Wrestling Matches That Broke the Viewer Count

Wrestling is an extremely popular sport, with shows like WWE RAW and Smackdown occupying serious airtime and drawing millions of viewers on TV and through streaming services. The dramatic storylines and outstanding athleticism have resulted in massive numbers of people tuning in. Here are some of the wrestling matches and moments that broke the viewer count on live TV and streaming services.

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John Cena and The Undertaker vs. D-Generation X vs. Jeri-Show

Triple-threat tag team matches aren’t very common in WWE, so this one most certainly stands out. Add in some legends of wrestling, including John Cena, Chris Jericho, The Big Show, and D-Generation X with Shawn Michaels and Triple H, all vying for the World Heavyweight Championship, and the WWE will attract many eyeballs. This matchup has 123 million views and counting on YouTube, making it one of the most watched live shows and most rewatched WWE RAW YouTube videos ever.

We hope we don’t spoil this for you, but Cena took the belt home this time as he pinned Triple H. While this event did attract many YouTube views, even for a title match with a star-studded lineup, bigger matches are coming!

2011 Battle Royale on Smackdown

Beating the triple-threat tag match by just a bit in fewer years, the 2011 Battle Royale on Smackdown has received 134 million views and counting. This particular battle royale featured 41 WWE wrestlers, marking the largest match in WWE history. The honest truth here is that the wrestlers don’t particularly like battle royale matches, but fans certainly do, hence the high viewership count. 

Battle royals offer viewers a distinct advantage over other types of matches. First, we get to see many faces we don’t normally see. Sure, John Cena might show up, but what about unknowns and rising stars? These kinds of big matches are also fun for fans who like to place bets, as picking the outcome is difficult and definitely as rewarding as they place bets on sites that allow them to experience the thrill with risk-free games. It’s a lot easier than getting hit in the head with a steel chair—or at least acting like it!

One might be wondering the purpose of this special event. Well, WWE Smackdown gladly announced the show as the second-longest-running episodic TV show in history, only outlasted by WWE RAW and finally beating Gunsmoke. Of course, to the wrestlers, the much larger motivation behind the battle royale was a shot at the title.

Randy Orton and Triple H

The most viewed WWE clip on YouTube right now is kind of unexpected. It has a lot of buildup and probably wouldn’t be well-accepted in today’s WWE. WWE is fueled by all sorts of feuds, and this one starts with Randy Orton calling Stephanie McMahon “worthless.” WWE owner and Stephanie’s dad, Vince McMahon, demanded Orton apologize for his words or be fired. Rather than saying he was sorry, Orton elected to punt Vince in the head.

Shane McMahon stepped in and tried taking on Orton in two matches with no success. Finally, the event that has provided over 318 million views on YouTube happened when Orton and Ted DiBiase Jr. fought Triple H in a two-on-one match. Triple H was handcuffed to the ropes while Orton attacked Stephanie, knocking her out. Orton stood over Triple H and Stephanie, holding a hammer, fake threatening to hit them. But instead of striking her again, he chose to slowly lower the hammer, got into a prone position, and kissed her on the lips.

Aside from the drama leading up to the match itself, this video probably got so many hits because the act of kissing an unconscious woman is controversial in itself, and some say it went too far by today’s standards, much less doing so in front of her handcuffed husband. 

John Cena and AJ Lee Kiss After His Victory

John Cena was injured during a match against Dolph Ziggler. As Dolph was attempting to remove the padding from a turnbuckle in a likely effort to further injure Cena, AJ Lee came to his rescue and confronted him, slowing the match down and giving the superstar time to recover. Cena went on to win the match, and the two stayed in the ring for a few moments afterwards. It’s not clear what was said as the two met in the middle of the ring at the end of the match, but Cena reached out to shake her hand as a way of thanking her, and she instead roped him in for a long kiss.

It worked to get views—though the list of relationships that AJ Lee has had with wrestlers is quite long.

Conclusion

Wrestling offers serious entertainment for countless fans worldwide with a solid mix of real athletes, drama, and just a little bit of acting. Many of the matches that received the most action came from celebratory moments that either noted the accomplishments of wrestling as a televised event or noted controversial moments between some of the most popular wrestlers on the lineup card. We are sure that there will be videos that break the records set on this list, and probably soon!