Kellie
01-24-2010, 12:34 AM
On this day in history in ....
1942 - Steve Brody defeats Marshall Estep in St. Joseph, Missouri to win that city's version of the World Junior Heavyweight Title.
1948 - Sonny Myers defeats Miguel Guzman in Houston, Texas to win the Texas Heavyweight Title.
1958 - Buddy Rogers defeats Dory Funk, Sr. for the Amarillo NWA North American Heavyweight Title in Amarillo, Texas, ending Funk's third reign.
1961 - Maurice and Paul Vachon defeat Jack Curtis and Ray Villmer in Charlotte, North Carolina, to end Curtis and Villmer's second Mid-Atlantic NWA Southern Tag Team Title reign.
1964 - Alex Perez and Tojo Yamamoto defeat Karl and Skull Von Stroheim for the Mid-America NWA Southern Tag Team Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This ended the Von Stroheims' second reign.
1966 - El Mongol and Gorilla Monsoon defeat Luke Graham and Moondog Lonnie Mayne to win the World Wrestling Association World Tag Team Title in Los Angeles, California.
1968 - Eddie Sullivan defeated Bob Kelly to win the NWA Louisiana Heavyweight Title in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
1969 - Moose Cholak and Johnny Powers defeat Doc and Mike Gallagher for the Buffalo NWA United States Tag Team Title in Cleveland, Ohio.
1970 - Umanosuke Ueda defeats Danny Hodge for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title in Tulsa, Oklahoma, ending Hodge's fourth reign.
1974 - A double World Heavyweight title match in Nagasaki, Japan between NWA Champion Jack Brisco and PWF (AJPW) Champion Giant Baba ends in a draw.
1978 - The WWWF held an event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The results were:
- Dusty Rhodes defeated the Golden Terror.
- Carlos Colon defeated Jack Evans.
- Special Delivery Jones vs. Butcher Vachon ended in a 20-minute time-limit draw.
- Steve Keirn defeated Larry Sharpe.
- Spiros Arion defeated Dominic DeNucci by countout.
- Ken Patera defeated Chief Jay Strongbow by countout.
- Bob Backlund, Tony Garea, Peter Maivia and Larry Zbyszko defeated Mr. Fuji, Baron Mikel Scicluna, Stan Stasiak and Prof. Tanaka in an elimination match.
- Tatsumi Fujinami defeated WWWF Junior Heavyweight Champion Jose Estrada to win the title.
- WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Mil Mascaras to retain the title.
1978 - Black Gordman and Goliath defeat Karl and Kurt Von Steiger in Sacramento, California to win the San Francisco NWA World Tag Team Title, ending the Von Steigers' second reign.
1981 - Steve O defeats Bobby Eaton for the NWA National Television Title, beginning his second reign.
1982 - The WWF held an event at Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. The results:
- Charlie Fulton defeated Manuel Soto.
- Steve Travis defeated Bulldog Brower.
- Rick Martel defeated The Masked Executioner.
- Jose Estrada and Barry Hart fought to a draw.
- Larry Sharpe defeated Jerry Johnson.
- Jesse Ventura defeated Special Delivery Jones.
- Adrian Adonis defeated Tony Garea.
- Tony Atlas defeated Killer Khan by disqualification.
- WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund defeated Greg Valentine to retain the title.
1983 - Kerry Von Erich ends Harley Race's fourth NWA Missouri Heavyweight Title reign in St. Louis, Missouri.
1983 - Dory Funk, Jr. defeats Jack Brisco in Charlotte, North Carolina for the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title, ending Brisco's fifth reign.
1983 - Gran Apolo and Pierre Martel defeat The Mercenaries to win the WWC World Tag Team Title in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
1984 - The WWF held perhaps the most important event in its history, entitled Super Monday, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. 26,292 fans jam-packed the arena, with an additional 4,000 watching downstairs in the Felt Forum. The show featured Hulk Hogan winning the WWF World Title from the Iron Sheik, after which Gorilla Monsoon, on commentary with Pat Patterson, simply proclaimed that "Hulkamania is here." The results were:
- Tony Garea pinned Jose Luis Rivera by reversing a crossbody.
- The Invaders vs. Mr. Fuji and Tiger Chung Lee ended in a 20-minute time-limit draw.
- The Masked Superstar pinned Chief Jay Strongbow after a clothesline.
- Sgt. Slaughter defeated Ivan Putski by countout.
- Paul Orndorff pinned Salvatore Bellomo after a powerslam and piledriver.
- WWF Intercontinental Champion Don Muraco and Tito Santana fought to a double-disqualification, after both men continually ignored the referee's instructions.
- The Haiti Kid and Tiger Jackson defeated Dana Carpenter and Pancho Boy in two straight falls in a two out of three falls match. In the first fall, Jackson pinned Pancho with a sunset flip. Haiti Kid pinned Carpenter to win fall #2.
- Hulk Hogan pinned WWF Champion The Iron Sheik, after a legdrop, to win the title.
- Jimmy Snuka pinned Rene Goulet after a flying bodypress.
- Andre the Giant and WWF Tag Team Champions Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson defeated The Wild Samoans (Afa, Sika and Samula), when Andre pinned Samula after a big boot and sit-down splash.
1984 - Athol Foley and Snake Williams defeat Rick Patterson and Randy Rich to win the Vancouver NWA Canadian Tag Team Title in Cloverdale, British Columbia.
1987 - Hacksaw Jim Duggan, who was heading to the WWF, loses a "Loser Leaves UWF" match to the One Man Gang. As a result, Duggan and Terry Taylor were forced to vacate the UWF World Tag Team Title.
1988 - Mike George defeats Dick Slater in a tournament final in Kansas City, Kansas to become the first World Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion. The World Wrestling Alliance was created when promoter Bob Geigel left the NWA in 1987. The WWA closed that same year. Only one other person would hold the title, Masahiro Chono.
1989 - The WWF held an event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The results:
- Sam Houston (subbing for Rick Martel) pinned Danny Davis after a bulldog. This match aired on the January 30 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.
- Mr. Perfect defeated Brutus Beefcake by countout, when Perfect hit Beefcake with a double axehandle off the apron while Beefcake was distracted by Ron Bass, who was trying to steal Beefcake's scissors. This match aired on the February 13 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.
- Tim Horner pinned Jose Estrada with a reverse roll-up into a bridge. This match aired on the January 30 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.
- Bret Hart and The Honky Tonk Man were both counted out when both began fighting on the floor.
- Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, making their MSG debuts, defeated The Rockers (Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels), when Blanchard pinned Jannetty after Anderson tripped up Jannetty's attempted suplex and held down his leg during the pin.
- Rick Rude pinned Hillbilly Jim after the Rude Awakening. This match aired on the February 13 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.
- Hercules defeated Ted DiBiase by reverse decision. DiBiase originally won by pinning Hercules with his feet on the ropes, but this was reversed when Virgil attacked Hercules after the match.
- Tito Santana pinned Ron Bass with a roll-up after Bass was distracted by Brutus Beefcake. This match aired on the January 30 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.
- The Big Bossman defeated Hulk Hogan by disqualification, after Hogan brought Bossman's nightstick into the ring and shoved referee Dave Hebner after twice hitting the legdrop but not making the cover.
1991 - Galan Mendoza and Rick Valentine defeat Super Medicos I and III in San Juan, Puerto Rico for the WWC Caribbean Tag Team Title, ending the Medicos' second reign.
1991 - The Liverpool Lads (Robbie Brookside and Doc Dean) defeat The Superflys (Ricky Knight and Jimmy Ocean) to win the British Tag Team Title in Bath, England.
1992 - Robin Hood defeats Solar I for the Universal Wrestling Federation Super Middleweight Title in Tokyo, Japan.
1993 - Colonel DeBeers defeats Bart Sawyer in Portland, Oregon for the Championship Wrestling USA Television Title, ending Sawyer's second reign.
1993 - Task Force One (Steve Prince and Vic Powers) defeats The Liverpool Lads (Robbie Brookside and Doc Dean) to win the British Tag Team Title in Norwich, England.
1993 - The Carolina Heartbreaker defeats The Lightning Kid (Sean Waltman) for the Southeastern Wrestling Alliance Light Heavyweight Title in Sylva, North Carolina.
1994 - The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton) defeat Ron and Don Harris for the USWA Tag Team Title in Morristown, Tennessee, ending the Harris' fourth reign.
1995 - The WWF held a live Monday Night RAW at the Manatee Civic Center in Palmetto, Florida. After the live show, the January 30 and February 6 editions of the show were taped. The results were:
- Vince McMahon announced at the start of the show that because of his shoving of Lawrence Taylor the previous night at the Royal Rumble, Bam Bam Bigelow was suspended without pay for 30 days.
- The Smoking Gunns (Billy and Bart) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions The 1-2-3 Kid and Bob Holly, when Billy pinned Holly after the Sidewinder, to win the title.
- Irwin R. Schyster pinned Buck Quartermaine.
- The British Bulldog pinned The Black Phantom after a running powerslam.
1996 - WCW held Clash Of The Champions XXXII live in Las Vegas, Nevada at Caesar's Palace, airing live on TBS. The show featured the return of Miss Elizabeth to wrestling after a three year absence, as she appeared in the corner of Hulk Hogan and ex-husband Randy Savage in the main event. Woman, who was appearing regularly for ECW, also appeared in their corner. The results were:
- In a dark match, Lord Steven Regal defeated Chris Benoit.
- In a dark match, WCW United States Heavyweight Champion One Man Gang defeated Disco Inferno.
- The Public Enemy vs. The Nasty Boys ended in a double disqualification after the Nastys attempted to use a table brought into the ring by Public Enemy.
- Dean Malenko pinned Alex Wright with a double-leg pickup into a roll-over.
- Brian Pillman defeated Eddie Guerrero. During the match, in a memorable moment, Pillman ended up on the floor and grabbed Bobby Heenan by the jacket, startling him, after which Heenan asked him (in not so many words) what he was doing.
- WCW World Tag Team Champions Sting and Lex Luger defeated The Blue Bloods (Lord Steven Regal and Earl Robert Eaton), when Sting made Eaton submit with the Scorpion Deathlock.
- Konnan defeated Psychosis by submission. This was the WCW in-ring debut for both men.
- Ric Flair and The Giant defeated Hulk Hogan and WCW World Heavyweight Champion Randy Savage, when Flair pinned Savage after hitting him with a foreign object given to him by Jimmy Hart.
1998 - Mr. Niebla and Shocker defeat Emilio Charles, Jr. and Dr. Wagner, Jr. for the CMLL World Tag Team Title in Mexico City, Mexico.
1998 - Kaoru Ito and Manami Toyota defeat Hikari Fukuoka and Devil Masami to win the JWP Tag Team Title in Kawasaki, Japan.
1999 - Sean Casey and Brian Taylor defeat Chip Fairway and Cody Hawk for the Heartland Wrestling Association Tag Team Title in Hamilton, Ohio.
2000 - The WWF holds the 13th-annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
Here is Tim Whitehead's original report on the show:
WWF kicked off 2000 with a great PPV show with the Royal Rumble from a sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York. The show opened with two very good matches, but the highlight was the dramatic and often frightening WWF World Title street fight between Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Cactus Jack, one of those rare matches that will always remain emblazoned in people's memory. HHH was slow to get over last year when Vince McMahon decided to give him the big push. Crowds didn't respond all that well to him at first and it appeared that he lacked that intangible "something" even though it was clear he had the skills and the work ethic. A lot of promotions would have given up on him and phased him down under those circumstances but to the WWF's credit they stuck with him and eventually he got over big time and is now legitimately among the top stars in the business, and deservedly so.
The show also had some weak spots. The Miss Rumble 2000 bikini contest was among the most embarrassing things to ever air on PPV, and brought back memories (and not good ones) of Eric Bischoff's Miss nWo pageant a few years ago at the first Souled Out. When Mae Young began wrestling back around the time of World War II, I wonder if she ever dreamed she would end her career this way? The three-way match for the IC Title wasn't all that good, but I'm glad we at least have only one champion now. The tag title match was too short to amount to anything one way or the other.
As for the Rumble itself, it was average and had a totally predictable ending, but not one that disappointed since everyone wanted Rock to win. Crowd heat was intermittent, often cooling but occasionally erupting with huge pops. Commentary was strong from Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler.
TAZZ defeated KURT ANGLE in 3:14. The match was brief but very good and was an excellent way to introduce Tazz into the storyline. I love watching for "I" signs in the crowd. One said, "Irritable Ignorant Idiot". Angle ran down the Knicks and Patrick Ewing. I really like his routine. Tazz emerged as Angle's opponent, who had been billed as "To Be Announced". Angle charged at him and got backdropped high over the ropes for a major bump. Tazz went out after him but Angle suplexed him on the floor. Back in the ring they traded suplexes and Tazz scored a pin after a superplex off the top but the ref voided the count after seeing Angle's boot on the ropes. Angle scored a couple of quick twos but Tazz went crazy with some killer suplexes. The commentators sold the suplexes big. This is one of the big differences between WWF and WCW. In WCW, the announcers would have been discussing Kevin Nash's feud with Sid Vicious while this was going on. Tazz locked on a choke and Angle went limp and was declared out by the ref. JR and Lawler argued over whether the hold was a sleeper or and illegal choke, which will be part of the storyline. Angle sold it big and didn't revive afterward and was given the full EMT routine and stretcher job. Later in the locker room, he was finally revived but still dazed and kept complaining that Tazz used an "illegal choke" so Tazz's win shouldn't be allowed to stand and his undefeated streak should remain intact.
THE HARDY BOYZ beat THE DUDLEYS in a Table Match in 10:17. The rules here were that the first team to put both members of the other team through tables would win. Passing through a table on an offensive move didn't count, which allowed more tables to be broken. The Dudleys put John Rocker over in their pre-match tirade against New York. Buh Buh Ray tried to put Jeff through a table early but Matt lifted the table out of the way and Jeff took a bump on the mat. Matt did a senton onto Buh Buh on the floor. A couple of more table spots were attempted but blocked. Jeff nailed Buh Buh with a brain scrambling chairshot. He then did his run along the rail but was met with a table when he came off. He hit the table but it didn't count as going through it since he was on an offensive move. The Hardys tried to double suplex Buh Buh through a table but D-Von moved it out of the way. They then used a ladder to send Buh Buh out and gave him another sick chairshot before finally putting Buh Buh through a table on the floor as Matt came off the ladder and Jeff came off the top rope and they both put Buh Buh through. The Hardys used a chair on D-Von and tried to put him through some tables but D-Von moved and the Hardys went through the tables instead (since they were on offense this again didn't count). Buh Buh then plastered Matt with a sicko chairshot and put him through a table to even things up. Jeff hit D-Von with a chair and placed him the top table of two stacked below a ledge. He climbed up and was going to dive off and put D-Von through the tables but Buh Buh attacked him on the ledge. Buh Buh ended up falling off the ledge through the tables. The Hardys got another table and laid D-Von out on it and Jeff senton bombed him from the ledge through the table for the win. Really good match, and brutal as hell!
MAE YOUNG won the Miss Rumble 2000 swimsuit competition. Jerry Lawler hosted the segment, with the pageant judges being Sgt. Slaughter, Tony Garea, Fabulous Moolah, Johnny Valiant (remember him?), Freddie Blassie (who got a pop when he came out), and Andy Richter of the Conan O'Brien show. Ivory acted like she didn't want to be involved, but did remove her gown to reveal her bikini. Luna said she didn't like the contest, either, and refused to remove her robe. Since it was see-through it didn't make a whole lot of difference. Jacqueline, Terri, and B.B. all strutted their stuff. Kat, who naturally got the biggest pop, removed her robe and was wrapped in the good places with bubble wrap. Mae Young then arrived as "The Stripper" aired over the PA. She stripped topless. I swear she did. They put a big censored "X" over the screen but a few glimpses were allowed to come through. And she was declared the unanimous winner, I guess for having the boobs that come closest to reaching her knees. Mark Henry ran out and covered her up. A really embarrassing segment.
CHRIS JERICHO defeated CHYNA and HARDCORE HOLLY in a three-way match to become the undisputed IC Champion in 7:28. There were a few good spots here but overall the match didn't click. They traded slaps to the face. Chyna took a bump over and Jericho scored two on Holly with a flying forearm. Jericho hooked the Walls of Jericho on Holly but Chyna broke it up. Jericho hit a crossbody to the floor on Holly. Chyna did her handspring elbow. They did a few spots where they kept breaking up pin attempts. Chyna kicked a chair into Holly's face and it looked pretty weak. Jericho and Chyna cooperated to do a double splash on Holly but then argued over who would score the pin. Chyna hit a low blow on Jericho and a sloppy Pedigree on Holly for a near fall. Jericho crossbodied Chyna off Holly's shoulders. Chyna superplexed Holly and hit him with a chair. She went for a Boston Crab on Holly but Jericho nailed her from behind and pinned her with a moonsault. There was little heat during the match but there was a pop for Jericho going over.
THE ROCK was interviewed and was confident that he would win the Rumble and sarcastically noted that Crash Holly and Headbanger Mosh were two guys who might give him a little trouble but in the end he'd emerge the victor. Rock was way over as always.
THE NEW AGE OUTLAWS beat THE ACOLYTES to retain the WWF World Tag Titles in 2:35. Pretty much the usual stuff in a brief format. Mr. Ass took a spin bump off a Bradshaw lariat. Faarooq nailed Road Dogg with a spinebuster but Ass broke up the pin. The Acolytes double powerbombed Dogg. X-Pac ran in and spin kicked Bradshaw behind the ref's back. Ass pinned Bradshaw with the Famouser.
HUNTER HEARST HELMSLEY defeated CACTUS JACK in a street fight in 26:49 to retain the WWF World Title. They aired a great promo video to build up this match. Stephanie came out with HHH but left, not wanting to stay at ringside due to the expected brutality. Cactus wore his "Wanted Dead" T-shirt. Cactus started off pounding HHH with fists. He gave HHH a neckbreaker on the floor. HHH hit Cactus with the ring bell and a hard chairshot. JR shrewdly brought up last year's Rumble where Mick Foley took all the sick chairshots while handcuffed. Cactus scored a two after legdropping a chair on HHH's face. They fought through the crowd and ended up in the New York street scene set. Mankind used a garbage can on HHH and suplexed him on a wooden pallet. Apparently a sharp protrusion of some sort on the pallet slashed HHH's lower leg just above the top of his boot and he began bleeding from there from a deep cut. They brawled some more around this set before fighting back to the ring. Cactus rammed HHH into the stairs and kneed him in the face. Cactus pulled a board wrapped in barbed wire from under the ring for a big pop. HHH got it from him and used it on Cactus. Cactus low blowed HHH and scored a near fall with a DDT. Referee Earl Hebner tossed the barbed wire board out and Spanish announcer Hugo Savinovich tried to hide it but Cactus slugged him and got it back. Cactus hit HHH square in the face with the barbed wire and JR sold it like crazy. In fact, he sold the rest of the match like crazy. This was actually kind of scary because it looked for a moment like HHH was juicing from the eye. He was in fact juicing from several cuts on his face. Cactus hit HHH with more shots and raked the wire across his face and HHH was spouting a major gusher, in addition to continuing to juice from the leg wound. They went out to the floor and Cactus tried to piledrive HHH on the announcer's desk but HHH blocked it and backdropped Cactus through the desk. In the ring, Cactus blocked a Pedigree and again walloped HHH with the barbed wire board for a near fall. Cactus lariated HHH over the top but once on the floor HHH sent Cactus crashing onto the stairs twice for sick looking bumps. JR was still going nuts. HHH began working over Cactus' knee, which had hit the stairs hard. He got a set of handcuffs from Howard Finkel (no explanation given as to why Fink had them) and cuffed Cactus' hands behind his back like Rock did last year. Cactus fought back and tripped HHH up. He even bit his ear, but HHH eventually recovered and began laying in some sick chairshots, including one straight to the face that left Cactus bleeding from the mouth. He laid in three or four shots (not nearly as many as last year) before Rock ran out and flattened HHH with a chair (legal since this was no-DQ). A cop unlocked Cactus' handcuffs. Cactus piledrived HHH on the Spanish announcers' table. He then pulled out a bag of thumb tacks and dumped them on the mat as JR really freaked out. Stephanie came out and looked very concerned. HHH got back in the ring and Cactus charged him to knock him onto the tacks but HHH ducked and Cactus was backdropped onto the tacks. HHH hit the Pedigree (not on the tacks) but only got two for a major pop. He then Pedigreed Cactus on the tacks and scored the pin with several tacks stuck in Cactus' face. HHH collapsed to the floor afterward, a bloody mess, and was stretchered out as Steph looked worried. Cactus revived, ran after him, rammed his gurney into the ring to dump out on the floor and used the barbed wire board on him again to further bloody him up. A great match, very intense and memorable.
Throughout the show, Jonathan Coachman had been doing promos from the WWF's new theme restaurant on Times Square between matches. On this final one he interviewed Linda McMahon, who had no comment on her daughter Stephanie's turn. Linda should not be given the mic.
THE ROCK won the 30 man ROYAL RUMBLE at the 51:46 mark to earn the WrestleMania World Title shot. Before the start they aired footage of the classic 1995 Rumble finish where Shawn Michaels went over the top rope but only one foot touched the floor so he was not eliminated and went on to win. There were 90 second intervals between entrants but they were actually slightly longer to fill time. D-Lo Brown (#1) came out first, followed by Grand Master Sexay (#2). They fought to no heat until Headbanger Mosh (#3) arrived. Taka Michinoku & Sho Funaki, who were upset that they didn't get a spot in the Rumble, ran in but were quickly tossed out. Christian came in (#4) followed by Rikishi Phatu (#5). Phatu eliminated Mosh, Christian, and D-Lo. Phatu's longevity and effectiveness was one of the stories of the match. Scotty Too Hotty (#6) came in and the two Too Cool members began dancing with Phatu but he turned on them and eliminated both Sexay and Hotty. Steve Blackman came in (#7) but Phatu dumped him over. Viscera (#8) came in but Phatu eliminated him as well after some big man spots. Big Bossman arrived (#9) but stalled on the floor and didn't get in the ring until Test (#10) arrived. British Bulldog (#11) and Gangrel (#12) arrived. Taka & Funaki arrived again and were just as quickly tossed out with Taka taking a killer bump on his head which they kept replaying for the rest of the show. In next were Edge (#13), Bob Backlund (#14), and Chris Jericho (#15). Backlund arrived to the tune of "Hail to the Chief" since he's running for Congress (I know that's the President's theme, but Congress doesn't have one of its own). Everyone joined forces to eliminate Phatu. Backlund was mercifully dumped over pretty quickly. Crash Holly (#16) came in followed by Chyna (#17). Chyna and Jericho got into it and both got eliminated. Faarooq (#18) arrived but the Posse illegally ran in and caused him to be eliminated. Road Dogg came in (#19) and spent the next several minutes hiding in the corner. Al Snow (#20) arrived. Bulldog was eliminated. Val Venis was in next (#21). Funaki ran in alone (Taka was carted out after his bump) but got tossed again. They really showcase their foreign talent here, don't they? Prince Albert (#22) arrived. Edge was tossed out. Hardcore Holly (#23) was in next. Rock, who had been teased by the announcers at nearly every call, finally went in (#24) to a huge pop. He eliminated Bossman and Crash. Mr. Ass (#25) arrived. Big Show was up next (#26) and got a pop. He ousted Test and Gangrel. Bradshaw (#27) arrived but the Posse showed up again and caused him to get dumped out. Kane came in to a decent pop (#28). By the way, Lawler kept changing his prediction about who would win with each entry and elimination of a key player. Venis was eliminated. Godfather (#29) arrived with some major high class Park Avenue hos. The hos got a big pop. Albert was eliminated. Funaki ran in yet again and was dumped. X-Pac (#30) went in as the cherished final entrant. Hardcore, Godfather, and Snow were all eliminated. Dogg came out of hiding to help Ass but since this was every man for himself, Ass eliminated him. Ass was then dumped over as well. Rock tossed X-Pac out for a good bump but the ref didn't see it and he came back in. Kane went after Show but X-Pac kicked Kane from behind and eliminated him. Show then tossed X-Pac out and this time the ref saw it. This left Rock and Show, as might have been expected. Rock laid out Show and hit the People's Elbow. Show recovered and hit a chokeslam on Rock. Show went to throw Rock over but Rock grabbed the ropes and Show's momentum carried him over and he was eliminated. Rock won to a big pop but Show attacked him afterward as the broadcast ended. A standard Rumble, with the most popular star going over to make everyone happy and end a very strong PPV.
2000 - Derek Stone wins his third World League Wrestling Heavyweight Title in Lexington, Missouri, defeating Luminous Warrior.
2001 - The WWF tapes the January 25 edition of SmackDown! and the January 28 Sunday Night Heat at the Mobile Civic Center in Mobile, Alabama. The results:
Sunday Night Heat:
- Billy Gunn pinned Albert after the One and Only.
- Perry Saturn (with Terri) pinned WWF Hardcore Champion Raven in a non-title match after a Death Valley Driver.
- Al Snow pinned Essa Rios after the Snowplow.
- WWF Tag Team Champions The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) defeated Tiger Ali Singh and Lo Down (D'Lo Brown and Chaz) in a handicap match, when D-Von pinned Singh after the 3D.
SmackDown!:
- The Undertaker defeated Rikishi by disqualification when Haku interfered, with Kane making the save after.
- Bradshaw and Jeff Hardy defeated Faarooq and Matt Hardy, when Jeff pinned Faarooq after the Swanton after Matt hit Faarooq with the Twist of Fate.
- Big Show defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho by disqualification, when Chris Benoit interfered. After the match, guest commentator The Rock hit the Big Show with the Intercontinental title belt and gave him the Rock Bottom on the floor.
- Tazz defeated K-Kwik by submission with the Tazzmission.
- WWF European Champion Test pinned Christian after a big boot.
- Crash and Hardcore Holly (with Molly Holly) defeated The Right to Censor (Bull Buchanan and The Goodfather (with Steven Richards and WWF Women's Champion Ivory), when Hardcore pinned Buchanan after Ivory accidentally hit him with her Women's title belt.
- WWF Champion Kurt Angle pinned Kane after Haku and Rikishi interferered. The Undertaker attempted to make the save but was also attacked.
2003 - The WWE Tough Enough III finals airs on MTV from The World in New York City, New York, with John Hennigan and Matt Cappotelli announced as the winners. The other finalists were Eric Markovcy and Jonah Adelman.
2004 - L.A. Park and Shocker defeat Rey Bucanero and Último Guerrero for the CMLL World Tag Team Title in Mexico City, Mexico, ending Bucanero and Guerrero's second reign.
2005 - Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX holds "Ground MAX: Night One" at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan, which featured a six-man tournament for the vacant AWA World Heavyweight Title. The results were:
- Rikiya Fudo defeated Shinsuke Z Yamagasa.
- In a tournament semifinal match, Steve Corino defeated NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Champion Masato Tanaka and Simon Diamond in a three-way match.
- In a tournament semifinal match, NWA United National Heavyweight Champion Takao Omori defeated Kensuke Sasaki and Kohei Sato in a three-way match.
- Yoshihito Sasaki defeated Osamu Namiguchi.
- Shinjiro Otani defeated Ryouji Sai.
- Minoru Fujita, Ikuto Hidaka and Tatsuhito Takaiwa defeated Sonjay Dutt, NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Champion Leonardo Spanky and ZERO1-MAX International Junior Heavyweight Champion Super Crazy.
- In the tournament final, NWA United National Heavyweight Champion Takao Omori defeated Steve Corino to win the vacant AWA World Heavyweight Title.
2005 - Scorpio and Doug Williams defeat Mitsuharu Misawa and Yoshinari Ogawa for the NOAH GHC Tag Team Title in Kobe, Japan, ending Misawa and Ogawa's second reign.
2006 - WWE holds a live RAW and tapes the weekend's edition of WWE.com Heat at Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Charlote, North Carolina, the first WWE event held at the venue. The results:
In a dark match, Deuce and Domino (with Cherry) defeated Brad Allen and Chris Hamrick.
Heat:
- Trevor Murdoch pinned Romeo (with Antonio) after a top-rope bulldog. Before the match, The Heart Throbs brought two women from the crowd (Beth Phoenix and Shelly Martinez, their debuts) in the ring to dance with them before being interrupted by Murdoch's entrance.
- Chavo Guerrero pinned Jason Jones after the frog splash.
- Val Venis and Viscera defeated Snitsky and Tyson Tomko, when Viscera pinned Tomko with a splash.
RAW:
- Kane defeated Carlito.
- Ashley and WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus defeated Candice Michelle and Victoria.
- Shawn Michaels pinned Shelton Benjamin.
- In a Royal Rumble Qualifying match, Jonathan Coachman defeated Jerry Lawler, after the Spirit Squad, making their television debut, entered the arena and started a cheer, distracting Lawler, enabling Coachman to get the pin.
- Big Show defeated Lance Cade, Rob Conway and Gregory Helms in a battle royal. If Cade, Conway or Helms would have won the match, they would have earned a Royal Rumble spot.
2007 - WWE held ECW live and taped the January 26 SmackDown! at the Mobile Civic Center in Mobile, Alabama. The results were:
SmackDown!:
- World Heavyweight Champion Batista pinned WWE Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms with the Batista Bomb.
- WWE United States Champion Chris Benoit defeated The Miz by submission with the Crippler Crossface.
- Deuce 'N Domino (with Cherry) defeated Adam Evans and John Robinson, when Deuce pinned Evans after the Crack 'Em in the Mouth.
- Finlay and King Booker (with Queen Sharmell) fought to a no contest, when both men began fighting on the floor after Booker grabbed Little Bastard as he tried to pull Sharmell under the ring.
- MNM (Joey Mercury, Johnny Nitro and Melina) defeated Ashley and WWE Tag Team Champions Paul London and Brian Kendrick, when Mercury pinned Kendrick after the Snapshot.
- Kane defeated Montel Vontavious Porter by disqualification after MVP repeatedly hit Kane with a steel chair.
- A five-way elimination match between King Booker, Finlay, WWE United States Champion Chris Benoit, Montel Vontavious Porter and The Miz ended in a no contest after The Undertaker came out and cleared the ring.
- In a dark match after the show, World Heavyweight Champion Batista defeated Mr. Kennedy.
ECW:
- Rob Van Dam defeated Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, The Sandman and Kevin Thorn in a battle royal, last eliminating Thorn.
- Marcus Cor Von defeated Wes Adams by submission with an armbar.
- CM Punk pinned Elijah Burke with a roll-over.
- ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley pinned Test with a powerslam.
1942 - Steve Brody defeats Marshall Estep in St. Joseph, Missouri to win that city's version of the World Junior Heavyweight Title.
1948 - Sonny Myers defeats Miguel Guzman in Houston, Texas to win the Texas Heavyweight Title.
1958 - Buddy Rogers defeats Dory Funk, Sr. for the Amarillo NWA North American Heavyweight Title in Amarillo, Texas, ending Funk's third reign.
1961 - Maurice and Paul Vachon defeat Jack Curtis and Ray Villmer in Charlotte, North Carolina, to end Curtis and Villmer's second Mid-Atlantic NWA Southern Tag Team Title reign.
1964 - Alex Perez and Tojo Yamamoto defeat Karl and Skull Von Stroheim for the Mid-America NWA Southern Tag Team Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This ended the Von Stroheims' second reign.
1966 - El Mongol and Gorilla Monsoon defeat Luke Graham and Moondog Lonnie Mayne to win the World Wrestling Association World Tag Team Title in Los Angeles, California.
1968 - Eddie Sullivan defeated Bob Kelly to win the NWA Louisiana Heavyweight Title in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
1969 - Moose Cholak and Johnny Powers defeat Doc and Mike Gallagher for the Buffalo NWA United States Tag Team Title in Cleveland, Ohio.
1970 - Umanosuke Ueda defeats Danny Hodge for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title in Tulsa, Oklahoma, ending Hodge's fourth reign.
1974 - A double World Heavyweight title match in Nagasaki, Japan between NWA Champion Jack Brisco and PWF (AJPW) Champion Giant Baba ends in a draw.
1978 - The WWWF held an event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The results were:
- Dusty Rhodes defeated the Golden Terror.
- Carlos Colon defeated Jack Evans.
- Special Delivery Jones vs. Butcher Vachon ended in a 20-minute time-limit draw.
- Steve Keirn defeated Larry Sharpe.
- Spiros Arion defeated Dominic DeNucci by countout.
- Ken Patera defeated Chief Jay Strongbow by countout.
- Bob Backlund, Tony Garea, Peter Maivia and Larry Zbyszko defeated Mr. Fuji, Baron Mikel Scicluna, Stan Stasiak and Prof. Tanaka in an elimination match.
- Tatsumi Fujinami defeated WWWF Junior Heavyweight Champion Jose Estrada to win the title.
- WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Mil Mascaras to retain the title.
1978 - Black Gordman and Goliath defeat Karl and Kurt Von Steiger in Sacramento, California to win the San Francisco NWA World Tag Team Title, ending the Von Steigers' second reign.
1981 - Steve O defeats Bobby Eaton for the NWA National Television Title, beginning his second reign.
1982 - The WWF held an event at Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. The results:
- Charlie Fulton defeated Manuel Soto.
- Steve Travis defeated Bulldog Brower.
- Rick Martel defeated The Masked Executioner.
- Jose Estrada and Barry Hart fought to a draw.
- Larry Sharpe defeated Jerry Johnson.
- Jesse Ventura defeated Special Delivery Jones.
- Adrian Adonis defeated Tony Garea.
- Tony Atlas defeated Killer Khan by disqualification.
- WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund defeated Greg Valentine to retain the title.
1983 - Kerry Von Erich ends Harley Race's fourth NWA Missouri Heavyweight Title reign in St. Louis, Missouri.
1983 - Dory Funk, Jr. defeats Jack Brisco in Charlotte, North Carolina for the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title, ending Brisco's fifth reign.
1983 - Gran Apolo and Pierre Martel defeat The Mercenaries to win the WWC World Tag Team Title in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
1984 - The WWF held perhaps the most important event in its history, entitled Super Monday, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. 26,292 fans jam-packed the arena, with an additional 4,000 watching downstairs in the Felt Forum. The show featured Hulk Hogan winning the WWF World Title from the Iron Sheik, after which Gorilla Monsoon, on commentary with Pat Patterson, simply proclaimed that "Hulkamania is here." The results were:
- Tony Garea pinned Jose Luis Rivera by reversing a crossbody.
- The Invaders vs. Mr. Fuji and Tiger Chung Lee ended in a 20-minute time-limit draw.
- The Masked Superstar pinned Chief Jay Strongbow after a clothesline.
- Sgt. Slaughter defeated Ivan Putski by countout.
- Paul Orndorff pinned Salvatore Bellomo after a powerslam and piledriver.
- WWF Intercontinental Champion Don Muraco and Tito Santana fought to a double-disqualification, after both men continually ignored the referee's instructions.
- The Haiti Kid and Tiger Jackson defeated Dana Carpenter and Pancho Boy in two straight falls in a two out of three falls match. In the first fall, Jackson pinned Pancho with a sunset flip. Haiti Kid pinned Carpenter to win fall #2.
- Hulk Hogan pinned WWF Champion The Iron Sheik, after a legdrop, to win the title.
- Jimmy Snuka pinned Rene Goulet after a flying bodypress.
- Andre the Giant and WWF Tag Team Champions Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson defeated The Wild Samoans (Afa, Sika and Samula), when Andre pinned Samula after a big boot and sit-down splash.
1984 - Athol Foley and Snake Williams defeat Rick Patterson and Randy Rich to win the Vancouver NWA Canadian Tag Team Title in Cloverdale, British Columbia.
1987 - Hacksaw Jim Duggan, who was heading to the WWF, loses a "Loser Leaves UWF" match to the One Man Gang. As a result, Duggan and Terry Taylor were forced to vacate the UWF World Tag Team Title.
1988 - Mike George defeats Dick Slater in a tournament final in Kansas City, Kansas to become the first World Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion. The World Wrestling Alliance was created when promoter Bob Geigel left the NWA in 1987. The WWA closed that same year. Only one other person would hold the title, Masahiro Chono.
1989 - The WWF held an event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The results:
- Sam Houston (subbing for Rick Martel) pinned Danny Davis after a bulldog. This match aired on the January 30 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.
- Mr. Perfect defeated Brutus Beefcake by countout, when Perfect hit Beefcake with a double axehandle off the apron while Beefcake was distracted by Ron Bass, who was trying to steal Beefcake's scissors. This match aired on the February 13 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.
- Tim Horner pinned Jose Estrada with a reverse roll-up into a bridge. This match aired on the January 30 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.
- Bret Hart and The Honky Tonk Man were both counted out when both began fighting on the floor.
- Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, making their MSG debuts, defeated The Rockers (Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels), when Blanchard pinned Jannetty after Anderson tripped up Jannetty's attempted suplex and held down his leg during the pin.
- Rick Rude pinned Hillbilly Jim after the Rude Awakening. This match aired on the February 13 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.
- Hercules defeated Ted DiBiase by reverse decision. DiBiase originally won by pinning Hercules with his feet on the ropes, but this was reversed when Virgil attacked Hercules after the match.
- Tito Santana pinned Ron Bass with a roll-up after Bass was distracted by Brutus Beefcake. This match aired on the January 30 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.
- The Big Bossman defeated Hulk Hogan by disqualification, after Hogan brought Bossman's nightstick into the ring and shoved referee Dave Hebner after twice hitting the legdrop but not making the cover.
1991 - Galan Mendoza and Rick Valentine defeat Super Medicos I and III in San Juan, Puerto Rico for the WWC Caribbean Tag Team Title, ending the Medicos' second reign.
1991 - The Liverpool Lads (Robbie Brookside and Doc Dean) defeat The Superflys (Ricky Knight and Jimmy Ocean) to win the British Tag Team Title in Bath, England.
1992 - Robin Hood defeats Solar I for the Universal Wrestling Federation Super Middleweight Title in Tokyo, Japan.
1993 - Colonel DeBeers defeats Bart Sawyer in Portland, Oregon for the Championship Wrestling USA Television Title, ending Sawyer's second reign.
1993 - Task Force One (Steve Prince and Vic Powers) defeats The Liverpool Lads (Robbie Brookside and Doc Dean) to win the British Tag Team Title in Norwich, England.
1993 - The Carolina Heartbreaker defeats The Lightning Kid (Sean Waltman) for the Southeastern Wrestling Alliance Light Heavyweight Title in Sylva, North Carolina.
1994 - The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton) defeat Ron and Don Harris for the USWA Tag Team Title in Morristown, Tennessee, ending the Harris' fourth reign.
1995 - The WWF held a live Monday Night RAW at the Manatee Civic Center in Palmetto, Florida. After the live show, the January 30 and February 6 editions of the show were taped. The results were:
- Vince McMahon announced at the start of the show that because of his shoving of Lawrence Taylor the previous night at the Royal Rumble, Bam Bam Bigelow was suspended without pay for 30 days.
- The Smoking Gunns (Billy and Bart) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions The 1-2-3 Kid and Bob Holly, when Billy pinned Holly after the Sidewinder, to win the title.
- Irwin R. Schyster pinned Buck Quartermaine.
- The British Bulldog pinned The Black Phantom after a running powerslam.
1996 - WCW held Clash Of The Champions XXXII live in Las Vegas, Nevada at Caesar's Palace, airing live on TBS. The show featured the return of Miss Elizabeth to wrestling after a three year absence, as she appeared in the corner of Hulk Hogan and ex-husband Randy Savage in the main event. Woman, who was appearing regularly for ECW, also appeared in their corner. The results were:
- In a dark match, Lord Steven Regal defeated Chris Benoit.
- In a dark match, WCW United States Heavyweight Champion One Man Gang defeated Disco Inferno.
- The Public Enemy vs. The Nasty Boys ended in a double disqualification after the Nastys attempted to use a table brought into the ring by Public Enemy.
- Dean Malenko pinned Alex Wright with a double-leg pickup into a roll-over.
- Brian Pillman defeated Eddie Guerrero. During the match, in a memorable moment, Pillman ended up on the floor and grabbed Bobby Heenan by the jacket, startling him, after which Heenan asked him (in not so many words) what he was doing.
- WCW World Tag Team Champions Sting and Lex Luger defeated The Blue Bloods (Lord Steven Regal and Earl Robert Eaton), when Sting made Eaton submit with the Scorpion Deathlock.
- Konnan defeated Psychosis by submission. This was the WCW in-ring debut for both men.
- Ric Flair and The Giant defeated Hulk Hogan and WCW World Heavyweight Champion Randy Savage, when Flair pinned Savage after hitting him with a foreign object given to him by Jimmy Hart.
1998 - Mr. Niebla and Shocker defeat Emilio Charles, Jr. and Dr. Wagner, Jr. for the CMLL World Tag Team Title in Mexico City, Mexico.
1998 - Kaoru Ito and Manami Toyota defeat Hikari Fukuoka and Devil Masami to win the JWP Tag Team Title in Kawasaki, Japan.
1999 - Sean Casey and Brian Taylor defeat Chip Fairway and Cody Hawk for the Heartland Wrestling Association Tag Team Title in Hamilton, Ohio.
2000 - The WWF holds the 13th-annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
Here is Tim Whitehead's original report on the show:
WWF kicked off 2000 with a great PPV show with the Royal Rumble from a sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York. The show opened with two very good matches, but the highlight was the dramatic and often frightening WWF World Title street fight between Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Cactus Jack, one of those rare matches that will always remain emblazoned in people's memory. HHH was slow to get over last year when Vince McMahon decided to give him the big push. Crowds didn't respond all that well to him at first and it appeared that he lacked that intangible "something" even though it was clear he had the skills and the work ethic. A lot of promotions would have given up on him and phased him down under those circumstances but to the WWF's credit they stuck with him and eventually he got over big time and is now legitimately among the top stars in the business, and deservedly so.
The show also had some weak spots. The Miss Rumble 2000 bikini contest was among the most embarrassing things to ever air on PPV, and brought back memories (and not good ones) of Eric Bischoff's Miss nWo pageant a few years ago at the first Souled Out. When Mae Young began wrestling back around the time of World War II, I wonder if she ever dreamed she would end her career this way? The three-way match for the IC Title wasn't all that good, but I'm glad we at least have only one champion now. The tag title match was too short to amount to anything one way or the other.
As for the Rumble itself, it was average and had a totally predictable ending, but not one that disappointed since everyone wanted Rock to win. Crowd heat was intermittent, often cooling but occasionally erupting with huge pops. Commentary was strong from Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler.
TAZZ defeated KURT ANGLE in 3:14. The match was brief but very good and was an excellent way to introduce Tazz into the storyline. I love watching for "I" signs in the crowd. One said, "Irritable Ignorant Idiot". Angle ran down the Knicks and Patrick Ewing. I really like his routine. Tazz emerged as Angle's opponent, who had been billed as "To Be Announced". Angle charged at him and got backdropped high over the ropes for a major bump. Tazz went out after him but Angle suplexed him on the floor. Back in the ring they traded suplexes and Tazz scored a pin after a superplex off the top but the ref voided the count after seeing Angle's boot on the ropes. Angle scored a couple of quick twos but Tazz went crazy with some killer suplexes. The commentators sold the suplexes big. This is one of the big differences between WWF and WCW. In WCW, the announcers would have been discussing Kevin Nash's feud with Sid Vicious while this was going on. Tazz locked on a choke and Angle went limp and was declared out by the ref. JR and Lawler argued over whether the hold was a sleeper or and illegal choke, which will be part of the storyline. Angle sold it big and didn't revive afterward and was given the full EMT routine and stretcher job. Later in the locker room, he was finally revived but still dazed and kept complaining that Tazz used an "illegal choke" so Tazz's win shouldn't be allowed to stand and his undefeated streak should remain intact.
THE HARDY BOYZ beat THE DUDLEYS in a Table Match in 10:17. The rules here were that the first team to put both members of the other team through tables would win. Passing through a table on an offensive move didn't count, which allowed more tables to be broken. The Dudleys put John Rocker over in their pre-match tirade against New York. Buh Buh Ray tried to put Jeff through a table early but Matt lifted the table out of the way and Jeff took a bump on the mat. Matt did a senton onto Buh Buh on the floor. A couple of more table spots were attempted but blocked. Jeff nailed Buh Buh with a brain scrambling chairshot. He then did his run along the rail but was met with a table when he came off. He hit the table but it didn't count as going through it since he was on an offensive move. The Hardys tried to double suplex Buh Buh through a table but D-Von moved it out of the way. They then used a ladder to send Buh Buh out and gave him another sick chairshot before finally putting Buh Buh through a table on the floor as Matt came off the ladder and Jeff came off the top rope and they both put Buh Buh through. The Hardys used a chair on D-Von and tried to put him through some tables but D-Von moved and the Hardys went through the tables instead (since they were on offense this again didn't count). Buh Buh then plastered Matt with a sicko chairshot and put him through a table to even things up. Jeff hit D-Von with a chair and placed him the top table of two stacked below a ledge. He climbed up and was going to dive off and put D-Von through the tables but Buh Buh attacked him on the ledge. Buh Buh ended up falling off the ledge through the tables. The Hardys got another table and laid D-Von out on it and Jeff senton bombed him from the ledge through the table for the win. Really good match, and brutal as hell!
MAE YOUNG won the Miss Rumble 2000 swimsuit competition. Jerry Lawler hosted the segment, with the pageant judges being Sgt. Slaughter, Tony Garea, Fabulous Moolah, Johnny Valiant (remember him?), Freddie Blassie (who got a pop when he came out), and Andy Richter of the Conan O'Brien show. Ivory acted like she didn't want to be involved, but did remove her gown to reveal her bikini. Luna said she didn't like the contest, either, and refused to remove her robe. Since it was see-through it didn't make a whole lot of difference. Jacqueline, Terri, and B.B. all strutted their stuff. Kat, who naturally got the biggest pop, removed her robe and was wrapped in the good places with bubble wrap. Mae Young then arrived as "The Stripper" aired over the PA. She stripped topless. I swear she did. They put a big censored "X" over the screen but a few glimpses were allowed to come through. And she was declared the unanimous winner, I guess for having the boobs that come closest to reaching her knees. Mark Henry ran out and covered her up. A really embarrassing segment.
CHRIS JERICHO defeated CHYNA and HARDCORE HOLLY in a three-way match to become the undisputed IC Champion in 7:28. There were a few good spots here but overall the match didn't click. They traded slaps to the face. Chyna took a bump over and Jericho scored two on Holly with a flying forearm. Jericho hooked the Walls of Jericho on Holly but Chyna broke it up. Jericho hit a crossbody to the floor on Holly. Chyna did her handspring elbow. They did a few spots where they kept breaking up pin attempts. Chyna kicked a chair into Holly's face and it looked pretty weak. Jericho and Chyna cooperated to do a double splash on Holly but then argued over who would score the pin. Chyna hit a low blow on Jericho and a sloppy Pedigree on Holly for a near fall. Jericho crossbodied Chyna off Holly's shoulders. Chyna superplexed Holly and hit him with a chair. She went for a Boston Crab on Holly but Jericho nailed her from behind and pinned her with a moonsault. There was little heat during the match but there was a pop for Jericho going over.
THE ROCK was interviewed and was confident that he would win the Rumble and sarcastically noted that Crash Holly and Headbanger Mosh were two guys who might give him a little trouble but in the end he'd emerge the victor. Rock was way over as always.
THE NEW AGE OUTLAWS beat THE ACOLYTES to retain the WWF World Tag Titles in 2:35. Pretty much the usual stuff in a brief format. Mr. Ass took a spin bump off a Bradshaw lariat. Faarooq nailed Road Dogg with a spinebuster but Ass broke up the pin. The Acolytes double powerbombed Dogg. X-Pac ran in and spin kicked Bradshaw behind the ref's back. Ass pinned Bradshaw with the Famouser.
HUNTER HEARST HELMSLEY defeated CACTUS JACK in a street fight in 26:49 to retain the WWF World Title. They aired a great promo video to build up this match. Stephanie came out with HHH but left, not wanting to stay at ringside due to the expected brutality. Cactus wore his "Wanted Dead" T-shirt. Cactus started off pounding HHH with fists. He gave HHH a neckbreaker on the floor. HHH hit Cactus with the ring bell and a hard chairshot. JR shrewdly brought up last year's Rumble where Mick Foley took all the sick chairshots while handcuffed. Cactus scored a two after legdropping a chair on HHH's face. They fought through the crowd and ended up in the New York street scene set. Mankind used a garbage can on HHH and suplexed him on a wooden pallet. Apparently a sharp protrusion of some sort on the pallet slashed HHH's lower leg just above the top of his boot and he began bleeding from there from a deep cut. They brawled some more around this set before fighting back to the ring. Cactus rammed HHH into the stairs and kneed him in the face. Cactus pulled a board wrapped in barbed wire from under the ring for a big pop. HHH got it from him and used it on Cactus. Cactus low blowed HHH and scored a near fall with a DDT. Referee Earl Hebner tossed the barbed wire board out and Spanish announcer Hugo Savinovich tried to hide it but Cactus slugged him and got it back. Cactus hit HHH square in the face with the barbed wire and JR sold it like crazy. In fact, he sold the rest of the match like crazy. This was actually kind of scary because it looked for a moment like HHH was juicing from the eye. He was in fact juicing from several cuts on his face. Cactus hit HHH with more shots and raked the wire across his face and HHH was spouting a major gusher, in addition to continuing to juice from the leg wound. They went out to the floor and Cactus tried to piledrive HHH on the announcer's desk but HHH blocked it and backdropped Cactus through the desk. In the ring, Cactus blocked a Pedigree and again walloped HHH with the barbed wire board for a near fall. Cactus lariated HHH over the top but once on the floor HHH sent Cactus crashing onto the stairs twice for sick looking bumps. JR was still going nuts. HHH began working over Cactus' knee, which had hit the stairs hard. He got a set of handcuffs from Howard Finkel (no explanation given as to why Fink had them) and cuffed Cactus' hands behind his back like Rock did last year. Cactus fought back and tripped HHH up. He even bit his ear, but HHH eventually recovered and began laying in some sick chairshots, including one straight to the face that left Cactus bleeding from the mouth. He laid in three or four shots (not nearly as many as last year) before Rock ran out and flattened HHH with a chair (legal since this was no-DQ). A cop unlocked Cactus' handcuffs. Cactus piledrived HHH on the Spanish announcers' table. He then pulled out a bag of thumb tacks and dumped them on the mat as JR really freaked out. Stephanie came out and looked very concerned. HHH got back in the ring and Cactus charged him to knock him onto the tacks but HHH ducked and Cactus was backdropped onto the tacks. HHH hit the Pedigree (not on the tacks) but only got two for a major pop. He then Pedigreed Cactus on the tacks and scored the pin with several tacks stuck in Cactus' face. HHH collapsed to the floor afterward, a bloody mess, and was stretchered out as Steph looked worried. Cactus revived, ran after him, rammed his gurney into the ring to dump out on the floor and used the barbed wire board on him again to further bloody him up. A great match, very intense and memorable.
Throughout the show, Jonathan Coachman had been doing promos from the WWF's new theme restaurant on Times Square between matches. On this final one he interviewed Linda McMahon, who had no comment on her daughter Stephanie's turn. Linda should not be given the mic.
THE ROCK won the 30 man ROYAL RUMBLE at the 51:46 mark to earn the WrestleMania World Title shot. Before the start they aired footage of the classic 1995 Rumble finish where Shawn Michaels went over the top rope but only one foot touched the floor so he was not eliminated and went on to win. There were 90 second intervals between entrants but they were actually slightly longer to fill time. D-Lo Brown (#1) came out first, followed by Grand Master Sexay (#2). They fought to no heat until Headbanger Mosh (#3) arrived. Taka Michinoku & Sho Funaki, who were upset that they didn't get a spot in the Rumble, ran in but were quickly tossed out. Christian came in (#4) followed by Rikishi Phatu (#5). Phatu eliminated Mosh, Christian, and D-Lo. Phatu's longevity and effectiveness was one of the stories of the match. Scotty Too Hotty (#6) came in and the two Too Cool members began dancing with Phatu but he turned on them and eliminated both Sexay and Hotty. Steve Blackman came in (#7) but Phatu dumped him over. Viscera (#8) came in but Phatu eliminated him as well after some big man spots. Big Bossman arrived (#9) but stalled on the floor and didn't get in the ring until Test (#10) arrived. British Bulldog (#11) and Gangrel (#12) arrived. Taka & Funaki arrived again and were just as quickly tossed out with Taka taking a killer bump on his head which they kept replaying for the rest of the show. In next were Edge (#13), Bob Backlund (#14), and Chris Jericho (#15). Backlund arrived to the tune of "Hail to the Chief" since he's running for Congress (I know that's the President's theme, but Congress doesn't have one of its own). Everyone joined forces to eliminate Phatu. Backlund was mercifully dumped over pretty quickly. Crash Holly (#16) came in followed by Chyna (#17). Chyna and Jericho got into it and both got eliminated. Faarooq (#18) arrived but the Posse illegally ran in and caused him to be eliminated. Road Dogg came in (#19) and spent the next several minutes hiding in the corner. Al Snow (#20) arrived. Bulldog was eliminated. Val Venis was in next (#21). Funaki ran in alone (Taka was carted out after his bump) but got tossed again. They really showcase their foreign talent here, don't they? Prince Albert (#22) arrived. Edge was tossed out. Hardcore Holly (#23) was in next. Rock, who had been teased by the announcers at nearly every call, finally went in (#24) to a huge pop. He eliminated Bossman and Crash. Mr. Ass (#25) arrived. Big Show was up next (#26) and got a pop. He ousted Test and Gangrel. Bradshaw (#27) arrived but the Posse showed up again and caused him to get dumped out. Kane came in to a decent pop (#28). By the way, Lawler kept changing his prediction about who would win with each entry and elimination of a key player. Venis was eliminated. Godfather (#29) arrived with some major high class Park Avenue hos. The hos got a big pop. Albert was eliminated. Funaki ran in yet again and was dumped. X-Pac (#30) went in as the cherished final entrant. Hardcore, Godfather, and Snow were all eliminated. Dogg came out of hiding to help Ass but since this was every man for himself, Ass eliminated him. Ass was then dumped over as well. Rock tossed X-Pac out for a good bump but the ref didn't see it and he came back in. Kane went after Show but X-Pac kicked Kane from behind and eliminated him. Show then tossed X-Pac out and this time the ref saw it. This left Rock and Show, as might have been expected. Rock laid out Show and hit the People's Elbow. Show recovered and hit a chokeslam on Rock. Show went to throw Rock over but Rock grabbed the ropes and Show's momentum carried him over and he was eliminated. Rock won to a big pop but Show attacked him afterward as the broadcast ended. A standard Rumble, with the most popular star going over to make everyone happy and end a very strong PPV.
2000 - Derek Stone wins his third World League Wrestling Heavyweight Title in Lexington, Missouri, defeating Luminous Warrior.
2001 - The WWF tapes the January 25 edition of SmackDown! and the January 28 Sunday Night Heat at the Mobile Civic Center in Mobile, Alabama. The results:
Sunday Night Heat:
- Billy Gunn pinned Albert after the One and Only.
- Perry Saturn (with Terri) pinned WWF Hardcore Champion Raven in a non-title match after a Death Valley Driver.
- Al Snow pinned Essa Rios after the Snowplow.
- WWF Tag Team Champions The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) defeated Tiger Ali Singh and Lo Down (D'Lo Brown and Chaz) in a handicap match, when D-Von pinned Singh after the 3D.
SmackDown!:
- The Undertaker defeated Rikishi by disqualification when Haku interfered, with Kane making the save after.
- Bradshaw and Jeff Hardy defeated Faarooq and Matt Hardy, when Jeff pinned Faarooq after the Swanton after Matt hit Faarooq with the Twist of Fate.
- Big Show defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho by disqualification, when Chris Benoit interfered. After the match, guest commentator The Rock hit the Big Show with the Intercontinental title belt and gave him the Rock Bottom on the floor.
- Tazz defeated K-Kwik by submission with the Tazzmission.
- WWF European Champion Test pinned Christian after a big boot.
- Crash and Hardcore Holly (with Molly Holly) defeated The Right to Censor (Bull Buchanan and The Goodfather (with Steven Richards and WWF Women's Champion Ivory), when Hardcore pinned Buchanan after Ivory accidentally hit him with her Women's title belt.
- WWF Champion Kurt Angle pinned Kane after Haku and Rikishi interferered. The Undertaker attempted to make the save but was also attacked.
2003 - The WWE Tough Enough III finals airs on MTV from The World in New York City, New York, with John Hennigan and Matt Cappotelli announced as the winners. The other finalists were Eric Markovcy and Jonah Adelman.
2004 - L.A. Park and Shocker defeat Rey Bucanero and Último Guerrero for the CMLL World Tag Team Title in Mexico City, Mexico, ending Bucanero and Guerrero's second reign.
2005 - Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX holds "Ground MAX: Night One" at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan, which featured a six-man tournament for the vacant AWA World Heavyweight Title. The results were:
- Rikiya Fudo defeated Shinsuke Z Yamagasa.
- In a tournament semifinal match, Steve Corino defeated NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Champion Masato Tanaka and Simon Diamond in a three-way match.
- In a tournament semifinal match, NWA United National Heavyweight Champion Takao Omori defeated Kensuke Sasaki and Kohei Sato in a three-way match.
- Yoshihito Sasaki defeated Osamu Namiguchi.
- Shinjiro Otani defeated Ryouji Sai.
- Minoru Fujita, Ikuto Hidaka and Tatsuhito Takaiwa defeated Sonjay Dutt, NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Champion Leonardo Spanky and ZERO1-MAX International Junior Heavyweight Champion Super Crazy.
- In the tournament final, NWA United National Heavyweight Champion Takao Omori defeated Steve Corino to win the vacant AWA World Heavyweight Title.
2005 - Scorpio and Doug Williams defeat Mitsuharu Misawa and Yoshinari Ogawa for the NOAH GHC Tag Team Title in Kobe, Japan, ending Misawa and Ogawa's second reign.
2006 - WWE holds a live RAW and tapes the weekend's edition of WWE.com Heat at Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Charlote, North Carolina, the first WWE event held at the venue. The results:
In a dark match, Deuce and Domino (with Cherry) defeated Brad Allen and Chris Hamrick.
Heat:
- Trevor Murdoch pinned Romeo (with Antonio) after a top-rope bulldog. Before the match, The Heart Throbs brought two women from the crowd (Beth Phoenix and Shelly Martinez, their debuts) in the ring to dance with them before being interrupted by Murdoch's entrance.
- Chavo Guerrero pinned Jason Jones after the frog splash.
- Val Venis and Viscera defeated Snitsky and Tyson Tomko, when Viscera pinned Tomko with a splash.
RAW:
- Kane defeated Carlito.
- Ashley and WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus defeated Candice Michelle and Victoria.
- Shawn Michaels pinned Shelton Benjamin.
- In a Royal Rumble Qualifying match, Jonathan Coachman defeated Jerry Lawler, after the Spirit Squad, making their television debut, entered the arena and started a cheer, distracting Lawler, enabling Coachman to get the pin.
- Big Show defeated Lance Cade, Rob Conway and Gregory Helms in a battle royal. If Cade, Conway or Helms would have won the match, they would have earned a Royal Rumble spot.
2007 - WWE held ECW live and taped the January 26 SmackDown! at the Mobile Civic Center in Mobile, Alabama. The results were:
SmackDown!:
- World Heavyweight Champion Batista pinned WWE Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms with the Batista Bomb.
- WWE United States Champion Chris Benoit defeated The Miz by submission with the Crippler Crossface.
- Deuce 'N Domino (with Cherry) defeated Adam Evans and John Robinson, when Deuce pinned Evans after the Crack 'Em in the Mouth.
- Finlay and King Booker (with Queen Sharmell) fought to a no contest, when both men began fighting on the floor after Booker grabbed Little Bastard as he tried to pull Sharmell under the ring.
- MNM (Joey Mercury, Johnny Nitro and Melina) defeated Ashley and WWE Tag Team Champions Paul London and Brian Kendrick, when Mercury pinned Kendrick after the Snapshot.
- Kane defeated Montel Vontavious Porter by disqualification after MVP repeatedly hit Kane with a steel chair.
- A five-way elimination match between King Booker, Finlay, WWE United States Champion Chris Benoit, Montel Vontavious Porter and The Miz ended in a no contest after The Undertaker came out and cleared the ring.
- In a dark match after the show, World Heavyweight Champion Batista defeated Mr. Kennedy.
ECW:
- Rob Van Dam defeated Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, The Sandman and Kevin Thorn in a battle royal, last eliminating Thorn.
- Marcus Cor Von defeated Wes Adams by submission with an armbar.
- CM Punk pinned Elijah Burke with a roll-over.
- ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley pinned Test with a powerslam.