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In 2019, WWE tours the United Kingdom, with its main roster twice per year. They record an episode of Raw and SmackDown as well as several house shows each April and November.
This has been the pattern for around 15 years.
Prior to that WWE promoted UK exclusive pay per views twice per year from 1997 through to 2003.
The first WWE PPV that took place in the UK was the famed SummerSlam 1992 held on August 29, 1992 at the old Wembley Stadium in London, England. However, as the second biggest show of the year, this event was also available to the rest of the world, albeit on tape delay in many cases. Therefore, for the purposes of this list, the card that boasted the classic Bret "The Hitman" Hart versus The British Bulldog match has been omitted from consideration.
However, it should be noted that the reason SummerSlam 1992 was held in the UK was that WWE business was down in the States and the company hoped to capitalise on the popularity of the Bulldog in his home country. The experiment paid off and the event attracted a sell out crowd of over 80,000 and was the second highest pay per view buy rate for WWE in 1992 after WrestleMania.
Therefore, when business was down once more in 1997, WWE hoped to apply the same trick with the UK exclusive pay per views to once more take advantage of Bulldog's popularity.
The first UK exclusive pay per view, One Night Only was once more built around the Bulldog, who defended the European Championship in the main event versus Shawn Michaels.
It was Michaels who relieved Bulldog of the IC title following SummerSlam 1992 and the cocky HBK repeated the trick in Birmingham, England when he beat Bulldog for the European title also.
Bulldog left WWE two months later and the company were forced to continue the UK shows without him. Happily for them, when the next UK show rolled around on April 4, 1998, WWE were coming off the hugely successful WrestleMania XIV with Stone Cold Steve Austin as the new WWE Champion.
That meant WWE were able to promote the UK pay per views to great success until the market declined in 2003, mirroring the drop in domestic business, which led to the company adopting the current model across the pond.
This slideshow looks back on the five best UK pay per views from the 1997 to 2003 era.
#5 Rebellion 1999 (October 2, 1999)
Rebellion 1999 was by far the best UK show since One Night Only two years earlier. Unlike May's No Mercy event, this show had a packed WWE roster. For No Mercy, WWE only flew over half the crew as the company presented a house show on the same night with greater star power in Richmond, Virginia, back in the States.
This show marked The British Bulldog's first UK appearance since his One Night Only bout with Shawn Michaels, as he had only recently rejoined the company after an uninspired spell with WCW.
Curiously, despite this fact, shortly before the show, WWE turned Bulldog heel. The turn did modernise the Bulldog character, but the mind boggles why WWE couldn't have waited an additional week or two until after this show to capitalise on his popularity at home.
Despite his heel turn, the card was built around Davey Boy Smith. In a segment early in the show, an irate Bulldog, hoping to be added to the WWE Championship bout between Triple H and The Rock stormed into the McMahon's dressing room. When Vince did not accede to Bulldog's request, Smith chucked a bin at his daughter, Stephanie McMahon's head. The McMahon's rushed Stephanie to hospital and Bulldog was instead sent to wrestle an entertaining five minute bout with super worker, X-Pac. This was easily the best bout of Bulldog's miserable 1999-2000 WWE run.
Elsewhere, Chris Jericho contested by far his best WWE match of 1999 with the Road Dogg. It was a rough start to his WWE career for former WCW Cruiserweight Champion, Y2J, but this performance demonstrated his star potential.
Also of note was the Jeff Jarrett versus D'lo Brown match which was a fine six minute contest which featured outside interference from Chyna who was feuding with Jarrett at the time.
The main event cage match between defending WWE Champion, "The Game" and The Rock was an Attitude Era special. Rock apparently won when he exited the cage. However, the referee was down and did not see it. Therefore the match continued and following a deluge of outside interference, Triple H snuck away with the gold. Bulldog, who had interfered on The Game's behalf found himself locked inside the cage post-match by a vengeful Vince, who had returned to the arena. Rock pasted the man who cost him the title to send the fans home happy.
Rebellion 1999 was not a mat classic but a highly entertaining show nevertheless.
#4 Insurrextion 2002 (May 4, 2002)
There was no WWE Championship defence at Insurrextion 2002, but considering the 48-year-old Hulk Hogan was the Undisputed Champion at this point, that was no bad thing.
Without Hogan, WWE put on a largely entertaining show.
The main event instead saw a grudge match between Triple H and The Undertaker, which stemmed from Backlash 2002, where 'Taker's interference had cost The Game to lose the Undisputed Championship to the Hulkster.
The card opened with an electric bout between Intercontinental Champion, Eddie Guerrero and Rob Van Dam. The pair had clashed two weeks earlier at Backlash and this encounter was every bit as good as that one. Fast-paced, with big moves aplenty, the finish came when Latino Heat was disqualified for smashing RVD with the title belt.
A youthful Brock Lesnar tagged with the annoying Shawn Stasiak in a bout versus The Hardy Boyz. Lesnar did not want a partner but the bonkers, Stasiak tagged himself into the match at every opportunity. This eventually backfired and Stasiak was pinned to lose the bout for his team. He earned a pasting from Lesnar post-match for his insolence.
The semi-main event was the only singles contest between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Big Show to ever take place on a pay per view. Once pencilled in as a potential headliner for WrestleMania 2000, the pair put on a passable match-up, which due to outside interference, shielded the fact that both men were not in peak physical shape. However, due to the outside shenanigans of Ric Flair and the nWO, this was an entertaining attraction.
The headline bout pitting Triple H versus The Undertaker was a perfectly acceptable brawl. Early on, the top rope snapped adding to the drama. After a steady stream of big moves, The Game eventually put Big Evil away with the Pedigree to close the show on a high.
#3 Rebellion 2000 (December 2, 2000)
Rebellion 2000 picked up where Rebellion 1999 left off with a highly entertaining if decidedly less historic show.
The card played host to the only ever pay per view singles contest between Chris Benoit and The Undertaker. This was easily the best match of 'Taker's year 2000. Benoit worked over the legs, attempting to nullify the vast size distance and almost made Big Evil submit before he fell victim to a desperation roll up. It was a very competitive match and was all the better for it.
Earlier in the show, The Dudley Boyz defeated Edge & Christian and T&A in a fun Tables Elimination bout, which ended when Christian fell victim to a 3D through the table.
William Regal, now the resident British Superstar in WWE following the British Bulldog's departure from the company six months earlier, defended his European Championship versus Crash Holly. In a shock, Crash upset Regal to win the strap. Regal would regain it days later.
"The One" Billy Gunn teamed with former D-X stablemate, Chyna in an entertaining bout versus Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko. This match played off the break-up of Chyna and Guerrero's engagement. Chyna and Gunn won to earn a degree of revenge.
The main event saw Kurt Angle defend the WWE Championship in a Fatal 4 Way bout versus The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Rikishi. This was a hot match which the crowd were electric for. There was boatloads of interference towards the home stretch from Edge & Christian and Chris Benoit on behalf of Angle (who had sought their assistance earlier in the night). Eventually, the numbers told for the challengers and Angle retained his gold.
Stone Cold and The Rock battered the heels post match and shared a beer to the delight of the audience, ending the card on a high.
#2 Rebellion 2001 (November 3, 2001)
In November 2001, the WWE versus the WCW/ECW Alliance feud was in full swing and would come to a conclusion weeks later at the 2001 Survivor Series.
The card opened with a thrilling Cage Match between Edge and Christian with the Intercontinental Title at stake. The finish was innovative, with Edge pulling Christian's legs through the cage and then tying his feet together with wrist tape. Edge subsequently escaped the steel structure to retain his strap.
The show was highlighted by it's double main event. First up, was the WCW World Title match. Defending champion, Chris Jericho put the gold on the line against new Alliance member, Kurt Angle. Fast paced with technical wrestling and brawling, this was a solid bout that had it all. Jericho reversed an Angle Slam into a roll-up for the win.
Finally, The Rock challenged Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWE Championship. Although not as good as their stunning battles at Backlash 1999 or WrestleMania X-7, this was a worthy chapter in their series nevertheless. Late in the bout there was interference from Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho. Angle tripped Rock when he attempted a People's Elbow, nailed him with the title belt, allowing Austin to deliver the Stunner for the win.
Rebellion 2001 was an excellent show and one of the best instalments in the Invasion series.
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#1 One Night Only (September 20, 1997)
Boasting four superlative bouts, WWE's inaugural UK exclusive pay per view, One Night Only remains the finest show WWE has ever promoted on the other side of the Atlantic.
The opener saw Triple H clash with Dude Love in the typically fine match between these two. Although it was not quite as strong as their Raw bout that would occur two days later, it was a top class effort nonetheless. The bout ended when interference from Chyna caused Love to fall prey to the Pedigree.
The rest of the under card offered very little to get excited about with such "attractions" like: Tiger Ali Singh versus Leif Cassidy, The Headbangers vs Los Boricuas, Flash Funk versus The Patriot and a long past their prime, Road Warriors versus The Godwinns.
Happily, the night's final three attractions were well worth the price of admission alone.
Owen Hart versus Vader was one of Vader's best matches in WWE. A classic big man versus little man contest, this bout saw Owen repeatedly try and take the giant down to the mat. When he was finally successful, he could not capitalise however and was downed by a Vader Bomb.
Bret Hart defended the WWE Championship against former champion The Undertaker in an epic 29 minute match-up. This bout was superior to their SummerSlam contest the previous month. Bret, like his brother, Owen in the prior match, did his best to use his technical prowess to ground 'Taker but eventually succumbed to the big man's power. The finish came when Bret got his head wedged in between the ring ropes. Undertaker was disqualified for repeatedly battering the "Hitman" while he was trapped.
The main event saw UK hero, The British Bulldog defend the European Championship against Shawn Michaels, who had recently turned heel at SummerSlam on August 3, 1997. The original result of to the bout was pencilled in to be a Bulldog victory, but in the hours before showtime, "The Kliq" of Michaels and Triple H convinced WWE boss, Vince McMahon to change the result and switch the belt to HBK instead. Bulldog accepted the change in result when McMahon informed him that he would regain the belt from Michaels at the next UK pay per view, scheduled for April 1998.
However, the change in result prompted a riotous response from the Birmingham crowd who fully expected their countryman to retain. Bulldog in the weeks leading up to the show had vowed to win the contest on behalf of his terminally ill sister (then of the belief that he was set to win) and when he came up short, it left a bad taste in the mouth.
The new European Champion, Michaels was pelted with bottles and other debris as he left the ringside area, gloating about his victory.
As it turned out, neither Michaels or Bulldog would wrestle at the next UK pay per view, Mayhem in Manchester on April 4, 1998.
Michaels was forced to retire a week earlier on March 29 (for four years, as it turned out), after he suffered a devastating back injury two months earlier at the Royal Rumble event. Bulldog actually left WWE in November, following the Montreal Screwjob in which Michaels, Triple H and McMahon successfully took the WWE Championship away from Bret Hart for real. Bulldog bought himself out of his contract and followed Hart to WCW.
One Night Only was a smash hit show and the controversial ending has ensured it it is still remembered over two decades later. Undoubtedly, the finest UK show of all time.
