10 Biggest WWE Pay-Per-View Disappointments
Don't let me down, gently.
For WWE, a curse of being the biggest wrestling company in the world is the propensity to disappoint.
The weighty expectations of a vast audience awaiting satiation from your major shows and headline matches creates huge pressure amongst those within the organisation wishing to provide the most satisfying product possible to their fiercely loyal customers.
Often due to the collective talent of those involved, in-built predilections of wrestling fans or the spectacle of a high profile meeting between two wrestlers, presumptions are made that stretch beyond the ability of talent and creative alike.
However, on some occasions, every positive forecast is justified. Despite this, there have been several matches over the years that have almost guaranteed customer satisfaction in their promotion, but have ultimately failed to deliver on the lofty promise.
With WrestleMania just around the corner, the threat of a potential failure on the grandest stage lingers over many, with industry icons even guilty of under-performing at the worst possible times.
Looking back at some of the worst offenders from over thirty years promoting major shows to their global audience, here are the 10 biggest WWE pay-per-view disappointments.
10. Rey Mysterio Vs Sabu (One Night Stand 2006)
One of the first signs that WWE's 2006 ECW relaunch may not be quite the renegade it promised, Rey Mysterio's 'Extreme Rules' World Title defence against Sabu was less of a hardcore war and more a harsh reminder of the passage of time.
Both were working at half speed, with most of the chair-based or high flying offence falling way short of expectations as the contest highlighted some huge impending issues with the muddled revival.
With Sabu a shell of his 1990s self and Rey Mysterio long-homogenised by extended runs in WWE and WCW (and playing it safe in the match itself), the fans in attendance had little convincing to latch onto, and completely lost their patience when the battle was abruptly waved of by doctors f following a springboard DDT through a table onto the World Champion.
It was a ludicrous finish, not least one that couldn't exist under ECW rules, nor the 'extreme' ones WWE placed on the contest themselves.
With spots throughout the broadcast that were ostensibly more 'hardcore' than the move as well as Sabu's entire schtick working around how insane and brave he was in the face of potential injury, it was the worst possible outcome in the worst possible match.