10 Bad WWE Pay-Per-Views One Tweak Away From Excellence
How to fix what WWE didn't actually have to break.
Ignoring the mind-melting chaos of the days that followed for countless WWE Superstars, Crown Jewel 2019 as a show wasn't a total disaster.
Forget one tweek - WWE's most recent Saudi Arabia presentation was a long long way from excellence, but it was the best of four incredibly weird events in the country so far. Focussing on the glamour of invading two-sports superstars rather than weathered and weary industry icons getting a payday, the card was more in service of an audience that were extremely hyped to see their favourite stars. Bored billionaires on sofas waiting for Yokozuna and Ultimate Warrior, this wasn't.
Since the series kicked off with absurd Greatest Royal Rumble card in 2018, the Saudi Arabian Sports Authority have worked to humanise the biannual showcases to the point where Crown Jewel actually looked and felt like a wrestling show rather than a propaganda playground. The black smoke from Lost still hung over it of course, but (and assuming Vince McMahon doesn't pull out of the deal) the sense was that the company might have found a formula that works by the time the wretched decade-long deal has concluded.
The shows in this list wouldn't have needed half as long. Presented with just a single difference to how they eventually looked, these subjective turkeys could have been objective success stories.
10. SummerSlam 2010
Why it's bad: SummerSlam 2010 stacked its main event (and more on that in a moment) but it didn't half leave the rest of the event going wanting as a result.
Title matches featuring Randy Orton, Sheamus, Kane and Rey Mysterio weren't up to much, whilst a lean mindcard left the entire success of the show relying on a satisfying headliner.
One Tweak: Not to go with the blindingly obvious, but put The Nexus over.
WWE had failed to make the best of the WCW Invasion because they genuinely couldn't fathom how these supposed inferior athletes could defeat the great WWE Superstars...as if wrestling were real and they couldn't control it.
The same applied here. The Nexus were young rookies of varying different skill level, but he might not have felt that way if they'd have been permitted wins over major stars once in a while. Or in this case, been booked to dominate once.
There's a reason people only really fondly remember the night Wade Barrett and co debuted despite their run lasting the better part of seven months - it was the only point they actually felt like a threat.