12 Richest WWE Matches Of All Time

11. Triple H Vs. The Rock (Backlash 2000)

Donald Trump Stone Cold Steve Austin Vince McMahon Bobby Lashley
WWE.com

Amidst unending praise and phenomenal commercial success during the year 2000, WWE were chided for taking the uncharacteristic step of leaving their top title on a heel at the climax of that year's WrestleMania. The 'Show Of Shows' finale had always epitomised Vince McMahon's "send 'em home happy" philosophy - the end of the wrestling year had to have an ending.

Capping off a card that was already considered a rare misfire at the time, Triple H remaining WWE Champion was actually the shrewdest move on the show. The company drew a record-smashing 824,000 buys for the event, but carried nearly all of the audience over for a rematch between 'The Game' and The Rock at Backlash a month later.

One of the best B-show buyrates ever, the April supercard attracted a whopping 675,000 purchasers keen to see 'The Great One' finally ascend to the top of the mountain with the help of one-night returnee Stone Cold Steve Austin. Few secondary shows ever did better, with the card even outdrawing the star-studded WrestleMania 19 several years later. It's fair to assume that management didn't know how good they really had it back in those glory days, but on this occasion, they clearly did.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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