May 29th – 2014 – CM Punk admits retirement rumours?

Not a lot happened today in wrestling history if I’m honest, so I was quietly minding my own business looking forward to Payback when I was hit with the news that everyone hoped would never come.

It seems CM Punk has finally admitted the retirement news. According to many online reports Punk was interviewed as part of some charity work he was doing to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of Wrigley Field.

The former WWE Champion was asked what it was like to be retired at 35, and he replied “it feels good” before talking about all the things he can now do because he’s retired.

“I get to do fun stuff like bowl and paint chairs and play wiffle ball with Bill Murray. It was super fun and for a great cause. You’ve got athletes and actresses and musicians and all kinds of people painting chairs. I’m super happy to be a part of it.” said the best in the world.

WWE.com this morning incorrectly advertised CM Punk and AJ Lee for the Smackdown tapings in Texas on July 24th, a correction was quickly made.

Today does mark the 28th Birthday of Hornswoggle and the 35th Birthday of former WWE superstar Brian Kendrick.

May 28th – 1986 – The future of WWE was born

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Technically I should have done this blog three days ago for Roman Reigns birthday as well but deep down I truly believe that Seth has a brighter future than Roman.

Don’t get me wrong, Roman has the breeding and ability I just worry about his mic skills and the fact that he could turn back into another John Cena with his five moves of doom…Think about it, Roman has, The Samoan Drop, The Spear, The Superman Punch, The jumping kick and the leaping clothesline….I worry that this will continue to be his five move arsenal and when Dean and Seth are no longer there to add excitement it could all become a little stale.

Seth on the other hand is a cat…And actual cat, I think someone should check he wasn’t bit by a radioactive cat when he was younger because insanely he always lands on his feet, his promo ability matches Deans, who is the mouthpiece of the group and I think as soon as the group do break up, Roman will be the break out star but Seth will be the one who is around for longest and will turn into our generations RVD. This guy will still be wrestling when he’s 60. Maybe Seth will have his own undefeated Streak at Wrestlemania…He’s already 2-0 🙂

 

May 27th – 2002 – Rob Van Dam becomes a two time Intercontinental Champion

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Rob Van Dam, RVD, his name just oozes wrestling ability and the man is like a myth to the sport. He is just a few years younger than The Undertaker, who has incredible pull for fans around the world.

But Rob provides something different, his legs are second to none, he can do the splits, both ways! And can pull of moves that men half his age wouldn’t dare try.

He is also the only triple crown champion in the history of wrestling, being the only man to hold the WWE, ECW and TNA world titles as well as holding many other championships.

He is currently a five time Intercontinental Champion, but on this day 12 years ago RVD defeated the late great Eddie Guerrero in a ladder match on an episode of Raw to win the belt.

Also on this day…

In 1982 – Former Divas Champion Natalya was born.

May 26th – 2002 – The Hardcore title passes around, again

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Ok, hands up, who wants the Hardcore title 24/7 rule back? I know I do!

Basically, the rule states that the title is on the line all the time, which means if you get pinned, you lose the title. It was great fun, we saw the title change hands four or five times on every episode of Raw. It brought excitement to the WWF/E that it’s missing right now.

Hardcore is a word that can no longer be used to describe WWE, the who attitude era, TLC matches, first blood matches, hardcore matches and Hell in a Cell matches are over. Yes they still happen, I mean there are two pay-per-views dedicated to TLC and Hell in a Cell but they are not the same.

Any hardcore wrestling fan will tell you that the ladder matches and TLC matches between The Hardys and The Dudleys and Edge and Christian will never be resurrected, even though we want the title back, it’s something that WWE will never be able to swing.

On this day twelve years ago, the title changed hands between Steven Richards, Tommy Dreamer and Raven before Richards won it back.

Also on this day…

In 1979 – 2005 Raw diva search winner and playboy cover girl Ashley was born.

May 25th – 2009 – Mr Kennedy makes his last WWE appearance

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The TNA fans amongst us will know MR Kennedy as the guy they see fighting for the title week in week out in the Impact Zone, but for us WWE fans who have been watching the show for a fair few years, we know he is the former WWE superstar who never failed to annoy everyone in the room with his MISTER  KENNEDY ………………KENNEDY. Routine!

But back in 2009, Mr Kennedy had just switched brands in the WWE draft and the WWE universe were excited to see him debut on Raw, which he did on May 25th when he was a part of a ten man tag team main event, and his team won.

Sadly this was the last time Mr Kennedy was seen on WWE TV, a few days later he was released from his WWE contract and after almost a year on the independent circuit, Mr Kennedy called TNA his new home.

Also on this day…

In 1977 – Former World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio was born.

In 1985 – Current powerhouse of The Shield Roman Reigns was born.

In 1990 – Bo Dallas, who made his debut two days ago on Smackdown, was born.

May 24th – 2009 – TNA presents Sacrifice

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TNA present their own pay-per-views, much like WWE except TNA’s are always held in the same place, the impact zone in Orlando Florida. Sacrifice 5 years ago was no different, it saw:

– Eric Young, & Lethal Consequences defeat Sheik Abdul Bashir, The Motor City Machine in a 6-man tag match
– Taylor Wilde defeat Daffne in a Monster’s Ball Match
– TNA X Division Champion Suicide vs. Christopher Daniels ended in a draw. Suicide retained the title.
– Angelina Love defeat Awesome Kong (with Raisha Saeed) to retain the TNA Knockout’s Title.
– Samoa Joe defeat Kevin Nash.
– Beer Money Inc. defeat The British Invasion in the finals of the Team 3D Invitational Tag Team Tournament.
– AJ Styles defeat Booker T in an I Quit Match to retain the TNA Legends Title
– Sting defeat Mick Foley, Kurt Angle, & Jeff Jarrett in a Four Way Ultimate Sacrifice Match. Each man wagered an important aspect of their career on the match; Angle’s leadership of the Main Event Mafia, Sting’s career, Jarrett’s stake in TNA, & Foley’s TNA World Title. Sting defeated Angle to gain control of the Main Event Mafia, & as a result, Foley retained the TNA World Title.

Also on this day…

In 1999 – WWF presented Raw is Owen as a tribute to Owen Hart who tragically passed away the day before.

In 2010 – R-Truth won the vacant United States Title after defeating The Miz.

 

May 23rd – 1999 – Owen Hart passed away

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It is probably one of the best know deaths in WWF, Owen Hart a member of the famous Hart family passed away on live tv 15 years ago.

He was making his way to the ring as his persona Blue Blazer and it seems the harness failed for some unknown reason and he fell almost 80 feet, landing chest first on the top rope, This was during a live broadcast of the Over the Edge Pay per view and so they cut to commercial whilst they rushed him to hospital but it was announced when the event returned that Owen Hart had sadly passed away at the age of 34 from massive internal bleeding.

WWF aired a tribute “Raw is Owen” the following night so the WWF family could pay tribute to the well liked superstar.

Also on this day…

In 2010 – WWE presented the first ever Over the Limit Pay-per-view live from Detroit Michigan and saw:

– Kofi Kingston defeat Drew McIntyre to win the WWE Intercontinental Title.
– R-Truth defeat Ted Dibiase.
– Rey Mysterio defeat CM Punk in an SES Pledge vs Hair Match, forcing Punk to shave his head.
– The Hart Dynasty defeat Chris Jericho & The Miz to retain the WWE Unified Tag Team Titles.
– The Big Show defeat Jack Swagger via DQ.
– Eve Torres defeat Maryse to retain the WWE Divas Title.
– John Cena defeat Batista in an I Quit Match to retain the WWE Title.

 

May 22nd – 2013 – Mickie James wins her final championship

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Mickie James is perhaps one of the most decorated female wrestlers of our generation, she is a five time Women’s Champion, Three time TNA Knockouts champion and one time Divas champion.

She is also the only woman in wrestling history to have held the Women’s, Divas and Knockouts championships and holds a national record of nine titles over both promotions.

But on this day back in 2013 Mickie won her last TNA Knockout’s title after defeating Velvet Sky on an episode of TNA Impact.

Mickie has now left TNA and is concentrating on her music career as well as helping WWE’s developmental divas.

Also on this day…

In 1981 – WWE World heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan was born.

In 2005 – Judgement Day was still a Smackdown-exclusive event and came to us live from Minneapolis Minnesota and saw:

– MNM defeat Hardcore Holly & Charlie Haas to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles.
– Carlito defeat The Big Show.
– Paul London defeat Chavo Guerrero to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Title.
– Booker T defeat Kurt Angle.
– Orlando Jordan defeat Heidenreich to retain the WWE United States Title.
– Rey Mysterio Jr. defeat Eddie Guerrero via DQ.
– John Cena defeat JBL in an I Quit Match to retain the WWE Title.

In 2011 – WWE presented the second annual Over the Limit Pay-per-view live from Seattle Washington, and it saw:

– R-Truth defeat Rey Mysterio.
– Ezekiel Jackson defeat Wade Barrett via DQ.
– Sin Cara defeat Chavo Guerrero.
– The Big Show & Kane defeated The New Nexus to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles.
– Brie Bella defeat Kelly Kelly to retain the WWE Divas Title.
– Randy Orton defeat Christian to retain the World Heavyweight Title.
– Jerry Lawler defeat Michael Cole in a Kiss My Foot Match.
– John Cena defeat The Miz in an I Quit Match to retain the WWE Title.

 

 

May 21st – 2000/2006 – WWF/E presented Judgement Day

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Today in WWE history 14 years ago WWF presented Judgement Day live from Louisville Kentucky and saw:

– Too Cool defeat Team ECK.
– Eddie Guerrero defeat Perry Saturn & Dean Malenko in a Triple Threat Match to retain the WWF European Title.
– Shane McMahon defeat The Big Show in a Falls Count Anywhere Match.
– Chris Benoit defeat Chris Jericho in a Submission Match to retain the WWF Intercontinental Title.
– D-Generation X defeat The Dudley Boyz in a Double Tables Match.
– Triple H defeat The Rock in an Iron Man Match with Shawn Michaels as special guest referee to win the WWF Title.

Six years later WWE presented Smackdown exclusive Judgement Day, one of my favourite versions of the event live from Phoenix Arizona, which saw:

– Paul London & Brian Kendrick defeat MNM to win the WWE Tag Team Titles.
– Chris Benoit defeat Finlay.
– Jillian Hall defeat Melina.
– Gregory Helms defeat Super Crazy to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Title.
– Booker T defeat Bobby Lashley in the final of the King Of The Ring Tournament.
– The Great Khali defeat The Undertaker.
– Rey Mysterio Jr. defeat JBL to retain the World Heavyweight Title.

Also on this day…

In 1964/67 former World Heavyweight Champion Chris Benoit and his wife Nancy were born. They would go on to die on the same day as well as Benoit killed Nancy and his son Daniel whilst on a roid rage in 2007.

May 20th – 2001/2007/2012 – WWE presents Judgement Day and Over the Limit

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It’s that time of the year again, WWE is preparing us for their summer calendar with either Judgement Day and Over the Limit or as we have next weekend in the present day…Payback.

Back in 2001 before when WWE was still WWF they presented Judgement Day live from Sacramento California. Which saw:

– William Regal defeat Rikishi.
– Kurt Angle defeat Chris Benoit in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match to retain his Olympic Gold Medal.
– Rhyno defeat Test & The Big Show in a Triple Threat Match to retain the WWF Hardcore Title.
– Chyna defeat Lita to retain the WWF Women’s Title.
– Kane defeat Triple H in a Chain Match to win the WWF Intercontinental Title.
– Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho won a 7-Team Tag Team Turmoil Match. Also in the match were: Edge & Christian, X-Factor, The Dudley Boyz, The APA, The Hardy Boyz & Dean Malenko & Perry Saturn.
– Steve Austin defeat The Undertaker in a No Holds Barred Match to retain the WWF Title.

Six years later in 2007 WWE was now taking over and presented Judgement Day again live from St Louis, Missouri, which saw:

– Ric Flair defeat Carlito.
– Bobby Lashley defeat Team McMahon (Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, & Umaga) in a Handicap Match.
– CM Punk defeat Elijah Burke.
– Randy Orton defeat Shawn Michaels by knockout.
– The Hardys defeat Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch to retain the World Tag Team Titles.
– Edge defeat Batista to retain the World Heavyweight Title.
– MVP defeat Chris Benoit in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match to win the WWE United States Title.
– John Cena defeat The Great Khali to retain the WWE Title.

And finally WWE presented the last Over the Limit pay-per-view, the event began in 2010 and wasn’t a big hit so WWE ended in here live from Raleigh North Carolina and saw:

– Christian win a 20-man Battle Royal to earn either a IC or US Title Match of his choosing. Also in the match: The Great Khali, The Miz, Ezekiel Jackson, JTG, Drew McIntyre, Michael McGillicutty, Heath Slater, Yoshi Tatsu, Alex Riley, Tyler Reks, Jinder Mahal, Curt Hawkins, William Regal, The Usos, Darren Young, Titus O’Neil, Tyson Kidd, & David Otunga
– Kofi Kingston & R-Truth defeat Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles.
– Layla defeat Beth Phoenix to retain the WWE Diva’s Title.
– Sheamus defeat Alberto Del Rio, Randy Orton, & Chris Jericho in a Fatal 4-Way Match to retain the World Heavyweight Title.
– Brodus Clay defeat The Miz.
– Christian defeat Cody Rhodes to win the WWE Intercontinental Title.
– CM Punk defeat Daniel Bryan to retain the WWE Title.
– Ryback defeat Camacho.
– John Laurinaitis defeat John Cena.

Also on this day….

In 1969 – Former WWE tag team champion Road Dogg was born.

In 2011 – Former WWF Champion Randy Savage passed away following a heart attack.