Superstar suffers horrific injury mid-match, Vince McMahon makes major announcement - This week in WWE history (December 12-December 18)
WWE had another exciting week of programming, with some chaos also taking place off-screen. On Monday night, their RAW program aired featuring two big-time number one contender matches along with the shocking firing of Bobby Lashley, although it was later walked back.
NXT shocked the world with a major title change when Roxanne Perez defeated Mandy Rose for the NXT Women's Championship. Unfortunately, the talented Rose was controversially released by the company the next day. Additionally, a new episode of Friday Night SmackDown has aired revealing a big-time John Cena match is set to take place in two weeks.
While there's been a lot of exciting programming, the holiday season also means many have more free time. Some may check out the current product while others instead prefer to reminisce and take a stroll down memory lane.
This article will take a look at five major matches, moments, and incidents that took place this week in WWE history. Some date back as far as 1997 while another is as recent as 2019. All of this, however, helped shape the product fans see today.
Below are five key events that happened this week in WWE history.
#5. Daniel Puder won the Tough Enough Championship over The Miz at Armageddon on December 14th, 2004
12/12/2004
Daniel Puder defeated The Miz at #Armageddon from the Gwinnet Center in Duluth, Georgia.
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The fourth season of Tough Enough took a different approach than the prior three. The competition was held on SmackDown episodes as opposed to being a unique TV show. The winner was determined shortly after Armageddon on December 14th, 2004.
The final contestants, The Miz and Daniel Puder, had a Dixie Dog Fight on pay-per-view. The multiple rounds of brawl fell out of place on the show, but former MMA fighter Daniel Puder ultimately won. His success led to him being crowned the winner of the season just days later.
While Daniel Puder won the season of Tough Enough, it was The Miz who went on to the greatest success. Puder's time in WWE was short-lived and uninspiring, but he can always claim to have won the competition.
#4. Vince McMahon ushered in the Attitude Era during RAW on December 15th, 1997
In 1997, WWE was getting soundly beaten by World Championship Wrestling in the Monday Night Wars. RAW and WCW Nitro went head-to-head each week, but the Eric Bischoff-led WCW always seemed to end up on top. Thankfully, things began to change thanks to a shift in presentation.
The infamous Montreal Screwjob happened just weeks prior to Monday Night RAW on December 15th, 1997. Vince McMahon was officially the most despised man in pro wrestling and the public figure head of the-then WWF. He used his role to address the audience.
Vince explained that the tropes of wrestling's past were passe. He believed that a new era of storytelling was upon us. This interview was in many ways the birth of the Attitude Era, with McMahon directly telling the audience that the product was set to evolve. You can check out the video above to witness the historic speech for yourself.
#3. The Shield had their debut match at TLC on December 16th, 2012
Fans know that The Shield made their surprise debut at Survivor Series 2012 when they helped CM Punk retain the WWE Championship against Ryback and John Cena. The intimidating trio officially made their in-ring debut for the main roster just weeks later at TLC, which was held on December 16th, 2012.
Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns teamed up to battle Ryback, Kane, and Daniel Bryan. Ryback was seeking revenge for being screwed out of the WWE Championship, and Team Hell No was one of the top pairs in the company.
The bout was chaotic and epic, a theme that continued for matches involving The Shield over the next few years. In the end, Ambrose and Reigns powerbombed Bryan through a table to pick up the win in their debut match. Their destruction would continue for months to come.
#2. Joey Mercury suffered a horrific injury at Armageddon on December 17th, 2006
The WWE Armageddon pay-per-view was held on December 17th, 2006. The event isn't remembered for much, but it did feature one of the most gruesome injuries to ever occur in a WWE ring.
Teddy Long changed a scheduled tag team match into a four-team Tag Team Ladder Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship. William Regal & Dave Taylor battled Brian Kendrick & Paul London, The Hardy Boyz, and MNM. London and Kendrick retained their titles, but there was one spot in the match that stands out.
Matt Hardy set up a traditional ladder seesaw spot, but for whatever reason, it went awry. When Matt caused the ladder to spring up, the metal object smashed Joey Mercury in the face, instantly shattering his nose and orbital bone. Mercury required over 30 stitches due to his injury.
#1. Rhea Ripley won the NXT Championship during WWE NXT on December 18th, 2019
Shayna Baszler is one of the most dominant champions in WWE history. As NXT Champion, The Queen Of Spades turned away challenger after challenger with seemingly nobody able to stand up to her. Enter Rhea Ripley.
The Ripper immediately found success on NXT UK by becoming the NXT UK Women's Champion. After losing the title, she moved to the Stateside version of NXT and instead of being a bully heel, Rhea became a beloved babyface.
On the December 18th, 2019 edition of NXT, she battled the unbeatable champion and ultimately defeated Baszler for the NXT Women's Championship. Shayna's epic reign concluded and Rhea celebrated her win with fans and wrestlers who stormed the ring to cheer her on.