WWE One Night Stand was a professional wrestling event produced annually in June by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a Connecticut–based promotion; it was broadcast live and and available only through pay-per-view (PPV). The event's name refers to its original format, that being a one night reunion show for former Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) alumni. The event was first announced in 2005, just as WWE released The Rise and Fall of ECW documentary–DVD, although Paul Heyman, Rob Van Dam, and Tommy Dreamer all assisted in having the concept approved by the WWE board. For the first two shows, the event remained strictly to the reunion format and was promoted under the ECW acronym; however, after WWE launched their own version of ECW (from 2006 until 2010) as a Brand Extension to Raw and SmackDown, the 2007 event and onwards was promoted under the WWE acronym and added it to the regular lineup of annual WWE pay-per-view events. In 2009, WWE replaced the "One Night Stand" name with "Extreme Rules"; however, the new name was adopted as a new event that would not continue the history of One Night Stand, although it would retain its concept of hardcore type matches only.
The reunion shows featured hardcore wrestling bouts, known as "Extreme Rules" matches, which was how every match in ECW was originally contested in. After 2007, WWE kept this concept, adopted the "Extreme Rules" moniker for hardcore bouts, and promoted the event as the only night when WWE featured only Extreme Rules matches on the card. Every match, distinct from one another, followed these regulations. The reunion shows featured mainly ECW alumni fighting in matches, but also featured storylines and bouts that involved anti–ECW wrestlers from the WWE roster. For the last two years of the event's production, the event featured all three WWE brands in matches that involved wrestlers from the brand they were assigned to work on; rarely would interpromotional matches be held. The undercard consisted of various matches that developed or ended rivalries or were for lower-tier championships; the main card was similar to the undercard except that these matches received more promotion on television and were contested for top-tier championships. In its four events, all were held in an indoor arena in the United States.