This week in WWE history: Top commentator quits live on the air, unlikely legends team up (May 1-May 7)
WWE is still on fire. Many expected business to slow down following the road to WrestleMania coming to a close, but the company is still selling out major events, and even house shows on a regular basis.
The company's latest major shows came this weekend, with both Friday Night SmackDown and Backlash taking place live from Puerto Rico with the likes of Bad Bunny, Sami Zayn, Rhea Ripley, Brock Lesnar, Cody Rhodes, and Bianca Belair featured.
For fans who want a little more wrestling in their lives, either to re-live past shows or to learn about things for the very first time, Sportskeeda has you covered with weekly lookbacks at major matches, moments, and events from World Wrestling Entertainment's long and storied history.
This article will look back at two legendary Hall of Famers uniting, a commentator quitting live on air, injuries changing plans in a big way, and a PLE's main event featuring two Samoans named Joe. What went down?
Below are five key events that happened this week in WWE history.
#5. Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan teamed up at Backlash on May 1st, 2005
WWE Backlash took place on May 1st, 2005, at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, in front of around 14,000 fans.
The main event of the show saw Batista and Triple H clash, but perhaps the most interesting bout was a tag team match. WWE Hall of Famers Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels teamed up to battle Muhammad Hassan and Daivari.
The two legends won the bout in about 15 minutes, celebrating and posing alongside the other. They'd be together again in the future, but Shawn Michaels shockingly betrayed the Hulkster, which led to their SummerSlam bout.
#4. Joey Styles quit during a live episode of Monday Night RAW on May 1st, 2006
Joey Styles worked shoot promo when he left #RAW (kayfabe) rang astonishingly true to this very day and still echoes the sentiments of many who prefer professional wrestling over sports entertainment
#TBT #ThursdayMotivation #HistoryFromHome #ECW #wwe #WrestlingCommunity https://t.co/hclxGhGOkH
WWE RAW aired on May 1st, 2006, from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The show featured Kenny of The Spirit Squad battling John Cena, but the best-remembered segment of the evening comes from the commentary team.
Joey Styles replaced Jim Ross several months ago on commentary. Throughout the show, Jerry "The King" Lawler kept needling Joey and even pushed him, which led to Joey shockingly slapping Lawler and walking off on air.
Jerry apologized and asked for Joey to come back. Upon returning, Styles cut a promo verbally tearing down the company's practices, such as not using the word "wrestling," firing Jim Ross, and underutilizing Styles himself. This eventually led to Joey returning as part of the relaunched ECW brand.
#3. The longest-reigning United States Championship reign came to an end on RAW on May 5th, 2014
An episode of Monday Night RAW took place on May 5th, 2014, in Albany, New York. The show featured several intriguing bouts, including The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family in the main event, which led to the return of Evolution.
Before Dean Ambrose, now Jon Moxley, competed in the main event, however, he had to defend the United States Championship in the opening bout. Ambrose was the longest reigning United States Champion in WWE history, but he had a major hurdle on this night.
Ambrose had to defend the title in a 20-Man Battle Royal. The likes of Cody Rhodes, Mark Henry, Ryback, and The Big Show were all involved in the bout, but it was Sheamus who eventually won, thus ending Dean's impressive reign.
#2. Samoa Joe vs. Roman Reigns took place during WWE Backlash on May 6th, 2018
Roman Reigns vs Samoa Joe#WWE BACKLASH@WWE Roman Reigns@SamoaJoe https://t.co/s7gcA6ycAh
The 2018 edition of Backlash took place on May 6, and it was held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, in front of nearly 15,000 fans. The show had eight main card bouts from the RAW and SmackDown brands.
The main event of Backlash 2018 featured the battle of two Samoan Joes. Former NXT Champion Samoa Joe battled Roman Reigns, the real-life Joe Anoa'i. The feud was born out of Joe trashing Reigns for losing to Brock Lesnar.
The two wrestlers battled for 18 minutes, and although Samoa Joe gave The Big Dog a good fight, he couldn't put the WrestleMania headliner down. When it was all said and done, Roman Reigns pinned Samoa Joe after hitting the Spear.
#1. Edge won Mr. Kennedy's Money in the Bank briefcase during RAW on May 7th, 2007
#OnThisDayinWWE 15 years ago on #WWERaw:
Edge defeated Mr Kennedy in just 8 seconds to snatch his Money in the Bank contract
WWE wanted Edge to take the title off the injured Undertaker and Kennedy was also hurt
Kennedy would never reach the same heights in the WWE again https://t.co/6l5pK7YTg2
WWE RAW took place on May 7th, 2007, from the Bryce Jordan Center, Stage College, Pennsylvania. The show featured two big-time bouts, with Randy Orton battling John Cena and Shawn Michaels taking on The Great Khali.
Another bout on the card saw Edge wrestle Mr. Money in the Bank Mr. Kennedy. Shockingly, Edge defeated Kennedy in a matter of seconds and won the briefcase. He then cashed it in on the next episode of WWE SmackDown, defeating The Undertaker to become World Champion.
As it turns out, the swerve was done due to a handful of injuries. The Undertaker was injured, so Mr. Kennedy was seemingly set to cash in and climb to the top of SmackDown, but he also ended up getting injured.
Edge was given the briefcase and the title, which ultimately led to an amazing feud between himself and The Deadman. Kennedy's career never recovered.