Power Ranking the 10 Best WWE PPV Posters of All Time
The revelation of the Survivor Series: War Games poster by Triple H ignited discussion across social media, with some fans loving the callback to Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now and others being critical of what they considered a certain "cheesiness."
Regardless of where one falls, it is a reminder of the power of an effective WWE pay-per-view poster.
Since the first WrestleMania in 1985, the company has produced countless posters, some more effective and eye-catching than others.
In celebration of the latest, featuring a camouflaged Cody Rhodes, these are the 10 greatest in WWE history, ranked according to how eye-catching they are, with analysis on whether the event lived up to the promotional efforts.
10. SummerSlam 1997
1 of 10
With a tagline like "Hart and Soul," SummerSlam 1997 featured the image of Bret Hart front and center, surrounded by the mystical presence of his opponent, then-WWE champion The Undertaker.
It was a gripping image, one easily accomplished through some graphic design. It highlighted the main event and was true to the character of The Deadman.
At a time when Vince Russo was gaining steam as a creative force within the company—though subtlety would not necessarily become a trademark of his booking style—it's the simplicity of this poster that really stands out.
Results
- Mankind def. Triple H in a Steel Cage match
- Goldust def. Brian Pillman
- The Legion of Doom def. The Godwinns
- European Champion The British Bulldog def. Ken Shamrock via disqualification
- Los Boricuas def. The Disciples of Apocalypse
- "Stone Cold" Steve Austin def. intercontinental champion Owen Hart to win the title
- Bret Hart def. WWE champion The Undertaker to win the title
Did the PPV Live Up to the Poster?
In short, no.
WWE in 1997 was red-hot, thanks to The Hart Foundation's anti-American gimmick, a "Stone Cold" character building momentum as the top babyface in the company, and other personalities that fans could invest in.
The in-ring action was anything but hot.
Screwy finishes, matchups with little chemistry and an absurd infatuation with booking Los Buricuas against The Disciples of Apocalypse on just about every major card dragged down the quality.
Undertaker and Bret Hart brought it in the main event and Mankind and Triple H kicked things off with a strong steel cage match, while Austin vs. Owen Hart never really reached a satisfying conclusion due to an unfortunate injury suffered by The Texas Rattlesnake.
It was a memorable show, but not necessarily a good one.
9. Judgment Day 2009
2 of 10
A show called "Judgment Day" being represented by a judicial scale, with a top star front and center, seems like it would be a no-brainer. But it took WWE 11 years after the first incarnation of the event to produce such a poster.
Edge makes his first appearance on our list as the judge, jury and executioner, staring ominously back at the viewer. As the focal point of the SmackDown brand at the time, he was an understandable choice for the promotional materials.
That he headlined as world champion only made it that much more appropriate.
Results
- Umaga def. CM Punk
- ECW champion Christian def. Jack Swagger
- John Morrison def. Shelton Benjamin
- Intercontinental champion Rey Mysterio def. Chris Jericho
- Batista def. WWE champion Randy Orton via disqualification
- John Cena def. Big Show
- World heavyweight champion Edge def. Jeff Hardy
Did the PPV Live Up to the Poster?
WWE in 2009 was a strange beast.
It touted one of the deepest and most talented rosters in company history, but so many of the shows could be classified as pedestrian. Judgment Day was no different.
A lineup featuring 10 different world champions should have been an all-timer. Instead, it was one of mostly good matches but little happening creatively.
Ironically enough, "little happening creatively" would become a theme for WWE the following year. Disappointingly so, too, given the quality of the poster.
8. No Way Out 2012
3 of 10
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The summer of 2012 saw AJ Lee rise to prominence as the love interest of Daniel Bryan. When she was disrespected and kicked to the curb, she made the former world champion's life a living nightmare.
She did the same to CM Punk. And Kane.
None of the three, nor the audience for that matter, knew exactly what her endgame was, which only added to the drama and intrigue.
That Lee was in control of the situation, instead of being manipulated, was perfectly encapsulated in this throwback poster, which may be the last truly great one of the 2010s.
Results
- World heavyweight champion Sheamus def. Dolph Ziggler
- Santino Marella def. Ricardo Rodriguez in a Tuxedo match
- Intercontinental champion Christian def. Cody Rhodes
- The Prime Time Players def. Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd, Primo and Epico, and The Usos in a Fatal 4-Way Match to become No. 1 contenders to the tag titles
- WWE Divas champion Layla def. Beth Phoenix
- Sin Cara def. Hunico
- WWE champion CM Punk def. Kane and Daniel Bryan in a Triple Threat match
- Ryback def. Dan Delaney and Rob Grymes
- John Cena def. The Big Show
Did the PPV Live Up to the Poster?
Unfortunately, no.
The excellent poster, featuring AJ Lee and Bryan at a time when their romance was all over WWE TV, was let down significantly by one of the worst PPVs of 2012.
Overbooked matches overshadowed a banger of a Sheamus-Ziggler opener and continued the trend of a summer of 2012 that never reached the potential of its talented roster.
7. Royal Rumble 1994
4 of 10
That there is not a higher-quality version of the 1994 poster is a shame because it was a throwback to years earlier, when original artwork was key in selling a PPV.
The Royal Rumble poster, by WWE artist Tom Fleming, perfectly depicted the company's top stars exploding off of the screen and into the living rooms of watching fans.
Bright, vivid, with tons of color and enormous personalities, it was what caught this writer's eye in video stores and made it one of my most rented at the local Blockbuster.
Bret Hart, Doink, Lex Luger, Yokozuna, Razor Ramon and The Undertaker are all perfectly represented as the top stars of that bygone New Generation.
Results
- Tatanka def. Bam Bam Bigelow
- WWE tag team champions The Quebecers def. Bret and Owen Hart via referee stoppage
- Intercontinental champion Razor Ramon def. IRS
- WWE champion Yokozuna def. The Undertaker in a casket match
- Bret Hart and Lex Luger were declared co-winners of the 1994 Royal Rumble
Did the PPV Live Up to the Poster?
Absolutely.
The 1994 Royal Rumble PPV may be the most absurd of any on this list.
From The Undertaker rising from the dead to the creative decision to book two Rumble winners, it was a show reflective of a company throwing whatever it could at the wall in hopes that it could rekindle the fanfare it enjoyed in the 1980s.
The Harts vs. Quebecers match was deceptively good and featured one of the best angles of all time with Owen kicking Bret's leg out from under his, um, leg, and Diesel's dominance in the Rumble match itself made him one of the brightest stars in the company overnight.
But the show as a whole is a time capsule of WWE during the tumultuous 1990s.
6. Backlash 2007
5 of 10
Edge takes center stage in this ode to Stanley Kubric's classic, The Shining.
One of the hottest stars in the company at the time, it made sense that WWE would focus attention on The Rated-R Superstar.
Even more so when he was booked in the blockbuster main event.
PPV Results
- World tag team champions The Hardys def. Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch
- WWE women's champion Melina def. Mickie James
- United States champion Chris Benoit def. MVP
- Mr. McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Umaga def. ECW champion Bobby Lashley (Mr. McMahon won the title)
- World heavyweight champion The Undertaker fought to a no-contest with Batista in a Last Man Standing match
- WWE champion John Cena def. Edge, Randy Orton, and Shawn Michaels in a Fatal 4-Way match
Did the PPV Live Up to the Poster?
It sure did.
The four-way main event alone elevated the quality of the show and may be the most underappreciated match of the 2000s. Cena, Edge, Orton and Michaels had wicked in-ring chemistry and with the WWE title at stake, they went all-out in an action-packed, unpredictable headliner.
Add to that another in a trilogy of excellent Undertaker vs. Batista matches and what was the best of the Benoit-MVP showdowns, and you have a show that can count itself unfortunate to be caught in the shadow of the monumental WrestleMania 23 that preceded it.
5. WrestleMania V
6 of 10
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Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage formed the Mega Powers in 1988 and dominated WWE, battling top heels until personal jealousy came between them. WrestleMania V was tagged "The Mega Powers Explode," and the event poster perfectly captured that.
It's big, bright, bold, colorful and full of personality, much like the company at that point in time.
Savage's scowl, Hogan's snarl and the cloud of fire behind them...this is pro wrestling artistry in 1989.
Results
- Hercules def. King Haku
- Big Boss Man and Akeem def. The Rockers
- "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase vs. Brutus Beefcake ended in a double count-out
- The Bushwhackers def. The Fabulous Rougeaus
- Mr. Perfect def. The Blue Blazer
- WWE tag team champions Demolition def. The Powers of Pain and Mr. Fuji in a 3-on-2 handicap match
- Dino Bravo def. "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin
- The Brain Busters def. Strike Force
- Jake "The Snake" Roberts def. Andre the Giant via disqualification
- The Hart Foundation def. Greg Valentine and The Honky Tonk Man
- "Ravishing" Rick Rude def. intercontinental champion The Ultimate Warrior to win the title
- Bad News Brown vs. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan went to a no-contest
- The Red Rooster def. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
- Hulk Hogan def. WWE champion "Macho Man" Randy Savage to win the title
Did the PPV Live Up to the Poster?
Yes, but not because it was good.
WrestleMania V is a slog to sit through. Like the begrudging classic Halloween 5 released that same year (1989), it's slow, not particularly exciting and doesn't really become interesting until the end.
That end, though, pits Hogan against Savage in the culmination of a year-long feud and is one of the great main events of those early WrestleManias.
So, it's fitting that the show was sold on the explosion of the Mega Powers, as seen on the classic poster.
4. December to Dismember 2006
7 of 10
Click here to view full image.
December to Dismember is one of those pay-per-views in which the less said, the better, but its advertising poster was hella cool.
The holidays are front and center, with bright lights, snowy chimney, full moon and...Sandman heading down the chimney?
The ECW icon's arm pops out of the chimney, his iconic kendo stick raised in the air in an image that is far more captivating than it has any right to be considering how lazily it was tacked into the otherwise festive imagery.
It worked and gave fans who had suffered through the first six months of the woeful ECW relaunch hope that the brand may be able to pull out one more great pay-per-view.
Sigh. It didn't.
Results
- The Hardys def. MNM
- Balls Mahoney def. Matt Striker
- Elijah Burke and Sylvester Terkay def. The Full Blooded Italians (The F.B.I.)
- Daivari def. Tommy Dreamer
- Kevin Thorn and Ariel def. Mike Knox and Kelly Kelly
- Bobby Lashley def. ECW champion The Big Show, Test, Rob Van Dam, Hardcore Holly, and CM Punk to win the title in an Elimination Chamber match
Did the PPV Live Up to the Poster?
Not even a little bit.
WWE's reintroduction of the ECW brand will forever rank as one of the biggest creative disasters in company history. The lack of understanding of what made the brand special in the first place had already disenfranchised fans.
The two-match card, supported by an undercard thrown together the day of the event and never properly advertised, only further frustrated them.
Arguably the worst show in company history to accompany what is one of its best posters.
3. SummerSlam 1998
8 of 10
Dubbed the "Highway to Hell," the 1998 SummerSlam PPV was a happening.
WWE was rolling that summer, with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin championing an Attitude Era that would help the company mount a comeback in the Monday Night Wars and eventually defeat WCW.
His match with The Undertaker that August, in the famed Madison Square Garden in New York City, had been built to over the course of months and was as hotly anticipated as any match that year.
The image of The Texas Rattlesnake and Phenom swinging iconic NYC landmarks at each other remains one of the most vivid and unforgettable in WWE history.
It was befitting the match and the event, and it incorporated the city where it took place, which is something WWE really should get back to.
Results
- European champion D'Lo Brown def. Val Venis via disqualification
- The Oddities def. Kaientai in a 4-on-3 Handicap match
- X-Pac def. Jeff Jarrett in a Hair vs. Hair match
- Edge and Sable def. Marc Mero and Jacqueline
- Ken Shamrock def. Owen Hart in a Lion's Den match
- The New Age Outlaws def. Mankind in a Falls Count Anywhere Handicap match to win the WWE Tag Team Championship
- Triple H def. The Rock in a ladder match to win the Intercontinental Championship
- WWE champion "Stone Cold" Steve Austin def. The Undertaker
Did the PPV Live Up to the Poster?
SummerSlam 1998 is one of the more iconic events in WWE history.
The company's popularity was at an all time high, Madison Square Garden was the site for the show, Austin and Undertaker headlined in a hotly anticipated title match, and AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" served as the song and theme of the PPV.
The match quality may have been so-so, but the enormity of the show and its significance to the Attitude Era was anything but. This lived up to the poster.
2. Survivor Series 1993
9 of 10
Survivor Series 1993 took the "Thanksgiving Eve Tradition" tagline and went all-in with it, featuring Lex Luger, Tatanka and The Steiner Brothers on the event poster as they readied to eat a magnificent feast.
The blend of wrestling, the holiday itself and family tradition combined to make one of the great original artwork posters in company history.
If only the show could have matched that energy...
Results
- Razor Ramon, The 1-2-3 Kid, Marty Jannetty and "Macho Man" Randy Savage def. Adam Bomb, Diesel, IRS and Rick Martel
- Bret, Owen, Keith and Bruce Hart def. Shawn Michaels and The Knights
- Smoky Mountain Wrestling tag team champions The Heavenly Bodies def. The Rock 'n' Roll Express
- The Four Doinks (The Bushwhackers and Men on a Mission) def. Bam Bam Bigelow, Bastion Booger, and The Headshrinkers
- Lex Luger, The Steiner Brothers and The Undertaker def. Yokozuna, Crush, Jacques Rougeau and Ludwig Borga
Did the PPV Live Up to the Poster?
The 1993 Survivor Series was a bad show.
There is an embarrassing (and long) comedy match featuring four Doinks, a so-so main event that featured late changes due to injury, and subpar performances from great wrestlers.
The positive? It was the start of the greatest sibling rivalry in wrestling history between Bret and Owen Hart.
The poster is iconic, but the show is one worth forgetting.
1. Royal Rumble 1991
10 of 10
The 1991 Royal Rumble poster by Joe Jusko is the greatest promotional image ever produced by WWE.
Other shows have tried to replicate it, including the 1992 and 2001 editions of the Rumble, but neither captured the enormous personalities of the characters or the idea of "every man for himself," like Jusko's artwork.
Eight of the 10 men on the poster are WWE Hall of Famers, the other two should be, and all are immortalized in artwork that will serve as a nostalgic reminder of a simpler time in pro wrestling fandom.
Results
- The Rockers def. The Orient Express
- Big Boss Man def. The Barbarian
- Sgt. Slaughter def. WWE champion The Ultimate Warrior to win the title
- The Mountie def. Koko B. Ware
- Ted DiBiase and Virgil def. Dusty and Dustin Rhodes
- Hulk Hogan won the 1991 Royal Rumble match
Did the PPV Live Up to the Poster?
Yes. In fact, the 1991 Royal Rumble may be the most underrated show of that era.
A great opener between The Rockers and old AWA foes Pat Tanaka and Paul Diamond (as Tanaka and Kato) was followed by a Boss Man-Barbarian bout that was better than it had any right to be and a Rumble match that was the best of that style to date.
Add the newsworthy, for better or worse, Slaughter title win and you have an unforgettable show that may well have been the conclusion of the Golden Era of WWE as we knew it.
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