This week in WWE history: Top star surprisingly set on fire, biggest match ever, and more (April 22-April 28)
WWE WrestleMania season is over, but the 2024 Draft is in motion. The first night of the two-night event took place on Friday, and it saw some shakeups and a few call-ups to the main roster. It is set to continue on Monday Night RAW tonight.
Even after Monday, there is a lot to look forward to. The company's next major Premium Live Event, Backlash France, is set to air on Saturday. As the name suggests, it will be an international Premium Live Event held in Europe.
With so much to look forward to, some fans may want to binge on past wrestling in the meantime to truly get their World Wrestling Entertainment fix. Sportskeeda offers a weekly look back at major matches, events, and incidents from the company's history that could provide fans the inspiration to check it out.
This article will take a look at five major events from the company's history and key matches included in those shows. This includes the first-ever Inferno Match with a star set on fire, The Greatest Royal Rumble Match, which is the biggest Rumble ever, and much more.
Below are five major moments from this week in WWE history:
#5. Mankind fought Big Show in a Boiler Room Brawl at Backlash on April 25, 1999
The first entry on this list is a WWE Premium Live Event from 25 years ago. The company hosted Backlash on April 25, 1999, at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island, in front of around 10,000 fans.
The main event of Backlash saw Stone Cold Steve Austin battle The Rock in a WrestleMania rematch. The WWE Championship was on the line in a No Holds Barred match with Shane McMahon as the special guest referee. In the end, it was Austin who stood tall.
An even more interesting match took place on the undercard. Mankind and The Big Show clashed in a Boiler Room Brawl. As the name would suggest, the two fought inside a boiler room in the arena.
Mankind won, only to be jumped by Test and The Big Boss Man afterwards. In a surprise move, Big Show helped Mankind fend both men off.
#4. Kane and The Undertaker had an Inferno Match at In Your House: Unforgiven on April 26, 1998
The next entry on this list is an In Your House special. WWE In Your House: Unforgiven took place on April 26, 1998. This was right as the pendulum was starting to swing in the-then WWF's favor during the Monday Night RAW. The show was held at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Around 21,000 fans watched seven big-time matches, including Dude Love challenging Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWE Championship. Despite a great feud, their match isn't what is most remembered. Instead, it was the debut of the Inferno Match.
The Undertaker and Kane, two "brothers", battled it out for 16 minutes with the ring surrounded by fire. The finish of the bout saw Kane's arm set ablaze, meaning he was set on fire and ran out before it got worse.
The Undertaker won, but not without having to go to a dark place. Kane and fire had a very bad history, and it was reignited, so to speak, at this show.
#3. Seth Rollins and Randy Orton fought in a Steel Cage at Extreme Rules on April 26, 2015
WWE held a big Premium Live Event on April 26, 2015. This show was Extreme Rules 2015, and it was held at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Around 14,000 fans packed the arena for what was a pretty big show.
Roman Reigns, The Big Show, John Cena, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, and Naomi, among others, were all in action. The main event, though, was the longest proper match, with Seth Rollins clashing with Randy Orton.
The two men clashed for over 21 minutes in a Steel Cage Match with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the line. The RKO was banned, and Kane was the guest gatekeeper, which meant the odds were stacked against Orton. Thanks to those factors and J & J Security interfering, Seth was able to retain.
#2. Goldberg made his in-ring WWE debut at Backlash on April 27, 2003
A massive in-ring debut is the focus of this next entry on the list. WWE held their Backlash event over 20 years ago on April 27, 2003. The first big pay-per-view post-WrestleMania 19 was held at the Worcester Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts, in front of around 10,000 fans.
This show was notable as it featured the in-ring debut of former WCW Champion Goldberg. While Da Man made a name for himself in World Championship Wrestling, he had only just signed with WWE, and this was his pay-per-view match coming out party.
Goldberg went one-on-one with The Rock in what would be The People's Champion's last big match for around a year. The formerly undefeated Goldberg stood tall after about 14 minutes, declaring himself a force to be reckoned with.
#1. The Greatest Royal Rumble was held on April 27, 2018
The final entry on this list is also the most recent. WWE put on The Greatest Royal Rumble Premium Live Event on April 27, 2018. The big show was held at the King Abdullah Sports City's King Abdullah International Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Allegedly, around 60,000 fans were in attendance.
As the name implies, the big hook for this event was a Royal Rumble Match. More specifically, the company put on the biggest ever, a 50-man Royal Rumble Match. Never before had WWE put on such an impressive bout.
The match featured stars from RAW, SmackDown, NXT, and even Legends. In fact, a sumo wrestler even appeared in the bout. In the end, however, Braun Strowman overcame the odds and stood tall, winning The Greatest Royal Rumble Championship.