WWE Pay Per View (1985)
The American professional wrestling promotion WWE has been broadcasting pay-per-view (PPV) events since the 1980s, when its classic "Big Four" events (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series) were first established—the company's very first PPV was WrestleMania in 1985. The company's PPV lineup expanded to a monthly basis in the mid-1990s following the introduction of the In Your House series of pay-per views before expanding even further in the mid-2000s during the first WWE brand extension. Following WWE's original brand extension in 2002, the company promoted two touring rosters, Raw and SmackDown, representing its television programs, Raw and SmackDown. The traditional "Big Four" continued to showcase the entire roster, while the remaining PPV events alternated between Raw and SmackDown cards. In March 2007, WWE announced that all subsequent PPV events would feature performers from all brands. In 2008, all WWE PPV events began broadcasting in high-definition.
-
Episode 1 - Royal Rumble
Release Date: 1993-01-24Royal Rumble (1993) was the sixth annual Royal Rumble. It took place on January 24, 1993 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The main event was a Royal Rumble match, a battle royal in which two wrestlers started the match in the ring; every two minutes, another wrestler joined. In total, thirty wrestlers competed to eliminate their competitors by throwing them over the top rope of the wrestling ring onto the arena floor. Bret Hart defends the WWF Championship against Razor Ramon. Shawn Michaels defends the Intercontinental Championship against former tag team partner Marty Jannetty.
-
Episode 2 - WrestleMania IX
Release Date: 1993-04-04WWE WrestleMania IX was the ninth annual WrestleMania.. The event took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 4, 1993 and was the first WrestleMania event held outdoors. WrestleMania IX was built around two main storylines. The first was the seemingly unstoppable Yokozuna challenging Bret Hart for the WWF Championship, a right he earned by winning the 1993 Royal Rumble. The other major storyline was the return of Hulk Hogan, who had departed the WWF following WrestleMania VIII but returned to team with Brutus Beefcake against the WWF Tag Team Champions, Money Inc. Several reviewers have been critical of the event. The most frequent criticism has been related to the match between The Undertaker and Giant Gonzalez, Hulk Hogan's win, and the Roman togas worn by announcers. Both the pay-per-view buyrate and the attendance for the event dropped from the previous year's WrestleMania.
-
Episode 3 - King of the Ring
Release Date: 1993-06-13This was the first of 10 King of The Ring events that was produced as a pay-per-view. It took place on June 13, 1993 at The Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. The inaugural King of the Ring tournament features Bret "Hit Man" Hart, Bam Bam Bigelow, Lex Luger, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Mr. Perfect, Razor Ramon and other Superstars competing for the crown. Hulk Hogan defends the WWE Championship against Yokozuna. Shawn Michaels defends the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Crush.
-
Episode 4 - SummerSlam
Release Date: 1993-08-30WWE SummerSlam '93 was the sixth annual SummerSlam. It took place on August 30, 1993 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. All three championships were defended at SummerSlam. The Steiner Brothers defended the WWF Tag Team Championship against The Heavenly Bodies, and Shawn Michaels defended the WWF Intercontinental Championship against Mr. Perfect. The main event saw Lex Luger challenge Yokozuna for the WWF Championship. In addition to the title matches, Bret Hart and Jerry Lawler were scheduled to wrestle to settle their feud and determine who would be named "Undisputed King of the World Wrestling Federation."
-
Episode 5 - Survivor Series
Release Date: 1993-11-24The 1993 WWF Survivor Series took place on Thanksgiving Eve, November 24, 1993 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The event featured four tag-team elimination matches and a bout for the Smoky Mountain Wrestling Tag Team Championship. The main event match saw the All-Americans, a team of face wrestlers from the United States, competing against the Foreign Fanatics, a team of heels that represented other countries. In an undercard match, four members of the Hart family competed against Shawn Michaels and a group of masked men. The original plan was for the Harts to face Jerry Lawler, with whom they were feuding, but Lawler was not able to appear at the event.