Whether it was nonsensical booking, bad creative choices or questionable performances, these WWE pay-per-view main events from the 2000s were strange!
The 2000s in WWE went through several changes, with the company going from the Attitude Era to the Ruthless Aggression Era to the PG Era, all within a decade. One common thread throughout each era, is an array of weird booking and strange storytelling.
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There were many main events in the 2000s which could be seen as ‘strange’, whether that be due to a peculiar match stipulation, nonsensical booking, terrible creative choices, or a disastrous match. Either way, it is certainly hard to pick just 10 matches out of all those years and eras, but these choices cover an array of different types of strangeness.
Most Royal Rumble PPV events close with a Royal Rumble match, with a big triumphant victory to end the show. Rey Mysterio won the 2006 Rumble in sensational fashion, lasting longer than anybody in a Rumble to that point, and that would have been a great ending.
However, sometimes title matches, if they are huge such as The Rock vs CM Punk in 2013, can main event these shows. Kurt Angle vs Mark Henry was not huge, and it wasn’t good either. It was wrestled at an insanely slow pace for some reason, despite it being the main event, and it was a baffling choice to put it on last.
This was a high-profile triple threat match which pitted the World Heavyweight Champion Booker T against the WWE Champion John Cena and the ECW Champion Big Show, with Booker’s belt on the line.
For the most part, it was a pretty standard match – that was until the finish. After some differences between the two on Raw, singer Kevin Federline made his presence known by costing Cena the match. Having a celebrity interfere in the main event match at a PPV was certainly a questionable choice, and a strange one at that.
The structuring to this match was truly odd. Despite being long-time rivals, Triple H managed to convince Kane to team up with him to beat down Goldberg for a long, drawn-out period, until HHH then turned against Kane, which was incredibly predictable.
Goldberg was booked to take the fall in this match too, which was even more peculiar, although perhaps when looking at his first run in WWE, it isn’t entirely surprisingly.
Whilst this list isn’t necessarily looking at the ‘worst’ PPV main events, this is up there with both the worst and the weirdest. On paper, those involved were all talented, and the stipulation of adding different weapons in each pod was fun too.
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However, things didn’t mesh well, and the booking of this match effectively killed the ECW brand, with Bobby Lashley winning the belt, and fan favourites like CM Punk and RVD being eliminated early. It was an odd choice for McMahon to completely destroy the entire selling point of a popular brand.
On paper, CM Punk vs The Undertaker sounds promising. When the stipulation was announced as a Submission Match at the Breaking Point PPV, there was some apprehension that a dodgy finish would take place.
For whatever reason, WWE decided to rehash the Montreal Screwjob by ending the match and awarding Punk the victory – even though Undertaker didn’t tap out. Scott Armstrong’s corrupt officiating was explored a little on TV, but overall, the angle didn’t make any sense, especially since Undertaker won the World Heavyweight Title from Punk a month later anyway.
A Barbed Wire Steel Cage taking place in WWE was strange enough, but particularly when considering it was WWE Champion JBL and Big Show competing inside the structure, rather than an ECW legend or hardcore brawler.
The barbed wire wasn’t overly present, with it being just at the top of the cage to prevent the competitors from leaving. What was even more unique about this match was the finish, which saw Big Show chokeslam JBL through the ring and to the floor, which meant that JBL won the match by ‘escaping.’ It was strange, but in a creative way!
This was a ‘Last Ride’ match, in which the winner was the man who put their opponent in a hearse and drove them out of the arena. It was a weird stipulation, but the match itself was slow and plodding.
Towards the finish, Heidenreich emerged from the hearse and attacked The Undertaker by smothering him with chloroform. Taker would fight back until he was double teamed, with the hearse being driven away by Paul Heyman, with Taker inside. Heidenreich would then drive into the hearse, causing an explosion to close out the show.
On paper, this is a terrible main event for a PPV. In execution, it was also an awful main event. What made this reach the strange category though, is due to Undertaker burying Paul Bearer in a ‘Concrete Crypt,’ engulfing him in cement per the stipulation of him winning the match.
It was a very weird spectacle, and one of the more unique endings to a WWE PPV.
Most of the 2005 Rumble match was enjoyable, but it was the finish which made this one of the weirdest Rumbles of all time. In the most infamous Rumble botch of all time, Batista and John Cena both inadvertently went tumbling out of the ring, landing on the floor at the exact same time – with it all being unplanned.
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The referees, Cena, and Batista tried to stall, until an irate Vince McMahon ran down to the ring, somehow tearing both his quadriceps, causing him to sit in the ring shouting at everyone. Cena and Batista would restart the match, with Batista winning this time round.
Shawn Michaels didn’t want to lose to Hulk Hogan, especially with The Hulkster being far past his prime. Therefore, Michaels oversold the hell out of Hogan’s offense in a comical, absurd, and disrespectful way.
It was truly one of the most obscene performances which has gone down in infamy. It is incredibly funny but also painfully awkward at the same time, as Michaels is making no secret of his complete annoyance and lack of respect for Hogan.
Andrew Kelly is a writer from The Wirral, England. He is an MA Graduate from the University of Manchester, and a BA Graduate from Liverpool John Moores University, both in Creative Writing. Can be found on Twitter @andrew_kelly0