This week in WWE history: Infamous match erased by the company, iconic WrestleMania bout featuring megastars (March 11-March 17)
WWE is on the Road to WrestleMania XL, and it is making for an exciting time. It has been decades since the Sports Entertainment juggernaut has had so much hype and such big crowds on a regular basis.
The past week's episodes of Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown primarily focused on building up the hype for The Show of Shows. This included promos and segments by the likes of The Rock, Cody Rhodes, and Seth Rollins. Meanwhile, NXT was focused on Stand & Deliver.
However, there is a lot to be said about the matches, moments, and shows that made the Stamford-based promotion what it is today. Some prefer the savory taste of nostalgia as opposed to the modern product.
Those kinds of fans can sit back and read Sportskeeda Wrestling's weekly look back through history. This time around, the weekly article will look at a match erased from history, two megastars colliding, a forgotten premium live event, and more.
Here are five key events that took place this week in WWE history:
#5. The Fastlane Premium Live Event was held on March 11, 2018
The first entry in this week's article is a forgotten premium live event. WWE held Fastlane on March 11, 2018. The show aired live from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Over 15,000 fans were in attendance.
This mostly forgotten show featured a star-studded main event. Some of the greatest WWE Superstars, past and present, clashed in a Six-Pack Challenge. Stars such as John Cena, Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, and AJ Styles competed in this match.
The match lasted for over 20 minutes, but in the end, The Phenomenal One was the victor. This meant he entered the match as champion and left with the title despite the odds not being in his favor. The bout was really fun, and fans should check it out even if the product was not particularly strong at the time.
#4. Triple H and Dean Ambrose clashed at Roadblock on March 12, 2016
Prior to WWE's move to Peacock, the Stamford-based promotion dabbled in special house shows that would air on streaming like premium live events, but without as much build and with far less impressive production behind it. An example of this came on March 12, 2016, when the promotion held the Roadblock event.
Roadblock was held at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Around 9,000 fans were in attendance, which is solid for what was essentially a glorified house show. The main event was notable as well, as Triple H defended the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Dean Ambrose, now known as Jon Moxley.
The bout between Ambrose and The Game lasted for just over 24 minutes, and many people were convinced that The Lunatic Fringe would win the bout. In the end, however, Triple H defeated Ambrose and went on to battle Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.
#3. Legends were celebrated at the WWE Hall of Fame on March 13, 2004
The WWE Hall of Fame was first introduced in 1993 and continued to represent legends for the next several years. After 1996, however, it was discontinued until the concept was revived in 2004.
The WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2004 ceremony was held on March 13 of that year. The gathering took place at the Hilton Midtown in New York. Gene Okerlund was the master of ceremonies for the show, although he would later be inducted himself.
Ten wrestling personalities and one celebrity were inducted that night. This includes Big John Studd, Don Muraco, Greg Valentine, Harley Race, Jesse Ventura, Junkyard Dog, Sgt. Slaughter, Billy Graham, Tito Santana, and Bobby Heenan for those in wrestling. Pete Rose from Major League Baseball was the celebrity inductee, and he is best known to wrestling fans for his run-ins with Kane.
#2. An infamous match took place that is no longer referenced at WrestleMania 20 on March 14, 2004
The 20th annual WrestleMania event took place on March 14, 2004. The show was held at the very same location as the first-ever WrestleMania: Madison Square Garden in New York City. Around 20,000 fans were in attendance.
This epic event was given the tagline "Where It All Begins... Again" and featured an epic Triple Threat Match in the main event. Triple H was competing to defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Shawn Michaels and the late Chris Benoit. In the end, the fan favorite Benoit won the bout and his first world title in WWE.
Benoit and his real-life best friend, Eddie Guerrero, celebrated as world champions to close the show, but that moment has largely been forgotten. Due to the horrific Chris Benoit double-murder suicide in 2007, World Wrestling Entertainment has essentially erased this moment from history. This may never change.
#1. The Rock and Hollywood Hulk Hogan clashed in an Icon vs. Icon match at WrestleMania X8 on March 17, 2002
The final entry on this week's list was another exciting edition of WrestleMania. WWE WrestleMania X8 was the 18th annual show and took place all the way back on March 17, 2002. The show was held at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
68,000 fans were in attendance for the big show, but by far, the most notable and best-remembered match was not even the main event. Instead, the ninth match to air on the main card featured megastars The Rock and Hollywood Hulk Hogan clashing.
This was Hogan's return singles match following the New World Order debuting as a faction the prior month. Despite being a villain, Hogan was cheered massively by the crowd. After 18 minutes, The Hulkster was unable to stop The Rock and lost the match. However, both men shook hands post-match.