Ranking What Was REALLY The Best Wrestling PPV Every Year 1990-2020

15. 2006 - WWE WrestleMania 22

Edge, Mick Foley
WWE.com

Engulfed in controversy, everything about WrestleMania 22 was a bit despicable, what with Vince McMahon booking Rey Mysterio as Eddie Guerrero's new vessel and all.

Decidedly nowhere near as awful was Triple H pencilling in his reaction in Chicago - and failing to sell a match in a way that people thought might be any good - with his meta, my-d*ck's-bigger bullsh*t. His opponent, John Cena, happened to not be a very good wrestler, he said. Daniel Bryan happened to not be a big enough star seven years later. Wouldn't it have been wonderful, if WWE had the technology to create a Cena/Bryan hybrid? Or Triple H could have f*cked off.

One of the two.

Still, 'Mania 22 was a very good, very memorable and very well-sequenced show. Making the most of its tonal range - remember that? - the wild stunts in the excellent Money In The Bank and hardcore matches totally unglued a molten Chi-town crowd, who were bang up for the hammy, piss-funny McMahon melodrama and the lion's den of a main event, which was a very good if very WWE match elevated by the surrounding furnace.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!