Behind The Secret Classic WWE PPV Nobody Ever Talks About

The WWE PPV which helped change the landscape of the business.

by Andrew Pollard
Bret Hart Bam Bam Bigelow King of the Ring 1993
WWE.com

Here in 2023, regardless how up and downs the company's weekly television can be, there's no disputing that WWE has put on some phenomenal Premium Live Events throughout the first half of the year.

January saw WWE serve up a Royal Rumble PLE that was a whole bunch of fun, and which was followed the next month by an electric, Sami Zayn-driven Elimination Chamber from Montreal. Of course, WrestleMania 39 was next to roll around, and WWE managed to deliver two brilliant days of their particular brand of sports entertainment, with a couple of Match of the Year candidates thrown in for good measure.

More recently, WWE has travelled internationally for a buzz-worthy jaunt to Puerto Rico with Backlash, and Night of Champions was likely the best match-for-match show the market leader has put on in Saudi Arabia since forming its oft-lambasted relationship with the Kingdom.

Still, while we're being spoilt on the PLE/PPV front these days, there is one event of yesteryear that doesn't get the love it truly deserves.

With that in mind, then, here's all you need to know about a WWE PPV that absolutely needs a lot more respect put on its name, for it helped to facilitate the changing of the landscape when Vince McMahon's promotion needed it most.

8. The Greatest PPVs In WWE History

Bret Hart Bam Bam Bigelow King of the Ring 1993
WWE.com

When looking back across the history of WWE, the company has put on a ridiculous amount of Pay-Per-Views - or, y'know, Premium Live Events - since the promotion's first ever PPV back in 1985. Of course, that first PPV would be the inaugural WrestleMania from Madison Square Garden.

As of this writing - should your writer's maths be correct - WWE has held a total of 486 PPVs and WWE Network specials, taking in main roster shows, NXT events, UK-exclusive offerings, and certain offerings only available on the Network. Of all of those PPVs, some obviously stand out above others, and some are cemented in the annals of history as the greatest shows that WWE has ever delivered to its audience and to the wider wrestling world, period.

WrestleMania X-Seven, Royal Rumble 1992, SummerSlam 2002, In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede, Money in the Bank 2011, ECW One Night Stand 2005, Royal Rumble 2001; these are just some of the PPVs often debated as being the greatest in WWE history.

While all of those are fantastic, legendary PPVs, there is one other utter classic that often gets overlooked when discussing the greatest Premium Live Event put together by the market leader.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.