Every year since 1985 the WWE has been putting on pay-per-view spectaculars that have captured the imagination of the world. The larger-than-life productions have brought in thousands of fans from around the world to witness the best sports entertainment product in the world Each PPV production has involved some fantastic set pieces and production value that helps to set their extravaganzas apart from the rest. That is not to mention that the WWE brings in some of the best wrestlers in the world to help sell their PPVs.
Outside of the main selling points that were mentioned above, there is one overall feature of a PPV that could help to make or break the show and that is the name. The name of the PPV is the first thing that anyone notices. It is front and centre on the marquee and promotional material and if the name flops it can be a big red stain on the entire show.
For every WrestleMania or Royal Rumble, you have your Great Balls of Fire or This Tuesday in Texas and the difference can ruin the entire show. Below we will take a look at the 10 worst of these PPV names the WWE has presented us over the years.
Great Balls of Fire
There is a reason that this PPV name was only used once. It left a lot of people scratching their heads when it was first advertised. The name is referring to a song performed by Jerry Lee Lewis in 1961 but this has nothing to do with wrestling. It made no sense for the WWE to use this name at all, except for maybe the song becoming public domain.
Great Balls of Fire did nothing to add to the PPV and the name became a laughing stock amongst wrestling fans. Thankfully, the WWE put this name to rest after using it once.
WrestleMania Backlash
Backlash has a long-standing history in WWE dating back to 1999. It was the PPV right after WrestleMania where we got to see WrestleMania feuds get blown off or new feuds begin going into the summer. It has become somewhat of an institution in WWE over the past 20 years and the fans have always responded well to it.
So why would WWE add WrestleMania to the Backlash PPV name? We already know that Backlash is the fallout from WrestleMania so what is the need to beat us over the head with it. Hopefully, this is a one-off for WWE and they return to just Backlash next year.
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs…. And Stairs
When the WWE first came up with the TLC match it was a great concept and play on words. This translated well when they renamed their December PPV after the gimmick match.
For a few years, we got to see some great TLC, Tables, and even the odd Chairs match. It was a fun PPV to end the year off for the WWE Universe, but then WWE went a bit too far. Adding “Stairs” to their PPV got a collective sigh from fans and critics alike. It made no sense to do this as it forced WWE to add a god-awful stairs match to the PPV.
This was a terrible idea and a terrible PPV name. Thankfully, WWE realized their error and we were back to just plain old TLC the following year.
Horror Show at Extreme Rules
Speaking of tacked on names to a PPV, what was WWE thinking with this one? Extreme Rules had become one of the most anticipated PPV in the new era. Gimmick matches have become quite the attraction with the WWE fans and the PPV was always a good time. Extreme Rules is usually during the summertime when WWE is in its downtime so the PPV is a great break from the boredom.
When it came time for Extreme Rules this year we all saw the abomination of adding “Horror Show” onto the PPV name. This gave us the feeling of a B-horror movie more than a WWE PPV. It looked like the WWE was moving more from providing great wrestling to making a film production out of the whole show. Which, by now, we know that WWE is not the best at.
Please don’t do this again WWE, for the love of God, please.
The Bash
Leave it to WWE to take an idea that isn’t theirs and ruin it for everyone. When the NWA/WCW was around the Great American Bash PPV was one of the classic shows for the company. Happening during the summer this was a great PPV and one that was easy to present. The patriotic theme of the PPV may not appeal to some but in the United States, it was a perfect idea. It was also responsible for some of the more memorable moments in NWA/WCW history.
When WWE bought WCW they did continue this tradition, giving the PPV name to a Smackdown exclusive PPV that took place over the summer. Then they had to go and change the name to The Bash, fooling no one. This was a clear attempt to create something that they could say was their brainchild. We all knew it was a bastardized version of a great WCW PPV and the wool was pulled over no one’s eyes.
This Tuesday In Texas
Taking place a mere days after Survivor Series 1991 This Tuesday In Texas was a PPV that made no sense. Needlessly splitting up their main angles into two shows days apart took away from the importance of both shows.
Outside of the poor booking decisions on the part of WWE, the moniker they attached to the Tuesday PPV was one of their worst. This Tuesday in Texas sounds more like a political debate or some daytime talk show than a wrestling PPV. There was no creativity in the name they were just stating when the PPV was going to take place.
Taboo Tuesday
Yet another unsuccessful venture into Tuesday PPVs by the WWE. The hook for Taboo Tuesday was that the fans could go online and vote for opponents/weapons or stipulations concerning the matches on the card. In theory, this is an interesting idea to put the fans in charge but the practicality behind it just isn’t there.
What also was not practical was the name they decided to put on the PPV. There was nothing taboo about the show and the only reason it was used was that it started with the same letter as Tuesday. Again, it was a very lazy way to name a PPV, and the switch the Cyber Sunday, and move back to Sunday, was a welcome change to the PPV.
Bragging Rights
Back in 2009, WWE came out with a PPV that centered around Raw and Smackdown’s battle for brand supremacy. Great idea, problem was that WWE already had a PPV in place that they could have used it for, Survivor Series.
They also failed in an attempt to make any fans care about the card. Assigning no prize for the winning team, and considering the rosters were very fluid at this point, meant that the build was impossible to put any seriousness behind. It also meant that no one took the name seriously at all.
The Greatest Royal Rumble
Why does WWE always have to ruin a good thing? Months after they already put on the Royal Rumble PPV they put on their first PPV in the Middle East. Instead of assigning this a name like Crown Jewel or Super Show Down WWE thought it a good idea to call it The Greatest Royal Rumble.
Their hook was adding 20 more spots to make it a 50 man Royal Rumble match but this muddied the history of the Royal Rumble. Braun Stroman won the match but he got nothing for it and it is hardly mentioned on WWE television. Calling the PPV Crown Jewel later was a great shift for WWE and one they should have considered from the onset of the Saudi PPVs.
Fatal Four Way
It is not a terrible idea to name a PPV after a gimmick match but that should at least be a good match. WWE decided to take a generic match and fit an entire PPV around it. Leading up to the show they were forced to shoehorn wrestlers into title feuds just so they could make sure that the matches were fatal four ways.
Naming this PPV after a not often used gimmick match was a lazy effort by WWE to create something new. Luckily, this was a one-off and the PPV has never been heard from again… Unlike some.