This week in WWE history: Future Hall of Famer makes memorable debut, The Fiend's first match, and more (August 5-August 11)
Another week means more history is made by WWE. Last weekend was the SummerSlam event, which means now all eyes are on the next PLE: Bash in Berlin. As a result, RAW and SmackDown both started building towards the first-ever Premium Live Event to be held in Germany.
Memorable moments took place across all three brands. For example, Randy Orton shockingly appeared on RAW and challenged Gunther. Meanwhile, Wes Lee crushed fans by turning on his Rascalz brothers. Beyond that, Roman Reigns made his return on SmackDown.
Some fans prefer to look to the past instead of checking out the modern product, however. For those fans, you're in luck, as Sportskeeda offers a weekly look back at how the company became the titan fans know and love today.
This week's list will journey back to 1999 and then all the way up to and including 2019. A stage-breaking incident, an epic debut, and The Fiend's first match will all be highlighted, reminding readers of numerous memorable moments from the promotion's past.
Below are major matches and moments from this week in WWE history.
#4. Chris Jericho made his WWF debut on RAW on August 9th, 1999
The first entry this week will look back at a classic edition of WWE Monday Night RAW. This episode aired on August 9th, 1999, and it took place live from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois, with over 13,000 fans in attendance.
This show was notable, as for weeks prior there had been a countdown clock teasing the "Countdown to the Millennium." During a promo by The Rock, the clock struck zero, and former WCW star Chris Jericho shockingly made his WWE debut.
Given the career Jericho has had, there is little doubt that he's a future Hall of Famer, and his first promo certainly contributed to his epic run. He ran down The Rock and the WWF, only for The People's Champion to turn the tables on him. All in all, the segment was extremely memorable and happens to be one of the best debuts ever.
#3. Rhyno Gored Chris Jericho through the WWE SmackDown set on August 9th, 2001
The next entry on this list comes from WWE SmackDown two years later. The Sports Entertainment juggernaut hosted an episode on August 9th, 2001, although it was taped two days prior. The show was held in Los Angeles, California.
This episode of SmackDown happened in the middle of the infamous Invasion angle. Chris Jericho, who has already been discussed in this article, was one of the stars who benefited most from this storyline. On SmackDown, however, Y2J suffered in a big way.
Jericho battled and defeated Hugh Morrus in quick fashion, but The Alliance's Rhyno appeared after. The two fought up the ramp, and eventually, The Man Beast hit a vicious Gore on Y2J, crashing both men through the SmackDown set. This led to a new set being created, which was a welcome change of scenery.
#2. Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole clashed at NXT TakeOver: Toronto on August 10th, 2019
The WWE NXT brand held its TakeOver: Toronto show five years ago on August 10th, 2019. As the name implies, this show was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. More specifically, the event aired at the Scotiabank Arena in front of over 13,000 fans.
As is the standard for most Triple H-booked cards, the event featured five main show matches. The biggest bout on the show and the main event was a 2 Out of 3 Falls Match with Adam Cole defending the WWE NXT Championship against Johnny Gargano.
The first fall of this 46-minute match was a standard singles contest, while the second was a Street Fight. The final fall, which was necessary as the two went 1-1, was a Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match. In the end, both men came crashing down from the cage though a table, with Cole on top, thus allowing for the leader of The Undisputed Era to stand tall.
#1. The Fiend made his in-ring debut at SummerSlam on August 11th, 2019
The final entry on this week's list is about SummerSlam. WWE held the 32nd annual SummerSlam event on August 11th, 2019, in front of almost 17,000 fans. Just like the previous entry, this show was held at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
While NXT just had five main card matches, SummerSlam had an exhausting nine. One of the most notable matches at the WWE show saw an epic debut, however, as The Fiend character that Bray Wyatt created had his first-ever bout.
The Fiend went one-on-one with Finn Balor, and the match was actually quite short at just three and a half minutes of action. Wyatt's creepy Fiend character stood tall and was quite dominant, but the highlight had to be his epic entrance music and his creepy new lantern.