20 Greatest Matches In WWE's Empty Arena Era

Most matches on this list overcame the lack of crowd to put on a show. This match actually benefited from the silence. This was no technical match up, no scientific encounter - this was simply two big hard blokes willing to hit and be hit with wince-inducing intensity over a half hour bout that continually increased in drama.

WALTER was and is an unstoppable wrecking machine, a sentient slab of beef interested only in inflicting pain. Dragunov, meanwhile, was the smaller, sprightlier thorn in his side. The two had matched up many times before around the globe, with the Russian boasting an impressive win record.

This history gave the bout a decisive, inevitable feel, crowd or no. The pair had a score to settle, and if they had to sacrifice their own bodies to destroy their opponent’s, they’d gladly do so. There were colossal slams and powerbombs, sickening bumps to the head and neck, about twelve thousand chops echoing across the empty arena.

The gigantic Austrian won after he finally squeezed the last gasp of air out of Dragunov’s body, but no one lost this one really. This was a sleeper hit, a word of mouth sensation that folk still talk about with awe - and a sense of “rather them than me”.