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According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, WWE officials are currently pulling over the idea of revisiting various old “WCW labelling” for possible future live events and specials.
And while that’s well and good and all, it does beg the question as to whether there’s really any need to rehash old WCW events when there are a number of WWE-devised shows that could easily be brought back into the mix instead.
With PPVs first coming into play in the mid-1980s, the company has gone from staging two or three events a year, to roughly one month, before finally arriving at the rather bloated schedule that’ll see 16 shows take place in 2017 alone. And naturally, along the way we’ve seen a number of those PPV concepts come and go as times have changed—though that doesn’t mean they’re completely past their expiration date.
Whether as pay-per-views, live events or WWE Network specials, this article takes a look at a handful of PPV concepts that WWE could — and possibly should — look to bring back into the fold.
#1 Bragging Rights
With WWE re-introducing the Brand Split last year, there’s certainly an opening on the company calendar for some kind of inter-promotional event, and luckily, they've a ready-made candidate to fill that opening.
Bragging Rights was a PPV that WWE ran towards the tail end of the last Brand Split, in which Raw talent and SmackDown talent would be able to square off against one another in a bid for — you guessed it — bragging rights.
The event only ran for a couple of years, in 2009 and 2010, before the brand extension was ended in August 2011. However, those shows took place in the final week of October, or in other words, just before Survivor Series, a show that also featured a number of team-based matches.
If WWE were to bring back Bragging Rights, it would make sense to book it earlier in the year, perhaps just before the re-Draft takes place, so as to avoid stepping on the toes of Survivor Series.
#2 Cyber Sunday
Back in July, PWInsider.com reported that WWE had applied to trademark Taboo Tuesday, with the idea being to revitalize the concept as a special edition of SmackDown — which broadcasts, of course, on a Tuesday.
So with one brand potentially getting its own fan-voted event, why not let Raw get in on the action too by bringing back Cyber Sunday as a standalone PPV?
Both Cyber Sunday and Taboo Tuesday were based on allowing fans to determine certain aspects of each match, including stipulations, opponents, and even which titles would be put on the line.
Sure, the show had its flaws, such as the inherent difficulty in selling a PPV when the actual matches haven’t been confirmed yet, as well as the fact that fans were often given a very limited choice of voting options. But with the proliferation of social media, the WWE App, and of course the WWE Network, there are plenty of opportunities to make a more modern reboot of the Cyber Sunday concept an improvement on the original.
#3 No Way Out
Unlike many modern PPVs, No Way Out doesn’t have a single, specific gimmick assigned to it, and it’s that lack of specificity that makes it a very versatile concept.
With a name like No Way Out, the event could logically stage both regular matches as well as your more elaborate, cage-based matches. Over the years, we’ve seen cage, Hell in a Cell and Elimination Chamber stipulations feature at the event, while we’ve also seen some shows feature no stipulations whatsoever.
It’s meant that feuds and their matches could develop organically, rather than having matches simply thrown together because the calendar dictates, such as Roman Reigns and Rusev’s Cell match for the US title back at Hell in a Cell 2016.
And on top of all that, by this point, No Way Out is fairly well-steep with history. The show’s been home to a number of classic matches and moments, including Kurt Angle vs. Undertaker from 2006, Eddie Guerrero’s title win in 2004, and Triple H vs. Cactus Jack inside Hell in a Cell from 2000.
#4 The Wrestling Classic
While the past year or so has seen WWE experiment with the Mae Young and Cruiserweight Classics, the original Wrestling Classic took place in 1985 and was very literally named just that.
The one-off event ran in November ’85 and saw a mix of both established and up-and-coming names face-off in a 16-man, knockout tournament, with four rounds of matches taking place in the space of a single evening. Junkyard Dog was crowned the inaugural winner, beating Randy Savage in the tournament final, while the show also featured a world title bout between Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper.
Even though the concept was never revisited, multi-man (and women) tournaments seem to be making something of a renaissance as of late, while the old school vibe could also help the event fill the void that was left by the ditching of the Old School Raw specials.
#5 King of the Ring
Over the years, King of the Ring has gone through many iterations.
It actually predates the aforementioned Wrestling Classic, having debuted in July 1985, even though it wasn’t until 1993 that it became a standalone PPV event. From there, it remained a fixture on the WWE calendar until 2002, before being half-heartedly revived in recent years with diminishing degrees of success.
But during its pomp, the concept helped elevate a number of stars that are now amongst the most celebrated names in the entire business. Hall of Famers like Randy Savage, Bret Hart, Triple H and Edge were each crowned King of the Ring at one point, while the PPV also provided the platform from which Stone Cold Steve Austin properly announced his arrival with his game-changing Austin 3:16 promo.
Plus, the show often had major repercussions for SummerSlam, whether it was in crowning number one contenders for the world title or adding depth to the story of non-title classics such as Bret vs. Owen in 1994.
Long story short, if we overlook the recent, watered-down bastardization, there aren’t many PPVs that had the long-term, big-picture impact that King of the Ring has, at times, provided.
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