10 Wrestling Pay Per View Concepts That Didn't Catch On
Battlebowl probably seemed like a good idea at the time...
It seems like every second wrestling pay-per-view comes with a concept these days. We've already had the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber in 2017, and with Extreme Rules just a couple of months away, it won't be long until we're on to the next one.
Shows like Money In The Bank and Hell In A Cell are typically the only places you can see the event's titular stipulation within a calendar year. WWE have a tendency to overdo it (three HIAC matches in one night was a bit much last year), but the gimmicks at least help the shows feel special, and it allows them to stand-out from faceless shows like Battleground and Fastlane.
Dozens of pay-per-view concepts have come and gone over the decades. Some, like Survivor Series and the Rumble, have stood the test of time to become important parts of the wrestling year. A huge number have been consigned to the past, however, and wrestling history is littered with gimmick PPVs that just didn't last.
The pay-per-views themselves entirely bad, but for various reasons, none were able to hold the wrestling world's attention for very long.
10. WWE Fatal 4-Way
WWE’s obsession with branding their pay-per-views with a specific gimmick peaked in 2010. Concepts like Hell In A Cell and Tables, Ladders, and Chairs have become an accepted part of the company’s annual schedule, but Fatal 4-Way is still the most mundane PPV concept WWE have ever had.
There’s nothing wrong with a good Fatal Four-Way, but there’s nothing particularly special about them either. HIAC and TLC matches should at least guarantee higher risks and an elevated sense of danger, but Four-Ways are as bog standard as it gets. Building an entire show around them was a daft idea, and left fans wondering if other equally riveting events like “WWE: Singles Match” were right around the corner.
The show itself featured three Four-Ways for the Divas, World Heavyweight, and WWE Championships. Each of those titles changed hands, but none of the show’s titular matches were anything more than average - and a filler Evan Bourne vs. Chris Jericho singles match was comfortably the evening’s best contest.
The highlight of the night was the fans chanting the recently dismissed Daniel Bryan’s name as the show went off the air, capping a hugely forgettable night, and a PPV concept WWE would never revisit.