10 Worst WWE Pay-Per-Views Ever

2. Survivor Series 1999

Worst WWE Pay-Per-Views
WWE.com

In ugly old-fashioned form ahead of a creative and commercial peak in 2000, the cynical write-out of Stone Cold Steve Austin shortly before the main event triple threat match with The Rock and Triple H was amongst some of the worst audience manipulation in WWE history.

'The Rattlesnake' had been counted out by doctors weeks earlier, but the company at no point let slip that they'd not be delivering on lofty promises before he was mowed down in the arena car park. A wretched card surprisingly didn't fill the hole left by the absence of one of the biggest stars in industry history, with Survivor Series elimination matches seemingly drafted on hotel napkins a week earlier and Chyna and Chris Jericho not yet finding the passable form they'd later find together.

Diamond In The Rough: Kurt Angle's debut with Shawn Stasiak is a nuanced and brilliant counter-play by Vince McMahon. Clearly a man still with a masterful grasp on the emotive nerve-ending of his audience, an intentionally drab match allows for a moment of dislikable distain from the Olympian during a period in which he was destined to be booed. McMahon bravely crafting a hero-to-zero arc for the flag-adorned gold medallist was ballsy and brilliant.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 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. 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