WWE: Money in the Bank, SummerSlam and Other PPV Breakdowns

The dust has settled. The speculation has come to an end. The WWE and Heavyweight Championships have both changed hands and two "Money in the Bank" cases are now in the grips of superstars who have never before tasted championship gold.

Needless to say, it was an eventful PPV this Sunday at Money in the Bank.

This, of course, raises a slew of questions: just how good was this Sunday’s PPV? Was in better than Wrestlemania? Will SummerSlam be able to top it? Does this justify the inordinate amount of gimmick PPVs in WWE’s yearly schedule?

To better examine the significance and longevity of the Money in the Bank event, one must fully examine each WWE PPV; the classics, the gimmicks and the forgettable few in between.  

The Classics

The big four: Wrestlemania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble and Survivor Series.

Survivor Series

Survivor Series barley deserves a spot in "The Classics" slide. Sure, it's one of the original four and in the past it was great, but recent installments have shown a lack of identity.

It is apparent that the WWE would discontinue the event it if not for its remarkable history. Forced survivor-style matches like Team Del Rio vs. Team Mysterio are an insult to what the PPV used to stand for, and are only booked to justify the name.

All in all, Survivor Series lacks identity. It is not booked like a gimmick PPV, featuring multiple survivor matches, but it is also never booked like as strongly as a Wrestlemania or a SummerSlam.

SummerSlam and Wrestlemania

Although SummerSlam does not have the same prestige as Wrestlemania, the two seem to suffer the same curse: hugely hyped, hugely anticipated, but often unable to deliver on the insurmountable expectations.

Most WWE fans look forward to both PPVs, possibly more than any other of the year, but often times they end up being the most lambasted.

Royal Rumble

Often times, the Royal Rumble ends up being the PPV of the year. Although highly anticipated, the expectations going into the Rumble are never as hard to meet as Wrestlemania.

On top of that, the gimmick behind the "royal rumble" match is incredible. It showcases wrestlers that rarely appear at PPVs (Zack Ryder, JTG, Yoshi Tatsu), there is always surprised appearances (Booker T, Diesel) and it sets the stage for the main event at Wrestlemania.  

Even the best booked, most popular PPV’s are subject to criticism and ridicule, but year after year the Royal Rumble never disappoints.

The Gimmicks

Between Wrestlemania 26 and Wrestlemania 27, there were six gimmick PPV's. Some were better then others, few are worth examining in full.

Night of Champions' only purpose is to remind everyone that there is way too many championships.

Elimination Chamber was created with the best of intentions, but rarely produces unforgettable matches.

TLC and Extreme Rules are both solid efforts. Fans get some decent hardcore matches that occasionally even slide into PG-13 territory and it helps keep tables and ladder matches in the mix.

The only aspect of TLC that doesn’t sit well is the ‘chairs match.’ Watching superstars try and be creative using chairs alone just makes the audience wish there were tables and ladders in the ring.  

In the gimmick category of WWE PPVs it’s hard to say that Money in the Bank isn’t the cream of the crop.

Putting it on the same tier as SummerSlam and Wrestlemania might be a stretch, but any event that features a WWE Championship match, a heavyweight championship match and two eight-man ladder matches that, historically, foreshadow who the future champions of the WWE will be is an event worth watching.

Plus, it adds excitement to every championship bout that precedes it; immediately following any WWE or heavyweight championship match all eyes shift to the TitanTron; fans eagerly awaiting whichever wrestler hold the all powerful "Money in the Bank" briefcase.

The most detrimental gimmick PPV is Hell in a Cell.

The match itself has produced legendary bouts, but booking it once a year, for whoever is currently feuding over the title, waters down what Hell in a Cell stands for. The match was once reserved for rivalries that had gone too far. It was the last resort of desperate men and because of this each match was harder to top than the last.

In its prime, the mere mention of the words "Hell in a Cell" would send chills down wrestler’s spines. Now, it’s just an annual event that will never live up to the hype that once surrounded the most demonic match in all of sports entertainment. 

The Rest

That leaves us with the few and forgettable; the Capital Punishments, the Venegeances and the Over the Limits.

WWE might be better off cutting useless PPV's like these out of the picture.

Pay-Per-Veiw sales are a significant part of the WWE’s revenue, but 13 pay shows a year might be a few too many. At some point less is more, and some customers might be more inclined to order every event if it didn’t mean they would have to fork over $600 a year.

Thanks for reading! This is my first article on B/R so any and all comments are welcome!