WWE New Year’s Revolution Retrospective, PPVs Ranked

During WWE’s Ruthless Aggression Era, an event was held at the start of the year, known as New Year’s Revolution. It was a show that revolved unpredictably and built towards the following event, the Royal Rumble. WWE presented four New Year’s Revolution shows.

Three of those shows were a RAW exclusive, while the latest event was part of SmackDown. In every New Year’s Revolution, WWE never failed to create history. Out of the four shows, here are the rankings from least to greatest New Year’s Revolution event. 

#4: WWE New Year’s Revolution (2005)

Usually, the first event in most aspects is the best one. Instead, the first New Year’s Revolution made the bottom of the rankings. The most memorable thing to come out of this event was the Elimination Chamber Match for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship.

The show preceding the main event was underwhelming, featuring several undercard matches. William Regal and Eugene opened the show against Christian and Tyson Tomko for the World Tag Team Titles, but it was a weak kickoff. Regal and Christian carried the match, but it wasn’t good enough for the fans in Puerto Rico to be interested in.

The Intercontinental Championship was a waste of time by not letting underrated talent such as Shelton Benjamin showcase his skills. Another match that failed to deliver was Jerry Lawler and Muhammad Hassan, which was filled with endless body slams.

Trish Stratus and Lita had a decent match that ended with Stratus winning back the WWE Women’s Title. Kane going against Gene Snitsky took longer than it should have, but it was clear WWE invested in the two big men.

The match involved Triple H, Randy Orton, Batista, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, and Edge. With a stacked list of talent in one match, Shawn Michaels was appointed the special guest referee.

For the Elimination Chamber matchup, it delivered great storytelling between Triple H and Batista. Triple H not aiding Batista from his elimination by Orton was the start of the end of Evolution. The outcome ended with Triple H coming out as the victor and reclaiming the World Heavyweight Championship.

#3: WWE SmackDown: New Year’s Revolution 

Although this New Year’s Revolution wasn’t a pay-per-view, WWE still broadcast it on live television. This special was part of the first SmackDown in 2024. The 2-hour show provided storylines and matches that were building for that year’s Royal Rumble. Fans discovered who would challenge the United States Champion, Logan Paul, at the Royal Rumble.

It took Kevin Owens to defeat Santos Escobar in a lengthy match to determine Paul’s next opponent. IYO SKY and Michin both had an average match for the WWE Women’s Championship, where IYO retained. Fans witnessed Tyler Bate finally making his debut on the main roster. Bate teamed up with Pete Dunne, where they defeated Pretty Deadly. Bate’s debut was a big shakeup for SmackDown’s tag team division. 

The icing on the cake was the main event to determine who would face Roman Reigns for his title. In a match that involved Randy Orton, LA Knight, and AJ Styles, the match met expectations. General Manager Nick Aldis didn’t take it lightly when Reigns and The Bloodline got involved.

Due to not having a precise winner, Aldis assigned Roman Reigns to defend his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in a Fatal 4 Way Match at the Royal Rumble. Even though not every match revolved around a stipulation, the matches still delivered. Overall, the event was entertaining and fun with new storylines coming to a rise. 

#2: WWE New Year’s Revolution (2006)

Another similar aspect shared was how underwhelming the show was, but with a memorable ending. Much similar to the previous year, there were too many forgettable matches. The show opened with a screwy finish in which Edge lost to Ric Flair via disqualification, thus Flair retained the Intercontinental Championship. Trish Stratus retained her Women’s Championship against Mickie James in a sufficient bout.

Jerry Lawler beat Gregory Helms in what was a dull match, followed by Triple H picking up a win over Big Show. Shelton Benjamin against Viscera was a filler match, ending with Benjamin getting the win. Another cool down, filler that came in the show was a Fatal 4 Way Bra and Panties Gauntlet Match, won by Ashley Massaro. Massaro’s match featured Maria, Torrie Wilson, Candice Michelle, and Victoria. 

New Year’s Revolution closed with another Elimination Chamber Match. This time, it was for the WWE Championship, defended by John Cena against Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, Kane, Carlito, and Chris Masters. Angle’s shocking early elimination changed the landscape of the whole bout. Both Carlito and Masters looked strong as young talent, eliminating both Kane and Shawn Michaels. Cena prevailed after Carlito betrayed Masters, but Cena’s night wasn’t over yet.

Mr. McMahon came out to state that Edge was cashing in his Money in the Bank Briefcase. Edge’s cash-in on John Cena was a memorable moment as it was the first time a cash-in happened in WWE history. It was also the first time Edge became the WWE Champion, which led to his rise to superstardom at greater heights. 

#1: WWE New Year’s Revolution (2007)

This New Year’s Revolution was unique as it was the first one to not have the Elimination Chamber Match as the main event. The show had a strong start with Jeff Hardy retaining the Intercontinental Championship against Johnny Nitro in a Steel Cage Match.

The fun team of Cryme Tyme won a turmoil match that featured all the other tag teams on RAW. Kenny Dykstra got his shine by defeating Ric Flair. Mickie James had a match with a destructive Victoria that ended with James retaining the Women’s Title. 

One of the top matches of the night was Randy Orton and Edge of Rated RKO defending the World Tag Team Championship against Triple H and Shawn Michaels of D-Generation X. The match was able to continue after Triple H suffered a terrible injury.

The story between the two teams revolved more around hatred than the championships that were at stake. DX wanted revenge by putting a brutal beatdown on Orton and Edge. Both men were bloodied and battered, while the injured Triple H and Michaels had their heads held high.