“Ruthless Aggression” were the two words McMahon put emphasis on during his famous speech to the WWE locker room on the June 24, 2002, episode of RAW. The Ruthless Aggression Era was far more violent and raunchier than the Attitude Era. The brand split meant that both RAW and SmackDown got their separate pay-per-view events.

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WWE produced numerous PPV events during said period. Many of these PPVs were nothing short of excellent (from start to finish), but there were instances when a great PPV was ruined due to an ending that didn’t resonate with the audience or felt completely unnecessary. With that being said, these are the five best and five worst endings to PPVs produced during the Ruthless Aggression Era.

10 Worst: Hulkamania Gets Flattened (No Way Out 2003)

Rock Bottom on Hogan

WWE did a solid job when they built The Rock versus Hogan as an Icon vs. Icon match at WrestleMania X8. The jam-packed SkyDome in Toronto, Canada, roared to the sight of Hulkamania running wild. Dream matches like these should take place once in a while, but WWE thought they had a better chance of correcting the mistake of not letting their biggest stars main event Mania by booking them in the main event of No Way Out the very next year.

Truth be told, the Rock versus Hogan II served as a buildup to the Vince McMahon vs. Hogan match at WrestleMania 19. The match also ended in controversial fashion after The Rock hit Hogan with a steel chair, which was given to him by the referee, giving The Great One a second win over Hogan. No Way Out as a whole was pretty lackluster, but it was the ending that got this PPV event a place among Ruthless Aggression Era PPVs with the worst ending.

9 Best: Here Come The Pain (No Mercy 2002)

Brock Lesnar No Mercy 2002

Brock Lesnar was The Next Big Thing when he made his main roster debut in 2002. After No Mercy 2002, Lesnar got a new moniker, Here Comes The Pain. Lesnar squared off against Big Evil himself, The Undertaker, inside the demonic Hell in a Cell in the main event of No Mercy 2002. Taker had already had enough of Lesnar and entered the match with only vengeance in his mind.

What transpired next was one of the bloodiest beat downs in WWE history. The American Badass delivered multiple hard-hitting strikes to Lesnar, who more than held his own against Taker. The match contained plenty of brutal spots including one where Lesnar and Heyman tied Taker’s (kayfabe) injured hand to the cell and beat it to a pulp. The closing moments of the PPV saw the champion standing atop the cell. Truly an iconic sight!

8 Worst: Sledge Hammer Seals The Win (SummerSlam 2003)

Triple H Pins Goldberg

SummerSlam is known for showcasing some of the best endings in WWE PPV history, but the same cannot be said about SummerSlam 2003. Then World Heavyweight Champion Triple H defended his title against Goldberg, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Kevin Nash, and Chris Jericho. Though The Game was legitimately injured with a groin injury heading into this match, WWE decided it was best to have him retain his title.

RELATED: SummerSlam 2003: Every Match Ranked From Worst To Best

Probably the worst part about this main event is that it did no favors to Goldberg despite making him look like a monster in the early moments of the match. After eliminating everyone but the champion, Goldberg shattered the pod glass and brought Triple H to the outside. Long story short, he got knocked out with a single sledgehammer shot, allowing HHH to get the win. You remember the beat down that took place afterwards, right?

7 Best: The Whole F’n Show (One Night Stand 2006)

ECW One Night Stand 2006

The 2006 One Night Stand PPV event featured one of the most hostile crowds in WWE history. Almost 2,500 people packed the iconic Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, NY, to witness one of the most awesome yet controversial title changes in modern wrestling. The crowd was red-hot from start to finish for Rob Van Dam’s title shot against John Cena.

RELATED: Was ECW One Night Stand 2006 Better Than 2005?

The champ entered the squared circle to a nuclear reaction from ECW loyalists, who made sure Cena knew exactly what they felt about him. Being the consummate professional he is, Cena worked the match in hostile territory and put Van Dam over huge that night. Safe to say that the fans got what they wanted at One Night Stand 2006.

6 Worst: An Unlikely Celebrity Appearance (Cyber Sunday 2006)

K Fed

John Cena has had his share of weird opponents, but none seem bizarre than Kevin Federline. The two were involved in a mini feud that began in 2006 after Federline interfered during Cena’s match against Johnny Nitro on RAW in October 2006.

Federline also cost Cena his World Heavyweight Championship bid against then defending champion Booker T at Cyber Sunday later that year. Federline interfered during the closing moments of the Champion of Champions that also involved The Big Show, hitting the Cenation leader with King Booker’s belt, allowing Booker to secure the win.

5 Best: The Botched Elimination (Royal Rumble 2005)

Royal Rumble 2005

If there’s one word to describe the ending to Royal Rumble 2005, it’s legendary. The 2005 edition of the rumble brought together two future faces of the WWE as both Cena and Batista tried to eliminate each other for the opportunity to main event WrestleMania 21.

However, a botched spot led to the two men landing on the outside and the same time. Vince McMahon was livid and stormed the ring, only to tear his quads in the process. The main event truly had a wild ending. Props to all the performers including the referees for not breaking kayfabe!

4 Worst: A December That Dismembered (December to Dismember 2006)

ECW December to Dismember

ECW fans were thrilled when WWE announced the rebirth of the brand in 2005. Their hero, Rob Van Dam, even captured the gold at One Night Stand 2006. Then, began the slow demise of the third brand. Many fans believe the December to Dismember PPV event sowed the seeds for the downfall of WWE’s version of ECW.

The event was terrible from start to finish. Even the main event, which featured an Extreme Elimination Chamber Match, couldn’t prevent the notoriety it brought to WWE for their handling of fan favorites Rob Van Dam and CM Punk. WWE attempted to top One Night Stand with December to Dismember. Instead, they produced one of the worst PPVs in their storied history.

3 Best: Enter the Deadman (Survivor Series 2005)

Deadman

Fans who grew up during the awesome brand wars might recall this gem of a PPV that took place on November 27, 2005. The main event, which pitted RAW and SmackDown against each other, is widely considered to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Survivor Series main events of all time.

The ending served as a cherry on the cake. After the SmackDown locker room had hoisted Orton on their shoulders, the whole arena heard Taker’s entrance bells. What followed was one of the most epic arrivals of all time in WWE TV's history. Kudos to Orton too for those unbelievable expressions!

2 Worst: Drowned In Cement (The Great American Bash 2004)

Paul-Bearer-Cement-Truck-2

SmackDown lost tons of star power in the wake of Brock Lesnar's departure in 2004. This, coupled with inconsistent storytelling, led to WWE producing a terrible PPV in The Great American Bash. The main event featured a handicap match between The Dudley Boyz and The Undertaker. Really?

The Deadman wanted to get revenge on Paul Heyman for abducting Paul Bearer. After his win over the Dudleys, Taker pulled the lever to the cement truck which had Bearer tapped inside, kayfabe drowning him in cement. What a weird ending!

1 Best: Double Trouble (No Way Out 2005)

JBL Steel Cage

2005 could be argued as the pinnacle of Ruthless Aggression Era. WWE found their next biggest stars in John Cena and Batista. But before their respective championship wins at WrestleMania 21, the two icons had a stare-down at No Way Out 2005.

After JBL retained his title by literally crawling out of the ring against Big Show in a steel cage match, the champ witnessed an enraged Batista tore through his Cabinet. If that wasn’t enough, Cena appeared from behind and sent Bradshaw crashing into TV equipment. The PPV ended with Cena and Batista standing tall.