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EditorialBest Pay-Per-View Ever?

Best Pay-Per-View Ever?

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I became a wrestling fan when I was about 12 years of age.  Spending my Saturday afternoon watching WTBS wrestling after doing my morning paper route.  As I got older, I started watching the WWF/WWE and flirted with WCW and TNA Wrestling.  Never, though, could I afford to watch a pay-per-view.  Not a “Wrestlemania” or a “Royal Rumble” or anything like that.  The closest I could get to something that was LIKE a pay-per-view was “Saturday Night’s Main Event” and even those were tied into the next PPV.  Sadly I was stuck hearing about the next big PPV but never felt like I could afford to pony up the cash (especially since the wife didn’t much care for wrestling).

Over the years I just got used to missing a big PPV only to get the updates on the next RAW or Smackdown.  Still shots and voice-overs of what happened.  None of my friends were big fans of wrestling and so, again, I lived without.  I went without.

Finally, in 2011 a friend invited me to go see “Over the Limit” at the Key Arena in Seattle.  It was my FIRST EVER PPV and I got to see it live and I didn’t remember that much about it.  Oh, sure, Jerry “The King” Lawler stuck his toes in Michael Cole’s mouth after JR bathed him in barbecue sauce and Bret Hart showed up, too.  The main event was the Miz against John Cena in an “I Quit!” match.  It was my first ever and it wasn’t much to write home about.

Then the WWE Network started up and I could get a free month of the Network and it sure looked like Wrestlemania 33 was going to be the last for the Undertaker and since it was free my wife begrudgingly said:  “Okay.”  So, finally, after all those years – I got to sit down and watch a Pay-Per-View and it was glorious…if not a bit over long.

After my free month lapsed, I decided that I was done with that and moved on.  But then, a month or so ago, I got an e-mail from the WWE Network.  They would give me three months FREE of the Network.  I just had to cancel before January 6th.  Well, I couldn’t pass that up – so once again I signed up.  With three months at hand?  What should I do?

Well…I decided to watch all the Wrestlemania PPVs from number 1 through 32.  Partly as a way to relive some of those glory days and partly as a way to see what I had been missing for all those years.

Wow.  If you have the WWE Network and haven’t done this, you should at least take a look.  Wrestlemania 1 was quite the, uh, production?  Relatively short, it was obvious that this process was going to take some time to really smooth out the rough edges.  Certainly time and technology were going to come into play but it’s quite shocking to see what was at the beginning and what it has now become.

Some Wrestlemanias, as you can imagine, were better than others.  Donald Trump shows up in quite a bit of the early ones and the amount of blood used in a number of them is pretty shocking.

I shouldn’t look at PPVs from the 80’s and 90’s from a lens of 2017 but it’s hard not to think about what the WWE got away with back in the day.  Women in thong outfits.  Violence against women (even 2004 when Mick Foley shoves a razor bladed Mr. Socko into Lita’s mouth).  HHH flipping off the camera after a long close-up on Trish Stratus’s breasts.  There certainly was something about the “attitude era” that can’t happen today.

The Rock’s first Wrestlemania (as Rocky Maivia), Big Show’s first Wrestlemania (as Paul Wright), John Cena’s first – these are interesting time capsules to open up and peer in.

Of course watching these quickly reminded me of who we’ve lost over the years with Andre the Giant, Macho Man, Miss Elizabeth, Roddy Piper and others.  Can’t watch Chris Benoit wrestle and not think about how his life ended, too.

Let’s say on Christmas morning someone gets a WWE Network gift card in their stocking from Santa.  What Pay-Per-Views should they watch?  Is there a particular one that you felt really showcased a certain talent or ended a storyline perfectly?  Or told a story in a way that you always remember?

If you were judging the PPVs that have been shown over the years (and are available on the WWE network) – what would you encourage people to see?  What would you say is the best PPV ever?

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