WWE have aired a wide range of pay-per-view events since their inception back in the 1980s. When pay-per-view was first introduced to the world of pro wrestling, WWE opted for four major events across the year, namely: WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series and Royal Rumble, these would later become known as ‘The Big Four’. WWE would expand on their event calendar throughout the course of the 1990s, as wrestling became an ever-present part of Western pop-culture, eventually coming to a point where they could host one special, pay-per-view event each month.
Over the course of history, pay-per-views have not been static, in fact there hasn’t been a consistent chronology of pay-per-view events since the early 2000s, and even then it only lasted for about two years before WWE got the itch to rebrand a few events. Where ‘The Big Four’ events have remained an institution of WWE since their debuts, the remaining eight events have come and gone in various forms.
This list will run down the full line-up of dormant WWE pay-per-view events, covering those that have come and gone since the 1980s. Occasionally, WWE will host an event which is thematically similar to one or more of their older events, such as NXT’s Vengeance Day which took place in early 2021. However, the following pay-per-view events haven’t managed to find their way back onto WWE’s regular PPV scheduling in their original form.
Dormant & Inactive WWE Pay-Per-Views
– The Wrestling Classic (1985)
– This Tuesday in Texas (1991)
– King of the Ring (1993-2002)
– In Your House (1995-1999)
– Bad Blood (1997, 2003-2004)
– Over the Edge (1997-1998)
– Fully Loaded (1998-2000)
– Invasion (2001)
– One Night Stand (2005-2008)
– December to Dismember (2006)
– New Year’s Revolution (2005-2007)
– Unforgiven (1998-2008)
– Cyber Sunday/Taboo Tuesday (2004-2008)
– Judgment Day (1998, 2000-2009)
– The Great American Bash (2004-2009)
– Breaking Point (2009)
– Fatal 4-Way (2010)
– Bragging Rights (2009-2010)
– Capitol Punishment (2011)
– Vengeance (2001-2007, 2011)
– Over the Limit (2010-2012)
– Backlash (1998-2018)
– Armageddon (2000-2008)
– No Way Out (2000-2009, 2012)
– Great Balls of Fire (2018)
The longest running dormant pay-per-view is The Wrestling Classic, which aired for one show in 1985. The show featured a 16-man tournament of the same name, where the winner would be given the spotlight for all of a night. Junkyard Dog reigned victorious in the tournament’s finals over Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage. Elsewhere on the card, Hulk Hogan defended the WWF Championship against ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper in what was a true clash of that era’s biggest names.
Tournament pay-per-views would eventually become commonplace in the form of the annual King of the Ring, albeit featuring a much smaller roster for the tourney.
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