10 Biggest First Time Ever WWE Matches
With Orton/Lesnar coming up, let's take a look at the biggest first time matches in company history.
Okay, it may not be the very first time they've ever met inside a WWE ring, but the forthcoming SummerSlam battle between Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton may as well be treated as so. Since Lesnar returned to the company in 2012 his matches have been something of a conveyor belt of 'dream' bouts, first time meetings such as his SummerSlam bouts against Triple H and CM Punk.
Where does the upcoming Orton/Lesnar showdown rank against other big-time first meetings in World Wrestling Entertainment? Inspired by a discussion over at wrestlingforum.com, I decided to take a look and find out just what was the biggest first time ever match in company history.
Of course, there is no real way of judging what is the 'biggest' in this context. Biggest attendance? Biggest buyrate? Best rating? A wrestling event is more than one match, and frequently the big names don't come with technical ability. Hogan vs. Warrior isn't going to be the same as Malenko vs. Guerrero, but you can bet your bottom pound that a lot more folk would pay to see tit.
There are a few matches that you can argue should be on the list. The two aforementioned Lesnar matches, for instance, as well as matches such as Batista vs. Cena or Undertaker. For me, these are the 10 biggest first time ever matches in WWE history.
10. The Shield Triple Threat - Battleground 2016
You know what, I'm still somewhat surprised that this match took place at Battleground. WWE is clearly trying to imbue their secondary pay-per-views with extra importance, and by having this match headline the last show the company achieved that aim. It also surprises me somewhat that the WWE Championship was on the line in the match.
Most people have had this on their WrestleMania or SummerSlam cards since The Shield split up, a three-way between the members in the semi-main event position or higher. The bout between Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins somehow managed to be devalued by the championship being on the line.
All gripes aside, this was the biggest match that WWE has had on its plate for the last few years and the fact that the company managed to resist the temptation to go with it for so long was impressive in itself. We all wanted to see it, and finally we did.