WWE 2017 PPV List: What Really Happened During the Brand Split Chaos

2017 was a weird, wild year for wrestling fans. You remember it, right? We were deep into the second year of the second brand split, and WWE was throwing everything at the wall to see what stuck. Honestly, some of it was brilliant, like the rise of Braun Strowman as a literal ambulance-flipping monster. Other parts? Well, let's just say we all survived the Jinder Mahal experiment and a PPV actually named "Great Balls of Fire."

If you’re looking for the wwe 2017 ppv list, you’re likely trying to piece together how we got from AJ Styles losing to John Cena in a classic to Roman Reigns retiring the Undertaker (or so we thought) and Jinder Mahal holding the richest prize in the business for half a year.

It was a packed calendar. WWE ran 16 pay-per-views that year. Sixteen! That’s a lot of Sunday nights spent on the couch. Because Raw and SmackDown had their own exclusive shows, the schedule was relentless. Sometimes we only had two weeks between events. It was exhausting but gave us some of the most unique—and occasionally baffling—cards in modern history.

The Big Four and the Brand Exclusives

The year started with a bang in San Antonio. The Royal Rumble (January 29) is always a highlight, but 2017’s version was special because of the Cena vs. Styles match. Many fans consider that their best encounter. Then Randy Orton won the Rumble itself, which set up a very strange WrestleMania journey involving a projector and some cockroaches. But we’ll get to that.

After the Rumble, the brands split off. SmackDown took the Elimination Chamber (February 12), where Bray Wyatt finally won the WWE Championship. It felt like a massive moment. Sadly, his reign didn't last long. On the Raw side, Fastlane (March 5) saw Goldberg squash Kevin Owens in 22 seconds. People were furious. Owens had been a great "Prize Fighter" champ, and seeing him lose to a spear and a jackhammer in seconds was a bitter pill.

Then came the big one. WrestleMania 33 (April 2) in Orlando. The "Ultimate Thrill Ride." It was nearly seven hours long. The Hardy Boyz returned in a moment that literally made the stadium shake. Roman Reigns beat the Undertaker in the main event, and for a few months, we all thought "The Deadman" was done for good.

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The Spring and Summer Shuffle

Post-WrestleMania is usually a rebuilding phase, and 2017 was no different.

• Payback (April 30): This was technically a Raw show, but it featured the "House of Horrors" match between Orton and Wyatt. It was... cinematic? Kinda? It was mostly just weird.
• Backlash (May 21): This is the night the world changed. Jinder Mahal defeated Randy Orton to become WWE Champion. Nobody saw it coming. The "Modern Day Maharaja" went from a jobber to the top of the mountain in weeks.
• Extreme Rules (June 4): Samoa Joe won a frantic Fatal 5-Way to earn a shot at Brock Lesnar. This was peak "Joe is gonna kill you" energy.
• Money in the Bank (June 18): This gave us the first-ever Women’s MITB match, though it ended in controversy with James Ellsworth grabbing the briefcase for Carmella. Baron Corbin won the men’s side, though his cash-in later that year would go down as one of the worst ever.

Why the WWE 2017 PPV List Matters for History

Looking back, 2017 was the year WWE tried to prove the brand split could sustain a heavy schedule. We got some gems. Great Balls of Fire (July 9) had a ridiculous name, but the show was actually incredible. Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe had a physical sprint that left everyone wanting more.

Then there was Battleground (July 23). This featured the return of the Punjabi Prison match. It was a bit of a mess, honestly. The Great Khali returned for about three minutes to help Jinder win, and then we basically never saw him again.

The Road to Survivor Series

SummerSlam (August 20) was anchored by a massive Fatal 4-Way for the Universal Title. Brock, Roman, Joe, and Braun. It was pure chaos. Braun Strowman looked like the biggest star in the world that night, even though he didn't win.

The fall saw some experiments. No Mercy (September 24) felt like a mini-WrestleMania because we got Cena vs. Reigns and Brock vs. Braun on the same night. Many felt they gave away too much too soon. Then SmackDown had Hell in a Cell (October 8), where Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon jumped off the top of the cage. Sami Zayn turned heel to save Owens—a twist that actually worked brilliantly.

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TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (October 22) was supposed to be the Shield reunion. But a viral infection hit the locker room. Suddenly, we had Kurt Angle wrestling in a Shield vest. It was surreal. Also, AJ Styles filled in to face Finn Bálor in a "Dream Match" that stole the show.

Every Major Event on the 2017 Calendar

I've put this together so you can see the flow of the year. It’s a lot to digest.

1. Royal Rumble - January 29 (Dual Brand)
2. Elimination Chamber - February 12 (SmackDown)
3. Fastlane - March 5 (Raw)
4. WrestleMania 33 - April 2 (Dual Brand)
5. Payback - April 30 (Raw)
6. Backlash - May 21 (SmackDown)
7. Extreme Rules - June 4 (Raw)
8. Money in the Bank - June 18 (SmackDown)
9. Great Balls of Fire - July 9 (Raw)
10. Battleground - July 23 (SmackDown)
11. SummerSlam - August 20 (Dual Brand)
12. No Mercy - September 24 (Raw)
13. Hell in a Cell - October 8 (SmackDown)
14. TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs - October 22 (Raw)
15. Survivor Series - November 19 (Dual Brand)
16. Clash of Champions - December 17 (SmackDown)

The year ended with Survivor Series, which was all about brand supremacy. Triple H returned, Braun Strowman was angry, and the Raw vs. SmackDown rivalry felt somewhat forced, but the matches were high-level. The final show, Clash of Champions, saw AJ Styles (who had finally taken the belt back from Jinder) defend against the Maharaja to close out the year.

What We Learned from 2017

Honestly, 2017 taught WWE that 16 PPVs a year is too many. The fans were burnt out. The brand-exclusive shows often felt like "B-shows" unless the world title was on the line. Shortly after this, WWE moved back to dual-branded shows for every PPV.

It was also a year of massive star-making. Braun Strowman became a main eventer. Alexa Bliss dominated the women’s division. The Usos and The New Day had a rivalry on SmackDown that redefined tag team wrestling. Even if some of the booking was "kinda" questionable, the work rate in the ring was through the roof.

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If you're going back to watch these on the WWE Network (or Peacock), start with the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 33. Then, skip straight to Great Balls of Fire—trust me on that one. The Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar build-up was some of the best television WWE produced all decade.

For a true deep dive, check out the Usos vs. New Day matches from Battleground, SummerSlam, and Hell in a Cell. They are masterclasses in tag team storytelling. You’ll see why people still talk about that rivalry today. You can also track the rise of the "Women's Evolution" during this period, as the talent pool grew significantly with the arrivals of Asuka and the continuous growth of the Four Horsewomen.

To get the most out of this era, watch the "Superstar Shake-up" episodes of Raw and SmackDown that happened right after WrestleMania 33. That’s where the rosters shifted and set the stage for the rest of the year's feuds. It’s the best way to understand why certain wrestlers suddenly ended up in title pictures they weren't in just a week prior.

Actionable Insight: If you're a collector or a historian, keep an eye on the 2017 DVD releases. Many of these events featured "Home Video Essentials" that aren't always easy to find on streaming, including specific backstage interviews and fallout segments that add a lot of context to the Jinder Mahal title win and the Shield's near-reunion.