5 Retired WWE PPVs that recently made a comeback

By Divesh Merani
Modified Feb 08, 2021 15:50 IST
WWE No Way Out; Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman celebrate at WWE Payback
WWE No Way Out; Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman celebrate at WWE Payback

Over the past few decades, WWE has had a lot of pay-per-views. Some of them, particularly the 'Big Four' worked to perfection, but some did not last beyond their first edition. The company's special event schedule is ever-evolving, with an increased focus on gimmick-based shows in recent years.

As a result, WWE moved away from a few popular pay-per-view names. However, with that being said, some of them have made a comeback in the past decade. Whether as a temporary gap-filler or a permanent part of the WWE calendar, these shows were brought back to our screens years after being retired by the company.

This is prevalent on NXT, who have used the 'In Your House' gimmick for their June Takeover and a few WCW pay-per-view concepts for TV in 2020. Next week's Takeover is named after the previously regular Vengeance pay-per-view. We could see several old names make a return in this way as there have been in recent years.

So, with that in mind, here are five retired WWE pay-per-views that made a comeback in the past decade.

#5 WWE Vengeance (2011)

This is not the first time that the Vengeance pay-per-view has returned to WWE. After years as an early summer pay-per-view during the Ruthless Aggression Era, it was discontinued following the 2007 edition after being merged with Night of Champions. Vengeance made a one-time return to the WWE calendar in 2011.

WWE needed a spot in the middle of October to take the place of the weirdly set up Bragging Rights pay-per-view, with Vengeance slotting in well. It was a decent show, with the highlight being Mark Henry and The Big Show breaking the ring - the second time it happened in WWE history.

This led to a unique main event. Alberto Del Rio and John Cena's WWE title Last Man Standing Match took place in that destroyed ring. Del Rio retained the belt after The Miz and R-Truth attacked Cena. Then known as Awesome Truth, the duo had defeated Triple H and CM Punk earlier on the show.

Some of the other matches at Vengeance 2011 include Sheamus defeating Christian in a solid contest, as well as a non-title match between Randy Orton and Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes. WWE could bring Vengeance back in the October slot instead of the increasingly predictable Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.

#4 WWE Payback (2020)

This is the only WWE pay-per-view that debuted in the past decade. In fact, Payback first happened a year after the comeback editions of a couple of events on this list. It ran from 2013 until 2017, being discontinued after WWE did away with brand-exclusive pay-per-views. However, it did make a return in 2020.

In fact, Payback was seemingly a last-minute addition to the schedule. It happened one week after SummerSlam and followed up from the big event well. The main event saw Roman Reigns win the Universal Championship in a triple threat against The Fiend and Braun Strowman, one week after making his shocking return to WWE.

However, there were other fun matches on the show as well. Dominik Mysterio picked up his first victory in WWE as he teamed with his father to defeat Seth Rollins and Murphy. Meanwhile, Sasha Banks and Bayley lost the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship to Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler.

Payback was a big night for Keith Lee, as he soundly defeated Randy Orton in seven minutes. Bobby Lashley was also successful, winning the United States Championship. After such a solid show, it would be a pleasant surprise if Payback replaces Clash of Champions as WWE's annual September show.

#3 WWE Backlash (2016 onwards)

Another pay-per-view that returned in 2020, Backlash was WWE's post-WrestleMania staple for so many years. It happened every April from 1999 to 2009, before being replaced by Extreme Rules. However, as the brand split returned in 2016, so did Backlash - initially as a SmackDown-exclusive event.

The Blue brand provided Backlash with some blockbuster moments, with both brand-exclusive editions yielding a new WWE Champion. In September 2016, AJ Styles defeated Dean Ambrose to win the WWE title, and in May 2017, Jinder Mahal shocked the world by pinning Randy Orton to become the Champion.

WWE booked Backlash 2018 to happen barely a week after their first Saudi Arabia show, resulting in a cluster of a card that featured some very dull action and unflattering storytelling. After giving 2019 a miss and WWE replacing it with Stomping Grounds, Backlash made a comeback last year.

It featured the 'Greatest Wrestling Match Ever' between Randy Orton and Edge, both of whom truly put a shift in. The Viper won their 45-minute barnburner. Prior to the long headliner was a largely average show, with Drew McIntyre's victory over Bobby Lashley being the standout match.

#2 WWE No Mercy (2016 and 2017)

Just like Backlash, WWE brought back No Mercy to become a brand-exclusive pay-per-view. It was a SmackDown event in 2016 and was shifted over to RAW in 2017. However, it hasn't returned since. Much like Vengeance and Payback, No Mercy should return as a part of a WWE reshuffle in the final months of the year.

Both modern editions of No Mercy were decent, with some excellent matches on display. The 2016 event opened with a marquee triple threat for the WWE Championship between AJ Styles, John Cena, and Dean Ambrose. Luke Harper returned in the main event to help Bray Wyatt defeat Randy Orton.

However, the night's standout moment was Dolph Ziggler winning the Intercontinental Championship in a 'Career vs. Title' match against The Miz. It was an excellent match, flanked by a brilliant story. One year later, stealing the show were Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, as they defeated The Bar in a tag team title match.

No Mercy 2017 was main-evented by a disappointing Universal title match between Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman, while John Cena faced Roman Reigns in a mega-match as well. Reigns defeated Cena after over 20 minutes of action, cementing himself as WWE's biggest full-time star.

#1 WWE No Way Out (2012)

Along with Backlash and No Mercy, one of the most popular WWE events to be replaced at the start of the PG Era was No Way Out. It was the perfect pay-per-view to have between Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, featuring some iconic matches and moments. However, the less subtle Elimination Chamber took its place.

WWE did bring No Way Out back as a one-off, but it was simply to fill the June spot on the pay-per-view calendar. One year before they found success with Payback, WWE booked No Way Out to take place in June 2012. John Cena vs. The Big Show headlined the show in a Steel Cage Match.

John Laurinaitis was fired from WWE as a result of Cena winning. No Way Out was one of the many pay-per-views from this period that saw CM Punk play second fiddle to John Cena, despite being the WWE Champion. Punk defeated Daniel Bryan and Kane in an entertaining triple threat that heavily featured AJ Lee in its build.

Other matches at No Way Out 2012 saw Sheamus retain the World Heavyweight Championship against Dolph Ziggler, and The Prime Time Players win a four-way No.1 Contender's Match for the Tag Team Titles. WWE also booked a Tuxedo Match between Santino Marella and Ricardo Rodriguez - no words needed.

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