This week in WWE history: Triple H returns to the ring, top star wrestles themselves? (August 26-September 1)
WWE had a big weekend. The sports entertainment juggernaut held not only one but two premium live events this weekend. Saturday saw Bash in Berlin take place in Germany. Meanwhile, Sunday featured NXT No Mercy in Denver, Colorado.
The Triple H-led promotion has a lot of big events and milestones coming up. SmackDown is moving to the USA Network later this month, NXT is moving to The CW in October, and Monday Night RAW will move to Netflix in January. This is on top of major premium live events and exciting big stories already in progress and in the works.
While there is a lot for fans to be excited about, there is also a long history to look back at for those who enjoy the product. World Wrestling Entertainment is the longest-running major wrestling company in North America and as such they have a massive library.
Major events, big stars, and exciting moments are littered throughout the promotion's past. This article will take a look at four specific major events and moments from those shows that took place this week in company history.
Below are four major matches and moments from this week in WWE history.
#4. Two huge returns happened at SummerSlam on April 26th, 2007
The first entry on this week's list is one of four SummerSlam events to be featured. This edition of the yearly event took place on August 26th, 2007 in front of over 17,000 fans. The show was held at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
While SummerSlam was stacked up and down the card, it is perhaps best known for having two big returns. The first was the return of Rey Mysterio who took on Chavo Guerrero. Mysterio ultimately defeated Chavo in around 12 minutes.
Later on during the same WWE show, Triple H also made his return to action. The Game took on King Booker and defeated the former World Heavyweight Champion in around eight minutes. While neither match set the world on fire, two big names returning helped the product immensely.
#3. Triple H made his WWE pay-per-view debut at SummerSlam on April 27th, 1995
The next WWE SummerSlam entry on this list took place on August 27th, 1995. Summerslam this year was held in front of over 18,000 fans and it aired live from the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
While Triple H returned to action in the previous entry, this edition of SummerSlam saw The Game make his pay-per-view debut in WWE. Of course, he wasn't Triple H, nor was he The Game at this point. Instead, he was known as Hunter Hearst Hemsley.
Hunter was in the second match of a nine-bout card. He took on Bob Holly, who would later be best known as Hardcore Holly, in singles competition. Hemsley managed to defeat Holly in around seven minutes by using the Pedigree.
#2. The first-ever TLC Match was held at SummerSlam on April 27th, 2000
SummerSlam 2000 was a major event in WWE history. Again, over 18,000 fans were in attendance, but this time the show was held on August 27th, at the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.
This show was stacked, but the most remembered and influential match of the night was the first-ever TLC Match. A TLC Match is a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match, which operates like a traditional Ladder Match, except with ladders and chairs also littered around the ringside area.
The three teams involved in the match were The Hardy Boyz, The Dudley Boyz, and Edge & Christian. In around 15 minutes, Edge and Christian were able to retrieve the titles hanging down while on a ladder, thus winning the first-ever TLC Match.
#1. The Undertaker battled The Undertaker at SummerSlam on April 29th, 1994
The final entry on this week's list features one of the more bizarre matches in WWE history, as a top name battled against himself. SummerSlam aired on pay-per-view on August 29th, 1994 live from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Over 23,000 fans were in attendance for this WWE card. While the best bout was undoubtedly Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart in a Steel Cage Match, the main event saw The Undertaker return. The Deadman returned to.. wrestle The Undertaker?
The storyline leading up to the bout saw Ted Dibiase claim he had brought The Undertaker back from the dead. This led to the infamous "Underfaker" debuting, who was future D.O.A. member Brian Lee dressed and acting as The Deadman.
Paul Bearer brought the real Undertaker back and the two men clashed. The bigger, stronger, and authentic Deadman ultimately won, as The Undertaker defeated "The Underfaker" in just about nine minutes.