 15, 2011.
• John Cena's Draft Night: John Cena's draft night journey. Monday Night RAW -- April 25, 2011.
• The Rock's Birthday Celebration: The Rock has a spat with Michael Cole. Monday Night RAW -- May 2, 2011.

WWE: Extreme Rules 2011 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Extreme Rules 2011 probably won't be remembered as an era-defining PPV outside of the real-life drama involving Edge, but it's a rock-solid program that's effortlessly re-watchable, both for the raw entertainment value of the wrestling and, for fans whose memories go back a few years, for remembering some of the old feuds that were at the center of the event. Packed with great superstars and several memorable moments, this is a PPV that wrestling fans definitely need to add to their ever-growing collection. WWE Home Video's Blu-ray release of Extreme Rules 2011 delivers serviceable video and entertainingly aggressive audio. Recommended.