There have been times when WCW and WWE put on amazing PPVs, but some of the worst major events in wrestling history have ruined these great events.
Major major events can create or damage a PPV card when looking back on their significance. The aim of WWE and any other relevant promotion is to end the show with a cash game. A great card can carry a show, but a terrifying main event has a better chance of ruining it. Many of the best shows of all time have a huge main event that is most connected to the event.
Unfortunately, the same scenario can negatively impact a show’s legacy. Great games set the tone for a notable event, but the main event that stinks is going to make fans unhappy. Find out which instances caused this terrible situation in wrestling history. The following main weak events have ruined otherwise good PPV cards.
10 Triple H versus Randy Orton (WrestleMania 25)
WrestleMania 25 is described as arguably the best match in WWE history for the classic The Undertaker against Shawn Michaels. However, without the horrific main event, Triple H versus Randy Orton, the entire show would have been better remembered.
Funny money in the bank ranking game, Ricky Steamboat turned the clock back on Chris Jericho, and the Hardy brothers facing each other made a strong undercard. Michaels and Undertaker tore the roof off the pitch, but Triple H and Orton just couldn’t follow them to finish it strong. Even a proper match would have been enough to overdo this show.
9 Diamond Dallas Page & Jay Leno versus Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff (Road Wild 1998)
The Road Wild concept of free shows in front of bikers in Sturgis was an odd sale, but WCW almost had a great show in 1998. A strong card showed Rey Mysterio against Psychosis and Chris Jericho against Juventud Guerrera as great matches.
Goldberg, who was defending the WCW championship in a fun royal fight against Wolfpac and Hollywood New World Order members, ended up beating The Giant. Diamond Dallas Page and Jay Leno’s main event versus Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff, which lasted too long, hurt the show if you look back today.
8th Kurt Angle versus Mark Henry (Royal Rumble 2006)
The Royal Rumble 2006 event was one of the most underrated in the show’s history. John Cena and Edge, who had the first big match in their rivalry, contributed a lot to the event. The cruiser weights opened the show with a stellar fight to get the night off to a hot start.
Kurt Angle, who faced Mark Henry in the main event, was a terrible choice, although this was done to prepare for the Undertaker’s return. WWE would have been better off ending the show with Rey Mysterio’s heroic Rumble Match victory as second entrant.
7th Karrion Kross vs Keith Lee (NXT TakeOver XXX)
NXT TakeOver events are usually known for having standout cards that end the night with huge main events. The most recent TakeOver XXX featured a rare instance of the main event that completely went down after a strong card.
Finn Balor versus Timothy Thatcher, Io Shirai versus Dakota Kai, and a ranked game for the North American Championship were all impressive. Adam Cole and Pat McAfee had the match of the night in a shocking way. The main event where Karrion Kross defeated Keith Lee for the NXT Championship was bad enough to remove TakeOver XXX from the best NXT show talk ever.
6 Lex Luger & The Giant vs. Hulk Hogan & Dennis Rodman (Bash at the Beach 1997)
WCW experiments with celebrities often resulted in disappointing main PPV events. Bash at the Beach 1997 was a hugely underrated show, with every game on the map running in some way before the main event.
Chris Jericho versus Ultimo Dragon, The Steiner Brothers versus Masahiro Chono and The Great Muta, and Chris Benoit versus Kevin Sullivan were the best matches on the show. The main Hulk Hogan and Dennis Rodman event versus The Giant and Lex Luger was 22 minutes of slow action that ruined the show’s legacy.
5 Brock Lesnar versus Randy Orton (SummerSlam 2016)
SummerSlam 2016 was the first WWE show after the brand split and could have been something special. The day match between Enzo and Cass against Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens and the title match between Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks opened the night in a hot way.
AJ Styles versus John Cena and Finn Balor versus Seth Rollins were the night’s biggest hits that should have been in the Main Event competition. Brock Lesnar’s election to Randy Orton ended the night badly with Lesnar winning on a hiatus from the umpire as the crowd panted with chants from Goldberg.
4th Diesel versus Mabel (SummerSlam 1995)
Another SummerSlam event that was ruined by the Main Event took place in 1995 when Diesel missed the mark against Mabel. WWE wanted Mabel to be a top star after winning the King of the Ring tournament, but Kevin Nash was the wrong wrestler to face him because they had a stinker.
Shawn Michaels versus Razor Ramon in their second ranked match was the standout performance on the show. The 1-2-3 Kid’s opening game against Hakushi was one of the better openings in SummerSlam history. WWE had a special show until the main event ruined the night.
3 Hulk Hogan versus Roddy Piper (Starrcade 1996)
WCW was on fire in 1996 when the New World Order took over the wrestling world. The roster depth was strong for WCW to have fun shows at the time. In Starrcade 1996 there were the great games of Dean Malenko against Ultimo Dragon and Rey Mysterio against Jushin Liger.
Even the secondary mid-card matches like Chris Benoit versus Jeff Jarrett and Eddie Guerrero versus Diamond Dallas Page added to the momentum. Unfortunately, the older age of Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper showed in the brutal main event. Fans paid to see Hogan versus Piper, but the quality of the game disappointed in the greatest possible way.
2 Roman Reigns versus The Undertaker (WrestleMania 33)
On the new day that WrestleMania 33 was happening, Xavier Woods tweeted that they could have the best WrestleMania event in the middle of the show. Unfortunately, shortly after he was posted, things started to fall apart.
AJ Styles versus Shane McMahon and Kevin Owens versus Chris Jericho started the show with big matches. The Hardy Boyz, who returned for a big ovation, and Brock Lesnar versus Goldberg, who shocked the world, added more great memories. WrestleMania 33 fell off with the main event of Roman Reigns against The Undertaker, who dropped the ball. The undertaker has admitted that the match has been one of his biggest mistakes since then.
1 John Cena versus John Laurinaitis (Over the Limit 2012)
WWE stopped Over the Limit 2012 from becoming a great show with play order and general booking. The opening game of a fun battle royal Christian won to get an Intercontinental Championship game later that night set the tone.
Entertaining games by Christian against Cody, Sheamus against Alberto Del Rio against Chris Jericho against Randy Orton and an exciting tag title match made for more fun. Daniel Bryan’s WWE Championship game against CM Punk was a classic that the show should have hosted. WWE with John Cena versus John Laurinaitis in one horrific major event of all time ruined the night of an otherwise stellar PPV.
About the author
Haverford Joey
(2291 articles published)
Joey is a writer with a decade of experience writing about sports, entertainment, and pop culture. Pro wrestling is his greatest passion, with a lifelong fandom and countless live shows.
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