10 Best WWE Pay-Per-Views: 2003-2005

The WWE Universe always expect the best matches to be saved for WWE's monthly pay-per-views, and that is because they generally are.

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The best matches of the month are generally saved for pay-per-views as we generally see matches with implications that extend big feuds or a big pay-off to a big and long-running storyline.

Most match of the year candidates occur on pay-per-view and a lot of the time, the match of the year itself.

I will be looking over some of the WWE's best pay-per-views over a series of lists, and here are what I feel are the top 10 best WWE pay-per-views of the years 2003 through 2005.

#10 Bad Blood 2004

The PPV marked the end of an epic feud between HHH and HBK

Bad Blood finally drew a line under the on/off two-year feud between Triple H and Shawn Michaels, and what a way to go out.

Another solid line-up from RAW, we had much to look forward to. In his first of two matches, World Champion Chris Benoit opened the show teaming with Edge challenging La Résistance for the Tag Team titles, which ended in a disqualification, when Kane attacked Benoit.

Chris Jericho pinned Tyson Tomko in a dud, Randy Orton retained his Intercontinental Championship over Shelton Benjamin in a decent match, Trish Stratus won her fifth Women's Championship in a rushed Fatal Four-way over Gail Kim, Lita, and Champion Victoria,

Eugene pinned Coach in a comedy match and Chris Benoit retained the World title over Kane in an exciting match.

The match of the night came from the feud ending Hell in A Cell match with Triple H and Shawn Michaels. This one lasted longer than all of the 5 undercard matches combined, coming in at over 47 minutes. It was an excellent way to go out though, one of the best matches of the year here.

#9 No Way Out 2004

WWE No Way Out 2004 was one of the most emotional nights in WWE history. No, it wasn't for anything bad but quite the opposite as we got to see arguably the best and most emotional Championship win in WWE history.

WWE Tag team Champions Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty opened the show defending their titles in Handicap match with the Basham Brothers and Shaniqua. This was pretty decent, considering it was a man on woman, and the Brothers never really had any good performances in WWE.

Too Cool, I suppose you could call them, took the win after Rikishi flattened Shaniqua with his rear. Fittingly, she was never seen in WWE again.

A blindfolded Jamie Noble beat ex-girlfriend Nida in another man on woman match. There wasn't much wrestling here, but the live audience seemed to enjoy it for comedic reasons.

Charlie Hass and Shelton Benjamin defeated the APA next. This one, which was just about passable, was mostly Hass and Benjamin.

Hardcore Holly pinned Rhyno, in a physical match. The crowd was pretty hot for Holly actually; he had spent the end of 2003 up until just a few weeks prior to this event being featured in main event matches.

Up next, for the first time in quite a while, the WWE Cruiserweight Championship was shown respect by a good place on the card and nice build up. Rey Mysterio was to defend against Chavo Guerrero, who had been really getting over as a heel.

This one was given plenty of time and featured some great in-ring psychology, a lot of back and forth exchanges and some great near falls. The late Chavo Sr. aided his son in defeating Mysterio for his first WWE Cruiserweight title.

A WWE Championship number one contender's match for WrestleMania 20 was next, pitting the Big Show, John Cena and Kurt Angle. All three men put in the effort here, and it showed, it was a solid match. In something we haven't seen since, Cena tapped out to Angle for the win.

The main event was special - Eddie Guerrero vs. Brock Lesnar for the Championship. Could the much smaller Guerrero come out on top over The Beast? As it turns out, yes.

This featured some fast-paced action, great psychology, Guerrero never looked weak but Brock still always looked strong. After being stalled by Goldberg, Guerrero reversed an F-5 into a Tornado DDT and one Frog Splash later, he was Champion. The fans went crazy for the huge, historic and emotional win.

#8 SummerSlam 2005

WWE SummerSlam 2005 should have been remembered for an epic 'Icon vs. Icon' clash. it won't be due to what actually transpired, but it was still a solid event, none the less.

The show opened up with Chris Benoit challenging Orlando Jordan for the WWE United States Championship.

Benoit would make Jordan tap out in just 25 seconds to win the gold. Benoit would go onto defeat OJ in a few more similar timed matches on SmackDown in the following weeks.

Up next was a match that so many fans had been looking forward to as it was from WWE's biggest rivalry at the time, the real-life feud of Matt Hardy, Edge and Lita. We expected an epic revenge battle, instead, Edge won after a bloody Hardy couldn't continue. Fortunately, they made up for this shambles with an epic Street Fight and Cage match over the next month.

In another extremely heated but also uncomfortable storyline, Rey Mysterio battled Eddie Guerrero in a Ladder match for custody over his son, Dominick.

It was flawed at times and Eddie had a very noticeable freak-out tantrum when Vickie Guerrero missed her cue to interfere, but overall it was an exciting match. Mysterio has called it his all-time favorite WWE match.

Kurt Angle squashed Eugene to retain his gold medal, while Randy Orton toppled The Undertaker in a decent match after daddy Bob Orton Jr. distracted the referee.

John Cena retained the WWE Championship over Chris Jericho in a thrilling and heated match with the live crowd being hot for this one.

Batista retained the World Heavyweight Championship in a short but passable No Holds Barred match. JBL seemed to be working a bit limp with The Animal.

Although not what fans expected, the match of the night was still the 'Icon vs. Icon' main event with Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels. Allegedly, upon learning that Hogan was pulling out of their planned rematch, HBK decided to go into business for himself and put on a one-man show where he took on the role of a hyperactive pinball on speed.

Despite Shawn Michaels overselling almost every Hogan move, it was still otherwise a very entertaining match.

#7 Backlash 2004

The night that proved Chris Benoit was not a fluke, and Randy Orton was a real Superstar, Backlash 2004 is one of the best pay-per-view B-shows of all time.

The Shelton Benjamin push continued as he opened the show with a passable win over Ric Flair. With a lot of help from opponent Tajiri, the Coach pinned him in a fair match considering it featured an announcer.

Chris Jericho defeated Christian and Trish Stratus in an exciting Handicap match, Victoria retained her Women's title over Lita in a cluttered match, The Hurricane and Rosey beat La Résistance in a filler and Edge pinned Kane in a much too short match, hampered due to a wrist injury for Edge.

The match of the night came from... Two matches. That's right, the show featured two matches that were equally as excellent.

In a match that Mick Foley has described as his favorite, also the match that made Randy Orton the man he became, the Legend Killer pinned the Hardcore Legend in a brutal and excellent Hardcore match.

The main event was a rematch from WrestleMania XX, World Champion Chris Benoit defeated Shawn Michaels and Triple H in a match almost every bit as excellent as their first.

#6 WrestleMania XX

WrestleMania XX had a lot of hype going into it, and the biggest WWE card in several years. In the end, it received mixed to negative reviews but I think it was a pretty good show overall.

The 12 match show opened with the then up and coming John Cena challenging The Big Show for the WWE United States Championship. It wasn't a great match but it did deliver a popular decision and put Cena over the right way, giving him his first Championship in WWE.

WWE World Tag Team Champions Booker T and Rob Van Dam defended their titles in a Fatal Four Way against La Résistance, Garrison Cade and Mark Jindrak, and the Dudley Boyz. It was short, nothing much to it, existed to give the Book and RVD something to do.

Christian defeated former partner Chris Jericho in an exciting match following a heel turn from Trish Stratus. I like to look at this being one of the most underrated matches in WrestleMania history.

Randy Orton, Batista and Ric Flair defeated The Rock and Mick Foley in an entertaining Handicap match.

This was Rock's last match for over seven and a half years. Torrie Wilson and Sable defeated Stacy Keibler and Miss Jackie in an Evening Gown match. It was a waste of time and a far cry from women's wrestling. Chavo Guerrero retained his Cruiserweight Championship in a rushed Cruiserweight Open match.

The most famous match of the night, Goldberg pinned Brock Lesnar in a dire match. Honestly, it wasn't the worst match of 2004 as many like to claim, it wasn't even the worst match of WrestleMania XX, but it was a major letdown that was only slightly salvaged by Stone Cold Steve Austin and a rapid crowd. They redeemed themselves in 2016 and 2017.

Another Tag Team Championship Fatal Four Way saw champions Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty retained their gold over the APA, Basham brothers and Charlie Hass and Shelton Benjamin. A fair match but very short.

Victoria retained her Women's Championship over Molly Holly in a 'Hair vs. Title' match. She shaved Molly's head just after. Eddie Guerrero retained the WWE Championship over Kurt Angle in a very exciting and fast paced match.

Making his return as 'The Deadman' character for the first time in over years, The Undertaker won a halfhearted match over Kane. The best part of this was seeing Paul Bearer back.

The match of the night came from the main event. Chris Benoit defeated Triple H and Shawn Michaels in an excellent match, best match of the year by far. One of the most emotional victories ever and emotional moments ever as Benoit celebrated with Eddie.

#5 WrestleMania 21

What makes WrestleMania 21 a better Mania than WrestleMania XX the year earlier, in my opinion at least, is the card was watered down and they didn't try fit so much in. It also paved the way for WWE's future.

WWE Tag Team Champions Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero opened the show against each other. It was a good opener, not a match on their earlier matches or matches to come in 2005 but a fine one none the less.

Edge would defeat Shelton Benjamin, Kane, Christian, Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit to win the first-ever Money in The Bank Ladder match. It is still probably the best one, a jaw-dropping excellent effort.

The Undertaker pinned Randy Orton in a good match to extend his WrestleMania record. Trish Stratus retained the Women's Championship over Christy Hemme in a short match. Nothing much to it. Sumo wrestler Akebono beat the Big Show in a sumo match. Complete waste of time.

John Cena pinned JBL to win his first WWE Championship. A pinnacle moment in the career of Cena, of course, but the match itself was tedious. Batista pinned Triple H to become World Heavyweight Champion in the main event. It was a passable match, but pretty long winded to.

The best match of the night is now an all-time classic. The first-ever meeting between Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle was simply incredible. Without a doubt the best match of the year. Certainly, a dream match that blew expectations out of the water.

#4 Vengeance 2005

What a fantastic line-up, perhaps the best line up ever for a single branded show. The RAW roster in 2005 was pretty damn stacked with great talent and this card was the perfect example of how incredible it was.

New WWE Intercontinental Champion Carlito, opened the show defending his title with former Champion Shelton Benjamin, which he won in a decent match.

Victoria hammered Christy Hemme in a short match. Kane downed Edge in a good match, which provoked lively 'You Screwed Matt' chants throughout.

John Cena retained the WWE Championship over Chris Jericho and Christian in an exciting Triple Threat match.

Naturally, it was the upper mid-card Christian who took the fall. Captain Charisma gave a great performance, a shame this Championship pursuit ended shortly after.

Batista gave arguably the best performance of his career in a brutal and thrilling Hell in A Cell match. It was better than all the matches they had before and after.

The best match of the night and one of the best matches of the entire year came from Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels in a rematch of their WrestleMania 21 classic. This was almost as excellent, going almost 30 minutes, this was wrestling at damn well perfection.

#3 ECW One Night Stand 2005

What was originally supposed to have been a one night only reunion show, it really did feel like it was a fully fledged ECW show. Put together by Paul Heyman, Tommy Dreamer, Shane McMahon and a few others, this was the final send off ECW should have had.

The show opened up with Lance Storm and 'Lion Heart' Chris Jericho. Storm took the win after interference from Storms old Impact Player stablemates Dawn Marie, Justin Credible and Jason.

Super Crazy defeated Little Guido and Tajiri in a 3 Way Dance. This was just over 6 minutes long but is the best match you could possibly get out of such a short match. Crazy performed an incredible dice from the balcony to the FBI below.

Rey Mysterio pinned Psicosis in another short but decent match. Rob Van Dam cut the best promo of his career, on the RAW and SmackDown brand invaders before being attacked by Rhyno.

He was aided by Sabu, who would go onto pin The Man beast in a short but thrilling match. Chris Benoit defeated Eddie Guerrero in a disappointing but passable match. Guerrero didn't seemed to care at all here.

The Dudley Boyz defeated Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman in a wild main event. The Sandman gave the greatest entrance of all-time, followed by a lot of violence and cameo appearances from Kid Kash, the Blue World Order and more.

The best match of the night came from Mike Awesome and Masato Tanaka. Awesome pinned his legendary ECW rival in an excellent brawl.

The show ended with another wild brawl with the ECW guys sending the heel RAW/SmackDown invaders packing, as Stone Cold Steve Austin helped give Eric Bischoff a pasting.

#2 Vengeance 2003

WWE Vengeance 2003 actually served as the first ever SmackDown only pay-per-view, excluding the UK exclusive Rebellion event the previous October in 2002. As far as one brand only PPV's go, I think this is probably the best one ever, and also one of the best overall events in WWE history and a very underrated one at that, also.

The show opened with the first ever United States Championship match, under the WWE banner. Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit had nothing short of a classic, easily the best PPV opening match since Bret and Owen Hart at WrestleMania X. This was a 10/10 performance, a technical collision that told a great story. Eddie took the win after a little help from Rhyno.

Jame Noble and Billy Gunn went one-on-one next. If Jamie won, he got to sleep with Torrie Wilson. The match went just 5 minutes, but for that time, it was surprisingly entertaining, they really made the most of it.

Bradshaw won a Bar Room Brawl, that had been presented by the APA. Featuring WWE Smackdown stars and the likes of Doink The Clown, Brother Love and the Easter Bunny, this was pretty silly, but fun for the cameos at least.

Former WCW Tag Team Champions Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman reunited to challenge Charlie Hass and Shelton Benjamin for the WWE Tag Team Championships next. It was yet another 10/10 performance this evening, easily one of the best standard tag team matches of all time. A lot of fast-paced action and exciting near falls only added the thrilling action.

In a short match, Sable pinned Stephanie McMahon with help from A-Train. Although both are former WWE Women's Champions, they are also non-workers, but despite this, it was an entertaining match. Stephanie was pretty over here. The Undertaker took on an up-and-coming John Cena next in a match dubbed Old School vs. New School.

It was a pretty decent match; Cena hadn't had many good matches since his debut with Kurt Angle a year earlier, but this gave some hope that he could be a good performer one day.

Vince McMahon took on one-legged Zach Gowen next. This sounds like a bad one but it actually wasn't. Vince even bled pretty heavily which sold really well. The Chairman took a cheap win but Zach's performance was so good, and he received a standing ovation.

The main event was an excellent contest, a Triple Threat WWE Championship match with Champion Brock Lesnar defending against the Big Show and Kurt Angle. Once again, a third and final 10/10 performance for the night, this was action packed with a dozen finishing moves, double teams, each man getting time to shine and a dramatic win for new WWE Champion Kurt Angle. It was an excellent match to end an excellent event.

#1 WrestleMania XIX

I like to think that WrestleMania X-7 from 2001 is probably the greatest WWE show of all-time. Wrestling wise, a close second, at least in WrestleMania terms, has to be WrestleMania XIX from 2003. The card was incredible and the action was fantastic.

The show kicked off with Rey Mysterio challenging Matt Hardy for the Cruiserweight Championship. It wasn't that different than a cruiserweight match you would have expected to see on SmackDown at the time, but still pretty decent. Hardy pinned Mysterio after a roll up.

The Undertaker beat the Big Show and A-Train in a Handicapped match. it was passable for what it was. Taker was supposed to have been joined by Nathan Jones in the match but the Australian was pulled due to not being ready for a big stage. He did appear to give a few kicks though.

Trish Stratus defeated Jazz and Champion Victoria for the Women's Championship in a short but decent match.

Charlie Hass and Shelton Benjamin retained the WWE Tag Team Championship over Los Guerrero's and Rhyno and Chris Benoit in an enjoyable but rushed match.

Triple H retained the World Heavyweight Championship over Booker T in a passable match with a rotten finish. The Game hit Booker with a Pedigree and lay in the ring for over 20 seconds (which felt like an eternity) before pinned him. Booker should have won. If there was ever a big match that Triple H should have lost in his career, this was it.

Hulk Hogan pinned Vince McMahon in a Street Fight. Considering both men were int heir 40's and 50's respectively and had various injuries, they put on an epic encounter. It was a bloody war and featured an awesome throwback of interference from Roddy Piper.

The Rock pinned Stone Cold Steve Austin in what would turn out to be Austin's last ever match. It wasn't as great as their battle at WrestleMania X-7, but far superior to WrestleMania 15 and other Rock/Austin battles from that era. A fine match to end it all on.

Brock Lesnar defeated Kurt Angle to lift the WWE Championship in an excellent main event. Angle gave one of the greatest performances in wrestling history here, as one wrong move could have paralyzed him. Everything was crisp and perfect. Lesnar also gave us that incredible botch of a shooting star press to, nearly crippling himself in the process. Lesnar pinned Angle after three F-5's.

The best match of the night came from Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho. As Jim Ross put it, the match was like wrestling yourself. It was a fantastic and incredible offering. Michaels pinned Jericho with a roll-up. After the match, Jericho offered to shake Michaels' hand and they hugged before Jericho attacked Michaels with a low blow in a great heel moment.