All 12 WWE PLEs in 2024 ranked from worst to best

2024 has been one of the hottest years in WWE history. The company is going through a boom period, thanks to Triple H leading the charge of the renaissance.

But how well did the premium live events do this year? WWE held 12 such shows, not counting NXT and television specials. It was a mixed bag, with the five-match rule hampering the quality at times. However, we saw enough gems across the past year for 2024 to be considered a success from the PLE front.

So, without further ado, let's look at every such show on the main roster and rank them from worst to best.

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#12. Crown Jewel

While this wasn't an outright terrible show, Crown Jewel was hurt by the lack of stakes. None of the four world titles were on the line, with the champions instead facing each other. Cody Rhodes and Liv Morgan won their respective WWE Crown Jewel Championships. Gunther and Nia Jax were both pinned, as a result. Not ideal.

Elsewhere, Solo Sikoa pinned Roman Reigns in a standard six-man tag team match, while LA Knight defended his United States Championship against Andrade and Carmelo Hayes. Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton didn't even start, with the two brawling around the arena instead.

So, overall, nothing of real significance took place in Riyadh. That makes Crown Jewel WWE's worst premium live event of 2024.

#11. Money in the Bank

Money in the Bank is usually among the top premium live events of any given year, thanks to the two ladder matches. However, the 2024 edition was marred with some questionable booking decisions.

Bron Breakker lost clean to Sami Zayn, while Solo Sikoa pinned Cody Rhodes in the main event six-man tag team match. Drew McIntyre won the men's briefcase, but lost it that same night, as his Money in the Bank cash-in was ruined by CM Punk. Before that, Seth Rollins and Damian Priest's World Heavyweight Championship match wasn't exactly a success.

The biggest positive was the women's ladder match, as Tiffany Stratton won the Money in the Bank contract. Chelsea Green's insane bump stole the entire show.

#10. Royal Rumble

This may come as a surprise, but the 2024 Royal Rumble was uninspiring as a whole. That is despite Cody Rhodes and Bayley being excellent choices to win their respective 30-person matches. The women's bout was great at the start and the end, but the middle portion left a lot to be desired.

Roman Reigns successfully defended his Undisputed WWE Championship for the final time at this show. He won a predictable fatal four-way against Randy Orton, AJ Styles, and LA Knight. The men's Royal Rumble Match was inconsistent and lacked great surprises, but it ended well.

Rhodes eliminated CM Punk last, following an intense exchange. If it wasn't for that, this year's Rumble may have been even lower on this list.

#9. Elimination Chamber

While every match at Elimination Chamber 2024 was good, the pacing was all over the place. It was ridiculously long for a show with four matches and a talk show segment. With that being said, Rhea Ripley did great as the headliner opposite Nia Jax.

Becky Lynch won the women's Elimination Chamber Match, while Drew McIntyre also came out on top in the demonic structure. His win was well deserved, even if Logan Paul cost Randy Orton at the end. However, for a stadium show in Australia on the road to WrestleMania, it was a tad disappointing.

#8. WWE Bad Blood

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The only reason Bad Blood is this high is because of the opener. CM Punk defeated Drew McIntyre in a legendary Hell in a Cell Match. It may have been the best WWE bout of the year. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there.

Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest was disappointing, while Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley ended in a disqualification. The finish was botched too. Meanwhile, Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes won the main event against Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu, before The Rock came out and did precisely nothing.

Bad Blood 2024 was the true definition of a one-match show, as the card lacked any sort of balance. If it wasn't for Punk and McIntyre, it would have been dead last.

#7. Clash at the Castle

The Glasgow Screwjob (Image via WWE.com)

Clash of the Castle II was a fun show, but it had its faults. Drew McIntyre was due his moment, in his home country, but CM Punk cost him the World Heavyweight Championship against Damian Priest. Elsewhere, WWE failed to pull the trigger on Chad Gable winning the Intercontinental Title against Sami Zayn.

With that being said, both matches were pretty good. Cody Rhodes' win over AJ Styles in an 'I Quit' Match may have been the best of the lot, though. Elsewhere, Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn won the Women's Tag Team Championship, so it wasn't all bad for Scots at Clash at the Castle.

#6. King & Queen of the Ring

King & Queen of the Ring 2024 was WWE's best Saudi Arabia premium live event in years. It was headlined by a fun Champion vs. Champion match between Cody Rhodes and Logan Paul, while Liv Morgan captured the Women's World Title from Becky Lynch.

Nia Jax became Queen of the Ring after hitting Lyra Valkyria with a super Annihilator, while Gunther and Randy Orton had a classic. The Austrian won the King of the Ring Final, even though the finish was controversial. Sami Zayn's triple threat win over Chad Gable and Bronson Reed was very good, too, especially with how over he was in Jeddah.

#5. Survivor Series: WarGames

WWE's final premium live event of the year ranks this high thanks to the Bloodline vs. Bloodline WarGames Match. Roman Reigns' dynamic with CM Punk was the most interesting part of an all-action affair inside the double cage. The OTC got the win in the end, pinning Solo Sikoa.

The women's WarGames Match wasn't that great, but it picked up once all 10 stars got involved. Rhea Ripley pinned Liv Morgan after an avalanche Riptide through a table. Elsewhere, Bron Breakker defeated Sheamus and Ludwig Kaiser in a hard-hitting triple threat match to retain his Intercontinental Championship.

Shinsuke Nakamura won the United States Title, while Damian Priest fell short to Gunther because of Finn Balor. Survivor Series 2024 surely was an eventful affair.

#4. Bash in Berlin

She ain't your Mami anymore. (Image via WWE.com)

The in-ring work at Bash in Berlin was excellent and is the sole reason why it is among WWE's top shows of 2024. Not a lot happened, though, as evidenced by Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens in the opener. It was a great match, but ended without any twist or betrayal. Oh, how times have changed!

Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest teamed up to win a fun mixed tag team match against Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio. Meanwhile, CM Punk defeated Drew McIntyre in a fun Strap Match, the second installment of their iconic trilogy.

Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill regained the Women's Tag Team Championship from The Unholy Union, while the main event was pretty good as well. Gunther defeated Randy Orton in his first World Heavyweight Title defense, after making The Viper pass out.

Along with the match quality, the German crowd certainly helped upgrade Bash in Berlin from a glorified house show to a must-see premium live event.

#3. SummerSlam

The pre-cursor to Bash in Berlin, SummerSlam 2024 featured all the shenanigans in the world. We got four title changes, two betrayals, and the grand return of Roman Reigns at the end. The OTC helped Cody Rhodes defeat Solo Sikoa to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship.

This was the night The Judgment Day changed forever, as Dominik Mysterio betrayed Rhea Ripley and kissed Liv Morgan. Finn Balor cost Damian Priest the World Heavyweight Championship, allowing Gunther to win the gold.

Elsewhere, LA Knight defeated Logan Paul to end his reign as United States Champion. Bron Breakker and Nia Jax also won titles at SummerSlam, while CM Punk faced Drew McIntyre for the first time. Seth Rollins was the referee, adding a unique dynamic to the match. The Scottish Warrior picked up the win.

So, while we didn't get any in-ring classics, The Biggest Party of the Summer lived up to its billing in 2024.

#2. WWE Backlash

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While the card overall wasn't the greatest, the fans in Lyon, France turned Backlash 2024 into an iconic event. They were loud for everything that happened at the show, right from the opening No Disqualification Tag Team Match that saw Randy Orton and Kevin Owens lose to the new Bloodline.

Tonga Loa made his debut that night. Elsewhere, Tiffany Stratton and Naomi put up an excellent effort against Bayley, who retained her WWE Women's Championship. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill won their first Tag Team Titles on this show as well, while Jey Uso's entrance for his match against Damian Priest was a sight to behold.

However, the highlight of Backlash 2024 was the main event. Cody Rhodes' first Undisputed WWE Championship defense came against AJ Styles, who was serenaded with a deafening chant from the French fans. The atmosphere was electric, as The American Nightmare won a competitive match against a rejuvenated Phenomenal One.

It was among the loudest a WWE crowd has ever been.

#1. WrestleMania XL

The forgotten finish (Image via WWE.com)

For all the greatness we saw in 2024, only one show could take the cake as the best of the year. WrestleMania XL had it all, with both nights delivering great action and emotional moments.

Night One featured a fun Tag Team Title Ladder Match, while Rhea Ripley defeated Becky Lynch to retain the Women's World Championship. Sami Zayn ended Gunther's record-breaking Intercontinental Title reign at 666 days, following a tremendous performance. And while it wasn't all perfect, due to Jimmy Uso vs. Jey Uso failing to deliver, the main event was epic.

The Rock and Roman Reigns defeated Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in a blockbuster tag team match. It was a ton of fun, with The Final Boss putting on a true spectacle. He pinned The American Nightmare, setting up a thrilling conclusion for Night Two.

WrestleMania XL Sunday was among the greatest shows WWE has ever produced, mostly thanks to the main event. Rhodes ended up dethroning Reigns in a Bloodline Rules Match that features run-ins from John Cena, The Rock, The Undertaker, and Rollins in his Shield gear.

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The Visionary was the MVP of the entire weekend, sacrificing his own body for pride. He main-evented Night One and helped cause Roman Reigns' downfall on Night Two, but not before defending his World Heavyweight Championship against Drew McIntyre in a fast-paced shootout that ended in a title change.

The Scottish Warrior ended up losing the World Heavyweight Title after CM Punk attacked him and Damian Priest cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. However, Night Two featured so much more, including a fun United States Title match between Logan Paul, Randy Orton, and Kevin Owens.

LA Knight defeated AJ Styles as well, while Bayley won the WWE Women's Championship from IYO SKY in a fantastic match. So, across the two nights, fans got a laundry list of special moments. It turned out to be one of the greatest WrestleManias in history, while being the peak of what WWE had to offer in 2024.

Edited by Divesh Merani