Many WWE PPV events have been a true success and have gone down in history as masterpieces. The formula for success is mostly based on extraordinary matches, mind-blowing spots, and unforgettable moments. In addition, the booking decisions must be good enough to satisfy the demanding fans.
In this sense, Cagematch.net users rate PPV events on a scale of zero to 10. Some PPVs have been so excellent that they have average ratings above nine points, which is incredible considering the hundreds of people who vote. These have gone down in history as the greatest shows ever put together by the biggest wrestling company in the world.
UPDATE: 2023/09/10 07:30 EST BY ANDREW KELLY
The ratings on cagematch.net are like WWE match cards – they’re always subject to change. With new fans going back to rewatch older content and with old hats joining the list of reviewers on cagematch, it leads to ratings for matches and events to change quite often, and that means that the list of all time greatest WWE PPVs can chop, change, and jump up and down. Due to this, it only makes sense to not only rectify the ratings here, but to take a look at some more of the best PPV events WWE have ever put forth, with some more finding their way onto the list.
30 WrestleMania 20 – 8.17
WrestleMania 20 was a joyous occasion for WWE fans, with two fan favorites standing tall as the WWE and World Heavyweight Champions in a pair of absolute show-stealers.
The setting of Madison Square Garden for WrestleMania once again felt special given that the first and tenth editions had taken place there too. Big stars were in the house like the returning Rock, in addition to the return of The Deadman gimmick as Undertaker fought Kane. It wasn’t all perfect, with the infamous Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg debacle, but overall it was a special night.
29 Royal Rumble 2000 – 8.18
A fairly weak and predictable Royal Rumble match was propped up by a strong undercard here. Triple H and Cactus Jack fought in a legendary Street Fight, in addition to other notable matches on the card like Tazz vs. Kurt Angle and The Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz in a Tables Match.
If this show was finished off with a better Rumble, then it would no doubt be higher on this list, but with a lack of star power and a botched finish, this event doesn’t live on as fondly as some others.
28 Fully Loaded 2000 – 8.22
This was a very solid PPV from start to finish, featuring a whole host of Attitude Era stars. The Rock won a strong main event, and other matches such as The Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle brought some big star power.
The match of the night was the brutal Last Man Standing bout between Chris Jericho and Triple H, which proved to be a great addition to their feud.
27 Vengeance 2003 – 8.23
The high rating of this show is fairly surprising given some of the disastrous things on the show. Vince McMahon vs. Zach Gowen lasted too long, Stephanie McMahon vs. Sable was abysmal, and the APA Invitational Bar Room Brawl was a miss for many.
That being said, there were some good matches to balance things out, with an electric opener, a great tag title match between the World’s Greatest Tag Team and Rey Mysterio & Billy Kidman, and a strong main event clash between Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, and Big Show. It also featured a high-profile match between a young, heel John Cena and The Undertaker in his “Biker” persona.
26 Judgment Day 2000 – 8.26
This is another show which has a questionably high rating, because outside of the Iron Man match between Triple H and The Rock, this didn’t have anything that truly wowed.
Sure, the Intercontinental and European Title matches were decent, but all involved had better matches in the past. The main event between two legendary rivals really does prop this one up a great deal.
25 No Way Out 2009 – 8.27
No Way Out 2009 was an exciting night with a lot of twists and turns. Edge losing his WWE Title in mere minutes at the start of the show was shocking, and seeing him forcibly enter his second Elimination Chamber match later in the night to win the World Heavyweight Title made for a wonderful storyline thread throughout the show.
The non-chamber matches also delivered, with an intense showdown between Shawn Michaels and JBL, and a fun brawl between Randy Orton and Shane McMahon.
24 Clash At The Castle 2022 – 8.28
WWE’s first UK PPV for around two decades fired on all cylinders. A hot crowd and a big stadium added to the occasion, and it elevated an all-time classic Intercontinental Championship match between Gunther and Sheamus to being one of the best in history.
The main event between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre was a spectacle too, though the result left many people dejected. The rest of the card was of a good quality – Seth Rollins vs. Matt Riddle was great, and Dominik Mysterio’s heel turn was well done.
23 One Night Stand 2008 – 8.29
Although One Night Stand was no longer an ECW PPV in 2008, WWE did try to stay true to the legacy of this event by having a stipulation attached to every match. This led to fun encounters like Jeff Hardy vs Umaga in a Falls Count Anywhere match, Batista vs Shawn Michaels in Stretcher match, and John Cena vs JBL in a First Blood match.
What really set this show apart was a terrific main event. Undertaker and Edge told another chapter of their storied rivalry with this fantastic TLC match which had The Undertaker’s WWE contract on the line, in addition to the World Heavyweight Championship.
22 Armageddon 2008 – 8.34
From top to bottom, this was a well put-together show from WWE, and it was completed by one of the best WWE Championships wins of all time as Jeff Hardy defeated both Edge and Triple H in an electric main event.
Elsewhere, Rey Mysterio and CM Punk had a clinic, John Cena vs Chris Jericho was a strong World Championship match, and Randy Orton took on Batista in a well-worked encounter.
21 WrestleMania 31 – 8.35
WrestleMania 31 is one of the best WrestleManias that WWE staged in 2015. Emanating from Levi’s Stadium there were tons of memorable WrestleMania moments. Daniel Bryan produced another feel-good moment by kicking off WrestleMania by winning the Intercontinental Championship for the first time in a seven-man ladder match after suffering a potential career-ending injury.
Randy Orton defeated Seth Rollins in a competitive match topped off with a remarkable RKO. John Cena captured the United States Championship from Rusev, and The Undertaker bounced back from losing the streak a year prior to beating Bray Wyatt. Ultimately, Seth Rollins’ epic Money in the Bank cash-in to kickstart his first run as WWE Champion was drama at its finest.
20 Backlash 2004 – 8.41
Since WrestleMania 20 was red-hot, WWE had to keep up the momentum by producing a jam-packed Backlash 2004 extravaganza. Backlash certainly delivered with several quality matches on the card. Chris Benoit retained the World Heavyweight Championship in his hometown of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada by beating Triple H and Shawn Michaels in the “Final Encounter” triple threat match.
Edge bested Kane, Victoria retained the WWE Women’s Championship against Lita in a fun match, and Chris Jericho overcame Christian and Trish Stratus in a handicap match. However, the match of the night saw Randy Orton come of age by outlasting Mick Foley in a violent hardcore match to retain the Intercontinental Championship.
19 Royal Rumble 2007 – 8.46
The 2007 Royal Rumble was a stellar pay-per-view and it was arguably the best pay-per-view that year. The Hardy Boyz and MNM continued their consistent runs of matches together with The Hardys prevailing to get the show off to a hot start. Both world championship matches were superb with Batista overcoming Mr. Kennedy to retain the World Heavyweight Title, and John Cena defeated Umaga in an underrated Last Man Standing Match to keep a hold of the WWE Championship.
Moreover, Bobby Lashley and Test’s ECW Championship match wasn’t great as both men are capable of putting on much better. However, the 2007 Royal Rumble match was off the charts. The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels were the final two participants with Undertaker wearing the proverbial crimson mask but he made history as the first man to win the Rumble from the 30th position.
18 Unforgiven 2006 – 8.52
Unforgiven 2006 took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with two of their all-time great Canadians competing in high-profile championship matches with contrasting results. Trish Stratus bid farewell after she defeated her long-time rival Lita for her seventh and final Women’s Championship in an emotional retirement match. The other hometown hero Edge didn’t have the same success as he dropped the WWE Title to John Cena in one of their strongest encounters in a TLC match.
Other notable results on this brilliant card included Randy Orton’s victory over Carlito. Jeff Hardy failed to recapture the Intercontinental Title from Johnny Nitro, and The McMahons and Big Show were humiliated by DX in a handicap Hell in a Cell match.
17 In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede 1997 – 8.57
It really felt as though the Attitude Era was beginning with this PPV, and it was WWE’s best for several months. There was good variety here, with matches like Undertaker vs Vader, The Great Sasuke vs Taka Michinoku, and Triple H vs Mankind.
The main event saw a chaotic ten-man tag team match, with The Hart Foundation battling the team of Steve Austin, Goldust, Ken Shamrock, and The Legion of Doom. The Canadian crowd was hot for the Hart Foundation, with the audience elevating the main event and the show as a whole.
16 No Way Out 2001 – 8.58
At the start of 2001, WWE was on one of their strongest streaks ever. They put together three of their best PPVs in history in a row. The middle show of these three was No Way Out, which was a great showcase of just how talented the roster was. Everyone remembers the epic Three Stages of Hell match between Triple H and Stone Cold but there’s so much more.
Kurt Angle and The Rock had a great main event where The Rock regained the WWE Championship. There was also a tremendous fatal-four-way match for the Intercontinental Title involving the likes of Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero. Throw in a tables match where Edge and Christian battled The Dudley Boyz and the Brothers of Destruction and Stephanie McMahon and Trish Stratus having a better match than expected and you’ve got an incredible show.
15 WrestleMania 24 – 8.65
When the best WrestleMania PPVs are mentioned, it seems like 2008’s WrestleMania 24 is unjustly overlooked. That’s a shame because this show is tremendous from top to bottom. It starts with a fun brawl between JBL and Finlay before moving on to one of the best Money in the Bank matches, which was won by ECW’s CM Punk. Batista vs. Umaga and Kane vs. Chavo Guerrero were skippable matches to be fair, but the PPV picked up considerably after these two clunkers.
After that, Ric Flair had his emotional final match as he lost to Shawn Michaels and was forced to retire. The show just continued to deliver whether it was the surprisingly good celebrity match involving Floyd Mayweather Jr., the triple threat match for the WWE Title, or the stunning main event where The Undertaker defeated Edge.
14 WrestleMania 39 Night One – 8.70
Night One of the most recent WrestleMania event was an all-timer. Instant classic matches in Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley and Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens vs. The Usos headlined the night, with both having an insanely satisfying conclusion.
Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul was sports entertainment brilliance, with the surprise cameo of KSI going viral. Elsewhere, Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio was done perfectly from entrances to the finish, the fatal-four-way showcase was a blast, and Trish Stratus & Lita returned to a WrestleMania ring for the first time in years.
13 Extreme Rules 2012 – 8.70
The biggest news story in WWE after WrestleMania 28 was the return of Brock Lesnar after eight years away from the company. He immediately set his sights on John Cena, which led to a huge main event at Extreme Rules, where the two bloodied and battered each other in a classic won by Cena. However, that wasn’t all that the show was remembered for.
CM Punk defended the WWE Title against Chris Jericho in a Chicago Street Fight that many believed was superior to their WrestleMania 28 clash a few weeks prior. Speaking of improvements on WrestleMania matches, Daniel Bryan and Sheamus had a stellar 2 Out of 3 Falls outing that is one of the more underrated matches of the decade.
12 Backlash 2007 – 8.71
Right off the bat, there is one thing about Backlash 2007 that most fans didn’t like. Vince McMahon took his rivalry with Bobby Lashley to an over-the-top level as he faced him in a handicap match with Shane McMahon and Umaga as his partners. However, most of the rest of the show seemed to really work out.
John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge, and Shawn Michaels had a fantastic main event featuring four of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of boots. There was also another installment in the unexpectedly great series of matches between The Undertaker and Batista. The undercard was solid, helping to round this out as a high-quality event.
11 WrestleMania 21 – 8.71
WrestleMania 21 definitely was a huge success, as it established John Cena and Batista as the new faces of the company. All the matches were solid, with the exception of the Sumo match between Akebono and The Big Show that was more of a spectacle anyway.
Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels stole the show and delivered one of the best WWE matches ever. Edge was the winner of the inaugural Money In The Bank Ladder Match, which was fantastic. The Undertaker vs. Randy Orton was dramatic, while Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero delivered an exciting opener to kick off the night. Not only were the matches good but they were also important to history.