This week in WWE history: Stone Cold hit and run explanation revealed, The Shield unites against major threats (October 9-October 15)
WWE's momentum does not seem to be slowing down very much, as another big week has come and passed. RAW, NXT, and SmackDown all had high viewerships compared to recent weeks, with NXT crushing All Elite Wrestling's Dynamite in total viewers.
Beyond that, news recently came out suggesting that Triple H has 99% control over the company's creative direction, which has boosted morale behind the scenes and even for the fans viewing at home. There have even been signs that make those reports appear to be accurate. It is a good time to enjoy the global Sports Entertainment juggernaut.
Still, as exciting as it is to be a wrestling fan today, some prefer the past era. If you are a fan of wrestling's glory days or if you simply prefer to learn about what happened in the past, you are in luck. Sportskeeda offers a weekly article looking back at major events in the company's storied past. What went down this week in history?
Below are five key events that happened this week in WWE history.
#5. Rikishi reveals that he did it for The Rock on RAW on October 9, 2000
WWE Monday Night RAW was held on October 9, 2000. The big show took place at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The big hook of the show saw Mick Foley attempting to find out who hit Stone Cold Steve Austin with their car.
The main event saw Kane and Kurt Angle lose to The Rock and Rikishi in a tag team action. Mick Foley showed up and revealed that he knew who hit Austin. He determined The Rock was not guilty, but instead, it was Rikishi who had not even been re-debuted yet on television.
Rikishi then admitted that he was the one behind it, proclaiming that he did it for The Rock. Not only for his cousin, but the future WWE Hall of Famer did it for all of the "island boys" who were held back. Austin would eventually get his revenge, but the "I did it for The Rock" line is still used as a meme to this very day.
#4. Eddie Guerrero and Batista clashed at WWE No Mercy on October 9, 2005
WWE No Mercy was a pay-per-view that aired live on October 9, 2005. The show was held in front of around 7,000 fans at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. No Mercy was a SmackDown exclusive event.
The main event of the night saw Batista defending his World Heavyweight Championship against Eddie Guerrero. The two Hall of Fame caliber stars battled for over 18 minutes, but in the end, The Animal stood tall.
Unfortunately, the show is a sad footnote in history. This was the last pay-per-view to feature the Latino Heat, as Guerrero passed away the following month. Many fans believed that he was going to dethrone Batista as their rivalry continued, but it was not destined to be as the people thought.
#3. SmackDown presented No Mercy on October 9, 2016
WWE presented a different No Mercy event on the same day years later. No Mercy 2016 was held on October 9, live on pay-per-view, and it streamed online. The event was held at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.
Around 14,000 fans were in attendance for the show that featured the advertised main event going on first. This was allegedly due to the presidential debates. AJ Styles managed to overcome both Dean Ambrose and John Cena in a Triple-Threat Match.
The real main event ended up being Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton, but the standout match of the night saw Dolph Ziggler defeat The Miz to win the Intercontinental Championship in a Title vs. Career Match. The bout was around 20 minutes and it stole the show.
#2. Bayley defeated Charlotte Flair to win gold on the October 11, 2019 edition of SmackDown
After SmackDown on FOX debuted the prior week, the blue brand returned with a new episode on October 11, 2019. The show featured the newly turned heel Bayley battling Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship.
Before Bayley started the match, her entrance was particularly notable. Gone was the ponytail, and instead, she rocked a brand-new look. Not only that, but she popped the Bayley buddies, and her music died. To this day, she never used it again, opting for a new theme song instead.
The new look and attitude were effective, as the character change led to her defeating Flair and winning the SmackDown Women's Championship. She went on to hold the title for a long time, forging a legacy that few women in the company's history can match.
#1. The Shield teamed up on RAW on October 15, 2018
Lastly, WWE held an episode of RAW on October 15, 2018. The show was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and featured drama within The Shield, a legendary faction that had recently re-formed despite having issues in the past.
The trio of Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler, and Drew McIntyre were forming a new group on the red brand. They were bullies in WWE and took pleasure in making the issues within The Shield even worse. However, a rematch was necessary.
After The Shield wasn't on the same page last week, the dominant stable made things work on this edition of RAW. After a competitive main event, the trio hit the Triple Powerbomb and pinned Dolph Ziggler for the win. They then left together, finally united.
Drop your reactions to the past events that took place in WWE in the comments section below!