This week in WWE history: Huge star returns from Hollywood, gigantic wrestler has last match (July 17-July 23)
WWE has been on fire in recent months. Their business is setting record-highs and fan engagement has been through the roof. Fans are absolutely hooked on top stories involving the likes of The Bloodline and Judgment Day.
Not only are the company's big stories operating at an all-time high, but fans are gravitating towards other stars who aren't even receiving massive pushes. The likes of LA Knight and Alpha Academy are rapidly becoming more popular, which makes the show even more exciting to watch.
Still, fans may choose to re-live past moments instead of focusing on today's action. Given that the company has existed for around 70 years, there's plenty of exciting matches, events, and moments from history for fans to experience. Thankfully, Sportskeeda has you covered with weekly installments looking back at some of the company's most notable moments.
This week's article will look back at some big events in recent history, including two shocking Money in the Bank cash-ins, a dramatic shift in how the company is presented, a big return, and more. What went down this week in history?
Below are five key events that happened this week in WWE history.
#5. Kane won the briefcase and cashed in on the same night at Money in the Bank on July 18th, 2010
2 man 1 woman cash in on the same night after winning the money in the bank ladder match Kane 2010 dean 2016 and Alexa 2018 pic.twitter.com/c3Rt0vPMB6
WWE Money in the Bank took place on July 18th, 2010. The event was held live at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The show was the first-ever Money in the Bank pay-per-view, which spawned from the success of the eponymous Ladder Match.
There were two world titles in WWE at the time, so the event featured two Money in the Bank Ladder Matches. The more notable bout saw Kane defeat Big Show, Christian, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, and Matt Hardy.
Not even an hour later, The Big Red Machine cashed in his briefcase against Rey Mysterio. Rey had just successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Jack Swagger only to lose it to Kane. That remains the fastest cash-in ever.
#4. John Cena made a huge return to oppose Roman Reigns at Money in the Bank on July 18th, 2021
WWE Money in the Bank took place on July 28th, 2021. The show was held live the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. This show was extremely special as it was the first Premium Live Event to operate at full capacity following the pandemic restrictions instituted around 18 months prior. The prior night was the first WWE TV show to do the same.
Money in the Bank 2021 featured six matches on the main card, including two Ladder Matches and Roman Reigns defending his coveted belt againt Edge. What came after was a major surprise, both to the fans and to The Tribal Chief.
John Cena's music surprisingly played and the former multi-time world champion returned for the first time in awhile. He confronted Reigns in the ring, even giving him the "You Can't See Me" gesture to close the show. The two mega stars went on to clash at a future event.
#3. The second-ever brand extension kicked off on SmackDown Live on July 19th, 2016
Vince McMahon and WWE dramatically shook up the wrestling industry in 2002. After World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling shut down in 2001, the company created the first-ever brand extension to replicate the Monday Night Wars.
Over time, however, that began to weaken. The company struggled to follow their own rules and by the time the early 2010's came around, the brand extension was essentially dead. Thankfully, that changed in 2016 when the second-ever brand extension took place.
SmackDown on July 19th, 2016 from Worchester, Massachussetts started the new era. RAW's Mick Foley & Stephanie McMahon and SmackDown's Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon made the draft picks for their respective brans. The show featured Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins clashing over the WWE Championship.
#2. Nikki A.S.H. cashed in her briefcase on the July 19th, 2021 edition of Monday Night RAW
NIKKI A.S.H JUST CASHED IN MONEY IN THE BANK AND IS THE NEW RAW WOMEN'S CHAMPION 🤯
(via @WWE)
pic.twitter.com/aqpr1bgofH
As noted, Money in the Bank 2021 was a big show. In addition to Cena's big return, fans were shocked to see Nikki A.S.H., a reformed and evolved version of Nikki Cross, win the Women's Money in the Bank briefcase. Things then took an even bigger turn shortly thereafter.
WWE RAW aired on July 19th, 2021 from Dallas, Texas. This was the first Monday Night RAW to be held in front of a capacity audience since the start of the pandemic. The main event featured Rhea Ripley clashing with Charlotte Flair.
In the end, Flair got herself disqualified against Rhea, retaining her title in the process. The Ripper reacted in anger, laying Charlotte out. This allowed Nikki A.S.H. to run in and cash in her briefcase, winning the RAW Women's Championship for the first time.
#1. Big Show wrestled his last match with WWE on RAW on July 20th, 2020
WWE Monday Night RAW aired from the Performance Center on July 20th, 2020. While the program aired on that date, the actual day of the taping remains unclear, as much of the company's programming was recorded in advance due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The main event of the evening saw Randy Orton clash with The Big Show in an Unsanctioned Match. Orton was a detested heel at the time, which showed when he not only defeated the big man, but hit him with The Punt post-match.
While the moment was shocking, it was especially important in hindsight. Big Show went on to leave WWE and join All Elite Wrestling. The jump was initially hyped up, but he hasn't done much of note in the company. Still, his last match with his former employer is notable.