10 longest WWE pay per view matches of 2017

We’ve had a glance through the ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ pay per view bouts from the last twelve months, and now, it’s time to look at the longer entries. From gimmick matches to just a straight up singles match, the variety on display in this list really is quite staggering.

We’ve got some old-timers who appeared in one or two classics, meanwhile, we’ve also got some rising stars who continue to prove why they’re the future of this business. Of course, as we all know, a long match doesn’t necessarily always equate to a good one – and a few of these efforts certainly did nothing to entice the WWE Universe.

But as we enter 2018 there’s certainly still a lot to look forward to, with many of these superstars being expected to replicate their solid work from last year.

With that being said, here are the 10 longest WWE pay per view matches of 2017.

#10) Seth Rollins vs. Triple H – 25 mins 30 secs

The story between Seth Rollins and Triple H dates back all the way to the summer of 2014 when The Architect turned on his Shield brothers and decided to side with The Game and The Authority. It made all the sense in the world for them to inevitably square off in a big time match, and that finally went down at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando.

While some fans felt like it went on for too long, we thought that they built the intensity quite well as the bout moved towards a conclusion. Both men had moments of great storytelling which made for an exhilarating conclusion, with Rollins finally coming out on top at the expense of his former mentor.

From start to finish, this was one of the major highlights of Mania 33.

#9) Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton – 27 mins 40 secs

What a stinker — They tried, but they didn't succeed

This isn’t Randy Orton’s last appearance on this list, and that’s definitely a good thing because this match was an absolute stinker. The Punjabi Prison stipulation was interesting ten years ago, but most people knew that it wasn’t going to work all too well in the modern era.

Jinder and Randy battled for nearly half an hour, with the story being the same all the way through. It was honestly difficult to even stay awake for the remainder of this bout, with the cherry on top being the bizarre return of the one and only Great Khali.

In a nutshell, this summarises why The Modern Day Maharaja’s title run was such a failure.

#8) Joe vs. Wyatt vs. Balor vs Reigns vs. Rollins – 29 mins 15 secs

The absence of Brock Lesnar, which meant the absence of the Universal Championship, didn’t matter all too much at Extreme Rules. Why? Because instead, we were treated to a thrilling fatal-five-way number one contender’s match in which Raw’s finest fought for the right to take on The Beast at Great Balls of Fire.

It went on for nearly 30 minutes with several mini-storylines helping to build the intensity of the showdown, with Samoa Joe eventually coming out on top. It was the perfect way to make the Universal title feel even more special because these guys were killing themselves just for the chance to get a shot at taking down Lesnar.

#7) Men’s Money in the Bank Match – 29 mins 45 secs

The Money in the Bank ladder match is often considered to be one of the most entertaining matches of the year, despite the fact that some people believe the concept has outlived its sell-by date. Still, there are often many fun spots, and you can almost always guarantee that a future world champion is going to be recognised.

This time around they decided to revert back to the six-man format, which was the best idea they could’ve gone with. We saw half a dozen of SmackDown Live’s finest battling it out for the right to earn a world title opportunity, which gave it a similar kind of feel to the fatal-five-way showdown that we previously mentioned.

#6) The Bar vs. The Hardy Boyz – 30 mins 0 secs

Tag team wrestling deserves some respect

The rivalry between The Bar and The Hardy Boyz was a fun one, with Sheamus & Cesaro completing the most obvious heel turn in recent years in order to keep it going for a few more months. The two teams were eventually thrust into a 30-minute iron man match, which proved to the world why good tag team wrestling is still such a valuable asset to have.

Matt & Jeff can still work a match with the best of them, and right now, The Bar certainly falls into that category. Hopefully, we can see these two partnerships square off once again in the not so distant future, although given that Woken Matt is on the rise and Jeff is on the sidelines, that may not be all too likely.

#5) Men’s Survivor Series Elimination Match – 33 mins 20 secs

Boy oh boy was this a disappointment.

This match was arguably one of the most anticipated Survivor Series matches of all time, with 10 superstars from the past and present converging on Houston for this blockbuster event. A lot of fans were expecting Raw to come out on top, and they did, in the worst of circumstances.

Triple H & Braun Strowman were the two men left standing at the end of the night, with the King of Kings once again being accused of hogging the spotlight. Unlike 2016’s effort this didn’t deserve to go on for as long as it did, which really hurt things.

Hopefully, if they try this again in 2018, it’ll be a little bit more thought out.

#4) Elimination Chamber Match – 34 mins 20 secs

The Chamber match is guaranteed to include some high risk spots — The Chamber match is guaranteed to include some high-risk spots

We’re rolling through the gimmick matches here, which is a good indication of WWE’s mentality with these big time pay per view matches.

This entry was another multi-man cluster, as we saw the WWE Championship change hands just a few weeks prior to the biggest show of the year. It was one of the better Elimination Chambers that they’ve ever done, despite the fact that the new layout of the structure didn’t make it feel quite as extreme.

Bray Wyatt walked away with the most prestigious title in professional wrestling over his shoulder, and although it all came to a screeching halt in Orlando, this was a great moment to witness after all that Wyatt has been forced to endure.

#3) Angle, Ambrose & Rollins vs. Miz, Strowman, Kane & The Bar – 35 mins 25 secs

It may not have been pretty, but it was certainly entertaining

Shockwaves were sent through the WWE Universe a few months back when it was announced that Kurt Angle would be competing in a WWE ring for the first time in over a decade. The reason it was so surprising was that Roman Reigns was the man who was initially meant to be in the TLC main event until an illness meant that The Shield reunion had to be put on hold.

The actual match was a lot of fun as the makeshift Shield fought their way to victory, in a bout that included Braun Strowman being loaded into the back of a garbage truck. If that doesn’t make you want to stop what you’re doing and go watch it, then nothing will.

#2) Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon – 39 mins 0 secs

Coming in at an absolutely baffling 39 minutes is the Kevin Owens vs Shane McMahon Hell in a Cell match. These two had built up one hell of a story and the Cell was the right place to blow it off, but my god does Shane love to have a long gimmick match.

The real highlight of the night came when Shane jumped from the top of the structure for the second time in 18 months, only for Sami Zayn to pull Owens out of the line of fire. It cemented Sami as a reinvigorated heel character, in what can only be described as one of the most shocking moments of the year.

But as good as it was, it was never going to beat our number one entry in terms of length.

#1) 2017 Royal Rumble Match – 1 hr 2 mins 6 secs

Orton managed to replicate his 2009 Rumble triumph

It’s hardly surprising, but here it is – the 2017 Royal Rumble match wins it. It’s hardly surprising given how long these matches usually go on for, but still, it’s nice to see a Rumble go over an hour because that isn’t always the case.

Given that it took place at the Alamodome we knew it was going to be a big one, and WWE certainly delivered. Goldberg, Lesnar & Undertaker all had featured spots, but in the end, it was Randy Orton who walked away with his second ever Rumble match win.

It wasn’t exactly an inspiring choice and many fans were left feeling a little bit disappointed, but at least the overall action made up for it.