10 Best WWE Pay-Per-Views Of The Past Decade

8. WrestleMania 24

CM Punk Brock Lesnar
WWE.com

A dynamic and varied 'Show Of Shows' following a challenging year behind the scenes for WWE, WrestleMania 24 was the first high definition variation of the even and fittingly celebrated this leap into the future by saying a heartbreaking farewell to the past.

On a night where The Undertaker continued his undefeated streak in one of his best ever matches, a heel Randy Orton surprisingly retained his WWE Title and boxer Floyd 'Money' Mayweather over-delivered in a bombastic blockbuster with The Big Show, the spotlight still fell to the two most experienced with stealing shows.

Shawn Michaels' emotionally debilitating defeat of Ric Flair signalled the end of 'The Nature Boy's WWE in-ring career, and tugged heart-strings to snapping point in the process. Flair's fight was as gallant as it was understandably dirty, as 'The Heartbreak Kid' delivered one of his finest displays in making the completely unbelievable suddenly less so. Aware that fans would potentially only nibble at nearfalls, the pair crafted a remarkable conclusion that saw Michaels mouth his apologetic adoration for 'Slick Ric' before pulling the trigger a bitterSweet Chin Music.

 
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Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett