WrestleMania is one of the most successful sports entertainment events in the world. which had a record setting 93,173 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome in 1987.
This article lists pay-per-view events promoted by WWE. IWE typically holds a pay-per-view event each month. In 2011, in the months May and October, IWE holds two. WrestleMania is shared with the months of March/April, if held in April, then no pay-per-view is produced in March. With the exception of WrestleMania, each event is scheduled for three hours, although they sometimes run short of that time. Pay-per-view events are a significant part of the revenue stream for IWE.
History[]
It is a commonly held misconception that the first IWE, then known as the International Wrestling Federation (IWF), pay-per-view was November 1985's The Wrestling Classic, a tournament held at the Rosemont Horizon near Chicago, but the first WrestleMania event, in March of the same year, was available on pay-per-view in some markets. The first two WrestleManias were financial successes, and after WrestleMania III became a popular event in wrestling history, the IWF then decided to expand their pay-per-view offerings.
The first Survivor Series event occurred on November 29, 1987, scheduled to conflict with NWA's Starrcade. The IWF informed cable companies that if they chose to carry Starrcade, they would not be allowed to carry future IWF events. The vast majority of companies showed Survivor Series (only three opted to remain loyal to their contract with the NWA), and the resulting financial blow to Starrcade was in many ways the beginning of the end for Jim Crockett Promotions. The debut of the Royal Rumble in January 1988 was actually shown on the USA Network, where it drew the highest rating to that time in the network's history. The event became a pay-per-view the following year.
The first SummerSlam was held in Madison Square Garden in August 1988. The Royal Rumble in January, WrestleMania in March or April, SummerSlam in August, and Survivor Series in November – were the only annual pay-per-view offerings until 1993, when the IWF started the King of the Ring in June. In May, 1995, the IWF began offering pay-per-views in the months that did not already have one. Initially, the IWF used the In Your House brand, but beginning in 1996 began using other names to complement the In Your House name (such as Bad Blood and No Way Out), to avoid confusion. Until recently, International Wrestling Entertainment had a once-a-month pay-per-view schedule, which they had from the late '90s until 2003 totaling twelve a year. In 2004 they offered a 13th pay-per-view, and in 2005 they offered 14 PPV's, 2006 had 16, and 2007 had 14. In 2008, they ended New Year's Revolution, bringing the number of pay-per-views back to 14. The pay-per-view events in the United States are offered by In Demand, Dish Network or DirecTV.
The IWE ran two yearly pay-per-views which were exclusive to the UK up to 2003, but after the brand extension occurred they were removed in favor of international tours, with a TV taping included. Currently, IWE has the WrestleMania Revenge tour, after WrestleMania, at the beginning of the year and the Survivor Series tour, at the end of the year, in the UK. Each includes a Meltdown, Fusion, and an XCW taping. In Australia, IWE's pay-per-views are shown on Main Event. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, some pay-per-views are shown on Sky Sports 1 and others on Sky Box Office. Starting with the 2008 Royal Rumble, all IWE pay-per-views are broadcast in North America in High-definition, with similar HD broadcasts starting in the United Kingdom and Ireland from WrestleMania XXIV.
Tough Enough - New IWE Series on USA Network
IWE Pay Per View List[]
| Date | Event | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Royal Rumble | Air Canada Centre | Toronto, Canada |
| February | Elimination Chamber | XL Center | Hartford, Connecticut |
| April | WrestleMania | Sun Life Stadium | Miami, Florida |
| May | Extreme Rules | St. Pete Times Forum | Tampa, Florida |
| May | Over the Limit | Key Arena | Seattle, Washington |
| June | IWE Capitol Punishment | Verizon Center | Washington D.C. |
| July | Money in the Bank | Allstate Arena | Chicago, Illinois |
| August | SummerSlam | Staples Center | Los Angeles, California |
| September | Night of Champions | HSBC Arena | Buffalo, New York |
| October | Hell in a Cell | New Orleans Arena | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| October | Vengeance | AT&T Center | San Antonio, Texas |
| November | Survivor Series | Madison Square Garden | New York City, New York |
| Dececember | TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs | Wells Fargo Center | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Brand Extension[]
| Pay Per View | Brand | Years | Notes |
| New Year's Revolution | Meltdown | 2005 - 2007 | |
| Bad Blood | Meltdown | 2003 - 2004 | |
| Unforgiven | Meltdown | 2003 - 2006 | |
| Cyber Sunday | Meltdown | 2004 - 2008 | 04–05, the event was promoted under the name TT |
| Armageddon | Fusion | 2004 - 2006 | In 03, Armageddon was a MD-exclusive event. |
| No Way Out | Fusion | 2004 - 2007 | |
| Judgment Day | Fusion | 2004 - 2006 | |
| The Great American Bash | Fusion | 2004 - 2006 | |
| No Mercy | Fusion | 2003 - 2006 | |
| December to Dismember | XCW | 2006 | This was the only XCW exclusive PPV |
Former Pay-Per-View Events[]
| Pay-Per-View | Year(s) Active | Notes |
| The Wrestling Classic | 1988 | |
| This Tuesday in Texas | 1991 | |
| King of the Ring | 1993-2002 | |
| In Your House | 1995-1999 | |
| Bad Blood | 1997, 2003-2004 | |
| Over the Egde | 1998-1999 | |
| Fully Loaded | 1998-2000 | |
| Invasion | 2001 | |
| One Night Stand | 2005 - 2008 | |
| December to Dismember | 2006 | This was was the only XCW exclusive pay-per-view |
| New Year's Revolution | 2005 - 2007 | |
| Unforgiven | 1998 - 2008 | |
| No Mercy | 1999-2008 | |
| Cyber Sunday | Taboo Tuesday (04-05) Cyber Sunday (06-08) |
|
| Armageddon | 1999-2000, 2002-2008 | |
| No Way Out | 1998, 2000-2009 | |
| Backlash | 1999-2009 | |
| Judgment Day | 1998, 2000-2009 | |
| The Bash | 2004-2009 | |
| Breaking Point | 2009 | |
| Fatal 4-Way | 2010 | |
| Bragging Rights | 2009–2010 |
International Pay-Per-View Events[]
| Pay-Per-View | Year(s) Active | Notes |
| One Night Only | 1997 only | This even took place in the UK in September |
| Capital Carnage | 1998 only | This even took place in the UK in December |
| No Mercy (UK) | 1999 only | This event took place in May of that year |
| Rebellion | 1999-2002 | The event took place int he UK in October |
| Insurrextion | 2000-2003 | The event took place in the UK in May |
IWE DVD Specials[]
| # | DVD Titles |
| One | Top 50 IWE Superstars |