This week in WWE history (July 25-31) - Iconic superstar passed away, title win, and more
Many WWE fans witnessed history being made at SummerSlam. Returns, major championship matches, and unforgettable moments took place at The Biggest Party Of The Summer.
With that being said, World Wrestling Entertainment has been making history for over six decades. Considering the amount of time WWE has existed, it shouldn't be surprising to learn that history has been made quite often. Luckily, we can take a look back and see what legendary events took place this week in history.
Below are five key events that happened this week in WWE history:
#5. Sasha Banks wins her first main roster championship - WWE RAW July 25th, 2016
In July 2016, Sasha Banks became the first African-American Raw Women's champion. She would go on to win it 3 more times, making her a 4x champion. #BlackHistoryMonth https://t.co/sSfCQvwHhb
In 2016, both WWE and RAW underwent some many major changes. The Women's Revolution on NXT joined the main roster. Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks were two of the superstars spearheading the movement.
Additionally, World Wrestling Entertainment had its second ever brand split. Both Flair and Banks were members of the red brand. Both stars wanted the RAW Women's Championship. Of course, only one of them could hold the gold.
On the July 25th edition of Monday Night RAW, the two had a major singles bout. Charlotte attempted to successfully defend her title but unfortunately for The Queen, The Boss was too savvy. After a hard-fought bout, Sasha hit the Banks Statement and Flair submitted. This was Banks' first RAW Women's Championship.
#4. Jeff Hardy defeated CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship - WWE Night of Champions July 26th, 2009
On this day in wrestling history WWE presents Night Of Champions https://t.co/BoGhhc3DNT
At WWE Night Of Champions 2009, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk defended his title in the main event. His opponent that evening was the legendary Jeff Hardy.
CM Punk gained the championship by cashing in on his Money in the Bank briefcase. Each time Jeff attempted to regain his title, the two were mired in controversy. On July 26th, 2009, there was no controversy and the two had a fantastic one-on-one match that lasted for about fifteen minutes.
The final moments of the bout saw Jeff Hardy hit a Swanton Bomb before his pinfall victory. Hardy reclaimed the world championship, but their feud wasn't quite over yet.
Today, both CM Punk and Jeff Hardy are part of All Elite Wrestling, although neither is currently on television. CM Punk is out with an injured foot while Jeff Hardy is struggling with personal demons and legal trouble.
#3. Generations collide as The Rock battles Ric Flair - WWE RAW July 29th, 2002
The Rock is one of the biggest draws in professional wrestling history. While his time on top of the industry as a full-time superstar was surprisingly short, he made the most of it. Today, he's one of Hollywood's biggest stars.
Meanwhile, Ric Flair has been one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling for decades. From 1970s to 1990s, the Nature Boy was a constant top draw across various territories and promotions. Despite being such major superstars, they were never linked until 2002 when both men were in WWE together.
The Rock was soon to leave for Hollywood full-time and Flair was on the back-end of his career, however, the two had their first and only singles match on the July 29th, 2002 edition of Monday Night RAW. The bout between them was short at only 7 minutes, but two legendary stars of different eras and promotions clashing in their only match together is historic.
#2. Booker T wins his fifth WCW Championship - WWE RAW July 30th, 2001
Monday Night RAW on July 30th, 2001 was memorable for several reasons. The event saw the return of The Rock, who had been away filming a movie. Upon his return, WWF was different from when he left. The Alliance had invaded the promotion.
The Alliance was a combination of World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling stars uniting under Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon. Their goal was to combat and take over WWF. A key figure for The Alliance was former WCW Champion Booker T. On RAW, the talented star challenged Kurt Angle for the WCW Title in a No Disqualification match.
Like so many other matches during this period, the bout was rife with interference. Stars from The Alliance and WWF interfered, which ultimately culminated in a major brawl. As the match was reaching its end, Steve Austin came down and assisted Booker T by hitting a Stone Cold Stunner on Angle. This allowed Booker T to win the match and become a five-time WCW Champion.
#1. Rowdy Roddy Piper passes away - July 31st, 2015
An unfortunate and somber entry will be the last on this list. On July 31st, 2015, the world lost an icon of professional wrestling and entertainment in general when "Rowdy" Roddy Piper passed away.
The Hot Rod was born in 1954 and had his first professional wrestling match in 1969. Over time, he'd develop his Roddy Piper persona and the rest was history. Piper became one of the top territory stars before joining World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a headline attraction for the first ever WrestleMania.
Piper held championship gold almost everywhere he went. He was also a star on television and in movies. The WWE Hall of Famer is one of the most beloved villains in wrestling history and he'll never be forgotten for all of the entertainment he provided fans spanning generations.
Speaking of pro wrestling history, the WWE Network and Peacock contain a wealth of programming spanning decades. Click here to see what new content was added to the platforms this weekend.