Rank the PPV Brands!

[Dagger Dias]

There are currently 12 brands for the pay-per-events that the WWE provides. Even though the PPV calendar changes fairly often, I would like to take a look in this thread at the brands that are active as of this moment. Not the classic WWE/WWF PPV brands such as King of the Ring or other retired PPV brands. Not old WCW or ECW shows. Just the shows in this list:

Royal Rumble
Elimination Chamber
Wrestlemania
Extreme Rules
Payback
Money In the Bank
Battleground
Summerslam
Night of Champions
Hell In a Cell
Survivor Series
TLC

What I would like to know is this....

How would you rank the 12 WWE PPV brands from best to worst?

I'm not talking about the events specifically from 2013 or 2014 here. When ranking Wrestlemania for example you are ranking the brand itself, as in everything from 1985 to today, against the other brands. For Money In the Bank you would rank it keeping in mind everything from 2009 to today. For Payback the 2013 event is your only material though, until this summer. If a show originated from another brand you may include that to help you rank it such as how Elimination Chamber originated from No Way Out and how Night Of Champions originated from Vengeance, etc. You are ranking the 12 brands against each other. Not making a list of the best Summerslam to the worst Summerslam, for instance.

Also, do NOT just list shows. That is spam. You do not have to submit a lengthy answer, but please provide some type of reason for why your lists are ordered the way they are.

Lastly, if WWE changes their PPV calendar after this thread is posted (which they very likely will) please keep it limited to the shows I listed even if one is added/removed to the actual 2014 PPV listing.

I look forward to reading your responses!

 

[Eddie Menuek]

#1 - Wrestlemania
The granddaddy of them all. What more needs to be said? Even if the match quality can dwindle from year to year, the spectacle and excitement surrounding any Wrestlemania is unmatched.

#2 - Royal Rumble
I think it will be a lot of people's second pick. Once again, even a bad Royal Rumble is always exciting when it comes to the Rumble match itself. The fact that it marks the beginning of 'The Road To Wrestlemania' adds to the enjoyment of the event. It's been a favourite since my childhood.

#3 - Summerslam
An event which feels like a big deal virtually every year. While WWE have struggled to maintain the prestige of Survivor Series, they continue to do their best to put on an alternative Wrestlemania, if you will, in Summerslam.

#4 - Survivor Series
Yeah, ok, kinda cliche topping off my top four with the last of the 'big four', but I can't help it. The classic Survivor Series matches are always a highlight. My major gripe with the event is that the ten man tag team matches rarely have a proper reasoning or buildup anymore - it's very much a case of throwing together teams for the heck of it. 2001 (WWF versus The Alliance) and 2003 (Team Angle versus Team Lesnar/Team Austin versus Team Bischoff) were two of my favouties because the matches that I've mentioned felt like they were there for importance, rather than tradition.

#5 - Extreme Rules
I like Extreme Rules for no other reason than it tends to deliver, every year. You'd think that the idea of a host of stipulations coming into play throughout the night would lead to a clusterfuck of a card, but invariably it leads to a very entertaining one. With that being said, I'm a little bit confused as to why there are only two stipulations on Sunday night's card.

#6 - Night Of Champions
Bit of a random one, but when the Night Of Champions concept was first introduced I really dug the idea. It seems kind of redundant now, with five titles in existence, but the earlier editions with eight or nine title matches on the spin were really badass. In 2014 it just seems to represent the one night of the year that Dean Ambrose defends the United States Champions. Nevertheless, it's a concept that I'm fond of.

#7 - Elimination Chamber
I never used to be fond of the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view for the same reasons that I'm not fond of the Hell In A Cell and TLC pay-per-views, which I'll explain later. That has changed with the unification of the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship, though. If the deal is that on an annual basis, the Elimination Chamber is the final hurdle for the champ to overcome in order to book his spot in the main event of Wrestlemania, then I think that's pretty cool. It opens up some interesting story prospects, and makes just as much sense as throwing the champion into a random singles feud to kill a few weeks of television.

#8 - Money In The Bank
I have to admit, the Money In The Bank concept in itself is wearing thin on me. I think there's only so much that they can do with the briefcase, particularly with only one belt in play, and we're getting into the 'they've practically done it all' territory. It can be a decent way of getting a guy into the title picture, but it can also be pretty lazy and potentially detract from better potential feuds once creative has actively invested in a superstar by giving him the briefcase. Regardless, the event itself tends to deliver and MITB matches done right are a blast.

#9 - Payback
Something of a nothing pay-per-view with only one in the books, although if it being held in The Allstate Arena has become an annual thing then I'm not mad at that.

#10 - Battleground
Again, with only one in the books there's not much to rank it on. However, that one Battleground pay-per-view was - aside from the excellent Shield/Rhodes match - really terrible.

Joint #11 - Hell In A Cell/TLC
I can live with Elimination Chamber and Money In The Bank. I'm finding it hard to define the difference between the two in my eyes, but I'll try anyway. Elimination Chamber and Money In The Bank exist as set matches, much like, to an extent, the Royal Rumble. They exist on the calendar and serve a purpose. I'm ok with those two not being spontaneous, so to speak. Hell In A Cell and TLC, not so much. I really, really hate the idea of matches being set in these two environments solely based on the month of the year, because it leads to the stories being completely devoid of a reason for the stipulations to take place. I always have hated them. If I was given the license to overhaul WWE's pay-per-views, these are the two that I'd dump in a heartbeat.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

WrestleMania - Obviously the lynchpin of the entire WWE PPV schedule

Royal Rumble - The WWE's most famous gimmick match, considered the kickoff for the Road to WrestleMania, and winning the main event is still considered a serious honor with a tangible benefit. The WWE has done well in protecting the importance of this PPV. The Royal Rumble match itself is full of great moments, and there's a statistics bent to it too that people get into: How many opponents did this guy eliminate? Who lasted the longest? Who lasted the shortest amount of time?

Money in the Bank - The new kid on the block, but similar to Royal Rumble in that the marquee match has importance, a distinctive feel and some classic moments in its history. This is essentially the unwritten kickoff to Summer Slam, but to me, MitB feels bigger.

Summer Slam - One of the Big 4, and you can tell that the WWE certainly feels that it's one of their big ones. Summer Slam features some of the biggest matches that don't happen at WrestleMania. It's not an accident that Brock Lesnar pops up for this one.

TLC - Gimmick matches galore, and it's headlined by another WWE original gimmick match that has become synonymous with the promotion. The PPV has been used to feature some big title changes that the WWE likes to get in before WrestleMania season, and it raises the profile of the PPV overall.

Extreme Rules - This one has moved up in the rankings because of its proximity to WM and because it often has blowoffs that stem from that PPV. That tends to raise relative importance of this PPV overall. It doesn't hurt that its name implies gimmick matches and over the top violence, and the WWE plays that up.

Hell in a Cell - Again it's no surprise that the WWE uses the name of PPVs that feature famous gimmick matches. It tends to work for them. The problem here is that Hell in a Cell has never really stood on its own two feet. There have been great Hell in a Cell matches, to be sure, but virtually none of them have taken place at this event itself. It also happens in October when there's a mad rush to cram PPVs in, and there's a lot of burnout.

Survivor Series - The least of the big four, Survivor Series is an example of where WWE has not protected the brand of the PPV. Where once the SS was novel in its approach, the actual SS match is usually an undercard afterthought and irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. It's featured some big matches in the past, including most recently the return to the ring of the Rock in a tag match with Cena, but for many, it's forgettable.

Elimination Chamber - Another gimmick match based PPV (almost all of them are now), but this one just feels pointless to me. It's the one that you can miss and not feel bad about because not much can really happen there that will upset the apple cart too much...because up next is WrestleMania.

Night of Champions - Defending all the titles on one PPV? In a better day this would've been a big deal. Now the titles themselves save a couple are trophies for mid-carders to keep them relevant. There's just not much prestige to this PPV.

Payback
Battleground

I couldn't even tell you what the focus is for these two. They could be called any other name and often have been: Over The Limit, Judgement Day, No Way Out, etc. The name is virtually meaningless, and both of these are just there to fill out the calendar. That's the opposite of branding. I rank Battleground last because it's in the doldrums of the WWE "season", and typically has the lowest buys of any WWE PPV, I believe.

 

[MCMG]

1) Wrestlemania. Obviously. The biggest show of the year and besides, one or two, every single Mania has delivered with either a classic match or an absolutely awesome show.

2) Royal Rumble. I love the Royal Rumble match. It's fun, exciting and the winner is the most anticipated result in wrestling. It can often be the making of a wrestlers career and the RR is incredibly exciting.

3) Money in the Bank. Each one of these PPV's have delivered. Two ladder matches + two World title matches is a fantastic formula. The winner of these ladder match is anticipated as it can be breakthrough moments for many: Ziggler, Miz, Bryan. This year will be different with only one World Title. MITB '11 is probably the top 5 PPV's of this decade.

4) Summerslam. It is treated as a big PPV and usually delivers. The summer can be a lowpoint for wrestling and this is usually where things get back on track.

5) Elimination Chamber. The EC match is always a great match and is one of my favourite gimmick matches. Once more, it is also on the road to Wrestlemania so exciting things are happening.

6) Extreme Rules. Plenty of gimmick matches that usually deliver. Plus, some of the part-timers stick around.

7) TLC. Similar to ER, gimmick matches galore. Moreover, we are approaching the road to Wrestlemania so things are getting exciting.

8) Survivor Series. The traditional Survivor Series match is always good to watch. It used to be a big deal and this event has a massive history. Hopefully they keep trying to push this PPV as a big deal.

9) Hell in a Cell. They have over-exposed the Hell in a Cell and some of these matches don't deserve to be in the structure but some of the matches have delivered.

10) Night of Champions. I like the concept of defending all the titles. Maybe they can through in the NXT title for the pre-show this year.

11) Payback. Nothing much here but the show last year was pretty decent.

12) Battlegrond. Meh.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Royal Rumble: The Rumble can be lackluster, but I think that if most wrestling fans were asked they'd say they enjoy it regardless.

Money In The Bank: MITB is the best top to bottom card WWE have produced since its inception.

T.L.C.: WWE already have a ladder match PPV, yet for some reason this one still works. Always entertaining.

Elimination Chamber: I think the run up to Mania is actually better than the Mania event itself. The Chamber matches, despite peaking with the very first one, are always thoroughly enjoyable.

Wrestlemania: Never fails to disappoint ever year. Though if you have a good/great match at Mania then it means a whole lot more than a good/great match at any other show.

Extreme Rules: While Mania matches often fail to deliver due to people being squeezed onto the card and WWE always failing to sort out decent running times for most matches, Extreme Rules usually rights the wrongs of that show and produces worthwhile rematches.

SummerSlam: Hit and miss. The midcard matches have been skippable for years, the headline bouts are often excellent.

Survivor Series: WWE might've given up on the S.S., but I haven't. I'd like to see more traditional Survivor Series matches. I love them and I think they can still be a valuable way of elevating talent and not having headliners in samey main events.

Hell In A Cell: This PPV has killed an effective gimmick. HIAC matches should happen because they need to, not because it's that time of year.

Night Of Champions: A missed opportunity. WWE should add even more emphasis on the titles for this show. As it stands it's just rematches from S.S. or uninspiring Raw standard matches. I'd like to see this as a chance of showcasing talent against champions who have little to no title experience.

Payback/Battleground: I don't know which one comes first. Both only exist because WWE wants a PPV per month. I'd much rather have seen them continue with Bragging Rights until the brand split ended or return the KOTR. Or even have an old school PPV as they make entertaining episode of Raw and these are disposable shows anyway.

 

[Dagger Dias]

1. Wrestlemania
The biggest show of the year and arguably the biggest in pro wrestling itself. I'd be surprised if ANYONE does not put Wrestlemania as their favorite.


2. Summerslam
The second biggest show of the year. WWE always put forth a ton of effort into this brand and it shows. Tons of history, and it rarely does not deliver.


3. Royal Rumble
I love the Royal Rumble match. There's also a ton of history here. Annually I look forward to the match itself and all the statistical video packages they play going into it.


4. Survivor Series
This only ranks high due to the historical value. I'd like to see more effort put into the traditional Survivor Series matches but this show is still a big deal to me despite the decrease in quality in recent years.


5. Money In the Bank
The biggest show out of the newer brands. It has delivered each year and is home to the popular Money In the Bank match type. It will be interesting to see what happens to it in this year's edition now that there is only one world title though.


6. Night Of Champions
This is decreasing in importance with a lower number of titles but I still love the gimmick. A few years back it was a huge deal as we had up to 8 title matches on the same show! I would want to see the NXT title be defended in the pre-show match. I also want to see the MITB briefcases be defended if they are still held by anyone going into this show. Regardless, I really like this brand.


7. TLC
Another great one. We can get as many as 4 different gimmick types in the same show. Tables match, Ladder match, Chair match, TLC match. That's more than enough to get me interested.


8. Elimination Chamber
This has become a big part of the Road to Wrestlemania, although it being right in between the #3 and #1 show of the year respectively makes it a little harder to be interested in this one. It's still a better brand overall than those below it for me.


9. Extreme Rules
I hate this brand personally. There is nothing extreme about it anymore, and I am really not interested in the Wrestlemania rematches we often see. I'd rather see Payback become the Wrestlemania rematch show with this brand being retired. With that being said, I rank it above those below it as WWE has put forth more effort into this show in recent years.


10. Hell In A Cell
Let's put wrestlers into Hell In A Cell matches just so that we can fill a spot on a card for PPV in October, during a time when in recent years we have tried to do 2 PPV events in the same month! Yeah, this would be dead last if I did not like the Hell In A Cell match type as much as I do. It seems like they get lazier and lazier with their booking here.


11. Payback
I did not mind last year's edition, and it is the only material we can judge this show on at this time. Nothing stood out about it though. It would make sense to make this the Wrestlemania rematch show and put it in Extreme Rules' spot. We had the 3 Stages of Hell match, will that become exclusive to this show? If this year's edition does not deliver and stand out from the others somehow, I don't see it escaping the bottom tier in my rankings anytime soon.


12. Battleground
100% useless. This show only has last year's material to rank it by, thus it is a contender for the worst PPV brand in WWE history. Why bring this back when you can just as easily bring back Over The Limit or a classic brand like King of the Ring? This needs to be trashed immediately unless they have big plans for the brand that would set it apart from the rest. Not cramming it into the middle between Money In the Bank and Summerslam would help too.

 

[laodaron]

1. Wrestlemania. This is obvious, as it's both the season finale and the season premiere. Old angles are ended, new ones begin. Not to mention the fanfaire that comes along with it.

2. Royal Rumble. I'm just a mark for the actual Royal Rumble match itself. The way that the WWE revolutionized the battle royal match into a gauntlet style match, the build up, and if done correctly, the stories that unfold in the match are what I prefer.

3. Summerslam. Also known as Wrestlemania Lite or the mid-season premier. Angles from WM usually culminate here. The Summer winds down, new stories are working their way up.

After this is where it starts getting sticky. Do we review on what the PPV SHOULD be, or how it's been booked? For instance, at NoC, it isn't even a rule anymore that all titles are defended that night.

4. Money in the Bank. I have to put this here, since it's easy the most popular of the new brands. I don't care for the MitB matches, though, because they are all just choreographed spot fests with pretty much zero in ring psychology. The modern wrestlers just aren't Hardyz and Dudleyz and Edge and Christians.

5. Elimination Chamber. I like the idea of the EC, and I usually like the way it's booked. These matches are always classics, and the main eventers really know what they're doing, for the most part.

6. Night of Champions. The booking of an only Championship match PPV intrigues me. It's just too bad that the booking and writing for NoC is so bad lately.

7. Survivor Series. I put this so low because until they use SS for stable matches and SS elimination matches, it's not worth watching. It's Raw 2.0. Speaking of which, the next few PPVs all suffer from this.

8, 9. Battleground, Payback. These PPVs are just Raw ungrades, with matches we've already seen. There's no real special booking involved, and the the PPVs are generally mid feud, so we often won't see the payoff to a long fight, or a title change hands, or anything of any importance except to get us to the next PPV.

10. Hell in a Cell. Only not at the bottom because of the historical importance and the memory of what it can be. Recently hasn't been booked well, but almost NONE of the specialized PPVs have been.

11, 12. TLC and Extreme Rules. I for one am sick and tired of bladed heads and weapons in matches. 15 years ago, the TLC, ladder, table, or chair match was fun. The talent could hold their end up. Nowadays, watching these guys botch their blade jobs and watch poorly choreographed spots and talent that is unwilling to help catch each other and carry each other has turned me off from these PPVs.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

1. Wrestlemania- An obvious choice. It's the biggest show every year, and more often than not, Wrestlemania delivers And you can't ignore the amount of great/classic matches. Michaels VS Taker at 25 and 26, Undertaker VS Triple H at 28, Cena VS Rock at 28, Triple H VS Benoit VS Shawn at 20, Cena VS Michaels at 23. The list goes on and on.

2. Summerslam- A consistent #2 show every year. WWE puts a good amount of effort into building Summerslam as a major show, and Summerslam featured three legit five star worthy matches over the past couple of years with Punk VS Lesnar, Bryan VS Cena, and Punk VS Cena II.

3. Elimination Chamber- If we're talking about quality gimmick matches, the Elimination Chamber usually delivers good or great matches, and some great surprises (Shawn popping out of the the floor to Superkick Taker). But it's a double-edged sword for me. On one hand, Elimination Chamber is the final stop for pay per views on the road to Wrestlemania, so you can feel the anticipation for the biggest show of the year. On the flip side of that, taking six of your top guys, and throwing them into a dangerous match before the biggest show of the year with bumps on steel and hard spots through plexiglass is really risky and kind of stupid.

4. Money In The Bank- The luster of MITB faded after 2011, but 2011 was a great show, and it's hard to top the moment of Punk leaving with WWE Championship. Also, two briefcases hurt the mystique of MITB, and the match itself lost some of its wow factor, but MITB is a show that's worth watching every year.

5 Royal Rumble- The Rumble and the show itself is too hit and miss for my taste now a days.

6. Extreme Rules- Elimination Chamber, Hell In A Cell, and MITB hurt Extreme Rules. Extreme Rules was dubbed as the one night of the year, where WWE was "extreme" with all gimmick matches, but when you have a handful of different gimmick match pay per views, it's kind of hard to buy into the special attraction/one night only stuff.

7. Payback- Still to early to tell, but the debut show last year was fantastic. With an overload of gimmick match pay per views, the vengeance theme feels fresh, and if the matches deliver, we're looking at a new show with a lot of promise.

8. Night Of Champions- The show feels prestigious with every championship on the line, but I barely remember anything from Night Of Champions every year.

9. TLC- TLC is a sleeper show. A harmless gimmick match show that's capable of producing one or two MOTY candidates, and there's nothing wrong with that.

10. Battleground- Again, it's a new show, so I think we need more time to give Battleground a fair chance. Also, last year's show wasn't terrible (i.e. Rhodes Bros. fighting for their jobs), but Bryan VS Orton ending in a no contest rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.

11. Hell In A Cell- Awful, awful show. There's no way around this, but the PG era neutered Cell matches. When you think of the Cell, you think of violence, carnage, and mayhem. I'm not saying you need to throw someone off the Cell, or have someone fall through the roof. But the tamed Cell matches are horribly weak and disappointing, when you compare them to the classics with Taker, Shawn, Triple H, and others.

12. Survivor Series- Survivor Series sucks. We're supposed to believe Survivor Series is still one of the big four, but it's just a name now. Too many disappointing shows with lousy matches, and it wouldn't bother me at all, if WWE closed the door on this one.

 

[bko]

No order, just what I think of each as a brand...



Royal Rumble - Has been a bit lack luster on occasion, but probably has the most nostalgia of all the PPV's with all the surprise returns/entrances and some good good memories. We always seem to get a good out of the box WWE title match as well.

Elimination Chamber - This PPV seems to be used nowadays as the PPV that fits the final pieces of the puzzle together for wrestlemania for some of the most important bouts on the big event, seen some big storyline developments happen here.

Wrestlemania - Biggest of the year hands down in all pro wrestling, the event Vince McMahon counts the whole year down too. with 5 times more buys the any other event and people coming from all over the world. The end all and be all of all PPV events, there is a reason all the other crappy independent wrestling promotions like to leech off this event and like to hold their own events in the same area on the same weekend.

Extreme Rules - Good for what it is, to break up all the other PPV's with a gimmicky event. Very watered down and different from original inception though.

Money In the Bank - I think this is becoming the new 3nd most biggest passing next to Royal Rumble. Good concept and alot of big angles and storyline developmental seem to happen at this event in the last 2 or 3 years. Seems to be the start of the big mid-year angle.

Battleground & Payback - Generic PPV, not that important compared to others. A PPV for the sake of having a PPV.

Summerslam - Always gets hyped as the number 2 or 3 PPV, but to be honest I have always viewed this as just another PPV

Night of Champions - Good concept to showcase champions

Hell In a Cell - Watered down a match which was considered to WWEs ultimate match and killed the match to point where doesn't feel like an important match any more.

Survivor Series - Feels out dated to be honest, could be a good concept but hasn't been used right since 2004/5.

TLC - See Extreme Rules, always a fun PPV.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

1.) Wrestlemania - The Granddaddy of 'em all.
2.) Summerslam - Easily the #2 PPV every year & usually several of the best matches from each year take place at this event.
3.) Elimination Chamber - My all-time favorite match type & I like the PPV as a build to Mania.
4.) Money In The Bank - While some of the other themed PPVs can be sort of hit or miss, MitB seems to deliver almost every year thus far.
5.) Extreme Rules - The first year this PPV debuted it was one of my favorites, turning each match into an "extreme rules" match by adding some kind of stipulation. Then for a couple years after it got watered down & some matches didn't even have stipulations or some were given lame stipulations that weren't extreme in the slightest like a handicap match. But the last couple of years with the likes of Brock Lesnar & The Shield headlining, it's once again become one of my more favorite PPVs.
6.) TLC - The same deal as ER pretty much. Started out pretty cool, got crappy & now the last year or so it's been pretty good again.
7.) Hell in a Cell - HiaC is easily the most watered down of the the match themed PPVs but it still produces some good matches occasionally.
8.) Royal Rumble - I've never cared for the rumble as much as others. The match itself can be fun & suspenseful right when it's happening but it's extremely repetitive & some are kind of boring if you re-watch them a couple of times. Also a lot of the best ideas have been done (some to death) by now & most of the rumbles since the 90's have felt almost like a replay of a former rumble. Not to mention most of the best matches that happen at the PPV usually have nothing to do with the rumble itself, like the HBK/Taker Casket Match or the Bryan/Wyatt match from this year.
9.) Survivor Series - A solid concept originally, this PPV has been an afterthought for several years now. A few years ago I was a little disappointed when it was reported WWE might do away with the Survivor Series PPV, now I would probably welcome it in exchange for any other idea.
10.) Payback - While it's actually been a pretty good PPV the last two years, it has virtually no theme or direction & I can't help but think it will become irrelevant sooner rather than later (if it even lasts much longer).
11.) Night Of Champions - All the belts should be defended at every PPV anyways IMO. With the exception of a couple solid matches, this PPV is completely unmemorable.
12.) Battleground - Same deal as Payback but it's debut wasn't quite as good (with one of the lamest endings possibly ever to a PPV) & this year's show pretty much stunk altogether.

 

[Zycho32]

#1- Wrestlemania
The Gold Standard, the chosen sight for Epic Endings to feuds, Dream Matches, and once in a blue moon, the finish of a truly miraculous Storyline.

#2- Royal Rumble
Over Summerslam simply for its trademark gimmick; That the Rumble winner gets a title shot makes the gimmick mean more. That it's the Start of the Road to Wrestlemania makes that title shot even more epic, even if the storyline can be obvious at times.

#3- Summerslam
Representing the end of the 'First Half' of the WWE Season if you will, SS is the #2 Main Event PPV without a gimmick to speak of. It's an A Show, no matter how you slice it.

#4- Survivor Series
The fact that this is #4 despite being obviously diluted gives you an idea about the rest of the field. Unique once upon a time, these days Survivor Series can't put together a great Team Elimination match unless the stars align in terms of storytelling.

#5- Extreme Rules
Gets the top spot of all the B Shows because sometimes it gets a Wrestlemania Feud that hasn't quite finished yet, and there's the promise of blood.

#6- Night of Champions
Even if the 'gimmick' seems a little redundant, it's still a solid B Show after Summerslam. Frankly, I'd add the NXT Titles and a Battle Royale for a Trophy to add a little more shine to the card.

#7- Elimination Chamber
Really, the idea is good in concept, but the location is just downright awful. Right between the Rumble and WM, there's little way to properly build up a chamber match knowing that the Title Holder will retain to face the Rumble Winner ahead of time(and if they swerve you, HEEEELLLLO stifled buildup!). Needs a different location on the calender.

#8- Money in the Bank
One of several 'Gimmick Matches' turned PPVs, MitB at least has a Cash-in Briefcase as the prize, therefore it retains some additional value. Though, now there's only one title to cash in on, which gives the PPV a fringe look once again.

#9- TLC
One of two Gimmick PPVs that used to be Grudge Gimmicks for high-flyers and daredevils. Granted, December was NEVER a good year for PPV sales, but still, TLC is a shadow of what it used to be. About the only thing I could think of to improve it is to add 'new' crap to be used as match props.

#10- Hell in a Cell
Unlike TLC, which can offer something 'unique', HiaC took a monumental Gimmick Match and turned it into a C Show afterthought.

#11/12- Payback/Battleground
A victim of a strange scheduling conflict- since Wrestlemania was moved down a week, WWE has had to somehow readjust the schedule, which leads to a Three-PPV period with breaks spanning three weeks instead of a month. This occurs from Payback-MitB-Battleground. The sandwhich PPVs are D Shows trying to tread water until Summerslam, even though I think one could be given to NXT for whatever reason, and see if the Rookies can draw.

 

[Reflection]

1. Royal Rumble - The Royal Rumble match by itself is a big enough incentive for me to eagerly await this pay-per-view for months- something I don't feel for any other PPV of the year. Royal Rumble also kicks off The Road to Wrestlemania and this is the time when the wrestling discussions on this site really heat up as well.

2. TLC - I love watching Tables matches, Ladder matches, and TLC matches. The quality of matches are usually very good too. This PPV is always a treat for me, and after that show in which Punk, Ryder and Bryan were champions at the end of the night, it has become one of my favourites.

3. Money in the Bank - This is another PPV where the matches are generally good, the two (sadly one now) Ladder matches are fun to watch, and it reminds me of the Summer of Punk The briefcase goes on to have a lot of value in the coming months.

4. Wrestlemania- It is the biggest show of the year, and the WWE too puts maximum effort behind it. Everything is huge about this one, from returning stars to 70,000+ fans, pyro, bands, Hall of Fame- everything!

5. Elimination Chamber - For the two chamber matches, of course. I don't watch hoping that they hurt each other or do crazy spots, but the whole suspense of who is gonna come out when, is the champion gonna come out first, how long will he last, etc. really intrigues me.

6. Extreme Rules - This is basically a Payback or Battleground with a few Extreme Rules and No DQ matches. Don't mind it much... except that Cena normally wins a lot during this time of the year

7 and 8. Payback and Battleground - The two PPVs with no speciality, the two underdogs, the shows that everyone expects to be mediocre. This year they haven't been too bad and have held their own. Next year, I have more chances of watching these than some others.

9 and 10. SummerSlam and Survivor Series - These two PPVs (especially the latter) are like low quality yet expensive material in malls getting huge sales only because of the brand name. Between WWE vs Nexus and Brock vs Cena, I can't think of much worthy of spending money on. And Survivor Series is just hanging on by a thread to its past reputation like some old wrestlers.

11. Night of Champions - This is usually the worst show of the year. That certainly doesn't help things.

12. Hell in a Cell - This is the only PPV that I truly, passionately loathe. I just want to see it go away. As long as routine HIAC matches are around, lazy booking will never end. This year has had a better lead-up than the previous years, but still it needs to go. And look at the cage- it looks like a fucking wire fencing. So much for hell.