Ranking WWE's Best International Events Ever Ahead of Backlash 2024 in France

WWE's recent push toward holding more international premium live events has led to a surge of interest in not only the shows themselves but also the product as a whole.

The company has staged a handful of pay-per-views in England, Canada, Wales and Australia since the Triple H and Nick Khan regime initially got underway in mid-2022. The Saudi Arabia shows, of course, have been a biannual staple on the WWE calendar since 2018.

The change of scenery combined with the electric atmosphere in all of these countries has made every event feel must-see. The upcoming installment of Backlash in Lyon, France will be no exception, despite a fairly pedestrian card on paper.

Beyond Backlash, WWE PLEs will continue to emanate from non-U.S. cities until SummerSlam in Cleveland on August 3, ensuring King and Queen of the Ring, Clash at the Castle and Money in the Bank will all feature an international flavor.

Although they've become less of a rarity as of late, events overseas are far from a new phenomenon in WWE, and the following is a ranking of the 10 best.

NXT TakeOvers, WWE Network specials and non-PPV events were not considered.

Despite traditionally having served as the final stop on the road to WrestleMania since 2010, the Elimination Chamber PPV was largely treated like an afterthought and didn't feature many storyline-significant developments prior to the 2023 installment in Montréal.

This year's event—taking place in Perth, Australia on February 24—followed up on the 2023 show nicely. The early start time of 5 a.m. E.T. didn't stop WWE from putting together an enjoyable show that consisted of only four matches on the main card.

The men's and women's Elimination Chamber matches delivered as expected with Becky Lynch and Drew McIntyre punching their ticket to title matches at WrestleMania 40. Additionally, The Judgment Day defended their Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship in a fun clash with New Catch Republic.

WWE ultimately went with the hometown hero as the headliner as Rhea Ripley put her Women's World Championship on the line against Nia Jax in the main event. The match quality exceeded expectations and the fans were behind The Eradicator throughout.

Elimination Chamber 2024 was hardly a home run of a show, but it was what it needed to be and the enthusiasm from the Aussie faithful at Optus Stadium was enough to make it worthwhile.

Early on, WWE's Saudi Arabia shows had a stigma of being glorified house shows with matches that clearly only appealed to Vince McMahon and not the fans.

If the events felt as they were an obligation to the Saudi Arabian government because of the 10-year deal the company signed with it in 2018 and nothing more, that's because that's exactly what they were.

The product was at its worst with Crown Jewel in 2018 and 2019 and Super ShowDown 2020, and fans were prepared for more mediocrity when WWE returned to the country post-pandemic for Crown Jewel 2021.

However, the event was highly entertaining from start to finish. Among the highlights were Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley in a Falls Count Anywhere match, Xavier Woods and Zelina Vega winning King of the Ring and Queen's Crown respectively, Big E vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship, Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks, and Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar in one of their better encounters.

An argument can even be made for Seth Rollins vs. Edge inside Hell in a Cell being WWE's Match of the Year in 2021.

The Saudi Arabia shows have managed to maintain that level of quality since then, but Crown Jewel 2021 has been the best yet.

While it may not necessarily be "overseas" to the United States, Canada has provided an incredible atmosphere for many WWE shows over the years, some more memorable than others.

WrestleMania X8 wasn't the best of the bunch—several other Canada shows higher up on this list have topped it—but it boasted a quality card nonetheless, an especially impressive feat considering it had the task of following the all-timer that was WrestleMania X-Seven.

WrestleMania X8 has long had the reputation for being a good-but-not-great show. Rob Van Dam vs. William Regal, Kane vs. Kurt Angle, Edge vs. Booker T, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Scott Hall were all solid if not unspectacular.

The Rock vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan, however, is easily among the greatest 'Mania matches in history and the electric Toronto crowd in the SkyDome had a lot to do with that.

Despite it not being a five-star mat classic, the fans were white-hot for everything the two men did and served as the soundtrack for an emotional masterpiece that epitomized what wrestling is all about.

Triple H vs. Chris Jericho for the Undisputed WWE Championship was a worthy main event, but having to headline over Hogan vs. Rock was an unenviable position for them to be in.

AEW's record-setting All In event at London's Wembley Stadium was the talk of the town among wrestling fans throughout the summer of 2023, but WWE Money in the Bank that July also deserves recognition.

It marked the company's first major event in England in over two decades, and it didn't disappoint in its long-overdue return to the city.

The men's and women's Money in the Bank ladder matches were terrific as Damian Priest and Iyo Sky reigned supreme with their respective opportunistic briefcases.

In a shocking turn of events at the O2 Arena, Shayna Baszler betrayed Ronda Rousey, resulting in Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez winning the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship.

Gunther and Matt Riddle had a great match for the intercontinental title while Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor worked their usual magic and had an equally exhilarating affair for the World Heavyweight Championship.

The Bloodline drama capped off the evening in thrilling fashion as The Usos went to war with Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa in tag team action, culminating in Jey Uso handing The Tribal Chief his first pinfall defeat in nearly four years to a thunderous ovation.

John Cena teasing WrestleMania coming to the city might indicate that WWE will be back in London before long, even if it isn't necessarily for The Show of Shows.

Four years removed from the success of WrestleMania X8, WWE returned to Toronto in September 2006 for Unforgiven, an even stronger show with a stacked undercard and three top-tier main event matchups.

Jeff Hardy and Johnny Nitro opened the evening with one of their usual guaranteed gems for the Intercontinental Championship. Kane vs. Umaga and The Spirit Squad vs. The Highlanders were throwaway matches, but D-Generation X overcoming the odds in their Hell in a Cell clash with Big Show and the McMahons more than made up for them.

That alone would have been a worthy conclusion to the event, but it resumed with Toronto native Trish Stratus besting longtime rival Lita to capture the WWE Women's Championship in her retirement match.

The chaotic TLC main event between John Cena and Edge closed the show on a high note as The Champ vaulted The Rated-R Superstar off the top of a ladder through two tables down below with an excellently executed Attitude Adjustment to clinch the WWE Championship hanging above the ring.

For an often-overlooked B-show, Unforgiven was better than it had any right to be, simultaneously providing finality for several long-running rivalries as well as the audience in attendance on a night they wouldn't soon forget.

Ahead of Backlash 2024 in Lyon, France, fans would have to go back almost 20 years for the last time the event took place on international soil.

Edmonton was a fitting host city for the event with then-world heavyweight champion Chris Benoit, who was fresh off capturing the title at WrestleMania, having roots to the area. That made the Triple Threat match pitting himself against Triple H and Shawn Michaels with the gold up for grabs that much more magical.

It was certainly on par with the Triple Threat WrestleMania main event if not superior.

It didn't need to carry the card, either. In fact, it wasn't even the best bout on the show.

That honor belonged to Mick Foley (Cactus Jack) vs. Randy Orton in a Hardcore match for the Intercontinental Championship. Not only was it a brutal and bloody affair, but The Viper's performance also put him on the map as a singles star and cemented his status as a bona fide future world champ.

The undercard was serviceable. Edge knocked off Kane, Chris Jericho got a measure of revenge over Christian and Trish Stratus, and Shelton Benjamin beat Ric Flair in the opener.

As noted, WWE took Elimination Chamber 2023 to Montréal mere weeks out from WrestleMania 39, and it was a must-see show with every matchup on the loaded card having implications for The Show of Shows.

The women's Elimination Chamber match was arguably the best installment yet with all six stars involved having stellar showings. Asuka emerged victorious to become the No. 1 contender to Bianca Belair's Raw Women's Championship.

The men's Chamber match for the United States Championship was also extremely well-received by fans and featured its fair share of sensational moments. With an assist from Logan Paul, Austin Theory beat Seth Rollins to retain his title.

In between those bouts was Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley, which was all action while it lasted but had an underwhelming disqualification finish. Edge and Beth Phoenix toppling The Judgment Day's Finn Bálor and Rhea Ripley was a nice palate cleanser.

Hometown hero Sami Zayn fought valiantly in his bid to wrest the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship from Roman Reigns in the main event but fell short due to Bloodline interference.

Regardless, it was a tremendous ending to the event and a reminder that WWE should be traveling to Montréal more often.

WWE regularly held events across the Atlantic in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but it was still a foreign concept (pun intended) for the company when it was announced it would be running Wembley Stadium for SummerSlam in 1992.

Given the star-studded roster the company had at that time, it wasn't difficult to fill the card with matches the near-80,000 fans in the stadium would want to see.

This included Money Inc. vs. Legion of Doom, Shawn Michaels vs. Rick Martel, Undertaker vs. Kamala, and Natural Disasters vs. The Beverly Brothers for the tag team titles.

The event is widely remembered for the near-30-minute WrestleMania rematch between The Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage for the WWE Championship and The British Bulldog beating Bret Hart for the intercontinental title in an outstanding main event.

More so than any one match on the show, SummerSlam 1992 was all about the spectacle, proving that a packed house can add to the aura of an event no matter what's on tap.

Perhaps another major WWE show at Wembley is in order now that All Elite Wrestling has shown it can still be done decades later.

SummerSlam 2022 was technically the first PPV of the Triple H era due to Vince McMahon being ousted from WWE's creative team days earlier, but with seemingly everything bar the outcomes being booked in advance, Clash at the Castle that September felt like The Game's first official event.

The WWE chief content officer crafted a card that was intricately paced where every match mattered at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The high hopes fans had for the event were met, a satisfying feeling the WWE audience wasn't accustomed to under the previous regime.

Damage CTRL had a dominant PLE in-ring debut, defeating Bianca Belair, Asuka and Alexa Bliss in six-woman tag team action. Liv Morgan vs. Shayna Baszler for the SmackDown Women's Championship, the second women's outing of the night, was a quality contest despite its flat finish.

Although there was nothing out of the ordinary about the bout itself, the aftermath of Edge and Rey Mysterio vs. The Judgment Day saw Dominik Mysterio turn on his father, Rey, and that would turn out to be the best thing that could have happened to the group.

Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle put on a clinic while Gunther and Sheamus stole the show with their Intercontinental Championship classic. Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre was a white-hot main event for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, and Solo Sikoa making his main roster debut was noteworthy.

A vast majority of the Triple H PLEs have ranged from good to great, but Clash at the Castle was the one that set the standard for all that would follow, international or otherwise.

For over 25 years, In Your House: Canadian Stampede has remained the measuring stick for all of WWE's international events as none have so far been able to surpass it.

The beauty of the In Your House shows in the mid-to-late 1990s was that they were the ideal length of only two hours. The Canadian Stampede installment in July 1997 continued that trend and ensured every minute was captivating.

Mankind and Hunter Hearst Helmsley had an enjoyable opener, and the double count-out effectively furthered their feud. Taka Michinoku vs. The Great Sasuke exemplified what the light heavyweight division was all about, and The Undertaker and Vader had a hard-hitting hoss fight for the WWE Championship.

The 10-man tag team main event was what really guaranteed its greatness as The Hart Foundation—despite being heels—were received as returning heroes in Calgary against their adversaries. It was one of the first instances of a hometown crowd being a genuine difference-maker by turning an otherwise average tag team matchup into a happening.

A practically perfect PPV, Canadian Stampede serves as the ultimate example of an international atmosphere playing an important role in an event's enjoyment level and overall historical significance.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.