This week in WWE history: Brock Lesnar returns at Money in the Bank, fight between real rivals, and more (May 13-May 19)
Things continue to be interesting in the world of WWE. Backlash France was just a few weeks ago, and fans already have the next Premium Live Event to look forward to in just a handful of days.
The 2024 King and Queen of the Ring show will be held on Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. As the title suggests, the show will crown a new King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring. There will also be a handful of title bouts.
While the Premium Live Event is certainly exciting for most fans, some will prefer to take a look down memory lane instead of living in the moment. Those specific fans are in luck, as Sportskeeda offers a weekly article that takes a look back through time.
This specific article will look at five massive Premium Live Events, or as they may have been called at the time, pay-per-views. Stars featured include Brock Lesnar, Triple H, and Hulk Hogan, among others. What went down this week in the company's illustrious past?
Below are a collection of major matches and moments from this week in WWE history:
#5. Diesel and Sycho Sid clashed at WWE's first ever In Your House event on May 15th, 1995
The first entry on this list was also a first for WWE. The then-WWF held the first-ever In Your House pay-per-view. For those unaware, this was a two-hour version of the standard three-hour event with fewer matches offered at a discounted price. This was an effort to increase the number of pay-per-views per year.
In Your House was held on May 14, 1995. The show took place at the Onondaga County War Memorial in Syracuse, New York. Around 7,000 fans were in attendance for a main card that featured six matches.
The last match on the show saw the then-WWE Champion Diesel defend his title against Sycho Sid. The bout ended in just about 11 minutes when the heel Tatanka attacked the champion. Bam Bam Bigelow then came out for the save. Needless to say, the debut show ending in a disqualification was lackluster for many fans.
#4. Brock Lesnar and The Big Show had a Stretcher Match at Judgment Day on May 18th, 2003
The next entry on this list is WWE Judgment Day. The company held this pay-per-view on May 18, 2003. While the prior entry's show took place in New York, this one was live from the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Around 13,000 fans were in attendance for nine main card matches of varying quality. While the likes of Kevin Nash, Triple H, Eddie Guerrero, and Trish Stratus were on the show, the main event was the most unique spectacle of the entire night.
Brock Lesnar battled Big Show with the WWE Title on the line in a Stretcher Match. Due to the big man's enormous size, however, Brock instead put the giant on a forklift and drove him past the finish line to win the bout. He then left The Big Show dangling in the air from up on the forklift while he celebrated the big victory.
#3. The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan battled it out at Judgment Day on May 19th, 2002
A second Judgment Day event took place this week in WWE history. This one aired on Sunday, May 19, 2002, and was held live from the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Over 14,000 fans were allegedly in attendance for this dual-branded show.
The main event of the night was a relatively short bout. The Undertaker challenged the then-WWE Champion Hollywood Hulk Hogan for the prized title. The Deadman went on to win in just 11 minutes, although at this point, Hogan shouldn't have been in a longer bout anyway.
This match was particularly notable, as Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker were real-life rivals. Hogan had once accused The Deadman of injuring him a decade prior despite The Undertaker clearly being safe. The two never truly repaired their relationship following that issue, although they stayed professional.
#2. Brock Lesnar and Triple H clashed in a Steel Cage Match at Extreme Rules on May 19th, 2013
WWE held their Extreme Rules pay-per-view on May 19, 2013. This was the fifth edition of the yearly event and it aired live across the world. The show was held at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri, with 14,000 fans in attendance.
The gimmick behind Extreme Rules was that most matches had an added stipulation of some kind attached to the bout. WWE had a Steel Cage Match, Last Man Standing Match, Strap Match, and various other gimmicks on this show.
The main event was the aforementioned Steel Cage Match. Brock Lesnar and Triple H clashed for around 20 minutes. The Game was seemingly close to defeating The Beast when Paul Heyman interfered. He ate a Pedigree for his trouble, but it allowed Lesnar to then pick up a win
#1. Brock Lesnar shockingly won Money in the Bank on May 19th, 2019
The final entry on this list is the most modern. WWE held the Money in the Bank Premium Live Event on May 19, 2019. The show took place in front of around 15,000 fans at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
As had become the norm, this show featured both Men's and Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match. The men's bout saw Mustafa Ali, Andrade, Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, Finn Balor, Ricochet, and Randy Orton clash for the briefcase.
In the end, however, none of those men left the victor. To the shock of everybody, Brock Lesnar appeared at the last minute and destroyed Mustafa Ali. He then took the briefcase and became Mr. Money in the Bank after the other men destroyed each other for nearly 19 minutes. This was an absolute shocker.