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The pandemic hit wrestling very hard at the very beginning, forcing even WWE to produce television and pay-per-views from the Performance Center. August 2020 saw the introduction of the ThunderDome. The bio-secure bubble video conferencing state-of-the-art arena was visually superior to anything that we had seen anywhere.
With Summerslam 2020 being the first pay-per-view to take place inside the WWE ThunderDome, the company went on a streak of overachieving major events. The impressive WWE roster of talent continuously performed at a top level and created magic on a regular basis on the WWE Network.
Regardless of what the fans thought of the weekly output on RAW and SmackDown, the major shows always seemed to consistently deliver quality. In this article, let's take a look at the five best WWE pay-per-views to take place in the ThunderDome.
Honorable mentions:
- WWE Summerslam 2020
- WWE Hell In A Cell 2020
- WWE Survivor Series 2020
#5 WWE Fastlane 2021
WWE Fastlane 2021 was the final pay-per-view before WrestleMania 37. The Grandest Stage of Them All saw the return of fans live in attendance at a WWE event. The final stop on the road to WrestleMania featured a big-time main event for the Universal Championship.
Roman Reigns defended the top title on SmackDown against Daniel Bryan. The 2021 Men's Royal Rumble Match winner, Edge, served as special guest enforcer for the matchup. The Rated-R Superstar had the best seat in the house to watch Reigns and Bryan compete in what was an excellent main event.
The Tribal Chief gained the win thanks to Edge intervening on a visual tap out for Bryan with a steel chair shot. This allowed Reigns to lock in the Guillotine Choke for the submission victory to retain the WWE Universal Championship. This wasn't the only great match on this evening.
Drew McIntyre and Sheamus settled their "friends turned enemies" feud in an all-out brawl that went all over the WWE ThunderDome. This No Holds Barred Match saw big moves, hard bumps and even explosions in this fierce battle. This was nothing short of an absolute banger that saw McIntyre hit the Claymore to put Sheamus away for the win.
Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura delivered an entertaining contest that showed surprising chemistry between the two men. Rollins scored the win with the Stomp after almost 13 minutes of fun action.
The ladies of WWE were also showcased with Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler successfully defending the Women's Tag Team Titles over WrestleMania 37 opponents, SmackDown Women's Champion Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair. With those quality bouts, this was a major show that exceeded expectations in a big way.
#4 WWE WrestleMania Backlash
WWE WrestleMania Backlash was a pay-per-view that had a number of rematches following WrestleMania 37. It also featured one of the worst matches of the year with The Miz vs. Damian Priest in a Lumberjack Match that had zombies surrounding around the ring. With those things in mind, everything else on the card delivered in spades.
The opener had Rhea Ripley defending the RAW Women's Championship in a Triple Threat Match against Asuka and Charlotte Flair. The three ladies put on a fantastic match that highlighted the talents of each competitor very well. The sequences involving all three women made things develop at a nice pace. Ripley got the win by pinning Asuka after the Riptide.
Rey and Dominik Mysterio made history by defeating Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode to become the first father-son duo to win WWE Tag Team gold in a good contest. Bianca Belair continued her meteoric rise by beating Bayley to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship in an impressive effort.
The WWE Championship Triple Threat Match with Bobby Lashley defending against Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman was a glorious car crash affair. The three large men hit hard, fast and delivered fun action throughout the course of nearly 15 minutes.
All these entertaining matches set the stage for a dramatic conclusion. Roman Reigns defended the WWE Universal Championship against Cesaro in the challenger's first singles opportunity at the top title. The Swiss Superman more than stepped up and showed himself as a main event talent, while Reigns added another tremendous encounter to his rich catalog.
This outstanding main event put a fitting cap on a pay-per-view that impressed all watching. WrestleMania Backlash did not have many fans expecting much, but what the WWE Superstars produced was a major show that stands up as one of the year's best.
#3 WWE TLC 2020
The Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view usually deliver stellar action every year, which was no different with WWE TLC 2020. There were two huge title contests under the titular match type. The opening contest saw Drew McIntyre defend the WWE Championship against AJ Styles, but both men got a lot more than they bargained for.
McIntyre and Styles battled in a high octane battle that featured brilliant use of the weapons at play. Just as it seemed The Scottish Warrior was going to climb the ladder to retrieve his title, The Miz came down and cashed in his Money In The Bank contract to make this a Triple Threat Match.
The action picked up and led to a dramatic conclusion with McIntyre hitting the Claymore on The A-Lister and climbing up the ladder to retrieve the title for the win.
The middle portion of this pay-per-view saw very good matches with Sasha Banks beating Carmella to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship and The Hurt Business defeating The New Day to win the RAW Tag Team Titles. The event also had Charlotte Flair's return to the WWE to team up with Asuka to win the Women's Tag Team Championships over Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax.
The highlight of the night came in the WWE Universal Championship Match between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens. This Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match was an absolute war that saw Owens pull out his greatest babyface effort of his time with the company. Reigns continued an outstanding run of matches, proving himself to be one of the best wrestlers in the world once again.
The only gripe of this pay-per-view had to be the main event. The Firefly Inferno Match was ridiculous and took a lot out of fans watching. Randy Orton set 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt on fire in this cinematic affair that left a lot to desire. Despite this setback, this major show showed just how the WWE Superstars can overcome shoddy creative decisions.
#2 WWE Royal Rumble 2021
WWE Royal Rumble 2021 set the tone for a year of extraordinary pay-per-view efforts. The Men's Royal Rumble Match told a terrific story and had the superstars working hard to deliver an entertaining main event. Edge started things off at the No. 1 spot and fought all 29 men, last eliminating Randy Orton to win.
The Women's Royal Rumble Match brought the goods just as much or even more than the men did. This contest was filled with wonderful surprises and spectacular performances. Bianca Belair came in at the No. 3 spot and displayed her awe-inspiring skillset.
The EST of WWE put on a stirring final-two showdown with Rhea Ripley, eliminating The Nightmare to win the Rumble and move on to WrestleMania 37. The Rumble matches were not the only matches that pleased fans on this evening. Roman Reigns defeated Kevin Owens in a tremendous Last Man Standing Match that went all over the WWE ThunderDome to retain the Universal Championship.
Drew McIntyre had a high impact opener with the returning Goldberg. The Scottish Warrior retained the WWE Championship, hitting Goldberg with the Claymore for the win. Sasha Banks once again proved herself to be one of the greatest women's wrestlers of all time, beating Carmella to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship.
From top to bottom, this was a major event that kicked off the road to WrestleMania on a high note. WWE Royal Rumble 2021 excited fans and made them anticipate what was to come at The Showcase of Immortals.
#1 WWE Clash of Champions 2020
WWE Clash of Champions 2020 marked the third pay-per-view to take place inside the ThunderDome. It featured the first Universal Championship defense of 'The Tribal Chief' Roman Reigns. The family feud between Reigns and his cousin, Jey Uso, was deeply compelling and set the stage for a highly anticipated main event to this show.
Reigns and Jey put in a Shakespearean effort that had the most engaging trash talk and facial expressions that had been seen in WWE since The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels WrestleMania classics. The action was very strong, the drama built tremendously and it had top-notch character development. It was simply a spectacular encounter with Jimmy Uso throwing in the towel for his brother.
This main event is the most remembered from this evening, but it was not the only great performance on the night. The opener saw Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn in a Triple Threat Ladder Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. These three men produced a wild, breathtaking contest that elevated the title that they fought over.
It was such a refreshing and innovative ladder match that showcased the individuals in the best way possible. Hardy put his body on the line as only he can. Styles bumped and sold like a maniac. Zayn proved to be the smartest man in the room, using handcuffs to throw his two opponents off the game and become the undisputed Intercontinental Champion.
Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton continued their brilliant rivalry on the show in an Ambulance Match for the WWE Championship. The two rivals fought all over the ThunderDome from backstage and all over ringside. The ghosts of Orton's past came back to haunt him as legends that he took out helped McIntyre defeat The Legend Killer.
Bobby Lashley defeated Apollo Crews in a solid bout to win the WWE United States Championship. Asuka beat Zelina Vega to retain the RAW Women's Championship. The Empress of Tomorrow then got a shot at Bayley's SmackDown Women's Championship before Sasha Banks got involved to cause a disqualification.
With two Match of the Year candidates and plenty of good action, this pay-per-view showed that this is quite possibly the most talented roster the company has ever had. This is why Clash of Champions 2020 was the best WWE pay-per-view to take place in the ThunderDome.
Bayley gives us a HUGE update on a top Superstar's upcoming return RIGHT HERE.
