The current schedule of WWE Pay-Per-View events is certainly not a spectacular compilation. Excluding the big four (Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, Summerslam, Survivor Series), I think you could call the rest mediocre. Money in the Bank, Extreme Rules, and TLC are the only respectable ones outside of the big four, and with Money in the Bank rumored to be moving to Summerslam next year, I think it’s a good time to take a look at some familiar replacements…
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Fall Brawl would be a candidate to replace Night of Champions in September. Fall Brawl was a WCW original that ran from 1993-2000. The main attraction of the PPV was the War Games Match, a concept created by Dusty Rhodes. The match consisted of two teams of 4 or 5, and a cage over two rings. Two wrestlers from opposing teams start the match inside the cage, after five minutes another wrestler enters the cage to give his team an advantage, and every two minutes thereafter, alternate members of the opposing teams enter. The match ends when a team member submits, or is no longer able to continue. The match cannot end on a pinfall and it’s no DQ.
As a wrestling fan, I would be much more interested in buying this PPV than Night of Champions. NOC is an okay concept, but it’s in September and it’s unlikely anything major is going to happen. Could you argue that War Games is an outdated concept? Sure, but with today’s performers, it would be an entertaining match.
In Your House was the PPV of the 90′s, running from May 1995 to April 1999. Whenever you see the logo, it just takes you back to that time. Was In Your House the greatest PPV? No way, but there were tons of classic matches throughout the many incarnations over the years.
Today, In Your House would fit greatly into the May slot. Over the Limit is garbage in my opinion. No one cares about it, it has no history, it’s just a stupid name for a throw away PPV. Bring back In Your House, call it what ever you want; Mind Games, Badd Blood, Judgment Day, I don’t care. You can even tailor the name to a current events or factions in wrestling, they use to do that all the time (DX, Taker, Rockbottom). Any incarnation of In Your House is better than Over the Limit.
The Great American Bash is yet another idea from the mind of Dusty Rhodes, who of course is the American dream. The Bash was a classic PPV for years in WCW. I think if Money in the Bank is getting moved to Summerslam and the July slot opens back up, why not the Great American Bash? You can put it somewhere near the 4th weekend, and build it around being patriotic. What’s more patriotic than a WWE PPV?
Thankfully they’ve already discontinued Capitol Punishment, which was kind of in the patriotic themed ball park, but that PPV sucked.
Yes, Vince has brought this back a few times for a three hour Raw, but it’s just not good enough. I feel like King of the Ring on Raw just devalues winning the tournament. In the good old days, they had qualifying and some early round matches on Raw, and still I’m completely fine with that.
The King of the Ring has always been used to propel guys to the next level, and it still has that same value. Guys like Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, and Zack Ryder would all make great KOTR winners. The June PPV slot has been full of crap for years now, bring back KOTR.
Putting a focus on winning this tournament is a good for business.
Okay, so I’ll admit, this one is just a personal favorite, but hear me out.
Halloween Havoc doesn’t have the value of KOTR, it’s just a really cool event. The October PPV slot in WWE has been garbage for years; Vengeance, Hell in a Cell, Bragging Rights, it doesn’t matter, all crap. I love a good Hell in a Cell match, but there’s no need for an entire PPV devoted to it. Bragging Rights is also now pointless with brand extension all but gone, and Vengeance can just go away, pointless.
Halloween Havoc is perfect for October, it brings the feel of Fall and the holiday to the PPV. I always think PPVs are better when you can tie an event or a time of year to them, it helps with the nostalgia factor.
Why not make the October PPV somewhat relevant? Obviously it’s October, so you can’t expect too much, but why not at least have a PPV that fits the bill. Halloween Havoc is the right choice. It can easily be a tradition in WWE for years to come.
Honorable mentions:
Starrcade – It was WCW’s Mania, and for that reason alone, I don’t think Vince would ever bring it back.
Road Wild – This unfortunately is just not an option. It’s a PPV based around the Sturgis motorcycle rally, which takes place in August, the month that belongs to Summerslam. Therefore, this will never happen.
December to Dismemeber – Just kidding.
Follow Andrew Fisher on Twitter @the_realfish
