Every WWE Vengeance Main Event, Ranked Worst To Best

Whether it is as the classic WWE PPV called Vengeance, or the rebranded NXT special called “Vengeance Day”, this is an event which carries over two decades worth of legacy, starting all the way back in 2001 with its initial show.

Sure, there have been some extended absences without this show on the yearly calendar, but in recent years NXT has brought the name back. Throughout the history of these shows, there have been an array of main event matches featuring top names and great bouts, and it must be said that the majority have been good at worst.

10 D-Generation X Vs The Spirit Squad, Vengeance 2006

There was no real justification for this being the main event on this show, especially when RVD vs Edge for the WWE Title could have taken the spot.

This was an extended squash match, with Triple H and Shawn Michaels taking enjoyment in beating down and destroying the members of the Spirit Squad. It wasn’t bad, per se, but considering it was the main event for a PPV, it was a major let down.

9 Bron Breakker Vs Santos Escobar, NXT Vengeance Day 2022

Although this match wasn’t anything overly special, it was a great display of the potential of Bron Breakker, as he executed everything to near perfection in this bout.

Santos Escobar was a great choice to work with him, even though he didn’t pose any realistic threat to the NXT Championship. Breakker looked very strong here, but in terms of Vengeance main events, it is one of the weakest.

8 Chris Jericho Vs Steve Austin, Vengeance 2001

Chris Jericho v Stone Cold Steve Austin Vengeance 2001 Cropped

The historical ramifications of this match hugely outshined the quality of the bout itself. Chris Jericho and Steve Austin had won respective matches earlier in the night, leading to this huge unification match, where Jericho would become both the WWE and World Heavyweight Champion.

The moment itself was legendary, but this match was quite messy, jam-packed with Attitude Era style interference and brawling. It was fun, but nothing special by any means.

7 Chris Benoit Vs Triple H, Vengeance 2004

This World Heavyweight Championship match took a dip in quality from some of the previous matches for this belt, with both WrestleMania and Backlash surpassing it by a country mile. That being said, it was still a very solid and well-wrestled bout that the crowd were into.

Seeing Triple H back in the World Title scene did feel a little jarring, but fans were happy that he didn’t end up winning. Eugene would interfere in this main event, which in hindsight feels very odd, though it wasn’t overly damaging to the match.

6 John Cena Vs Randy Orton Vs Bobby Lashley Vs Booker T Vs Mick Foley, Vengeance: Night Of Champions 2007

Mick Foley v John Cena v Randy Orton v Lashley v King Booker Vengeance Night of Champions 2007 Cropped

This was a star-studded affair which felt as though someone had put it together on a video game, as different generations and stars from different brands clashed in this five-way WWE Title main event.

It was fun, but it only lasted for 10 minutes, which didn’t feel like long enough for a World Title main event featuring the names that it did. It was a good sprint and did feel unpredictable, but it had the potential to be even better.

5 Alberto Del Rio Vs John Cena, Vengeance 2011

John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio WWE Vengeance 2011

On paper, this doesn’t sound all that intriguing, but there were several factors which made this Last Man Standing match between Alberto Del Rio and John Cena a very strong main event.

The ring had been broken in a previous match, leaving a very unique setting for these two men to do battle. In addition, there were many big spots, bumps, and unpredictability, which all led to this becoming a hot contest. This didn’t suffer from the stop-start nature of many Last Man Standing matches either.

4 Brock Lesnar Vs Big Show Vs Kurt Angle, Vengeance 2003

Brock Lesnar v Kurt Angle v Big Show Vengeance 2003 Cropped

The storyline leading into this match was messy at times, with a lot of changing allegiances, but this match delivered either way, with each competitor playing their roles perfectly.

Some fans may have preferred a singles match between Lesnar and Angle, but Show added a lot to this match, providing some very fun moments, not to mention getting Angle Slammed through the announce table.

3 Finn Balor Vs Pete Dunne, NXT Vengeance Day 2021

If there had been a real crowd in attendance, then this would have likely been even better. However, despite taking place in front of no real fans, Finn Balor and Pete Dunne managed to put in a stunning display of action.

Great psychology, stiff blows, technical prowess, and so much more led into this feeling like an NXT TakeOver main event of old. To date, this is up there with the best matches in both of these men’s respective WWE careers.

2 The Undertaker Vs The Rock Vs Kurt Angle, Vengeance 2002

The Rock WWE Championship Vengeance 2002 Cropped

Three of the biggest stars of this era battled in a hot main event triple threat for the Undisputed WWE Championship. The pace never let up, with The Rock, Kurt Angle, and The Undertaker throwing everything at each other for twenty straight minutes.

Finishers were traded, the near-falls were exciting, and The Rock’s victory was a very welcome sight. It did suffer slightly from the “2 in 1 out” trope of triple threat matches, but it was still great anyway.

1 Batista Vs Triple H, Vengeance 2005

Triple H v Batista Vengeance 2005 Cropped

Arguably the greatest Vengeance main event took place in 2005 as Batista battled Triple H in a bloody and violent Hell in a Cell match for the World Heavyweight Championship.

After years of the “reign of terror”, there was a lot of fear that Triple H would once again bury a promising star, but instead, Batista completed the clean sweep on his rival, cementing his status as a main eventer and champion. This was an absolute war between bitter rivals, and was thrilling to witness.