This week in WWE history: CM Punk leaves fans furious, eight debuts in one night, and more (June 3-June 9)
WWE had another big week. RAW, SmackDown, and NXT all had a lot of buzz and that culminated to the most recent premium live event: NXT Battleground in Nevada. The show was a big one, featuring new signee Ethan Page and TNA's Jordynne Grace.
As if that wasn't exciting enough, next weekend will keep the momentum going. The main roster's next PLE is Clash at the Castle: Scotland and the lineup is absolutely stacked. There's a lot to enjoy right now.
Still, a lot of fans need more than just an exciting modern product. Many in the audience like to re-live or experience past moments for the very first time. Those fans are in luck, however, as Sportskeeda offers a weekly look back at key moments and matches that helped make the company what it is today.
This week's article will take a look at arguably the greatest match in The Great Khali's career, a controversial decision by CM Punk that left fans raging, and beyond. What went down this week in history?
Below are major matches and moments from this week in WWE history:
#4. John Cena battled The Great Khali at One Night Stand on June 3rd, 2007
The first entry this week is WWE One Night Stand. This show, which was a take off of the ECW One Night Stand Pay-Per-Views, aired on June 3rd, 2007. This event took place live from the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
Around 7,000 fans were in attendance for this WWE show that featured Edge and Batista clashing inside of a steel cage, Rob Van Dam and Randy Orton in a Stretcher Match, and beyond. Vince McMahon even wrestled Bobby Lashley.
The main event of the pay-per-view saw John Cena defend his world title against The Great Khali in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. Cena won in around 10 minutes in a bout that many believe was the best of Khali's wrestling career. It wasn't easy, however, as John had to resort to an Attitude Adjustment off of a crane.
#3. The Bar and The Hardyz clashed in a Steel Cage Match at Extreme Rules on June 4th, 2017
The next entry on this list is from the Extreme Rules Premium Live Event held seven years ago. Extreme Rules took place live on June 4th, 2017 and it was presented from the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.
Samoa Joe won a Fatal Five-Way Extreme Rules Match in the main event to earn a title opportunity. Additionally, The Miz dethroned Dean Ambrose and captured the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Over 11,000 fans in attendance also saw an exciting tag team match.
The Hardyz, who had won the RAW Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania, defended their gold against The Bar's Cesaro and Sheamus in a Steel Cage Match. In what was Matt and Jeff Hardy's first loss since returning to the company, The Bar won the bout by escape and became champions.
#2. CM Punk cashed in at Extreme Rules on June 7th, 2009
Another edition of Extreme Rules is on this week's list. This time, a tri-branded Extreme Rules PPV was held on June 7th, 2009. The program was held at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. Around 9,000 fans were in attendance for the show.
The main event of the night was a 20-minute bout between Jeff Hardy and Edge for the WWE Championship. Jeff Hardy won the intense match, but things didn't end there. Mr. Money in the Bank CM Punk cashed in his briefcase on a beat up Jeff Hardy and won the title in a matter of seconds.
Fans were furious. While CM Punk had cashed in the previous year on Edge, much to the delight of the audience, they were upset that he used his briefcase on fan favorite Jeff Hardy. Still, it was a major night in The Straight Edge Superstar's career.
#1. Nexus made their WWE debut on RAW on June 7th, 2010
The final entry on this list is an episode of WWE Monday Night RAW from June 7th, 2010. This was a big show, thanks in no part to how the program ended. It featured the official RAW debut of eight superstars.
John Cena and CM Punk headlined this episode of RAW over a year before their infamous rivalry that led to the Pipebomb promo. Instead of the match ending properly, however, the eight rookies from NXT season 1 appeared towards the concluding moments of the show.
Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryan, Darren Young, Justin Gabriel, Michael Tarver, Skip Sheffield, Heath Slater, and David Otunga appeared and attacked both men and ringside officials. They then tore apart the ringside area. This was the birth of The Nexus, a group dedicated to taking over WWE. For a brief time, they were certainly successful.