5 Worst Wrestling PPVs Of All Time

In this edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable, we list our 5 worst wrestling PPVs of all time.

David Gibb’s 5 Worst Wrestling PPVs

Victory Road 2011

I paid full price to watch someone I liked have their reputation get completely destroyed. Real weak.

WrestleMania 32

This Mania was about drawing and touting a crowd, not putting on the best possible show. A still-viable Undertaker was wasted on Shane McMahon, and we all had to watch 15:00 of Brock Lesnar working with Dean Ambrose as little as possible.

Hardcore Justice 2010

I appreciate peak ECW PPVs and super shows as much as the next guy, but trying to put one on five full years after the success of WWE’s original One Night Stand was an awful decision for TNA. Looking back, this was one of the “beginning of the end” moments for Dixie Carter’s group, as the best ECW talent really didn’t look like themselves and the crowd got Tony Mamaluke and CW Anderson putting in time.

Starrcade 95

“International All-Star Game” sounds like a great idea in a lot of wrestling fans’ heads, but maybe that’s where that idea belongs. In spite of all the great names and a ton of talent, this show is incredibly dull to watch – dare I say “unwatchable?” The best part is that they had to shoot a dark main event after the PPV to get the U.S. Title off Kensuke Sasaki…who didn’t do a job, but did a finish they could edit into looking like a job. What a mess!

Starrcade 94

Hulk Hogan vs. His Best Friend Who Isn’t Over. Mr. T (of ‘80s fame) in the mid-90s. Sting beats the big guy everybody beats because he needed to beat somebody big. What’s to like?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDA63gPAIpg

Steven Jackson’s 5 Worst Wrestling PPVs

December to Dismember

The relaunch of ECW was troubled from the start. But December to Dismember was truly the definitive moment when you saw what was going to come for the extreme brand. The PPV was a disaster from start to finish and there was literally nothing worth paying extra to see. The whole thing is just remembered for all the wrong reasons. Please don’t watch this!

Victory Road 2009

Before being rechristened Impact Wrestling and putting on great PPVs, TNA put on some of the worst PPVs in wrestling history. But none have ever been as bad as Victory Road 2009. It is almost an achievement to produce a PPV as terrible as this one and feature one of the worst excuses for a wrestling match ever to grace the hexagonal circle. Avoid it!

WrestleMania XXVII

WrestleMania is the biggest professional wrestling event in the world. Over 60,000 fans annually flock to stadiums to be part of history. It’s just a shame that in 2011 this sentiment seemed to get lost on WWE personnel. WrestleMania XXVII felt like an extended episode of Raw. It didn’t feel like the biggest show of the year and the matches were all average to poor. Just a real let down.

Armageddon 2006

Sometimes one-match shows can save PPVs. Other times they cannot. The opener for Armageddon 2006 was one of the most insane ladder matches I’d ever seen. But from there, everything went downhill. This again just felt like an extended episode of SmackDown, which is not what I want from a PPV. I want exciting moments and a reason to buy a PPV. Not the same old stuff I see every week on TV!

Heroes of Wrestling

There are times when things are so bad, they are just bad. Then there are times when things are so bad, they are actually good. Heroes of Wrestling was so bad it was actually good!? The show has become almost mythological as to how bad it is. Out of all the PPVs I’ve listed for this roundtable, I actually urge everyone to watch this show. See how long you last!

Neal Wagner’s 5 Worst Wrestling PPVs

WrestleMania XXVII

This show isn’t remembered for anything except the return of The Rock after sevenish years away. The main event of Cena and Miz wasn’t even a main event of Raw at the time and it ended with a double count out, restarted, and then Rock interfered to set up the following year’s Mania. It was also Edge’s last match, which wasn’t good, and the worst of the three Undertaker-HHH WrestleMania matches. 2011 was a horrible year for pro wrestling.

Bash At The Beach 1999

The main event was a TAG TEAM MATCH FOR THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP…WTF? To make matters worse, there was a stipulation that Sting could win the title if he pinned Nash (HIS PARTNER) in the match…WHAT? No, this was before Russo. This was also the night of the infamous Junkyard Battle Royal for the Hardcore Championship, where almost every wrestler involved in the match was either injured or had to receive stitches from all the sharp edges and metal everywhere.

Lockdown 2014

This was the last TNA pay-per-view I ever ordered. It was just after Sting and AJ left, and Magnus was the World Champion aligned with Dixie Carter, and the main events always required at least eight guys to interfere for no real reason. Magnus retained in a clunker of a match against Samoa Joe, in which Abyss interfered. Lethal Lockdown was won by American Wolves, MVP and Willow (Jeff Hardy’s alter-ego) that impressed nobody in attendance or watching at home.

New Blood Rising

Judy Bagwell on a Pole Match, a 6-man Cruiserweight Ladder Match for a gold record obtained by a boy band that made NSYNC actually sound in sync, a Rip Off Her Clothes in a Mud Pit Match (this was awesome actually), a Canadian Rules match where the rules changed every three minutes, a worked shoot by Russo and Goldberg (who back then shouldn’t have had a microphone or a 10-minute match) and a horrible main event that was a rematch from a great match month before. Anything else to say here?

WrestleMania 32

104,000 in attendance is just as believable as NXT beating AEW in the ratings. The Roman Reigns vs. HHH WWE Title match was the main event nobody wanted, they killed AJ Styles’ first WrestleMania by having him job to Jericho, and the all the best workers were injured. The Lesnar and Ambrose match underwhelmed as well, and blame can be put on multiple people, depending on which story you want to believe. Zach Ryder winning the IC Title was a shocker and Undertaker and Shane’s Hell In A Cell was great, but that’s the only thing to say good about this show.

Chad Gelfand’s 5 Worst Wrestling PPVs

December to Dismember

This was a disaster of a show and really killed off any hope that the new ECW would capture the feeling of the original ECW. A weak card and the wrong winner in the main event gets this show two thumbs down.

Battleground 2013

Outside of the spectacular Rhodes Family vs. The Shield match, the card was just ok for the most part, but the finish to the main event was so bad that it makes the show terrible. After a 25-minute match between Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton for the WWE Championship, Big Show came down to the ring and knocked both of them out, leading to a no contest to close the PPV. This was before the WWE Network…some people paid $60 to see that.

Heroes of Wrestling

When you devise a PPV consisting almost entirely of performers past their prime and, in some cases, performers in no condition to wrestle, you’re going to have a bad PPV. Jake Roberts was a sad sight and it’s great that he was eventually able to turn his life around.

Great American Bash 2004

This was when SmackDown was firmly entrenched as the B-show and this PPV showcased that. Luther Reigns, Kenzo Suzuki and Mordecai all had singles matches, and the main event was The Undertaker vs. The Dudley Boyz in a handicap match. Enough said.

Victory Road 2011

This event is obviously infamous for an intoxicated Jeff Hardy and a pissed off Sting in the main event, but did you know that this show also contained a First Blood match that ended with fake blood? A match between RVD and Mr. Anderson ended without a conclusive finish that was so bad, there were dueling chants of “Restart the match” and “No!”

John Corrigan’s 5 Worst Wrestling PPVs

TLC 2014

I learned from this roundtable that I actually haven’t seen many bad PPVs. I’ve managed to avoid all the usual suspects (aside from Heroes of Wrestling) either due to restraint or lack of funds. Anyway, I watched TLC 2014 in the newsroom of The Huntsville Times because I was working the rare weekend shift. Neither a chairs nor a stairs match was worth my time, and that’s on top of the wacky exploding TV finish in the main event.

Unforgiven 2003

Live from Hershey, PA, there’s no mistaking this giant turd for a Baby Ruth. Goldberg dethroning Triple H a month after losing in the Elimination Chamber is the definition of anti-climactic. Before that was Coach & Al Snow defeating Jerry Lawler and good, ol’ J.R. For almost 10 minutes, mind you. In addition, Shane McMahon and Kane had a snoozefest brawl for 20 minutes, which ended with your typical Shane O’Mac stunt. And Test fought Scott Steiner, who was well past his prime at this point.

Royal Rumble 2014

Before WWE crowds hijacking shows became trendy, Pittsburgh let the world know that Daniel Bryan got screwed and Batista wasn’t welcome at WrestleMania. I had the privilege of watching this on Bill Apter’s couch and his reaction to the Rumble was hilarious. (“Where are the stars?!”) Aside from an enraging main event, in which everybody was dying for Bryan to win, let alone enter the damn thing, John Cena faced Randy Orton for the 1,000th time and I can’t even remember who won. Does it even matter?

Royal Rumble 1999

This doesn’t age well. Vinnie Mac winning the Royal Rumble was a cute concept at the time, but after you’ve seen the swerve, the Rumble has no substance. Without Undertaker, The Rock or Mankind in the match, and Stone Cold out for the majority of it, the lack of stars and action in this thing make for a really boring watch. Speaking of Rock and Mankind, it’s damn near impossible to watch their I Quit match 20 years later, knowing what we now know about concussions and CTE.

Over The Edge 1999

As soon as the WWE Network came out, I watched this one. It was the first time I had ever seen it, and I had always wanted to out of sheer curiosity. Obviously, Owen Hart’s tragic death overshadows the entire card. Some might argue that hindsight is 20/20, but it’s unfathomable that the show went on after a performer’s death. This wasn’t the ‘60s when fans stabbed heels – this was 1999. People knew what was up and would have easily understood stopping the show.

Jack Goodwillie’s 5 Worst Wrestling PPVs

nWo Souled Out (1997)

“Hey, I got an ideal. We let the heel faction run the PPV! They can have their own refs, they can design the set, they can even put on a Miss nWo pageant!” Not only did this show suck, it will go down in infamy as “low brow” Death of WCW-type stuff. Sure, the nWo didn’t go over in “every” match, but supplying the referee for every match gives the entire card a certain fugaziness that just makes for unwatchable wrestling. The Miss nWo pageant didn’t help, which the Wikipedia article doesn’t even mention. It has a case as the worst segment in wrestling history, and Eric Bischoff actually had the gall to defend it on 83 Weeks!

Capitol Punishment (2011)

This show should have been great. I remember being so happy WWE was taking a break from gimmicked PPVs and being so happy to see R-Truth getting pushed into the main event to face John Cena. But I also remember being so underwhelmed by not only the main event, but also the Miz-Alex Riley grudge match. At this point, I was ready to see WWE make a new star, but when Riley got the platform here, I can recall thinking to myself, “man, this guy kind of sucks.” I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Money in the Bank/Summer of Punk immediately followed this show.

December to Dismember (2006)

There’s not much more I can add that hasn’t already been said about this pay-per-view, other than it was the product of the dysfunctional relationship between Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon at the time. ECW having its own pay-per-view wasn’t a bad idea on paper, but the execution was piss-poor from top to bottom. It showed those behind the scenes that maybe the world wasn’t quite ready for a third WWE brand just yet.

Victory Road (2011)

People will point to the train wreck main event between Jeff Hardy and Sting as the reason this was not only the worst show in TNA history, but also one of the worst wrestling PPVs. However, it’s key to remember how much the rest of the show sucked anyway (Knockouts Tag Team Championship, Mr. Anderson-RVD, etc.). If anything, the main event served as the exclamation point on a terrible night that marred the TNA brand for several years. To say it was a lackluster show would be too kind.

Hell in a Cell (2009-2019)

I want to take the time right here to rant about how despicably bad these Hell in the Cell shows have been in recent years. I’m a notable hater of gimmicked pay-per-views, but this match had a much higher standard when it was more of a rarity. Now, let’s look back on the last three years of HIAC main events. 2019 – need I say more? It didn’t matter what happened in the ring. The over-the-top way in which The Fiend character was presented caused the match to be universally panned by critics, fans and everybody in between like myself. I belly laughed at that finish.

2018? ANOTHER no contest in a match where “the only way to win is by pinfall or submission.” JK LOL. And not only that, Braun Strowman did not “push” or get his money (in the bank) back, so to speak. He lost the briefcase in a Hell in a Cell draw. 2017? Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon, falls count anywhere HIAC match. But wait! Aren’t all HIAC matches falls count anywhere? Couldn’t you pin your opponent atop the cell in SmackDown vs. Raw? Yes, and yes. Either way, a decent match ruined by outside interference (in a match designed to eliminate the possibility) and a heel turn from Sami Zayn that nobody really wanted.

This PPV sucks. Get rid of it. In fact, get rid of all gimmicked pay-per-views where the main event matches are ruined by toxic booking born out of having to book a gimmick match we see all too often. Better yet, tear the damn thing down and rebuild this company’s television from ground fucking zero. This FOX launch couldn’t come at a better time. If WWE wants to, it can rinse its hands of all tomfoolery and make substantial ratings gains by year’s end. If Vince McMahon wants to.

About Author

Staff

See author's posts