Reason why Vince McMahon axed the WWE Armageddon PPV
WWE held the Armageddon pay-per-view in nine out of 10 years between 1999 and 2008, with the only exception being 2001. Speaking on an Armageddon 2000 edition of his Grilling Jr podcast, former WWE executive Jim Ross revealed why Vince McMahon axed Armageddon 2001.
Ross said Vince McMahon held a square table meeting in his office shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attack in the United States. It was decided during the meeting that the name Armageddon could be viewed as insensitive if the PPV took place three months after the attack. As a result, Vince McMahon approved the name Vengeance for the December 2001 event instead of Armageddon.
“Vince came up, listened to somebody, they reminded him that this was not real sensitive and Armageddon is probably not the right name for this damn thing, and what it signifies. So that’s kind of how that came about, but I remember talking about it and saying we gotta rebrand some of these shows. And, quite frankly, it’s not a bad idea. The wrestling fans love new and fresh.”
Ross said WWE’s top four pay-per-views (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series) were always going to remain the same. However, he felt that every other WWE PPV could easily be replaced.
He also mentioned that Vince McMahon did not like sharing information with non-wrestling people, such as WWE’s marketing department, in a big group. That is why he made the decision to change the Armageddon PPV name in 2001 during a meeting with Ross and other WWE officials.
Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to SK Wrestling for the transcription if you use these quotes.
Vince McMahon’s WWE PPV schedule
The Armageddon pay-per-view was removed from the WWE schedule after 2008 and replaced with Tables, Ladders & Chairs (TLC). It was during that time that Vince McMahon took a different approach to WWE PPVs, with almost every PPV having a specific theme.
For example, PPVs such as Armageddon and Judgment Day did not have a certain match stipulation tied to every event. From 2009-2010 onwards, WWE introduced annual PPVs for specific match types, including TLC, Hell in a Cell, and Money in the Bank.
Vince McMahon has approved the return of some non-stipulation PPVs, including Backlash and No Mercy, in recent years. However, Armageddon has not been used since 2008.