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As the most popular wrestling company in the world, WWE has been thrilling fans across the globe for decades. In the modern day, the company offers a whole range of live shows aired in numerous countries to suit its international audience
Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown are WWE’s regular weekly programs, while developmental show NXT takes place a number of times each month. While these wrestling shows keep fans on the edge of their seats in the week, it is WWE’s pay-per-view (PPV) events that continue to showcase some of pro-wrestling’s biggest and most memorable matches and moments.
WWE has been staging PPVs since the 1980s. These special events, usually held once a month, earned their name as they were shown by channels that required a fee to watch the broadcast. As a result, PPV shows are generally longer, higher-quality events, with more high-stakes matches and title bouts. Today, WWE PPVs are sometimes called “Premium Live Events” and are mainly shown through the company’s streaming network.
With a schedule running all year long, WWE fans always have something to look forward to thanks to its collection of PPV events. Complemented by a host of less historic shows, the company’s most anticipated annual PPVs are known as the “Big 5”. These take place around the same time each year: the Royal Rumble in January, WrestleMania in early April, Money in the Bank in June/July, SummerSlam in July/August, and Survivor Series in November.
But which PPVs are the best? Here is a list of the Top 5 WWE PPVs in 2022:
5. Survivor Series
Survivor Series has been a WWE PPV since 1987. The event is usually held each November, and as such, it is the final PPV on the WWE events 2022 schedule. As well as being a major show that usually features top title matches, Survivor Series is famous for hosting the annual Survivor Series matches. These matches are elimination tag-team matches featuring upwards of 5 wrestlers on each side. Since 2016, Survivor Series matches have taken place between members of Raw and SmackDown as the brands battle for supremacy.
Some of the most famous matches in WWE history have taken place at Survivor Series, including the infamous Shawn Michaels v Bret Hart match of 1997, a colossal 5-on-5 tag match between Team WWE and Team Alliance in 2001, and the first-ever Elimination Chamber match in 2002. On 26 November 2022, Survivor Series will visit TD Garden in Boston for the fourth time in its history. This year’s edition will feature War Games matches, which will see teams of 5 wrestlers battle it out in 2 rings surrounded by a steel cage.
4. Money in the Bank
Money in the Bank has been a WWE PPV since 2010. The event is named after the Money in the Bank ladder match, which it hosts each year. The match sees up to 10 wrestlers battle for a briefcase hanging above the ring. The wrestler who obtains the briefcase earns a title shot of their choosing at any time they like.
The Money in the Bank ladder match has helped WWE Superstars like The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, and Seth Rollins rise to stardom and become world champions, which makes the PPV that bears its name one of the most exciting pro-wrestling events of the year. With an unpredictable, high-flying ladder match as its headliner, it’s no wonder that the PPV is part of WWE’s Big 5!
3. SummerSlam
WWE SummerSlam is a celebration of summer. Held each year since 1988, the event is sometimes called “The Biggest Party of the Summer" due to its immense popularity, and is second-only to WrestleMania in terms of prestige and popularity.
Hosted by major venues across the world, from London’s Wembley Stadium to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, SummerSlam’s most famous contests include a legendary ladder match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon in 1995, and an emotional victory for Daniel Bryan over John Cena in 2013. Most recently, in 2022, Roman Reigns took on Brock Lesnar in a grueling Last Man Standing Match for the ages, which saw Lesnar upend the ring with a tractor as part of an unsuccessful attempt to become Undisputed Universal WWE Champion.
2. Royal Rumble
Held at the end of January each year, the Royal Rumble holds a special place in the hearts of WWE fans as it marks the beginning of the Road to WrestleMania. While the event has played host to some epic title matches over the years, including a clash between The Rock and CM Punk in 2013, the PPV is best known for its namesake Royal Rumble matches – enormous over-the-top-rope battle royals involving 30 or more wrestlers. Since 2018, one men’s and one women’s Rumble match has taken place at each event.
Through the years, winners of Royal Rumble matches have included Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Triple H, Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey, and Bianca Belair. Alongside a place in history, Royal Rumble winners earn a title shot of their choosing at WrestleMania – one of the richest prizes of any match in the world of professional wrestling. In 2023, the Royal Rumble will take place on 28 January at San Antonio’s Alamodome.
1. WrestleMania
"The Showcase of the Immortals", "The Show of Shows", and "The Super Bowl of Sports Entertainment" – WrestleMania goes by many names, but what’s for certain is that it is WWE’s best PPV and professional wrestling’s most famous event.
A cultural phenomenon since 1985, WrestleMania takes place each April and has played a significant role in WWE's dominance in the professional wrestling business. Tens of thousands of wrestling fans make a pilgrimage to the event each year, while millions tune in on television worldwide. In 2022, for example, over 150,000 people attended the show at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
As well as being the playground of wrestling legends like The Rock, Triple H, John Cena, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Brock Lesnar, and The Undertaker, WrestleMania regularly features celebrity appearances and well-known musical acts, meaning there is always something for everyone. Truly a wrestling event like no other, WrestleMania 39 “Goes Hollywood” in 2023, and will take place across 2 nights on 1–2 April at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
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