Ranking and grading every WWE pay-per-view in 2021

#2 WWE Crown Jewel

With Crown Jewel, WWE delivered its greatest Saudi Arabian pay-per-view this October. The show felt huge, with immense star power scattered through it and not a single bad match.

Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar headlined Crown Jewel with a solid first chapter to their storied saga, while Edge and Seth Rollins opened with the perfect end to theirs. The Hell in a Cell Match was among the greatest WWE matches in 2021, as the legend fittingly ended this feud with a Curb Stomp onto a chair.

Goldberg also stood tall in Riyadh, as he decimated Bobby Lashley in an entertaining Falls Count Anywhere Match. Xavier Woods fulfilled his dream of winning King of the Ring, while Zelina Vega won the Queen's Crown Tournament.

The women were further showcased in a star-studded triple threat match as Becky Lynch defeated Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair. Meanwhile, Big E's WWE Title defense against Drew McIntyre was also excellent.

Crown Jewel was great from top to bottom and has a genuine case for being the best WWE pay-per-view of the year. We even saw Riddle ride a camel to the ring!

Grade: A

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#1 WWE Money in the Bank

It's pretty close, but WWE's best pay-per-view in 2021 was Money in the Bank. It was the first one back with a full crowd of fans, making for an epic night. Every match was at least solid or had a purpose, as demonstrated by Bobby Lashley's squash of Kofi Kingston.

AJ Styles and Omos retained their RAW Tag Team Titles against The Viking Raiders, while Nikki A.S.H. stunned everybody by winning the women's briefcase. The final three matches made this show so great, starting with Charlotte Flair's RAW Women's Title victory over Rhea Ripley.

The two turned an uninterested crowd around to craft a memorable contest, following a non-PG gesture from The Queen. They were followed by an excellent men's Money in the Bank ladder match.

Big E won the briefcase in an inspired finish, following huge spots involving Ricochet, Kevin Owens, and Seth Rollins. The latter ended up costing Edge the Universal Championship after a storytelling masterclass between him and Roman Reigns in the main event.

What happens afterward takes Money in the Bank over the top. John Cena made his surprise return to confront The Tribal Chief. It resulted in one of the loudest pops in WWE history, as fans celebrated the return to relative normalcy in the best way possible.

Grade: A