This week in WWE history (January 30-February 5): Vince McMahon makes major announcement officially ending the third brand, four stars debut on RAW
WWE has been on fire as of late. Every show they do seems to be setting major records, and the 2023 Royal Rumble was no different in that regard. The company then followed up the big show with three major programs throughout the week.
RAW and SmackDown both featured fallout from the show along with a build toward Elimination Chamber. NXT, on the other hand, built toward NXT Vengeance Day 2023, which was a very memorable and entertaining program.
As is typical, Sportskeeda aims to provide wrestling fans with all of the news on today's biggest shows and superstars while also allowing fans to relive major moments from the past or even experience and learn about them for the very first time.
This week's article will look at a handful of major moments from wrestling's past. This includes Vince McMahon suffering a major injury in an impromptu appearance, the end of a brand but the beginning of something fans love to this day, and four stars shockingly debuting on RAW. What exactly went down?
Below are five key events that happened this week in WWE history.
#5. Vince McMahon was injured when running out to correct a botched finish at the WWE Royal Rumble on January 30th, 2005
On the long list of "I wish Twitter was around this" moments is definitely Vince McMahon tearing both his quads while running to the ring after the 2005 Royal Rumble finish got messed up when Cena and Batista accidentally hit the floor at the same time. https://t.co/7OPLAw1bAE
The WWE Royal Rumble was held on January 30th, 2005. The show took place in Fresno, California, with five matches on the card. This included Triple H vs. Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship and The Undertaker in action.
The 30-Man Royal Rumble Match featured many of the top stars of the era, but it ultimately came down to John Cena and Batista as the final two. In what many fans initially thought was a recreation of the 1994 Royal Rumble Match, both Batista and Cena fell out of the ring and hit the mat at the same time.
Unlike the time with Bret Hart and Lex Luger, however, this was seemingly not meant to happen. Vince McMahon stormed out to ringside to order the bout to restart until a winner could be decided, but he blew out both of his quads, leaving him awkwardly sitting on his butt ordering the bout to begin once again. Batista then won, but both stars headlined WrestleMania.
#4. The first-ever 40-Man Royal Rumble Match took place on January 30th, 2011
The 24th annual WWE Royal Rumble took place on January 30th, 2011. The show was held at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, in front of over 15,000 roaring fans. There was a lot of hype for the show as it featured the first-ever 40-Man Royal Rumble Match.
Alberto Del Rio ultimately won the larger-than-typical bout, earning his place at WrestleMania. He last eliminated Santino Marella, who shockingly almost won the bout to the delight of the audience.
The Rumble featured tons of stars from the era, including Kane, Big Show, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Mark Henry, and John Cena. Two major surprises took place, with Booker T and Diesel appearing not long after previously working with TNA Wrestling.
The two legends only lasted for a combined four minutes or so, but fans still loved to see them both appear.
#3. The Radicalz made their shocking debut on January 31st, 2000
1/31/2000
Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, & Perry Saturn made their WWF debuts on RAW from the Civic Arena in #WWEPittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
#ChrisBenoit #EddieGuerrero #DeanMalenko #PerrySaturn #Radicals #AttitudeEra #MondayNightWar #WWE #WWELegends #WWEHistory https://t.co/2iPnrrRXyV
The January 31st, 2000 edition of RAW is one remembered fondly by many fans, even if it isn't often brought up by World Wrestling Entertainment. The show featured the debuts of four stars last seen in WWE’s rival organization World Championship Wrestling.
Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn, Eddie Guerrero, and Chris Benoit were ringside to start the program. When The New Age Outlaws were defending their WWF Tag Team Titles against Al Snow and Steve Blackman, chaos erupted.
Road Dogg swung at the four invaders, and all four ultimately attacked both Jesse James and Billy Gunn, leading to a DQ finish.
Unfortunately, the epic moment isn't discussed often by WWE due to Chris Benoit's involvement. Still, the moment was memorable for fans and really proved how much the tide had swung in WWE's favor in Monday Night War.
#2. Vince McMahon announced the end of WWE ECW on February 2nd, 2010
February 2nd, 2010, was a major day for pro wrestling fans. It was the end of a WWE brand while also being the official reveal of a new one. The announcement came courtesy of Vince McMahon.
Vince appeared on WWE ECW, a brand launched in 2006 following the success of ECW One Night stand, with an unfortunate announcement. The ECW brand was being discontinued. McMahon then revealed that the brand was being replaced by a show called NXT.
This version of NXT wasn't quite the brand fans have grown to know and love over the past decade, but instead more of a competition show. Still, it introduced many future stars, including Daniel Bryan, Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, and AJ Lee, among others, before moving to Full Sail and becoming a proper developmental.
#1. Halftime Heat returned after around two decades on February 3rd, 2019
On this Day - NXT Halftime Heat 3rd February 2019 https://t.co/U2nu7v6U0K
A very special program took place on February 3rd, 2019. The second-ever Halftime Heat with a fresh, unique match took place. The first Halftime Heat aired in 1999 with Mick Foley vs. The Rock as the headline bout, but the second time around saw the show presented by NXT.
One match on the card was a six-man tag team bout. Aleister Black, Ricochet, and Velveteen Dream took on Adam Cole, Tommaso Ciampa, and Johnny Gargano, and the bout went for about 16 minutes.
Black, Ricochet, and Dream ultimately stood tall at the event, joining Foley as the only stars to win on an episode of Halftime Heat.
There hasn't been an episode of Halftime Heat since the 2019 special, but there's always a chance that the concept could return someday in the future. Wrestling fans would certainly be willing to check out a high-impact fight during NFL's halftime as opposed to musical acts and commercials.