This week in WWE history: John Cena faces adversity, new pay-per-view concept, the greatest match ever? (June 10-June 16)
WWE held their latest big premium live event just yesterday with the 2024 Clash at the Castle: Scotland show. This was a big one, as there was a sold out show at the OVO Hydro and the fans were electric throughout.
Some titles changed hands and some were retained, but above all else, the machine keeps moving. Now all eyes are moving towards the Money in the Bank Premium Live Event next month.
As is common, some fans prefer to experience the past for the first time or to relive some of the best and worst moments from history as opposed to focusing solely on the present. This is where a weekly Sportskeeda article comes in.
This article will take a look at four events from World Wrestling Entertainment's past and some of the biggest matches and moments from each show. This includes a bizarrely billed match, a huge title change, and one of the longest bouts in recent history.
Below are major matches and moments from this week in WWE history:
#4. Rob Van Dam battled John Cena at ECW One Night Stand on June 11th, 2006
The first entry on this week's list is WWE's presentation of ECW One Night Stand II. The event took place on June 11th, 2006 live from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, New York. Over 2,000 fans were in attendance at the smaller venue.
One Night Stand II had seven main card matches, although one was just seconds long. This featured a mixture of WWE stars and classic ECW originals ranging from Kurt Angle and Randy Orton to Sabu and Terry Funk.
The main event of the night saw John Cena defend his world title against Rob Van Dam. The bout was chaotic and featured referees being taken out. In the end, Cena's rival Edge showed up and hit the Spear through a table which led to Rob Van Dam winning the world title for the first time in his career.
#3. WWE held the first-ever King of the Ring pay-per-view on June 13th, 1993
The next entry on this list was another massive pay-per-view, this time from over two decades ago. WWE held the King of the Ring show on June 13th, 1993 live from the Nutter Center in Fairborn, Ohio.
Over 6,500 fans were in attendance in what was the first-ever King of the Ring Pay-Per-View special. The tournament had existed for several years before this, but it was never a one night pay-per-view event prior to 1993.
Bret Hart went on to become the WWE King of the Ring winner. He defeated Razor Ramon in the opener and proceeded to beat Mr. Perfect later. Lastly, the former world champion defeated Bam Bam Bigelow in the main event to become king.
#2. Shawn Michaels and Triple H battled inside Hell in a Cell at Bad Blood on June 13th, 2004
WWE held the Bad Blood Pay-Per-View on June 13th, 2004. 9,000 fans were in attendance at a show held live from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. This was the third edition of the pay-per-view following 1997's In Your House: Badd Blood and 2003's iteration of the show.
This show was notable for a few reasons, although mostly for the main event. Beyond that, though, there were two Chris Benoit bouts, including a World Heavyweight Championship match with Kane. Additionally, Chris Jericho, Trish Stratus, Eugene, and others were in action.
The main event of the night was a classic. Triple H and Shawn Michaels battled it out in a Hell in a Cell Match. Not only that, but they clashed for nearly 48 minutes, which is virtually unheard of. In the end, The Game retained his title, but both men looked strong coming out of the match.
#1. Edge battled Randy Orton in the "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" at Backlash on June 14th, 2020
The final entry on this list is one of the most bizarrely promoted matches in WWE history. The company held Backlash on June 14th, 2020. Due to the ongoing COVID-19-related lockdowns, the show took place at the Performance Center in front of zero fans.
The main event of WWE Backlash 2020 saw Randy Orton go one-on-one with Edge who had just returned to wrestling months prior. They shockingly competed for almost 45 minutes, which as noted earlier from a show near two decades prior, is extremely rare.
The marketing for this bout was particularly baffling, as it was billed as the "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever." This put unrealistic expectations on the match that it could never truly live up to. The billing was certainly unique, however, even if Edge and Orton were put in an unwinnable position.