Favourite PPVs

[keefmoon]

First off, this is not a competition or tournament! I was just watching my video of Summerslam 2000 with a mate (the first PPV we watched together as it was the month he got Sky and went over there to watch it, although I had Sky way before him and hence already stayed up for quite a few) and remembered how much I loved it. So I was wondering what PPVs are peoples favourites on here? For me (and many others too) Wrestlemania X7 has to be up there. A phenomenal card with great matches and it had a real "Wrestlemania" vibe to it, which they don't always have, in my opinion. And whilst there are many others that I have loved over the years (mainly WWF, but a few WCW too), I do love Summerslam '00. It's the one with the Triple Threat match between Triple H, Angle and The Rock, right after Kurt had just kissed Steph. It also had the first ever (and possibly the best) TLC match, Undertaker vs Kane, the Hardcore match where Shane McMahon fell from the titontron, Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho 2 out of three falls, plus a few fun matches like Taz vs The King, RTC vs Too Cool & Rikishi etc and overall I thought it was a thoroughly enjoyable show. So what are all your favourite PPVs (or wrestling shows of any form, for that matter)?

[weirdo_man]

There's a lot of ECW ones that I remember watching that are just great from start to finish. Even their first pay per view, Barely Legal, is great. Then Heatwave 98 had several Japanese stars on the card, and I even loved a lot of their pay per views when they were on their downfall.

[DanB]

:D Summerslam 00!! Im glad you reminded me of that one! That was the first PPV I ever saw. Thoroughly enjoyed it though.

[Sensai of Mattitude]

I second your point of Summerslam 2000, I remember that vividly since it was the first PPV that I had actually stayed up to watch, which made it memorable. WrestleMania X7 too, because it was my first WrestleMania. And Fully Loaded 2000, since it was the first PPV that I got to watch in general. I was just amazed, and the Rock/Benoit main event was very entertaining. (Yeah, alot of firsts).

[James Casey]

FL2k was great, as was Judgment Day two months before (Rock/HHH Iron Man match). No Way Out 2001, with Angle/Rock, Jericho/Benoit/Guerrero/X-Pac and Austin/HHH was also a superb event. The month before that was Royal Rumble, with a superb Rumble match, an excellent Dudleys/E&C title match, and my favourite ever Ladder match between Jericho and Benoit.

[keefmoon]

[QUOTE=James Casey;221759]FL2k was great, as was Judgment Day two months before (Rock/HHH Iron Man match). No Way Out 2001, with Angle/Rock, Jericho/Benoit/Guerrero/X-Pac and Austin/HHH was also a superb event. The month before that was Royal Rumble, with a superb Rumble match, an excellent Dudleys/E&C title match, and my favourite ever Ladder match between Jericho and Benoit.[/QUOTE] I'll second that on the RR Ladder match front. Maybe not my favourite but up there for sure. I remember after that match thinking that Wrestlemania X8 could easily be main evented by the exact same competitors. I was half right, and had Benoit & Triple H not got injured maybe I'd have been totally right. I also echo the sentiments on Barely Legal. I didn't see it first time around (don't think it was available here at the time, nor do I remember ECDub ever being widely available in these parts) but when I did see it I loved it. It's funny how recent most of the PPVs are. But understandable. I mean, I've been watching wrestling for years but aside from Wrestlemania's I can barely remember what happened in any event prior to 1998!

[Nevermore]

[QUOTE=keefmoon;221763]I also echo the sentiments on Barely Legal. I didn't see it first time around (don't think it was available here at the time, nor do I remember ECDub ever being widely available in these parts) but when I did see it I loved it.[/QUOTE] Oh man, does anyone remember the Michinoku Pro guest match at that gig. It was f**king incredible! Off the top of my head I think it was: Great Sasuke, Men's Teoh (Terry Boy), Taka Michinoku and some other Japanese names I can't remember in six man tag action (can't remember the teams). Seriously, though, I swear that match is the best example of the fast-paced modern style I have ever seen - brilliant! RVD vs. Lance was great on that card too. Those were clearly the standouts. Funk winning the strap was kinda cool but the Three Way Dance main event was underwhelming I seem to remember. Anyway enough of my ranting; I'm sure you've gathered that I loved that show. Quote The Raven Nevermore

[The Ego]

King of The Ring 95, i think it was, First got sky and Owen Hart went onto win, thanks to the Anvil lol Also Halloween Havoc 91, WM X for obvious reasons, and WM XII.

[mystic]

JUDGMENT DAY 1998 is one for me because I was there. (austin gets fired, Rock gets beat in a squash match) overall WM 17 is my favorite

[Guest The Aussie]

My favorite is probably ECW ONS 2005; It was a very nostalgic show. My other favourite would be WM X7 for obvious reasons.

[Remianen]

[QUOTE=Nevermore;221775]Seriously, though, I swear that match is the best example of the fast-paced modern style I have ever seen - brilliant![/QUOTE] That match ruined me mainly because it was the complete opposite of the boring, slow-paced traditional style that I was seriously fed up with. What really stands out to me, looking back at it, is that it wasn't a blatant spotfest like the old fogies used to say about 'modern' style matches. The difference was, because the pace was faster, you had to be able to keep up. It's like your wife telling you a story about someone at work and you have no context so you have to try to pick up bits and pieces ("Okay, she's a bitch"....."ahh, she's a bitch because she did X six months ago"...."and she sucks up to the boss constantly", etc) from the flow of the story. It's like the difference between reading a 'Clifford' book and a John Grisham novel. One moves slowly enough that anyone can follow along and the other just blazes ahead and forces you to pay attention to every little detail to keep up. I'd have to go back and check on which WWE PPVs I liked. But I'm sure I'll find a couple. ;)

[Nevermore]

[QUOTE=Remianen;221886]It's like the difference between reading a 'Clifford' book and a John Grisham novel. One moves slowly enough that anyone can follow along and the other just blazes ahead and forces you to pay attention to every little detail to keep up.[/QUOTE] I won't lie, I had to read back once to see the logic but that was a damn good analogy! There are very few wrestling matches where I actually find myself on the edge of my seat (or literally leaping out of it) from excitement; that was one of them, though! It didn't help that it was under Lucha Libre rules either. If there is a sure fire way to cause confusion, it's to put six of the most talented Japanese super juniors in a six-man tag match where they don't even have to tag in or out. Quote The Raven Nevermore

[TheEdgeOfReason]

This ECW talk makes me sad as I never got to see any of the original ECW shows:( My fave PPV's are prolly WrestleMania X7 and SummerSlam '00

[weirdo_man]

[QUOTE=Nevermore;221902]I won't lie, I had to read back once to see the logic but that was a damn good analogy! There are very few wrestling matches where I actually find myself on the edge of my seat (or literally leaping out of it) from excitement; that was one of them, though! It didn't help that it was under Lucha Libre rules either. If there is a sure fire way to cause confusion, it's to put six of the most talented Japanese super juniors in a six-man tag match where they don't even have to tag in or out. Quote The Raven Nevermore[/QUOTE] Yes, that match was excellent. I remember seeing that pay per view for the first time about a year ago and going nuts. While the match that won Wrestling Observers match of the year, the 3v3 between workers from Dragon Gate that ROH brought in, did the exact same thing. That very fast paced Japanese stuff is off the hook, even today when done properly. Oh, and the RVD VS Lance Storm match was disappointing just because of Lance Storm's chairshots lol.

[tristram]

Starrcade 1997 should have been a great pay-per-view, such hype, but was horribly ruined by Hulk Hogan's inability to let Sting go over. Unbelievable how they ruined that one, it was supposed to define and reshape the wrestling industry, instead it was the beginning of their end.

[jerlito]

hey nevermore i do remember that match on the card i liked it because i grew up mainly watching japan and mexcian style wrestling but my fav would have to be triple aaa's first ppv back then i can't remember when it happen but it was a great show to me.

[flamebrain]

Royal Rumble 1992 - Go Flair Go! IYH: Badd Blood - First PPV I saw after I stopped way back. Survivor Series 1998 - Deadly Game. I was totally hooked by it. The fact that the whole PPV played out almost like a film really worked for me. Royal Rumble 1998 - I was marking out for Austin something fierce... and I didn't even like him all that much! Summerslam 1998 - The Highway to Hell promos were really sucking me in. Royal Rumble 2000 - I remember sitting up drunk with friends and chanting the great one's name as he came down to the ring, just like he said we would (dear oh dear :)) I tend to like the Rumbles and Tournaments most because there can be more of a story to the whole show. None of todays PPVs seem to draw me in to the extent those in the late 90s did even when they're good there is still a greater degree of detachment.

[sirniles2000]

Great question keefmoon. Well, let's see: Wrestlemania 6: The Warrior/Hogan match was just special. First time to have the intercontinental and World title on the line at the same time in a match(as far as I know). First time to have a face vs. face match at a major pay per view. One of the few times where I had no clue who would win. Completely split fanbase. Electric Crowd. And Hogan/the warrior SURPRISINGLY put on a good match. Not to mention that demolition won the tag titles over the colossal connection, Mr. perfect was on the card, and Jake Roberts and the Million Dollar man put on a very good match. Wrestlemania 3: Hogan/Andre the giant; Steamboat/savage. Enough said. Survivor series 98: I love tournaments, and this is one that actually kept me guessing. The WWF did a wonderful job of compelling television in the weeks leading up to this event, and delivered BIG TIME at the pay per view. It was the final kickstart to the legend that is The Rock. Wrestlewar 92(Wargames)- I LOVED the wargames matches, and this one was one of my favorites. Royal Rumble 99: I always loved the rumble, so any royal rumble event has a good chance of making my favorite pay per view lists. But this one was set apart because of a brutal I quit match between The Rock and Mankind. Backlash 99: I love the Rock/Austin Matches, and this one was better than their wrestlemania match a month before. Plus, they had some great weeks of television leading up to this event. Superbrawl(1991): The first Superbrawl. Ric Flair put on a pretty good match with some Japanese guy whose name I cant remember. But the thing that I still remember about this event was the Steiners vs. Sting/Luger tag team title match. Sting pushing Luger out of the way and getting clotheslined by nikita koloff with a chain wrapped around his arm is a image that this sticks in my mind. The Great American Bash(1987): The first wargames match, and a pretty good match between the Rock and Roll Express and the Midnight Express. Starcade 1989: It was a tournament, and the rules of the tournament were very confusing to me at the time, but it was a tournament, and I love tournaments. There were just so many big name matches, all in one night. Wrestlemania 17: Just an overall great card, with an awesome main event. Summerslam 2000 Survivor Series 2000: Austin/HHH, Rock/Rikishi, Undertaker/Angle. Just a pretty good pay per view all the way through. Armageddon 2000: Other than the main event(six-man hell in the cell), this event wasn't very good. But it had a he!! of a main event, and it was held in my hometown(the only pay per view from the WWF to ever be held in my hometown). Barely legal 97: I had actually forgotten about this one until reading what other people said about it. It was a great pay per view, from the best company in wrestling at the time. No way out 2001 Royal Rumble 2001 I could go on, but I think I'll stop here.

[ImmortalLiger]

Super J Cup 94 Has to be the NJPW Super J Cup 1994, with the Benoit/Sasuke final. A terrific event that I only saw relatively recently after trying to get a copy for ages. Some brilliant matches on there and I love the whole interpromotional feel to it. Also loved Wrestlemania VI as a kid, but the Super J Cup wins for sheer quality of wrestling; not an average match on the card.

[justtxyank]

I was at WM 17 so it's a personal favorite of mine. Crowd was awesome. I'd also say the one I was most hyped for ever was probably Hogan/Sting of Starrcade but it was a bust.

[thug saint oga]

any and all ecw ppvs. period. (ONS '06 was GARBAGE!!!! balls/tanaka had ONE F"N CHAIRSHOT TO WIN IT!?!?!?!?!!?) i loved the king of the ring 2001, angle/shane was greatness. i used to watch just about every wcw ppv from 98 until they closed and i have alot of fond memories of them, however, i can't think of one that blew me away with a consistant great card. (i guess that's obvious now-a-days, and it was their downfall) i really liked bound for glory '05 and '06. i think they were both really good. i enjoy most tna ppvs that i've ordered (haven't bought one since BFG '06), but i think they throw together too many matches (tryin to be the E i guess...) and outside of the main matches and the x division, there is too much filler.

[tristram]

[QUOTE=justtxyank;224880]I was at WM 17 so it's a personal favorite of mine. Crowd was awesome. [B]I'd also say the one I was most hyped for ever was probably Hogan/Sting of Starrcade but it was a bust.[/B][/QUOTE] 10 years on, I still can't believe how they stuffed that moment, that card, and the momentum they had right then and there. I'm still in disbelief they're out of business now.... That moment was a key turning point for mine.

[keefmoon]

[QUOTE=tristram;225099]10 years on, I still can't believe how they stuffed that moment, that card, and the momentum they had right then and there. I'm still in disbelief they're out of business now.... That moment was a key turning point for mine.[/QUOTE] Absolutely. One of the main reasons I want to do a WCW '97 diary on here was because it seems ridiculous that they wound up out of business 3 and a half years later. The whole Sting/Hogan thing was red hot. When the nWo were beating on someone on Nitro and Sting first came down for a physical altercation- perhaps my favourite moment in WCW. The way he dropped his bat and just worked through them all was spinechilling. It really felt like the old style that was getting tiresome was about to end. The Starrcade show itself was okay, but I thought the main event was far better than it had any right to be. Hogan was so past it by then but still had a fairly strong match. The ending is easily in the Top 10 worstthings to happen in wrestling. The way Hogan pinned him so easily and cleanly just killed the crowd. The normal speed count that was deemed too quick, the restarting of the match without any real announcement of what was going on... what a shambles. If Sting had gone over Hogan cleanly WWF could quite easily have gone out of business. It would have set things up perfectly in WCW, as Hogan then could have taken a backseat (as could the nWo) and maybe things would have been so, so different. It is this event alone that means I turn off the TV whenever Hogan makes a return to the E. Starrcade should have been my favourite. As it goes, it was probably my worse. (Actually, Unforgiven '99 was. Kennel From Hell Match, anyone?!)

[tristram]

The ending was abysmal. Firstly, Bret Hart should been used as a face post Starrcade, but he was used as a Vincent like nWo lackey - unbelievable. The guy was coming off a massive situation out of the WWF at Montreal, and WCW didn't know how to use him, even after that. Then with the ending, if Bret Hart HAS to be involved; 1) Good match, let Hogan use under hand tactics as his only way to get one up on Sting, cower out of the ring to recuperate, that sort of thing 2) Perhaps he could look to leave the ring to get counted out to retain the belt, Hart pulls him back in, says he's not letting anyone get screwed out of a title again 3) Match continues, Hogan gets the leg drop 1.....2..... Sting kicks out and practically sits up 4) Hogan is beside himself, into the corner, Stinger Splash, into the other corner, Stinger Splash, Scorpion Death Drop, into Scorpion Death Lock. Hogan cleanly taps 5) Hogan lays in a broken heap in the centre of the ring, the rest of the WCW locker room rushes the ring to congratulate Sting, Bret Hart stays on the outside. Perhaps this leads to Bret Hart keeping out of Sting's face, and maybe doing a similar thing down the line, and then maybe Sting giving him a favour and giving him a main event PPV shot at Sting's title. Either way, the belt should not have gone off Sting or at worst Bret Hart for the next 6-9 months. Those two were smoking hot. Then after that, you get Benoit, Jericho, Guerrero and Raven into the main event scene. Perhaps those guys form an alliance to crush the nWo, and succeed. The nWo should have been ended by putting those guys over as genuine WCW main eventers. It was not rocket science on how to succeed from Starrcade, unfortunately politics and 'creative control' type situations ruined any hope of that.

[keefmoon]

[QUOTE=tristram;225129]The ending was abysmal. Firstly, Bret Hart should been used as a face post Starrcade, but he was used as a Vincent like nWo lackey - unbelievable. The guy was coming off a massive situation out of the WWF at Montreal, and WCW didn't know how to use him, even after that. Then with the ending, if Bret Hart HAS to be involved; 1) Good match, let Hogan use under hand tactics as his only way to get one up on Sting, cower out of the ring to recuperate, that sort of thing 2) Perhaps he could look to leave the ring to get counted out to retain the belt, Hart pulls him back in, says he's not letting anyone get screwed out of a title again 3) Match continues, Hogan gets the leg drop 1.....2..... Sting kicks out and practically sits up 4) Hogan is beside himself, into the corner, Stinger Splash, into the other corner, Stinger Splash, Scorpion Death Drop, into Scorpion Death Lock. Hogan cleanly taps 5) Hogan lays in a broken heap in the centre of the ring, the rest of the WCW locker room rushes the ring to congratulate Sting, Bret Hart stays on the outside. Perhaps this leads to Bret Hart keeping out of Sting's face, and maybe doing a similar thing down the line, and then maybe Sting giving him a favour and giving him a main event PPV shot at Sting's title. Either way, the belt should not have gone off Sting or at worst Bret Hart for the next 6-9 months. Those two were smoking hot. Then after that, you get Benoit, Jericho, Guerrero and Raven into the main event scene. Perhaps those guys form an alliance to crush the nWo, and succeed. The nWo should have been ended by putting those guys over as genuine WCW main eventers. It was not rocket science on how to succeed from Starrcade, unfortunately politics and 'creative control' type situations ruined any hope of that.[/QUOTE] That sounds just about perfect. How the bookers couldn't see this is beyond me. And so is how Hogan could be such an arrogant pr*ck. I always thought that if Hart had to be involved, then maybe have a couple of nWo people come down and start beating on Sting, and have Hart come down to the ring and clean house on everyone except Hogan and Sting, giving Sting the chance to Stinger Splash/Death Drop/Death Lock his way to winning the title. Maybe have Hart hand him the title in a sign of respect as the locker room comes down to celebrate.