10 WWE PPVs That Went Downhill After The Opening Match

WWE is undoubtedly the greatest wrestling promotion of all time, and they prove it time and time again by producing massive PPV events, featuring amazing moments and unforgettable matches. However, there are exceptions, and some PPVs have been simply terrible.

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Throughout WWE's history, there have been several PPV events that started with a banger, an amazing match that made fans think "hell yeah, tonight is going to be awesome", but unfortunately the rest of the matches sucked. So, without further ado, let's take a look at 10 WWE PPVs that went downhill after the opening match.

10 Battleground 2017

The opening match of Battleground 2017 was a SmackDown Tag Team Title match between The New Day and The Usos. It was the ideal way to start a PPV, because it was an excellent, fast-paced match, with the babyface team winning the titles.

However, the rest of the PPV sucked. Shinsuke Nakamura and Baron Corbin had a mediocre match, John Cena defeated Rusev in a boring flag match and the bout between Kevin Owens and AJ Styles had a botched finish. To make matters worse, the main event was an infamous Punjabi Prison match between Jinder Mahal and Randy Orton.

9 Battleground 2014

Three years earlier, also at the Battleground PPV, The Usos were also the protagonists of a fantastic opening match, but that time it was against Erick Rowan and Luke Harper.

It was an exciting Best Two Out Of Three Falls match, in which The Usos retained the WWE Tag Team Titles. The rest of the PPV was disappointing, even the main event between World Heavyweight Champion John Cena, Kane, Randy Orton, and Roman Reigns was not as good as expected.

8 Royal Rumble 2022

Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins faced each other in the opening match of Royal Rumble 2022 and delivered a top-notch contest, with brilliant storytelling. People thought that was the start of a great night, but they were wrong.

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The two Royal Rumble matches were disappointing, especially the men's match, which is considered one of the worst of all time. Also, Becky Lynch defeated Doudrop in a forgettable match and Edge and Beth Phoenix defeated The Miz and Maryse in a lackluster bout.

7 Hell In A Cell 2019

Hell In A Cell 2019 kicked off with an instant classic courtesy of Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks. These two women gave their best inside the structure, performing amazing spots to entertain the fans. Unfortunately, the other matches couldn’t keep pace.

The main event was the infamous the Hell In A Cell match between Seth Rollins and The Fiend, and there were other mediocre matches like Braun Strowman and The Viking Raiders versus The OC, Chad Gable versus King Corbin, and Charlotte Flair versus Bayley.

6 Backlash 2018

This was a simply terrible PPV. The main event between Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe was a bad joke, Carmella defeated Charlotte Flair in a terrible SmackDown Women's Title match, Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss had a horrible Raw Women's Title match and Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman defeated Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a boring bout.

Basically, all the matches were mediocre, except the opening match between Seth Rollins and The Miz, which was exceptional.

5 Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2014

Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2014 was another one of those WWE PPVs that went downhill after the opening match. Dolph Ziggler and Luke Harper collided in a Ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship.

That epic battle was a great way to start the PPV, but the rest of the event was lackluster. Nikki Bella and AJ Lee had a bad match, John Cena and Seth Rollins had a disappointing contest, and the colossal clash between The Big Show and Erick Rowan left a lot to be desired.

4 In Your House

The first In Your House PPV was not good at all. Diesel defeated Sid by disqualification in a World Heavyweight Title match, but at least the opening match was worth watching.

Jerry Lawler defeated Bret Hart in five minutes, Mabel crushed Adam Bomb and Camp Cornette (Owen Hart and Yokozuna) retained the tag team titles against The Smoking Gunns (Bart and Billy Gunn). At least the opening match was excellent, as Bret Hart and Hakushi did a great job.

3 Bragging Rights 2010

The opening match of WWE Bragging Rights 2010 was between Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler. It was an awesome 16-minute bout, with great storytelling, good in-ring action, and excellent selling.

Daniel Bryan emerged victorious, but it was one of the best performances of Dolph Ziggler’s career. The rest of the matches on the PPV were nowhere near the level of the opening match, and it ended up being a forgettable show.

2 Royal Rumble 2014

Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt had the responsibility of opening the 2014 Royal Rumble PPV, and they delivered in spades. It was an epic match that ended with Wyatt’s victory.

Unfortunately, the PPV went downhill after the opening match. Brock Lesnar defeated The Big Show in a couple of minutes, Randy Orton and John Cena had a lackluster World Heavyweight Title Match and Batista won an average Royal Rumble match.

1 Hell In A Cell 2013

Cody Rhodes and Goldust successfully defended the WWE Tag Team Titles against The Shield (Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins) and The Usos in the opening match of Hell In A Cell 2013. It was an amazing match, with non-stop action from start to finish and several great spots.

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The rest of the PPV, however, was lousy. CM Punk faced off against Ryback and Paul Heyman in an awful Handicap match. Fandango and Summer Rae defeated Natalya and The Great Khali in a boring match, and John Cena had a forgettable championship win over Alberto del Rio. The main event between Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan was entertaining, but nowhere near the opening match.