This week in WWE history : (Dec 27-Jan 2) Mankind becomes WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar Retires
This week's WWE news has been dominated by the buildup to the company's first-ever Day 1 event.
The show could have run a lot smoother since several huge changes were made at the last minute that saw Brock Lesnar moved into the WWE Championship match as his bout with Roman Reigns was canceled.
It's the start of a new year and RAW will have a new Champion at the helm moving forward, which will have major implications on the company's upcoming WrestleMania event.
The week between Christmas and New Year has been a slow news week in the wrestling world over the years, but there were still several interesting events taking place.
#5 Several current and former WWE Superstars celebrate their birthday on December 27th
The “Ninth Wonder of the World” Chyna was born on this day in 1969. Birthday wishes go out to Demolition Ax (Bill Eadie) who turns 74 today, WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg is 55, & the “Swiss Superman” Cesaro is 41. @ChynaJoanLaurer @Goldberg @WWECesaro #HappyBirthday #ProWrestling https://t.co/La9qYWb5or
December 27th has been the date of several RAW and SmackDown shows over the years, but it is also the birthday of current WWE Superstars Cesaro and Goldberg as well as WWE Hall of Famer Chyna.
Former US Champion Cesaro turned 41 earlier this week, whilst WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg is incredibly still considered to be a member of the active roster at the age of 55.
His last match came back at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia when he defeated Bobby Lashley. Goldberg has noted in several recent interviews that he is still contracted to WWE and has one match left on his current deal.
@WWE @WWECesaro Happy Birthday Cesaro! 🎂 https://t.co/SNPiFd02x8
It's unclear if the match will take place at this year's WrestleMania or if Goldberg will be called back for his final match later in the year as part of SummerSlam.
December 27th would have also been the 51st birthday of former WWE Superstar Chyna. The former Women's Champion sadly passed away back in April 2016 but left quite the legacy behind for the women of WWE's current era to step into.
Following her untimely passing, Chyna has been inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame as a member of D-Generation X alongside Triple H, Shawn Michaels, X-Pac, Billy Gunn, and Road Dogg.