Last year, WWE resurrected Saturday Night’s Main Event, with the show now firmly a part of the company’s plans going forward.
The original run of the network show, between 1985 and 1991, was hugely successful — with the 1988 episode that saw Hulk Hogan drop the title to Andre the Giant drawing a staggering 26 million viewers in the U.S., still the most-watched live match in company history.
The new incarnation has been a success, with the May event – headlined by Jey Uso and Logan Paul – earning the highest rating since the show’s return.
With Saturday Night’s Main Event once again drawing fresh eyes to the product, the question now becomes: what other classic WWE events could the company choose to bring back next?
7. Sunday Night Heat
In recent years, WWE pre-shows have become formulaic affairs, completely devoid of in-ring action — reduced to panel discussions, backstage interviews, and hype packages.
That wasn’t always the case, however.
Sunday Night Heat, which launched in 1998 during the height of the Attitude Era, served as a true PPV pre-show with storyline progression, under-card matches, and engaging angles that hooked fans ahead of the main card.
Bringing back this format — as a YouTube-exclusive show — could refresh the stale pre-show model and attract new viewers to the PLE.
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6. In Your House
In 1995, WWE — then the WWF — launched a new PPV concept: In Your House, a series of shorter, lower-priced monthly shows held between the company’s Big Five events.
Over time, both the price and runtime increased, nevertheless the recurring series produced classic moments — with In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede remaining one of most widely revered PPVs in WWE history.
The concept was briefly revived for NXT between 2020 and 2022: as an annual show it featured retro ‘90s sets and branding.
Bringing In Your House back annually as a nostalgia-themed main roster PLE would be a compelling way to honour WWE history while spotlighting today’s stars.
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5. Stone Cold Podcast
One of the flagship originals on the WWE Network was The Stone Cold Podcast.
Adapted by WWE from Stone Cold Steve Austin’s successful independent weekly podcast show, they transformed it into a filmed, in-studio interview series starting in 2014 with Vince McMahon as the first guest.
The 12-episode run featured hour-long conversations with top company stars and legends – before ending with an infamously tense interview with then WWE Champion Dean Ambrose.
With WWE’s Netflix deal in full swing, could we see Austin given a revived version of his entertaining interview series?
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4. Cyber Sunday
In 2004, WWE devised a novel PPV concept: Taboo Tuesday – later rebranded Cyber Sunday – where fans voted on match types, opponents, and stipulations.
The format led to some memorable bouts, including a bloody steel cage match between Ric Flair and Randy Orton – one of Flair’s final great performances.
With fans more vocal than ever about wanting creative influence, reviving the concept could capture a sense of interactivity and control.
Reintroduced as a weekly B-show using today’s digital platforms, it could shine a light on underused talent – while offering WWE real-time insight on who to push next.
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3. Starrcade
Starrcade was WCW’s tentpole event – their equivalent of WWE’s WrestleMania – traditionally taking place at the end of December.
The show hosted some of the most memorable moments in WCW history, from the classic Ric Flair and Vader career vs. title match in 1993 to the infamous Hogan vs. Sting bout in 1997.
WWE briefly revived Starrcade in 2017, running three house shows under the name.
With Paul Levesque increasingly open to reviving WCW properties, Starrcade could return to its former glory: as a big-time, end-of-year PLE.
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2. Live House Shows
During the WWE Network era, one of the more intriguing innovations was the broadcast of select house shows.
Specials like Beast in the East (2015), Live from MSG (2015), and The Shield’s Final Chapter (2019) offered fans stripped-back, match-focused events without WWE’s usual fanfare of production.
These shows stood out precisely because they felt different — focused on in-ring action.
With WWE’s Netflix deal, there’s real potential to revive this format with live specials from international markets with rapturous fanbases, like the UK or Mexico.
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1. WWE NXT TakeOver
There was a time when there was no safer bet in all of pro-wrestling than an NXT TakeOver.
In the latter, darker years of the McMahon era, TakeOver events were a beacon of light, consistently delivering WWE’s best in-ring matches between 2014 and 2021.
The series ended when NXT shifted from “super indie” to true developmental, but with the brand once again bringing in established names like TNA’s Jordynne Grace and AEW’s Mariah May, the time feels right for a return.
Reintroducing TakeOver as an annual event could give NXT its own WrestleMania – a genuine flagship show for WWE’s third brand.
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