10 Underrated WWE Pay-Per-Views That Deserve A Rewatch
Shove these great shows up your Peacock!
It has been almost 16 years since WWE presented Unforgiven 2006.
Unforgiven was rarely a pay-per-view to savour, but on this particular year WWE put on an event that, for something that wasn't one of the 'big four' of Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam or Survivor Series, ranks right up there.
There was so much to enjoy, including John Cena and Edge's WWE Title TLC match, D-Generation X meeting the McMahons and Big Show in a zany Hell in a Cell bout and the perfect send-off of Trish Stratus, who won the Women's Title from best friend/rival Lita in the last match of her full-time career (in her hometown of Toronto, no less).
The undercard was also nothing to sniff at, with Jeff Hardy and Johnny Nitro's Intercontinental Title showdown setting the pace, Kane and Umaga having themselves a monster fight, the Spirit Squad retained their Tag Team Titles over The Highlanders and Randy Orton and Carlito demonstrating why many saw them as the future of the business.
If you haven't seen it, you really ought to. If you have seen it, trust me when I tell you it's worth a re-watch.
As are the following 10 WWE pay-per-views.
10. No Mercy 2006
A few week's after the Raw boys and girls knocked it out of the park with Unforgiven, the Smackdown crew did the same at No Mercy.
What looked to be a humdrum card on paper turned out to be shockingly consistent and frequently very entertaining.
The show kicked off with Matt Hardy winning a solid non-title match over Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms. The perfect choice for an opener, since both know how to put a match together and the show was taking place in their home state of North Carolina.
That was followed by a shockingly good WWE Tag Team Title match between Paul London & Brian Kendrick (c) and KC James & Idol Stevens. The challenges had little steam going into the bout, but the champs brought them up to their level and ensured it was a good showing.
MVP then had his much-hyped in-ring debut, a routine and somewhat unimpressive squash match victory over Marty Garner. That was sort of the point, mind you, since MVP's original character was of a spoilt and overhyped athlete that talked a big game but rarely backed it up.
Mr. Kennedy then got a disqualification victory over The Undertaker in a surly back-and-forth battle. Kennedy really looked something special back then, and his series with the Deadman did much to raise his stock to the point that he didn't feel out of place in main event scenarios.
Rey Mysterio beat Chavo Guerrero in their Falls Count Anywhere grudge match. It wasn't their best match together (probably not helped by Rey desperately needing knee surgery), but it was a fun, arena-wide brawl and something different on the show.
Chris Benoit then returned unannounced from a sabbatical and had a typically hardnosed war with William Regal.
And in the main event, King Booker retained the World Heavyweight Title in a very good four-way also featuring Batista, Bobby Lashley and Finlay.
Written by Lewis Howse
Features journalist for Cultaholic.com and script writer for the Cultaholic YouTube Channel.
