Top 10 Greatest Wrestling Pay-Per-View
Submitted by Jake N.
1) WrestleMania X-Seven (2001) – It has been praised as both the greatest WrestleMania and professional wrestling PPV ever by critics and fans alike. The event is famous for the first-ever Table, Ladders, and Chairs match contested between Edge and Christian, The Hardy Boyz, and The Dudley Boyz where all three teams delivered one of the greatest performances of their career. Another amazing performance match was the main event match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock where both men left everything they had in the ring that ended in a twist with Austin’s long-time nemesis, Mr. McMahon helping him win the match.
2) WrestleMania III (1987) – At the high of the 1980s professional wrestling boom, it would become the most successful wrestling PPV event as well as establishing WrestleMania as the Super Bowl of wrestling. What made WrestleMania III so successful was its massive headlining main event between two of the biggest box office draws at the time, Hulk Hogan and André the Giant. WrestleMania III is also best to remember for the incredible match between Ricky Steamboat and Randy Savage for WWF Intercontinental Championship, both men gave it everything they got and gave what many fans still call one of the greatest wrestling matches ever.
3) NXT TakeOver: New Orleans (2018) – It has been described as one of the greatest NXT PPV to date, with every match on the card delivering a main event caliber matches and had fans at the edge of their seats the entire time. One of the matches that would stand out at the event was the ladder match where 6 of NXT’s top
wrestlers would give it everything they had to become the inaugural NXT North American Champion. The match that stole the show at the event was the main
event, an unsanctioned match between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa which had everything from compelling storytelling to heart-pounding action to even a perfect end to what has been called the best tale ever told in wrestling history.
4) AEW Double or Nothing (2019) – The debut event for the new wrestling promotion, All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Double or Nothing would become one of the biggest PPV debuts in history as well as solidifying AEW status as the major competition to WWE. Wrestling journalists from all overpraised it as a landmark PPV that has everything from original storytelling to breathtaking in-ring action to even an emotional blood and sweat battle between brothers Cody and Dustin Rhodes. Another thing that made the event special was the surprise appearances throughout the show, the biggest one was Jon Moxley (formerly Dean Ambrose).
5) All In (2018) – What started as a challenge of if an independent wrestling show could sell 10,000 tickets, All In would become a historic night for professional wrestling as not only did the event sell more than 10,000, but also put on one of the greatest shows not own by WWE or WCW. It had everything for all types of
wrestling fans, with phenomenal matches that had both a sense of nostalgia and a fresh new look. Despite suffering some problems such as a few matches going a bit too long, it still received high praise from wrestling journalists and ring veterans alike.
6) WrestleMania XIX (2003) – Considered by many as one of the best WrestleMania of the modern era, it would receive critical praise from various wrestling journalists alike. One of the highlights of the night was Shawn Michaels WrestleMania returns facing Chris Jericho (who idolized Michaels) in an incredible match with Michaels coming out on top, afterwards both men embraced only for Jericho to attacks him. Another great highlight at the event was The Rock beating Steve Austin in what was Austin’s last match before retiring from in-ring action and the first time that The Rock won a match against Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania.
7) NXT TakeOver: Respect (2015) – A revolutionary night for WWE, as it would be the first time in the history of the company that the main event match of a big WWE special was a women’s wrestling match. Ever since WWE made NXT its new developmental territory, they’ve received worldwide praise for giving their female wrestlers more chances on television than those on the main roster which would lead to NXT becoming a brand in its own right as well as change how the women were shown in WWE, giving them more opportunities and focusing more on their athleticism. The women revolution in NXT would come to the full circle at NXT TakeOver: Respect where not only were the women were the main event, but it was also going to be contested in the first-ever 30-minute iron women match.
8) Money in the Bank (2011) – The 2011 Money in the Bank pay-per-view event received numerous positive reviews with most of the praise going to the main event
match between John Cena and CM Punk for the WWE Championship. It had everything that the main event should have, from edge-of-the-seat athleticism to incredible storytelling (thanks to CM Punk’s epic pipe bomb promo), with the conclusion of the match being CM Punk winning the title in his hometown of Chicago.
9) Bash at the Beach (1996) – One of the most memorable moments in professional wrestling history would happen at the Bash at the Beach (1996) event, where Hulk
Hogan turned heel for the first time in his career and the debut of the New World Order stable. Hogan would come out during the main event match of Lex Luger, Randy Savage, and Sting against The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) and a mystery partner, and attacked Savage (revealing himself to be the mystery partner
in the process) before going on to state that he was tired of kissing up to fans and that “the new world order of professional wrestling” was taking over. The NWO would go on to play an important part in pro wrestling history, they would lead to more mature content in mainstream wrestling and WCW beating WWE in ratings.
10) Royal Rumble (1992) – It was a big night for WWE as it was the first time that there was a prize being contended for in a royal rumble match, the prize in this case was
the vacated WWF Championship. Because of the success of that match, the royal rumble match would start to receive more significants as every royal rumble winner going forward would receive a world championship match at WrestleMania. This event is also famous for one of the greatest performances in Ric Flair’s career, entering #3 into the match, he would endure an hour in the match to win the championship and prove why he was one of the best wrestlers in history.
