Scary health crisis with legend, Vince McMahon's illegitimate son revealed - This week in WWE history (September 5 - September 11)
WWE Clash at the Castle and NXT Worlds Collide featured several major matches and moments that will live in the fans' minds forever. The two big shows took place just last weekend. Professional wrestling moves so quickly that even more memorable and potentially historical events have occurred on RAW, NXT, and SmackDown over the past few days.
With so many big matches and segments occurring in one week, it can be overwhelming to consider how many unforgettable moments have taken place throughout WWE's long history. Thanks to the rise of social media, platforms such as YouTube, and streaming services such as Peacock, fans can reminisce, revisit, and enjoy their favorite moments anytime.
Several vital matches and moments took place this week in WWE history. Tragedy struck a Hall of Famer while RAW was live and on the air. A shocking conclusion to a strange storyline left fans puzzled. Plus, a handful of stars made major jumps to World Wrestling Entertainment.
Below are five key events that happened this week in WWE history:
#5. Asuka was revealed to have signed a contract with WWE on September 7, 2015
On September 7, 2015, WWE.com announced that Kanako Urai (aka Kana) signed with NXT. Fans speculated about her potentially joining the promotion after she appeared in the crowd during NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.
Kana became Asuka once she officially debuted on the former black-and-gold brand. She immediately rose to prominence on NXT and quickly captured the women's championship. After a dominant and undefeated reign as champion, the Japanese icon vacated the title and joined the main roster.
Since then, The Empress of Tomorrow has been a major star on both WWE RAW and SmackDown. She's held the biggest belts on both brands, along with the Women's Tag Team Championship. Despite her incomparable success, there are likely many more major accolades in store for Asuka.
#4. Ric Flair debuted in the WWF during Prime Time Wrestling on September 9, 1991
By 1991, Ric Flair had wrestled for almost twenty years across multiple promotions. The Nature Boy became synonymous with the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, Jim Crockett Promotions, and World Championship Wrestling during this period.
Unfortunately, the legendary star seemingly began to butt heads with WCW's Jim Herd in the early 1990s. The WCW President wanted to change Flair's presentation dramatically and give The Nature Boy a substantial pay cut. Due to their issues, Flair left the promotion while holding the world championship.
On September 9, 1991, Ric Flair appeared on WWF Prime Time Wrestling with Bobby Heenan. Perhaps most notably, he had WCW's World Championship with him and declared himself to be the "Real World's Champion." Flair spent the next year and a half with WWE before returning to WCW, but his time with the promotion was both extremely memorable and successful.
#3. Mr. McMahon's illegitimate son was revealed during RAW on September 10, 2007
September 10th 2007, RAW. It was revealed that Vince McMahon's illegitimate son was Hornswoggle. @wwehornswoggle #WWE http://t.co/20n6tIpKPY
World Wrestling Entertainment had a bizarre storyline in 2007 as the owner and chairman of WWE, Vince McMahon, discovered he had an illegitimate child. The kayfabe child of the boss was revealed on the September 10, 2007, edition of WWE RAW.
Throughout the night, Vince McMahon and Jonathan Coachman appeared frustrated, awaiting an attorney to reveal which superstar on the roster was McMahon's kid. In the show's final segment, the attorney offered several clues to eliminate potential candidates. The final clue was that the mystery son loves to 'play the game.'
Triple H and Vince McMahon both feared that Hunter was the mystery son. However, the attorney revealed the games his mysterious son likes to play, including both hide and seek and marbles. This led to Hornswoggle coming out and being announced as the storyline son of Mr. McMahon. Hunter laughed at the new McMahon family drama as the show ended.
#2. Jerry Lawler had a heart attack during RAW on September 10, 2012
10 years ago today on @WWE RAW from Montreal/Quebec Canada, @RandyOrton and I defeated @CMPunk and @HEELZiggler Then, right after that, I won the match of my life, when I defeated DEATH! After a cardiac arrest, my heart did not beat for 22 minutes! Thank you @DocSampson13 https://t.co/gkQOkbnrbZ
WWE RAW on September 10, 2012, took place in Montreal, Quebec, at the Bell Centre. The night seemed pretty standard, with Jerry The King Lawler on commentary after competing in a tag team match earlier on the show. Unfortunately, the Hall of Famer faced a major health crisis that nobody expected.
While RAW was live on the air, Lawler collapsed at the commentary table. Medical professionals immediately attended to him, and it was later revealed that The King suffered a heart attack while on commentary. Doctors even disclosed that Lawler was clinically dead for nearly 30 minutes.
A blocked artery did not cause the cardiac event, and Lawler soon returned to work. He was also cleared to wrestle, allowing him to compete regularly on the independent circuit over the years.
#1. Becky Lynch became the first-ever SmackDown Women's Championship at Backlash on September 11, 2016
WWE had its second-ever brand extension in 2016 when RAW and SmackDown were allocated their own separate rosters with unique wrestlers, championships, and even authority figures. In the 2016 Draft, Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon drafted the WWE Women's Champion Charlotte Flair to RAW, which left SmackDown without a title for the female superstars.
Then-SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon revealed that the blue brand would have its own title for the female superstars. The first-ever SmackDown Women's Champion was revealed to be crowned at Backlash in a six-pack elimination match.
Backlash took place on September 11, 2016, in Richmond, Virginia. In the opening match of the main card, Becky Lynch defeated Nikki Bella, Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Naomi, and Natalya to become the first-ever SmackDown Women's Champion. The title has since gone on to become arguably the single most prestigious accolade women can achieve in the company.
What is your favorite member from this list of happenings in World Wrestling Entertainment's illustrious history? Give your thoughts in the comments section below.