Ranking All 8 2025 WWE PLEs So Far from Royal Rumble to SummerSlam
Despite being an inconsistent year creatively so far for WWE, the company has produced some strong shows over the course of 2025—even when it hasn't always necessarily been on the biggest stages.
They have largely favored quantity over quality while balancing the usual amount of monthly premium live events with the reintroduction of quarterly Saturday Night's Main Event specials, which has sometimes led to a decrease in quality overall.
However, plenty of pay-per-views have exceeded expectations and featured several standout moments and matches that will go down as among the most memorable of the year for WWE.
The rest of the 2025 calendar should be stacked with Clash in Paris, Crown Jewel, Survivor Series and the debut of Wrestlepalooza on tap. The less-is-more approach to some of the smaller shows can be refreshing, but it can also leave viewers feeling short-changed.
Tent-pole events such as Survivor Series and Royal Rumble expanding to two nights in the same vein as SummerSlam and WrestleMania will be an important trend to keep an eye on as well going forward.
Ahead of the highly anticipated Clash in Paris on Aug. 31, these are WWE's eight PLEs of 2025 ranked from worst to best.
8. Night of Champions
1 of 8
- Location: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Best match: Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton (King of the Ring tournament finals)
- Worst match: Jade Cargill vs. Asuka (Queen of the Ring tournament finals)
WWE's biannual Saudi Arabia shows have had a certain stigma to them dating back to their first event emanating from the country in 2018, with fans assuming the promotion will phone it in as it routinely did with those early installments and treat it like a glorified house show.
In recent years, some Saudi events have been better than others, but they've been far from as inconsequential as they once were. Night of Champions this year wasn't overly eventful, but it wasn't a poor PLE by any means, either.
Ironically, the name of the event was barely appropriate as only two titles were defended. The other four contests were grudge matches or King or Queen of the Ring tournament finals.
Despite that, the six-match card was perfectly solid. Sami Zayn bested Karrion Kross in an acceptable encounter, Rhea Ripley settled her score with Raquel Rodriguez in a Street Fight, and Solo Sikoa secured the United States Championship from Jacob Fatu with an assist from the returning Tonga Loa and the debuting Talla Tonga.
Additionally, it was a tale of two totally different matches in the King and Queen of the Ring finals. Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton had the terrific match they were capable of in the opener, but Jade Cargill and Asuka failed to measure up when it mattered most.
7. Money in the Bank
2 of 8
- Location: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
- Best match: Lyra Valkyria vs. Becky Lynch (Women's Intercontinental Championship)
- Worst match: Dominik Mysterio vs. Octagon Jr. (Intercontinental Championship)
As a concept, Money in the Bank lost a lot of its luster years ago; but as an event, it will always be exciting to find out who the new owners of the men's and women's Money in the Bank briefcases are going to be.
Per usual, the two ladder matches were the best parts of this year's PLE. The men's match saw Seth Rollins reign supreme and claim the contract for a second time in his career, and Naomi outlasted a stacked field in the women's match.
Dominik Mysterio defending his Intercontinental Championship against Octagon Jr. was a last-minute addition to the card after what went down at Worlds Collide earlier in the day. It was serviceable albeit forgettable.
The tag team main event with Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso taking on John Cena and Logan Paul was standard fare, but Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria was an excellent outing that culminated in The Man taking the title.
R-Truth's surprise return—less than a week removed from when he announced on social media that his WWE contract legitimately wasn't being renewed—ended the evening on a high note, though the aftermath has been nearly nonexistent.
6. WrestleMania 41
3 of 8
- Location: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
- Best match: Iyo Sky vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair (Women's World Championship)
- Worst match: Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena (Undisputed WWE Championship)
Two-night PLEs have an advantage over other shows due to having more matches across an expanded card, but it could also lead to more misfires and questionable booking decisions.
That was the case with WrestleMania 41.
Truthfully, it had a lot to live up to following back-to-back all-time WrestleManias in 2023 and 2024, but the subpar buildup hardly helped.
Night 1 was unspectacular until the above-average Triple Threat between CM Punk, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, while Night 2 was entertaining outside of Cody Rhodes and John Cena's dud of a main event. It was very much a mixed bag of a show.
WrestleMania weekend this year was highlighted by the crowning of so many new champions along with Paul Heyman's betrayal of Reigns and Punk, Joe Hendry's surprise appearance and Becky Lynch's return.
It also felt like a new era of excessive sponsorships and brand integration was ushered in, for better or for worse. Overall, the two nights missed the mark, but WWE has a chance to redeem itself when it returns to Vegas for The Show of Shows in April 2026.
5. SummerSlam
4 of 8
- Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
- Best match: John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes (Street Fight for the Undisputed WWE Championship)
- Worst match: Solo Sikoa vs. Jacob Fatu (Steel Cage match for the United States Championship)
SummerSlam 2025 was the first installment to be across two nights, and it suffered from the same issues WrestleMania 41 did.
There were a handful of matches that could have been relegated to Raw or SmackDown, notably Dominik Mysterio vs. AJ Styles, and Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross. Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa's steel cage clash was especially underwhelming.
The questionably executed ending to Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria was another knock on the card.
Thankfully, unlike at 'Mania, both main events were exceptional. The John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes rematch was a vast improvement over the original, and CM Punk and Gunther's stellar story being spoiled by Seth Rollins' surprise Money in the Bank cash-in was a fantastic finish to Night 1.
The Six-Pack TLC match was a spectacle, and Jelly Roll overdelivered with an incredibly impressive performance. The two-night formula was unnecessary, but SummerSlam was an enjoyable event on the whole.
4. Backlash
5 of 8
- Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis
- Best match: Lyra Valkyria vs. Becky Lynch (Women's Intercontinental Championship)
- Worst match: Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta (Intercontinental Championship)
Randy Orton being back in his home of St. Louis was the story of Backlash 2025, in addition to it being billed as his final-ever match with John Cena in the night's main event.
The longtime rivals took center stage, and although they've had better bouts throughout their illustrious careers, they still put on a thrilling affair in their last hurrah.
They were still overshadowed by Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria, who put on an instant classic for the Women's Intercontinental Championship and elevated the fledgling title in the process.
There were only three other matches on the card, but all of them were good to great. Dominik Mysterio retained his intercontinental title against Penta in a quality contest, Jacob Fatu survived a fun Fatal 4-Way where his United States Championship was up for grabs, and Pat McAfee shockingly took Gunther to his limit when they waged war.
Backlash has a tendency to be one of WWE's strongest B-shows of the year and the 2025 installment did not disappoint.
3. Royal Rumble
6 of 8
- Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
- Best match: Men's Royal Rumble match
- Worst match: DIY vs. The Motor City Machine Guns (2-Out-of-3 Falls match for the WWE Tag Team Championship)
The Royal Rumble matches sell themselves, and as long as those contests are worthwhile, the event itself is typically considered a success.
The men's and women's Rumbles were both a blast this year and featured a welcome mix of fun surprises and strong storytelling, despite the outcomes being heavily debated by fans.
In her first bout back in over a year, Charlotte Flair came out on top in the women's Rumble and punched her ticket to WrestleMania 41, where she would challenge Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women's Championship.
Jey Uso winning the men's Rumble was not as predictable. The online feedback from fans afterward was polarizing, but it was a raucous reaction inside the stadium. Uso's immense popularity finally being rewarded made for a monumental moment.
Elsewhere on the card, Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens endured unreal punishment in a killer ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Championship. The 2-Out-of-3 Falls match between DIY and The Motor City Machine Guns wasn't what it could have been, but that's primarily because of time constraints as a result of the Rumbles running long.
The 2025 Royal Rumble was an encouraging start to the Road to WrestleMania.
2. Evolution
7 of 8
- Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta
- Best match: Iyo Sky vs. Rhea Ripley (Women's World Championship)
- Worst match: Jacy Jane vs. Jordynne Grace (NXT Women's Championship)
The story of the second Evolution event was similar to the first: WWE put little to no effort into the build, instead shifting most of the attention toward Saturday Night's Main Event that same weekend.
The card had potential on paper and still managed to be better than anyone could have anticipated with the women from all three of WWE's biggest brands showing out in a major way.
The latest installment in the spectacular series of matches between Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky earned high praise from fans and culminated with a shocking Money in the Bank cash-in from Naomi, who walked away as the new women's world champion. Naomi was fresh off a heated No Holds Barred brawl with Jade Cargill from earlier in the evening.
Tiffany Stratton vs. Trish Stratus was simple yet solid, the Fatal 4-Way tag team match for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship was a treat, and Becky Lynch, Lyra Valkyria and Bayley opened the night with a tremendous Triple Threat for the Women's Intercontinental Championship.
Even the weakest match of the night, Jacy Jayne vs. Jordynne Grace for the NXT Women's Championship, was notable for Blake Monroe's heel turn at the end.
If there is any question whether there's interest in future installments of Evolution, the answer is a resounding yes.
1. Elimination Chamber
8 of 8
- Location: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Best match: Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens (Unsanctioned match)
- Worst match: Tiffany Stratton and Trish Stratus vs. Nia Jax and Candice LeRae
The last Elimination Chamber event to emanate from Canada was one of WWE's best B-shows ever, headlined by Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The 2025 installment, which came from Toronto, topped it.
Even with only four matches, the card was near-flawless. The two Elimination Chamber matches, both for world championship opportunities at WrestleMania 41, contained outstanding action and drama and bookended the show wonderfully.
In addition to Bianca Belair and John Cena winning the Chamber bouts, Jade Cargill and Randy Orton returned from long layoffs to exact revenge on those responsible for putting them on the shelf: Naomi and Kevin Owens, respectively.
Owens and Sami Zayn's Unsanctioned match that preceded Orton's electric comeback was also a beautiful mix of hatred and hardcore.
Tiffany Stratton and Canada's own Trish Stratus had a successful team-up against Nia Jax and Candice LeRae. And in the event's epic conclusion, Cena did the unthinkable by turning heel alongside The Rock.
The follow-up left a lot to be desired, and WWE was never able to quite capture that same level of audience enthusiasm, but in a vacuum, Elimination Chamber 2025 was an unforgettable night that delivered in spades.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
