7 PPV Quality Main Events WWE Gave Away For Free

6. The Two Man Power Trip Vs Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit (Monday Night Raw, 21st May 2001)

Vince McMahon Stone Cold Steve Austin Eric Bischoff
WWE

A spectacular Monday Night Raw main event that would inadvertently change the course of company history following a famous injury to one of the organisation's most vital performers, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit had a match for the ages that was subsequently shelved thanks to the heinous final actions of 'The Rabid Wolverine'.

An absorbing tag team war that forced strategy unseen from the bullish heels in their dull clashes with The Undertaker and Kane, Jericho and Benoit's wizardry forced a full reversion to old school villainy from 'The Rattlesnake' and 'The Game' as they tried in vain to hold on to their beloved tag team titles.

The seeds of dissension had been sown a night earlier when botched interference from Stone Cold cost Hunter his Intercontinental Title, but the follow up angle would never see daylight after Triple H tore his quadricep breaking up a 'Y2J' Walls of Jericho attempt on Austin.

Left in full on the WWE Network, it remains one of Raw's best ever main events, and probably should have headlined either Backlash or Judgment Day that year in place of the 'Power Trip's tag and solo battles with 'The Brothers Of Destruction'.

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