The rise of the internet has changed how people watch professional wrestling nowadays. Fans now have access to almost any wrestling promotion in the world through multiple websites and streaming services.
WWE’s official YouTube channel has over 16 million subscribers and receives hundreds of thousands of views every day. But which videos are the most popular?
The results may surprise you, so with that in mind, here are the top 10 most viewed videos on WWE’s official YouTube channel…
#10 John Cena’s WrestleMania 25 entrance (29,488,382 views at time of writing)
At WrestleMania 25, John Cena defeated reigning champion Edge and fellow challenger Big Show in a triple threat match to capture the World Heavyweight Championship.
The bout is largely remembered for the finish, which saw Cena perform an amazing feat of strength by lifting both Big Show and Edge to hit them with the ‘Attitude Adjustment’ simultaneously, before pinning the former to capture the gold.
The other noteworthy moment from that match, which is the 9th most viewed video on WWE’s YouTube channel, was John Cena’s entrance. An army of Cenas came out to stand on the entrance ramp and form a ‘guard of honour’ for the leader of the Cenation. It is widely regarded as one of the most memorable entrances in Mania history.
#9 Fatal 4-way WWE Championship match - Raw, June 15th, 2009 ( 29,933,398 views at time of writing)
In June 2009, the reigning WWE Champion, Batista, tore his left bicep and was forced to vacate his title. The on-screen reason given for Batista’s relinquishing of his championship was due to an attack by Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, a.k.a. Legacy, on the June 8th edition of Raw.
The following week’s Raw was main evented by a fatal 4-way match to crown the new WWE Champion and the bout had a star-studded line-up. Randy Orton took on Big Show, John Cena and Triple H and walked away with the championship after capitalising on Show taking finishers from both Cena and ‘The Game’.
It was certainly one of the biggest ever Raw main events in terms of star power and is currently the eighth highest viewed video on WWE’s Youtube channel.
#8 The Rock confronts Rusev - Raw, October 6th, 2014 (30,543,744 views at time of writing)
The most recent entrant on this list comes from a Monday Night Raw in October of 2014, which saw The Rock make a rare and memorable surprise appearance to confront Rusev & Lana.
This was yet another great segment from The Rock which saw him run through all of his catchphrases while putting down the ‘Bulgarian Brute’ and ‘Ravishing Russian’.
#7 The Brothers of Destruction vs. Mr. Kennedy & MVP - Smackdown, November 3rd, 2006 (30,700,762 views at time of writing
In late 2006, MVP and Mr. Kennedy feuded with Kane and The Undertaker respectively. This was intended to establish the younger talents as future stars on Smackdown by having them work closely with, and learn from the two veterans.
The four men competed against each other in a number of matches of varying combinations. This included Kennedy and MVP joining forces to take on the Brothers of Destruction in a tag team match on a November edition of Smackdown.
The match in question saw Kennedy and MVP lose three times in one night as General Manager, Teddy Long, restarted the match twice, first after an intentional count-out and secondly after a deliberate disqualification.
#6 The Great Khali’s WWE Debut - Smackdown, April 7th, 2006 (40,275,280 views at time of writing)
Rather surprisingly, the fifth most viewed video on WWE’s YouTube channel is the debut of The Great Khali.
In April of 2006, the 7-foot monster arrived on Smackdown and overpowered The Undertaker with ease. His sheer size immediately grabbed the attention of the fans and the fact that he took out one of the company’s biggest names made people think that he’d be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.
Either that or he’d just be a clumsy, lumbering giant who would go on to become the ‘Punjabi Playboy’.
#5 - Undertaker returns to confront Lesnar - Raw, February 24th 2014 (43,045,702 views at time of writing)
Prior to WrestleMania 30, instead of a Championship match, Brock Lesnar received an open contract to face anyone opponent of his choosing at that year’s ‘Showcase of the Immortals’.
This led to the return of The Undertaker, who stabbed Lesnar’s hand with a pen before chokeslamming him through the table, thus setting up their unforgettable match at Mania.
As I’m sure you all remember, this was the event that saw The Undertaker’s 21-match undefeated streak at WrestleMania come to an end at the hands of ‘The Beast’.
#4 Khali becomes World Heavyweight Champion - Smackdown, July 20th, 2007 (43,546,634 views at time of writing)
It’s The Great Khali again, who’d have thought he was such a draw?!
In July 2007, Edge had to relinquish his World Championship due to a pectoral muscle injury. The new champion was to be crowned in a 20-man battle royal for the title, which was ultimately won by Khali after he eliminated both Batista and Kane simultaneously to become the last remaining man in the match and therefore the winner.
The amount of views on this video does show the amount of attention WWE get from having a surprising champion, and is similar to the current Jinder Mahal saga that has got the entire wrestling world talking.
#3 Cena & Orton vs. the entire Raw roster - Raw, March 17th, 2008 (43,731,736 views at time of writing)
A couple of weeks prior to their triple threat match for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 24, Triple H forced his future opponents, John Cena and Randy Orton, to team up in a 17-on-2 handicap match on Monday Night Raw.
Cena and Orton obviously had well-publicised issues in the past, but they would have to work together if they were to survive this match and go into Mania with any sort of chance of winning.
Seeing the two rivals co-exist in this sort of environment clearly piqued the interest of the fans and has resulted in this match receiving over 43 million views on WWE’s YouTube channel since it was uploaded.
#2 Cena, Batista & Mysterio vs. Orton & Jeri-Show - Tribute to the Troops 2008 (48,981,234 views at time of writing)
The second most viewed video on WWE’s YouTube channel is from the 2008 edition of Tribute to the Troops. The match in question is a six-man tag which saw John Cena, Batista & Rey Mysterio take on Randy Orton and Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho and Big Show).
This was yet another star-studded bout which saw some of WWE’s biggest stars perform in front the American troops out in Iraq.
It’s a fun match and was for a great cause. It’s a shame that the company have stopped travelling to Iraq as the more recent Tribute to the Troops shows just don’t have the same feel when they emanate from the United States.
#1 41-man Battle Royal - Smackdown, October 14th, 2011 (62,973,557 views at time of writing)
Well here it is, the most viewed video on WWE’s official YouTube channel is none other than a 41-man Battle Royal match from a 2011 edition of Smackdown. I doubt many people would have guessed it!
The winner of this match would receive a title match of their choosing later in the night. Orton was victorious and went on to challenge then reigning World Heavyweight Champion, Mark Henry, in a losing effort in this Smackdown’s main event.
This match is not only noteworthy for it’s YouTube views, but also for the fact that it is the largest battle royal to ever take place in WWE history.
