The Best WWE PPV From Each Year Of The 2010s

May 2024 · 7 minute read

The back half of the 2000s often saw complaints that WWE was starting to put on too many pay-per-views annually. Some years saw more than twelve and that continued into the 2010s. By 2014, there were even more of these shows due to the launch of the WWE Network.

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As always, a few events stood out from the decade and each year had at least one that could be considered truly great. When picking out the best WWE PPV of the year, only the main roster was looked at, so nothing from NXT will be included, no matter how good those shows are.

10 2010 - Royal Rumble

Regardless of the hype for the card, the Royal Rumble is an event that fans always look forward to. There's just something fun about the titular match as it's filled with anticipation and excitement. The 2010 iteration was among the best as the match saw Edge return, CM Punk dominate, and the story of Shawn Michaels' desperate attempt to win.

The rest of the show was also quite solid. Christian defended the ECW Title in a pretty good bout with Ezekiel Jackson, The Miz and MVP had a decent US Title match, and Mickie James got revenge for the "Piggie James" angle. Plus, there's a great rare meeting between The Undertaker and Rey Mysterio.

9 2011 - Money in the Bank

WWE decided to do something unique with Money in the Bank in 2011. With CM Punk's contract set to expire, he was given a major push and a main event slot against John Cena for the WWE Championship. In Punk's hometown with a raucous crowd, he won the title in one of the best matches of the decade.

Of course, this event wouldn't be complete without Money in the Bank matches. Both the Smackdown and Raw side (won by Daniel Bryan and Alberto Del Rio) put on highly entertaining matches. There's also a surprisingly good Big Show/Mark Henry clash and a great World Title match between Christian and Randy Orton.

8 2012 - Extreme Rules

Although WrestleMania XXVIII was a good show, it felt like a bit of a disappointment. One reason was that CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho was good but not great. Thankfully, at Extreme Rules, they had a better outing in a Chicago Street Fight. Also, Daniel Bryan and Sheamus got to have a real match and put on a great 2 Out of 3 Falls bout.

The major selling point was the first match for Brock Lesnar since 2004. He went to war with John Cena in a brutal outing that lived up to the hype. There were also a handful of solid matches up and down the card.

7 2013 - SummerSlam

SummerSlam 2013 isn't just the best PPV of 2013. It's also one of the greatest SummerSlam PPVs in history. The show was loaded from top to bottom. Daniel Bryan finally won the WWE Title by beating John Cena in a classic, only to have Randy Orton cash in Money in the Bank and set up the angle against The Authority.

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Brock Lesnar and CM Punk had an outstanding match, while Alberto Del Rio and Christian nearly stole the show. This PPV also has Bray Wyatt's first major match and a fun mixed tag involving AJ Lee and Big E taking on Kaitlyn and Dolph Ziggler.

6 2014 - WrestleMania XXX

In the eyes of a lot of fans, WrestleMania XXX might be the best Mania of all-time and for good reason. Obviously, it ended with Daniel Bryan overcoming Batista and Randy Orton to become WWE Champion in an emotional moment. It also started with a bang as Bryan beat Triple H in a stellar opener.

The first Andre the Giant battle royal was a lot of fun, the Shield squashed legends, AJ Lee beat the entire divas' division, and Bray Wyatt battled John Cena. Throw in a great Kickoff tag match and the iconic segment with Stone Cold, The Rock, and Hulk Hogan and this is an easy winner. That's all before bringing up The Undertaker's streak being broken.

5 2015 - WrestleMania 31

In terms of build, WrestleMania 31 had a lame one. It was hard to get invested in almost any storyline but when it came time for the event, the matches exceeded expectations. After a wonderful Kickoff tag, the main card opened with a wild ladder match featuring some of WWE's best talents.

Randy Orton beat Seth Rollins with arguably the best RKO ever and it was wild to see Sting compete at a WrestleMania. Rusev's unbeaten streak was ended and The Undertaker returned. AJ Lee and Paige teamed before AJ retired. To top it all, Rollins returned to cash in his briefcase and win the WWE Title after a fantastic main event between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.

4 2016 - Backlash

During the 2000s, it was rare to find a single-branded PPV that was the best. 2016 saw those return and the first one was the best. Smackdown put on Backlash and did a lot right even if it had some negative aspects like the Bray Wyatt/Randy Orton/Kane saga.

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Things opened with Becky Lynch winning a great match to become the first Smackdown Women's Champion, while Heath Slater and Rhyno won the Smackdown Tag Titles in a good match. The Miz and Dolph Ziggler had a classic over the Intercontinental Title and the main event saw AJ Styles win his first WWE Title over Dean Ambrose in a great bout.

3 2017 - Elimination Chamber

Once again, the Smackdown brand put on the best show of the year. The women got to shine in three matches. Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James was good, Nikki Bella and Natalya had a solid outing, and Naomi won her first title by beating Alexa Bliss.

This show also featured a turmoil match to showcase the tag team division and a phenomenal Luke Harper vs. Randy Orton match. It was capped by one of the best Elimination Chamber matches ever, won by Bray Wyatt in the end.

2 2018 - Evolution

The best thing about WWE since around 2015 has been the women's division. So, it made perfect sense that their own historic PPV would be the best of its year. This show allowed the past, present, and future to shine. Legends like Trish Stratus and Lita won a tag match, while others were in an enjoyable battle royal.

Io Shirai and Toni Storm had a banger to crown the second Mae Young Classic winner and Shayna Baszler regained the NXT Women's Title to start her 500+ day reign. There was also a fun tag involving Sasha Banks and Bayley. The final two matches saw Becky Lynch beat Charlotte Flair in a brutal Last Woman Standing match and Ronda Rousey best Nikki Bella. A great show all around.

1 2019 - Royal Rumble

There's only one negative that can be said about this event which is that it ran too long. The Kickoff tag was weak and there was a surprisingly lackluster AJ Styles/Daniel Bryan match. Everything else delivered in spades. On the men's side, Seth Rollins won the Rumble, Finn Bálor had a great short match with Brock Lesnar, Shinsuke Nakamura won the US Title, and there was an awesome Cruiserweight Title match.

For the females, Becky Lynch and Asuka had one of the best women's matches of all-time to start the main card. Ronda Rousey and Sasha Banks also had a fantastic battle. Then, the women's Rumble was spectacular and saw Lynch get the win in the end.

NEXT: The Best WWE PPV From Each Year Of The 2000s

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