My WWE 12 Month PPV Re-DO. Thoughts?

[Hakushi]

I believe the schedule is in need of re-formatting. This is one mans' opinion.
January: ROYAL RUMBLE: No problemss at all with any aspect of this PPV and I think it's placed perfectly in regards to Wrestle mania.

February: I would move Elimination Chamber to later in the year and replace it with a Non-Themed PPV, lets' say "Battleground". Shore up some feuds heading into Mania.

March: Wrestlemania

April: I would replace any Straight WWE Card here with a half WWE, Half NXT card. Call it "Uprising" Pick the best from NXT and showcase them.

May: I would love to see WWE resurrect WCW's old "Battlebowl" Concept here. 14 Randomly paired tag teams compete in traditional Tag Team matches. The winning teams enter a Battle Royal for the Battle Bowl Championship..

June: King of the Ring. Do the entire Tournament and nothing else. I always thought this was a great contest. Maybe say the "King" has a SummerSlam WWE title shot.

July: Hell in the Cell. Seems like the only Hardcore type PPV that WWE is able to succeed at in this PG era.

August: SummerSlam.

September: MITB. Again, I'd limit the amount of time for a cash in.....Say, the Rumble.

October: Another Split NXT/WWE PPV. This gives NXT two shots a year, Approx 6 months apart.

November: Survivor Series. I, personally, Would love to see "Teams of 5 strive to survive" however unlikely. Again, to make this worthy, perhaps the "Survivors" are garuanteed numbers 15 or below in the Rumble?

December: Here I would insert the Chamber. Have at least two Chamber matches.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

I would prefer to not have any PPV between Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. From Royal Rumble the slow buildup to Wrestlemania should start and not for some irrelevant PPV in between.

Also I don't like themed PPVs. Just have gimmick matches like Hell in a Cell, Money in the Bank etc on different PPVs like Wrestlemania, Summerslam,etc.

 

[LODemolition]

This is a subject that always gets me ranting a little bit. With the WWE Network launched now, I would say that next year there is a very small chance they could actually see them doing the sensible thing and cutting back on PPVs. Of course now that people are only paying $10 for them, they would complain that WWE is trying to give them less for their money. But I've always said quality over quantity in the PPV department. This would be my lineup.

Late January - Royal Rumble
Late March/early April - WrestleMania
Early/mid June - King of the Ring
Late August - SummerSlam
Late October - Halloween Havoc
Early December - Survivor Series

I'd cut it down to 6 PPVs and hold a Saturday Night's Main Event 3 times a year. The 1st would be in February between the Rumble and Mania, the 2nd in July between KOTR and SS, and the final one in November between Halloween Havoc and Survivor Series. That way you'd always have 2 PPVs, a SNME, and another 2 PPVs. More time to build up the feuds equals BETTER FEUDS. What a concept, right? Then we wouldn't have this BS where only 4 of the matches for each PPV are announced before the go-home Raw, and the rest are just kind of thrown together.

Now that there is only 1 World Championship belt, I think having an entire PPV around MITB is going a little overboard. I'd bring that match to the Mania card. Maybe even do it twice a year, the 2nd time being at Halloween Havoc. I hate Hell in a Cell and TLC. Those type of matches should only be had when they fit the feud, not because it falls at a certain time of year. Plus it's ridiculous to call the PPV "Hell in a Cell" or "TLC", and then sometimes you will only actually have 1 match that fits that description. I think if you're going to call a ppv "HIAC", then at least 2 of the headliner matches should take place in the cell. I'd personally have the Elimination Chamber match take place at Survivor Series. The King of the Ring winner would automatically receive a title shot at SummerSlam. This is so reparable, and it's kind of disgusting how obvious it is. But the almighty dollar will win out in this situation each and every time. So since they insist on 12 PPVs per year, the quality will continue to suffer for the foreseeable future.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

This is a subject that always gets me ranting a little bit. With the WWE Network launched now, I would say that next year there is a very small chance they could actually see them doing the sensible thing and cutting back on PPVs. Of course now that people are only paying $10 for them, they would complain that WWE is trying to give them less for their money. But I've always said quality over quantity in the PPV department. This would be my lineup.

Late January - Royal Rumble
Late March/early April - WrestleMania
Early/mid June - King of the Ring
Late August - SummerSlam
Late October - Halloween Havoc
Early December - Survivor Series

I'd cut it down to 6 PPVs and hold a Saturday Night's Main Event 3 times a year. The 1st would be in February between the Rumble and Mania, the 2nd in July between KOTR and SS, and the final one in November between Halloween Havoc and Survivor Series. That way you'd always have 2 PPVs, a SNME, and another 2 PPVs. More time to build up the feuds equals BETTER FEUDS. What a concept, right? Then we wouldn't have this BS where only 4 of the matches for each PPV are announced before the go-home Raw, and the rest are just kind of thrown together.

Now that there is only 1 World Championship belt, I think having an entire PPV around MITB is going a little overboard. I'd bring that match to the Mania card. Maybe even do it twice a year, the 2nd time being at Halloween Havoc. I hate Hell in a Cell and TLC. Those type of matches should only be had when they fit the feud, not because it falls at a certain time of year. Plus it's ridiculous to call the PPV "Hell in a Cell" or "TLC", and then sometimes you will only actually have 1 match that fits that description. I think if you're going to call a ppv "HIAC", then at least 2 of the headliner matches should take place in the cell. I'd personally have the Elimination Chamber match take place at Survivor Series. The King of the Ring winner would automatically receive a title shot at SummerSlam. This is so reparable, and it's kind of disgusting how obvious it is. But the almighty dollar will win out in this situation each and every time. So since they insist on 12 PPVs per year, the quality will continue to suffer for the foreseeable future.

The problem with cutting it down to 6 shows a year is that it takes away a HUGE incentive to subscribe to the WWE Network. The biggest selling point of the network, its bread & butter really, is the notion of being able to pay $10 a month for all 12 ppvs. Without reliable and cheap access to that number of live ppvs, most of the air is let out of the WWE Network's sails. Sure, there's access to the library for past shows and all that, but it's clear that THE top selling point is having all 12 ppvs.

On the surface, the idea that more time in-between ppvs can lead to better quality is a nice theory. However, TNA has shown that more time in-between ppvs can also result in a lot of TV that's mostly filler. I finally gave up on TNA about 6 months ago and haven't watched it since. When I was watching, since there was so much filler television rather than devoting the additional time to really building the ppvs, the quality of the ppvs didn't exactly go up either. If WWE cut down to 4 or 6 a year, there's no guarantee they'd do any better, plus they'd be out of a lot of potential revenue.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I believe the schedule is in need of re-formatting. This is one mans' opinion.
January: ROYAL RUMBLE: No problemss at all with any aspect of this PPV and I think it's placed perfectly in regards to Wrestle mania.

February: I would move Elimination Chamber to later in the year and replace it with a Non-Themed PPV, lets' say "Battleground". Shore up some feuds heading into Mania.

March: Wrestlemania

April: I would replace any Straight WWE Card here with a half WWE, Half NXT card. Call it "Uprising" Pick the best from NXT and showcase them.

May: I would love to see WWE resurrect WCW's old "Battlebowl" Concept here. 14 Randomly paired tag teams compete in traditional Tag Team matches. The winning teams enter a Battle Royal for the Battle Bowl Championship..

June: King of the Ring. Do the entire Tournament and nothing else. I always thought this was a great contest. Maybe say the "King" has a SummerSlam WWE title shot.

July: Hell in the Cell. Seems like the only Hardcore type PPV that WWE is able to succeed at in this PG era.

August: SummerSlam.

September: MITB. Again, I'd limit the amount of time for a cash in.....Say, the Rumble.

October: Another Split NXT/WWE PPV. This gives NXT two shots a year, Approx 6 months apart.

November: Survivor Series. I, personally, Would love to see "Teams of 5 strive to survive" however unlikely. Again, to make this worthy, perhaps the "Survivors" are garuanteed numbers 15 or below in the Rumble?

December: Here I would insert the Chamber. Have at least two Chamber matches.

The Battle Bowl idea doesn't do much for me. The notion of pairing a guys randomly together for a single night sounds like something TNA's doing. As a result, it automatically gives the impression that it's a completely throwaway show and that nothing happens matters. If I was gonna reinstate a WCW ppv, I'd go with War Games instead.

As for King of the Ring, it just seems like one of those things that's kinda outdated in some ways, maybe even downright silly. You know, the whole thing with the throne and the crown and all that. I wouldn't mind having some sort of tournament, but when compared with what the winner of the Royal Rumble gets and Money in the Bank, it just seems like small potatoes. In my opinion, the "King" getting a title shot at SummerSlam is the equivalent to oversaturating the title shot gimmick. There's already the Royal Rumble and MITB winner, so having the KOTR getting a shot comes off as kinda lazy. If WWE wanted to do away with either the Royal Rumble or MITB, then maybe it'd be different, but having three gimmicks to ensure a championship match through the year takes away the specialness, at least to me.

I'd do away with Hell in a Cell because, in my opinion, it's generally run its course. I'd replace it with War Games and leave return HIAC to the status of a special match that's used for special occasions.

As far as MITB, there already is a time limit in which it can be cashed in. The winner has up to 1 year to cash in and limiting the time in which they can cash in until WrestleMania will result in a lot of the unpredictability being taken. Soon, cash in attempts in order to be the champion and defend the title at WrestleMania would become cliché and dull.

As far as NXT goes, I'm not really sure. I'm not all that wild about crossovers between the developmental and main rosters. In order to properly sell the shows, they'd have to be significant interaction to build them up and it just seems like something of a waste. I think NXT should be kept separate from the main roster. NXT is the developmental territory, so it shouldn't be cast in the role of a rival promotion. Besides, with the WWE Network, there's plenty of opportunity for WWE to deliver special episodes of NXT to highlight the top guys. As NXT is the developmental territory, its roster isn't supposed to be depicted as being on the same level as the main roster. Otherwise, what's the point of having a developmental territory anyhow?

 

[Ap3x_Pr3dator13]

I also think WWE should redo the PPV schedule...

January - Royal Rumble (of course this remains and is their second highest bought PPV)

February - a special 3-hour Saturday Night's Main Event instead of a PPV, because IMO, there shouldn't be a PPV in-between the Rumble and Mania

Late March/Early April - WrestleMania

Mid-May - Special 3-Hour Saturday Night's Main Event

Mid-June - Money in the Bank OR King of the Ring
(Winner goes on to face the WWE World Champion at SummerSlam)

Mid-July - Special 3-hour Saturday Night's Main Event

Mid-August - SummerSlam

October - Halloween Havoc
(have it be a PPV filled with matches that wrecks "HAVOC" like HIAC, LMS, Tables, TLC, etc)

November - Survivor Series
(this should be the PPV for gimmick matches that has to do with SURVIVAL like the Elimination Chamber and the Traditional 5-on-5 Tag Matches.

December - a special Christmas themed show and also the Slammy Awards!

so that brings it to 6 PPV's and 4 special edition shows on the calendar and it would be MUCH better

 

[resignedknight]

I'm assuming that the idea behind the suggestions for fewer PPVs is longer feud build ups. There's no way they cut back on PPVs, but I think you'll get longer feuds because, with the network, there won't be as much of an emphasis on culminating feuds at every show. In fact, I could easily see this working out with major feud culminations at the bigger PPVs and the off ones working more like the old In Your Houses. It's certainly debatable whether or not this is a good thing, but it is more in line with what many of you are looking for.

As far as rebranding some of the PPVs, I agree it desperately needs to be done. I knew Battleground would be stupid as soon as I heard the name, and it was. I'm assuming it has been announced, but I don't remember--are they sticking with the names from last year? Oh, and I totally don't think it's overboard to give Money in the Bank it's own PPV. In fact, I think it's easily the most prestigious PPV created in the last 20 years. If anything, alas, I think it might be time to kill the Survivor Series concept.

 

[The Perfect Max]

It's no secret WWE's schedule is rather cluttered, and I do think that the company should think about limiting the number of events they have each year. A few years ago, they had either 14 or 15 pay-per-view events in one 12 month period. That's just ridiculous.

I'm quite the hypocrite when it comes to the "themed" pay-per-views, because the concept of a theme per pay-per-view itself sucks, but in some ways, it's brilliant. The Royal Rumble was the original themed event, and Survivor Series was too. The former is still as exciting as ever, and the Survivor Series has the potential. I do think these events limit the WWE's forward thinking planning, because the themes limit WWE to the matches they can have. I suppose the flip side to that argument is that they help structure the year. I can understand that.

So, for my PPV's, I'd go for the following:
January - Royal Rumble
February - Generic pay-per-view
March / April - WrestleMania
April - Backlash or generic pay-per-view
May - Generic pay-per-view
June - King of the Ring
July - Generic pay-per-view
August - SummerSlam
September - Generic pay-per-view
October - Cyber Sunday or generic pay-per-view
November - Survivor Series
December - Generic pay-per-view event

I removed Money in the Bank as I feel the match is much more prestige outs and useful at a WrestleMania, especially as there is only one ladder match with one world title. No Night of Champions because, theoretically, all titles should be defended as much as possible. I removed Elimination Chamber, Hell in a Cell and TLC as it theoretically limits the use of these matches. King of the Ring acts as a launch pad, just like the Royal Rumble. I feel it's important that every couple of months, the WWE build to a big event as well, even if it isn't a big four event.

 

[Mr_Trophies]

This is a fun subject to chat about....here we go! I too believe that the format needs to be redone outside of the big 4 PPV's. However, I don't think you need to trim it down TOO much, b/c I think that it's mainly the writing that has watered down a lot of the PPV's, not necessarily the quantity. Back in the Attitude era, they had PPV's almost every month, and no not every single one was a must see hit, but they were definitely more consistent than they are nowadays. I don't like the gimmick PPV'd outside of Rumble and SSeries, because matches like HIAC are best done as the climax to a long and personal rivalry (i.e. Batista/HHH, HHH/Foley, etc.), and it almost seems forced when you have to make a match fit a PPV, rather than making the right match for that time....also, I think MITB should move back to Mania...

here it goes...

(1) January: Royal Rumble

(2) February: No Way Out

(3) March/April: Wrestlemania (move MITB to this PPV)

(4) late April: Backlash

(5) early June: Payback (annual Chicago PPV)

(6) July: King of the Ring (winner of tourney gets title shot at Summerslam)

(7) late August: Summerslam

(8) September: Fully Loaded

(9) October: Halloween Havoc (what an awesome idea you had I love it! Great name for a PPV and I always though the set was cool looking too!) Maybe do something here to determine the 6 entrants in the Elimination Chamber at Survivor Series for November.

(10) LATE November: Survivor Series. Go back to more traditional SS matches but also have the main event always be in the Elimination Chamber.


I took out the December PPV b/c I am always too busy to care and it usually has the worst buy-rates so it makes sense, and then you make Survivor Series and the Rumble more important by not putting anything in between. I was able to trim it down to 10 PPV's to condense it a bit more and give a more logical order to it, but without trimming it down so much that Networks subscribers don't feel cheated. What do you guys think??

 

[JJ15776]

So many people state that more time between PPVs is better as if it's a given fact, yet nobody ever provides any evidence or gives a remotely compelling argument as to why this would be the case. A couple things need to be addressed here.

First, removing a PPV and replacing it with a special like SNME makes no sense. They are basically the same thing, and now with all PPVs being available on the network the two things are literally the exact same thing.

Second, the PPVs are only going to be better if the writing gets better. If you're unhappy with what they do with four Raws and Smackdown!s between PPVs, you're going to be just as unhappy with six or eight of each.

Thirdly, to that point, we need to remember that WWE has five hours of major television a week. (Six if you include Main Event, which is being treated like a bigger deal now that it's on the Network, but it remains to be seen if that continues.) That's a lot more than they used to have in the early 90's, in the days of four or five PPVs a year, when they had two hours of TV. For comparison, five hours of TV a week and 12 PPVs a year is 22 hours of TV per PPV, while two hours of TV per week and five PPVs a year is...21 hours of TV per PPV. If you believe more time between PPVs will lead to better PPVs because of the PPV quality in the early 90s, that argument doesn't hold water because they have just as much or more time to build PPVs now as they did then.

The only change I would make to the PPV schedule is eliminate the gimmick PPVs. I would keep the Elimination Chamber match(es) in February, just bring back the No Way Out Name. Save HIAC and TLC matches for when they make sense in the context of the story lines. I like Night Of Champions, if they commit to defending every title on the show and every match being a title match...but with one World title, one tag team title, and one female title, they only have five titles and five matches does not a PPV make, so that one has to go too. (Although now that PPVs are freely included in the Network, they don't have to all be a certain length or of a certain quality, so maybe not.) Ditto for MITB now that there's only one briefcase...although I'm not convinced they won't still have two briefcases and that'll be how they separate the World titles once again. I wouldn't bring it back on WrestleMania if this Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal is an annual thing, which I hope it's not because, although I like the idea of honoring Andre, it seems ridiculous too essentially have another Royal Rumble match at WrestleMania. If that's not an annual thing, I would be very much in favor of moving MITB back to WrestleMania, especially if the WWE/WHC title unification is permanent. I'd bring back King Of The Ring as an annual show, perhaps with a guaranteed title match at SummerSlam, but they need to stop making every winner use the obnoxious royalty gimmick afterwards. It was cool when Owen Hart did it, Booker T pulled it off well, but for the most part it's just annoying.

Other than that, I'd like if it they brought back the names they used for years like Backlash, Vengeance, Badd Blood, Armageddon, No Mercy, Judgment Day, etc.

 

[resignedknight]

I also love the idea of bringing back Halloween Havoc and the idea of having Elimination Chamber at Survivor Series with a traditional SS match or two (get the whole roster on the card in interesting, unconventional matches). My only concern would be that not having EC where it is tends to make the Rumble too predictable, which was a major problem for a while, but good writing could still get around that.

I also have wished for so long that King of the Ring would be for a Summerslam title shot. It would get main eventers in the tournament and would be crazy fun to watch, and you could get rid of the throne and crown and stuff because it would be relevant on its own. I really think tournaments like that are such a great opportunity to get newish guys over, which they've struggled to do lately.

I'm sticking to my guns on MITB though. It's been a great PPV since it started. I was reading that Bill Simmons article on the network, and he said he considers it one of the new big four, and I agree. Buy rates have been really strong in a month where that's not historically the case. Sooo....

January: Rumble

February: No Way Out (build it around cage matches and physical matches that counterprogram WM a bit)

March/April: Wrestlemanis

Late April/Early May: Extreme Rules (I'm a little hesitant here because it hasn't been what it should be for a while, but it's still an opportunity to have rematches from WM with a more physical style)

June: Money in the Bank (moving it here to make way for...)

July: King of the Ring (as stated, less cheesy gimmicky king stuff, just a tourney of main eventers and upper midcarders for a Summerslam title shot)

August: Summerslam

September: Unforgiven (kind of a down month here, but that's still a great name with some history)

October: Halloween Havoc (with, you know, some havoc)

November: Survivor Series (as above)

December: TLC (still the best way I can think of to generate some interest in a weak PPV month)

The last third of the year is still weaker than the rest it seems, thoughts on how to improve that?

 

[Pérez84]

Jan -> Royal Rumble

Feb -> No Way Out

Mar/Apr -> Wrestlemania

May -> Backlash

Jun -> Elimination Chamber (chamber match to win a #1 contender spot at Summerslam)

Jul -> Money in the Bank

Aug -> Summerslam

Sep -> Night of Champions

Oct -> Extreme Rules/HIAC/TLC kind of PPV

Nov -> Survivor Series (classic 4-5 multi-man matches)

Dec -> King of the Ring


I'm fine with 11 PPV events.

 

[the green b@stard]

I would prefer to not have any PPV between Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. From Royal Rumble the slow buildup to Wrestlemania should start and not for some irrelevant PPV in between.

I couldn't agree with this more from a storyline stand point.

Unfortunately tho wwe or any company for that matter aren't looking to eliminate revenue sources so unless they move rr from jan to feb I would say the chances of this happening are slim to none.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

This is why you guys don't run successful pro wrestling companys. "I only want 4 PPVs all year" "no more themed PPVs".

The idea of a themed PPV is nothing new. Fall Brawl always had a war games match. You knew it was coming, and you bought it, or were at least interested. Same with the Rumble. Imagine if the Royal Rumble match were just randomly thrown out whenever we needed a number one contender. That'd be shitty.

I like what they have for the most part. I'd love to have the Elimination Chamber match be a Survivor Series exclusive. One 6 man for the strap, one 3 on 3 stable war. I understand wanting to milk every last drop out of it. So instead, put EC somewhere other than February. I think it takes away from the EC match that it's sandwiched between RR and WM.

Jan-RR
Feb-Extreme Rules, put this in mid feb so you have 6-7 weeks to build mania, use this to end any loose feuds before you really hit the gas for Mania
March-WM
April-MITB, give it the "until Mania stipulation so they have a year to do stuff
May-Halloween Havoc, just to confuse people. Kidding, Lethal Lottery was a good suggestion. I will use the name "TLC" for this PPV. Maybe instead of a battle royal in the final, it's a TLC match for the tag straps. So you have your tag champs waiting in the second to last match. Then you have 4 random tag matches (random partners), the 4 winning teams go to the TLC match for the tag straps. Although I don't now how I feel about back to back ladder themed PPVs. Maybe a different name/match concept. I just want something with the theme match pertaining to the tag straps. Maybe even call the PPV "Tag Team Turmoil" or some shit although I'm pretty sure that was an ROH ppv.
June-Elimination Chamber, middle of Summer, use the War Games style for one, 6 man title match for another
July-Great American Bash, put it in on a beach on the weekend closest to 4th of July so you have 6-7 weeks to build Summerslam
August-SummerSlam
Sept-King of the Ring
Oct-Hell in a Cell makes sense here. The first one was in October
Nov-Survivor Series, bring back the 5 vs 5,
Dec-Starcade, bring it back, I'm an old school NWA/WCW guy

Something I noticed reading through these. A lot of you dislike themed PPVs....then suggest things like Lethal Lottery, King of the Ring, War Games, etc. You guys DO realize those are also themed PPVs right?

 

[dd23beatlesfan1]

I think one of the things that kills the idea of the "themed" ppv events is that for almost every single one, they have one match that goes with the theme, maybe two at the most, and then the rest of the card is just a general ppv event. What's the point in having a "themed" ppv if only one matches fits the concept? To me it's just dumb. If you're gonna have a Hell in a Cell ppv, why is only one match a Hell in a Cell, and the rest are just regular matches? Why have a Money in the Bank ppv with one Money in the Bank Ladder match and the rest just be regular matches? It's a waste. And I get the argument against that that having 6-7 Hell in a Cell matches on one show is overkill. That's very much the case. So what should they do? Just don't have them. If you're gonna have a themed ppv then go all out and have the whole show be about that theme, maybe with the exception of a World Title match.

Survivor Series for example. The majority of the best Survivor Series ppvs were from 1987-1991 when the shows had nothing but matches of that concept. Survivor Series 2002 and 1998 were probably the only really great Survivor Series ppvs without the Survivor Series team elimination theme. I hate how almost every Survivor Series ppv in the last 10 years or so has just been a generic ppv with one Survivor Series Elimination match. That's such a waste. Either go all out and go with the theme, or just get rid of it.

Same with TLC and Hell in a Cell, and to a lesser extent Elimination Chamber.

The big exception to this is of course the Royal Rumble, as it's such an epic, iconic match that the whole ppv doesn't need anything else but it. Does anyone ever really get the Royal Rumble ppvs just to watch the singles or tag team matches on the card? Of course not, the Royal Rumble match is the main attraction, so it can get away with it.

I think WWE should get rid of just about all of their themed ppvs except the classic ones, because they're a waste. I'm not against themed ppvs at all, in fact I think they need to do more with them, but they need to go all out and have the whole show be about that theme, not just have one match of that type on the card and the rest just be a generic ppv.

I recently watched the Battle Bowl Starrcade events on the WWE Network, and I absolutely love that concept. Particularly Starrcade 91, which devoted the whole ppv to that one concept, with the 40 wrestlers randomly drawn and 10 tag matches with a battle royal at the end. Yes, there wasn't any five-star classic matches on that card, but the novelty of seeing so many weird tag matches with weird tag team combinations was intriguing and exciting enough to watch. In particular the Sting/Abdullah the Butcher vs. Bobby Eaton/Brian Pillman match was completely chaotic and crazy, but it was really exciting. And a battle royal is always fun to watch so it's a great way to cap it off. The closest that WWE ever went with this concept was the 1995 Survivor Series with the random elimination match with HBK/Sid/Ahmed and someone else against Yoko/Owen/Razor, etc. And that match was awesome. So that's a novelty type theme that could work, I feel. And to be honest, it'd be nice for a change to see the champion just wrestle in a type of tournament/concept with the other wrestlers and not defend the title all the time. How many times did Hulk Hogan as champ not defend the title at the Survivor Series or Royal Rumbles? He didn't until the 91 Survivor Series. And that was when they had four ppvs a year. Wouldn't it be kind of fresh for a change to see John Cena wrestle in a Battle Bowl type tournament, or a King of the Ring tournament, or Survivor Series elimination match, instead of a title match? I'd be intrigued.

Here's a list of the current ppvs I like and want to stay, and then some older concept themed ppvs that WWE should come back with, plus current themed ppvs that need to go.


Current PPV's/Themed PPV's that need to stay...

Royal Rumble (duh)

Wrestlemania (duh)

Extreme Rules (this is the one themed ppv where all the matches go with the concept, and it's usually always a good ppv, so it stays)

Summerslam (duh)

Survivor Series (but get rid of the generic singles and regular matches. Go back to the theme of nothing but elimination matches, and even go with the 1990 concept where all of the survivors of each elimination match team up for one final Ultimate Survivors match at the end. Maybe have one world title match, although I'm not even opposed to the World Champion and whomever he's feuding with join in the fun and not have a title match but be a part of the elimination matches instead like Hulk did back in the day)

Events That I'm on the Fence About

Elimination Chamber (This, along with the Royal Rumble is the one type of match that can get away with having it's own ppv and thus having one Chamber match and the rest of the matches be regular matches. I also like the extra buildup it provides to Wrestlemania, plus it's usually one of the better ppvs of the year, but it does kind of negate the importance of the Royal Rumble winner, as sometimes the Royal Rumble winner has to defend his Wrestlemania main event spot in the Chamber match, which is pretty dumb. So I can go either way with it)

Night of Champions (it's a great concept, and another one of the few themed ppv's that goes all out with it's theme. But the one problem is this. Shouldn't every title be defended on every ppv anyway?)


Older Themed PPV's that Need to Be Brought Back

King of the Ring (I don't think the whole king thing is outdated. Maybe they should modernize or revamp the coronation process or something, but a nightly tournament to decide the King of the Ring is a great concept that really helps build a new star. Plus, who doesn't love a tournament? I'm cool with there also being championship matches on the event. But the majority of the ppv should be dedicated to the King of the Ring tournament. The 1993, 1994, and 1995 ppvs were the best as far as how they were done. Aka: 8 superstars, three rounds of matches. Starting with 96 when they only went with the final four wrestlers with two rounds (three matches) is when the ppv started to decline. Again. A couple of titles matches is cool. The rest of the show should be about the tournament)

War Games (I don't think this event should be a yearly event as it should only take place when there's a good stable type feud going on. Last fall for example would've been perfect as it could've been the Authority: Triple H, Randy Orton, and the Sheild against John Cena, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, and the Rhodes Brothers. That would've been one epic match that could've easily equaled the late 80's/early 90's classic WCW War Games matches)


Battle Bowl (I already described it above, but I love the novelty of random wrestlers being put together in tag matches. Again this event wouldn't be about five-star classic matches, but weird, crazy, unusual matches and combinations. Can you imagine if Daniel Bryan and Triple H got drawn together against Cesaro and Kane or something. That would be awesome. And the prize would be the Battle Bowl ring like what Sting got when he won for the first one back in 1991. Not every match/prize needs to revolve around a title or championship match. So with a Royal Rumble win and a Money in the Bank win both equating to future title shots, a King of the Ring and Battle Bowl win can be other worthwhile prizes for wrestlers to win (yeah, I would possibly not even have the King of the Ring winner get an automatic title shot at Summerslam). I think one of the reasons that so many wrestlers aren't booked strongly or are looked at as being weak is because everything nowadays revolves around the championship. If you're not a champion these days, then you're a failure in the business according to the fans. And that's because wrestlers have nothing to shoot for other than title belts. Winning things like a King of the Ring Tournament or a Battle Bowl championship can be smaller kind of prizes that can still make someone look strong and good. I think the wrestling business needs to go back to meaningful other prizes besides just championships like in the old days.


PPV Themes/Concepts that Can Go

Money in the Bank (Especially with only one world championship now, it's really a waste to have a Money in the Bank ppv, as now there would be only one Money in the Bank Ladder match, and the rest of the card would be a generic card which is boring and a waste. Make the Money in the Bank Ladder Match a Wrestlemania attraction again, as you're guaranteed an awesome match at Wrestlemania, and the concept of the match isn't wasted. It shouldn't be a ppv theme anyway. It's a specialty match that should be saved for once a year at Wrestlemania. Plus someone winning the match at Wrestlemania is a much bigger deal than on a B-ppv.


Hell in a Cell (This is another match that is a specialty match that should be used for rare occasions to end big time feuds, not a ppv theme. It's wasted and made to feel less special, and it kills the ppv having only one, yet it's overkill to have a whole event full of them. Just get rid of it.)


TLC (Same as the Hell in a Cell. It's a specialty match that should be used rarely, not as a ppv theme)


So I guess if I came up with a yearly lineup of ppv events it would look something like this....

January: Royal Rumble

February: Elimination Chamber

March/April: Wrestlemania

May: Extreme Rules

June: King of the Ring

July: Great American Bash (no theme of matches, just a regular ppv and it fits with July being the month that Independence Day is celebrated)

August: Summerslam

September: Night of Champions/War Games (If there's a good stable type feud, then go with the War Games ppv, if not just go with Night of Champions, or maybe combine both and have the winners of all the championship matches face off in a final match of the night, a War Games match)

October: Halloween Havoc (This can be an all gimmick match type event, but make it have the Cyber Sunday concept where fans get to vote and choose the gimmick matches that wrestlers can be a part of, possibly making the matches Halloween themed?)

November: Survivor Series (again, an all team-Elimination match card, no singles or other matches, except possibly a world title match)

December: Judgment Day/Armageddon/Backlash: Battle Bowl (Pick whichever title you want with the ppv centering around the Battle Bowl tournament. In addition to winning a Battle Bowl ring, if you want to throw more of a prize into it, perhaps the winner can either get a title shot at the Royal Rumble, or get the No. 30 spot in the Royal Rumble match)


If I could sum up my stance on WWE ppvs, I want more themed-style ppvs, but I want them to go all out and make the whole ppv about that theme, not just one match of the ppv. That's WWE's problem with ppvs in my view.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

For Starrcade, would you guys think making it the "in ring Wrestlemania" (which it basically was) could be part of the appeal? This would be the PPV where you'd have like Daniel Bryan vs CM Punk in an iron man match or whatever. I'd also run classic NWA/WCW towns like Charlotte or Atlanta. Maybe have Flair host the inagural WWE branded Starrcade. Maybe this is where I'd have Sting make his first WWE appearance as well. Although that may be WCW/NWA overkill 15 years after the fact. Whew that makes me feel old.

For the guy above me, you don't have ever match at a themed PPV be the theme. That's overkill. Imagine if you owned a steakhouse. Not every item on the menu is steak. It's not entirely literal, that's just the appeal. You still have your calamari or stuff mushroom appetizers, asparagus, baked potatoe, or vegetable sides, lobster or vegetarian options, creme brule, triple chocolate cake, and carrot cake desserts. That's how a wrestling show should be. Appealing to a lot of different tastes. However, if people don't know what your restaurant's draw is, or that it's even a restaurant, no one is going to come.

 

[tvcolosi]

April should always be Backlash, I hate they changed it.

You can keep the Elimination Chamber in February but do a 3 on 3 War Games type match with your Mania feuds. (See No Way Out of Texas 1998 with the 8 man street fight NAO, HHH and Savio Vega [replacing HBK] vs Funk. Cactus, Owen and Austin.)

Another idea I had a while ago is the MitB ppv, you get only 6 months to cash in and in February you can do "Money in the Chamber". Really MitB doesn't need to be a ladder match so now you have a case in play at Mania and the Raw after.

October = Halloween Havoc... I LOVE it!

 

[Mr_Trophies]

The issue that most people (including myself) with themed PPV's is not with ALL of them in general, but more with which ones and how many. I personally look at the Rumble as part of WM, and it is perfect where it is. It is ok as an annual event at a specific time of year because it serves a specific purpose. That would be the same with King of the Ring if you made it for a title shot. It would essentially have the same purpose as the Rumble but it pertains to Summerslam rather than WM.

The difference is HIAC was made into such a draw usually because it was the climax to some very heated and personal feud (HHH/Batista, edge/undertaker, etc.) and it was a way to essentially conclude that feud. But the timing was right because they would do it when it was necessary, not when the calendar told them it was time for HIAC. If the feud hasn't gotten to the point where it is about to boil over then it does not justify a HIAC match. Unfortunately, having a HIAC ppv scheduled annually does one of two things: 1. It forces wwe to force the issue and try to create a feud worthy of the cell in time for the POV 2. They have a match that is not worthy of HIAC and it is watered down. Or, they get lucky and it all falls into place naturally.

Same goes for TLC. When it started it was about 3 awesome tag teams that were constantly trying to 1up each other and the matches really meant something and were truly important. Now you have a TLC match just bc the calendar says you should.

Thats my beef with themed PPVs. It really depends on the circumstances. Some make sense. Some don't IMO. Night of Champions is silly bc the titles aren't defended often enough as it is. Dean Ambrose defending his US title shouldn't be so rare that you have to have a NOC ppv in order for it to happen.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I believe the schedule is in need of re-formatting. This is one mans' opinion.
January: ROYAL RUMBLE: No problemss at all with any aspect of this PPV and I think it's placed perfectly in regards to Wrestle mania.

This is fine. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

February: I would move Elimination Chamber to later in the year and replace it with a Non-Themed PPV, lets' say "Battleground". Shore up some feuds heading into Mania.

No, this is dumb. Why put a show that nobody cares about right in the middle in between the #3 and #1 shows of the year? The interest in this show would be abysmally low. Keep Elimination Chamber where it is, it serves a purpose and is an enjoyable show that is home to an enjoyable match type.

March: Wrestlemania

If anyone changes this, they have lost their minds.

April: I would replace any Straight WWE Card here with a half WWE, Half NXT card. Call it "Uprising" Pick the best from NXT and showcase them.

No. March and April should both be used for Wrestlemania build. I'm in favor of an NXT show perhaps during another time of the year to showcase the future stars similar to what "Arrival" did. Doing this in March or April isn't the brightest idea though. Fans won't spend money on this knowing Wrestlemania is right before or right after.

May: I would love to see WWE resurrect WCW's old "Battlebowl" Concept here. 14 Randomly paired tag teams compete in traditional Tag Team matches. The winning teams enter a Battle Royal for the Battle Bowl Championship..

I'd rather see Over the Limit be brought back and have it be home to I Quit and Last Man Standing matches, perhaps an Iron Man match one year. As long as Extreme Rules is done away with. It's 100% useless and any other brand on the calendar can be used for Wrestlemania rematches.

June: King of the Ring. Do the entire Tournament and nothing else. I always thought this was a great contest. Maybe say the "King" has a SummerSlam WWE title shot.

No. Payback can be in the June spot, it was a good show last year although they need to find some way to differentiate it from the rest. This could also be when the NXT show is. I'd support bringing KOTR back, but I don't see that happening. Money In the Bank has replaced King Of the Ring as a concept. June should be Payback or your NXT idea.

July: Hell in the Cell. Seems like the only Hardcore type PPV that WWE is able to succeed at in this PG era.

Hell In a Cell should remain October exclusive, the name and match type fit with the Halloween season. Sure one can argue for the return of Halloween Havoc but that would have taken place by now. Money In the Bank being right before Summerslam is perfect to me.

August: Summerslam.

Yep, keep this. There's no reason to ever get rid of Summerslam or move it.

September: MITB. Again, I'd limit the amount of time for a cash in.....Say, the Rumble.

I want them to keep Night of Champions here. The pointless non-title filler can be replaced with Money In the Bank briefcase defenses. The gimmick of it being the only night of the year where EVERY title is defended speaks for itself even if there are fewer titles now than there were 5 years ago.

October: Another Split NXT/WWE PPV. This gives NXT two shots a year, Approx 6 months apart.

I covered October already, it should be Hell In a Cell, but ONLY that show. I hate that WWE kept trying to cram two shows into that month and then wonder why neither ever did great. Also, why are you doing two NXT shows? One is fine.

November: Survivor Series. I, personally, Would love to see "Teams of 5 strive to survive" however unlikely. Again, to make this worthy, perhaps the "Survivors" are garuanteed numbers 15 or below in the Rumble?

The numbers wouldn't be worth it for the survivors though, any number could win the Rumble at any given year. I am up for changing up Survivor Series somehow. It needs to stay in its spot though, it's still one of the Big 4.

December: Here I would insert the Chamber. Have at least two Chamber matches.

No. This needs to stay TLC. It is the best of the gimmick PPV's and is a fantastic opportunity to end feuds before the new year begins at the Rumble again. Need to end a feud? There's 4 different gimmick matches here to pick from. Chairs match, Tables match, Ladder match, TLC match. It doesn't get more convenient for a show meant to close down feuds at the end of the year than that.


So here's the short version:

January - Royal Rumble
February - Elimination Chamber
March/April - Wrestlemania
May - Over The Limit
June - NXT Showcase similar to Arrival OR Payback
July - Money In the Bank
August - Summerslsam
September - Night Of Champions
October - Hell In A Cell
November - Survivor Series
December - TLC