Top 8 WWE PPVs of the 2010s

It's been a crazy ten years in WWE, with a lot of changes being made. For starters, the first women's match on pay-per-view in the 2010s was 25 seconds long, with the final one lasting longer in minutes.

Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair went for close to half an hour alongside the Kabuki Warriors, headlining of the TLC event. Quality of the mentioned main event aside, it signifies the change of the times from the beginning to the end of the decade.

Also, a plethora of new stars have been created with most of the big names from the early 2010s still hanging around largely in a part-time capacity. The likes of Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns among others have had a successful decade.

In the content-hungry era of the 2010s, WWE has put on at least one pay-per-view event every month. This amounts to a lot over ten years, close to 150. Every year has seen some hits and some misses. In this article, we are looking at the greatest hits that WWE has produced this decade.

Here are the eight greatest WWE pay-per-views of the 2010s. But first, a few honorable mentions.

Payback 2013
Battleground 2016
Royal Rumble 2019
WrestleMania 35

#8 Evolution (2018)

2018 was a pretty average year for WWE from a booking standpoint, although the monthly pay-per-views were generally pretty good. During a distressing time involving the Crown Jewel controversy and Roman Reigns leaving to battle leukaemia, the locker room's morale was probably really low.

Still, the excitement of the company's first-ever all-women's pay-per-view was evident. Taking place in a smaller venue than usual, Evolution certainly had a different feel to it. The show was packed with the best females across the WWE umbrella, including the likes of Toni Storm and Shayna Baszler among others.

Almost everything on this show worked really well, including a 6-woman tag team match featuring Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Natalya against the Riott Squad. However, the best match on Evolution was the incredible Last Woman Standing match between eternal wrestling soulmates, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. It was as violent and brutal a WWE women's match as we have seen over the years.

The show was headlined by a serviceable Ronda Rousey vs Nikki Bella match for the RAW Women's Championship and the night ended with all the females celebrating at the top of the ramp. This was history being made. It was an extremely fun show which proved that women are capable of putting on as good as, if not better than, a show as the men.

#7 Royal Rumble 2017

This was the largest Royal Rumble pay-per-view ever, at least until WWE decided to have two Rumble matches every year. Over 50,000 people filled the Alamodome, 20 years after WWE first came to this setting for a Royal Rumble. This time, there was much more star-power both, in the Rumble and out of it Rumble.

Neville began his underrated reign as the King of the Cruiserweights over here by defeating Rich Swann, while Charlotte Flair and Bayley had a serviceable RAW Women's title match. Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens also put on a clinic, as they sacrificed their bodies in an exciting No Disqualification Match. The pick of the undercard matches, though, came through AJ Styles and John Cena.

The two legends had another instant classic against one another, this time for the WWE Championship. Cena won his 16th world title after hitting consecutive Attitude Adjustments on Styles to pick up the hard-fought victory. Then came the Royal Rumble Match. It was one of the most star-studded matches of its kind, particularly in its final stretches.

Brock Lesnar, Goldberg and The Undertaker all entered in the final five spots after the likes of Chris Jericho and Braun Strowman had impressive showings. Roman Reigns entering at number 30 after losing earlier in the night may be classed as a disappointment, while Randy Orton winning the entire match seemed to catch everyone off guard.

It was still a decent 30-man match. All-in-all, Royal Rumble 2017 will be remembered for its brilliant undercard and impeccable star-power.

#6 Extreme Rules 2012

An extremely unique main event, at the time

Extreme Rules 2012 followed another impressive pay-per-view in WrestleMania 28. The Miami-based Supercard was carried by Triple H vs The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell and the 'Once in a Lifetime' match between John Cena and The Rock. This time, it was up to the full-time workers to come up with the goods. And boy, did they!

Sheamus and Daniel Bryan recovered from their 18-second debacle at WrestleMania to wrestle a minor classic in the form of a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match for the World Heavyweight Championship. Similarly, CM Punk defended his WWE Championship against Chris Jericho in a Chicago Street Fight that blew the pair's WrestleMania match out of the water.

Other highlights included Randy Orton defeating Kane in a Falls Count Anywhere Match, Cody Rhodes regaining his Intercontinental Championship from the Big Show and Layla returning to capture the Divas Championship from Nikki Bella. However, the biggest match and moment on the card came in the form of a returning Beast.

Brock Lesnar faced John Cena in his first WWE match in over eight years and it did not disappoint. The main event Extreme Rules match was a violent and bloody brawl, the likes of which WWE fans hadn't seen since the birth of the PG Era.

Lesnar destroyed Cena like nobody could and even though the Leader of the Cenation ground out the victory, the match will remain unforgettable for the brutality that ensued. Also, Lesnar did get his win back over Cena at SummerSlam 2014.

#5 Survivor Series 2016

In the second half of the 2010s, Survivor Series returned to prominence thanks to the re-sanctioned brand split. Now, every November, RAW, and SmackDown (and now NXT) do battle in matches that have not been seen before, whether in singles, tag team or traditional Survivor Series action, it usually impressed. The first of its kind, in 2016, was a particularly special edition.

The undercard elimination matches involving the women and tag teams were effectively done getting the likes of Bayley, Sheamus, Cesaro and The Usos over. Other brand supremacy title matches like The Miz vs Sami Zayn and Kalisto vs The Brian Kendrick were serviceable in their own right. But the night was stolen by the final two matches, both very different in all ways possible.

The 5-on-5 men's Survivor Series elimination match between Team RAW and Team SmackDown was exceptional. It had so many storytelling layers from former alliances and unexpected eliminations to brief reunions and high spots, this match may just be the greatest traditional Survivor Series match of all time. In the end, Bray Wyatt and his new follower, Randy Orton, won the match for Team SmackDown in thrilling fashion.

But the main event was the one that everyone was talking about at the end of the night. A rematch from WrestleMania 20, Goldberg stepped into the ring to take on Brock Lesnar. And all it took was 86 seconds. After two Spears and a Jackhammer, Goldberg had put the Beast down once again. It was a shocking and memorable ending to an action-packed show.

Fans didn't even feel short-changed because of the immense shock value and the tremendous main event-caliber action that was delivered beforehand. That is what makes Survivor Series a truly special event.

#4 SummerSlam 2013

The summer of 2013 was an exciting time for WWE. A lot of interesting feuds were planned, along with some strong new blood on the roster. SummerSlam was the peak of that excitement. The company booked the two biggest money matches they could possibly book for the show, in John Cena vs Daniel Bryan and Brock Lesnar vs CM Punk. It is fair to say that both matches delivered immensely.

The night opened with the debut match of a certain Bray Wyatt, as he defeated Kane in a Ring of Fire match. Christian and Alberto Del Rio shared a solid World Heavyweight Championship match, but the show was stolen by the two big matches.

Punk vs Lesnar was a tremendous David vs Goliath bout, which saw the Second City Saint come within inches of vanquishing Paul Heyman's massive gorilla. It was a classic that had the fans invested from the very get-go. However, it was Lesnar who came out on top following a spectacular effort from Punk.

The main event was probably more emotionally charged, as Daniel Bryan unseated John Cena to win the WWE Championship after putting on a clinic worthy of the prize he had earned. This was one of Cena's finest hours, especially considering his elbow was shaped like a tennis ball. After the classic between the two babyfaces, Randy Orton spoiled the party.

Special guest referee, Triple H, turned on Bryan and hit him with a Pedigree to leave him out cold for the Viper to prey on. His dream was taken just minutes after he had achieved it. And thus, the Authority was born. This was merely the first chapter in Daniel Bryan's road to ultimate glory. as we will get to in just a couple of moments.

#3 Money In The Bank 2011

Before the summer of 2013 was the epic summer of 2011. This was the most exciting time in WWE for years, as CM Punk blurred the lines between real and kayfabe by cutting his infamous pipebomb promo. He was set to face John Cena at Money in the Bank, the final night of his WWE contract. Punk vowed to win leave the company with the WWE Championship. Even better, the show took place in his hometown of Chicago.

While the main event was captivating to another level, the rest of this show also holds up pretty well. We got two solid Money in the Bank ladder matches, with Daniel Bryan and Alberto Del Rio winning the briefcases. Bryan's victory was particularly sweet, because of the superior action that preceded it, involving the likes of Wade Barrett, Sheamus, and Justin Gabriel among others.

Mark Henry's Hall of Pain was officially open on this show, with the Big Show being the first inductee. Also, Christian regained the World Heavyweight Championship from Randy Orton on a technicality in a typically wonderful match that their feud was known for. However, the true magic lied in the main event.

In what remains the most recent WWE main roster match to receive 5 stars from Dave Meltzer, CM Punk defeated John Cena to win the WWE Title in a titanic tussle that ran for over half an hour. Even with Vince McMahon trying to form a roadblock in Punk's way, the Voice of the Voiceless escaped the Allstate Arena with the WWE Championship.

It was not only a victory for CM Punk, it was also a victory for the fans. While the eventual aftermath did not live up to this fantastic event, Money in the Bank is still remembered as one of the greatest pay-per-views of all time.

#2 WrestleMania 31

Most of the pay-per-view events on this list had a good build-up, leaving fans excited for the eventual show. WrestleMania 31 was different. The lead-up to this particular show was pretty bad, with the product suffering from a lack of urgency. It did not feel like WrestleMania, aside from probably Sting vs Triple H. Fans were expecting 2015's edition of the Show of Shows to be one of the worst in 'Mania history. They would end up being so, so wrong.

WrestleMania 31, emanating from the West Coast, was a tremendous hit pretty much from top to bottom. Daniel Bryan kicked off the show by winning the Intercontinental Championship in a tremendous ladder match before Randy Orton delivered one of the greatest RKOs of all time to defeat Seth Rollins. Then, came Sting's only WrestleMania match.

It played out in complete daylight, but his nostalgic brawl with Triple H is still pretty memorable. Cameos from DX and nWo helped make for a special WrestleMania moment. Rusev entered the stadium in a tank, which certainly holds up better than his United States Championship loss to John Cena. The Undertaker made his first appearance since the end of his WrestleMania streak, defeating Bray Wyatt in a slightly inconsequential match.

Ronda Rousey made her first-ever appearance inside a WWE ring alongside The Rock, to help him take down Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. But the best match on the show was the least-anticipated one, the main event between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship.

The two had a shockingly brutal match, which seemed more like a fight. Reigns looked incredible, withstanding Lesnar's offense and almost pulling off the upset victory. However, with both men down, a wild Seth Rollins appeared and cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase, mid-match.

This made the main event a triple threat match and a minute later, Rollins escaped with the WWE Title. It was one of the most stunning swerves in WWE history, as the company once again proved how good they are at shocking the fans. This ending was one of the greatest in WrestleMania history and fitting for a show that will be remembered as one of the most consistent WrestleManias in history.

#1 WrestleMania 30

While WrestleMania 31 was consistent and memorable, the one that preceded it was even better. What makes WrestleMania 30 so special? The context.

Heading into WrestleMania in 2014, the main event was scheduled to be Randy Orton vs Batista. However, the WWE Universe rejected the premise of it so much, that the company was forced to alter plans. Daniel Bryan was re-inserted into the WWE Championship picture having been ignored, following his crushing defeats to Orton in 2013.

He faced Triple H in the show's opener, with the winner advancing to the main event. Other matches on the show included Bray Wyatt vs John Cena, Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker and the first-ever Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Oh, and Hulk Hogan was the host of the entire event. He shared the ring with 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and The Rock to open the show. It was a legendary moment, one that was the perfect way to open such a legendary show. Bryan defeated Triple H to enter the main event, Cesaro slammed the Big Show over the top rope to win the first Andre battle royal of its kind and Cena defeated Wyatt in a fun match.

While Bryan's path upwards brought about hope among the fans, Brock Lesnar defeating the Undertaker crushed their collective souls. The Deadman had been defeated for the first time in 22 WrestleMania matches, ending the single most legendary streak in sports-entertainment history.

Following the ultimate heartbreak of the streak dying, no ordinary performer could have re-energized the crowd. But Daniel Bryan was no ordinary performer. His unmatched talent and drive brought the fans back into the game, as they rose and cheered for the Yes Man to fight for his dreams, against all odds.

The main event triple threat match was a decent affair, most memorable for its finish. Bryan had Batista trapped in the Yes Lock and the Animal eventually tapped out, sending the fans into euphoria. The Yes Movement was a phenomenon and WrestleMania 30 was the night that made the movement, and the man, immortal.

Daniel Bryan stood tall at the end of the most emotionally draining WWE show in recent history, with every single fan in the Superdome on their feet. This show was certainly the best of the decade, primarily thanks to Daniel Bryan. He turned WrestleMania into YestleMania. What a night, what a performance, and what a man. Take a bow, Daniel Bryan.