10 Best WWE Set Designs

4. Backlash (2000 - 2002)

Smackdown Fist
WWE

Back when Stone Cold Steve Austin was really catching fire as a babyface, Vince McMahon used to effectively admit on camera that he didn't really get it.

Clearly he was glad it was happening and keen to trust the loud instincts of his audience, but little moments on commentary along the lines of "I don't know why they love him, but they do" seemed as much in service of his own confusion as they were the anti-hero persona Austin excelled at.

That's your writer's take on the swinging Backlash pincers, but people love them so much that it'd seemingly discredit the entire list not including them. The adoration could be rooted in nostalgia - Backlash 2000 was one of the best WWE shows ever after all. Still, if there was ever show where the set mattered least it was that one.

There's definitely something fun about the way they move - there's a moderate sense of danger should a passing wrestler get impaled one, and the there's something unique about the set looking like it's got a life of its own independent of the wrestling happening in the ring. F*ck it - bring them back in NXT. Anything to add some pep to the step of that the half empty Full Sail setting.

 
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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, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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