10 Underrated PPVs From WWE's Ruthless Aggression Era

Match of the Night: Edge vs Mick Foley

WrestleMania is the pinnacle of the sports entertainment calendar, so one would expect this show to be excellent by default. However, 2005 was not a great year for WWE in the sense that the same acts that excelled during the early part of the Ruthless Aggression Era had now started to wear thin some of the appreciation and respect they had gained. John Cena was starting to receive mixed crowd reactions similar to those he receives today and the supposed ‘big star’ of the era, Brock Lesnar, was nowhere to be seen. This event needed to dazzle in the eyes of the fans and prove to them that WWE was not out of ideas already, so soon into its new era.

Fortunately, the card was strong from start to finish. A fantastic opening involving the Tag Team Champions which featured both solid ring work and a healthy dose of comedy did much to alleviate some of the early pressure. The main event between John Cena and Triple H delivered an impressive rendition of the tried and tested ‘passing the torch’ storyline, but a contest that eclipsed even that was the Hardcore Match between Edge and Mick Foley. The moment where Edge speared Mick through a flaming table has left an impression on this business that is rarely, if ever, seen today. It was the right match, with the right build and the right figures leading it, which led to this PPV still being talked about today.