Ranking the 7 greatest PPVs in WWE history - WrestleMania X-Seven included (2024)

WWE has produced some fantastic PPV shows through the years, but there are a number of them that stand head and shoulders above the rest. With icons like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Triple H and The Undertaker, it’s no wonder that a lot of the best of the best come from the Attitude Era onwards. However, there are a couple of shows from the 'Golden Era' of WWE/WWF in the 80s and the mid-to-late 2000s that make it onto the list, with a tribute show to ECW also getting some love in the higher end of the ranking.

Here, we’ll be going through the best seven PPV events in WWE history, taking into account the show’s historical significance as well as the quality of the matches on the card and the entertainment value overall when deciding where each show ranks, and there will also be a heavy dose of nostalgia involved in the decision-making process.

Ranking Factors

• Quality of the shows: First and foremost is the actual quality of the shows themselves, so how good the matches and angles are on the PPV events on the night.
• Historical Significance: Historical significance is also important, as although some B and C-level shows can be excellent in-ring, they may not affect the ongoing product.

5 WrestleMania VIII

April 1992

WrestleMania 8 is remembered mainly for two blowaway matches on the card, with those being Randy Savage vs Ric Flair for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship and Bret Hart vs Roddy Piper for the Intercontinental Championship. Whilst there are other moments from the show that are fun, it is these two matches that manage to put this show into the top 7 greatest WWE PPVs of all time.

Ric Flair vs Randy Savage was for the WWF Championship, but the main crux of the storyline was based around Miss Elizabeth and the ‘Nature Boy’ claiming that she was his partner before meeting Macho Man. The personal nature of the feud and the two talents in the ring produced one of the greatest matches of the company’s Golden Era.

Hart vs Piper is also regarded as one of the ‘Rowdy’ one’s best contests during his WWF tenure, with Hart managing to get the win via a unique reversal from the corner and starting his trajectory towards the top of the card.

The Rumble match itself isn’t the greatest, but it was the rest of the card that produced some magic, with the streetfight between Triple H and Cactus Jack, the debut of Tazz against Kurt Angle and the Tag Team Tables match between The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz being the highlights.

Triple H vs Cactus Jack was the high point of the night, with both men leaving everything in the ring, ringside area and entranceway (including thumbtacks) and HHH being established as a top tier player.

4 SummerSlam 2002

August 2002

SummerSlam 2002 was seen as a changing of the guard at the main event level, it was also a very strong card, with the opening and second to final matches being two of the best of the calendar year.

Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle would open the show and in 9:25 seconds have a non-stop flashbang of a match that would be Mysterio’s first WWE PPV contest of his illustrious career.

Shawn Michaels vs Triple H in an Unsanctioned Match was HBK’s return to the ring after damaging his back in 1998 in a match against The Undertaker, and Michaels did not look like he had lost even a step. The contest was the match of the night and brought one of the greatest to ever step foot in a WWE ring back into the fold to have an even greater second run in the company.

3 Backlash 2000

April 2000

After an underwhelming WrestleMania 2000 event, Backlash would be the match that the ‘Showcase of the Immortals’ should’ve been. The main event featured The Rock challenging Triple H for the WWF Championship, with the promise of Stone Cold Steve Austin set to be in the corner of ‘The Great One’ Rock, and it turned out to be one of the better main events of the year and the Attitude Era overall.

Elsewhere on the card there were great matches too, with the underrated Light Heavyweight Title match between Dean Malenko and Scotty 2 Hotty, Intercontinental Championship match between Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit and bizarre Showster (The Big Show) vs Kurt Angle comedy squash match being the highlights.

March 2003

WrestleMania 19 is considered by many to be the greatest ‘Mania PPV show of all time, and for good reason. The final stretch of five matches is one of the most consistently great in WWE history (even with the baffling decision to have Triple H beat Booker T) and would cement Brock Lesnar as the face of the company going forward, even with his botched Shooting Star Press from the top rope being the lasting memory of that match for many.

Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho was another highlight of the event, with both men producing an instant classic, while The Rock vs Steve Austin 3 would be the Rattlesnake’s final WrestleMania match for quite some time.

2 ECW One Night Stand

June 2005

Although this is technically an ECW show, it was produced and created under the WWE banner, so it absolutely counts. Paul Heyman would bring his Extreme brand of pro wrestling back for a one-off show that then turned into a full weekly show a week later, and this tribute to THE independent promotion of the 90s was on point.

Lance Storm vs Chris Jericho was a very solid opener for the show, and the card would remain decent throughout the night with the ECW faithful in the Hammerstein Ballroom taking the show to that extra level.

The highlight of the entire event was the sensational contest between Mike Awesome and Masato Tanaka, which even coming in at just under 10 minutes is one of the most hard-hitting and brutal you will ever see on a WWE-produced show.

1 WrestleMania X-Seven

April 2001

WrestleMania X-Seven/17 is the pinnacle of WrestleMania shows, even with one of the most outrageous and polarising endings in history when Steve Austin aligned with Vince McMahon to essentially end the Attitude Era.

There are a number of fantastic matches on this card from 2001 with a lot of variety on show. From Raven defending his Hardcore title in a really fun match against Kane and The Big Show to the TLC match for the Tag Team titles (one of the best matches ever), there really is something here for everyone.

Even the match between Shane and Vince McMahon is a highlight, with the moment that a previously ‘paralysed’ Linda McMahon standing from her wheelchair and kicking Vince between the legs getting one of the biggest reactions of the entire night.

With eight matches on this show that can be considered good to great, it has to be considered the best PPV event in WWE history.