10 Best Ruthless Aggression Era WWE PPVs
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WWE’s Ruthless Aggression Era spanned from 2002 until 2008. While the preceding Attitude Era saw WWE climb to new heights, becoming the only major American wrestling promotion in the world, and becoming a Publicly Trading Company helping them become the most financially stable they’ve ever become, the Ruthless Aggression Era was about taking the WWE in a new direction.
While they were in a phase of building new talents to replace top stars such as The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin, many on the WWE roster put a firm emphasis on quality wrestling. Of course, the roster was brimming with talent, much of the era was marked by its misses rather than its hits.
However, some undeniable quality events took place during these years, some of which remain the best shows the company have ever produced. With new talent both in the ring, as well as producers behind the scenes, there is some definite credit to be given.
With the release of the new WWE Network documentary focusing on the Ruthless Aggression Era, let’s take a look at some of these indisputable gems from yesteryear.
10. Vengeance 2002
Taking place at the start of the Ruthless Aggression Era, this event was fuelled by Vince McMahon’s pep talk at the go-home Raw.
This event began with a tables match between the recently-returned Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero versus Bubba Ray and Spike Dudley, and it got the show off to a fast-paced, high-spot-filled start.
Next up, was a Cruiserweight Championship match between Jamie Noble and Billy Kidman, which wasn’t as good as their Survivor Series bout later in the year, but it was still very good.
John Cena made his WWE pay-per-view debut, defeating whiny fallen-from-grace heel, Chris Jericho.
Next up, Booker T defeated Big Show in a match surpassing expectations. 2002 was a key year in Booker T’s WWE development, and this match signalled how competent and entertaining he could be.
In the main event, The Rock triumphed over The Undertaker and Kurt Angle in easily the best match of 2002, and one of the greatest triple threats of all time. The action was fast-paced and each wrestler had the opportunity to shine. Each man one upped the other, and the event ended on a high as The Rock took the top spot one more time, and he was then set to face The Next Big Thing at SummerSlam.