7 WWE Main Events You Won't Believe Didn't Close A PPV

7. SummerSlam 2001

The Match That Closed The Show: The Rock vs. Booker T, WCW Title. In todays WWE if The Rock is wrestling on a PPV there is almost no doubt he is going to be ending the show. Even if that means overshadowing the championship match, which he did at Survivor Series 2011. But back in 2001, when the roster was stacked with future hall of famers in their prime, the story is a little different. The Rock had taken a few months off after WrestleMania X-Seven to film a role in The Scorpion King before returning later that summer to pledge his allegiance to the WWF. There was already a portion of the fan base less than pleased with The Rocks decision to take up acting, so after several weeks of being back the response for him wasn't as impressive as you might have expected. Add to the mix Booker T, who had not yet established credibility with the WWF fan base and the result was a less than ideal 'main event'.

The Match That Should Have Closed The Show: Kurt Angle vs. Steve Austin WWF Championship. There are a couple of things that make this one obvious. Number one, its freaking Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle. The list of why this match should have gone on last could read like the rules of Fight Club, but there was more heat to this rivalry. Austin had turned his back on the WWF at Invasion and teamed up with the Alliance. He took the "richest prize in the business" to enemy territory. Jim Ross referred to it as such multiple times during their epic encounter. Which did little to promote the relevance of the WCW title, even if it did close one of your biggest pay-per-views of the year. If you want further proof of why two of the greatest of all time should have closed the show, just watch the video packages prior to each match to see where the real focus was here.