This week in WWE history: Ring breaks in scary moment, major change for the company, and more (April 15-April 21)
WWE continues to fire on all cylinders. WrestleMania 40 was just a few weeks ago and it was a massive success. The company had sellout shows left and right prior to the big event and star still maintaining excellent business now.
Right now, there are two major events that the television shows are building towards. There is an upcoming Backlash France Premium Live Event, plus a two-night 2024 Draft special. Needless to say, there's a lot going on.
For fans who still can't get enough, however, you're in luck. On top of covering the big stories that go down in World Wrestling Entertainment every single day, Sportskeeda offers a weekly look back at some of the biggest and most important moments in the company's history.
This week's article will look at a major change in WWE, a scary moment where the ring broke during a main event, a big debut, the return of a nostalgic program, and a show featuring a WrestleMania rematch. A lot went down, but what do you remember?
These are five major matches and moments from this week in WWE history:
#5. Timothy Thatcher made his WWE debut on NXT on April 15th, 2020
WWE held an episode of NXT on April 15th, 2020. The show was held at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, but no fans were in attendance thanks to the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic and a government mandated lockdown.
This led to many changes in WWE. For starters, there were travel complications, which even changed the future of the NXT Tag Team Titles. Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle were the reigning champions, but thanks to being unable to travel, Dunne had to give up his spot.
In his place was the debuting Timothy Thatcher. The excellent submission artist and striker joined Riddle in fighting and defeating Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong of Undisputed Era. In fact, Thatcher won with a Fujiwara Arm Bar.
#4. The Superstars program returns on April 16th, 2009
WWF Superstars of Wrestling, later shortened to just Superstars, was a staple for the company throughout much of the 1980's and 1990's. The show was eventually canceled, but it was brought back in 2009 as WWE Superstars on WGN America.
The debut episode of the new edition of WWE Superstars aired on April 16th, 2009 and it was held at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta Georgia. The big hook of the show was that it would feature stars wrestling from all three brands: RAW, SmackDown, and ECW.
The main selling point of the show was a notable one, as it featured a rare television match from The Undertaker. He battled and defeated Matt Hardy in the opener. Shane McMahon then later battled Cody Rhodes in the main event.
#3. Big Show and Braun Strowman break the ring on RAW on April 17th, 2017
WWE Monday Night RAW was held live from the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio on April 17th, 2017. This big show took place not long after WrestleMania, so the goal was to hook the audience so they'd stick around from week-to-week with important moments.
The main event was incredibly memorable. Braun Strowman, who was in the middle of a big singles push in WWE, took on Big Show. The two giants went toe-to-toe in what was a fun enough contest, but it was the finish people remember most.
The bout ended when Braun Strowman and Big Show were on the ropes. They hit a massive Superplex and the entire ring collapsed. This was just the third time the company had done this big man spot, having previously done it with Big Show in the past. It shocked the audience and it made for an exciting, but very scary moment.
#2. In Your House: Revenge Of The 'Taker took place on April 20th, 1997
The next entry on this list was the 14th edition of In Your House. Titled Revenge of the 'Taker, the show took place on April 20th, 1997 and it was held at Rochester Community War Memorial in Rochester, New York. Around 11,000 fans were in attendance for the event.
While the name of the show was based around The Undertaker, his bout wasn't actually the match WWE had in the main event. Instead, The Deadman defeated Mankind for the WWE Championship in the second-to-last bout.
The main event was a bout between Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Fans typically remember their Survivor Series match and their bout at WrestleMania is iconic, so this one is often overlooked. Austin ultimately won, but only by disqualification when the Hart Foundation and a steel chair came into play.
#1. Backlash, the final WWF pay-per-view, took place on April 21st, 2002
The final entry on this list is Backlash. WWE held the Backlash pay-per-view on April 21st, 2002, and took place live from the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. The pay-per-view included over 12,000 fans in attendance.
This show had some major matches. For example. Hollywood Hulk Hogan battled and defeated Triple H in the main event. The program also featured the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, and Jazz, among others.
The card for Backlash was fine, but the show's claim to fame has nothing to do with what went on during the program. This show is notable as it is the last pay-per-view to use the WWF name. The company changed the name to WWE before the next big event, meaning this was the last-ever WWF PPV.