10 Quietly Brilliant WWE PPVs

4. WWF Unforgiven 2001

CM Punk Jeff Hardy
WWE.com

Naturally, most judge 2001 - post WrestleMania X-seven - by the Invasion angle which dominated it.

Unforgiven 2001 was in part blighted by how poorly the homegrown WCW talents - or those more associated with ECWCW than they were with the WWF - were booked. To underline that, the man who entered the WWF with the most credibility - Booker T - was dispatched by The Rock in just fifteen minutes, even with the help of Shane McMahon. It was also blighted by how poorly those WCW talents performed.

The Brothers of Destruction Vs. Kronik bout was such an uncoordinated disaster that even Paul Heyman on commentary broke both kayfabe, and his storyline allegiance to the latter team, by imploring Bryan Clark to "turn around!". Clark, scheduled to receive a chokeslam, was facing the completely opposite direction.

At the time, it was disheartening. But the searing disappointment of an un-f*ck-up-able angle has since simmered.

All that said, Rob Van Dam yet again demonstrated that he was the real MVP (with all due respect to Kanyon) of the Alliance in an entertainingly violent bout with Chris Jericho. The main event, won by Kurt Angle, was equally good - proof that Steve Austin's heel run wasn't quite the disappointment most remember it being.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!