This week in WWE history: Megastar walks out of the company, new stable debuts in surprising fashion (June 5-June 11)
WWE continues to be on fire. The company's business is at an all-time high, with their television rights bringing in the bulk of their income, but big merchandise sales, tons of tickets sold, and general product interest helping them reign supreme in the Sports Entertainment landscape.
This week was busy for fans. RAW featured a World Heavyweight Championship match, while SmackDown featured more of The Bloodline saga. Even NXT had a few major moments, including an appearance from Dana Brooke and a massive challenge from Bron Breakker to RAW's Seth Rollins.
For fans who can't get enough of the action, we here at Sportskeeda have you covered. We offer weekly installments that look back at some of the biggest and more interesting moments in the company's 70-year history.
This week will look back at a top star walking out of the company, Vince McMahon "dying" on live television, a major draft move, and more. What went down this week in the company's illustrious history?
Below are five key events that happened this week in WWE history.
#5. John Cena was drafted to Monday Night RAW on June 6th, 2005
John Cena gets drafted to RAW (2005) https://t.co/8NMlufzmyL
WWE RAW took place on June 6th, 2005. The major show was held at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Missouri. While the show featured a lot of intriguing segments and matches, the big hook was centered around the draft.
The WWE Draft was done in a unique manner in 2005. Instead of a Superstar Shakeup or a full draft that fans know today, they spaced out a handful of draft picks from show to show, with just one being announced each week.
The first 2005 draft pick was revealed on an episode of The Highlight Reel with Chris Jericho. The newest RAW star was revealed to be John Cena, the reigning World Champion of the SmackDown brand. His arrival meant that, at least temporarily, RAW had two World Champions, and SmackDown didn't have one at all.
#4. Nexus invades RAW on June 7th, 2010
6/7/2010
The Nexus debuted on RAW from the American Airlines Center in #WWEMiami, Florida.
#WadeBarrett #DavidOtunga #Ryback @Ryback #HeathSlater #JustinGabriel #DarrenYoung #MichaelTarver @MonsterTarver #WeAreOne #TheNexus #Nexus #NXT #WWENXT #WWE #WWESuperstars #WWEHistory https://t.co/dywF0PqxSO
WWE RAW from June 7th, 2010, took place live from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. The red brand was hosted by the cast of the A-Team, and the main event saw CM Punk fight John Cena.
It was during that main event that things were dramatically shaken up. Wade Barrett had won the first season of NXT and was set to debut on the main roster. He showed up during the bout, standing and looking at the ring.
It was then that Daniel Bryan, Skip Sheffield, David Otunga, Michael Tarver, Justin Gabriel, Darren Young, and Heath Slater also showed up.
All eight WWE rookies then decimated the stars in the ring, ringside staff, and the ringside area. They tore apart the ring and made short work of everything in sight. The Nexus had officially invaded, and the state of RAW would be dramatically different in the following months.
#3. Stone Cold Steve Austin walked out of WWE during an episode of RAW on June 10th, 2002
Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time. He's a multi-time world champion who, in the eyes of many, nearly single-handedly led the then-WWF in defeating WCW during the Monday Night War.
Unfortunately, Austin walked out of the company at one point. The Texas Rattlesnake didn't end up performing during the June 10th, 2002 edition of Monday Night RAW, and as he and others put it, he took his ball and went home.
Austin was set to battle a young Brock Lesnar on the RAW telecast without any notable build. The decision didn't sit right with him. Steve also dealt with injury issues and general unhappiness at the time, which contributed to his exit. Thankfully, he eventually patched things up with the company.
#2. ECW One Night Stand II took place on June 11th, 2006
The crowd repeatedly throwing John Cenaโs shirt back at him during ECW One Night Stand was amazing ๐ https://t.co/AzEJ906cil
ECW One Night Stand II was a pay-per-view that took place on June 11th, 2006, at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, New York. This was the second ECW reunion show following the prior year's successful event.
This edition of One Night Stand served as more than just a reunion, however. This event officially kicked off WWE re-launching ECW as a third brand. Beginning just days later, ECW on SyFy would air weekly until 2010.
The main event of One Night Stand featured John Cena defending the WWE Championship against Rob Van Dam. The ECW fans were hostile to Cena and, thanks to interference from Edge, were elated when John lost his coveted title to Mr. Monday Night. Rob went on to be declared as the first-ever ECW Champion of the era.
#1. Mr. McMahon "dies" on RAW on June 11th, 2007
The final entry on this week's list will look at the June 11th, 2007, edition of WWE RAW. The show took place at the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The show was a special draft edition of the red brand, but nobody remembers anything but the final segment of the program.
The event was billed as Vince McMahon's Appreciation Night, and throughout the night, everybody on the roster, including celebrities and Hall of Famers, spoke about Vince. Instead of praising them, however, they verbally tore him apart. This led to one of the most shocking conclusions to Monday Night RAW in history.
Vince walked past most of the roster and headed out, clearly struggling mentally. He then got into his limo, which then promptly exploded. Vince McMahon "died" live on television. The angle was eventually dropped due to the real-life double murder-suicide of Chris Benoit and his family.