The Best Video Packages In WWE History

Few things get a wrestling fan excited more than a well produced video package, a nifty little recap for the main event they're about to see. Pro wrestling, when you really break it down, is a living comic book — heavily predicated on the battle of good and evil. A video package has to recap storylines (often months worth) into a quick and digestible format for any potential newbies. 

WWE has always had a knack for stellar video packages, especially in the late '90s into the early '00s with their usage of various licensed music tracks. For a good long while, WWE had access to some then-very current tracks, which only helped to increase the intensity of the video package. 

The videos we'll be recounting here are, for various reasons, these are the ones that have stuck with fans to this day. Whether it be for their efficient recapping or for the music choice, these are the best video packages in WWE history.

Kane vs The Undertaker - WrestleMania XIV

In terms of drama mixed with supernatural shenanigans, few storylines did it better than the late '90s feud between The Undertaker and Kane. Undertaker was making massive strides as a beloved fixture of the then-ongoing Attitude Era. It'd be during this time that Taker's former-manager, Paul Bearer, was teasing him with the reveal of his "deepest, darkest secret." This secret was revealed to be that Kane, Undertaker's presumed-to-be-dead brother, was actually alive having, been raised in secret by Bearer. This simmered until Kane finally debuted in grand fashion at Badd Blood 1997, costing Taker his Hell in a Cell match with Shawn Michaels. Following his debut, Kane went on an absolute war path — even slamming Taker in a coffin and lighting it on fire!

The video package produced for this feud's eventual WrestleMania blow off was over-the-top for sure, but in all the best ways. Not only did it showcase both Kane and Undertaker's kayfabe supernatural abilities, it amped up the drama with fittingly operatic music. This wasn't a feud about titles or fan support, this was about two demonic brothers primed to rip each other apart. When Taker said "I will walk straight through the fires of hell to face you, Kane," we absolutely believed him.

Triple H vs Cactus Jack - Royal Rumble 2000

Very few wrestlers could elicit sympathy and get your emotions going the same way that Mick Foley could in his prime. Mrs. Foley's baby boy was embroiled in countless feuds with some of the WWE's best, including The Rock, Stone Cold, The Undertaker, and Triple H. Building steadily for months, Foley's feud with then-reigning champion Triple H resulted in a street fight at Royal Rumble 2000. The feud saw Foley not only continuously embarrassed by Triple H, but even losing his job temporarily in kayfabe. This was all highlighted in the video package which, aided by some stellar editing, really helped to sell the sympathy for Foley.

Following some welcome assistance from The Rock, Foley would be reinstated and would immediately gun for the title once again. After another savage attack, Foley realized that his current persona of Mankind was not ready to face Triple H at the Rumble. However, he said that the fans deserved a substitute and would remove his Mankind garb to reveal a Cactus Jack t-shirt. Foley's deadliest persona, Cactus Jack, was indeed back and ready to whatever it took to defeat Triple H in their eventual street fight! From the dramatic music to the over-the-top editing, it's hard not to have your heart racing by the end of this one.

The Rock vs Stone Cold - WrestleMania X-7

Some choices for this list were obvious, and this hype package for the WrestleMania X-7 main event is definitely one of them. The "My Way" package for The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin's matchup is, to this day, still hailed as a classic. Many consider Mania X-7 to be the end of the Attitude Era. Watching the package, especially with 20+ years having elapsed, it's hard not to see it that way. The quality of Limp Bizkit's music might be heavily debated within the world of music, but it was used to masterful effect her for sure!

Every action, every movement and every line of dialogue was perfectly in sync with the music, resulting in a goosebumps-inducing final product. From the duo passive aggressively toasting beers to their heated sit down interview, there wasn't a wasted moment here. When the song really kicks off and the two exchange blows, it was just pure unbridled emotion! Some packages tell a story while others elevate the feud's drama, and this package opted to do both to equal success. There's a reason that fans still reference and parody this one even two decades later, it really is just that good.

Team WWF vs The Alliance - Survivor Series 2001

A hype package's job is to condense a long storyline down to a few minutes and hype up the audience. However, that can be a bit of a challenge when the storyline in question is a bit of a hot mess. This was most definitely the case with the early 2000s storyline that concerned the arrival of The Alliance. (That said, the proper name for them should've been "WCW's Leftovers," because that's all it really was.) Following World Championship Wrestling's demise and subsequent buyout via the WWE, many hardcore fans were craving a WWE vs. WCW feud.

WCW most definitely became a presence on weekly WWE TV, but sadly not in the way that fans had hoped. To put it simply, WCW wasn't presented with much in the way of respect, being quickly turned into a joke. However, despite the storyline itself missing the mark by miles, the hype package made for it was quite the treat. Major props to the WWE production team, who found a way to make the feud feel equally concise and epic. Set to the song "Control" by Puddle of Mudd, the video package was pure undiluted 2000s cheesiness.

Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania XXIV

Let's dispense with the obvious joke of this match's stipulation being invalidated in the past 14 years and focus on the package itself. At the tail end of 2007, Vince McMahon hit Ric Flair with a doozy of a stipulation — the next time Flair lost would result in a forced retirement. This led to a siege of opponents looking to retire Flair — including Triple H, Umaga, William Regal, Mr. Kennedy, and even Vince himself. Heading into the subsequent WrestleMania, Flair would face off against a sizable challenge in the form of Shawn Michaels. Flair made it clear that Michaels was the only man he saw as worthy enough to compete with him on the grandest stage.

The video package cuts this all together brilliantly, trimming the fat and putting the focus where it needed to be: Flair and Michaels. It showed off both men's respective careers and their various parallels, making their Mania XXIV matchup all the more fitting. The package would end on a bitter note, with Michaels calling Flair "Old Yeller" and it was time to "put him out of his misery." In terms of pure emotional resonance, this video package was a masterclass in recapping all the intense emotions leading into their encounter.

Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania XXVI

To clarify, Undertaker and Shawn Michaels' WrestleMania XXVI rematch actually had two hype packages, one aired on a preceding episode of "Raw." That package, set to a cover of "Running Up That Hill," is still one of the most chill-inducing videos WWE have ever produced. The premise of the package was fairly simple, a point A to point B recap of Michaels' road to WrestleMania. This included his match with Undertaker from WrestleMania XXV winning a well deserved Slammy Award for match of the year. But this award only served as a painful reminder of, to date, his greatest failure — losing to the Undertaker.

With the Undertaker refusing a rematch, Michaels entered the Royal Rumble to earn his shot, but would sadly fall short. This only increased Michaels' obsession which drove him to the brink of insanity, superkicking various superstars and even innocent officials. As the music ratcheted up its intensity, the package would reach its final major incident with Michaels costing Taker the World Title. This final act of defiance earned Michaels the ire of Taker, causing the latter to finally accept the challenge, but with one condition: Much like Ric Flair in 2008, if Michaels lost this time his career would be over for good. While fans still debate which of the two Taker-Michaels matches was better, this package did a masterful job setting the stage.

John Cena vs CM Punk - Money in the Bank 2011

From his exit from WWE in 2014 to his All Elite reemergence in 2021, Punk has always had a proclivity for turning heads. Punk had been an established and beloved name within WWE for many years but, for many, 2011 was his true arrival. After languishing as the leader of the ill fated Nexus 2.0, Punk would set his sights on John Cena's WWE championship. This would light the fire in Punk to cut his pipe bomb promo on the June 27th, 2011 episode of "Raw." Punk took to the stage and went off on the entire WWE system, including its management and their clear biases. This blistering tirade got Punk kayfabe yanked from television, leaving Cena to talk Vince into reinstating Punk for their match.

The hype package, brilliantly cut to represent the style Punk's pipe bomb, did an effective job of selling the match's importance. Complete with appropriately epic music and chilling audio distortions, the editing thoroughly complements the matchup's lofty stakes: If CM Punk won, not only would he leave WWE with the title, John Cena would be fired. With Punk's words of "Do I have everybody's attention now?" echoing to close out the package, we can say with certainty that, yes, he definitely did.

Bray Wyatt vs John Cena - WrestleMania XXX

WrestleMania XXX really came at a time when the WWE needed to shake things up, and it most certainly did that. One of these shake ups came in the form of Bray Wyatt, who was still making a name for himself on the main roster. The leader of the bayou cult known as The Wyatt Family, Bray quickly established himself as quite the proficient talker. Through a symphony of preacher style ravings and sinister soliloquies, the Eater of Worlds had the WWE universe in the palm of his hands. Following the 2015 Royal Rumble, Wyatt entered into a feud with John Cena.

The hype package opted not to go for the standard horror vibes that Wyatt had become known for, instead implementing a different style. We were treated to a sit down interview with Cena, intercut with lavish b-roll, talking about his still-developing legacy. This was interspersed with Wyatt referring to Cena as a liar, equating him to a thoroughbred racehorse to very haunting effect. Fittingly, the package was set to the song "Legacy" by Eminem, a bizarre choice but most definitely an effective one. It's nearly impossible to not get swept up in the video's eclectic editing, timed in perfect sync to the music. A bizarre style for an undoubtedly bizarre feud, but one that's still remembered fondly almost a decade down the road.

Daniel Bryan vs Triple H - WrestleMania XXX

The road to WrestleMania XXX, while built on the backs of many talents, was heavily predicated on the journey of one man — Daniel Bryan. The American Dragon's rise to prominence within WWE was one of the greatest stories that WWE has ever told, even if by accident. It's borderline comical just how misguided WWE's booking was en route to WrestleMania XXX, with Daniel Bryan's natural momentum being repeatedly stifled. In a classic example of WWE not quite being tuned to their audience's frequency, they had Randy Orton versus Batista penciled in as the main event. This was changed due to the widespread fan support Bryan been receiving, but he had to go through Triple H first.

Condensing all of this on the fly booking mixed with long term elements should have resulted in a hot mess, but it didn't! Set to the song "Monster" by Imagine Dragons, the package showcased Bryan's entire run in WWE from early NXT onwards. It effectively recapped his torment at the hands of Triple H and the Authority, finally calling the King of Kings out for a match on the grandest stage. For any fan who was fully invested at the time, WrestleMania XXX was utterly cathartic and this video package was a big reason why.

Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns - Battleground 2016

In recent years, three names have emerged to help define professional wrestling's modern era — Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Jon Moxley (FKA Dean Ambrose). Three NXT prospects who, after some time in developmental, were molded into the three man faction known as The Shield. From 2012 onward, the Shield ran roughshod over anyone that opposed them, putting on superb matches against the likes of The Rhodes Brothers, The Wyatt Family and Evolution. Things were going swimmingly for the Hounds of Justice until June 2nd, 2014 when Seth Rollins opted to betray his brothers and join the Authority. The Shield's implosion resulted in singles pushes of varying degrees for each man, with all three becoming WWE Champion at various points.

With an epic storyline built on the back of a brotherhood torn asunder, a triple threat main event between the three was only natural booking. Partway through the package, "This is a War" by The Phantoms began to play and only increased as the recap reached its apex. Interspersed with talking heads — including the likes of Triple H and Paul Heyman — the video goes a long way to cementing the Shield as legitimate marquee superstars.

Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa - NXT TakeOver: New Orleans

With the black and gold era of NXT well and truly dead, it's appropriate to remember one of their finest blood feuds. For years Team DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) forged a path as two of WWE's workhorses. Putting on multiple match of the year candidates with The Revival, Team DIY were rich in gold and friendship. However, following two consecutive losses to Authors of Pain, Ciampa saw fit to continue his path without Gargano. He cemented this by brutally beating his best friend within an inch of his life in front of the NXT faithful.

This betrayal is intensified in the video package, which is as simple and effective as it gets. Using only the simplest of cuts and the tensest of musical beds, the package oozes dread from its every frame. This was a video package that definitely knew how to use its minutes efficiently, making Gargano the noblest of babyfaces and Ciampa the most dastardly of heels. While for some the Gargano-Ciampa feud might've gone on a bit too long for its own good, this inaugural outing will always be viewed favorably.

Charlotte Flair vs Ronda Rousey vs Becky Lynch - WrestleMania 35

After gaining traction with her SummerSlam 2018 heel turn and subsequent run as The Man, Becky Lynch was on fire. Her momentum would be hindered ever so slightly by an ill timed injury, which preempted a one-on-one matchup with Ronda Rousey at that year's Survivor Series. By the time WrestleMania season rolled around, the fans wanted nothing more than for The Man to get her frankly well deserved title shot.

However, for whatever reason, WWE creative took things in a needlessly complicated direction, stripping Lynch of her shot and bequeathing it to Charlotte Flair. This resulted in Lynch, Daniel Bryan-style, jumping through hoop after hoop to reclaim her opportunity against Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey. Things would only complicate further with Charlotte dethroning Asuka of her "SmackDown" Women's title to make their triple threat match a winner-take-all affair. Despite this storyline being a mess of disqualifications and police arrests, WWE's video department were still able to work their usual magic. The triple threat's video package makes each woman look like a million bucks, putting over their personalities and prowess to great effect. Spinning straw into gold seems to be a recurring feat for WWE's video department, and this was a prime example of it.

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