My Lucha Libre Life

2000-2009

2000
January 3: Three WWF legends appear on Monday Nitro to assist WCW Commissioner Terry Funk in his war against NWO 2000—and all three hand Jeff Jarrett humiliating losses. George “The Animal” Steele beats Jarrett in 1:10 with help from Arn Anderson. Tito Santana pins Jarrett in a dungeon match, thanks to an assist from a Paul Orndorff piledriver. Jimmy Snuka delivers a spectacular Superfly leap from the top of a steel cage to defeat Jarrett. Chris Benoit, special referee for each match, lends plenty of assistance to the old-timers.

January 7: Nicole Bass’ $120-million sexual harassment case against the WWF begins in Brooklyn … All-Japan star Gary Albright, 38, dies of a heart attack during a WXW show in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Albright was making his debut for the promotion, which is owned by his father-in-law, Afa the Wild Samoan.

January 9: ECW World champion Mike Awesome defeats Spike Dudley at Guilty as Charged. At the same pay-per-view, Justin Credible and Lance Storm beat Tommy Dreamer and Raven for the World tag team title.

January 13: Smackdown scores its highest numbers to date, with an amazing 5.0 rating and 7.0 share. The UPN program actually beats Fox’s presentation of Lethal Weapon 3 head-to-head in the 18-to-34 male demographic: 5.5 to 3.1. It is also marks the first week Thunder does not provide opposition.

January 14: Jerry Lynn fractures his ankle in five places during a match against Little Guido Maritato in Danbury, Connecticut. He executes a cross-bodyblock from the top rope onto Guido’s sidekick, Sal E. Graziano, and his ankle gives way upon landing. He is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks.

January 16: WCW World champion Bret Hart and U.S. champion Jeff Jarrett, both suffering concussion symptoms from separate incidents, no-show Souled Out per doctors’ orders. Commissioner Terry Funk strips them of their titles. Sid Vicious and Chris Benoit, who were the scheduled challengers for the respective titles, wrestle for the vacant World championship. Benoit wins the strap with a Crippler crossface … Kevin Nash is named WCW commissioner at the same PPV due to a special stipulation in his match against then-Commissioner Terry Funk.

January 17: Steve Austin’s chances of returning to action are deemed “good” by his doctor following four hours of surgery. Surgeons remove part of his hip bone and insert it into his neck. Austin suffered from bone spurs touching his spinal column, which caused numbness in his hands, arms, and legs. The injury stemmed from a SummerSlam ’97 match in which Owen Hart spiked Austin’s head into the mat with a piledriver … Arn Anderson, who served as special referee in the WCW World title match the previous night, reverses his decision and effectively strips Chris Benoit of the championship. Rumors persist that Benoit’s dispute with WCW management factored into the decision … New WCW Commissioner Kevin Nash returns the U.S. title belt to Jeff Jarrett.

January 19: The McMahon family, Sugar Ray, Luther Vandross, Joan Lunden, and several WWF stars attend the opening of WWF New York in Times Square. The theme restaurant is one of the first expansion projects initiated by WWFE since the company went public.

January 22: Al Costello, a former member of the Fabulous Kangaroos tag team, dies of pneumonia at age 80.

January 23: WWF World champion Triple-H upsets hardcore legend Cactus Jack in a falls-count-anywhere match at the Royal Rumble … The Rock wins the actual Royal Rumble match, last eliminating The Big Show … Mae Young shocks viewers by removing her top during the Miss Royal Rumble 2000 swimsuit competition … Former ECW and WCW star Bobby Duncum Jr.—best known to American fans as one of The West Texas Rednecks—dies of a drug overdose at age 34.

January 31: Ex-WCW stars Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, and Perry Saturn make their WWF debut on Raw. Moments after they take seats at ringside, the four get into a fight with The New Age Outlaws. Jim Ross dubs them “The Radicals.”

February 3: Vince McMahon stuns the sports world by announcing WWFE’s latest venture: the XFL. McMahon says the eight-team league will emphasize “smashmouth, wide-open football.” Hoping to make the XFL a rowdier product than the NFL, broadcast consultant Michael Weisman says, “I don’t know how good the quality of our play will be, but I do know that when it comes to presentation, we will be unique.”

February 6: Sting’s made-for-cable movie, Shutterspeed, premieres on TBS. He plays a Los Angeles cop investigating the death of his father. Daisy Fuentes co-stars.

February 16: Jim Duggan finds the old WCW TV title belt in a trash can while performing his janitorial duties. The booking committee reactivates the title and declares Duggan the new champion. Scott Hall had nonchalantly tossed away the belt a few months earlier.

February 18: WWF champ Triple-H infuriates Bill Goldberg with several of his comments on the Mancow radio show: “I think that Bill Goldberg is a flash in the pan,” Helmsley says. “He’s a guy that came in that they tried to push as the ultimate, unstoppable machine, but the reality of it is he’s a guy who believes too much in what he does and is kind of a prima donna. Every time he doesn’t get something his way, he goes out with an injury and kind of sits out.”

February 20: WCW World champion Sid Vicious retains his title in a no-disqualification three-way match against Jeff Jarrett and Scott Hall at SuperBrawl. Hall suffers a stinger and is taken to a local hospital … At the same pay-per-view, Hulk Hogan defeats Lex Luger, and Ric Flair beats Terry Funk in a Texas death match … Vader and Steve Williams defeat Jun Akiyama and Kenta Kobashi for the All-Japan International and Pacific Wrestling Federation tag team titles in Kobe, Japan. These are the second and third concurrent championships for Vader, who is already the Triple Crown champion.

February 26: Liz Chase, 45, dies while undergoing surgery in Costa Rica. She had been a regular competitor in Florida Championship Wrestling prior to her death.

February 27: WWF World champion Triple-H hands Cactus Jack his second consecutive pay-per-view loss at No Way Out. Their final singles showdown—which takes place in a “Hell In A Cell” match—effectively ends the career of Mick Foley, due to a prematch retirement stipulation … Kurt Angle captures the Intercontinental title from Chris Jericho at the same pay-per-view … The Big Show beats The Rock for a World title shot at WrestleMania 2000.

March 8: Saved By The Bell star Dustin Diamond harasses The Kat at a Memphis Championship Wrestling TV taping. Chip Diver, Danny B, and The Fabulous Rocker intervene, and Diamond responds by smearing Diver’s head with cotton candy. Diver, Danny B, and Rocker attack the screeching Diamond, who is carried out on a stretcher.

March 12: New Jack takes a suicide dive at Living Dangerously for the third consecutive year. This time, he and Vic Grimes fall from a scaffold and through two double-stacked tables … Justin Credible and Lance Storm regain the ECW World tag team belts in a three-way match at the same show … Super Crazy wins a tournament for the ECW TV championship … Dusty Rhodes bashes Steve Corino in the head with a cowbell and follows with a flying elbowsmash to win a bullrope match.

March 13: The Rock places his career on the line against The Big Show’s WWF title shot at WrestleMania 2000. Vince McMahon punches out his son, Shane, who is in the midst of some biased officiating, and counts the pinfall after The Rock floors The Big Show with a Rock bottom … On the same edition of Raw, Dean Malenko becomes the first man to capture the WCW cruiserweight and WWF light heavyweight championships when he defeats Essa Rios in less than four minutes.

March 17: Beyond The Mat opens to critical acclaim in theaters nationwide. Produced by Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment, the documentary reveals the personal hardships and physical risks associated with being a pro wrestler. Director Barry Blaustein put three years of work into the project, including a meeting with PWI editors at the magazine’s offices in Ambler, Pennsylvania … The Rock appears on The Tonight Show.

March 18: The Rock guest-hosts Saturday Night Live. During his monologue, he is heckled by his opponents for the upcoming fatal four-way at WrestleMania 2000: Triple-H, Mick Foley, and The Big Show. Vince McMahon delivers SNL’s keynote introduction, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”

March 19: WCW World champion Sid Vicious retains his title against Jeff Jarrett at Uncensored. Struggling to fend off Jarrett and the Harris boys, Vicious is saved by Hulk Hogan, who pummels the Harrises, legdrops Jarrett, and pulls Vicious on top of him for the pinfall. Ron and Don Harris had better luck against The Mamalukes, whom they defeated for the World tag team title earlier in the evening … Hogan beats Ric Flair in a strap match in the main event, and Dustin Rhodes beats Terry Funk in a bullrope match.

March 24: The Big Show appears on Late Night With Conan O’Brien. He talks about spending $20 to $30 during a single trip to McDonald’s and the challenges of being a 12-year-old boy standing 6’2”. It is his first solo appearance on a network talk show.

April 2: WWF World champion Triple-H becomes the first heel in the 16-year history of WrestleMania to win the main event. He retains the title in a fatal four-way also involving The Rock, Mick Foley, and The Big Show. A member of the McMahon family stood in each combatant’s corner … At the same pay-per-view, Kurt Angle loses the Intercontinental belt to Chris Benoit, and the European strap to Chris Jericho in a special best-of-three-falls three-way match … Christian and Edge capture the World tag team title in a three-way ladder match also involving The Hardy Boyz and previous champs The Dudley Boyz.

April 4: Shawn Michaels retains the Texas Wrestling Alliance title—which Justin Credible had handed over to him in late-March due to previous ECW engagements—against Venom in a bloody bunkhouse brawl. Michaels finishes off Venom by climbing a ladder and delivering a fistdrop. After his one-night appearance, HBK vacates the championship.

April 7: NWA champion Naoya Ogawa forces Shinya Hashimoto to submit to the STO in a non-title match. New Japan President Tatsumi Fujinami says he will enforce a prematch stipulation requiring Hashimoto to retire in case of a loss.

April 10: At the request of Turner Entertainment President Brad Siegel, Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff return to WCW and join forces for the first time. To “level the playing field” between established stars and the up-and-coming New Blood, Russo and Bischoff strip all champions of their titles and schedule vacancy-filling tournaments for Spring Stampede … ECW World champion Mike Awesome debuts on Nitro when he attacks Kevin Nash.
April 13: The WWF allows Tazz to wrestle ECW World champion Mike Awesome only days after Awesome unofficially defected to WCW. Tazz defeats Awesome for the World title in less than three minutes.

April 16: Jeff Jarrett beats Dallas Page in the finals of a mini-tournament for the WCW World title at Spring Stampede, thanks to the interference of DDP’s wife, Kimberly. Kim hits Page with a guitar, enabling “The Chosen One” to capture the gold after six months of trying … At the same pay-per-view, Scott Steiner wins the U.S. title tournament, and Buff Bagwell and Shane Douglas win the World tag team title tournament.

April 19: New Japan wrestler Masakazu Fukuda, 27, dies of head injuries he suffered in a match.

April 20: WWF World champion Triple-H defeats ECW World champion Tazz in the first showdown between world heavyweight champions in 15 years. The match takes place on Smackdown, and is marred by interference when Tommy Dreamer—supposedly aiming for Helmsley—nails Tazz with a steel chair. Triple-H executes the pedigree and scores the pinfall over Tazz.

April 22: Tommy Dreamer realizes a career-long goal by defeating Tazz for the ECW World title at Cyberslam in Philadelphia. Justin Credible ruins Dreamer’s victory party, however, by attacking him with a Singapore cane—and relying on the surprise interference of Francine—and pinning “The Innovator Of Violence” for the championship … Rhino beats Yoshihiro Tajiri for the TV title, and Steve Corino upsets Dusty Rhodes in a bullrope match at the same show.

April 24: “Diamond” Dallas Page pins Jeff Jarrett in a steel cage for the WCW World title. Chris Kanyon fends off interference from Mike Awesome, which allows Page to make the pinfall. It is sweet revenge for Page, whose wife, Kimberly, had cost him the title eight days earlier.

April 25: AT&T pitchman David Arquette dials up the center to win the WCW World title in a tag team match in which he teams with Dallas Page to face Jeff Jarrett and Eric Bischoff. Thunder, which had reached 3.0 at one point during the program, drops to 2.3 during the overrun featuring Arquette’s title victory. Arquette’s win eventually comes to symbolize the failure of Bischoff and Russo’s joint attempt to revitalize WCW … Tom Renesto, who was part of both The Masked Bolos and Masked Assassins tag teams, dies of heart failure at his home in Paris, Texas, at the age of 72.

April 30: The Rock withstands the crooked officiating of special referee Shane McMahon—and the interference of Vince McMahon, Pat Patterson, and Gerald Brisco—to defeat Triple-H for the WWF World title at Backlash. Steve Austin, in his first in-ring appearance since spinal surgery, levels Helmsley, Vince, Patterson, and Brisco with a steel chair, enabling The Rock to hit Triple-H with the people’s elbow as new referee Earl Hebner arrives in the ring.

May 7: Jeff Jarrett regains the WCW World title in a three-tiered cage match at Slamboree. Once again, Jarrett benefits from a heel turn at Dallas Page’s expense. David Arquette, whom Page protected throughout the three-way match, hits DDP over the head with Jarrett’s guitar, enabling “The Chosen One” to grab the World title belt dangling from the top. Mike Awesome throws Chris Kanyon, Page’s friend, off the cage and onto the rampway … In three highly anticipated grudge matches at the pay-per-view, Shane Douglas beats Ric Flair, Sting defeats Vampiro, and Hulk Hogan pins Billy Kidman.

May 8: Chris Jericho interrupts Vince McMahon’s promo on Raw, and the WWF chairman punishes Y2J by scheduling him for three Intercontinental title defenses in one night. Jericho pins Kurt Angle and beats The Big Show via countout. Because of crooked referee Triple-H, however, Chris Benoit wins the I-C belt from Jericho in the third match.

May 9: Buff Bagwell is arrested in Springfield, Illinois, for allegedly punching a WCW production worker. Darrell Miller, 35, encountered Bagwell while carrying a splattered carpet (Hulk Hogan had been doused with the New Blood’s red liquid earlier in the evening) through the backstage area. According to reports, Miller asked Bagwell to move twice before Bagwell punched Miller. Bagwell is later charged with battery, a Class A misdemeanor, and ordered to appear in court at a later date. WCW suspends him for 30 days.

May 13: Japanese legend and former AWA World champ Jumbo Tsuruta, 49, loses his battle with cancer after undergoing kidney surgery in the Philippines. Tsuruta was the first-ever All-Japan Triple Crown champion.

May 14: ECW World champion Justin Credible defeats ex-partner Lance Storm at Hardcore Heaven. Credible executes a tombstone piledriver for a clean pinfall over Storm. It is Storm’s last appearance with the company … TV champion Rhino retains his title against The Sandman at the same pay-per-view.

May 15: Ric Flair captures an unprecedented 15th world title by pinning Jeff Jarrett with an inside cradle. Vince Russo, with the encouragement of David Flair at ringside, tries to steal the WCW World title belt, but Kevin Nash intercepts him. “Big Sexy” takes the belt from Russo and power-bombs Jarrett in the ring. Then he hands the gold to the “Nature Boy” … Shawn Michaels resigns as WWF commissioner, but accepts a post as official spokesperson and an assignment as special referee for the upcoming “Ironman” match between WWF World champion The Rock and Triple-H at Judgment Day.

May 16: New WCW World champion Ric Flair collapses during a six-man match pitting himself, Arn Anderson, and Kevin Nash against David Flair, Crowbar, and Jeff Jarrett. Nash and Jarrett brawl near the backstage area as Flair clutches his chest and crumples to the canvas. Unable to stand on his own, Flair is helped to the back.

May 21: Triple-H regains the WWF World title from The Rock in an “Ironman” match at Judgment Day. Special referee Shawn Michaels, while on the arena floor, misses blatant interference by the McMahon family, but turns around in time to see The Undertaker choke-slam Triple-H. He disqualifies The Rock near the 60-minute mark, enabling Helmsley to win, six falls to five.

May 22: Vince Russo strips Ric Flair of the WCW World title due to his condition, later diagnosed as an equilibrium problem. He awards the title to former champion Jeff Jarrett during a Nitro broadcast in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

May 23: Kevin Nash pins Jeff Jarrett in a three-way match for the WCW World title. Nash survives a vicious two-on-one attack by his opponents, Jarrett and Scott Steiner, to gain the victory. It occurs in Saginaw, Michigan, at a Thunder taping.

May 29: Out of respect, Kevin Nash hands the WCW World title belt to Ric Flair, who is declared fit to wrestle … Jeff Jarrett regains the World championship from Ric Flair later in the evening. Vince Russo dons Charles Robinson’s referee shirt just before Jarrett smashes a guitar over Flair’s head. Russo makes the three-count. R & B Security drags Ric’s wife, Beth, and his son, Reid, to ringside to witness the spectacle … Bill Goldberg makes a dramatic return to Monday Nitro by rescuing Kevin Nash from an attack by Tank Abbott and Rick Steiner. To the chagrin of Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff, the Goldberg hotshot scores a better-than-average but still-disappointing 3.5. Goldberg had missed nearly six months due to a severed tendon in his arm.

June 1: Mark Mendlan, a 20-year-old Michigan wrestler who wrestled as Kid Gorgeous, dies a day after suffering a broken neck. He had landed wrong while taking a press-slam from Ben Alcorn (a.k.a. Dudeman) the previous night in Lincoln, Michigan.

June 5: SFX Entertainment Chairman Robert Sillerman hints that his company is negotiating with the Turner Broadcasting System to purchase WCW. In an interview on CNBC, he is asked about the impending WCW deal. He responds: “We never comment on anything that is in the pipeline other than to say this: We already enjoy an excellent relationship with them.” The rumored negotiations follow a Multichannel News report that WCW is on pace to lose $61.2-million in 2000.

June 9: Several more wrestlers leave All-Japan following Mitsuharu Misawa’s resignation as president and go to Misawa’s new promotion, Pro Wrestling NOAH. Misawa and Motoko Baba, widow of former President Shohei Baba, had disagreed over All-Japan’s direction. Kenta Kobashi vacates the All-Japan Triple Crown to join NOAH, and the International tag team title is declared vacant when Akira Taue splits with partner Toshiaki Kawada to defect.

June 11: Bill Goldberg joins Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo, supposedly his most hated enemies, in a not-so-surprising heel turn at The Great American Bash. He spears ally Kevin Nash, causing him to lose to WCW World champion Jeff Jarrett … During his “Human Torch” match against Vampiro at the same pay-per-view, Sting catches fire and falls from a scaffold … Fans witness an apparent miracle as an allegedly paralyzed Chris Kanyon jumps out of a wheelchair and Diamond-cuts his friend Dallas Page, causing him to lose an ambulance match to Mike Awesome.

June 12: Vince Russo and David Flair beat Ric and Reid Flair, forcing Ric to retire. Flair had challenged Russo to put their careers on the line in the match, and Russo added the hair vs. hair stipulation. Russo hits Flair in the head with a Statue of Liberty figurine, then Ric’s daughter throws in the towel. Russo and David proceed to shave Ric’s head and part of Reid’s.

June 21: Steven (now William) Regal captures the MCW Southern title from Jerry Lawler in Memphis. Viscera and K-Krush (K-Kwik) threaten to harm The Kat unless Lawler submits to Regal’s STF. Lawler submits.

June 24: The last edition of WCW Saturday Night airs, ending a 27-year tradition on TBS. The program had become a mere highlight show in recent weeks. WCW Saturday Morning, another highlight show, debuts the following week.

June 25: The Rock pins Vince McMahon in a six-man match to capture the WWF World title at King of the Ring. Vince and Shane McMahon teamed with Triple-H to defend Helmsley’s World title against The Rock, The Undertaker, and Kane … Kurt Angle beats Chris Jericho, Crash Holly, and Rikishi to win the King of the Ring tournament … Holly crashes an evening gown match between Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco. After Brisco strips Patterson down to his red bra and panties, Holly nails Patterson with a trash can and recaptures the hardcore belt.

June 26: WWF spokesperson Shawn Michaels pre-empts an elaborate coronation scheduled for new King of the Ring Kurt Angle to announce Linda McMahon’s selection of a new commissioner. He introduces Mick Foley as the new commish. Angle is not happy with the interruption.

June 27: A federal judge rules the WWF has the right to switch its programs from the USA Network to Viacom-owned cable channels. The WWF confirms Raw, Livewire, and Superstars will move to TNN, Sunday Night Heat will move to MTV, and Smackdown will remain on Viacom-owned UPN. TNN, citing lower-than-expected ratings, immediately announces the cancellation of its weekly ECW program.

July 7: Former WWF champ Bob Backlund argues with a “fan” at an ECW house show in a self-promotional bit without Paul Heyman’s consent. Heyman orders Atlas Security to remove Backlund from the building.

July 9: WCW World champion Jeff Jarrett, under orders from Vince Russo, lays down for Hulk Hogan at Bash at the Beach. Russo tosses the WCW title belt to Hogan, who walks out of the building in anger … Russo voids the World title change and books a championship match between Booker T and Jarrett, which Booker wins … Kronic captures the World tag team title from The Perfect Event at the same pay-per-view.

July 10: Scott Steiner disrupts the victory speech of new WCW World champion Booker T. Midajah badmouths Booker’s wife, and Steiner beats Booker and his brother, Stevie Ray, with a bat.

July 11: Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura makes a cameo appearance on CBS’ daytime drama The Young And The Restless. He plays himself on the program. Ventura misses the actual airing due to an education conference in St. Paul.

July 16: Homeless Jimmy, Kristi Myst, Messiah, and Supreme of Xtreme Pro Wrestling get into a street brawl with ECW wrestlers at Heatwave, airing from the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles … ECW World champion Justin Credible defeats Tommy Dreamer, and TV champion Rhino beats The Sandman at the pay-per-view.

July 23: WWF World champion The Rock defeats Chris Benoit, Triple-H beats Chris Jericho in a last-man-standing match, and The Undertaker downs Kurt Angle in the triple main event at Fully Loaded. Despite their losing efforts, Benoit, Jericho, and Angle are considered part of the top tier after this pay-per-view … Intercontinental champion Val Venis beats Rikishi in a steel cage at Fully Loaded after Tazz hits Rikishi with a television camera.

July 24: Sting wins an Internet poll to earn a shot at WCW World champion Booker T, but Bill Goldberg ruthlessly attacks him before the match occurs. Booker T barely survives two matches against Goldberg that evening.

July 25: Jeff Jarrett reaggravates Booker T’s old knee injury en route to beating the WCW World champion in a non-title bunkhouse brawl. Jarrett’s figure-four leglock forces Booker T to pass out.

July 26: Gordon Solie, 71, dies of cancer at his home in New Port Richey, Florida. His nasally voice became synonymous with Florida, Alabama, and Georgia wrestling during his 45-year career. He is best remembered as host of the original World Championship Wrestling broadcast in the 1980s.

July 30: Dennis Rodman and Curt Hennig wrestle to a double-disqualification at an independent show in Sydney, Australia. While brawling in the aisle, a bloody Hennig knocks down Rodman with one punch.

July 31: Lance Storm becomes WCW’s first three-title champion by capturing the cruiserweight belt, in addition to his U.S. and hardcore straps. He renames the championships the Canadian title, the Saskatchewan hardcore invitational title, and the 100-kilo-and-under title.

August 2: WWF World champion The Rock opens the Wednesday session of the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia at the request of vice presidential candidate Dick Cheney. The Rock has a heated exchange with Parents Television Council Chairman L. Brent Bozell III during a live interview. Rock’s appearance occurs in the midst of the WWF’s “Smackdown Your Vote” youth voter participation campaign.

August 3: Mitch Snow, a veteran of the AWA and Mid-Atlantic territory, commits suicide.

August 5: Wisconsin All-Star Wrestling’s Tony Nash, 30, dies after his first-ever professional match in Sussex, Wisconsin. He never regains consciousness after landing on his neck while taking a back suplex and is pronounced dead at a local hospital.

August 6: Long-time PWI correspondent and independent wrestling promoter Bill Needham dies of cancer. Needham was a fixture on the independent scene in Tennessee and several surrounding states.

August 13: WCW World champion Booker T defeats Jeff Jarrett at New Blood Rising, the first pay-per-view without most of The Millionaires Club. He pins “The Chosen One” after a Book-end.

August 18: Several ECW wrestlers suffer injuries at a bad luck show in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Francine suffers a two-inch gash and a concussion when she executes a huracanrana, sending herself and Steve Corino to the arena floor. The Sandman’s huracanrana onto Rhino and Francine blackens her eye and breaks her nose. Yoshihiro Tajiri slaps Little Guido Maritato’s head, busting his eardrum. Tony Mamaluke suffers a very bloody nose, and Scotty Anton suffers a rib injury against Rob Van Dam.

August 19: The last edition of WCW Saturday Morning airs on TBS. The highlight show ends a very brief run following the demise of WCW Saturday Night two months earlier. The final program scores a 0.6 overall rating … Montreal legend Tony Parisi dies at age 58. He captured the WWWF U.S. tag team title twice in 1966, and one WWWF World tag team title 10 years later. He was known as Antonio Pugliese and billed as Bruno Sammartino’s cousin early in his career.

August 22: Prof. Toru Tanaka, one of the most feared wrestlers of the 1970s, dies of a heart attack in Lake Forest, California, at the age of 70. Tanaka was a three-time WWF World tag team champion with Mr. Fuji and later starred in numerous films.

August 25: Yoshihiro Tajiri and Mikey Whipwreck win the ECW World tag team title tournament at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. It is a three-way match involving Tommy Dreamer and Jerry Lynn, as well as Simon Diamond and Swinger.

August 26: Tony Mamaluke and Little Guido Maritato defeat Yoshihiro Tajiri and Mikey Whipwreck for the ECW World tag team title at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

August 27: After receiving a concussion earlier in the match, Kurt Angle returns to battle Triple-H and WWF World champion The Rock in the three-way main event at SummerSlam 2000. Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley slides a sledgehammer toward Triple-H, but Angle intercepts it and knocks out Triple-H. The Rock throws Angle to the arena floor and delivers a people’s elbow onto an unconscious Triple-H for the victory … Jim Ross breaks a candy jar over Tazz’ head to help his broadcast colleague, Jerry Lawler, beat “The Human Wrecking Machine” at the same pay-per-view.

August 28: Kevin Nash—with the help of Jeff Jarrett as special referee, and outside interference by Scott Steiner and Vince Russo—beats Booker T for the WCW World title. Jarrett smashes a guitar over Booker’s head, enabling Nash to power-bomb the champion and get the win.

August 29: Access Hollywood’s prime-time special, The Top 10 Celebrities Of 2000, features The Rock, who ranks number six. He discusses his wrestling persona and acting career, his role in The Mummy II in particular, during a five-minute segment.

September 9: Bret Hart hints at a comeback in his weekly Calgary Sun column. “I think it would be a sad epitaph for a guy who has never hurt anyone in 23 years of wrestling to go out with a brain injury,” he writes. “I don’t want to be remembered as ‘that guy in that documentary,’ and especially not as ‘that guy who got double-crossed in Montreal.’”

September 11: The impending David Flair-Stacy Keibler wedding helps Nitro reach 4.1 in the segment just before the start of Raw—its highest rating since January 10. Ric Flair’s presence at the wedding, three months after his forced retirement, is credited for the high rating.

September 17: Booker T regains the WCW World title from Kevin Nash in a steel cage at Fall Brawl. Booker’s superior cardiovascular conditioning enables him to escape Nash’s jackknife and catch the champion with a Book-end for the victory … At the same pay-per-view, Midajah uses a lead pipe, Vince Russo uses a bat, and Scott Steiner himself uses a steel chair to gain a tainted win over Bill Goldberg … American hero Jim Duggan betrays Gen. Rection in his match against U.S. champion Lance Storm and defects to Team Canada.

September 24: WWF World champion The Rock retains his title in a four-way match also involving The Undertaker, Kane, and Chris Benoit at Unforgiven. He floors Benoit with a Rock bottom for the victory … At the same pay-per-view, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley belts her rumored love interest, Kurt Angle, with a low blow, giving Triple-H a chance to execute the pedigree and score the pinfall … The Hardy Boyz regain the World tag team title from Christian and Edge in a steel cage match.

September 25: Raw Is War finally debuts on Viacom’s National Network after USA Network and Viacom wage a legal war for WWF programming. The WWF schedules Steve Austin’s return for the inaugural TNN broadcast to entice viewers to watch. The remaining WWF programs also leave USA.

October 1: Hometown hero Jerry Lynn pins Justin Credible for the ECW World title at Anarchy Rulz, held in St. Paul, Minnesota. Lynn uses a pumphandle piledriver to earn the victory … At the same pay-per-view, TV champion Rhino gores Rob Van Dam through a table and spikes him with a piledriver to retain his title … The Sandman gives Joel Gertner an assist by throwing beer in Cyrus’ face, enabling the ECW commentator to score the biggest win of his lackluster career.

October 3: William Soloweyko (a.k.a. Klondike Bill), a former wrestler and long-time member of WCW’s ring crew, dies of Bulbar palsy (a neuromuscular disease) at the age of 68.

October 7: Juventud Guerrera goes into a drug-induced fit at the Brisbane Marriott Hotel in Australia. Six officers need capsicum spray to subdue the Luchadore, and he punches a female officer, breaking her rib. He is held in a padded cell and charged with indecent exposure, disorderly conduct, obstructing police, drug possession, and three counts of assault. Two days later, he pleads guilty and pays a $3,500 fine, the equivalent of $1,900 in U.S. currency. He is subsequently fired by WCW.

October 9: WWF Commissioner Mick Foley solves the “Who ran over ‘Stone-Cold’?” mystery by assigning guilt to Rikishi. The big man admits guilt and cites the WWF’s discrimination against his Samoan relatives and his desire to see The Rock as the federation’s top star as his motives.

October 17: Leo Nomellini, 76, a former AWA World tag team champion who also won numerous other regional titles and was a standout with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, dies.

October 20: WCW fires 24-year veteran Bret Hart due to his “ongoing incapacity.” Bill Goldberg injured Hart with a vicious sidekick at Starrcade ’99. He announces his retirement later in the week.

October 23: Kurt Angle beats The Rock for the WWF World title in a no-disqualification match at No Mercy. The people’s champion neutralizes Angle’s business partner, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, with a Rock bottom, but it is the mistimed interference of Rikishi that costs him the belt. Angle ducks Rikishi’s kick, which hits Rock flush. Angle uses the Olympic slam on Rikishi, then Rock, to win the championship … Yokozuna (real name Rodney Anoai) dies in his sleep in a London hotel room at the age of 34. The two-time former WWF World champion was a cousin of Rikishi and a nephew of Afa and Sika. The nearly 600-pounder had toured the U.S. independent circuit and Great Britain toward the end of his life.

October 26: Davey Boy Smith is arrested for allegedly threatening his wife, Diana, and her sister, Ellie Hart. Thinking her husband was still in custody, Diana goes to his house later in the day to pick up their daughter. She finds Davey Boy at home, and he allegedly threatens her again. He is arrested a second time.

October 29: WCW World champion Booker T defeats Scott Steiner by disqualification at Halloween Havoc, and Bill Goldberg beats Kronic in the main event … Gen. Rection surprises the Las Vegas crowd by upsetting Lance Storm and Jim Duggan in a handicap match to capture the U.S. title.

November 5: Steve Corino captures the ECW World title in a “Double Jeopardy” match at November to Remember. Corino faces The Sandman while defending champion Jerry Lynn wrestles Justin Credible in simultaneous matches. Both Corino and Credible advance when they score simultaneous pinfalls. Despite the turn and interference of Dawn Marie, Corino manages to defeat Credible and win the title after knocking Credible out with a superkick … Prior to the pay-per-view, The Sinister Minister injures himself while preparing a pipe-like flamethrower. The tip of his index finger is blown off, shrapnel is embedded in his hand, and he undergoes surgery to remove shrapnel from his stomach. Some of his fingers suffer tendon and nerve damage, and he is severely burned … Cherie Dupree, the first known valet in the history of the sport and the former wife of Gorgeous George, dies in Florida at the age of 73. She had been suffering from numerous health problems for some time.

November 7: A Kansas City circuit court judge approves an $18-million settlement proposed by the WWF for the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the Owen Hart family. WWFE’s insurance covers $11-million of the settlement, and the company announces plans to sue other parties involved in the accident, including the makers of Hart’s harness, to recoup the remaining $7-million.

November 9: WWFE files suit against the Parents Television Council in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. In a press release, WWFE states it “seeks relief and damages from a systematic campaign of slanderous and tortious activities devised and orchestrated by right-wing zealot L. Brent Bozell III.”

November 16: Vince McMahon welcomes Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura to the XFL in a press conference. The former WWF commentator is slated to be in the broadcast booth for at least the first 10-game season … After the press conference, McMahon confirms his pullout from negotiations with Turner Broadcasting System Inc. to purchase WCW. He says Viacom, which owns the rights to all WWF programming, wanted too much money in exchange for allowing WWF programming to air on Turner networks.

November 19: Steve Austin nearly kills Triple-H by using a crane to hoist Helmsley’s getaway car at the Survivor Series, then drops it—with Helmsley still inside—to the pavement below. Triple-H survives with severe lacerations and bruises and misses several weeks … At the same pay-per-view, WWF World champion Kurt Angle relies on his older brother, Eric, to pull a “switcheroo” on The Undertaker, helping Angle retain his title.

November 22: Scott Hall is arrested for allegedly driving the wrong way down a street, following a two-car accident in Sanford, Florida. No one was injured. Police allegedly found open beer bottles in Hall’s car, and his blood alcohol content allegedly exceeded the legal limit … Yoshihiro Momota, a former wrestler and the oldest son of Japanese legend Rikidozan, dies of liver cancer at the age of 54. He was working as a business manager for Pro Wrestling NOAH at the time of his death.

November 26: Scott Steiner beats Booker T for the WCW World title in a steel cage match at Mayhem. Steiner nails Booker with a steel chair as the champion spins up from a spinnerooni. “Big Poppa Pump” injures Booker’s sternum in the match … Just days after losing the U.S. title to Gen. Rection in London, Lance Storm regains the belt at Mayhem, and Kevin Nash and Dallas Page defeat The Perfect Event for the World tag team straps.

November 27: WCW CEO Ric Flair introduces Sid Vicious as the challenger for Scott Steiner’s World title at Starrcade 2000. Vicious hadn’t appeared in WCW since Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff stripped him of the World championship seven months earlier … At the same Nitro, the WCW champ ends the in-ring career of Stevie Ray by forcing him to submit to the Steiner recliner. Stevie Ray had agreed to retire if he lost.

December 3: World champion Steve Corino retains his title in a three-way match at ECW’s Massacre at 34th Street. He defeats Justin Credible and Jerry Lynn … At the same pay-per-view, Danny Doring and Roadkill beat The Full-Blooded Italians for the World tag team belts. Doring and Roadkill had vowed to split up if they lost.

December 10: Kurt Angle barely survives the six-man Armageddon “Hell In A Cell” match with his WWF World title belt intact. The Rock falls prey to Steve Austin’s stunner, then Triple-H intercepts “Stone-Cold.” A bloody and dazed Angle throws his arm across The Rock’s chest and scores the pinfall. The Undertaker and Rikishi also participate in the match … At the same pay-per-view, Chris Benoit beats Billy Gunn for the Intercontinental title, and Chris Jericho upsets Kane in a last-man-standing match.

December 12: Vince McMahon blames Commissioner Mick Foley for allowing the WWF chairman to fall prey to the Stone-Cold stunner, the Rock bottom, and The Undertaker’s last ride the previous night. When Linda McMahon tries to mediate, Vince snaps and demands a divorce.

December 13: Scott Hall allegedly kicks a taxicab door in Orange County, Florida, and winds up in front of a judge again. He is arraigned for the criminal mischief charge stemming from the taxicab incident, a recent DUI arrest, and failure to comply with community service terms of his parole resulting from a 1998 episode in which he keyed a limousine.

December 15: The Dudley Boyz and Tazz make a one-night-only appearance in ECW at the Elks Lodge in Elmhurst, New York—where Buh Buh Ray helped book shows at one time—as a gesture to help the struggling company. The Dudleys and Tommy Dreamer defeat Simon Diamond, Swinger, and C.W. Anderson. The Dudleys and Tazz refuse payment for the sellout card.

December 16: The Blue Demon (real name Alejandro Munoz Moreno), one of the most famous wrestlers in Mexico’s history, dies of a heart attack at the age of 78.

December 17: WCW World champion Scott Steiner defeats Sid Vicious at Starrcade 2000. Vicious submits to the Steiner recliner. Outside interference from Jeff Jarrett and Midajah taints Steiner’s win, however … Bill Goldberg plants Lex Luger with a spear and jackhammer to extend his undefeated streak. Buff Bagwell shocks fans by interfering on Luger’s behalf during the match.

December 18: “Diamond” Dallas Page and WCW champ Scott Steiner get into a brief backstage brawl after “Big Poppa Pump” makes unauthorized comments about DDP on Nitro. Page hits Steiner, who responds with a series of punches before wrestlers and security personnel pull them apart … After meeting with the WWF board of directors, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley presents papers that declare Linda McMahon “mentally incompetent.” Vince is named the new CEO.

December 24: Television commentator and controversial hotline host Mark Madden is fired by WCW. Reportedly, management is angry because Madden made unauthorized comments about Scott Hall on the air and gave an unauthorized interview to a radio station. Madden says the charges are inaccurate.
2001
January 4: Kensuke Sasaki defeats Toshiaki Kawada in a six-man tournament for the IWGP title at the Tokyo Dome. The other participants are Yuji Nagata, Masa Chono, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Satoshi Kojima. Sasaki had vacated the championship following a non-title loss to Kawada on October 9 … At the same show, Riki Choshu emerges from retirement to battle rival Shinya Hashimoto in a very violent fistfight.

January 4: Jose de Jesus Diaz Mendoza, who gained great fame in Mexico competing as Villano I, dies of a heart attack at the age of 54.

January 7: ECW holds its final pay-per-view, Guilty as Charged. The Sandman defeats Justin Credible and defending champ Steve Corino in a three-way match for the ECW World title. TV champ Rhyno demands an immediate title shot and beats Sandman for the World belt a few minutes later. Rob Van Dam returns after a long contractual dispute and defeats long-time rival Jerry Lynn. Missy Hyatt makes a special appearance at the PPV.

January 14: Sid Vicious breaks his leg in the main event of Sin. Vicious is dominating Jeff Jarrett and WCW World champion Scott Steiner when he jumps off the top turnbuckle and the grisly break occurs. A masked man, who is supposed to be a mystery opponent in the scheduled four-way match, briefly stomps the writhing Sid with the help of Jarrett and Steiner near the end of the bout. The WCW champ covers Vicious for the victory. The mystery man reveals himself to be Road Warrior Animal, and WCW CEO Ric Flair announces the formation of The Magnificent Seven … Earlier at the pay-per-view, Buff Bagwell and Lex Luger beat “Sarge” DeWayne Bruce and Bill Goldberg. Due to a special stipulation, Goldberg is forced to retire from WCW … This event marks Eric Bischoff’s unofficial return to power behind the scenes.

January 21: Steve Austin wins the Royal Rumble to earn a WWF World title shot at WrestleMania X-Seven. The final four features Austin, Billy Gunn, The Rock, and Kane. Austin needs to use a stunner and three consecutive chair shots to weaken Kane enough to clothesline him over the top rope for the final elimination … Also at the pay-per-view, Austin helps WWF World champion Kurt Angle beat Triple-H, and Chris Jericho beats Chris Benoit in a ladder match for his fourth Intercontinental title.

January 31: Kane defeats Leviathan in the main event of Ohio Valley Wrestling’s “Christmas Chaos” card, which had been postponed until January because of bad weather in Louisville. Rico Constantino’s interference spoils Ohio Valley champ Nick Dinsmore’s chance to defeat Chris Benoit. Constantino also has the audacity to interrupt Jim Ross’ mid-ring interview with Steve Austin, who stuns Constantino for his actions. At the same show, The Hardy Boyz and Lita beat The Disciples of Synn … The WWF releases Road Dogg following a suspension for “unprofessional conduct.” Road Dogg claims to be as surprised as anyone because he believed the WWF was going to allow him time to handle family and substance abuse problems.

February 1: CBS’ Survivor II: The Australian Outback begins the February sweeps war by moving to Thursday nights, against NBC’s Friends and UPN’s Smackdown. To combat Survivor, Friends extends to 40 minutes, and the WWF bills Smackdown as a special “Xtreme” edition. Smackdown’s rating of 4.9 had been very impressive the previous week; that number dropped to 4.0 against Survivor and Friends … Many programs use wrestling to boost ratings on this night, including the WB’s Charmed with several WCW guest stars, A&E’s Biography of Hulk Hogan, and A&E’s Behind Closed Doors profile of WCW.

February 3: The XFlorida, a joint venture of WWFE and NBC, debuts to an astounding 10.3 rating as part of NBC’s Saturday night lineup. Network executives are thrilled because Saturday night ratings had been poor since the departure of The Golden Girls many years earlier. XFL football games are scheduled for Viacom networks UPN and TNN.

February 4: David McLain, who promoted the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW) during the 1980s, showcases his latest venture, Women of Wrestling (WOW), on pay-per-view at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. Thug (Peggy Lee Leather) beats Selina Majors (Bambi) in a bloody steel cage match, and Terri Gold regains the WOW title from Danger. Lee Marshall joins former WCW and AWA colleague Bobby Heenan to form the broadcast team.

February 18: WCW World champion Scott Steiner beats Kevin Nash at SuperBrawl Revenge with assistance from Midajah, Ric Flair, and a steel chair. Because Nash placed his career against Steiner’s title, “Big Sexy” is forced to leave WCW. The fact that Flair keeps changing the rules of the match—from a regulation match, to a best-of-three-falls match, to a falls-count-anywhere match—as the bout progresses doesn’t help Nash’s chances.

February 25: Triple-H defeats Steve Austin in a spectacular best-of-three-falls match at No Way Out. Austin wins the first fall in a match with regulation rules, Helmsley uses a sledgehammer to win the streetfight-style second fall, and “The Game” uses the sledgehammer again in a steel cage to determine the decisive fall … Also at the pay-per-view, The Rock delivers four Rock bottoms through the course of the match to defeat Kurt Angle for his sixth WWF World title, and Chris Jericho retains the Intercontinental belt in a four-way bout.

February 27: The WWF announces it has released Stacy Carter (The Kat) and that her husband, Jerry Lawler, has left the company in protest. Lawler claims he was given no specific reason for his wife’s firing, but was told she had “an attitude problem.” On his Web site, kinglawler.com, “The King” later posts the following statement: “Let me say that I don’t really know what is going on other than that I feel there is more to this than meets the eye.”

March 3: Scott Hall begins a New Japan tour after months of legal and personal problems. Former NWO Japan leader Masa Chono introduces Hall to the crowd as his “best friend.” Hall, Scott Norton, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Satoshi Kojima lose their eight-man match to IWGP champ Kensuke Sasaki, Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, and Yutaka Yoshie.

March 5: Paul Heyman replaces Jerry Lawler as color commentator on Raw. It is later announced that Heyman will be a member of the WWF’s creative team. Heyman’s WWF appearance douses hopes that he planned to resurrect ECW. In fact, ECW would file for bankruptcy only a few weeks later.

March 9: Plummeting XFL ratings cause WWFE stock to fall to $11.51 per share, its lowest price of the year. The stock had dropped by a stunning 10 points during the past month. ABC, CBS, and Fox had been walloping NBC’s XFL games in the ratings every Saturday night.

March 12: Ozzie Timmins, a former wrestler, referee, and historian of the sport, dies at the age of 81. He had been hospitalized with heart and kidney ailments prior to his death.

March 16: Dave Vicious, a New England-based independent wrestler, dies of a heart attack at the age of 32.

March 17: Scott Norton defeats Kensuke Sasaki for his second IWGP heavyweight title at the Nagoya Aiichi Prefectural Gym in Japan. He had also beaten Yuji Nagata for the championship in 1998.

March 18: World champion Scott Steiner beats Dallas Page in the main event of Greed, WCW’s final pay-per-view, although Booker T takes another step toward the World title by defeating Rick Steiner for the U.S. strap … Also at the pay-per-view, Shane Helms captures the WCW cruiserweight belt from Chavo Guerrero Jr., and Kid Romeo and Elix Skipper upset former World tag team champs Billy Kidman and Rey Misterio Jr. in a tournament final for the newly established cruiserweight tag team title. Although junior heavyweight tag team championships are a staple of the Japanese scene, it is considered an unusual concept in North America.

March 23: In a stunning move, WWFE pays AOL Time Warner only $2.5-million for WCW. WWFE confirms its plans to operate WCW as a separate company. Viacom had nixed WWFE’s bid to purchase WCW in October 2000 because it didn’t want competing wrestling programs on TNT and TBS. New Turner Broadcasting Chairman and CEO Jamie Kellner made that a moot point by pulling WCW programming from all Turner networks, thus giving Eric Bischoff and Fusient Media Ventures little choice but to cease negotiations to buy the wrestling company.

March 26: Vince McMahon introduces Monday Nitro by proclaiming, “WCW’s fate … its very fate … is in the palms of my hands.” From the Raw telecast emanating from Cleveland, he addresses WCW and WWF wrestlers and fans in an unprecedented simulcast on TNT and TNN. He teases the idea of resuscitating WCW, then declares that he plans to bury it. But his son, Shane McMahon, makes a surprise appearance in Panama City, Florida, the site of the Nitro telecast, and declares he is the real new owner of WCW … At Nitro’s final telecast, Booker T regains the WCW World title from Scott Steiner, and Sting defeats Ric Flair in the program’s last match ever … Benny McGuire dies.

March 26: Johnny “Red Shoes” Dugan, one of the most famous referees of the 1970s, dies of Parkinson’s disease at the age of 89. Dugan, who officiated as recently as the mid-1980s, refereed some of the biggest matches ever in Los Angeles.

March 28: Benny McGuire, a former wrestler who once made the Guinness Book Of World Records for being one-half of the world’s fattest twins (with brother Billy, also a wrestler) at a combined 1,600 pounds, dies at the age of 54 in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

March 29: Rolando Vera, a former NWA middleweight champion and one of the biggest stars in Mexico in the 1950s, dies of a heart attack at the age of 86.

April 1: Steve Austin turns against The Rock and captures the WWF World title at WrestleMania X-Seven. Vince McMahon gives Austin a steel chair, which he uses to batter Rock and make him vulnerable for the pinfall. Austin shakes the hand of McMahon, his former nemesis, after the match … Also at the pay-per-view, The Undertaker defeats Triple-H to extend his WrestleMania streak to 8-0, and Edge and Christian capture the World tag team title in TLC II … WrestleMania X-Seven earns $3.5-million at the Reliant Astrodome in Houston, surpassing WrestleMania III in terms of the live gate. The figure doesn’t include PPV buys. WrestleMania III still holds the attendance record.

April 2: The Rock’s steel cage rematch against new WWF World champion Steve Austin turns ugly when Triple-H uses a sledgehammer to help Austin and McMahon in a vicious three-on-one attack. Helmsley and Austin (with McMahon) create an alliance that is later dubbed “The Two-Man Power Trip.” McMahon later announces The Rock has been suspended for his own safety, which actually allows Rock time to film the movie The Scorpion King in Morocco.

April 2: Reisor Bowden, a broadcaster/ring announcer for Bill Watts’ Mid-South Wrestling in the 1980s, dies of cancer at the age of 74.

April 3: Triple-H beats Chris Jericho for his third Intercontinental title on Smackdown. “The Game” relies on the interference of his wife, Stephanie, and WWF Commissioner William Regal for the victory. It is the second step in “The Two-Man Power Trip’s” consolidation of power.

April 10: Jeff Hardy ruins Vince McMahon’s grand plans by pinning Triple-H for the Intercontinental title on Smackdown. Matt Hardy hits Helmsley with a chair, enabling his younger brother to deliver a swanton bomb. It is by far the biggest singles victory of Jeff’s career.

April 13: Steve Corino defeats Redd Dogg Begnaud for the NWA North American title in Fort Worth, Texas. The win secures an NWA heavyweight title shot for Corino later in the month.

April 16: Triple-H regains the Intercontinental belt from Jeff Hardy on Raw. “Power Trip” partner Steve Austin attacks Matt Hardy backstage and chases Lita to ringside, distracting Jeff long enough for Triple-H to execute the pedigree and score the three-count.

April 21: The Best Of Memphis Wrestling debuts on WMC-TV. The WWF had pulled its developmental deal from Power Pro Wrestling, and then WMC studios cancelled its live Saturday morning program—which had survived in some form for 34 years—due to insurance liability issues. Ironically, The Best Of Memphis Wrestling taped highlight show scores higher ratings than the live program because of appearances by Jerry Lawler, Lance Russell, and Terry Funk, along with footage of classic Memphis bouts.

April 24: Steve Corino defeats Mike Rapada for the NWA title at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory in Tampa. He pins Rapada with the old school expulsion at the 22-minute mark. Corino joins Sabu and Terry Funk as the only men to hold both the NWA and ECW championships … Johnny Valentine dies.

April 24: Former wrestler Johnny Valentine, father of wrestler Greg Valentine, dies at the age of 72. Valentine, who was one of the toughest wrestlers of all-time, had great feuds with the likes of Wahoo McDaniel and Buddy Rogers. He had his career cut short by the injuries he suffered in a 1975 plane crash that also injured Ric Flair (though not as seriously). He never fully recovered from injuries he suffered in a fall from his porch in the fall of 2000.

April 29: WWF World heavyweight champ Steve Austin and Intercontinental champ Triple-H beat The Undertaker and Kane for the World tag team title at Backlash. In this winner-takes-all match, the man pinned was to lose his championship. Triple-H hits Kane with a sledgehammer for yet another tainted victory … Also at the pay-per-view, Chris Benoit defeats Kurt Angle, four falls to three, in a 30-minute “Ironman” match requiring overtime … On the Sunday Night Heat pre-show, former ECW World heavyweight champ Jerry Lynn holds on to Crash Holly’s tights to capture the WWF light heavyweight title in his WWF TV debut.

May 5: The Mummy Returns, featuring The Rock in a special appearance, shatters a two-year record by earning $28,594,667, making it the highest-grossing single day for any film in history. The movie, starring Brendan Fraser, eclipses Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, which held the record since May 19, 1999 … The Undertaker defeats WWF champ Steve Austin and Intercontinental champ Triple-H in a handicap match at the U.K.’s Insurrextion PPV, held at the Earl’s Court in London. Because The Undertaker pins Triple-H, he doesn’t win Austin’s World title, which was on the line. One of Austin’s knee braces grazes Undertaker’s ear, which requires emergency cosmetic surgery upon his return to the States.

May 7: Perry Saturn manhandles preliminary wrestler Mike Bell during a Metal taping held just before a live airing of Raw. Saturn throws Bell over the top rope, causing him to land awkwardly on his head. Then he bodyslams Bell, full-force, into the ringside steps. WWF officials admonish Saturn after the match. Saturn does not participate at the following night’s Smackdown taping.

May 10: Vince McMahon announces the discontinuation of the XFL after just one season. It is estimated that WWFE and NBC both lost $35-million in the equal partnership. “The quality of play just wasn’t there,” states NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol the following day. A series of fumbles had caused the XFL’s prime time Saturday ratings to plummet from 10.3 to an embarrassingly low 3.0 within a few weeks.

May 17: Francine becomes the latest star to put some of her time up for auction on eBay. The highest bidder is promised two to three hours with Francine at Dave & Buster’s, a Philadelphia nightclub. Bids reach $11,500 by the end of the month, but the auction is eventually halted because many of them are illegitimate.

May 20: WWF World champion Steve Austin beats The Undertaker at Judgment Day. Triple-H runs to ringside with a sledgehammer as Vince McMahon leaves the announcers’ table to interfere. Kane tries to make the rescue, but he’s too late, so Austin pins a distracted Undertaker at the 21-minute mark … Earlier at the pay-per-view, Kane—despite his broken arm—pins Triple-H in a chain match for the Intercontinental title, Kurt Angle beats Chris Benoit in a best-of-three-falls bout, and Benoit later teams with Chris Jericho to defeat Edge and Christian in the final segment of “Tag Team Turmoil” to earn a shot at WWF tag team champs Austin and Triple-H the following night.

May 21: Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho defeat WWF World heavyweight champ Steve Austin and Triple-H for the World tag team title on Raw. The victory is supposed to launch Benoit and Jericho’s long-awaited elevation to the top tier. Their win turns out to be even more significant because Triple-H tears his quadriceps muscle, which runs through the thigh, during the match. Triple-H misses eight months of action, ending “The Two-Man Power Trip.”

May 28: Grandmaster Sexay (Brian Christopher) is arrested for possession of illegal drugs at a checkpoint on the U.S.-Canadian border. When the wrestler finally arrives at Calgary’s Saddledome, WWF management terminates his contract. Later, Christopher admits drugs were in his car, but insists they didn’t belong to him … Lance Storm makes a surprise appearance on Raw, signaling the start of the WCW invasion of the WWF. Hugh Morrus, Stacy Keibler, and Dallas Page appear over the next few weeks.

June 2: Kurt Angle, along with other standouts, is inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Stillwater, Oklahoma. During his acceptance speech, he stresses the importance of amateur wrestling and pays tribute to his “inspiration,” the late Dave Schultz.

June 4: WWF officials send Eddie Guerrero home after “Latino Heat” exhibits erratic behavior backstage at Raw. Guerrero checks into a rehabilitation facility two days later. Jim Ross, the WWF’s vice president of talent relations, later recounts the incident during an interview on Slam! Wrestling, “This was the first time that we had seen Eddie in this degree of condition and, the first time we saw him at this level, we shut everything down. We sent him home, we made the arrangements to get him into therapy and rehab, and we are standing solidly behind him and his family while he’s going through treatment.”

June 17: WCW champ Booker T appears at the end of King of the Ring’s main event—WWF champ Steve Austin, Chris Benoit, and Chris Jericho in a three-way match—and throws Austin through a table, breaking his hand. Benoit aggravates previous neck injuries during the same match, and spinal surgery forces him out of action for the rest of the year … Also at the pay-per-view, Edge beats Kurt Angle in the King of the Ring tournament final, and Angle almost breaks Shane McMahon’s neck en route to winning their streetfight.

June 15: Jimmy Hart wins a 20-man battle royal at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, the site of some of his most notorious achievements. The participants at the “Clash Of The Legends” show features a who’s who of Memphis wrestling, including Jerry Lawler, The Road Warriors, Curt Hennig, Rocky Johnson, Jimmy Valiant, and Porkchop Cash. Hart avoids much physical contact to emerge victorious. Sputnik Monroe presents “The Mouth Of The South” with the keys to a 2002 Cadillac Escalade.

June 20: The WWF terminates its developmental deal with Memphis Championship Wrestling. Joey Matthews, Christian York, American Dragon, Spanky, and Shooter Schultz—along with Joey Abs and Rodney of The Mean Street Posse—are among those to receive termination notices. The WWF relocates Steve Bradley, The Island Boys, Lance Cade, Victoria, and Charlie and Russ Haas to the HWA, the WWF’s new developmental territory.

June 22: Jim Ross announces that women’s champ Chyna will no longer be on the WWF roster. Sources suggest Chyna asked for a salary in the same league as Triple-H, The Rock, and Steve Austin. Chyna was also lured by the prospect of an acting career and more time at home … Chris Adams is indicted for manslaughter in connection with the death of his 30-year-old girlfriend, Linda Kaphengst. Adams, 45, faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $2,000 fine if convicted. Kaphengst died on April 22, 2000, when she and Adams mixed an often-used club drug, GHB, with alcohol.

June 28: WWFE releases its fourth-quarter report, signaling the end of the company’s fiscal year. WWFE reported a gross income of $379-million, down from $456-million the previous year. WWFE stock had dropped by an alarming 28 cents per share, despite what was still considered to be healthy numbers.

June 29: Alex Perez, a former Golden Gloves boxing champion who went on to become a wrestler under the tutelage of Dory Funk Sr., dies at the age of 71.

July 7: Supreme suffers burns over 25 percent of his body when he dives face-first through a flaming table during a death match against Kaos at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. XPW manager Veronica Caine had doused the table in too much lighter fluid, making it far too combustible … At the same show, XPW champion The Messiah defeats Vampiro and Sabu in a three-way main event. The Sandman comes to the rescue when The Messiah and the Black Army attack Sabu after the match.

July 9: Paul Heyman leads the unofficial reformation of ECW, and Shane McMahon reveals an alliance between ECW and his company, WCW. McMahon also introduces his sister, Stephanie, as the new on-air owner of ECW … Rob Van Dam returns to the WWF on this edition of Raw, emanating from the Philips Arena in Atlanta.

July 9: Former wrestler/promoter Ace Freeman dies in a nursing home in Western Pennsylvania at the age of 87.

July 16: Terry Gordy is found dead of a heart attack in his home in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, by his girlfriend. He was 40. Gordy, who started wrestling at the age of 13, found fame as a member of The Fabulous Freebirds with Michael Hayes and Buddy Roberts. He was also a former All-Japan Triple Crown champion.

July 18: Joey Matthews wins the Maryland ChampionshipWrestling Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup in Glen Burnie, Maryland. He defeats Nick Berk in a qualifying bout, then survives a six-way elimination match featuring ECWA champion Scoot Andrews, Mike Quackenbush, Red, Mikey Whipwreck, and the previous year’s winner, Qenaan Creed.

July 21: The Southern title changes hands three times during one edition of Memphis Championship Wrestling’s weekly TV show. Joey Abs beats Steve Bradley for the belt in a no-disqualification ladder match, Bradley regains the strap in an immediate rematch, and Seven beats an exhausted Bradley in a special challenge bout to end the show.

July 22: WWF champ Steve Austin defects to the WCW/ECW Alliance at Invasion. In a showdown between Team WWF and Team WCW/ECW, Austin stuns teammate Kurt Angle, who was about to force WCW champ Booker T into submission with an anklelock. “Stone-Cold” celebrates with Shane McMahon, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, Paul Heyman, and other Alliance members … Also at the pay-per-view, WWF tag team champs The Acolytes defeat WCW tag team champs Sean O’Haire and Chuck Palumbo in a non-title match, WCW cruiserweight champ Billy Kidman beats WWF light heavyweight champ X-Pac in a non-title bout, and Rob Van Dam flattens Jeff Hardy with the five-star frog splash to capture the WWF hardcore title.

July 24: Kurt Angle defeats Booker T for the WCW World title on Smackdown. Angle survives a chair shot from Chris Kanyon and a stunner from Steve Austin to force Booker to submit to the anklelock in Angle’s hometown of Pittsburgh. Angle joins an exclusive group of wrestlers to hold both the WCW and WWF world championships. Booker T foolishly awarded Kanyon the U.S. belt earlier on the program.

July 27: Former WWF women’s champion Rhonda Singh (a.k.a. Bertha Faye) dies at the age of 40 in Calgary. A trainee of Mildred Burke, Singh initially gained fame in Japan as Monster Ripper, but she also had success in Mexico and Puerto Rico and a brief run during the Vince Russo era in WCW.

July 29: New Jersey-based promoter Dennis Coraluzzo, who helped to spearhead the NWA revival of the 1990s, dies of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 48. Coraluzzo was instrumental in the early success of wrestlers such as Chris Candido, Tammy Sytch, Crowbar, Billy Kidman, Simon Diamond, D-Lo Brown, Steve Corino, and Russ and Charlie Haas, and he appeared on WWF TV in the mid-1990s as part of an NWA storyline.

July 30: WWF light heavyweight champ X-Pac pins Billy Kidman for the WCW cruiserweight title on Raw. X-Pac becomes the first wrestler since Dean Malenko to win both championships and the very first to hold them simultaneously. Kidman had embarrassed X-Pac with a non-title win at Invasion.

August 9: The Hardy Boyz defeat Edge and Christian and Chris Kanyon and Dallas Page in the three-way main event at the Brian Pillman Memorial Show in Cincinnati. Matt Stryker’s HWA cruiserweight title victory in a four-corners match—which also involves Shark Boy, Chad Collyer, and defending champ Pepper Parks—is considered by many to be the best match of the night … In other bouts, Steve Corino retains the NWA title against David Flair, and Nick Dinsmore pins Race Steele for the HWA belt. The Pillman show is the HWA’s premier event of the year, and an opportunity for some WWF stars to face HWA talent … Dean Malenko creates a bit of controversy at the show by stating if his match at Pillman 2001 were to be his last, he considered it an honor to have wrestled in front of such appreciative fans. News of Malenko’s retirement spreads across the Internet before “The Man Of 1,000 Holds” reiterates the operative word was “if.”

August 16: Smackdown airs live and unveils a new set, with a huge fist punching through glass and two off-center big screens. The Rock goes to a no-contest with WCW World champion Booker T in a lights-out match. Another live show is scheduled for the following week.

August 19: Kurt Angle beats WWF World champ Steve Austin by disqualification at SummerSlam. Austin knocks out referee Earl Hebner, uses the stunner on a second referee, and hits a third referee with the World title belt. Alliance referee Nick Patrick, the fourth official to enter the ring, disqualifies Austin for abusing the other referees, allowing “Stone-Cold” to keep his title … Also at the pay-per-view, The Rock defeats Booker T for the WCW World heavyweight title, WCW tag team champs The Undertaker and Kane nearly destroy U.S. champion Chris Kanyon and Dallas Page for the WWF tag team belts inside a steel cage, and WCW cruiserweight champ X-Pac wins the WWF light heavyweight strap from Tajiri.

August 21: Florida mainstay Lex Lovett, with surprising help from rival Jason Rumble, beats Mike Thunder for the NWA junior heavyweight title. Rumble reveals his ulterior motive by attacking Lovett afterward and demanding a title shot for the NWA’s 53rd anniversary show, scheduled for October 13.

August 25: WWF Excess debuts on TNN at 10 p.m. Eastern time. The two-hour Saturday night (mostly) highlight show, hosted by Jonathan Coachman and Trish Stratus, earns only a 0.9 in its premiere. The low rating is despite the guest appearance of Triple-H, who had been sidelined for more than three months. Excess replaces Livewire and Superstars, the one-hour highlight shows that aired on Saturday and Sunday mornings, respectively.

September 11: Terrorist attacks on New York’s World Trade Center and The Pentagon in Washington, D.C.—along with the crash of an American Airlines plane in Pennsylvania—strongly impact the wrestling industry. WWF management and Houston city officials cancel the Smackdown taping scheduled for the Compaq Center in the evening, and wrestlers are left stranded in Texas when all U.S. airports are closed.

September 13: UPN airs a live edition of Smackdown with a patriotic theme interspersed with sincere comments from WWF stars. Bradshaw, in particular, expresses the rage many Americans were feeling at the time.

September 17: The Undertaker and Kane lose the WWF tag team title to The Dudley Boyz in Nashville. Although they remain the WCW tag team champs, Undertaker and Kane no longer control the industry’s two world tag team titles. Their historic run as dual champions lasted a month … WWFE stock falls to $10.31 per share, a 52-week low, after the New York Stock Exchange opens for the first time since the September 11 catastrophe. Credit Suisse First Boston downgrades its forecast of media and cable companies in light of the impending war and certain recession, further debilitating the stocks of WWFE, Viacom, USA Networks, Walt Disney, and Metro-Goldwyn-May er, among others.

September 22: Carlee Colon and Ray Gonzales beat Thunder and Lightning by disqualification in the main event of a show in Caguas, Puerto Rico, that draws 4,000 fans. Carlos Colon tears into old rival Barrabas Sr. for helping his son, WWC junior heavyweight champion Barrabas Jr., gain a tainted pinfall over Eddie Colon.

September 23: Kurt Angle gives Americans a feel-good moment with a red, white, and blue victory over Steve Austin for the WWF World title at Unforgiven, held in his hometown of Pittsburgh. Members of the Olympian’s family hoist him onto their shoulders to celebrate his win … Also at the pay-per-view, WCW World heavyweight champion The Rock survives Test’s interference to defeat Booker T and Shane McMahon in a handicap match, WWF tag team champs The Dudley Boyz win a four-way bout, WCW tag team champs The Undertaker and Kane devastate Kronik, and WWF hardcore champion Rob Van Dam beats Chris Jericho.

October 2: Governor Jesse Ventura sparks controversy when he and his wife, Terry, visit the World Trade Center disaster site to present 10,000 cards and letters—signed by a total of 40,000 Minnesotans—to rescue workers. Members of the Minnesota press corps allege they were kept out of the presentation in favor of ABC’s Good Morning America, which paid for Ventura’s trip. Ventura’s spokesman cites security restrictions as the reason.

October 3: Bill Goldberg retracts his criticism of the WWF for not sending wrestlers to New York’s Ground Zero. After learning that the WWF had donated $1-million to relief efforts and that WWF wrestlers had visited the site, Goldberg says, “Well, I spoke too soon; and I am man enough to admit when I’m wrong.” During his visit on September 26, Goldberg had said, “After inquiring about whether or not any WWF wrestlers had been to New York to offer support for the policemen and firefighters, it’s amazing that—even though the WWF is basically based in New York City—none had been by there. Or at least to the places where we had been, and with the people we saw and spoke with. That’s disgusting.”

October 7: British star Chris Adams is shot to death by his friend William Parnell at the age of 46 in Waxahachie, Texas. Parnell claimed the two had been drinking heavily and that he shot Adams in self-defense when innocent roughhousing turned violent. Adams had his greatest success in the Texas-based World Class promotion in the 1980s. He wrestled briefly in WCW as a member of a British clique as recently as 2000.

October 8: Linda McMahon fires William Regal and reappoints Mick Foley WWF commissioner. Regal defected to the Alliance the previous night when he hit Kurt Angle with the WWF title belt, enabling Steve Austin to execute the stunner and regain the championship.

October 13: Shinya Hashimoto brutalizes heavyweight champ Steve Corino and induces massive blood loss at the NWA’s 53rd anniversary show. Senior referee Fred Richards deems Corino unfit to continue, but the NWA title can change hands only via pinfall or submission. New NWA President Jim Miller makes his first executive decision by declaring the title vacant … At the same event, the “War Games”-style steel cage match intended to settle the promotional feud between NWA Florida and IPW Hardcore Wrestling is ruled a no-contest at the nine-minute mark. An NWA Wildside contingent overwhelms all the combatants, prompting NWA Florida and IPW to join forces … Also at the 53rd anniversary show, Jason Rumble captures the NWA junior heavyweight title in a five-way match.

October 21: WWF World champion Steve Austin defeats Kurt Angle and hardcore champ Rob Van Dam in a three-way main event at No Mercy. Shane McMahon tries to attack Angle, but is intercepted by his father, Vince, who supports Van Dam. Austin capitalizes on the distractions and uses the stunner to pin Angle … Also at the pay-per-view, Chris Jericho beats The Rock for the WCW World title and the biggest win of his career, Edge regains the Intercontinental belt from Christian in a ladder match, The Dudley Boyz retain the WWF tag team straps against The Big Show and Tajiri, and Test upsets Kane.

October 22: High-flying FMW star Hayabusa is left paralyzed when his attempted Asai moonsault during a pay-per-view match with Mammoth Sasaki goes awry and he lands on his head. Doctors were hopeful of at least a partial recovery when, by year’s end, Hayabusa was feeling some sensation in his extremities.

November 3: Steve Austin retains the WWF World title against The Rock at Rebellion, held at the Manchester Evening News Arena in England. Kurt Angle hits The Rock with the WWF title belt, enabling “Stone-Cold” to score the pinfall … Also at the pay-per-view, Angle loses to WCW World champion Chris Jericho, and William Regal defeats former manservant Tajiri by submission.

November 4: Helen Hart, matriarch of the famed Hart family in Calgary, dies at the age of 76. She had been in a coma since suffering seizures several weeks earlier and also suffered from diabetes.

November 5: The Rock regains the WCW World title from Chris Jericho on Raw. Y2J attempts to lock on the Walls of Jericho when Rock surprises him with a quick rollup pinfall. Jericho brutalizes the already-bloody Rock by hitting him with the WCW title belt and three chair shots. Jericho’s heel turn is complete.

November 9: WWF star Eddie Guerrero is charged with driving under the influence, stemming from an early-morning accident. He had crashed his vehicle into the gate of an apartment complex in Tampa, causing $500 worth of damage. According to the Tampa Tribune, the 34-year-old Guerrero failed two breath tests. He is fired by the WWF soon after … CEO Linda McMahon announces WWFE will implement its first significant round of layoffs in eight years. She says the company will release 39 employees, which comprise nine percent of its work force. Stuart Snyder resigns as president and chief operating officer.

November 14: Hulk Hogan makes his first in-ring appearance since July 2000 when he headlines two days worth of television tapings at Orlando’s Universal Studios for the newly established Xtreme Wrestling Federation. He uses the big boot and legdrop to defeat Curt Hennig.

November 18: Team WWF—comprised of WCW champ The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, and The Big Show—beats Team Alliance, which includes WWF champ Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, and Shane McMahon, at Survivor Series. Angle turns against Austin with a wicked chair shot, which enables Rock to score the pinfall and officially destroy the Alliance … Also at the pay-per-view, WWF World tag team champions The Dudley Boyz beat The Hardy Boyz in a steel cage title-unification match, thereby eliminating the WCW World tag team title, and WCW United States champion Edge is declared the WWF Intercontinental champion after defeating Test in another title-unification bout.

November 19: Ric Flair makes a surprise appearance on Raw in Charlotte and claims he was the “consortium” to which Shane and Stephanie McMahon had sold their WWFE stock in the early-summer. He faces down Vince McMahon and announces he is, in effect, co-owner of the WWF. Flair signs a three-year contract with the WWF … On the same program, Vince McMahon fires Paul Heyman from his color commentator’s position and replaces him with the returning Jerry Lawler, Steve Austin returns to the good graces of the fans by aligning himself with Flair, and William Regal becomes the first person to join the new Vince McMahon Kiss My Ass club and thus avoids being fired.

November 24: IWA champion Nuevo Gran Apolo defeats Glamour Boy Shane in the best-of-three-falls main event at the Bruiser Brody Memorial Show in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Dutch Mantel, Tiger Ali Singh, Herberto Lopez, and Commissioner Savio Vega are among those who interfere in the third and deciding fall.

November 26: The Undertaker turns heel by forcing Jim Ross to “kiss” Vince McMahon’s butt on Raw in his native Oklahoma.

December 1: Scott Steiner debuts in World Wrestling All-Stars during a show in Birmingham, England. He loses the three-way main event when WWA champion Jeff Jarrett hits the other participant, Road Dogg, over the head with a guitar and scores the pinfall.

December 4: Ed Whalen, long-time broadcaster for Calgary’s Stampede Wrestling, dies several days after suffering a massive heart attack while on vacation in Florida. He was 74. Whalen was one of the featured speakers at the funeral of Helen Hart a month earlier … Rikishi returns to Smackdown and gives Vince McMahon the most disgusting stinkface ever. Due to a prematch stipulation, McMahon is actually supposed to kiss “The Great One’s” butt after the WWF chairman and Kurt Angle lost to Rock and Trish Stratus on Raw, but Rock gives Rikishi the honors. A serious shoulder injury had sidelined Rikishi for six months.

December 5: The law firm of Lovell & Stuart files a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all investors who acquired WWFE stock between its initial sale date of October 18, 1999, and December 6, 2000. The suit alleges WWFE violated federal securities laws by not disclosing several brokerages that served as underwriters for its initial public offering had allocated WWFE shares to its customers at $17 per share on the condition they would purchase additional shares at progressively higher prices. According to Lovell & Stuart, this allowed investors to sell the stock at artificially high prices, and resulted in substantial commissions being “kicked back” to the brokerages. WWFE denies any wrongdoing.

December 9: Chris Jericho unifies the WWF and World (formerly WCW) titles at Vengeance to become the first undisputed world champion in 40 years. In the mini-tournament to crown the undisputed champion, WWF champ Steve Austin defeats Kurt Angle, and Jericho beats WCW champ The Rock, leading to Y2J’s victory over Austin … Also at the pay-per-view, The Undertaker choke-slams Rob Van Dam off the stage and to the floor 20 feet below to capture the WWF hardcore belt, and Intercontinental champion Edge pins William Regal … During an appearance on the Get In The Ring radio show, former referee Billy Silverman blasts the WWF for condoning hazing. He accuses some WWF wrestlers, specifically Bradshaw, of continually harassing new employees.

December 10: Booker T forms an alliance with Vince McMahon and becomes the WWF chairman’s point man in his feud with Steve Austin. Booker and McMahon enjoy a skybox view of the unfolding events on Raw.

December 15: WWF developmental wrestler Russ Haas dies in his sleep of heart disease at his apartment in Cincinnati. Haas was 27. He had suffered a heart attack on September 24 and hadn’t wrestled since, though he was hoping to get clearance to on December 18. Russ and brother Charlie were assigned to the Heartland Wrestling Association at the time of his death and were considered promising prospects as a team by the WWF … Former WWF World champion Shawn Michaels appears on Excess. Michaels admits he would love to re-form The Kliq with Triple-H, X-Pac, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash. He claims to miss wrestling “every now and then,” but would have to check with his wife and doctors before considering a comeback … Shinay Hashimoto wins the vacant NWA title by beating Steve Corino and Gary Steele in a three-way bout.

December 20: Hulk Hogan appears on ESPN’s Unscripted and hints at a return to the WWF. Host Chris Connelly accuses Hogan of merely flirting with the fledgling XWF, and Hogan admits it is true. Hogan praises Vince McMahon for his business acumen, and Triple-H for his work ethic. He calls his WrestleMania III match against Andre the Giant the best of his career.

December 25: “Maniac” Mike Davis, a journeyman wrestler who gained some fame as a member of the Rock ‘n’ Roll RPMs tag team in the 1980s, dies of a heart attack at the age of 46 at his home in Granbury, Texas.
2002
January 7: Spike Dudley and Tazz score an upset victory over Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley for the WWF World tag team title on Raw, emanating from Madison Square Garden in New York. The underdogs thrive in the hardcore-rules match, and “Duchess Of Dudleyville” Stacy Keibler unintentionally distracts Buh Buh Ray with her shapely posterior, enabling Spike to nail D-Von with the Dudley dog and get the three-count … Richard Garza, who wrestled for most of his three-decade career as strongman The Mighty Igor and gained most of his fame in the Midwest, dies of a heart attack in Detroit. He was 70.

January 16: At an OVW television taping, Jim Cornette announces that Randy Orton will be promoted to WWE. Prototype (John Cena) challenges Orton to a final match and uses his Proto-plex to humble the promising youngster.

January 20: Less than three weeks after his return from a torn quadriceps, Triple-H eliminates Kurt Angle to win the Royal Rumble and earn a WWF undisputed title shot at WrestleMania X8. Goldust, Val Venis, and “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig make their returns to the company in the Rumble event. Also at the pay-per-view, undisputed champion Chris Jericho astounds his critics with another victory over The Rock, Ric Flair beats Vince McMahon in a streetfight between on-air co-owners, and Intercontinental champ William Regal uses his brass knuckles to score a surprise win over his challenger, Edge.

January 29: Dallas Page’s power of positive thinking helps him overcome Christian for the European title on Smackdown. Page uses his Diamond cutter on his rival to the delight of the fans at Virginia’s Norfolk Scope, where former WCW loyalists savor his victory.

February 3: Former NWA junior heavyweight champion Nelson Royal dies of a massive heart attack while driving home from church in Mooresville, North Carolina. After his retirement, Royal trained several prospects for Jim Crockett Jr.’s World Championship Wrestling and, later, Ken Shamrock. He was 70.

February 7: WWFE and DirecTV announce they have settled on a new contract after a four-month blackout, starting with October 2001’s No Mercy, had prevented DirecTV subscribers from watching WWF pay-per-views. Linda McMahon had asserted that DirecTV didn’t deserve so much of the profits because, unlike cable companies, it did not have the expense of marketing events through distributors. The new contract will be in effect until August 2003.

February 16: Tadao Yasuda wins an IWGP title tournament in Tokyo. The overweight, fortysomething superstar is considered an unlikely champion, but his martial arts background and his accomplishments in Japan’s Pride promotion give him credibility.

February 17: Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash re-form the NWO at No Way Out. Despite their insincere requests for a “clean slate,” the NWO members cause Steve Austin to lose his match against WWF undisputed champion Chris Jericho, and proceed to spray-paint “N-W-O” on his back afterward. Also at the pay-per-view, The Rock pins The Undertaker, special referee Stephanie McMahon helps Kurt Angle beat Triple-H to gain a WWE undisputed title shot at WrestleMania X8, and Intercontinental champion William Regal defeats Edge once again, this time in a “brass-knuckles-on-a-pole” match.

February 18: The Rock and Hulk Hogan debate who is “the best ever” during an electrifying face-to-face confrontation on Raw. Hogan accepts The Rock’s challenge to a match at WrestleMania X8. Moments later, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash help Hogan attack and spray-paint “The Great One,” and “Hollywood” drives a semi-truck into an ambulance containing the injured Rock. Also on the show, Triple-H is granted a rematch with Kurt Angle and defeats him to regain his WrestleMania title shot … Former WWF developmental wrestler Slick Robbie D dies.

February 18: Former WWE developmental wrestler Slick Robbie D (real name Robbie Dicks Jr.) commits suicide in Culver City, California. He was 32.

February 19: Robert “Swede” Hanson, who won several regional titles with partner Rip Hawk in the Southeast in the 1970s and enjoyed good runs as a heel in both the WWF and the Mid-Atlantic region, dies after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and diabetes. He was 68.

February 20: Prototype (John Cena) defeats Leviathan (Batista) for the Ohio Valley Wrestling title in Jeffersonville, Indiana. It is considered the biggest victory of the 23-year-old star’s fledgling career.

February 23: Ring of Honor brings together much of the top cruiserweight talent of the East and West Coasts at its debut show at the Murphy Recreational Center in Philadelphia. Low-Ki defeats Christopher Daniels and American Dragon in the three-way main event, and Super Crazy defeats Eddie Guerrero to become the first ROH Intercontinental champion … Former wrestler and Texas promoter Nick Roberts dies.

February 23: Nick Roberts, a long-time wrestler and promoter in Texas, and the father of popular 1980s valet Baby Doll, dies of pancreatic cancer at age 73.

February 24: Only a few weeks after jumping from New Japan, Keiji Muto loses the All-Japan Triple Crown to Toshiaki Kawada. It is Kawada’s fourth reign as champion. He defeats Muto with his folding power bomb … World Wrestling All-Stars holds its first pay-per-view in the United States, live from the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Although scheduled headliner Randy Savage fails to appear due to a financial dispute, WWA: The Revolution is considered a decent show by non-WWF standards. WWA champion Jeff Jarrett beats Savage’s replacement, Brian Christopher, in the main event.

March 1: The WWF embarks on its “Smackdown” tour of the Far East, beginning at Yokohama Arena in Tokyo. Additional stops are scheduled for Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

March 2: Donovan Morgan defeats A.J. Styles in the finals of the ECWA’s Super 8 Tournament. Morgan also beats HWA stars Pepper Parks and Jamie Noble en route to his victory.

March 4: Tony Gonzalez, one-half of the 1960s tag team known as The Masked Medics, is found dead in his home in South Mobile, Alabama.

March 9: Dan Severn defeats Shinya Hashimoto for the NWA title at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall. Controversy taints the victory after NWA President Jim Miller orders chief referee Fred Richards to speed up his three-counts when Hashimoto’s shoulders are on the mat. Fans voice their disapproval as the portly Miller prances around the ring.

March 17: The Rock defeats Hulk Hogan, who receives surprising support from the enthusiastic crowd at the Toronto SkyDome, to earn bragging rights as “the best ever” at WrestleMania X8. Along with Hogan, Flair helps steal the show, despite his bloody no-disqualification loss to The Undertaker, who extends his WrestleMania undefeated streak to 10-0. Triple-H makes his comeback complete by defeating Chris Jericho, who has Stephanie McMahon in his corner, for the WWF undisputed title in the main event. Also at the pay-per-view, Rob Van Dam defeats William Regal for the Intercontinental title, and European champion Dallas Page pins Christian. WrestleMania X8 draws 68,237 people to the Toronto SkyDome, breaking WrestleMania VI’s record at the same venue, and generates $3.9-million at the gate.

March 27: Steve Wilkos, the bald-headed security chief for The Jerry Springer Show, makes his debut at a sold-out MCW show in Glen Burnie, Maryland. The 6’3”, 220-pound former Chicago cop helps Gillberg put away Chad Bowman and Dino Divine with double-sleepers.

April 1: Ric Flair and Vince McMahon participate in a brand extension draft, assembling the rosters for Raw and Smackdown, respectively. McMahon, who won a coin toss to earn the first pick for Smackdown, selects The Rock, along with Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Edge, and WWF World tag team champions Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo. Flair chooses The Undertaker, the NWO as a unit, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Kane, Brock Lesnar, and Buh Buh Ray Dudley, among others. Steve Austin is not part of the draft because he walked out of WWE the day after WrestleMania X8. Both Raw and Smackdown continue to recognize undisputed champion Triple-H and women’s champ Jazz.

April 2: Second-generation wrestler Bobby Managoff, a former National Wrestling Association and AWA champion, dies in Chicago after being in poor health for many years. He was 85.

April 11: Publishing pioneer Stanley Weston, founder of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, The Wrestler, Inside Wrestling, and many boxing magazine titles, dies after a nine-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 82.

April 18: Dallas Page aggravates existing back injuries during a match against Hardcore Holly on Smackdown. Page schedules appointments with several spinal specialists to determine whether he should have surgery, retire, or both.

April 19: The Rock’s first starring vehicle, The Scorpion King, makes it nationwide premiere and earns $36.2-million in the first three days of its release. It reaches a total of $60.8-million within 10 days … Long-time wrestling and football great Ed “Wahoo” McDaniel dies of renal failure and diabetes at Houston’s Cy-Fair Medical Clinic. McDaniel had great runs in Texas, the Southeast, and the Mid-Atlantic area, among other regions, and held numerous regional titles (including the National and U.S. heavyweight belts) before retiring in 1996. He was 63.

April 21: Hulk Hogan beats Triple-H for his sixth WWF title at Backlash. After Chris Jericho prevents Hogan’s pin of Triple-H, The Undertaker interferes by smashing Helmsley with a chair, enabling “Hollywood” to deliver the legdrop for the pinfall. Also at the pay-per-view, Eddie Guerrero defeats Rob Van Dam for his second Intercontinental belt, Kurt Angle “goes Olympic” and hands Edge another PPV loss, and Tajiri regains the cruiserweight strap from Billy Kidman.

April 22: Bret Hart attempts to communicate with deceased relatives—including brothers Dean and Owen, and mother Helen—on ABC’s Contact: Talking To The Dead. The program airs opposite Raw’s second hour.

April 27: Spanky wins the right to call himself Shawn Michaels’ best student at a Ring of Honor show in Philadelphia. Paul London, John Hope, Michael Shane, and American Dragon also compete in the gauntlet series, with Spanky using an acid drop to pin Dragon in the final match. Also at the show, WWF Intercontinental champ Eddie Guerrero teams with The Amazing Red to defeat Joel and Jose Maximo.

April 28: Six-time former NWA World champion Lou Thesz, who held that title for a total of 18 years between 1937 and 1966 and is considered by many to be the greatest wrestler of all-time, dies following a triple-bypass and an aortic valve replacement in Orlando, Florida. He had celebrated his 86th birthday just four days earlier.

May 4: Triple-H defeats The Undertaker in the main event of the U.K.’s Insurexxion, emanating from Wembley Arena in London. Also at the pay-per-view, Steve Austin beats The Big Show, European champion Spike Dudley embarrasses William Regal in front of his countrymen to retain his title, and former WWF World tag team champs The Hardy Boyz defeat Brock Lesnar and Shawn Stasiak.

May 6: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler announce that the World Wrestling Federation has changed its name to World Wrestling Entertainment during a broadcast of Raw. The company had lost a series of legal battles with the World Wide Fund For Nature, most recently a decision in a British high court, for the right to use the “WWF” acronym.

May 14: Erich Kulas, the aspiring young wrestler who was involved in an infamous 1996 incident in an ECW ring in Massachusetts in which he bled profusely at the hands of New Jack, is found dead in his home in Cranston, Rhode Island. He was 22.

May 16: Former FMW President Shoichi Arai is found dead of an apparent suicide in Tokyo … “Big” Dick Dudley (real name Alex Rizzo), the mostly silent enforcer of the Dudley clan in ECW, is found dead in his apartment in New York. He had been suffering from numerous health problems since he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in 2001. He was 34.

May 17: Davey Boy Smith, 39, is found dead of a heart attack during a vacation in British Columbia with his girlfriend, Andrea Hart. Smith began wrestling at age 15 and had great runs in the WWF as both a member of The British Bulldogs with Dynamite Kid and as a singles star. He also excelled in WCW, in Japan, and in Calgary. He was training his 16-year-old son Harry at the time of his death.

May 19: The Undertaker ends Hulk Hogan’s 28-day reign as WWE undisputed champ at Judgment Day. Vince McMahon distracts Hogan, who gives his long-time employer a legdrop. UT capitalizes by smashing a steel chair across Hogan’s back and executing a choke-slam to capture the title. Undertaker continues the onslaught after the match. Also at the pay-per-view, Steve Austin defeats The Big Show and Raw owner Ric Flair in a handicap bout, Triple-H defeats Chris Jericho in a “Hell In A Cell” match that sends referee Tim White to the hospital with a separated shoulder, and Edge shaves Kurt Angle bald after winning a hair vs. hair bout.

May 28: NWA Vice President Bill Behrens strips Dan Severn of the heavyweight title because of his inability to appear at NWA-TNA’s inaugural pay-per-view event the following month. Severn was already committed to a mixed martial arts competition the same night.

June 10: Just as he did right after WrestleMania X8, Steve Austin leaves WWE, but this time he walks out just hours before a Raw on which he was to be featured prominently goes on the air. Vince McMahon considers this an unforgivable act and condemns Austin on a Confidential broadcast later in the week.

June 19: NWA-TNA begins its weekly pay-per-view series with an event from Huntsville, Alabama. Ken Shamrock eliminates Malice (formerly known as The Wall) to win the main event, a “Gauntlet For The Gold” competition for the vacant NWA championship. Also on the pay-per-view, Jorge Estrada, Sonny Siaki, and Jimmy Yang defeat Jerry Lynn, A.J. Styles, and Low-Ki, Richard and Rod Johnson (The Shane Twins) beat James Storm and Psicosis, and the Dupps defeat Joey Matthews and Christian York. Like all subsequent TNA PPVs, the two-hour show costs $9.95.

June 20: WWE posts a startling announcement on its Web site that reads, “World Wrestling Entertainment welcomes back Vince Russo to the creative writing staff.” This is a surprise to many WWE insiders, including Hulk Hogan, Triple-H, and The Undertaker. Vince McMahon’s ears ache from howls of protest. Russo would be demoted to at-home consultant before he ever begins work and would leave the company before signing a contract.

June 22: Low-Ki defeats Prince Nana and The Amazing Red, Christopher Daniels beats Scoot Andrews and A.J. Styles, Spanky defeats Paul London and Jody Fleisch, and Doug Williams scores wins over Jay Briscoe and American Dragon at Ring of Honor’s “Road To The Title” show in Philadelphia. Low-Ki, Daniels, Spanky, and Williams earn spots in a four-way match for the newly created Ring of Honor championship.

June 24: Bret Hart hits a pothole while riding his bicycle in Calgary, flies over the handlebars, and knocks his head against a curb. Hart, who isn’t wearing a helmet, feels the symptoms of a stroke immediately. Physicians say the “Hitman” will have to undergo six months of rehabilitation to relearn how to walk.

June 26: Brock Lesnar defeats Test in the semifinals, and then Rob Van Dam in the tournament final to become the 2002 King of the Ring. Lesnar’s agent, Paul Heyman, distracts Van Dam long enough for “The Next Big Thing” to plant RVD with the F5. Also at the pay-per-view, The Rock’s interference doesn’t prevent The Undertaker from retaining the WWE undisputed title against Triple-H, Kurt Angle uses his anklelock to force Hulk Hogan into submission, and Jamie Noble beats Billy Kidman and defending champ The Hurricane in a three-way match for the cruiserweight belt.

July 1: Leon “Vader” White concludes a bizarre evening of catching bullfrogs and catfish by driving his sports utility vehicle into a neighbor’s bush near his home in Boulder County, Colorado. When police confront him, he responds by threatening to kill the officers’ dogs, grabbing two baseball-sized rocks, and spitting at a state trooper. He is charged with drunken driving, resisting arrest, and several other offenses. White already had two drunken driving arrests on his record in Boulder County.

July 8: Kevin Nash goes down in agony after suffering a torn quadriceps during a 10-man tag team match on Raw. Nash was teaming with X-Pac, The Big Show, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero against I-C champ Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Goldust, Buh Buh Ray Dudley, and Spike Dudley. It is predicted that Nash will miss at least six months.

July 10: During a meeting with an InDemand executive prior to an NWA-TNA event, the Jarretts learn their pay-per-views are drawing buy rates that are only in the 20,000 range, a far cry from the 50,000 to 80,000 they claim their consultant, Jay Hassman, was suggesting. The Jarretts question Hassman’s integrity when they learn that he is also working for Team Services, which handles WWE’s PPV account.

July 15: Vince McMahon introduces his fiercest rival ever, former WCW President Eric Bischoff, as the new general manager of Raw. Fans gasp as McMahon greets Bischoff with a big hug on the entrance ramp. Booker T sums up most people’s feelings about Bischoff’s surprise appearance: “Tell me I did not just see that!”

July 17: Reckless Youth wins the 2002 Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup at Michael’s Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, Maryland. He defeats Tough Enough 2’s Danny Carney in a qualifying bout, and emerges victorious in a six-way elimination match also involving Xavier, Adam Flash, Trent Acid, The Amazing Red, and the 2001 Shamrock Cup winner, Joey Matthews.

July 21: The Rock breaks the record for most WWE World titles by winning his seventh at Vengeance. “The Great One” uses the Rock bottom to pin Kurt Angle in a three-way match also involving defending champ The Undertaker to win the championship. Also at the pay-per-view, Lance Storm and Christian defeat Hulk Hogan and Edge for the World tag team belts, and Intercontinental champion Rob Van Dam beats Brock Lesnar by disqualification.

July 22: Triple-H defects to Raw after close friend Shawn Michaels persuades him to make the jump for “fun and friendship.” Michaels seemingly wants a DX reunion, but Triple-H has other plans.

July 27: Low-Ki gains the most falls in a 60-minute “Ironman” match also involving Christopher Daniels, Spanky, and Doug Williams to win the newly created Ring of Honor title at “Crowning Of A Champion” in Philadelphia. He tearfully dedicates his victory to the late Russ Haas, brother of WWE developmental wrestler Charlie Haas.

August 1: Don Owen, who promoted wrestling in Portland for 54 years (ending in 1992) and was one of the few regional promoters to survive Vince McMahon’s national expansion in the 1980s, dies at the age of 90 … Two men enter The Messiah’s California apartment and use garden shears to cut off one of his thumbs. Messiah’s loud screams prompt the assailants to flee the scene before doing even more harm. The indy star had recently left Xtreme Pro Wrestling and was concentrating primarily on his East Coast career in Combat Zone Wrestling.

August 7: Ron Killings becomes the first African-American to win the NWA title by pinning Ken Shamrock at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Nashville, Tennessee. Special referee Rick Steamboat draws criticism for rolling Shamrock back into the ring, although Gran Apolo’s blatant interference is what caused him to fall out in the first place. Steamboat makes the three-count nonetheless.

August 13: Steve Austin posts a bond of $5,000 and is released from custody after being arrested for misdemeanor assault. The previous day, a judge in Bexar County, Texas, had issued a warrant for Austin’s arrest, stemming from a domestic abuse incident involving Austin and his wife, Debra, in June.

August 14: Don Harris causes controversy when he wears a T-shirt with a racist symbol, the lightning “S” logo once promoted by German Nazis, in the ring against Malice at an NWA-TNA pay-per-view. TNA officials later release a statement apologizing for the incident and stating they “have taken steps to make sure something like that doesn’t happen again.”

August 25: Brock Lesnar defeats The Rock for the undisputed WWE title at SummerSlam, held at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. Many fans cheer Lesnar and boo The Rock as “The Next Big Thing” uses an F5 to earn a clean pinfall over the so-called people’s champion, who is headed back to Hollywood. Also at the pay-per-view, Rob Van Dam beats Chris Benoit to regain the Intercontinental championship, and Shawn Michaels—in his first WWE match in more than four years—emerges victorious in a streetfight against former DX teammate Triple-H.

August 26: General Manager Stephanie McMahon announces that WWE undisputed champ Brock Lesnar has become exclusive property of Smackdown. Lesnar’s agent, Paul Heyman says they agreed to Stephanie’s deal in return for “a wad of cash.”

August 30: Bill Goldberg steamrolls Satoshi Kojima at an All-Japan show at Tokyo’s Budokan Hall, his first match in 20 months. He defeats Taiyo Kea just as easily the following night at the same venue.

August 31: Charlie Haas and Nova defeat Doug Basham and Damaja in the final of the inaugural Russ Haas Memorial Tag Team Tournament in Toms River, New Jersey. Phoenix Championship Wrestling tag team champions Tiger Khan and Prophet, Steve Corino and The Amazing Red, the Maximos, Chris Divine and Quiet Storm, Malice and Seven, Da Hit Squad, Joey Matthews and Christian York, Bo Dupp and Matt Vandal, Lance Cade and Nick Dinsmore, and The Ballard Brothers are among the other participants … Xtreme Pro Wrestling stages “Hostile Takeover” at the old ECW Arena in Philadelphia, 18 months after its extreme rival had gone out of business. In the company’s East Coast debut, XPW champion Shane Douglas is awarded a victory after Terry Funk’s arm is cut wide open by glass from a broken beer bottle, Supreme bashes Angel with light tubes to retain his King of the Deathmatch title, and TV champ Kaos beats Chris Hamrick with help from his associates, G.Q Money and Veronica Caine.

September 2: Eric Bischoff crowns Triple-H the first “World heavyweight champion” of Raw (dubbed the Raw title by PWI and its sister publications) in response to WWE champion Brock Lesnar becoming exclusive property of Smackdown. Triple-H retains his newly awarded title against 16-time former world champion Ric Flair later in the night.

September 4: Smackdown champion Brock Lesnar distracts Doug Basham, enabling Chris Benoit to use a German suplex to pin the hated Ohio Valley star in the main event of “Fall Brawl,” held in Louisville, Kentucky. Basham had been slated for a Smackdown title shot against Lesnar, who was not allowed to wrestle due to an injured elbow … Former WCW promoter Mike Lima dies of a heart attack at his home in Clearwater, Florida. Lima, 39, had also been involved with the fledgling XWF.

September 9: Raw hits a new low as General Manager Eric Bischoff instructs Ultimate Pro Wrestling divas Jenny Loony Lane and Savvy to engage in “hot lesbian action,” dubbed HLA for short, before they are brutally attacked by Jamal and Rosie. Bischoff justifies the display by stating, “Controversy equals cash.” The following day, TNN issues a press release condemning the incident. At the same show, Bradshaw suffers a torn biceps while teaming with Kane against Un-Americans Lance Storm and Christian. The injury occurs when Bradshaw attempts his clothesline from hell with his left arm, instead of his right. Bradshaw finishes the match and helps rescue Kane from an attack by the other two Un-Americans, William Regal and Test, later in the program. Bradshaw is expected to undergo four to six months of extensive rehabilitation before making his return.

September 12: Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo say “I don’t” at the last moment during their commitment ceremony on Smackdown. Although this is considered one of WWE’s most outrageous stunts ever, the company receives surprisingly positive press and even an endorsement from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) before the show airs.

September 18: Sean Waltman debuts on NWA-TNA at the side of former NWO teammate Scott Hall. “Before we get fired from this place, which we probably will, let’s go down in a blaze of glory and kick some ass,” he says. The previous month, Waltman and WWE mutually agreed to a parting of the ways due mainly to creative differences. WWE allows Waltman to use “Syxx-Pac” as his ring moniker … Joey Matthews and Christian York are forced to break up their team in Maryland Championship Wrestling after losing a special stipulation match to their long-time rivals Rich Myers and Earl the Pearl at “Tag Wars 2K2” in Glen Burnie, Maryland. The Holy Rollers take advantage of a high-flying mistake by Matthews to earn the victory in the falls-count-anywhere match.

September 21: Rocco Rock (real name Ted Petty) dies of a heart attack while driving from an independent show in Jersey City, New Jersey, to another in Philadelphia. He made his pro debut in 1978 but didn’t make it big until 15 years later as one-half of the hardcore tag team Public Enemy in ECW. He and Johnny Grunge won four ECW and one WCW tag title together and also had several stints in the WWF. He was 49.

September 22: The Undertaker battles Smackdown champion Brock Lesnar to a double-disqualification at Unforgiven. It is the first non-finish of a WWE pay-per-view main event in four years. Both combatants manhandle the referee before he calls for the bell. Also at the pay-per-view, Ric Flair shocks the crowd by hitting Rob Van Dam with a sledgehammer to help Triple-H keep his Raw title, Trish Stratus beats Molly Holly for the women’s strap, and Chris Benoit uses the ropes for leverage to pin Kurt Angle.

September 25: NWA-TNA X champion Jerry Lynn scores a big win for his division by defeating NWA heavyweight champion Ron Killings. A.J. Styles and Kid Kash, Lynn’s rivals, give him an assist in a show of divisional pride. Only Lynn’s X title is on the line. Killings had gained a tainted victory over Lynn when he defended the NWA belt against him the previous week.

September 29: Mike “The Alaskan” York, an outstanding tag team wrestler in the 1960s and 1970s, dies of heart failure at age 61.

October 7: Raw champion Triple-H accuses Intercontinental champ Kane of killing his high school sweetheart, Katie Vick, in a drunk driving accident and raping her corpse many years earlier. It is the beginning of WWE’s most controversial storyline ever.

October 8: A jury clears WWE of all charges relating to the sexual harassment lawsuit filed by bodybuilder Nicole Bass in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Bass had accused agent Steve Lombardi (The Brooklyn Brawler) of groping her during a flight to England in May 1999, and alleged that WWE engaged in a pattern of physical abuse leading to her wrongful termination.

October 14: Masa Chono escapes the clutches of Joanie Laurer’s STF to plant the former WWE diva with a kick and score the pinfall at the Tokyo Dome. He then gives Laurer a spanking for good measure. Chono says he won’t grant Laurer a rematch unless she undergoes a sex change.

October 16: NWA champion Ron Killings blinds Curt Hennig with a foreign substance, and receives a low-blow assist from Jeff Jarrett, to retain his title at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Nashville. The following week, Mr. Wrestling III hands Killings a pair of brass knuckles to knock out Hennig for another dirty win.

October 20: Triple-H unifies his Raw title with Kane’s Intercontinental championship at No Mercy, where he smashes “The Big Red Machine” with a sledgehammer and finishes him off with the pedigree. Also at the pay-per-view, Smackdown champion Brock Lesnar devastates The Undertaker with the F5 to emerge victorious inside a “Hell In A Cell,” and Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit defeat Rey Misterio Jr. and Edge in a scientific thriller to win the newly created Smackdown tag team championship in a tournament final.

October 21: Raw champ Triple-H enters a funeral parlor, wearing a Kane mask and a T-shirt that reads “Big Freakin’ Machine,” and jumps into a casket supposedly containing the remains of Katie Vick. He simulates a sexual act and then makes a disgusting comment. In response to critics, WWE producer Kevin Dunn says, “While the subject matter is sensitive, on balance this was an attempt at dark humor capitalizing on the popularity of programs such as CSI, Six Feet Under, and X-Files.”

October 22: The Big Show jumps to Smackdown and begins a rampage against stars such as Rikishi, The Undertaker, and Rey Misterio Jr. while demanding a shot at champion Brock Lesnar. Raw receives a number of Smackdown wrestlers in return for Big Show.

October 26: Heavyweight champion Ron Killings defeats Hotstuff Hernandez at the NWA’s 54th anniversary show in Corpus Christi, Texas. Also at the event, junior heavyweight champion Jason Rumble beats Rocky Reynolds, and tag team champs Chris Harris and James Storm defeat Reynolds and A.J. Styles. There are other matches for the women’s, North American, Texas state, Canadian, and U.K. championships. Richard Arpin of NWA Tri-State replaces Jim Miller as NWA president, and Fredric G. Rubenstein of NWA Over the Top succeeds Bill Behrens as vice president.

October 31: Ed “Moose” Cholak, one of the sport’s best big men of the 1960s and ‘70s, dies a few days after suffering a stroke. He was 72.

November 1: Former DX teammates Syxx-Pac (Sean Waltman) and Joanie Laurer make their engagement official at The Deep in Los Angeles. The lovebirds then head for Las Vegas for a vacation.

November 5: Brian Blair nearly pulls off an upset in a race for Hillsborough County commissioner in Florida. Blair, a Republican, leads the polls throughout the day, due in part to a last-minute campaign blitz that included Hulk Hogan’s endorsement in a commercial that aired during the previous night’s Raw. Democratic incumbent Pat Frank rallies to win with 51 percent of the vote.

November 17: Shawn Michaels wins a six-way match inside the “Elimination Chamber” and is awarded the Raw title at Survivor Series. The other participants are Chris Jericho, Kane, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, and defending champ Triple-H. Van Dam’s dive from the top of a cage door causes “The Game” to suffer a crushed trachea. Four other new champions are crowned at the pay-per-view: Smackdown champion The Big Show (who beats Brock Lesnar), Smackdown tag team champions Los Guerreros (who defeat Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit, along with defending titleholders Rey Misterio Jr. and Edge), women’s champion Victoria (who beats Trish Stratus in a hardcore match), and cruiserweight champion Billy Kidman (who ends Jamie Noble’s five-month reign). Also at the event, D-Von Dudley reunites with Buh Buh Ray and Spike Dudley, and Scott Steiner makes his first televised WWE appearance in a decade when he attacks Christopher Nowinski of Raw and Matt Hardy of Smackdown.

November 20: Mr. Wrestling III does yet another run-in on a TNA pay-per-view, this time during Ron Killings’ NWA title defense against Jeff Jarrett. After Mr. Wrestling III smashes a “Slapnuts” guitar over Killings’ head, Jarrett pins him for the NWA belt. III unmasks to reveal Vince Russo underneath.

November 22: Long-time Tennessee star and former WWF preliminary wrestler Billy Joe Travis dies of a heart attack at his mother’s home in London, Kentucky. He was 41.

November 25: Steve Austin pleads no contest to misdemeanor assault charges filed after he was involved in a domestic incident with his wife, Debra, in June. A judge in Bexar County, Texas, sentences Austin to a $1,000 fine, one year’s probation, 80 hours of community service, counseling for family violence, and a one-year prohibition on drinking alcohol, except during his wrestling performances.

November 26: NWA-TNA releases Syxx-Pac (Sean Waltman), stating that he informed officials that he would no-show his second pay-per-view within a month. Waltman counters that he decided to leave TNA because he doesn’t want to work with Vince Russo, whom he feels has no respect for the business. He had been slated to team with Curt Hennig against NWA tag team champions Brian Lee and Slash.

November 29: Independent star Jeff Peterson dies in Tampa, Florida, after a two-year-plus struggle with cancer. He was 21.

November 30: “Mr. Wrestling” Tim Woods, one of the most famous and most successful masked wrestlers in history, dies after suffering a massive heart attack in his home in Charlotte, North Carolina. Woods also wrestled without the mask during a pro career that started in 1962 and ended in 1983. He was 68.

December 4: Roddy Piper blames Vince Russo for the death of Owen Hart during a surprise appearance on NWA-TNA to promote his autobiography, In The Pit With Piper. Russo enters the ring to rebut Piper’s rant, but “Hot Rod” refuses to give him the microphone. TNA officials insist that neither Piper nor Russo had orchestrated that part of the show in advance.

December 6: Lex Luger beats perennial rival Sting for the vacant World Wrestling All-Stars championship in Glasgow, Scotland. The WWA tour marks the return of both men to action since the demise of the AOL Time Warner-owned WCW in March 2001. Sting wins the title in a three-way match with Luger and Malice a week later. Sting and Luger, who are former WCW World tag team champions, also join forces during the tour.

December 7: Abdullah the Butcher debuts in Ring of Honor at the Murphy Recreational Center in Philadelphia. He and Homicide carve out a victory against The Carnage Crew, DeVito and H.C. Loc. “The Madman From The Sudan” causes a full-scale melee involving the much of the locker room before the night is over.

December 14: The final broadcast of Championship Wrestling, the latest incarnation of Memphis wrestling, airs on WMC channel 5. Unfortunately, the potentially historic program—which ended 30 years of local televised wrestling in Memphis—was only a repeat.

December 15: At Armageddon, Triple-H regains the Raw title from Shawn Michaels in a best-of-three-falls specialties bout, which includes a streetfight, a cage match, and a ladder match. Michaels wins the streetfight, but Triple-H rallies to score the second fall inside the steel cage and succeeds in climbing the ladder to recapture his Raw gold. Also at the pay-per-view, Kurt Angle gets help from Brock Lesnar’s F5 to overcome the interference of Paul Heyman and A-Train en route to pinning The Big Show for the Smackdown title, Booker T and Goldust win a four-way elimination bout for the Raw tag team belts, and Al Wilson prevents Dawn Marie from showing all the footage of her hotel room romp with his daughter, Torrie.

December 17: Raw champion Triple-H is diagnosed with a partially torn quadriceps and a massive hematoma in his right thigh. “The Game” thought he was simply suffering from a charley horse following a match against Jeff Hardy on Raw, but aggravated the condition during a house show in Fort Myers, Florida. He received an anti-inflammatory drug and had his right thigh heavily taped during his Armageddon match against Shawn Michaels. Triple-H tore his left quadriceps in 2001.

December 18: David Flair and The Road Warriors debut in NWA-TNA, as Flair joins Vince Russo’s Sports Entertainment Xtreme group, and The Road Warriors join Bob Armstrong’s band of old schoolers. In TNA’s final pay-per-view of the year, Russo tears down the set to prepare for a new era in 2003.

December 19: Smackdown champion Kurt Angle undergoes arthroscopic knee surgery to repair torn cartilage. Angle had been suffering from the injury for some time, and WWE officials thought December—with a 10-day break incorporated into the touring schedule—was the best time for the procedure.

December 27: Steve Austin promotes an autograph signing during a radio interview on Wise Guys, Black Guys, And Rabbis, airing in New York. Austin says that rigorous training and a special diet have enabled him to fine-tune his physique into a muscular 265 pounds—superb fighting shape for a return to WWE.
2003
January 3: Jim Ross files his final “Ross Report,” which had become known as the definitive online commentary regarding the inner workings of WWE. The vice president of talent relations cites his busy schedule and the wrestling media’s tendency to overanalyze his comments. “I have never intended to slight any talent, but the mere omission of a particular talent from the ‘Ross Report’ can be perceived as a negative for that individual,” he notes. “That was never my goal, but it seemed like the column oftentimes took on a life of its own, with many often writing about what J.R. ‘really was saying.’”

January 9: Naoto Morishita, president of the mixed martial arts company Pride, hangs himself in a Tokyo hotel room just hours after expressing optimism about his promotion’s future in a press conference. He was 42.

January 13: Raw’s 10th anniversary special airs on TNN. While there had been rumors that Steve Austin might return from his long hiatus to appear on this special, the two-hour program turns out to be simply a nostalgic look back at Raw’s first decade. The Rock appears “live via satellite,” although it seems suspiciously like “live on tape,” and the absence of the decade’s biggest superstars—including Austin, Mick Foley, The Undertaker, and Bret Hart—makes the special an overall disappointment. Nevertheless, Raw’s 10th anniversary program is the highest-rated special that WWE has ever produced for TNN.

January 19: Brock Lesnar, who defeated The Big Show earlier on the show, eliminates The Undertaker to win the Royal Rumble and earn a WWE Smackdown title shot at WrestleMania XIX. The Rumble is the first major event to feature both Raw and Smackdown superstars, 15 from each brand, in the same ring since the brand extension in April 2002. Also at the pay-per-view, Smackdown champion Kurt Angle defeats Chris Benoit in a breathtaking match, Scott Steiner beats Raw champion Triple-H by disqualification in a lackluster encounter, and The Dudley Boyz win the Raw tag team title from William Regal and Lance Storm. … Legendary madman The Sheik—real name Edward Farhat—dies of liver and kidney failure in a Lansing, Michigan, hospital at age 76. The despised Sheik, a huge star in Detroit and Toronto in the 1960s, regularly used fireballs, pencils, forks, and other weapons to retain the U.S. title. The Hall of Famer also challenged for the WWWF title. In later years, he trained Sabu, his nephew, and Rob Van Dam.

January 22: Elix Skipper and Low-Ki defeat Chris Harris and James Storm for the NWA tag team belts at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Nashville. As the two legal men, Low-Ki and Storm, lay in the ring, Skipper hits Harris with a title belt and drapes Low-Ki’s arm over Storm to score the victory after 15 minutes of action.

January 23: On the 19th anniversary of his first WWF title victory over The Iron Sheik, Hulk Hogan returns to Smackdown, promising to make the most of what could become his farewell tour. The live crowd gives Hogan a standing ovation that lasts nearly 10 minutes. Vince McMahon also returns to Smackdown, vowing to destroy his most famous “creation.”

January 29: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express debut in NWA-TNA. They pretend to be trying to save America’s Most Wanted from a gang-style attack, but instead attack them with chair shots and align themselves with Vince Russo’s SEX faction.

February 3: Shadito Cruz, patriarch of one of the most famous families in Lucha Libre (sons Brazo de Oro, Brazo de Platina, El Brazo, Super Brazo, and Brazo de Plata and several grandchildren became stars in Mexico), dies of pneumonia.

February 5: During an appearance on The Tonight Show, Jesse Ventura confirms that he will host a nightly prime time program on MSNBC. Executives hope the former Minnesota governor will become a signature personality for their network, in the mold of CNN’s Larry King and the Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly. “I’m going to educate ‘em, entertain ‘em, and tell people the truth,” Ventura tells Jay Leno. “I don’t know if they’re ready for me. If there’s one person that can get MSNBC off the air, you’re looking at it.”

February 10: Former AWA World, WWF Intercontinental, and WCW U.S. champ Curt Hennig, one of the biggest stars of the 1980s, dies of acute cocaine intoxication. Hennig, 44, was the son of wrestler Larry “The Ax” Hennig and gained his greatest fame as “Mr. Perfect” in the WWF, where he wrestled as recently as 2002. He was found dead in a Florida hotel room hours before he was to wrestle on an independent card.

February 18: Tony Altimore, best known for his brief 1967 reign as a WWWF U.S. tag team champion with Lou Albano, his partner in The Sicilians, dies shortly after undergoing surgery for a detached retina. He was 74.

February 19: Revolution members Damaja (Danny Basham) and Doug Basham have a falling-out during a three-way match also involving Nick Dinsmore, allowing Dinsmore to pin Damaja for the Ohio Valley Wrestling heavyweight title. This leads to a vicious feud between Damaja and Basham, despite the fact that they later form a tag team as The Basham Brothers for Smackdown.

February 23: Steve Austin makes his WWE return after an eight-month absence and stomps a mudhole in Eric Bischoff at No Way Out. Austin appears a bit heavier in the lopsided match, in which he gives the Raw general manager a total of four stunners. “Stone-Cold” had walked out of WWE just prior to a live edition of Raw in June 2002. Also at the pay-per-view, Vince McMahon helps The Rock beat Hulk Hogan in their long-awaited rematch from WrestleMania X8, Raw champion Triple-H relies on interference from Evolution to pin Scott Steiner, and Brock Lesnar teams with Chris Benoit to defeat Smackdown champion Kurt Angle, Shelton Benjamin, and Charlie Haas … Shinya Hashimoto defeats hometown favorite The Great Muta (Keiji Muto) for the All-Japan Triple Crown at Budokan Hall in Tokyo. Hashimoto uses Muta’s own finishing move, the shining wizard, to win the hard-hitting match at the 20-minute mark. He becomes the first man to hold the All-Japan Triple Crown, IWGP, and NWA championships.

March 1: Kenta Kobashi defeats Mitsuharu Misawa for Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Global Honored Crown at Budokan Hall in Tokyo. Kobashi, despite his perennially aching knees, unleashes his burning hammer maneuver and his signature lariat to wear down Misawa. The rivalry between the two stars dates back to their respective reigns as All-Japan Triple Crown champion. Misawa, who often accused Kobashi of defending the Triple Crown against inferior challengers, announces there will be no rematch for the GHC title.

March 10: Edge undergoes spinal surgery. After discovering bone spurs touching Edge’s spinal cord and cutting off several nerves, Dr. Lloyd Youngblood of San Antonio grafts a portion of Edge’s hipbone between two vertebrae, stabilizing the problem for at least a few more years. The surgery takes five hours instead of the scheduled 3 1/2 because of the extent of the damage. The 29-year-old star is expected to miss about 12 months.

March 12: Christopher Daniels and Low-Ki beat America’s Most Wanted to capture the vacant NWA tag team championship at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Nashville. Triple-X uses one of their favorite tactics, as Low-Ki nails Chris Harris with a title belt to score the tainted victory after 12 minutes of action. The NWA tag team title was declared vacant after a February 5 match pitting Elix Skipper and Low-Ki against Brian Lee and Slash ended in controversy. At the same NWA-TNA pay-per-view, Glenn Gilberti suckers TNA dancer Lollipop into the ring for a catfight with Holly Wood. During the scratching and squirming, Lollipop’s right breast is exposed momentarily, but instead of giving her foe time to compose herself, Wood rips off the rest of Lollipop’s top. Lollipop continues fighting as announcer Jeremy Borash takes his sweet time in covering her chest … Janet Jackson has an idea.

March 19: Hiromichi “Kodo” Fuyuki, who made a name for himself as a wrestler for All-Japan and later as a wrestler and matchmaker for FMW and, finally, WEW, dies of cancer at age 42.

March 20: “Sailor” Art Thomas, a popular African-American star in the WWWF, Tennessee, Indiana, Florida, Texas, and elsewhere in the 1960s and 1970s, dies a month after being diagnosed with cancer. He was 79.

March 22: Steve Corino’s Group clashes with Christopher Daniels’ Prophecy at Ring of Honor’s “Night Of Champions” in Philadelphia. Michael Shane nails Daniels with a superkick, and C.W. Anderson punches Prophecy valet Allison Danger to start the feud. The Group gains more power when Samoa Joe defeats Xavier for the ROH title in the main event.

March 23: “Bruiser” Brian Cox, an 11-year veteran of the independent circuit in Oregon, dies of a heart attack at age 32.

March 30: Brock Lesnar defeats Kurt Angle for the WWE Smackdown title in the main event of WrestleMania XIX, held at Safeco Field in Seattle. Lesnar overcomes a botched shooting star press attempt to pin Angle in this clash between WWE’s top amateur stars. Also at the pay-per-view, Ric Flair helps Raw champion Triple-H beat Booker T, Hulk Hogan finishes off Vince McMahon with three legdrops to win a bloody streetfight against his long-time boss, Shawn Michaels pins Chris Jericho, and The Rock scores a rare clean pinfall over Steve Austin. WrestleMania XIX breaks the stadium’s attendance record by drawing 54,097 fans.

March 31: Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff presents a doctor’s note cataloguing Steve Austin’s extensive list of injuries, and proclaims that “Stone-Cold” will no longer be allowed to wrestle due to liability issues. Austin later confirms his degenerating physical condition in an exchange with Jonathan Coachman, responding, “My neck sucks, Eric Bischoff fired me; my neck sucks” … Bill Goldberg makes his WWE debut on the same edition of Raw. As The Rock announces his departure from WWE for Hollywood, Goldberg marches to the ring, informs “The Great One” that he’s “next,” and spears him to end the show. Negotiations between Goldberg and WWE had been ongoing for several months.

April 1: Sable makes a surprise return to WWE, appearing at a Smackdown taping. She gives Torrie Wilson a quick kiss, but seems jealous of Wilson’s recent pictorial in Playboy. Vince McMahon shocked insiders by rehiring Sable, who had filed a $110-million sexual harassment lawsuit against WWE in 1999 and testified in Nicole Bass’ lawsuit against the company in 2002.

April 4: Kurt Angle undergoes “minimally invasive spine surgery,” a term coined by his surgeon, Dr. Hae-Dong Jho of Pittsburgh. WWE officials assumed that Angle’s match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XIX was his last for a year or more, but Dr. Jho read about his plight in a local newspaper and offered to perform an innovative procedure to save the Olympian’s career. Instead of fusing Angle’s vertebrae together, Dr. Jho individually reconstructs each damaged vertebrae. The procedure reduces Angle’s recovery time from one year to six to eight weeks.

April 5: Paul London defeats Chance Beckett in the finals of the ECWA’s Super 8 Tournament in Wilmington, Delaware. The other participants are Frankie Kazarian, Brian Kendrick (Spanky), Alex Arion, Sedrick Strong, Chris Cage, and Chris Sabin. London is overshadowed by the Beckett, who suffers a bloody gash on his chin in the opening round, but still gives a gutsy performance in the tourney.

April 7: An English Court of Appeals rules in favor of WWE over the World Wide Fund For Nature. The judge says the old WWF logo, in the context of a vintage video game, does not infringe upon the Fund’s use of the acronym. The ruling gives WWE new hope that it can market vintage videotapes and merchandise without breaking the law.

April 8: “Piper’s Pit” returns to WWE television after a 15-year absence. Roddy Piper, who tried to help Vince McMahon in his streetfight against Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania XIX, interviews the WWE chairman to kick off his first “Piper’s Pit” on Smackdown. Later in the segment, Rikishi approaches Piper with a coconut, seeking retribution for “The Rowdy One’s” attack of Jimmy Snuka nearly 20 years earlier. Sean O’Haire nails him from behind, allowing Piper to smash Rikishi with the coconut.

April 16: Ray Mendoza, one of the biggest stars in Lucha Libre history, dies of a heart attack at age 73. The Hall of Famer was the father of Los Villanos.

April 22: WWE releases Jeff Hardy. The 25-year-old daredevil was often late for live events, was putting forth less effort in the ring, and publicly stated he would rather be a rock star than a wrestler. Hardy claims the release frees him to spend more time on his artwork and his band, Peroxwhygen. He doesn’t rule out one-shot deals for NWA-TNA or on the independent circuit, however.

April 27: Bill Goldberg defeats The Rock at Backlash. WWE management is taken by surprise when there are far more chants of “Goldberg sucks” than “Rocky sucks,” prompting concerns about Creative’s handling of “Da Man.” Also at the pay-per-view, Smackdown champion Brock Lesnar defeats John Cena; Raw champion Triple-H, Ric Flair, and Chris Jericho beat Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, and Booker T; and Jazz pins Trish Stratus for the women’s title. The buy rate for Backlash, despite the Goldberg-Rock main event, is disappointing.

April 30: NWA champion Jeff Jarrett beats Raven at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Nashville. Jarrett matches Raven on a hold-for-hold basis, but then has to deal with the interference of 13 people—including members of Raven’s Flock, Vince Russo’s SEX faction, and Jim Mitchell’s New Church—and must be freed from handcuffs in order to execute a DDT on Raven and retain the championship.

May 1: Elizabeth Hulette—known professionally as Miss Elizabeth—dies of a lethal mix of alcohol, painkillers, nausea medication, and tranquilizers in Cobb County, Georgia. She was rushed to the hospital shortly after her boyfriend, Lex Luger, was unable to revive her when she passed out while choking on food. Hulette, 42, was one of the most popular female managers of all-time. She gained fame in the mid-1980s as the elegant manager of her husband, Randy Savage, whom she would later divorce, and enjoyed a run as a manager in WCW a decade later. … Elizabeth’s boyfriend, Lex Luger, is arrested on 14 drug possession counts during a subsequent search of the Georgia townhome they were sharing. The substances warranting felony charges include Xanax (an anti-anxiety drug), OxyContin, anabolic steroids, testosterone, and hydrocodone. Luger’s possession of Saizen, a synthetic growth hormone, accounts for one misdemeanor charge.

May 18: Kevin Nash defeats WWE Raw champion Triple-H by disqualification at Judgment Day. This time, Triple-H doesn’t use his trusty sledgehammer on Nash, but on the referee, to save his title. “The Game,” who furthers his reputation as a scheming champion who defends against handpicked opponents, earns a chorus of boos at the Charlotte Coliseum. Also at the pay-per-view, Smackdown champion Brock Lesnar uses an F5 and a forklift to beat The Big Show in a stretcher match, Christian outlasts Booker T and seven former Intercontinental champions in a battle royal to capture the reactivated I-C title, and Eddie Guerrero and Tajiri defeat Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas for the Smackdown tag title in a ladder match.

May 19: Expecting his adviser to take it easy on him, WWE Raw champion Triple-H grants Ric Flair a title shot in the 54-year-old veteran’s home state of North Carolina. Instead, Flair makes a tremendous effort against Triple-H, who barely overcomes the 16-time world champion to win the match. The quarter-hour featuring the Helmsley-Flair bout draws an impressive rating of 4.4 on Raw.

May 25: Jeff Jarrett beats Sting to unify the NWA and WWA heavyweight championships in Auckland, New Zealand. The Reckoning is World Wrestling All-Stars’ only pay-per-view in 2003 and likely its final show ever. Rick Steiner smashes long-time friend Sting with a guitar to help Jarrett win the match. In the other unification bout on the show, NWA-TNA X champion Chris Sabin wins a four-way match involving WWA international cruiserweight champion Jerry Lynn, Frankie Kazarian, and Johnny Swinger. Also on the pay-per-view, Bret Hart makes his highest-profile appearance since suffering a stroke in 2002, telling the crowd, “I like to think of myself, sitting here today, that I’m a survivor. I’ve survived a hell of a lot. Life is short and death is long.”

May 31: Scott Steiner teams with Johnny Jeter to defeat Doug Basham and Kanyon at Ohio Valley’s “Spring Breakout” in Louisville. Damaja intercepts Rob Conway to help Steiner and Jeter score the win. Also on the show, Southern tag champs Bradshaw and Faarooq humble Bolin Services by defeating Lance (Garrison) Cade and Mark Jindrak, and Chris Cage, Nova, and Mark Henry beat Orlando Jordan, Johnny Spade, and Tough Enough III winner John Hennigan.

June 2: Freddie Blassie, one of the most sadistic heels of all-time, dies of kidney and heart failure at the age of 85. Blassie was a huge star in California during his prime and later became one of the WWF’s top managers in addition to appearing on various TV shows and on film. The Hall of Famer appeared on Raw just three weeks before his death and had recently completed his autobiography.

June 7: WWE presents Insurrextion, its first brand-exclusive PPV, held at the Telewest Arena in Newcastle, England. Co-General Manager Steve Austin changes Triple-H’s Raw title defense against Kevin Nash to a streetfight at the last minute. This helps Triple-H, who relies on Ric Flair’s interference and a sledgehammer, to beat Nash. Also at the pay-per-view, Scott Steiner defeats Test, Intercontinental champion Christian beats Booker T, and women’s champion Jazz pins Trish Stratus.

June 9: Mick Foley returns to Raw to promote his first novel, Tietam Brown, and accept Co-General Manager Steve Austin’s invitation to officiate Triple-H’s WWE Raw title defense against Kevin Nash in a “Hell In A Cell” match at Bad Blood.

June 11: A.J. Styles wins the NWA title in a three-way match also involving Raven and defending champ Jeff Jarrett at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Nashville. Shane Douglas attacks Raven, who is unable to continue the bout, and Vince Russo smashes Jarrett with a guitar to help set up the Styles clash. Despite the controversial finish, Styles later says, “I have to show that my name belongs up there, and that it will belong up there in the future. The last thing I want my reign as NWA champion to become is a joke five or 10 years down the line.”

June 15: WWE presents Bad Blood, its first brand-exclusive PPV in North America. Raw champion Triple-H scores a victory over Kevin Nash in a “Hell In A Cell” match. Also at the pay-per-view, Ric Flair beats Shawn Michaels in their long-awaited singles match, Bill Goldberg steamrolls Chris Jericho, and La Resistance defeats Rob Van Dam and Kane for the Raw tag team title. WWE executives later consider Bad Blood a success because there is no significant drop in buy rate, despite the absence of Smackdown stars on the show.

June 18: Sting makes his first North American appearance in two years. Less than four weeks after losing the WWA title to Jeff Jarrett in a unification match in New Zealand, Sting teams with Jarrett to defeat new NWA champion A.J. Styles and Syxx-Pac at TNA’s first anniversary show in Nashville. Also at the pay-per-view, NWA tag team champions America’s Most Wanted beat Christopher Daniels and Elix Skipper, Justin Credible defeats Jerry Lynn, and X champion Chris Sabin beats Paul London.

June 20: Former WCW and WWF promoter Zane Bresloff dies of injuries he sustained in an automobile accident in Genessee, Colorado, four weeks earlier. He was 57.

June 23: Kane is forced to unmask following a special stipulation match on Raw. Although WWE Raw champion Triple-H cheats to win the bout, co-General Manager Eric Bischoff forces Kane to honor the commitment by removing his mask and wig, revealing a scarred face and half-shaven head.

June 24: Hulk Hogan wrestles his final match before leaving WWE in a creative dispute. At a Smackdown taping held at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Shelton Benjamin, Charlie Haas, and The Big Show beat Hogan (as the masked Mr. America), Kurt Angle, and Brock Lesnar when Vince McMahon attacks Zach Gowen at ringside, helping Big Show score a pinfall over a distracted Mr. America. Hogan complains that WWE should use him sparingly and more wisely … Roddy Piper blames unscrupulous promoters for forcing wrestlers into cycles of drug dependence, and admits to being an addict himself on a broadcast of HBO’s Real Sports. Piper’s opinion contradicts that of Vince McMahon, who appears on the same investigative program. To prevent him “from engaging in any self-destructive behavior,” WWE ceases contract negotiations with Piper—who had been appearing only on a night-by-night basis—the following day. Piper also ends up wrestling his final match at the Smackdown taping, as he and Sean O’Haire lose to Eddie Guerrero and Tajiri.

June 25: America’s Most Wanted defeat Christopher Daniels and Elix Skipper for the NWA tag team title in a thrilling steel cage match in Nashville. James Storm holds Daniels on the mat as Chris Harris climbs to the top of the taller-than-average cage and delivers a devastating legdrop to secure the victory. Old-timers compare the effort to Rick Steamboat and Jay Youngblood’s steel cage win over Sgt. Slaughter and Don Kernodle in 1983.

July 1: Zach Gowen officially becomes a Smackdown superstar. Vince McMahon forces Gowen to team with Stephanie McMahon in a handicap match against The Big Show, with the stipulation that Zach and Stephanie must win for him to earn a contract. WWE Smackdown champion Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle provide helpful interference, leading to the one-legged wonder using a moonsault to pin Big Show.

July 7: Shawn Michaels insults Montreal fans on Raw. Although Michaels earlier admitted to being involved in Vince McMahon’s double-cross of Bret Hart at Survivor Series 1997, he shows no remorse to “Highlight Reel” host Chris Jericho. Michaels advises Montreal fans to “get over it” and get on with their lives. Hart criticizes Michaels’ behavior on his Web site the following day.

July 14: In one of WWE’s most bizarre stunts ever, Kane turns against Jim Ross during an interview, pours gasoline all over the popular announcer, and then sets him on fire. It is only the beginning of Kane’s rampage over the coming weeks.

July 16: Maryland Championship Wrestling hosts its final show, the Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup, after a five-year run. Christian York wins the Cup and the MCW/MEWF cruiserweight title in a six-way elimination match also involving Joey Matthews, Reckless Youth, Qenaan Creed, Jay Briscoe, and Crash Holly. In addition to several unification bouts between MCW and the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation, Headbanger Thrasher, Gillberg, and Van Hammer appear … NWA-TNA executives and their former marketing consultant, Jay Hassman, agree to a “mutual walk away,” dismissing all claims and resulting in no cash payments. In 2002, the Jarretts accused Hassman of giving them misleading buy rate information and of conflict of interests, due to his firm also doing work for WWE. Hassman had filed a counter-claim.

July 19: Jeff Hardy appears in a three-way match also involving Joey Matthews and Krazy K at a Ring of Honor show in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Coming out as Will o’ the Wisp, a persona he developed before joining WWE, Hardy is booed mercilessly by ROH fans. “He goes out there, misses moves, wrestles sloppy, and dances like a fool,” notes one fan on a prominent wrestling newsboard. In the main event, ROH champion Samoa Joe chokes out Paul London, who is already headed for WWE.

July 23: A.J. Styles retains the NWA title against D-Lo Brown in a best-of-three series. The series takes place over the course of TNA’s weekly pay-per-view, with Styles pinning Brown in the first match, Brown forcing Styles into submission with a sharpshooter in the second match, and Brown battling Styles to a no-contest in the third encounter, a ladder match. Sonny Siaki interferes on the champion’s behalf in all three bouts.

July 25: Chris Jericho defeats Johnny Jeter at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville as part of OVW’s “Super Summer Sizzler Series.” Jeter, who had recently signed a WWE developmental contract, submits to the Walls of Jericho. Also on the show, Rico beats the hated Mark Magnus, Nick Dinsmore and Damaja defeat Ohio Valley champion Doug Basham and Rob Conway in a streetfight, and Southern tag team champions Chris Cage and Tank Toland defeat Bane and Seven.

July 27: Kurt Angle regains the WWE Smackdown title in a three-way match also involving The Big Show and defending champ Brock Lesnar at Vengeance. Although Lesnar and Angle are friends at the time of the bout, that doesn’t prevent the Olympian from executing an Angle slam on a distracted Lesnar to secure the victory. Also on the pay-per-view, Eddie Guerrero—thanks to the interference of Rhyno—beats Chris Benoit to capture the newly established WWE U.S. championship, Vince McMahon defeats Zach Gowen, and Smackdown tag team titleholders Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas beat former WCW World tag team champions Billy Kidman and Rey Misterio Jr. Vengeance is Smackdown’s first brand-exclusive PPV.

July 28: WWE Raw champion Triple-H suffers a severe groin injury only a few minutes into a match against Bill Goldberg, which takes place immediately following a Raw broadcast at the World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Fellow Evolution member Randy Orton runs into the ring to save Triple-H’s title by disqualification. “The Game” is expected to miss several weeks of action.

July 31: Community activist Kathy Morrow organizes a group of concerned citizens to picket a Windy City Wrestling show in Kankakee, Illinois, to protest the lack of African-American women in WWE. Morrow claims to have logged many complaints with WWE over the past four years. She does not explain, however, the connection between Windy City Wrestling and WWE.

August 6: A judge dismisses Hulk Hogan’s defamation lawsuit against Vince Russo. The lawsuit stemmed from Russo’s uncensored diatribe against Hogan at WCW’s Bash at the Beach 2000. The judge rules that Russo’s rant was a part of the show and was meant for Hulk Hogan the wrestler, not Terry Bollea the person. A possible action against AOL Time Warner is not ruled out, however.

August 8: WJ promotion hopeful Giant Ochiai—real name Takayuki Okada—dies at age 30 from massive brain injuries suffered in a training session accident 11 days earlier. He had been in a coma ever since the accident.

August 9: Jim Cornette appears at a Ring of Honor show in Dayton, Ohio. The up-and-coming team of Dunn and Marcos ask Cornette to manage them, but The Prophecy enters the ring before he can respond. When Christopher Daniels, Dan Maff, and Allison Danger attack Dunn and Marcos, Cornette gets in a few shots with his tennis racket.

August 10: Christian regains the Intercontinental belt from Booker T in Des Moines, Iowa. Booker T dealt with back pain for several months, and reached the point of sheer agony after a 20-hour flight returning from WWE’s tour of Australia. Booker is unable to complete a scissors kick, prompting Christian to execute the unprettier and win the match. Because the match occurs at a house show, there is no videotape of the title change.

August 16: Low-Ki knocks out Dan Maff with a vicious kick to the head at a Ring of Honor show in Fairfield, Connecticut. He scores an easy pinfall, but fans are asked to temporarily evacuate the building when Maff does not regain consciousness. Maff finally recovers a few minutes later. In his frustration, Low-Ki slaps cameraman Doug Gentry as he leaves the ring.

August 20: Michael Shane beats Frankie Kazarian and defending champ Chris Sabin in the first-ever “Ultimate X” match for the NWA-TNA X title. The three wrestlers spend much of the bout pulling themselves along two cables forming an “X” high above the ring. A bloody Shane grabs the title belt, which is suspended from the rafters, as Sabin and Kazarian do battle only a few feet away.

August 24: Triple-H retains the WWE Raw title in a six-way “Elimination Chamber” match at SummerSlam. Bill Goldberg, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Kevin Nash, and Randy Orton are the other participants. Also at the pay-per-view, Smackdown champion Kurt Angle uses the anklelock to force Brock Lesnar into submission, U.S. champion Eddie Guerrero wins a four-way bout also involving Chris Benoit, Rhyno, and Tajiri, and Shane McMahon destroys Eric Bischoff in a grudge match.

August 27: NWA champion A.J. Styles beats Raven at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Nashville. Although the match features the best of hardcore and scientific wrestling, Raven is unable to withstand the interference of Vince Russo, Sinn, Slash, and Shane Douglas. The NWA champ executes the Styles clash to pin Raven.

August 31: Vince McMahon orders Rhyno and Tajiri out of the ring during a house show in Uniondale, New York, claiming they are boring the fans. Rhyno and Tajiri are incensed because agents advised them to keep close to the mat, instead of opting for their typical hard-hitting fare. McMahon summons the Smackdown divas for a bikini contest instead.

September 3: Chris Sabin wins NWA-TNA’s Super X Tournament. TNA regulars comprise a U.S. bracket, and international stars comprise the other in this eight-man tourney. The American participants include Frankie Kazarian, X champion Michael Shane, and Jerry Lynn, while the international competitors include Canada’s Teddy Hart, the U.K.’s Johnny Storm, and Japan’s Nosawa. Sabin defeats Mexico’s Juventud Guerrera in the final.

September 8: The Great Antonio, who wrestled briefly in the WWWF in the early-1960s, but was best known for a feud with Japanese icon Rikidozan, dies of a heart attack at age 77.

September 10: NWA-TNA offers a one-cent PPV to entice viewers who have yet to sample its weekly events. The show features highlight bouts, including NWA champ A.J. Styles vs. D-Lo Brown, Jeff Jarrett and Sting vs. Styles and Syxx-Pac, and X champ Chris Sabin vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Michael Shane in an “Ultimate X” match. “We wondered how we could get people to sample the product without anything coming out of their hip pockets,” TNA minority owner Jeff Jarrett later tells The Wrestler. “Well, you can’t charge zero on a pay-per-view format, so what’s the next best thing? One penny.”

September 13: Superstar Graham appears on Confidential and admits to falsely accusing Vince McMahon, Pat Patterson, and Hulk Hogan of wrongdoing when the WWF was embroiled in steroid and sexual harassment scandals in the early-1990s. “Vince McMahon never suggested or implied once about taking any kind of drug,” confesses Graham, regarding the steroids charge. Skeptics wonder if the former WWWF champion is telling the truth, or lying about lying.

September 17: Roddy Piper returns to NWA-TNA. Piper delivers a rambling promo, criticizing Internet writers for discussing his drug problems and complaining that wrestling relies too much on sports entertainment. Vince Russo tells Piper, “You are here tonight because you burned every bridge and nobody wants you,” and advises him to leave TNA. At the same pay-per-view, Vampiro helps Shane Douglas beat Raven in a hair vs. hair bout. Jim Mitchell, demanding to shave Raven’s hair himself, digs far into Raven’s scalp, causing a bloody mess. A furious Raven confronts Mitchell backstage afterward.

September 18: Brock Lesnar wins his third WWE Smackdown title from Kurt Angle in the first “Ironman” match ever on broadcast TV. Lesnar willingly loses a fall by disqualification in order to batter Angle with a steel chair in the early going. It proves to be an effective strategy because the champion is slow to recover, and Lesnar wins the 60-minute match, scoring five falls to Angle’s four.

September 21: Six months after entering WWE, Bill Goldberg defeats Triple-H for the Raw title at Unforgiven. Goldberg uses his trademark spear/jackhammer combination to pin “The Game.” Also at the pay-per-view, Shane McMahon misses a 20-foot-high senton bomb from the top of the Unforgiven set and loses a last-man-standing match to Kane, and The Dudley Boyz beat Raw tag team champions La Resistance and Rob Conway in a handicap table match to win an unprecedented 17th world tag team title.

September 25: Anthony Durante, a former ECW TV and tag team champ as Pit Bull II, is found dead of an overdose of OxyContin along with his girlfriend, Dianna Hulsey, in their Rhode Island home. He was 36.

September 26: The Rundown opens in theaters nationwide. The Rock plays a bounty hunter in the action adventure, which also stars Sean William Scott of American Pie fame and veteran actor Christopher Walken. The Rundown becomes the U.S.’s number-one movie, grosses $20-million during its opening weekend, and receives good reviews. Considering the substantial sum that was put into advertising the movie, however, it is ultimately considered a box office disappointment.

October 8: NWA champion A.J. Styles beats Dusty Rhodes in Nashville. Although Styles begins tapping out to Rhodes’ figure-four after the referee takes a spill, the champion grabs a bat from adviser Vince Russo, smashes Rhodes with it, and puts him into a figure-four of his own. The referee recovers in time to see the former NWA champ unconscious on his back and counts the pinfall.

October 13: Hulk Hogan defeats Masa Chono in front of 35,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome. After Hogan expresses an interest in winning the NWA heavyweight title at a postmatch press conference, TNA minority owner Jeff Jarrett makes a surprise appearance and bashes the “Hulkster” over the head with a guitar. Plans are immediately made to feature Hogan as the centerpiece of TNA’s first three-hour, Sunday night pay-per-view, scheduled for November 30.

October 16: Stu Hart, patriarch of Calgary’s legendary Hart family, dies of complications from diabetes and pneumonia at the age of 88. Hart established Stampede Wrestling in 1948 and presided over numerous incarnations of the promotion until the early-1990s. In addition to his sons, the Hall of Famer helped to train such stars as Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, and Lance Storm.

October 19: Road Warrior Hawk (real name Michael Hegstrand), one-half of what many consider the greatest tag team of all-time, dies of an apparent heart attack at his home in Indian Shores, Florida. Hawk and Animal were Hall of Fame inductees and the only team to win the NWA, WWF, and AWA world tag team titles. He was 46.

October 19: WWE Smackdown champion Brock Lesnar defeats The Undertaker in a biker chain match at No Mercy. The FBI and Vince McMahon interfere on Lesnar’s behalf, enabling the champ to grab the biker chain and knock out UT for the victory. Also at the pay-per-view, The Big Show squelches Eddie Guerrero’s recent momentum by capturing his U.S. title, Kurt Angle uses the anklelock to force John Cena into submission, and Zach Gowen defeats Matt Hardy for his first WWE singles win … Road Warrior Hawk dies.

October 21: Paul Heyman is named the new GM of Smackdown. Vince McMahon announces that Heyman is the replacement for his daughter, Stephanie, whom Vince beat in an “I Quit” match at No Mercy. Heyman, considerably thinner and sporting a stylish tan, was on hiatus from Smackdown for several months after suffering an injury at the hands of Brock Lesnar.

October 22: Jeff Jarrett regains the NWA title from A.J. Styles. Jarrett turns heel during this pay-per-view, shocking TNA fans by attacking Hulk Hogan’s manager, Jimmy Hart, and later hitting Styles with the NWA title belt to gain a tainted victory. This sets up the tentative main event—Jarrett defending the NWA championship against Hogan—for TNA’s Bound For Glory PPV.

October 25: Triple-H (Paul Levesque) marries Stephanie McMahon in a quaint ceremony in Sleepy Hollow, New York. In addition to the Levesque and McMahon families, current and former WWE superstars such as Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, William Regal, Sgt. Slaughter, and Killer Kowalski are in attendance … Montreal-based former wrestler/manager/promoter Floyd Creachman dies of Crohn’s disease at the age of 46.

October 28: The Stone Cold Truth hits bookstores nationwide. In his long-awaited autobiography, Steve Austin forgives Eric Bischoff for firing him from WCW, praises Vince McMahon for helping him with an IRS debt earlier in his career, and criticizes Owen Hart for not taking enough responsibility for injuring his neck at SummerSlam 1997. Austin also reveals that an anxiety attack—no doubt aggravated by his consumption of several energy drinks and a whole pot of coffee—landed him in the hospital the night before his loss to The Rock at WrestleMania XIX.

October 31: Hulk Hogan undergoes knee surgery, forcing his TNA debut to be postponed indefinitely. Jeff Jarrett aggravated Hogan’s pre-existing knee injury at a Tokyo press conference weeks earlier. TNA executives go into damage control mode with fans and cable operators when they decide to postpone their first three-hour pay-per-view, Bound For Glory, until early-2004.

November 6: Crash Holly (real name Michael Lockwood), best known for popularizing the 24/7 title defense rule during his 21 hardcore title reigns in WWE, is found dead in the Florida home of WWE star Steven Richards. Lockwood, 32, had begun wrestling as Mad Mikey in NWA-TNA shortly after his release from WWE earlier in the year.

November 12: Lex Luger debuts in NWA-TNA. Luger and NWA champ Jeff Jarrett lose to A.J. Styles and Sting when Styles pins Luger. It is Luger’s first match since his arrest for drug possession and the overdose death of his girlfriend, Elizabeth Hulette. In a written statement, TNA President Dixie Carter responds to criticism that the company is exploiting the Luger-Elizabeth tragedy: “The success of bringing Lex to TNA won’t be measured with pay-per-view buys. It will be measured by what a man does with an opportunity given.”

November 16: Steve Austin loses power to Eric Bischoff at Survivor Series. Randy Orton, thanks to the interference of fellow Evolution member Batista, eliminates Shawn Michaels to lead Team Bischoff to victory over Team Austin. Austin is forced out of WWE and Bischoff becomes Raw’s sole general manager as a result. Also at the pay-per-view, Raw champion Bill Goldberg beats former champ Triple-H in a rematch from Unforgiven, Chris Benoit and John Cena of Team Angle win a classic Survivor Series bout over Team Lesnar, and Kane helps Vince McMahon beat The Undertaker in a “Buried Alive” match.

November 24: Dick Hutton, who beat Lou Thesz on November 14, 1957, to begin a 14-month reign as NWA World champion, dies of natural causes at age 80.

November 29: A “Birthday Bash” takes place at the Mid-South Coliseum, site of Memphis wrestling’s greatest moments. The event celebrates the 54th birthday of the territory’s most famous star, Jerry Lawler. Rocky Johnson, father of The Rock, returns to Memphis and battles Mabel to a no-contest in a boxing match. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes as Moondog Spot dies during a four-team concession stand brawl … Former WWF World tag team champion Larry Booker (known professionally as Moondog Spot) dies of an apparent heart attack or stroke shortly after collapsing during a tag team match in Memphis’ Mid-South Coliseum. He was 61.

December 6: Nathan Jones quits WWE during the “Passport To Smackdown” tour of Australia. Jones notifies WWE just before arguably the most important match of his career, headlining as a fan favorite in his hometown of Perth. It marks the end of Jones’ rocky stint in WWE, where his lack of coordination was an ongoing issue. Jones’ original trainer, Rick Bassman, tells wwe.com: “He was a big guy, and he was traveling in cramped conditions … It doesn’t make him a bad person. It just doesn’t work for him.” … Jerry Tuite, best known as The Wall in WCW and Malice in NWA-TNA, is found dead, presumably of a massive heart attack, in his hotel room in Narita, Japan, less than 24 hours after competing as Gigantes in a six-man All-Japan tag team bout. He was 36.

December 10: The 4th District Court of Appeals orders a new trial for Lionel Tate, a 16-year-old boy serving a life sentence for killing Tiffany Eunick, a six-year-old, in 1999. At the time, Tate’s attorney said the boy was simply mimicking pro wrestling moves and therefore wasn’t responsible for the girl’s death. In overturning the first-degree murder conviction, the appellate court asserts that Tate’s competency should have been evaluated before the original trial and also cites the boy’s young age and developmental immaturity.

December 12: Bogus bidding disrupts Jim Duggan’s auction of the WCW TV title belt and an official WWF King of the Ring crown and cape on eBay. Legitimate bids appear to place values of $6,980 on the TV belt and $1,200 on the crown and cape. False bids raise those amounts to $7,080 and $1,225, respectively. Duggan was awarded the TV championship after finding the belt in a trash can in 2000, and was recognized as King of the Ring in 1987.

December 14: Triple-H wins his third WWE Raw title in a three-way match also involving Kane and defending champ Bill Goldberg at Armageddon. Goldberg often finds himself the victim of Triple-H and Kane’s double-teaming and the interference of Evolution members Ric Flair, Batista, and Randy Orton. Kane choke-slams Goldberg, Batista yanks Kane out of the ring, and Triple-H makes the winning pinfall. Also at the pay-per-view, Flair helps Orton beat Rob Van Dam for the Intercontinental belt, and Flair and Batista win a gauntlet series for the Raw tag team belts. By the end of the night, each member of Evolution holds a major championship.

December 17: Sting beats NWA champion Jeff Jarrett in a non-title bout. Kevin Northcutt, Legend, and Kid Kash help Jarrett—and Chris Harris, James Storm, and A.J. Styles assist Sting—in yet another TNA match tainted by interference. Sting surprises Jarrett with a scorpion deathdrop to score the pinfall.

December 18: Journeyman independent wrestler Mike Lozansky, who competed all over the world, dies in his sleep at age 35. He is best remembered by U.S. fans for his brief runs in ECW and the USWA (as Mike Anthony).

December 20: WWE holds a Smackdown taping for Coalition troops at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq. The event’s location is kept secret until the last possible moment for security reasons, and several superstars make personal appearances throughout the region. At the taping, John Cena defeats U.S. champion The Big Show in a non-title bout, Eddie Guerrero beats Chris Benoit, and a “Stone-Cold” Santa (Steve Austin) gives a naughty Vince McMahon a low blow and a stunner.

2004
January 1: Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling holds the first professional wrestling show in Chinese history at Huadu Stadium in the city of Guangzhou. Approximately 6,100 fans are in attendance. Mid-Atlantic champion Steve Williams beats former UWF rival Terry Taylor in the 28-minute main event. In other bouts, Mid-Atlantic junior heavyweight champion Chris Hamrick defeats Rikki Nelson, Frankie Capone beats Lex Lovett in a battle of NWA Florida stars, Bruiser Bradley defeats Jeff Justice, and Andrue Bane beats former NWA champ Mike Rapada.

January 7: Chris Sabin regains the TNA X title from Michael Shane in a four-way “Ultimate X II” match also involving Christopher Daniels and Low-Ki at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Nashville. The bout is promoted as the sequel to August 2003’s “Ultimate X” match, which featured two cables forming an “X” high above the ring. Triple X members Daniels and Low-Ki battle each other for most of the match, enabling Sabin to kick Shane off a cornerpost, sending the X champ crashing through a table on the arena floor. Sabin pulls himself along the cable, grabs the belt, hangs in mid-air until the duct tape finally gives way, and lands on the mat to win the championship.

January 16: Stars of the old Continental Wrestling Federation reunite at the Dothan Civic Center in Alabama. All-Star Productions and the American Wrestling Federation organize the event. The CWF’s first family is prominent on the card, with Bob Armstrong teaming with sons Brad Armstrong and B.G. James, along with Johnny Rich, to beat Blake Richards, The Assassin, Mr. Fantasy, and former Southeast favorite and WWE executive Tom Prichard. “Exotic” Adrian Street, at 62 years of age, defeats AWF star Al Savage in a makeover match. Other long-lost CWF stars appearing on the show include Scott Armstrong, Steve Armstrong, Robert Gibson, Ken Wayne, Humongous, Bob Kelly, and Donnie Fargo.

January 24: Jack Tunney dies in his sleep of a heart attack at age 68. While Tunney was best known as the WWF’s figurehead president in the mid-1980s, often making unpopular and nonsensical decrees, he was also a member of a famous family of promoters that controlled the Toronto territory for decades. Known as a savvy businessman, Tunney joined forces with Vince McMahon during the WWF’s expansion into Canada in 1984.

January 25: Chris Benoit eliminates The Big Show to win the Royal Rumble and earn a world title shot at WrestleMania XX. Benoit is considered an underdog because Smackdown General Manager Paul Heyman makes him the number-one entrant, while Raw superstar Bill Goldberg enters at number 30. The Big Show is the last participant to be eliminated from the Rumble. Also at the pay-per-view, Shawn Michaels battles WWE Raw champion Triple-H to a no-contest, and Smackdown champion Brock Lesnar defeats Hardcore Holly … Jeff Jarrett retains the NWA heavyweight title against former champ Dory Funk Jr. in Ocala, Florida. Funk’s ex-protege Adam Windsor interferes in the match to help Jarrett pin the 61-year-old veteran, who reigned as NWA champ from 1969 to 1973. The title showdown receives considerable coverage in Japan.

February 14: A.J. Styles is crowned the first Ring of Honor pure wrestling champion in an eight-man tournament held in Braintree, Massachusetts. He beats Jimmy Rave and Matt Stryker before finishing off C.M. Punk with the Styles clash in the final. To promote scientific wrestling, ROH officials enforce rules that dictate only three rope breaks per match, with the illegal use of a closed fist counting as a rope break, and a strict 20-count when action spills out of the ring.

February 15: Eddie Guerrero defeats Brock Lesnar for the WWE Smackdown championship at No Way Out. Bill Goldberg runs into the ring and spears Lesnar as the Smackdown champ is about to strike Guerrero with the title belt. But Guerrero isn’t able to finish off Lesnar until later, however, when he unleashes a ring-jarring frog splash to set up the pinfall. His Smackdown title victory occurs at the site of many other Guerrero family triumphs, the San Francisco Cow Palace. Also at the pay-per-view, Kurt Angle defeats John Cena and U.S. champ The Big Show to earn a Smackdown title shot at WrestleMania XX, and Chavo Guerrero Jr. beats Rey Misterio Jr. for the cruiserweight belt.

February 18: Vince Russo is introduced as TNA’s new director of authority. Russo vows to curb NWA champion Jeff Jarrett’s abuse of power, and announces the rehiring of broadcaster Mike Tenay, whom Jarrett had fired a week earlier. Jarrett considers Russo’s defiance to be a major betrayal because their on-air/backstage alliance had dated back to the WWF’s “Attitude” era, thrived during WCW’s last, dying days, and continued after TNA’s launch. Friends close to Russo say his new attitude is inspired by his real-life decision to become a born-again Christian … At the same TNA pay-per-view, Joanie Laurer fails to appear as a guest on Jonny Fairplay’s interview segment. Laurer makes last-minute demands, reportedly concerning first-class airfare, that TNA officials aren’t willing to accommodate. Fairplay goes on to crassly ridicule the former WWE diva in her absence.

February 20: In their first appearance together since their 2002 WWE run, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash headline Ultimate Pro Wrestling’s fifth anniversary show, held at The Grove in Anaheim, California. Because the proceeds are to benefit the Orangewood Children’s Foundation, The Outsiders generously work for free and give UPW its money’s worth—by sleepwalking through their match against Christopher Daniels and Tom Howard. Daniels and Howard win the bout, which is refereed by Joe Millionaire star Evan Marriott. Vince McMahon congratulates Rick Bassman on UPW’s fifth anniversary in a prerecorded message.

March 4: Rob Feinstein resigns as a business partner in Ring of Honor and as president of RF Video after being implicated in an Internet sex sting conducted by a child advocate Web site and a Philadelphia television station. Feinstein arrived at a house in suburban Philadelphia, allegedly to meet someone he thought was a 14-year-old boy he had met in an Internet chat room, when a WCAU reporter and camera crew confronted him. Refusing to answer questions, Feinstein sped off in his car. Roddy Piper, Bobby Heenan, and Abyss were among the stars who canceled upcoming ROH appearances in the wake of the scandal.

March 6: Hercules Hernandez dies of an apparent heart attack at age 47. Hernandez’ grueling schedule and fast lifestyle in the 1980s’ WWF is assumed to have contributed to his declining health in recent years. The mighty Hercules was best known for his series of matches against WWF World champion Hulk Hogan and Intercontinental champion Rick Steamboat, in addition to his feud with Billy Jack Haynes … Jim Ross makes a surprise appearance at an Ohio Valley show in Louisville, following a six-man tag team match pitting WWE executive John Laurinaitis’ handpicked stooges—Rob Conway, Nick Dinsmore, and Mark Magnus—against Doug Basham, Damaja, and Johnny Jeter. When Laurinaitis interferes, helping Dinsmore pin Basham, Ross restarts the match and demands to see his colleague in the office “first thing in the morning.” Basham, Damaja, and Jeter go on to score a clean victory over Laurinaitis’ cronies.

March 12: Kensuke Sasaki defeats Hiroyoshi Tenzan for his fourth IWGP title at Sumo Hall in Tokyo. Sasaki overcomes a Northern Lights bomb and a tombstone driver to pin Tenzan at the 15-minute mark. Famed shootfighter Bob Sapp immediately challenges Sasaki for his newly won title, and a match is set for March 28 at the same arena.

March 14: Chris Benoit captures the WWE Raw title in a fantastic three-way match also involving Shawn Michaels and defending champ Triple-H in the main event of WrestleMania XX, held at New York’s Madison Square Garden. It is considered the crowning moment of Benoit’s 18-year career. In addition, Bill Goldberg beats Brock Lesnar in what turns out to be the final WWE appearances of both men. Goldberg intends to pursue a film career and perhaps compete in Japan, while Lesnar wants to try his luck in the NFlorida. Special referee Steve Austin, who uses stunners on Lesnar and Goldberg after the match, would leave the company only a few weeks later. Also at the pay-per-view, Smackdown champion Eddie Guerrero beats Kurt Angle; The Undertaker defeats Kane to extend his WrestleMania record to 12-0; Ric Flair, Batista, and Intercontinental champion Randy Orton beat Mick Foley and The Rock; and John Cena wins the U.S. title from The Big Show.

March 22: General Managers Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman participate in a talent draft, held live on Raw, two years after WWE’s original brand extension. The random draft turns out to be a boost to the mid-cards of both brands, especially Smackdown. Bischoff’s random picks include Shelton Benjamin, Nidia, Rhyno, Tajiri, and Edge for Raw, while Heyman drafts Triple-H, Rob Van Dam, Rene Dupree, Mark Jindrak, Spike Dudley, and Theodore Long. In addition, Bischoff draws the name of Heyman, who, instead of working under “Easy E,” quits his job as Smackdown GM and walks out of WWE. This edition of Raw scores an overall rating of 4.5, the show’s highest number in nearly two years.

March 23: Vince McMahon chooses Kurt Angle, who had experienced great pain and tingling in his extremities during his WrestleMania match against Smackdown champ Eddie Guerrero, to replace Paul Heyman as Smackdown general manager. Angle immediately infuriates some Smackdown fans by trading Triple-H back to Raw for The Dudley Boyz and Booker T. Angle plans to undergo yet another neck operation during his break from in-ring action.

March 26: Steve Austin becomes embroiled in another domestic disturbance at his San Antonio home, this time with ex-girlfriend Tess Broussard. The Baywatch Nights star wants to discuss a possible reconciliation with Austin, but their exchange allegedly turns violent when Austin grabs Broussard and pushes her to the ground, where she lands on her hands and knees. Broussard states her right hand was injured in the incident, according to a San Antonio Police Department report. San Antonio police responded to a similar incident between Austin and then-wife Debra at the same residence in June 2002.

March 28: Bob Sapp destroys Kensuke Sasaki for the IWGP belt at Tokyo’s Sumo Hall. The 374-pound shootfighter uses a power bomb to defeat Sasaki after only nine minutes of action. Following the bout, Sapp ignores former champ Shinsuke Nakamura, who immediately demands a title shot, and instead issues challenges to sumo star Akebono and another ex-IWGP champ, Hulk Hogan.

March 29: Flight attendants Taralyn Cappellano and Heidi Doyle file lawsuits against WWE and SportsJet, an Arizona-based luxury charter airline, for negligence, assault and battery, and false imprisonment. The charges stem from the so-called “Flight From Hell,” a 2002 transatlantic flight carrying WWE superstars back to the U.S. from a tour of Europe. According to documents filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, Ric Flair allegedly walked around the plane in only his ring robe, flashing flight attendants and asking them to touch his privates, Scott Hall supposedly licked the face of an attendant, and Dustin Runnels was also accused of sexual harassment. The suit specifically blames WWE executives Jim Ross and Stephanie McMahon for doing nothing to stop the wrestlers’ crude behavior.

April 2: The Rock’s latest movie, Walking Tall, is released in theaters nationwide. His character is based on a real-life wrestler-turned-sheriff, Buford H. Pusser of McNairy County, Tennessee. Although the 2004 remake of Walking Tall is less fact-based than the 1973 original, The Rock gets some solid reviews, most notably from the late sheriff’s daughter, Dwana Pusser Garrison. “While some people have noted that The Rock’s ethnic background is different from my father’s, my family is honored that he’s playing the lead in Walking Tall,” Garrison told PWI. Pusser wrestled in the Midwest in the late-1950s and early-’60s.

April 3: Christopher Daniels defeats Austin Aries in Wilmington, Delaware, to become the first man to win the ECWA Super 8 Tournament on two occasions. The other tournament participants were John Walters, Mike Kruel, Nicho (Psicosis), Shawn Daivari, Ricky Reyes, and Rocky Romero. As a bonus, Kruel voluntarily hands over the ECWA heavyweight belt to Daniels after “The Fallen Angel” beats him in a semifinal bout earlier in the evening.

April 12: The Great Goliath dies of heart failure at Mountain View Hospital in Las Vegas. Goliath, best known for his long-running tag team with Black Gordman, began having health problems in the early-1990s, when he suffered the first of four heart attacks and was eventually diagnosed with diabetes. The Mexico native, whose opponents included El Santo, Mil Mascaras, and Chavo Guerrero Sr., was a consistent main-eventer in Southern California throughout the 1960s and ‘70s.

April 14: Nick Dinsmore loses the Ohio Valley Wrestling title to Matt Morgan. WWE executive John Laurinaitis, humiliated that his charge has lost such an important match, approves Dinsmore’s scheduled callup to WWE, but gains revenge by saddling him with the dim-witted Eugene character. As it turns out, Eugene fools Laurinaitis by being a genius at playing dumb, propelling himself to a higher level of stardom.

April 16: WWE announces that it has been unable to meet Steve Austin’s demands regarding a contract renewal and wishes him the best of luck in future endeavors. The sticking points include the former WWF World champion’s desire to have ownership of the “Stone-Cold” nickname and his continued clashes with Creative. Austin’s inability to perform in the ring, due to his deteriorating neck and spinal condition, and a much-publicized domestic abuse incident with ex-girlfriend Tess Broussard weakened his leverage during negotiations.

April 18: Chris Benoit successfully defends his WWE Raw title against Shawn Michaels and Triple-H at Backlash, held in his hometown of Edmonton, Alberta. Unlike the New York crowd at WrestleMania XX, the fans at Rexall Place are solidly behind Benoit—and Michaels, still tainted by the 1997 Survivor Series scandal in Montreal, is nearly as hated as Triple-H. They are thrilled when the Raw champion uses the sharpshooter to force “The Heartbreak Kid” into a clean submission, and are even more excited when referee Earl Hebner, who officiated Michaels’ infamous match against Bret Hart in 1997, calls for the bell. Also at the pay-per-view, Intercontinental champion Randy Orton defeats Mick Foley in a bloody no-holds-barred match.

April 19: Lance Storm’s career comes to an anticlimactic end in his hometown of Calgary, Alberta, where he loses his final match to Steven Richards during a Sunday Night Heat taping. Storm cites agonizing back pain, caused by four bulging disks in his lower lumbar region and a chronic problem with his sciatic nerve, as the primary factor in his decision to retire. The 14-year veteran also admits that WWE Creative’s lack of interest in him made his decision that much easier. He accepts a position as a trainer with WWE’s developmental program in Ohio Valley.

April 21: A.J. Styles defeats Jeff Jarrett for his second NWA heavyweight title inside of a steel cage at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Nashville. TNA Director of Authority Vince Russo chooses Styles as a last-minute replacement for Chris Harris, who suffered an arm injury at the hands of Raven earlier in the evening. When Jarrett goes for his trademark guitar shot, Styles shatters the guitar with an enzuigiri and uses a crucifix to roll up the champ at the 13-minute mark.

April 23: Bryan Danielson defeats C.M. Punk in a 25-minute thriller at a Ring of Honor show in St. Paul, Minnesota. Punk assaults Danielson after the bout, and then attacks special referee Rick Steamboat. Colt Cabana joins Punk in the two-on-one beating until ROH tag team champs The Briscoe Brothers make the save. The former NWA World champion returns the favor by helping the Briscoes against Punk, Cabana, and Ace Steel later in the night.

May 2: The WWE Experience premieres at 10 a.m. Eastern on Spike TV. Marking a return to Sunday morning wrestling, WWE’s only Raw-Smackdown hybrid recap program is hosted by Todd Grisham and Ivory and emanates from New York’s Times Square—the first of many outside venues in coming weeks. The addition of Experience is part of an overall shakeup of WWE’s secondary shows that includes the cancellation of Confidential, a magazine program airing on Saturday nights. Experience scores a rating of 0.7 in its premiere, only a slight improvement over Confidential’s numbers.

May 6: Pepper Gomez, 77, dies of an abdominal infection at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland, California. It is believed that Gomez’ many publicity stunts, such as allowing wrestlers to jump off 12-foot ladders onto his incredibly muscular abdomen and having people drive Volkswagen Bugs over his midsection, might have led in some part to his condition. He feuded with Pat Patterson and Ray Stevens throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and was one of Northern California’s most popular stars in the 1960s and ‘70s.

May 16: John Bradshaw Layfield beats WWE Smackdown champ Eddie Guerrero by disqualification at Judgment Day. The match is considered one of the bloodiest and most violent in recent WWE history. Guerrero becomes frustrated with Layfield’s dirty tactics and is disqualified when he hits his challenger with the Smackdown title belt. Guerrero loses so much blood that he goes into shock and is rushed to the hospital after the match, and the fans are shocked when they realize JBL has become a permanent main-eventer.

May 18: Chavo Guerrero Sr.—the older brother of Smackdown champion Eddie Guerrero—surprises the wrestling world by winning the WWE cruiserweight title more than 15 years after his prime. Spike Dudley plants defending cruiserweight champ Chavo Guerrero Jr. with a Dudley dog, and 55-year-old Chavo Classic accidentally falls on top of his son as the referee counts to three.

May 19: Jerry Jarrett suffers from chest pains and dizziness before TNA’s weekly pay-per-view and later undergoes triple-bypass heart surgery in Nashville … At that night’s event, Ron Killings captures his second NWA heavyweight title in a four-man “Deadly Draw” competition in which wrestlers enter the ring in five-minute intervals. Defending champ A.J. Styles begins the match against Chris Harris, with Raven and then Killings joining the fray. Jeff Jarrett interferes in the match by hitting Styles with his guitar, and Killings later capitalizes by leveling the champion with an ax kick from the top rope and scoring the three-count.

May 22: C.M. Punk commits the most heinous act of his career when he jumps off the top rope and rams a timekeeper’s bell into the throat of former NWA World champion Rick Steamboat in Philadelphia. Afterward, Punk continues to blame Steamboat for his loss to Bryan Danielson a month earlier and for Punk and Colt Cabana’s loss of the Ring of Honor tag team title to Dan Maff and B.J. Whitmer. Steamboat suffered a similar larynx injury at the hands of Randy Savage in 1987.

May 26: TNA airs the World X Cup, a point-based competition featuring the best in X division action, on pay-per-view. Team NWA, Team Canada, Team Mexico, and Team Japan compete in matches that were actually taped on three consecutive Wednesdays before the PPV airing. After a gauntlet match, two regulation tag team matches, and a four-way ladder match, Team NWA’s Chris Sabin, Team Canada’s Petey Williams, and Team Mexico’s Hector Garza battle in an “Ultimate X” match. In the end, Sabin scales the cables to grab the “X” and win the Cup for Team NWA.

June 4: TNA’s Impact premieres on Fox Sports Net at 3 p.m. Friday in most markets. A.J. Styles’ win over Chris Sabin, Michael Shane, and Elix Skipper to earn a shot at Frankie Kazarian’s X title headlines the 60-minute program, which is praised by both wrestling fans and Fox Sports Net executives. Nevertheless, FSN’s inconsistent schedule, controlled by regional operators, and the fact that TNA is paying for the air time, are considered serious drawbacks.

June 5: John Bradshaw Layfield gives “Heil Hitler” salutes and goose-steps around the ring like a Nazi soldier during a match against WWE Smackdown champion Eddie Guerrero in Munich, Germany. Such behavior is considered illegal in Germany, although Layfield later defends his actions as entertainment and not a political statement. WWE does not punish JBL, but CNBC terminates him from his job as a commentator on its financial news show, Bullseye.

June 11: Brock Lesnar is invited to a private workout with the Minnesota Vikings. Lesnar amazes scouts by running a 4.75 40-yard dash, an above-average showing for an NFL lineman. His performance is considered very impressive considering that he broke his jaw, fractured his left hand, severely pulled and bruised his groin, and suffered tissue damage in his lower abdomen in a motorcycle accident only two months earlier.

June 13: WWE Raw champion Chris Benoit defeats Kane at Bad Blood, held at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Benoit wears down Kane with a barrage of German suplexes before trying to apply the crossface. Kane tries to escape, giving Benoit the opening to roll him up for the pinfall after 18 minutes of action. Also at the pay-per-view, Triple-H defeats Shawn Michaels in the longest “Hell In A Cell” match ever—an incredible 47 minutes—to solidify his reputation as the toughest HIAC competitor in history.

June 23: The NWA heavyweight title is held up after a controversial match between defending champ Jeff Jarrett and Ron Killings at TNA’s second anniversary show. Despite TNA Director of Authority Vince Russo’s best efforts to find Jarrett’s hidden guitars before the match, Killings finds a guitar under the ring steps and smashes it over the champion’s head to score the tainted pinfall. Russo refuses to make a decision on the title’s fate until a week later, when he reluctantly gives the belt back to Jarrett. Also at the pay-per-view, free agent Jeff Hardy is a last-minute substitute for an injured Kid Kash against X champion A.J. Styles, but Kash and Dallas attack Styles, forcing the match to be ruled a no-contest.

June 27: John Bradshaw Layfield beats Eddie Guerrero in a bullrope match for the WWE Smackdown title at The Great American Bash, held at the Norfolk Scope. After both men simultaneously touch the first three corners, the champion lunges toward the fourth turnbuckle at the 21-minute mark, but unintentionally causes Layfield to fall backward into it just before Guerrero’s hand actually touches the turnbuckle. General Manager Kurt Angle overrules the referee and declares JBL the new champ. Also at the pay-per-view, Paul Heyman threatens to bury Paul Bearer in wet cement inside a glass case unless The Undertaker lays down for The Dudley Boyz in a handicap match. The Undertaker trounces the Dudleys, but pulls a lever to engulf his manager in wet cement anyway. Although the stunt is an apparent homicide, WWE issues an update the following day, stating Bearer survived with only “internal injuries.”

July 5: Vince McMahon returns as a backstage presence at Raw after being sidelined for more than a week with diverticulitis, an infection in a pocket-like opening in a weak part of the wall between the bowel and the colon. His symptoms included pain in his lower left abdomen. Triple-H, Stephanie McMahon, Jim Ross, and WWE Executive Producer Kevin Dunn pulled together to run The Great American Bash, Raw, and Smackdown in his absence the previous week.

July 6: Ric Flair’s long-awaited autobiography, To Be The Man, is released in bookstores nationwide. In the book, Flair reveals his suspicion that his wealthy parents likely purchased him from a baby-selling ring in Tennessee, accuses Bret Hart of exploiting the in-ring death of his brother Owen, and calls Mick Foley a “glorified stuntman.” Despite the controversial remarks about Hart and Foley, To Be The Man is considered by some to be the most important wrestling autobiography since Lou Thesz’ Hooker.

July 11: WWE Raw champion Chris Benoit beats Triple-H at Vengeance, held at the Hartford Civic Center. Eugene runs into the ring after the referee is knocked down. Torn between his old friendship with “The Rabid Wolverine” and his new alliance with Evolution, Eugene refuses to let Triple-H hit Benoit with a chair. In the confusion, Eugene accidentally smacks Helmsley with the chair, enabling Benoit to score the pinfall. Triple-H, who befriended Eugene as part of a scheme to regain the Raw title, vows revenge against the special superstar. Also at the pay-per-view, much of the crowd turns against Edge as he makes a successful bid to beat Randy Orton for the Intercontinental belt.

July 13: The supposedly injured Kurt Angle dons a Luchador mask and climbs over the top of a steel cage to help John Bradshaw Layfield retain the WWE Smackdown title against Eddie Guerrero. “Latino Heat” rips off the mask to reveal Angle underneath. A furious Vince McMahon orders Angle back to the active roster and appoints Theodore Long as Smackdown’s new general manager a week later.

July 17: Low-Ki makes a surprise return to Ring of Honor at the Rex Plex in Elizabeth, New Jersey. After the former ROH champion interrupts an in-ring confrontation between current champion Samoa Joe and Homicide, Low-Ki smashes Joe with the title belt and makes several unauthorized comments, ranging from the quality of the talent roster to the Rob Feinstein scandal. He joins Homicide and The Havana Pit Bulls in holding the ROH banner over a groggy Samoa Joe … Al Snow and Chris Candido brawl throughout Dunn Tire Park in the main event of Ballpark Brawl II in Buffalo. Snow uses Head, the mannequin head he first made famous in ECW, to hit Candido over the head and win the match. In other highlights, Davey Boy Smith’s son, Harry, wins a tournament to crown the first Natural heavyweight champion; Teddy Hart executes a moonsault from the top of a 15-foot-high backstop to flatten local wrestler Derek Wylde in the infield; and a much slimmer Roddy Piper reunites with ex-bodyguard Sean O’Haire.

July 19: WWE Raw champion Chris Benoit defeats Triple-H in a 60-minute “Ironman” match, scoring four falls to three. Eugene thwarts the interference of Evolution members Ric Flair and Batista in the closing minutes by running into the ring and hitting Triple-H over the head with a chair, allowing Benoit to score the match-winning pinfall. Raw’s rating drops to a 3.5 before jumping to a 4.2 in the overrun segment, proving that great wrestling doesn’t always equal great ratings.

July 21: Jeff Hardy signs with TNA, thanks to the persistent efforts of Dusty Rhodes, and is immediately awarded a shot at the NWA heavyweight title. NWA champion Jeff Jarrett and presumed top contender Monty Brown both complain that Hardy is receiving favorable treatment, and both get involved in a physical altercation with the enigmatic star inside the ring. Hardy vows to gain revenge by taking Jarrett’s belt.

July 22: Joanie Laurer (formerly known as Chyna) freely discusses private details of her relationship with Sean Waltman (formerly known as X-Pac) during an appearance on Howard Stern’s radio show. Laurer reveals that her former boyfriend had recently entered a drug treatment center at WWE’s expense. On his Web site, Waltman clarifies that Triple-H and Vince McMahon paid the costs with their own money—and goes on to profess his undying love for Laurer.

July 27: Booker T wins the vacant U.S. title in an eight-man elimination match to crown a new champion. The other participants in the match are John Cena, Rob Van Dam, Charlie Haas, Billy Gunn, Luther Reigns, Rene Dupree, and Kenzo Suzuki. For several weeks prior to the elimination match, then-General Manager Kurt Angle had inexplicably allowed Booker to have possession of the U.S. belt after Angle stripped Cena of the championship.

August 1: Ken Timbs dies after a long battle with congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy. He was 53. Timbs competed as a journeyman wrestler in several territories prior to forming The Hollywood Blondes with Eric Embry in 1983. They enjoyed a successful reign as Southwest tag team champions and feuded with The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express. After making his Mexican debut as Fabuloso Blondy in 1988, the 235-pounder had two unlikely reigns as NWA light heavyweight champion.

August 7: Austin Aries defeats Bryan Danielson in a best-of-three-falls match in Boston. Each fall is allotted a one-hour time limit. Aries forces Danielson into submission to win the first fall at the 43-minute mark, Aries taps out to Danielson’s cattle mutilation hold after 21 minutes of action in the second fall, and Aries uses his 450 splash to pin Danielson in only 11 minutes to win the third and deciding fall. The 75-minute marathon is immediately hailed as perhaps the greatest Ring of Honor match of all-time.

August 14: Brock Lesnar runs onto the field as number 69 for the Minnesota Vikings in a preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. At various points in the game, Lesnar is part of the kickoff coverage team and the field goal-blocking team, and takes a defensive nose tackle position late in the fourth quarter. Although Lesnar turns in a good performance, the Vikings cut him from the team later in the month, citing his inability to progress further as a defensive tackle … Members of the Hart family gather at the Dunn Tire Park in Buffalo for Ballpark Brawl III. Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, and Jimmy Hart—the original Hart Foundation—address the fans in a special reunion, Teddy Hart beats cousin Harry Smith, son of Davey Boy Smith, for the Natural heavyweight title before losing the same championship to A.J. Styles in a tables, ladders, and chairs match also involving Sabu; and Nattie Neidhart defeats TNA diva Tracy Brooks.

August 15: Randy Orton defeats Chris Benoit for the WWE Raw title in the main event of SummerSlam, held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The third-generation superstar pins the champion cleanly at the 20-minute mark, and Benoit gives a tearful Orton a heartfelt handshake after the match. John Bradshaw Layfield retains the Smackdown championship by disqualification when The Undertaker power-bombs him through the moon roof of his limousine. Also at the pay-per-view, Ric Flair helps Triple-H score a victory over Eugene, Kurt Angle gained a clean submission victory over Eddie Guerrero, and Kane beat Matt Hardy in a “Till Death Do Us Part” match to win the right to marry Lita.

August 16: Triple-H gives new WWE Raw champion Randy Orton the thumbs down and kicks him out of Evolution. After Orton retains the title in a rematch against Chris Benoit, Triple-H gives the signal to Ric Flair and Batista, and all three men beat the “Legend-Killer” to a bloody pulp. Triple-H finishes the attack by executing a pedigree on Orton and vowing to retake the Raw championship.

August 23: Kane sports a white tuxedo and Lita wears black as they exchange wedding vows on Raw. Matt Hardy, who lost Lita in a “Till Death Do Us Part” match to Kane at SummerSlam, refuses to hold his peace and interrupts the ceremony. Kane greets Hardy with a big loafer to the face and, when the ceremony resumes, Lita reluctantly says, “I do.”

September 4: Raw’s Eugene joins Smackdown’s Basham Brothers to defeat John Laurinaitis’s stooges, OVW champion Matt Morgan and tag team champions Brent Albright and Chris Masters, at Fall Brawl II, held at the Davis Arena in Louisville. Nick Dinsmore appears as “Eugene,” his WWE alter-ego, in order to compete in Ohio Valley despite his ban from the territory. Former OVW standouts and current WWE superstars Shelton Benjamin and Victoria also appear at the event.

September 8: NWA champion Jeff Jarrett beats Jeff Hardy at TNA’s final weekly pay-per-view at the Nashville Fairgrounds. Vince Russo and Dusty Rhodes interfere in the match, which ends when Jarrett clocks Hardy with a guitar at the 12-minute mark. The bout fails to meet expectations because of the blatant interference, short length, and stale ending. Also at the pay-per-view, Chris Harris and Elix Skipper beat The Naturals for the NWA tag team title, Dusty Rhodes pins Scott D’Amore, and A.J. Styles defeats Kid Kash in a tables match.

September 12: Triple-H beats Randy Orton for the WWE Raw title at Unforgiven, held at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. It is his ninth world championship. Ric Flair, Batista, and Jonathan Coachman all interfere on Triple-H’s behalf after referee Earl Hebner is knocked down. In the end, Helmsley hits Orton with a steel chair, pedigrees him on top of it, and covers the third-generation star just as Batista rolls a dazed Hebner back into the ring to make the three-count. Also at the pay-per-view, Chris Jericho wins an unprecedented seventh Intercontinental title from Christian in a ladder match.

September 16: Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, and Mick Foley are guests on Smackdown’s fifth anniversary special. Although the appearances are only videotaped remembrances, having so many important personalities—none of which are on great terms with WWE—is considered a major coup. Creative head Stephanie McMahon, who hasn’t appeared in an on-air role since 2003, also reminisces about her time on Smackdown. The UPN program scores a respectable 3.2 against the other networks with new fall lineups.

September 18: Jim Barnett dies of pneumonia at age 80. His health had been in a steady decline since a battle with cancer a few years earlier. Barnett was one of the most enduring wrestling figures in the television era, from helping Fred Kohler produce his Chicago-based wrestling program for the Dumont Network in the 1950s, to serving as a WWE consultant at the time of his passing. He is credited with revitalizing the Australian wrestling scene in the 1960s and early-’70s, as well as launching the Georgia-based World Championship Wrestling on Superstation WTBS in the early-’80s.

September 20: Christy Hemme is declared the winner of the $250,000 Raw diva search. Former Playboy model Carmella DeCesare is the runner-up. Hemme was one of thousands of applicants who sent tapes to WWE. Fifty candidates appeared on a diva search special on Spike TV and celebrity judges-including Triple-H, Chris Jericho, and Edge-narrowed the field down to 10. During the two months of competition that ensued on Raw, the diva contestants participated in several activities, such as seducing Kamala and eating pie with The Rock. Fans voted one contestant out of the competition each week on wwe.com.

September 22: Ray Traylor dies of an apparent heart attack at his home in Georgia. He was 42. Traylor first gained prominence as “Big” Bubba Rogers, Jim Cornette’s bodyguard and The Midnight Express’ enforcer, in Jim Crockett Promotions, and went on to defeat One Man Gang for the UWF heavyweight title. He earned his greatest fame in the WWF, where—as Big Bossman–he feuded with World champion Hulk Hogan in the late-1980s and made a strong comeback as Vince McMahon’s bodyguard a decade later. Traylor competed in WCW under several identities between his two WWF runs.

September 26: Marianna Komlos dies after a long struggle with breast cancer at age 35. As Mrs. Cleavage, she personified the excess of the WWF’s “Attitude” era, often appearing in sexually suggestive vignettes with her supposed son, Beaver (Chaz Warrington). Soon thereafter, the WWF pulled back on that character and allowed her to appear under her real name of Marianna and serve as Shawn Stasiak’s valet. Komlos was also well known in the physical fitness world.

October 2: The Midnight Express reunites in Philadelphia. It marks the first occasion when the three most prominent members of the Express—”Loverboy” Dennis Condrey, “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton, and “Sweet” Stan Lane—share the same ring, alongside manager Jim Cornette. All have touching words for former bodyguard Ray Traylor, a.k.a. “Big” Bubba Rogers, who died only two weeks earlier. Rick Morton, their great rival from The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, makes a surprise appearance and confronts his old enemies at the event.

October 3: WWE Smackdown champion John Bradshaw Layfield beats The Undertaker in a “Last Ride” match at No Mercy, held at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Moments after The Undertaker power-bombs a bloody JBL on top of a hearse’s moonroof, a rampaging Heidenreich shoves Undertaker into the hearse, giving Layfield the victory, according to the stipulations of the match. Also at the pay-per-view, John Cena pins defending champ Booker T in the final bout of a best-of-five series for the U.S. title.

October 5: In his WWE television debut, Carlito Caribbean Cool—the son of former WWC universal champion Carlos Colon—upsets John Cena for the U.S. belt on Smackdown. He nails Cena with a steel chair to pin him after 15 minutes of action. In a related story, Cena suffers stab wounds during an attack at a Boston-area nightclub after the show. By the end of the month, Carlito and his bodyguard, Jesus, are prime suspects.

October 16: Chris Cage defeats Matt Morgan for the Ohio Valley title at the Davis Arena in Louisville. The champion misses a legdrop and Cage is able to capitalize with a flying bodypress to score the pinfall. Morgan, who issued an open challenge as part of his “Blueprint Invitational,” had vowed to leave OVW forever if he lost. Skeptics are doubtful that stipulation will ever stick … Samoa Joe, the 290-pound Ring of Honor champion, amazes fans by proving to have just as much stamina as the 210-pound C.M. Punk during a clash in Chicago Ridge, Illinois. They wrestle to a sensational 60-minute draw.

October 19: Triple-H retains the WWE Raw championship against Shawn Michaels at Taboo Tuesday, held at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Fans voting on wwe.com select Michaels over Chris Benoit and Edge to challenge “The Game” for the belt. Michaels grits through a torn meniscus ligament and overcomes the distraction of Batista, only to have Edge enter the ring and floor him with a spear. The champion drapes his arm over HBK for the victory. Also at the pay-per-view, Randy Orton kills another legend by defeating Ric Flair inside a steel cage; Shelton Benjamin, whom the fans choose out of a field of 15 contenders, beats Chris Jericho for the Intercontinental strap; and Chris Benoit single-handedly wins the Raw tag team title from La Resistance after his partner, Edge, leaves the building … Pat Patterson, credited with helping produce some of the greatest matches in WWE history, confirms his retirement at the end of Taboo Tuesday. Vince, Shane, and Stephanie McMahon pay tribute to the 63-year-old Hall of Famer, who ends his career singing a rendition of “My Way.”

October 23: Ex-Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura endorses Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry during a press conference at the Minnesota State Capitol in Minneapolis. Ventura confuses reporters by refusing to utter a word during the so-called endorsement, with former Maine Governor Angus King, another Kerry supporter, explaining, “He plans to vote for John Kerry. But he doesn’t want to subject himself to the tender mercies of the Minnesota press.”

November 2: Tough Enough contestant Daniel Puder snares Kurt Angle in a Kimura lock during an impromptu challenge, nearly humiliating the former Olympian on national television. Referee Jimmy Korderas saves Angle from the predicament by quickly counting to three when Puder accidentally allows his shoulders to touch the mat. WWE had sent Angle out to teach respect to the contestants, who had just endured several grueling physical challenges.

November 5: Jushin “Thunder” Liger makes a rare U.S. appearance at the Greater Boston Sports Complex in Revere, Massachusetts. His famed Liger bomb isn’t enough to defeat Bryan Danielson, but his brainbuster from the top rope is enough to do the job. The Ring of Honor crowd gives the former 11-time IWGP junior heavyweight champ a standing ovation. Liger hadn’t competed regularly in the U.S. since his time in WCW’s light heavyweight division a decade earlier.

November 7: TNA airs Victory Road, its first three-hour, Sunday night pay-per-view. NWA champion Jeff Jarrett beats Jeff Hardy in a ladder match that headlines the event, which emanates from Universal Studios in Orlando. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash blast Hardy with guitars, enabling Jarrett to grab the NWA title belt. Also at the pay-per-view, X champion Petey Williams beats A.J. Styles; B.G. James and Konnan defeat Bobby Rude and Eric Young for the NWA tag team championship; and Randy Savage, Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka, Jacquelyn, and Johnny B. Badd (Marc Mero) are among the high-profile stars to appear. Hulk Hogan is backstage during the PPV.

November 10: On behalf of TNA, Ron Killings, B.G. James, Konnan, Shane Douglas, Abyss, and Tracy Brooks try to welcome a group of WWE superstars to Orlando’s Universal Studios with cookies and party balloons. Vince McMahon and others, who are on hand to shoot a commercial for the 2005 Royal Rumble, realize it is a publicity stunt when they learn TNA cameras are present. A WWE production assistant is sent to confront the strange welcoming committee, and TNA is later threatened with legal action.

November 14: Randy Orton leads Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, and Maven to victory over WWE Raw champion Triple-H, Batista, Edge, and Gene Snitsky at Survivor Series, held at the Gund Arena in Cleveland. Orton uses an RKO to secure the pinfall over Triple-H and, as a result, his team gains control over Raw for the next four weeks. Also at the pay-per-view, Smackdown champion John Bradshaw Layfield pins Booker T with the help of Orlando Jordan, women’s champion Trish Stratus beats Lita by disqualification, and The Undertaker pins Heidenreich.

November 21: Hardcore Holly brutally attacks Rene Dupree during a match pitting him and Charlie Haas against WWE Smackdown tag champs Dupree and Kenzo Suzuki in Syracuse, New York. Inside the ring, Holly refuses to release an excruciating front facelock and punishes Dupree with stiff punches and kicks. Outside the ring, he whacks the French-Canadian with a vicious chair shot and, as Dupree tries to flee, throws the chair at the back of his head and back. Although Dupree’s eyes begin to swell shut and bruises form on his body, he and Suzuki retain their tag team title. Later, Vince McMahon reportedly chastises Holly and punishes him with a heavy fine.

November 23: Dusty Rhodes is introduced to the TNA locker room as the company’s new booker. Minority co-owner Jerry Jarrett makes the announcement just prior to an Impact taping and confirms that his son, former booker Jeff Jarrett, will be surrendering those responsibilities to spend more time with his wife, who is fighting breast cancer. At various times, Rhodes served as booker for Championship Wrestling from Florida, Jim Crockett Promotions, and World Championship Wrestling.

November 29: There is no clear winner in a three-way WWE Raw title match that takes place at the Baltimore Arena. In an awkward position, Chris Benoit forces Edge to tap out to the crossface while a second referee counts the “Rabid Wolverine’s” own shoulders to the mat—as defending champ Triple-H recovers from a spill outside the ring. One week later, Vince McMahon declares the Raw championship vacant.

December 4: Ring of Honor champion Samoa Joe defeats C.M. Punk at the Rex-Plex in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Despite Punk being a freshly turned fan favorite and seemingly having momentum on his side, Samoa Joe forces him into submission at the 30-minute mark. It is the third acclaimed encounter between the two stars. Also at the event, Bryan Danielson defeats Homicide, and Jim Cornette debates Bobby Heenan in the first joint appearance of the two managerial greats.

December 5: Jeff Hardy, A.J. Styles, and Randy Savage defeat The Kings Of Wrestling—NWA champion Jeff Jarrett, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash—at Turning Point, held at Universal Studios in Orlando. Savage, who is kidnapped by the Kings midway through the event, returns just in time to storm the ring and roll up Jarrett for the victory. Also at the pay-per-view, Bobby Rude and Eric Young beat B.G. James and Ron Killings to regain the NWA tag team title, Dallas Page thwarts Erik Watts’ interference to pin old WCW rival Raven after a diamond cutter, and America’s Most Wanted defeats Christopher Daniels and Elix Skipper in a “Six Sides Of Steel” match, forcing them to split permanently due to a pre-match stipulation.

December 12: WWE Smackdown champion John Bradshaw Layfield wins a four-way match also involving Eddie Guerrero, The Undertaker, and Booker T at Armageddon, held in Atlanta. As The Undertaker prepares to execute a tombstone piledriver on Layfield, Heidenreich runs into the ring and drops ‘Taker with a spinning slam. Moments later, JBL clotheslines Booker T all the way from hell to gain the pinfall. Also at the pay-per-view, U.S. champion John Cena beats Jesus in a streetfight, and Funaki defeats Spike Dudley for the cruiserweight belt … Sabu is honored at a benefit Border City Wrestling show, held at the Diamondback Saloon in Belleville, Michigan. Promoter Scott D’Amore organized the event, which features stars such as Mick Foley, A.J. Styles, Christopher Daniels, Zach Gowen, D-Lo Brown, Jeff Hardy, Monty Brown, and Jimmy Hart. In a battle of former ECW champions, Shane Douglas defeats Raven when a feisty Sabu stuffs Mr. Socko down Raven’s throat to help Douglas score the victory. Nearly 20 years of masochistic escapades landed Sabu in the hospital in late-2004, and all proceeds from the Belleville show go toward his medical bills.

December 13: Muhammad Hassan and his manager, Khosrow Daivari, debut on Raw. The Arab-Americans trade verbal barbs with Mick Foley, who insists Hassan and Daivari are free to express their views “no matter how stupid they sound.” Hassan, formerly known as Mark Magnus in Ohio Valley, and Daivari, a full-blooded Iranian who rose to prominence in the Midwest and Ring of Honor, are regarded as very controversial because of their anti-American stance in the post-9/11 era. Backstage at the same show, Foley almost gets into a brawl with Ric Flair, who lands a soft punch on the hardcore legend. The bad feelings stem from Flair’s dismissal of Foley as a “glorified stuntman” in his autobiography, To Be The Man.

December 14: Daniel Puder is declared the winner of Tough Enough IV, as determined by fans voting on wwe.com. Tough Enough trainer Al Snow confirms Puder will receive a $1,000,000 contract over four years. Puder’s mixed martial arts background, his faceoff with The Big Show, his embarrassment of Kurt Angle during a live grappling session, and his defeat of finalist Mike Mizanin in a “Dixie Dogfight” boxing match at Armageddon are key factors in his win.

December 18: Elijah Burke defeats Chad Toland for the Ohio Valley championship at the Davis Arena in Louisville. The popular Burke overcomes the interference of Matt Morgan, Tank Toland, and even a pair of brass knuckles to claim the title. Observers tout the ex-police officer as a future WWE superstar.

December 23: Smackdown’s second annual “Christmas In Iraq” special airs on UPN. The program is taped at Camp Speicher, located in Tikrit—the hometown of Saddam Hussein. Eddie Guerrero and Rey Misterio Jr. defeat Kurt Angle and Luther Reigns in the main event. The special edition of Smackdown concludes a top-secret, whirlwind tour in which WWE superstars spread holiday cheer among scores of Coalition troops.

December 26: Austin Aries ends Samoa Joe’s amazing 21-month Ring of Honor title reign at Philadelphia’s National Guard Armory. Aries is the fourth man to hold ROH’s top prize. Joe, Bryan Danielson, and C.M. Punk immediately vie for shots at the new champion.

2005
January 3: Hector Garza is arrested for possession of controlled substances at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. Custom officials find two bottles containing 28 grams of anabolic steroids, identified as Primobolan and Deca-Durabolin. Garza is detained at Harris County Jail in Texas and is later deported to Mexico. The bust happens at an inopportune time for the luchador, whose feud with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash was gaining momentum in TNA.

January 4: Carmella DeCesare is acquitted of assault charges in Cleveland Municipal Court. However, the 22-year-old “Diva Search” finalist is found guilty of violating a protective order for confronting Kristin Hine, 31, at the Tramp nightclub in Cleveland’s warehouse district. According to testimony, DeCesare accused Hine of having an affair with her boyfriend, Cleveland Browns quarterback Jeff Garcia, who admitted the accusation was true.

January 9: Triple-H pins Randy Orton, with the help of the previously eliminated Batista, to capture the vacant World championship inside the “Elimination Chamber” at New Year’s Revolution, airing from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Other participants include Chris Benoit, Edge, and Chris Jericho. In December, Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff declared the title vacant following a controversial conclusion to a three-way match pitting Benoit vs. Edge vs. defending champ Triple-H. It is Helmsley’s 10th world championship. In separate incidents at the pay-per-view, Eugene and Lita suffered severe knee injuries and were expected to miss several months of action.

January 16: NWA champion Jeff Jarrett beats Monty Brown at Final Resolution. Jarrett pulls every dirty trick imaginable, striking Brown with the NWA title belt, smashing him with a chair, bashing him with guitars, and waylaying him with a low blow. In the end, Jarrett still needs to execute three strokes to pin the former football star. Earlier that night, Brown defeats Kevin Nash and Dallas Page in a three-way match to earn the title shot. Also at the pay-per-view, A.J. Styles wins an unprecedented fourth TNA X title in an “Ultimate X” match also involving Chris Sabin and defending champ Petey Williams, and Abyss returns to TNA after considering a defection to WWE.

January 18: “Pistol” Pez Whatley dies of a heart ailment at the Parkridge Medical Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Born Pezavan Peter Whatley, he was the first African-American to win a state wrestling championship in 1967. He went on to have a respectable career as a journeyman fan favorite, but gained his greatest fame as the bombastic “Shaska” Whatley during a long feud with Jimmy Valiant in Jim Crockett Promotions. His full-time career ended in the early-1990s.

January 20: Rob Black (Rob Zicari) and Lizzy Borden (Janet Romano) are acquitted in a landmark pornography case. Federal prosecutors had charged Zicari and Romano’s company, Extreme Associates, of breaking laws by sending pornographic videos depicting rape and murder through the U.S. Postal Service. The judge presiding over the case rules that restricting postal delivery of such materials is overreaching, and there are more effective ways to protect minors and the community at large without infringing upon the rights of those who wish to view violent hardcore material. Zicaro and Romano faced a maximum of 50 years in prison and $2.5-million in fines.

January 28: More than 80 veteran stars kick off WrestleReunion, a three-day event held at the Doubletree Hotel in Tampa. Promoters Sal Corrente and Rob Russen direct the festivities, including autograph signings, photo opportunities, question-and-answer sessions, and a wrestling show. Among the attendees are NWA heavyweight champion Jeff Jarrett, NWA tag team champions America’s Most Wanted, Mick Foley, Bruno Sammartino, Dory Funk Jr., Terry Funk, Harley Race, Jack Brisco, Dusty and Dustin Rhodes, Nick Bockwinkel, Rick Steamboat, Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka, and Baby Doll.

January 30: Batista eliminates John Cena to win the Royal Rumble and a World title shot at WrestleMania 21. Eddie Guerrero, the first entrant, is eliminated at the midway point, and Ric Flair enters at number 30. Batista, Cena, Edge, and Rey Misterio Jr. make the final four of the Rumble. Batista later chooses World champion Triple-H as his opponent at WrestleMania. Also at the pay-per-view, WWE champion John Bradshaw Layfield beats Kurt Angle and The Big Show in a three-way match.

February 10: James Bell, WWE’s former vice president of licensing, pleads guilty to a charge of mail fraud in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Bell received kickbacks in exchange for persuading WWE to retain Jakks Inc. as its video game licensee. An audit revealed that Jakks had made illegal payments totaling $100,000 to Bell and WWE’s licensing agent, Stanley Shenker & Associates in 1998. WWE opted to continue its business relationship with Jakks despite the ongoing legal matter.

February 13: NWA champion Jeff Jarrett beats Kevin Nash at Against All Odds. TNA Director of Authority Dusty Rhodes grants Nash the title shot to cause dissension within The Kings of Wrestling, a clique comprised of Jarrett, Nash, and Scott Hall. In addition, Rhodes decrees that Jarrett will lose the belt if he uses a guitar on Nash. Jarrett outsmarts Rhodes by using another weapon from the string family, a cello, to smash over Nash’s bad knees. After run-ins from the debuting Outlaw (Billy Gunn), Sean Waltman, and B.G. James, Jarrett catches Nash with a low blow, executes the stroke, and scores the three-count to retain the NWA championship. Also at the pay-per-view, X champion A.J. Styles defeats Christopher Daniels in sudden-death overtime of a 30-minute “Ironman” match, two falls to one.

February 20: WWE champion John Bradshaw Layfield defeats The Big Show in a barbed-wire steel cage match at No Way Out. The Basham Brothers interfere on Layfield’s behalf, and the ring collapses when Big Show suplexes JBL off the top of the cage. Thanks to a pair of wire cutters, Layfield is able to snip out a hole without the referee’s knowledge and escape to the floor to retain his title. Also at the pay-per-view, Eddie Guerrero and Rey Misterio Jr. defeat the Bashams for the Smackdown tag team straps, and Chavo Guerrero Jr. wins the cruiserweight title in a six-way bout.

February 21: Batista announces that he wants to wrestle his mentor, World champion Triple-H, at WrestleMania 21. His decision essentially dissolves Evolution, as Batista gives Triple-H a big thumbs-down and powerbombs him through a table. Batista’s announcement scores a 5.0 rating—a full point higher than most of Raw’s overrun segments.

February 23: Ultimate Pro Wrestling holds its biggest show of the year, “Homecoming Havoc,” an event featuring former, current, and future WWE superstars, at the Galaxy Theater in Santa Ana, California. Jesus Aguilera, Sean O’Haire, Chuck Palumbo, Daniel Puder, and Mike Mizanin all make appearances. Lil’ Nate defeats Frankie Kazarian for the UPW light heavyweight title in the main event.

February 25: Vince McMahon attends a Raw house show at Madison Square Garden, his first backstage appearance at a WWE card in several weeks. McMahon, with his legs wrapped and elevated, sits in a wheelchair and converses with wrestlers, agents, and other employees during the event. The WWE chairman suffered quadriceps tears in both legs in January and had been working from home since that time.

February 26: Legendary manager Bobby Heenan leads Colt Cabana and Nigel McGuinness to a win over Dan Maff and B.J. Whitmer, managed by Jim Cornette. Cornette accidentally hits Maff with his tennis racket, enabling Cabana to score a quick pinfall. During an in-ring debate in December, Cornette callously ridiculed Heenan, who was recovering from mouth and throat cancer.

March 4: The Rock’s latest movie, Be Cool, premieres in theaters nationwide. Be Cool, which earns $23.5-million on its opening weekend, places behind Vin Diesel’s The Pacifier, which garners $30.2-million during the first three days of its national release. Despite the lukewarm reaction to Be Cool, several critics point to The Rock’s portrayal of a gay bodyguard as the highlight of the movie.

March 13: Christopher Daniels captures the TNA X title in an “Ultimate X Challenge” match also involving Ron Killings, Elix Skipper, and defending champ A.J. Styles. According to the contest’s unique rules, the bout begins as a tag team encounter, turns into a three-way, and then becomes an “Ultimate X” ladder match. Styles and Skipper defeat Daniels and Killings when Skipper uses an impaler to pin Killings. With Killings eliminated, Daniels goes on to pin Skipper in the ensuing three-way. That leaves Styles to battle Daniels in the “Ultimate X” ladder match. Referee Andrew Thomas fails to see Styles grab the X title belt from the rafters and drop to the mat, but regains consciousness just after Daniels uses his angel wings finisher to plant Styles. Assuming that Daniels retrieved the belt first, Thomas declares the “Fallen Angel” the new X champion. Also at the pay-per-view, NWA champion Jeff Jarrett beats Dallas Page after an absurd amount of outside interference, and Abyss beats Jeff Hardy in a falls-count-anywhere match.

March 19: Shannon Moore is involved in a head-on collision with a drunk driver while driving home from a Raw house show in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Moore’s Hummer is damaged in the accident, but the Smackdown cruiserweight emerges with only a concussion and a sore neck. Interestingly, Matt Hardy had been driving his Corvette in front of Moore’s Hummer before the two friends switched places a short time prior to the collision. Hardy acknowledges the last-minute switch might have saved his life. Moore chooses not to check into a hospital, instead opting to go to his home in nearby Whispering Pines, North Carolina.

March 28: World champion Triple-H sits across a table from Batista for an in-ring confrontation on Raw only six days before WrestleMania 21. Triple-H loses his temper, flips the table over, and slaps Batista across the face. Batista pounces on Helmsley, punches him repeatedly, and shoves Ric Flair back with one hand. Eight police officers swarm the ring to restore order.

April 2: Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Jimmy Hart, Paul Orndorff, Nikolai Volkoff, The Iron Sheik, and Bob Orton Jr. are inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Universal Amphitheater in Hollywood. Sylvester Stallone inducts Hogan, his Rocky III co-star, prompting chants of “one more match” as “The Immortal One” approaches the podium.

April 3: Batista defeats Triple-H for the World title in the main event of WrestleMania 21, held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. “The Animal” catapults “The Game” into a ringpost in the early going, drawing blood and maintaining the advantage throughout most of the match. Batista power-bombs Triple-H and pins him for the belt at the 22-minute mark. Likewise, John Cena executes the FU to pin John Bradshaw Layfield for WWE championship, ending JBL’s impressive nine-month title reign. Earning over 1 million pay-per-view buys, WrestleMania 21 is the most successful wrestling event of all-time.

April 9: Petey Williams uses his famed “Canadian Destroyer” flip piledriver to defeat Puma in Newark, Delaware, and becomes the first non-American to win the ECWA Super 8 tournament. Williams is only one member of Scott D’Amore’s Canadian contingent, which also includes Alex Shelley and Tyson Dux. Other participants in the tournament are J.J. Perez, Rory Fox, Andrew Ryker, and Eric Matlock.

April 24: A.J. Styles pins Abyss at TNA’s Lockdown, a pay-per-view featuring only steel cage matches. The bout takes a sick turn when Abyss pours thumbtacks onto the mat. But “The Phenomenal One” responds by dropping Abyss onto the tacks twice, first with a Styles clash and later with a power bomb off the top rope. With the victory, Styles earns a future shot at Jeff Jarrett’s NWA title.

April 28: Chris Candido dies suddenly of a blood clot at his home. Four days earlier, Candido injured his ankle when he teamed with Lance Hoyt against Sonny Siaki and Apolo at TNA’s Lockdown. Two steel plates and pins were used to repair his dislocated ankle, broken fibula, and broken tibia. Candido returned home on an airplane flight soon afterward, which is usually discouraged after such procedures. It is unknown whether that contributed to the blood clot that took his life. The grandson of “Popeye” Chuck Richards, Candido held the NWA heavyweight, WWF tag team, ECW tag team, and WCW cruiserweight titles during his 19-year career. He is also remembered for his long personal and professional relationship with his high-school sweetheart, Tammy Sytch.

May 1: World champion Batista defeats Triple-H at Backlash. Triple-H vows that his pedigree will outshine the Batista bomb on this night, but the champion blocks five pedigree attempts en route to executing the Batista bomb to retain his title. This high-profile rematch from WrestleMania 21 turns out to be Helmsley’s second consecutive pay-per-view loss to “The Animal.” Also at the pay-per-view, Hulk Hogan returns for “one more match,” teaming with Shawn Michaels to beat Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari.

May 7: Ring of Honor attracts a sellout crowd of 500 to the New Yorker Hotel’s Grand Ballroom, in the promotion’s first foray into Manhattan. Low-Ki and Homicide defeat Jay Lethal and Samoa Joe in a wild main event, and ROH champion Austin Aries uses a 450 splash to finish off Alex Shelley. Jimmy Rave beats C.M. Punk in a dog-collar match that turns out to be one of the most violent bouts in company history. Overall, the show is considered a critical success.
May 9: Chris Kreski dies of cancer at age 42. Kreski became the WWF’s head television writer after the creative team of Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara defected to WCW in 1999. His logical storytelling and clever sense of humor led to the rise of Kurt Angle, Edge, and Christian, and his McMahon-Helmsley Era storyline drew the highest ratings in WWF history. Stephanie McMahon became the new creative supervisor after Kreski, citing burnout, resigned in 2002.

May 15: A.J. Styles beats Jeff Jarrett for his third NWA title at Hard Justice. Styles, who already defeated Jarrett for the NWA belt on two occasions, walks into Orlando’s Universal Studios as the heavy favorite. Special referee and celebrated UFC fighter Tito Ortiz prevents many of Jarrett’s typical cheating tactics, although Monty Brown manages to interfere on the champion’s behalf. In the end, Ortiz knocks out a disrespectful Jarrett with a right hand, giving Styles a chance to execute a corkscrew spinal tap and score the three-count to capture the championship.

May 16: Hounded by boos and catcalls for several weeks, Lita turns against Kane and joins her one-time beau, Edge, for the first time on Raw. Lita’s split from former boyfriend, Matt Hardy, and her brief affair with Edge, had made headlines on the Internet, prompting WWE Creative to work the real-life situation into a wrestling angle. Kane had been serving as a TV proxy of sorts for Hardy, who was released earlier in the year.

May 22: John Cena retains the WWE title against John Bradshaw Layfield in an “I quit” match at Judgment Day. Layfield, in the unusual role of challenger, is quite aggressive against Cena, who proves to have greater stamina than the 13-year veteran. Cena rips an exhaust pipe off a semi-truck, bashes Layfield with it, and threatens to do it again—but JBL says “I quit” after 22 minutes of violence. It is widely considered the best match of both men’s careers.

May 23: WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, former WCW President Eric Bischoff, and former ECW owner Paul Heyman stand in the same ring together for the first time ever. The three most influential promoters of the 1990s played off their real-life rivalries as a lead-in to ECW’s One Night Stand, produced by WWE. As part of the storyline, Raw General Manager Bischoff seeks to thwart Heyman’s attempt to resurrect ECW and holds a mock funeral, claiming to have been the man responsible for destroying the extreme promotion in the first place. McMahon, who reveals that he helped bankroll ECW at the height of the Monday Night War, says that he is financing One Night Stand.

June 6: In a major surprise, WWE champion John Cena is drafted to Raw. With Cena as the newest member of the Raw roster, the company seems to be in disarray with both world champions on the same program. Chris Jericho and Christian are among the first to challenge Cena for the WWE title. Cena’s appearance leads to only a 3.7 rating on this edition of Raw, but the show’s numbers rise by the end of the month.

June 11: “Hardcore Homecoming,” a reunion of ex-ECW wrestlers, is held at Viking Hall in Philadelphia, the site of the extreme promotion’s greatest events. Former ECW champion Shane Douglas helps organize the show, which is designed to one-up WWE’s One Night Stand the following evening. Although this independent card doesn’t have access to any ECW-turned-WWE stars, it does feature a number of former ECW wrestlers from TNA and the independent circuit. Terry Funk, who turned down an offer to appear at the WWE-produced pay-per-view, beats Douglas and Sabu in a three-way bout, promoted as the long-awaited sequel to the historic match that helped launch ECW more than a decade earlier.

June 12: Former ECW stars reunite for One Night Stand, a WWE-produced pay-per-view held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. The Dudley Boyz beat Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman in the main event when Buh Buh Ray and D-Von use a double power-bomb to send “The Innovator Of Violence” through a flaming table. Eric Bischoff and Kurt Angle try to ruin the event by bringing in factions from Raw and Smackdown, respectively, but the night ends on a high note with Steve Austin sharing a beer with The Sandman. One Night Stand turns out to be one of WWE’s most profitable PPVs of the year.
June 19: Raven wins the NWA title in a five-way “King Of The Mountain” match also involving Abyss, Monty Brown, Sean Waltman, and defending champ A.J. Styles at Slammiversary, a pay-per-view celebrating TNA’s third year in the business. Under the unique rules of the match, pinfalls and submissions send participants to a penalty box for two-minute periods, and the winner must use a ladder to place the NWA title belt on a hook above the ring. Raven punishes his opponents with a staple gun in the early going, and goes on to tip Abyss off the ladder and place the belt on the hook. He joins Terry Funk, Sabu, and Steve Corino as the fourth man to hold the NWA and ECW championships. C.M. Punk defeats Austin Aries for the Ring of Honor championship in Morristown, New Jersey. Despite receiving overwhelming support from the fans during the match, Punk—after winning the belt—claims that he really hates all of them. He rejects Christopher Daniels’ last-minute challenge and jumps into a waiting car. His victory becomes a complicated political situation for ROH, considering that Punk has signed with WWE and is scheduled to begin training in Ohio Valley.

June 25: Jim Cornette makes his first appearance for Ohio Valley Wrestling after serving a five-week suspension. WWE had suspended OVW’s booker and color commentator after he threw a backstage tantrum against Kevin Fertig (Mordecai). On television, Cornette asserts that rotund manager Kenny Bolin had gone to WWE, Six Flags (the venue for OVW’s biggest events), and local sponsors and accused him of favoritism and incompetence. Sweating profusely, Bolin denies the charges, claiming that he only wanted to be Cornette’s assistant. “The Louisville Lip” punches him in the mouth and plants a kiss on Bolin’s valet, Ms. Blue.

June 26: World champion Batista defeats Triple-H in a “Hell In A Cell” match at Vengeance. Batista once again blocks the pedigree on several occasions, avoids Triple-H’s trusty sledgehammer, and uses a power bomb to hand “The Game” his first singles “Hell In A Cell” defeat. It is also Batista’s third consecutive victory over Helmsley. Also at the pay-per-view, WWE champion John Cena beats Chris Jericho and Christian in a three-way bout, and Shawn Michaels pins Kurt Angle in a rematch from WrestleMania 21.

June 27: Hulk Hogan makes a rare television appearance, teaming with Shawn Michaels and WWE champion John Cena to defeat Chris Jericho, Christian, and Tyson Tomko. Hogan hits Tomko with a big boot and legdrop and covers him for the winning pinfall. Cena graciously exits the ring, leaving the spotlight for his heroes, Hogan and Michaels. “The Immortal One” chose to make a WWE return in order to promote his new VH-1 reality series, Hogan Knows Best.

June 30: World champion Batista is the fourth and final superstar drafted to Smackdown. As a result, General Manager Theodore Long cancels plans to create a WWE Smackdown championship. John Bradshaw Layfield immediately emerges as the top contender to Batista’s World title. With the draft of Batista, the World and WWE champions essentially switch brands.
July 4: Shawn Michaels superkicks Hulk Hogan, sparking an “icon vs. legend” feud. The incident occurs during a post-match celebration of Hogan and Michaels’ victory over Kurt Angle and Carlito Caribbean Cool on Raw. Later, Hogan accepts Michaels’ challenge to face him at SummerSlam.

July 6: WWE releases 20 superstars in its most massive round of layoffs ever. Among the newly unemployed are Buh Buh Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley, Spike Dudley, Billy Kidman, Kenzo Suzuki, Hiroko, Charlie Haas, Jackie Gayda, Marty Jannetty, Mark Jindrak, Dawn Marie, Matt Morgan, Maven, Shannon Moore, Akio, Gangrel, Kevin Fertig (Mordecai), Ivory, Joy Giovanni, and Marc Loyd. The cuts radically alter the Raw and Smackdown rosters, only a few days after the annual talent draft lottery.

July 7: Muhammad Hassan sends four masked man to attack The Undertaker with a metal wire, as if to simulate a beheading. Khosrov Daivari, who is nearly destroyed by Undertaker in their match, is carried from the ring like a martyr. The incident, which is omitted from the U.K.’s version of Smackdown later in the week, airs in the U.S. less than 24 hours after terrorist bombings occur in London train cars and buses. Many pundits in the mainstream media criticize WWE’s crass storyline, and UPN network requests that the Hassan character be pulled from Smackdown.

July 10: Hogan Knows Best scores an overall rating of 1.9, the highest number of any premiere in VH-1 history. It is also the top-rated cable program for the coveted 18- to 49-year-old demographic on this night. In the first episode of the reality series, Hogan places a GPS tracking device on a car belonging to his daughter, Brooke, who was going out on her first date, and even sends his stooges—Brian Knobbs and Jimmy Hart—to keep her under surveillance.

July 11: Shinya Hashimoto dies only two hours after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage at age 40. More than 16,000 people attend his funeral a few days later. Hashimoto was known for his trademark white headband, as well as his stiff in-ring style. As a main-eventer for All-Japan, he routinely drew 50,000 fans to the Tokyo Dome. He held the IWGP title and Triple Crown during his career and launched Zero-One in his home country of Japan. In the U.S., he is best remembered for his NWA title reign in 2001 and ’02 … Matt Hardy crashes Raw and gets in a few shots against Edge before and after the “Rated R Superstar’s” match against Kane. Hardy, who had been released by WWE earlier in the year, had re-signed with the company to exploit the real-life love triangle involving himself, Lita, and Edge.

July 17: NWA champion Raven beats Abyss in a dog collar match at No Surrender, his first title defense on pay-per-view. Cassidy Reilly interferes in the bout, sacrificing his body for Raven, enabling the champion to pin TNA’s resident monster. Afterward, former champ Jeff Jarrett arrives at ringside and distracts Raven to allow Rhino to gore him to the mat. Also at the pay-per-view, X champion Christopher Daniels beats Petey Williams, and A.J. Styles defeats Sean Waltman.

July 21: Lord Alfred Hayes dies at the age of 77 after suffering a series of strokes in a Texas nursing home. Best known to modern fans as Vince McMahon’s tuxedoed sidekick on Tuesday Night Titans in the 1980s, Hayes’ panache and sophisticated speaking style made him a star during the “Rock ’n’ Wrestling” era. Hayes enjoyed success in his native U.K. as a British Wrestling Association heavyweight and South Britain heavyweight champion in the 1950s and ’60s before arriving in the U.S. as a mid-carder and later a manager. He wrestled NWA champion Dory Funk Jr., as well as WWF champions Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund, during his in-ring career.

July 24: World champion Batista makes his first title defense on a Smackdown pay-per-view, against John Bradshaw Layfield at the Great American Bash. Orlando Jordan arrives at ringside to use a steel chair on Layfield’s behalf, but Batista grabs it and smashes Jordan with it instead. The referee disqualifies Batista for his use of the chair. Also at the pay-per-view, Road Warrior Animal and Heidenreich defeat M-N-M for the WWE Smackdown tag team title, Booker T pins Christian, and Rey Misterio Jr. beats Eddie Guerrero.

August 3: Johnny Jeter, with help from Ken Anderson and Tough Enough winner Daniel Puder, pins the hated Brent Albright for the Ohio Valley championship. When his tag team partner, Matt Cappotelli offers his congratulations after the match, Jeter smashes him with the title belt. Only a few days earlier, Cappotelli had suffered a broken leg—specifically, spinal fibulas fracture—at another live event. Cappotelli vowed to take Jeter’s OVW title as soon as he was healthy.

August 5: The Iron Sheik and Millennium Wrestling Federation Commissioner Dr. Brad Von Johnson are hit head-on by a drunk driver following a show in Blackstone, Massachusetts. The accident tops a very rocky “Iron Sheik Appreciation Night” in which the 66-year-old star allegedly refused to sign autographs or participate in the show in any meaningful way. Sheik and Von Johnson are treated at a hospital for their injuries. The former WWF champion claims he may never wrestle again.

August 12: James Gibson wins the Ring of Honor title in a four-way match also involving Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, and defending champ C.M. Punk. Daniels and Joe are eliminated first and second, and Gibson—who had actually been backstage for most of the match due to a head injury—re-enters the match and uses a sit-down power bomb to pin Punk. However, Gibson—like Punk—had already signed with WWE.

August 14: Samoa Joe defeats A.J. Styles in the final of the Super X Tournament during his most impressive TNA win to date. Joe executes a muscle buster and forces Styles—who was suffering from an injured leg—into submission with the kokina clutch to secure the victory … Also at the pay-per-view, Rhino and Jeff Jarrett beat Sabu and NWA champion Raven, and Jerry Lynn defeats Sean Waltman in a rematch from their classic early-1990s feud.

August 21: Hulk Hogan delivers the big boot and legdrop to pin Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam, solidifying Hogan’s reputation as a WWE legend and Michaels’ reputation as WWE icon who could carry limited performers to greatness. Hogan spills a significant amount of blood against Michaels, who is 12 years his junior. Also at SummerSlam, WWE champion John Cena uses the FU to defeat Chris Jericho, World champion Batista plants John Bradshaw Layfield with a sickening power bomb on the ring steps to score the pinfall in a no-holds-barred match, and Edge humiliates Matt Hardy when the referee has to stop the bout in less than five minutes due to Hardy’s bleeding.

August 27: Dallas Page hits Larry Zbyszko with the Diamond cutter and forces the so-called “Living Legend” to pin him at WrestleReunion II in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Zbyszko “wins” five minutes with the real “Living Legend,” Bruno Sammartino. The two-time WWWF champ punishes his former protege with a series of punches, kicks, and stomps. It is Sammartino’s first in-ring confrontation in nearly 20 years. Also at the event, Steve Williams—whose voice box was removed due to throat cancer in 2004—makes an incredible comeback by using his famed “Oklahoma Stampede” powerslam to score the pinfall over King Kaluha.

September 1: WWE announces that Dusty Rhodes has joined its creative staff. Reportedly, Stephanie McMahon is impressed by Rhodes’ creative accomplishments over the past 30 years and believes the three-time NWA champion will work effectively with Michael Hayes and Ted DiBiase to offer a wrestling perspective to WWE’s team of Hollywood writers. Only three months earlier, TNA President Dixie Carter had removed “The American Dream” as head booker of her company.

September 11: NWA champion Raven beats Rhino in a weapons match at Unbreakable. Fans chant, “We want pizza, we want pizza” as Raven uses a pizza cutter and a beer keg on his challenger. A snorting Rhino retaliates with a staple gun. Both Cassidy Reilly and Jeff Jarrett interfere in the bout before Raven drops Rhino with an evenflow DDT to score the pinfall. Also at the pay-per-view, A.J. Styles regains the TNA X title in a sensational three-way match also involving Samoa Joe and defending champ Christopher Daniels. Also, Chris Sabin defeats Petey Williams. Friends worry about the whereabouts of Sean Waltman, who fails to appear for the show.

September 15: Jeff Jarrett regains the NWA title from Raven at a Border City Wrestling show in Windsor, Ontario. America’s Most Wanted shocks the 400 fans in attendance by using their death sentence finisher on Raven, thereby helping Jarrett. It marks the first time the NWA belt changed hands in Canada since Lou Thesz defeated Buddy Rogers for the championship in 1963.

September 17: Bryan Danielson forces James Gibson into submission with a chicken wing to win the Ring of Honor title in Lake Grove, New York. Danielson’s return from a four-month hiatus is a feel-good moment for ROH fans, who had watched The American Dragon’s career develop since the promotion’s inception. Alluding to Gibson and former champ C.M. Punk, both of whom had left Ring of Honor for WWE, Danielson vowed he wouldn’t sign with another company as long as he was ROH champion.

September 18: Ric Flair defeats Carlito Caribbean Cool to win his first WWE Intercontinental title at Unforgiven. He secures a clean submission victory with his patented figure-four leglock. The 56-year-old Flair deems the victory to be one of the finest of his career, considering he beat an opponent more than 30 years his junior. Flair’s feud with Carlito Caribbean Cool’s father, then-WWC universal champ Carlos Colon, heated up the Caribbean in the mid-1980s. Also at the pay-per-view, Kurt Angle hears cheers en route to his disqualification victory over WWE champ John Cena, and Matt Hardy regains a measure of self-respect—thanks to a devastating legdrop from the top of a steel cage—when he defeats Edge.

September 22: “Mr. America” Gene Stanlee dies in Los Angeles. The platinum blond grappler capitalized on his bodybuilder’s physique immediately upon his debut in 1946, and defeated several top stars—including the Dusek brothers, Baron Michele Leone, Joe Savoldi, and Killer Kowalski—to become a main-eventer. Stanlee was also a regular partner of his real-life brother, Steve, and his faux brother, Bob. He later wrestled in the Midwest and California, finishing out his career in the early 1960s. After his retirement, Stanlee became a vegetarian guru and fitness instructor for Hollywood celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, and Cheryl Tiegs.

September 27: WWE releases The Self-Destruction Of The Ultimate Warrior, an unapologetic burial of the early 1990s superstar. Vince McMahon, Triple-H, Hulk Hogan, and Bobby Heenan are among those who heavily criticize the Warrior on the DVD. The Warrior, known for his erratic behavior, later blasts his critics, with a particularly vicious diatribe aimed at Heenan, a recovering cancer patient.

October 1: TNA Impact replaces WWE Velocity in the 11 p.m. Eastern timeslot on Saturday nights. Impact earns an overall rating of 0.78—three-tenths of a point higher than Velocity’s average number in previous weeks. Former WWE stars Jeff Hardy and Rhino battle each other to a no-contest in the main event, and Team 3D puts America’s Most Wanted and Scott D’Amore through tables to end the show … Japanese star Kenta Kenta Kobashi invades America to defeat Samoa Joe in an incredible Ring of Honor match in Manhattan. Joe mounts several comebacks before falling prey to Kobashi’s simple, yet devastating move, the lariat.

October 3: Raw returns to the USA Network after a five-year absence. To celebrate its self-proclaimed “Homecoming,” WWE invites legends such as Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Dusty Rhodes, and Kevin Von Erich to participate in various segments. The program scores a respectable 4.4, better than its previous average on Spike TV, but considerably lower than its glory years on USA.

October 8: In defiance of legal threats from WWE, Brock Lesnar participates in a match for New Japan Wrestling, winning the IWGP title in a three-way match also involving Masa Chono and defending champ Kazuyuki Fujita at the Tokyo Dome. Lesnar uses “the verdict,” formerly known as the F5, on Chono to score the victory. WWE attorneys maintained that Lesnar’s participation in the show was a violation of the no-compete clause he signed upon his exit from the company in 2004. Lesnar joins Hulk Hogan, Big Van Vader, Scott Norton, and Bob Sapp as the fifth American to hold the IWGP belt.

October 9: World champion Batista defeats his newfound friend, Eddie Guerrero, to retain his title at No Mercy. Guerrero actually shows mercy by resisting the temptation to hit Batista with a steel chair. While Guerrero earned Batista’s respect, he also earned a loss, falling victim to the champion’s spinebuster after 18 minutes of action. Also at the pay-per-view, the Ortons double-team The Undertaker to win a handicap casket match.

October 10: WWE CEO Linda McMahon kicks Jim Ross in the groin and says goodbye to wrestling’s most celebrated announcer, bringing an ignoble end to a fine career. Within a few days, fans discover that it isn’t just another wrestling angle when news breaks concerning WWE’s negotiations with UFC announcer Mike Goldberg to replace Ross. Ross undergoes colon surgery a few days later, prompting Vince McMahon to callously ridicule J.R.’s predicament on Raw.

October 18: Booker T beats Chris Benoit for the U.S. title on Smackdown. Sharmell, Booker’s wife, distracts Benoit to help her husband score the victory. The intense match, highlighted by Benoit taking a bad spill onto the announcers’ table, inspires WWE Creative to pit the two men against each other in a best-of-seven series, a sequel to their famous WCW series in 1998.

October 22: Reggie “The Crusher” Lisowski dies in his hometown of Milwaukee after a battle with a brain tumor and stomach cancer. The Crusher began his career in that city in 1949, but earned his big break while appearing for promoter Fred Kohler in Chicago. In the mid-1960s, Crusher beat Verne Gagne twice and Mad Dog Vachon once for the AWA World championship. He also enjoyed phenomenal tag team success, winning the NWA World and U.S. tag team titles with faux brother Stan Lisowski, and the AWA World tag team title with Dick the Bruiser. “The Wrestler Who Made Milwaukee Famous” wrestled his final match in 1989.

October 23: After scheduled challenger Kevin Nash is rushed to an Orlando hospital due to a cardiac problem, his replacement—Rhino—goes on to defeat Jeff Jarrett for the NWA title at Bound for Glory. Earlier in the evening, TNA Director of Authority Larry Zbyszko ordered an over-the-top-rope gauntlet to determine the challenger. Rhino gored Abyss to the arena floor to earn the title shot. Also at the pay-per-view, X champion A.J. Styles defeats Christopher Daniels in a 30-minute ironman match, and Samoa Joe forces Jushin Liger into submission.

November 1: WWE champion John Cena defeats Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels in a three-way match at Taboo Tuesday. Michaels wins his slot in the match by virtue of fan voting at wwe.com. After Michaels drops Angle with a suplex, Cena plants HBK with the FU to score the pinfall. Also at the pay-per-view, World champion Batista replaces Steve Austin, who reportedly injured himself while moving furniture at home, to destroy Jonathan Coachman, Big Van Vader, and Goldust.

November 4: Ring of Honor holds its first show in Detroit. ROH champion Bryan Danielson tortures Chris Sabin with 15 consecutive backbreakers, a suplex from the top rope, and a Boston crab to secure the submission victory. Also at the event, Austin Aries beats frequent partner Alex Shelley, and pure champion Nigel McGuinness beats Claudio Castagnoli by disqualification.

November 13: Eddie Guerrero dies of a heart attack at age 38 in a Minneapolis hotel room. Coming off the most successful period of his career, in which he captured the WWE title in 2004 and engaged in an exciting feud with Rey Misterio Jr. in 2005, Guerrero is considered a favorite to win the World title at the time of his death. Guerrero’s years of drug abuse were thought to be the cause, although he reportedly had been sober for four years. Coroners later pinpoint steroid abuse and his excessive workout regimen as other factors. He is survived by his wife, Vickie, and daughters Shaul, Sherilyn, and Kaylie Marie … Christian Cage debuts in TNA, delivering a promo at Genesis. When Cage’s WWE contract expired two weeks earlier, he opted to join TNA, which holds its matches only a short distance from his Florida home. Cage announces his intention to challenge NWA champion Jeff Jarrett. Also at the pay-per-view, X champion A.J. Styles pins Petey Williams, and Monty Brown beats Jeff Hardy to become the top contender to the NWA title.

November 23: Ric Flair is arrested after allegedly being involved in a road rage incident near his home in Charlotte, North Carolina. According to police reports, Flair became enraged at another driver, kicked the man’s sports utility vehicle, and grabbed him by the neck, leaving several bruises. Four days later, a warrant was issued for his arrest, and the “Nature Boy” turned himself in to Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office. His mug shot was flashed throughout the world via the Internet.

November 27: In an unprecedented feat, Randy Orton wins the Survivor Series for the third consecutive year. Orton executes the RKO on Shawn Michaels, who was distracted the previously eliminated John Bradshaw Layfield, to lead Team Smackdown to victory over Team Raw. Also at the pay-per-view, WWE champion John Cena endures “Cena sucks” chants to defeat Kurt Angle with the FU, and Triple-H beats Intercontinental champ Ric Flair in a bloody “Last Man Standing,” non-title bout.

December 6: Border patrol agents detain Lex Luger for five hours upon his arrival in Canada, due to an outstanding warrant issued by the state of Georgia for a drug charge. As a result, Luger is sent back to the U.S., where he is arrested at Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport. The two-time WCW champion is held without bail for two weeks in a Hennepin County jail. Luger, accompanied by Buff Bagwell, was headed for an Action Wrestling Entertainment show in Canada.

December 7: Raw superstars begin their whirlwind tour to entertain U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The highlight is a Raw taping at Bagram Air Base, where Shawn Michaels beats Triple-H in a boot camp match. MSNBC’s Rita Cosby accompanies the wrestlers, documenting their interaction with the troops and Afghan locals.

December 11: Samoa Joe continues his rampage through TNA, this time choking out the popular A.J. Styles at Turning Point. Considered an excellent match, their encounter is overshadowed only by Joe’s disturbing sadism. After the match, Christopher Daniels, a previous victim of Joe’s, saves Styles from a muscle buster onto a steel chair. Also at the pay-per-view, A.J. Pierzynski of the World Series champion Chicago White Sox helps Chris Sabin, Sonjay Dutt, and Dale Torborg beat Diamond in the Rough. In addition, NWA champion Jeff Jarrett—soon after his victory over Rhino—is stunned to learn that Sting would be returning to TNA.

December 18: WWE World tag team champions The Big Show and Kane humble the Smackdown tag team titleholders, Rey Misterio Jr. and World champ Batista, by handing them a loss at Armageddon. Misterio dives toward Kane, who floors him with a choke-slam to score the pinfall. Also at the pay-per-view, The Undertaker gives Randy Orton a tombstone piledriver to score a victory in a “Hell In A Cell” match and uses the same move to send Bob Orton Jr. to the hospital. In addition, Chris Benoit climbs back into the competition with a submission win over Booker T in the best-of-seven series for the vacant U.S. title.

December 27: One day after suffering a groin injury at a house show, Booker T is allowed to pick a substitute to represent him in the ongoing best-of-seven series with Chris Benoit for the U.S. title. Booker persuades Randy Orton to replace him during the Smackdown taping. Nevertheless, Sharmell hits Benoit with Booker’s crutch, just as Orton is about to tap out to the crossface. The disqualification loss narrows Booker’s lead over Benoit to 3-2 in the series.
2006
January 8: Triple-H is angered by a wwe.com report that he and his wife, Stephanie McMahon, are expecting the birth of their first child in the summer. The website goes on to congratulate the ecstatic couple and to send along its best wishes. While he does not care that the company released private information about his real-life marriage, he is reportedly infuriated with news that his real name, Paul Levesque, is revealed in the blurb.

January 9: One night after cashing in his money-in-the-bank briefcase and capturing the Raw World title from John Cena at New Year’s Revolution, Edge shocks the world when he and Lita participate in a controversial “Live Sex Celebration” segment on Raw. It is one of Raw’s highest-rated segments in years. Lita’s breast is also inadvertently exposed to the live audience in attendance.

January 10: On the same tearful night that Batista is forced to relinquish his Smackdown World title to General Manager Theodore Long in Philadelphia, Kurt Angle makes a surprising return to the brand he left seven months earlier. Long announces that Angle will be an entrant in that night’s battle royal to fill the vacant championship. After spending much of the match injured on the arena floor, Angle returns to the ring to eliminate Mark Henry and win the title.

January 15: Sting teams with Christian Cage to face NWA champion Jeff Jarrett and Monty Brown at Final Resolution. Amidst fan chants of “You still got it,” Sting dominates the match and—after Cage clears Brown from the ring—smashes Jarrett’s guitar with his baseball bat. He then executes the scorpion deathdrop and pins the champion … At 74, “Rapid” Ricky Romero dies of complications due to diabetes. Romero had retired from wrestling in the early-1980s after a career that saw him face men such as Lou Thesz, Gorgeous George, and Jack Brisco. A top draw for Gory Guerrero in El Paso, Fritz Von Erich in Dallas, and Paul Boesch in Houston, Romero—donning a mask as “Mexico Grand”—was one of the first Americans to work for Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki in Japan.

January 22: Steve Corino drops the AWA heavyweight championship to Shinjiro Otani at a Zero-One Max show at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The match ends with Otani converting a full-nelson into a suplex to pin “The King Of Old School.” He is officially the fourth Japanese wrestler to win the title and the 34th champion in the title’s history. Former champ Nick Bockwinkel presents Otani with a replica of his classic 1980s AWA title belt.

January 29: Emory Hale, a former WCW competitor and bodyguard for radio disc jockey Bubba the Love Sponge, passes away from kidney failure at 36. Jimmy Hart gave Hale the nickname “The Next Big Thing” long before Brock Lesnar used it in WWE and brought him to face then-World champion Hulk Hogan. Hale had also been a featured star for the X Wrestling Federation following his departure from WCW … In a match dedicated to his late friend, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio Jr. enters the Royal Rumble at number two and outlasts all his peers, last eliminating Randy Orton and Triple-H. Later on the card, John Cena wrests the Raw World championship away from Edge, and Kurt Angle successfully defends his Smackdown World title against Mark Henry. The event closes with a return by The Undertaker, who appears ready to challenge Angle for his belt.

February 1: WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is accused of groping a 22-year-old female employee of the Tanzabar Salon in Boca Raton, Florida. McMahon, already a regular patron, checked in for a routine tanning bed session on the day of the Royal Rumble. According to the Palm Beach Post, McMahon allegedly asked her to take photos of him using his cell phone, then revealed naked pictures of himself to her before cornering and groping her. Ultimately, the charges are dropped.

February 6: Prior to a joint Raw-Smackdown show in Washington, D.C., WWE officials announce the launch of the company’s Wellness Program. Backstage, McMahon reveals that random drug testing will be conducted by the Aegis Sciences Corporation, testing most wrestlers an average of four times per year. Dr. David Black, head of the testing company, is in attendance to answer questions. McMahon makes it clear to his wrestlers that he wants no repeats of what happened to Eddie Guerrero in 2005.

February 8: Following an emotional 10-minute speech during an Ohio Valley television taping, heavyweight champion Matt Cappotelli relinquishes his title as he is about to undergo treatment for a malignant brain tumor. A co-winner of Tough Enough III, Cappotelli had expected to be brought up to WWE at some point. Fans chant, “We love you, Matt” after the speech.

February 12: Only months after jumping to TNA, Christian Cage pins Jeff Jarrett for the NWA title at Against All Odds. Despite Gail Kim’s interference and Jarrett’s assault on referee Mark Johnson, Cage executes the unprettier to score the pinfall in about 18 minutes. Cage then celebrates in the ring with his wife, longtime friend Rhino, and several other TNA wrestlers … Austin Starr (Austin Aries) and Roderick Strong arrive several hours late for their scheduled match at Against All Odds and receive a two-month suspension. The wrestlers defied company orders and defended their Ring of Honor tag team title in Long Island, New York, despite the impending arrival of a snowstorm in the northeastern U.S. Their airplane was delayed, causing them to be late for the pay-per-view.

February 16: At age 39, Johnny Grunge (whose real name was Michael Durham) is found dead in his Peachtree City, Georgia, home as a result of complications from sleep apnea. Grunge, as a member of Public Enemy, had been a former WCW World and ECW tag team champion. Following the death of his partner, “Flyboy” Rocco Rock, in 2002, Grunge teamed with Joey Grunge as The New Public Enemy.

February 19: Randy Orton steals Rey Mysterio Jr.’s WrestleMania title shot by holding the ropes to pin the Royal Rumble winner. The match follows weeks of a questionable storyline in which Orton badmouths deceased Smackdown star Eddie Guerrero. Due to the controversial nature of Orton’s victory, Smackdown General Manager Theodore Long later proclaims that Mysterio will be included in a three-way match also involving Orton and defending champ Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 22.

February 27: Shawn Michaels is made an impromptu member of Vince McMahon’s “Kiss My Ass Club” on Raw after he saves former Rockers partner Marty Jannetty from Chris Masters’ Masterlock. Shane McMahon attacks Michaels and forces him to do the deed.

March 2: Vince McMahon poses for the cover of the April 2006 issue of Muscle & Fitness. The photo session receives coverage on wwe.com, which states, “This isn’t any ordinary 60-year-old. This is Mr. McMahon, who’s training harder and looking fitter than most men half his age … The WWE chairman, who clearly has a body to match his ego, has been doing this for years and doesn’t understand those who lack his intensity and drive.”

March 5: Former WCW competitor Chris Kanyon goes public on his website, revealing that he is legitimately homosexual and that his disclosure is not part of a wrestling angle. Kanyon would go on to claim that his termination from WWE had been at least partially due to his sexual orientation. The announcement follows a February 4 statement that he had been merely portraying a gay character, an announcement he says he made to attract mainstream attention.

March 8: During an Ohio Valley TV taping, TV champion Aaron Stevens unexpectedly drops his title to Seth Skyfire just after naming Paul Birchall the number-one contender for his belt. During the match, Stevens’ valet, Beth Phoenix, attempts to interfere before being involved in a scuffle with Birchall and former partner Shelly Martinez. Mid-chaos, Birchall hits Stevens with a DDT, and then Skyfire delivers his B’ham bomb from the top rope to win the championship.

March 11: The ongoing rivalry between pure wrestling promotion Ring of Honor and its fringe counterpart, Combat Zone Wrestling, reaches new heights during a joint show at The New Alhambra Arena (formerly the ECW Arena) in South Philadelphia. After a portion of the show featuring ROH competitors, a group of CZW wrestlers maim B.J. Whitmer with a staple gun.

March 12: Scott Steiner—with a new stabbed-heart tattoo across his chest—makes his first appearance in TNA, attacking Sting at the conclusion of Christian Cage’s successful NWA title defense against Monty Brown at Destination X. Steiner rushes into the ring and grabs Sting, who had just saved Cage from Jeff Jarrett and his stooges, and tosses him with a fall-away slam. After taunting Sting with a few quick push-ups, “Big Poppa Pump” applies the Steiner recliner, allowing Jarrett to smash Sting’s head with a guitar.

March 18: Jim Ross returns to WWE announcing, replacing Joey Styles to call the matches for Saturday Night’s Main Event on NBC. Ross had been deposed from his Raw announce position publicly in an angle also involving the McMahons in October 2005. At the time, WWE had hoped to replace him with UFC commentator Mike Goldberg, however those negotiations fell through and WWE opted to go with Styles instead … Shawn Michaels is the victim of a double-cross in his Saturday Night’s Main Event match against Shane McMahon. During the match, Michaels receives a low blow by the younger McMahon, who then applies the sharpshooter. Vince McMahon signals for the bell and his son is declared the winner. Also on the show, Raw World champion John Cena and Triple-H defeat Smackdown World champion Kurt Angle, Randy Orton, and Rey Mysterio Jr. in a handicap match.

April 1: WWE’s annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony marks the first television appearance by former star Bret “Hitman” Hart in more than 10 years. Hart—who speaks at length while choosing to remain positive—is inducted by Steve Austin, while the late Eddie Guerrero is inducted by nephew Chavo and friends Rey Mysterio Jr. and Chris Benoit. Also, during his presentation speech, Austin claims to have “a can of whoop ass” ready for Hogan.

April 2: Rey Mysterio Jr. pins Randy Orton to win the Smackdown World title in a triple-threat match also involving defending champ Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 22, held in Chicago, Illinois. Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Eddie Guerrero’s widow, Vickie, join him in a victory celebration. In other action at WrestleMania, Raw champ John Cena forces Triple-H to submit to his STFU hold, and Shawn Michaels beats Vince McMahon in a streetfight.

April 4: Randy Orton is suspended from WWE for 60 days due to unprofessional conduct. Rumors circulate that Orton engaged in excessive partying and womanizing, which led to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon’s decision. In an interview with wwe.com, Orton claims, “My conduct was unbecoming of a champion, which is what I will be again when I return.”

April 13: TNA Impact garners a 1.1 rating for its first weeknight edition. Debuting on Spike TV at 11 p.m. Eastern time, the show opens with a match in progress between Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe, who is pounding him into a bloody mess. Joe goes on to win his second X title. In the main event, Sting pins Eric Young while fending off interference from Alex Shelley.

April 20: Palmer Cannon, who had been featured as a network executive on Smackdown, arranges for his own flight home from a WWE tour of Italy, promptly tendering his notice to company officials. Cannon cites harassment from John Bradshaw Layfield as the reason for his resignation. Cannon is granted his official release seven days later. Palmer had never wrestled a televised match on the show, despite having been trained to compete.

April 27: Kay Noble passes away due to inoperable stomach cancer at her home in Amarillo, Texas. Noble’s career spanned from the 1950s through the 1980s. While competing in the U.S., Noble was a former holder of both the Texas women’s championship and the Central States women’s championship. Noble was also an honorary member of the Cauliflower Alley Club.

April 30: Raw World champion John Cena pins Triple-H again, this time at Backlash in a triple-threat match also involving Edge. The show also marks a controversial angle in which “God” is advertised to appear as Shawn Michaels’ partner in a tag team match against Vince and Shane McMahon. “God” no-shows the event, but is not suspended.

May 1: After getting into a physical altercation with announce partner Jerry Lawler, Joey Styles walks off as host of Raw, declaring he is “sick of sports entertainment.” Before leaving, Styles grabs the microphone and delivers a scathing promo that condemns both WWE officials and WWE fans for the company’s brand of entertainment. The promo helps provide the rationale for Jim Ross’ return to Raw as full-time announcer and the rebirth of ECW.

May 2: Sam Steamboat dies from complications from Alzheimer’s disease. Although he is not related to Rick “The Dragon” Steamboat, the two had been once billed as father and son. Steamboat—whose real name is Sam Mokuahi Jr.—had been discovered and trained by Lou Thesz. His career, which spanned from the 1950s through the 1970s, saw him compete primarily in Florida, the Mid-Atlantic, and Toronto.

May 12: Batista and Booker T become embroiled in backstage brawl while they are filming a commercial for the upcoming SummerSlam. Allegedly, the fight—which leaves both men bruised—occurs because Booker accuses Batista of lacking respect for veterans in the wrestling business. On wwe.com, Batista responds, “Some guys say I’ve been running around claiming to be the top-money draw in the company—that I’m carrying WWE on my back. I never said anything like this.”

May 14: Samoa Joe makes his case for being a main-eventer in TNA, teaming with Sting to defeat Jeff Jarrett and Scott Steiner at Sacrifice. During the match, Joe pie-faces Steiner before executing a muscle buster and pinning former NWA champion Jarrett. Prior to the event, Sting considered teaming with Rick Steiner, Lex Luger, or Buff Bagwell before choosing Joe.

May 19: Remember this date? Kane’s new horror movie, See No Evil, premieres in theaters. Directed by Gregory Dark, WWE Films’ first release earns an estimated $4.35-million in box office sales during its opening weekend. Final worldwide gross profits from the film are just below $15.5-million.

May 21: In a match many expected him to lose, Smackdown World champion Rey Mysterio Jr. defeats John Bradshaw Layfield at Judgment Day. During a subsequent taping of Smackdown, Layfield would again challenge Mysterio for the World title, this time claiming he would retire if unsuccessful. JBL is pinned in the rematch and joins Michael Cole at the announcers’ table. In later interviews, Layfield also attributes his retirement to a back injury.

May 27: “Apache” Bull Ramos dies at 71 due to a massive shoulder infection. The 6’, 300-pound Ramos debuted in 1956, and went on to cause near-riots while competing in the Pacific Northwest. Ramos was WWWF champion Bruno Sammartino’s challenger at the first show held in the new Madison Square Garden in 1968. He also feuded with Dutch Savage, Jimmy Snuka, Terry Funk, and Mil Mascaras.

June 1: Calvin “Prince” Pullins dies of natural causes at 74. Pullins was a trainee of Dick the Bruiser and competed primarily for the Indianapolis-based World Wrestling Association in the 1960s and ’70s, gaining fame in the area for his feuds with The Blackjacks, Baron Von Raschke, Bobby Heenan, and Jimmy Valiant.

June 7: John Tenta, known to the wrestling world as Earthquake in WWE and Avalanche and Shark in WCW, dies of bladder cancer at age 42. Tenta’s last high-profile appearance occurred at WrestleMania X-7, when he—along with several other WWE legends—participated in a gimmick battle royal. Tenta is best remembered for his 1990 feud with Hulk Hogan, whom he wrestled at both SummerSlam and Survivor Series that year.

June 9: TNA invades the current New Alhambra (former ECW) Arena in Philadelphia with a show billed as Hardcore War. The event marks the return of several ECW alumni to South Philly, notably Team 3D and Rhino. Both Brother Runt (Spike Dudley) and Rhino harshly criticize WWE for offering them contracts with the new ECW brand. Runt goes so far as to tear up the contract faxed to him in the middle of the ring.

June 11: Surrounded by fans threatening to riot should he win, John Cena is pinned by Rob Van Dam for the Raw World title at ECW One Night Stand. Two nights later, during ECW’s premiere on the Sci Fi Channel, Paul Heyman declares Van Dam the first ECW champion in more than five years. Van Dam goes on to headline Raw and ECW for the next few weeks.

June 12: Shawn Michaels and Triple-H reunite as DeGeneration X on Raw. This occurs when Vince McMahon orders Triple-H to face all five members of The Spirit Squad in a gauntlet match. Michaels, who had suffered a knee injury at the hands of The Spirit Squad, returns to Raw to help his longtime friend. The pair clears the ring and crotch-chop at an angry McMahon as the show goes off the air.

June 18: Jeff Jarrett defeats NWA champion Christian Cage, Sting, Abyss, and Ron Killings in a “King Of The Mountain” match at Slammiversary. The match ends in controversial fashion when referee Earl Hebner tips over the ladder as Sting and Cage fight over the belt from atop. Hebner’s interference enables Jarrett to retrieve the title and hang it above to secure the victory. TNA executive Jim Cornette rules that Jarrett should remain champion, although he is considered “on thin ice.”

June 23: “Crazy” Luke Graham dies of heart failure at age 66. A member of the legendary Graham family of wrestlers that also includes “Superstar” Billy, Dr. Jerry, Eddie, Mike, and Luke Jr., Luke is a two-time NWA tag team champion and one-time WWWF tag team champion. Graham is also a former heavyweight champion of the WWC and WWA.

June 27: Pro Wrestling Illustrated grants world title status to the National Wrestling Alliance heavyweight and tag team titles, which are defended on TNA shows. The NWA was founded in 1948 and its champions were widely regarded as the only legitimate world titleholders until the formation of the American Wrestling Association (1960) and the World Wide Wrestling Federation (1963). PWI stopped recognizing the NWA title as a world title after World Championship Wrestling withdrew from the organization in 1991.

June 29: TNA executive Jim Cornette orders the members of Team Canada to disband, although he provides them the opportunity to reunite if they win an “All-Or-Nothing” eight-man tag team match against Rhino, Jay Lethal, and Team 3D in July. Lethal pins A-1 Ralphz in the match, forcing them to no longer be allowed to team with one another.

July 2: Raw World and ECW champion Rob Van Dam and running buddy Sabu are pulled over and arrested by a state trooper in Hanging Rock, Ohio, when a police officer discovers Van Dam is in possession of 18 grams of marijuana and five Vicodin pills, and Sabu is carrying drug paraphernalia and nine tablets of testolactone. Van Dam is suspended for 30 days under WWE’s Wellness Policy while Sabu is fined $1,000.

July 3: Prior to beginning his suspension, Rob Van Dam loses the Raw World title to Edge in a triple-threat match also involving John Cena. The match occurs during a live Raw in Philadelphia. One night later in the same arena, The Big Show pins Van Dam for the ECW title. Van Dam is taken off the road immediately following the two title losses.

July 15: The ongoing feud between Ring of Honor and Combat Zone Wrestling ends with a “Cage Of Death” match at ROH’s Death Before Dishonor IV, which is held at the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory in Northeast Philadelphia. ROH’s Samoa Joe, Adam Pierce, B.J. Whitmer, Ace Steel, and Homicide defeat CZW’s Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, Necro Butcher, Nate Webb, and Eddie Kingston. Bryan Danielson attacks Samoa Joe during the match … The feud between Hulk Hogan and Randy Orton hits full throttle at Saturday Night’s Main Event. As Hogan helps his daughter, Brooke, into a car, Orton hits the WWE Hall of Famer with his RKO, knocking him out. Orton had instigated the feud on the July 3 edition of Raw by flirting with budding pop star Brooke.

July 16: Randy Orton’s grandfather, Bob Orton Sr., dies at 76 after suffering several heart attacks. A good friend of Andre the Giant and a charter member of the Cauliflower Alley Club, Orton is survived by sons “Cowboy” Bob Jr. and Barry O, daughter Rhonda, and grandson Randy. Orton had competed primarily in the NWA, but also appeared in the AWA and WWWF.

July 21: Tests reveal unusually high liver enzyme levels for Bobby Lashley and The Great Khali, who are subsequently removed from the following Sunday’s Great American Bash. As a result, Lashley’s three-way match for the U.S. championship is changed to a head-to-head match between U.S. champion Finlay and William Regal, while ECW champion The Big Show replaces Khali in his “Punjabi Prison” match against The Undertaker. Lashley returns to action the next week, and Khali returns shortly thereafter. Both wrestlers’ conditions were detected as a result of the Wellness Program instituted by WWE earlier in the year.

July 23: Chavo Guerrero Jr. interferes in Rey Mysterio Jr.’s title defense against King Booker at The Great American Bash, costing his friend the Smackdown World championship. In the immediate aftermath of the match, Mysterio is propelled into a controversial feud with Guerrero regarding the legacy of the Guerrero family name, while King Booker takes on Bobby Lashley and Batista in the Smackdown main event picture.

July 24: Aurora Rose Levesque—the daughter of Triple-H and Stephanie (McMahon) Levesque and the third grandchild of Vince and Linda McMahon—is born. A congratulatory announcement for the couple is posted on wwe.com, although it doesn’t mention Triple-H’s real name in the statement.

August 4: Former TNA wrestler Jeff Hardy re-signs with WWE and goes on to confront Edge on the August 21 edition of Raw. He also issues a challenge to Intercontinental champion Johnny Nitro. Hardy’s three years spent wrestling for TNA were labeled by wwe.com as time spent “battling personal demons.”

August 12: Ring of Honor champion Bryan Danielson upends Pure champion Nigel McGuinness in Liverpool, England, in a match in which both titles are on the line and contested under Pure rules. Two weeks later in St. Paul, Minnesota, Danielson and McGuinness reach a time-limit draw in a best-of-three-falls match. Immediately afterward, Danielson, who suffered a separated shoulder during the match, retired the two-year-old championship and handed the belt to McGuiness.

August 13: Fire breaks out in the rafters of the Impact Zone following a botched pyrotechnics display in the opening match at Hard Justice, leading to the evacuation of the building and casting doubt on whether the show will continue. Later in the night, Christian Cage thwarts Sting’s attempt to wrest the NWA World title from Jeff Jarrett when he slams “The Stinger” with Jarrett’s guitar. It is the beginning of Cage’s heel run in TNA … Karl Von Stroheim dies of a heart attack at age 78. A former player with a Boston Bruins affiliate, the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen, he had been forced into wrestling after an ankle injury ended his hockey career. Von Stroheim worked as a singles and tag team wrestler (with Kurt Von Stroheim and Frank Martinez) prior to his retirement in 1985. He was known as “Dynamite” Joe Cox during a stint in the WWWF.

August 16: Layla El wins the 2006 Diva Search during a Wednesday night prime time special on the USA Network, with fans choosing her over second-place finalist Jen England. She is subsequently assigned to the Smackdown brand, where she begins feuding with a jealous Kristal Marshall.

August 20: Raw World champion Edge, Smackdown World champion King Booker, and ECW champion The Big Show retain their respective titles at SummerSlam after facing John Cena, Batista, and Sabu, respectively. In other PPV action, DeGeneration X members Triple-H and Shawn Michaels overcome interference by several Raw, Smackdown, and ECW performers to defeat Vince and Shane McMahon in a tag team match. Also, Hulk Hogan legdrops and pins Randy Orton.

August 21: One night after sacrificing his SummerSlam “I Quit” match against Ric Flair to protect Melina from assault, Mick Foley attempts to save her from being fired by Mr. McMahon on Raw. Foley—agreeing to join the “Kiss My Ass Club”—willingly does the deed, but Melina hits Foley with a low blow from behind. Melina then grabs the microphone and tells Foley he is fired as McMahon looks on and laughs.

August 25: Kurt Angle is released from his WWE contract to allow him to focus on healing from several in-ring injuries, spend more time with his family, and battle some personal problems. Although initial reports on wwe.com claim the release is a mutual “best-case” agreement by both parties, this report is later changed to say that Angle and WWE officials had a heated confrontation and that Angle had been unwilling to take time off.

August 29: Chris Jericho is the first celebrity eliminated on the premiere episode of Celebrity Duets. The former Y2J catches attention with his performances alongside Lee Ann Womack and Peter Frampton, but is unable to impress the panel. Jericho jokes about the elimination by telling host Wayne Brady that he plans to participate in the first edition of Bad Celebrity Robot Dancing.

September 15: Ricky Gibson—a regional wrestler who competed primarily in NWA territories in Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, and California—dies at age 53. Gibson, the older brother of Robert Gibson (of Rock ’n’ Roll Express fame), had been forced into retirement after being involved in a life-threatening car accident in the 1970s.

September 16: Former WWWF champion Bruno Sammartino highlights the second night of Ring of Honor’s Glory By Honor 5 as it debuts in the Manhattan Center in New York City. During the show, Sammartino voices his displeasure with the current state of the industry, blasting WWE’s emphasis on sports entertainment and praising ROH. Also on the show, Bryan Danielson successfully defends his ROH title against KENTA while Naomichi Marufuji beats Nigel McGuinness to retain his Global Honored Crown.

September 17: John Cena defeats Edge in a TLC match to win the Raw World title at Unforgiven. The match takes place in Edge’s hometown of Toronto, Ontario. Hometown heroine Trish Stratus makes Lita submit to a sharpshooter to win her seventh women’s championship. The 30-year-old Diva retires following the match. Also on the show, DeGeneration X defeats Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and ECW champion The Big Show in a handicap “Hell In A Cell” match.

September 22: King Booker defends his Smackdown World championship against The Undertaker as Smackdown makes its debut on the new CW Network. WWE executives are relieved that the official launch of the CW has taken place, considering that Smackdown had been pre-empted in some major markets due to the merger between UPN and the WB to create the CW.

September 24: Nearly one month to the day of his WWE release, Kurt Angle becomes the latest star to sign with TNA. The announcement takes place at the end of the No Surrender PPV. The fans in attendance are caught off-guard, as is much of the talent backstage. Also on the show, Samoa Joe beats Jeff Jarrett in a non-title “Fan’s Revenge” lumberjack match in which members of the audience are given leather straps with which they can whip the NWA champion.

September 26: One of WWE’s more gruesome televised injuries occurs during an ECW match between Rob Van Dam and Hardcore Holly. Van Dam splashes Holly through a table, severely lacerating the Alabama native’s back. Holly continues the match, ultimately losing. Prior to being stitched up, Holly receives a standing ovation from the audience.

October 5: Antonio Pena, age 58, dies of a massive heart attack. Pena—the founder of AAA—helped transform the way matches had been presented in Mexico. His promotion had also been responsible for bringing lucha-style wrestling to the U.S. and propelling Rey Mysterio Jr., Psicosis, La Parka, and Konnan to stardom. Pena was also a former official with EMLL in Mexico.

October 8: King Booker retains his Smackdown World championship against Bobby Lashley, Batista, and Finlay at No Mercy. Batista and Finlay are added to the match only two days before the event in an attempt to increase the buy rate for the PPV. Booker pulls out the win after Bobby Lashley takes out a distracted Batista, who has just planted Finlay with a Batista bomb.

October 9: WWE commemorates the one-year anniversary of its return to USA Network with a three-hour “Family Reunion” episode. The show marks the debut of Britney Spears’ husband, Kevin Federline, who receives an FU from Raw World champion John Cena following a heated confrontation. The show is also memorable because it features a face-to-face-to-face showdown involving Cena, Smackdown World champion King Booker, and ECW champion The Big Show.

October 13: For the first time since the 2002 brand extension, Kane begins wrestling regularly on Smackdown, defeating Montel Vontavious Porter by countout. This comes only days after Kane dropped a loser-leaves-Raw match to Umaga at the Raw “Family Reunion” show. Within weeks, Kane is reunited with The Undertaker as “The Brothers Of Destruction,” taking on MVP and Ken Kennedy. Until that point, Kane had been the only wrestler who had remained exclusively with one brand (Raw) since the time of the first draft lottery … Raw World champ John Cena makes his big-screen debut as John Triton in The Marine. The 20th Century Fox film is the second movie produced under the WWE Films banner. Ironically, the movie, which was shot in Queensland, Australia, wasn’t scheduled to premiere in Australia until February 22, 2007. In the U.S., The Marine pulls in $7-million in domestic sales on its opening weekend, placing third.

October 15: Pat Patterson is released from the hospital after undergoing life-threatening, emergency heart surgery in August. Shortly after, Patterson emerges from retirement to re-sign with WWE as a producer. Patterson—who had retired from WWE in October 2004 after a creative dispute—agrees to work as a creative consultant … Former WCW preliminary wrestler “Jumpin’” Joey Maggs dies. The 37-year-old Maggs (whose real name was Joseph Magliano) also wrestled as The Magnificent Magliano on the independent circuit. No cause of death is named, although it is largely speculated that he died of a heart attack.

October 20: Rey Mysterio Jr. is forced to undergo knee surgery following his “I Quit” match loss to Chavo Guerrero Jr. on the main event of an episode of Smackdown. At the end of the match, Mysterio is hung upside down from a ladder as Guerrero smashes Mysterio’s already injured knee repeatedly with a steel chair. According to a prematch stipulation, Mysterio agrees to walk away from Smackdown permanently.

October 22: TNA takes to the road with Bound for Glory, aired live from the CompuWare Sports Arena in Detroit, Michigan. On the show, Sting becomes the new NWA World champion after making Jeff Jarrett submit to his scorpion deathlock. Heading into the match, Sting had promised Jarrett he would retire from wrestling if he were unsuccessful in the match. To many fans’ surprise, Jarrett responds to the loss by taking an extended leave of absence.
October 26: Tracy Smothers, 44, faces a pair of criminal harassment charges related to alleged threats he made against his then-girlfriend, Melba Renee Payne. According to Payne, “[He] called me at work and told me that he was going to bash my head in with a baseball bat. [He] called me nine times and left multiple messages. I told [him] not to call me anymore.” No decision has been rendered in the case.

November 3: Sputnik Monroe dies in his sleep at 77. Monroe, whose career spanned from the mid-1940s until the early-1970s, had been a headliner in several territories. His feud with Billy Wicks helped to set an attendance record in Memphis that lasted until the late-1990s. Monroe was a heel for most of his career.

November 5: After fans determine that King Booker will have to defend the Smackdown World title against Raw World champ John Cena and ECW champ The Big Show, Booker emerges victorious as WWE’s “Champion of Champions” at Cyber Sunday. Kevin Federline interferes in the match, enabling Booker to pin Cena. Also on the show, Lita defeats Mickie James to win the vacant WWE women’s championship.

November 13: Tiger Conway Sr., age 74, dies of a massive stroke and aneurysm in Houston. The former Texas Negro champion was a pioneer in helping fight racism in the sport. He also formed a successful tag team with his son, Tiger Conway Jr. Conway had notable feuds with Danny McShain, Duke Keomuka, Tony Borne, Karl Kox, and Willie Love.

November 14: Former Smackdown competitor Bobby Lashley makes his first appearance in ECW, and immediately signs on to participate in an upcoming “Extreme Elimination Chamber” match for the ECW title. Lashley assaults Hardcore Holly, Heyman’s choice to take the final slot, in the backstage area. The former U.S. Army sergeant goes on to spear ECW champ The Big Show and sign the open contract inside the ring.

November 16: TNA Impact is bumped forward by two hours, marking the show’s prime time debut on Thursday nights. The new time slot provides TNA an opportunity to showcase its talent with a special two-hour episode that includes a bloody steel cage match between former friends Christian Cage and Rhino. Christopher Daniels captures the X title from Chris Sabin in a three-way match that also features A.J. Styles … WWE confirms that former TNA main-eventer Monty Brown has signed with the company. Brown is held off from debuting until January 2007 in order to rehabilitate several nagging injuries. He is eventually added to the ECW brand and renamed Marcus Cor Von.

November 19: Abyss wins his first NWA World heavyweight championship with his disqualification victory over Sting at Genesis. The show also features Kurt Angle’s in-ring debut in TNA. Angle goes on to end Samoa Joe’s 17-month winning streak in head-to-head matches, making him submit. Also, the newly re-christened Voodoo Kin Mafia (formerly WWE’s New Age Outlaws and TNA’s James Gang) promise to escalate their verbal assaults on Vince McMahon and WWE, despite WWE’s non-responsiveness.

November 26: After trying unsuccessfully for several months, Batista finally pins King Booker for the Smackdown World title at Survivor Series in Philadelphia. Earlier in the evening, Lita loses her final WWE match, dropping her women’s title to Mickie James while Matt and Jeff Hardy reunite as part of a DeGeneration X-led team (also consisting of C.M. Punk) that sweeps a team led by new Raw World tag team champions Edge and Randy Orton.

November 27: WWE confirms rumors that recent Raw tag team champ and Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of cancer that attacks the lymph nodes. Piper immediately begins radiation therapy treatments.

December 3: Bobby Lashley spears and pins The Big Show to become the third ECW champion since the re-launch of the brand. This occurs as part of the December to Dismember main event, the “Extreme Elimination Chamber” match, which also includes Rob Van Dam, Hardcore Holly (substituting for Sabu), C.M. Punk, and Test. Strangely enough, the show concludes 25 minutes early, prompting fans to chant “TNA, TNA!”

December 4: WWE announces that both Paul Heyman and The Big Show are leaving ECW. Reportedly, Heyman requests a release after a heated disagreement with Vince McMahon, while The Big Show plans to take an indefinite leave of absence due to a back injury. The next night, Show fails to beat Lashley in his final televised match.

December 10: Samoa Joe gains revenge on Kurt Angle, making him submit to a kokina clutch in their rematch at Turning Point. Also on the card, Abyss successfully defends his NWA World title against Sting and Christian Cage, pinning Sting following a black-hole slam. Meanwhile, America’s Most Wanted becomes the first team to lose a flag match on U.S. soil, losing to The Latin American Exchange. James Storm immediately blames Chris Harris for the loss.

December 14: America’s Most Wanted disbands after again losing to LAX. This time, AMW loses a “Titles vs. Team” match on Impact in which the team that loses the match is forced to break up. The match ends after Storm deliberately smashes a beer bottle over the head of “The Wildcat.”

December 16: Masked wrestler The Spoiler (Don Jardine) dies at 66 after a massive heart attack. After lengthy tenures in the NWA, AWA, and WWWF, The Spoiler first gained national exposure as a member of the original Legion of Doom alongside Jake Roberts, King Kong Bundy, and The Road Warriors. He was the first wrestler to walk along the top rope, a technique he went on to teach Mark Callaway (The Undertaker) in the mid-1980s.

December 17: Raw World champion John Cena makes a special appearance at Smackdown’s Armageddon, teaming with Smackdown World champ Batista against King Booker and Finlay. The match ends with a Batista bomb and pinfall over Booker. The show also includes a four-way ladder match pitting Smackdown World tag team champions Paul London and Brian Kendrick vs. William Regal and Dave Taylor vs. M-N-M vs. Matt and Jeff Hardy. Joey Mercury suffers facial injuries when he collides with a ladder, and London and Kendrick win the match.

December 23: At Final Battle, Homicide uses a lariat to pin longtime champion Bryan Danielson for the Ring of Honor title. Homicide had vowed to leave ROH forever if he did not win the belt.

December 25: Someone finally wins Chris Masters’ “Masterlock Challenge,” but he is not a member of the Raw roster. During WWE’s 2006 Tribute to the Troops, Staff Sgt. Jose Avila breaks free from the hold following some timely interference by Santa Claus (who reveals himself to be John Bradshaw Layfield). Within weeks of the occurrence, Masters goes on to claim the win is not official and that his undefeated “Masterlock Challenge” streak remains intact.
2007

January 1: Raw World champion John Cena suffers his first pinfall loss of the new year at the hands of Kevin Federline. The soon-to-be former Mr. Britney Spears had appeared infrequently on Raw since the prior October, as a crowd antagonist who found himself in an immediate feud with the champion. Accompanied to the ring by his "trainer," Johnny Nitro, Federline benefits from interference by Nitro and Umaga to win the no-disqualification match.

January 4: Midget wrestler Cowboy Lang passes away at 56 in Portland, Oregon. Lang had fought for more than 30 years in rings throughout the U.S., Asia, Africa, Europe, and his native Canada. With his trademark cowboy hat and boots, the 4’, 109-pounder was primarily known as the tag team partner of Little Eagle, The Haiti Kid, Coconut Willie, and Lord Littlebrook, a man who also contributed to his training as a wrestler.

January 7: At New Year's Revolution, Triple-H experiences a freak, career-threatening in-ring injury reminiscent of the torn left quadriceps he suffered in 2001. This time, Triple-H tears his right quadriceps, an injury that would leave him on the sidelines for more than seven months. Hunter was teaming with Shawn Michaels against Raw World tag team champions Rated RKO, and, upon trying to deliver a pedigree to Randy Orton, fell to the mat in agony.

January 8: Vince McMahon is seated at ringside on Raw for his own self-made match: a comedic battle between Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donnell impostors. Attempting to capitalize on the ongoing and well-publicized feud between the pair (all the while promoting plans for an upcoming "Battle Of The Billionaires" with Trump at the upcoming WrestleMania), McMahon is instead met with a 10-minute chorus of "We want wrestling" and "T-N-A" by the St. Louis crowd.

January 14: Christian Cage becomes a two-time NWA World champion after defeating Sting and Abyss in a three-way elimination match at Final Resolution. Cage wins the title with some assistance from ally Travis Tomko, who helps him pin Abyss to score the win. The match also leads to the launch of Christian's Coalition in TNA. The card also sees Kurt Angle defeat Samoa Joe in an ironman match to win a shot at Cage's newly won title at Against All Odds in February.

January 19: Bam Bam Bigelow dies unexpectedly in his Hudson, Florida, home at age 45. A main-eventer in every promotion in which he competed, Bigelow gained mainstream recognition in 1995 when he wrestled NFL legend Lawrence Taylor at WrestleMania XI. His autopsy would reveal that he had toxic levels of cocaine and the anti-anxiety drug benzodiazepine at the time of his death.

January 28: The Undertaker wins his first Royal Rumble in San Antonio, Texas, entering the ring with the coveted 30th spot and last eliminating Shawn Michaels. His victory would allow him to wrestle the Raw World, Smackdown World, or ECW champion at WrestleMania 23. The card also sees all three brands' champions retain their titles, with ECW champion Bobby Lashley beating Test by countout, Smackdown World champion Batista pinning Ken Kennedy, and Raw World champion John Cena beating Umaga in a last-man-standing match.

January 30: Wrestling Society X makes its long-awaited debut for MTV, reintroducing a mainstream audience to familiar names such as Vampiro and Sean "6-Pac" Waltman, while also introducing the nation to stars such as Teddy Hart, Matt Sydal, and Ricky Banderas (TNA's Judas Mesias). The controversial promotion, which would air only nine of its originally taped 10 episodes, actually saw one episode pulled from TV due to graphic violence. Vampiro would be crowned as its first champion after he and 6-Pac won a battle royal to earn a right to face one another for the title.

February 6: The New Breed is officially unleashed in ECW as part of a plot by Vince McMahon to eradicate the few ECW Originals that remain on his talent roster. On this night of Sci Fi Network action, Matt Striker—serving as the referee—costs Tommy Dreamer in his match with Kevin Thorn, then stands in as ringside timekeeper as Marcus Cor Von defeats Mahoney, and, finally, works with Thorn and Cor Von to help Elijah Burke pin Rob Van Dam in the main event.

February 11: Christian Cage successfully defends his NWA World title against Kurt Angle at TNA's Against All Odds pay-per-view. Despite Samoa Joe serving as an outside enforcer at ringside, the contest is marred by the interference of both Travis Tomko and Scott Steiner.

February 12: With Raw pre-empted on USA Network due to the annual Westminster Dog Show, TNA takes advantage by airing its first Monday night special—This Is TNA—on Spike TV. Four nights later, WWE would go head to head with TNA for the first time, with Raw garnering five times Impact’s 0.6 Nielsen rating.

February 17: Former ECW champion Mike Awesome commits suicide by hanging himself in his home near Tampa, Florida. Awesome had been retired from the mainstream wrestling scene since winning his 2005 match against longtime rival Masato Tanaka at WWE's ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view. During his career, he spent time in Japan's FMW, ECW, WCW, and WWE … Takeshi Morishima pins Homicide to win the Ring of Honor championship in Philadelphia.

February 18: At No Way Out, Raw World champion John Cena and his WrestleMania challenger, Shawn Michaels, team up against Smackdown World champion Batista and his WrestleMania challenger, The Undertaker. Batista turns against The Undertaker during the match, causing him to get pinned. This is also the first non-"Big Four" show since 2003 to allow competitors from all three brands to appear at every pay-per-view.

February 26: In an interview with Financial Week, WWE Chief Financial Officer Michael Selick announces that WWE has plans for an expansion that could lead to several different international WWE brands, each with its own independent regional touring schedule, programming, and—ideally—pay-per-views. The concept also sparks rumors that WWE is considering the recruitment of Mistico for use in a WWE Mexico brand.

February 27: Andrew "Test" Martin is released from WWE for the second time in his career. Fresh off a stint in ECW in which he challenged Bobby Lashley for the ECW title, Martin had received a 30-day suspension for violation of WWE’s Wellness Policy. Shortly after this suspension, Martin is involved in an automobile accident that sparks rumors he is continuing to violate the program.

March 6: Allen Coage, also known as Bad News Allen and Bad News Brown, dies at age 63 after being hospitalized with chest pains in his hometown of Calgary, Alberta. Coage won a bronze medal in judo at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal before training under Antonio Inoki to become a pro wrestler. He was a main-eventer for Stampede Wrestling for many years and jumped to the WWF in 1988. His career highlights included winning a 20-man battle royal at WrestleMania IV and battling Hulk Hogan in a top match on Saturday Night’s Main Event.

March 10: Ernie Ladd, a top lineman in the American Football League who became a main-event wrestler in the 1960s, dies at age 68 after a long bout with cancer. Cast in the unusual role of an African-American heel, the self-proclaimed “King Of Wrestling” spent much of his career in Los Angeles and the WWWF, where he feuded with Andre the Giant as well as champions Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales, and Bob Backlund. He was also regarded as an innovative booker, particularly in the Mid-South.

March 11: Christian Cage finds a way to retain his NWA World championship against the red-hot Samoa Joe at Destination X. With chants from the crowd such as "Joe's gonna kill you," Cage leaves the ring to get counted out and salvage his title, however Joe is rescued by several X stars who emerge from the backstage area and toss the champion back into the ring. After nearly 20 minutes of action, Cage pins the challenger by putting his feet on the ropes for leverage.

March 12: Ashley Massaro's Playboy pictorial makes the newsstands in time for WrestleMania 23. As of the April 2007 issue, Massaro is just the latest in a long line of Divas to pose for the publication (following Sable, Chyna, Torrie Wilson, Christy Hemme, and Candice Michelle). WWE uses the exposure to push Massaro into a "Lumberjill" match against women’s champion Melina at WrestleMania. Nevertheless, she is pinned for her efforts.

March 13: Following nearly a year of preparation, hype, and anticipation, MTV officially cancels Wrestling Society X after airing just four of its initial 10 episodes. MTV airs a marathon of episodes five through nine before officially dropping the series from its schedule one week later, citing a decline in ratings. The 10th and final episode is never aired on television and is relegated to DVD … Arnold Skoaland, best remembered for being the manager of Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund, dies at age 82. The “Golden Boy” began his career in 1946, went on to feud with stars such as Buddy Rogers and Pat O’Connor, and held the WWWF U.S. tag team title with Spiros Arion in 1967. Later, he became Vince McMahon Sr.’s business partner behind the scenes.

March 19: Sports Illustrated publishes a story detailing a New York district attorney's investigation into an illegal mail-order steroid distribution network that fingers 12 active wrestlers and several other athletes. Among the big names mentioned in the report are Edge, Rey Mysterio Jr., Randy Orton, Gregory Helms, and Kurt Angle. Each of the men deny any wrongdoing.

March 30: Steve Austin's The Condemned, a film about a reality TV show in which prison inmates battle to the death, premieres at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. The film, which had a $20-million budget, would generate less money than either of WWE Films' previous two releases, Kane's See No Evil and John Cena's The Marine, prompting Vince McMahon to accuse its distributor of sabotage for failing to adequately promote it.

March 31: The 2007 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony takes place at Detroit's Fox Theatre. The class includes The Wild Samoans, Nick Bockwinkel, The Iron Sheik, Curt Hennig, Mr. Fuji, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross, and Dusty Rhodes. Actor William Shatner makes a special appearance to induct Lawler, whom he monkey-flipped during a 1995 edition of Monday Night Raw.

April 1: Vince McMahon has his head shaved in the "Battle Of The Billionaires" showdown at WrestleMania 23 when ECW champion Bobby Lashley, representing Donald Trump, defeats Intercontinental champion Umaga, representing the WWE chairman. Also at WrestleMania, Ken Kennedy wins an eight-man “Money In The Bank” ladder match, John Cena retains his Raw World title with a submission victory over Shawn Michaels, and The Undertaker ups his WrestleMania undefeated streak to 15 by taking Batista's Smackdown World title.

April 2: Mick Foley's third autobiography, The Hardcore Diaries, makes the New York Times Best Seller List. Some consider the book to be controversial because of Foley’s criticisms of Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff, Terry Funk, and WWE’s product in general. Foley claims the book will be the last of his non-fiction works, which include Have A Nice Day and Foley Is Good.

April 15: Jeff Jarrett returns to TNA at the Lockdown pay-per-view as a member of Kurt Angle's team in a “Lethal Lockdown” match against Christian’s Coalition. Six months earlier, Jarrett had abandoned his role as an on-air talent after his NWA World title loss to Sting at Bound for Glory 2006. During the match, Jarrett sacrifices a potential title shot by stepping aside and letting Sting pin Abyss.

April 23: Randy Orton is dismissed from a WWE tour of Europe, a punishment that causes him to miss a taping of Raw in London, England. Orton is sent home because he allegedly caused thousands of dollars of damage to his hotel room in the U.K. To the surprise of Orton's co-workers, he would never officially be suspended for the incident. A short time later, Orton would go on record as apologizing and saying that he will get his career "back on track."

April 27: FedExForum in Memphis hosts a “Clash Of Legends” show where Hulk Hogan bodyslams and pins Paul Wight, formerly known as The Big Show. The match had originally been slated to feature Hogan against Memphis' own Jerry Lawler, however WWE officials puledl him and several other WWE talents from the event. Other stars present at the show include Brutus Beefcake, Koko B. Ware, Bobby Eaton, Greg Valentine, Abdullah the Butcher, and Buff Bagwell.

April 28: At “Good Times, Great Memories,” Christopher Daniels turns on the Ring of Honor faithful and abruptly quits the promotion due to his involvement in TNA. Daniels—considered one of Ring of Honor's "founding fathers" because of his participation in the company's first show—wrestles to a 15-minute draw against Erick Stevens in his final match. The TNA-mandated move followed similar announcements by both Samoa Joe and A.J. Styles.

April 29: In a scene that is unsettling for traditional ECW loyalists, Vince McMahon gets revenge on Bobby Lashley by cheating him out of his ECW championship at Backlash. McMahon teams with his son Shane and Umaga to get the pinfall victory. After winning the title, McMahon mocks the once-proud organization and its WWE-employed Originals such as Sabu, The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, and Rob Van Dam.

May 1: Former Ohio Valley Wrestling heavyweight champion and Tough Enough contestant Matt Cappotelli has successful surgery to remove a tumor from his brain. Cappotelli had surrendered his championship in February 2006 after announcing that his tumor had been found to be cancerous.

May 5: Mephisto LePhanto, whose real name is Antonio Omar, dies unexpectedly in the ring during an IWA Puerto Rico show. The 31-year-old, who was teaming with Mikael Judas against Mr. Big and Blitz, tagged into the match, lost his breath, and collapsed. He was taken away on a stretcher and later pronounced dead.

May 7: Edge goads an injured Ken Kennedy into putting his “Money In The Bank” title shot on the line in a match on Raw. The "Rated R Superstar" then attacks Kennedy before the match, softening him up and allowing him to pick up the easy win and guaranteed championship match. The first phase of Edge's plan to steal a world title is complete.

May 8: Batista challenges World champion The Undertaker to a steel cage match on Smackdown. After battling to a draw when both men's feet hit the floor at the exact same instant, Mark Henry storms out from the locker room and injures The Undertaker. Moments later, Raw competitor Edge emerges from the back and cashes in his “Money In The Bank” title shot. The Undertaker falls prey to a pair of spears and loses the Smackdown championship.

May 13: Kurt Angle seemingly wins Christian Cage's NWA World championship in a three-way match at Sacrifice by applying an anklelock on Sting as “The Stinger” is pinning Cage. Before Sting gains the three-count, he taps out from the pain of Angle's submission hold in the plain sight of a second referee. Nevertheless, Angle would be stripped of the World title only days later on Impact due to the controversial outcome of the match … TNA officially withdraws from its five-year affiliation with the NWA. As a result, the company makes plans to crown a new TNA World heavyweight champion, while Team 3D is automatically granted the TNA World tag team title.

May 16: Sabu is released from his WWE contract after a series of disputes with management, ending his year-long stint with the company. The ECW Original had been signed to give the ECW brand more of an extreme feel upon its inception. Sabu's WWE tenure was marked by a series of infractions, such as his infamous traffic stop with buddy Rob Van Dam and showing up late for shows sans his ring gear.

May 20: Bobby Lashley pins Shane McMahon in a three-on-one handicap match at Judgment Day, seemingly to win Vince McMahon’s ECW title. Because Lashley does not pin the chairman, however, Vince announces that Lashley has not won the championship. Also at Judgment Day, Raw World champion John Cena makes The Great Khali submit to the STFU.

May 23: Jill Jarrett, the wife of Jeff Jarrett, succumbs to a long battle with cancer at age 37. The multiple-time champion, who had spent nearly all of his time by her side, is devastated by the loss. After a brief in-ring comeback to TNA, Jarrett would take another sabbatical from the ring to grieve and spend time with his daughters.

June 3: Scott Steiner nearly dies after suffering a tracheal injury during a TNA live event in Puerto Rico. Steiner, teaming with James Storm against Jeff Jarrett and Apolo, is kicked in the throat by Apolo, tearing his trachea and preventing him from breathing. He would undergoe emergency surgery and remain on the island for several weeks to recuperate.

June 4: Rob Van Dam leaves WWE one night after gaining revenge against Randy Orton at One Night Stand. Van Dam, who was thinking about ending his six-year run with WWE, had been kicked in the head by Orton on the May 28 edition of Raw. Later in the evening, Bobby Lashley regains the ECW championship in a no-disqualification match against Vince McMahon.

June 11: WWE holds another talent draft to move some of its wrestlers to different brands. Bobby Lashley is drafted to Raw, alongside Ken Kennedy and King Booker, and is stripped of his ECW championship as a result. Smackdown acquires The Great Khali and Ric Flair, among others. To end the night, Vince McMahon stages his own death when his limousine explodes.

June 15: "Sensational" Sherri Martel dies at her mother's home in Birmingham, Alabama. Reports indicate that Martel—a former WWF and AWA women's champion—has six different types of drugs in her system at the time of her death. Martel had been inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame in 2006.

June 17: Kurt Angle defeats Samoa Joe, A.J. Styles, Christian Cage, and Chris Harris in a “King Of The Mountain” match at Slammiversary to become the first official TNA World heavyweight champion one month after his NWA World title victory had been declared null and void. The other man who laid claim to the championship, Sting, had been eliminated in a qualifying match on Impact due to interference by Christopher Daniels. Sting defeats Daniels in a grudge match at Slammiversary.

June 19: Konnan and Ron Killings request their releases from TNA. Konnan, who needed hip replacement surgery and a kidney transplant, departs over a dispute with management. TNA refuses to grant Killings’ request, denying him the opportunity to compete for AAA in Mexico. Killings would return to the company for a brief stint in August.

June 24: Standing in for no-show Chris Benoit, Johnny Nitro steps into Vengeance and pins C.M. Punk to win the vacant ECW championship. The match is one of several in what is billed as a "Night Of Champions." Of the nine WWE championships contested on this night, only one other title changes hands, with Candice Michelle defeating Melina to win the women's championship.

June 25: The bodies of Chris Benoit, his wife, Nancy, and their seven-year-old son, Daniel, are discovered at their home in suburban Atlanta. In the days that follow, the victims' families, friends, and fans are shocked to learn that the multiple-time champion is responsible. Many speculate as to whether drugs or some sort of personality disorder played a part in the tragedy, but the real cause of Benoit's disturbing acts remains a mystery.

July 15: TNA X division champion Samoa Joe, teaming with World heavyweight champion Kurt Angle, pins Brother Ray at Victory Road to win Team 3D’s World tag team title after Scott Steiner hits Ray with a lead pipe. According to a pre-match stipulation, the wrestler who scores the winning pinfall receives the title held by the wrestler who gets pinned. Samoa Joe’s championship partner would be determined at a later date.

July 17: Edge vacates the Smackdown World title after suffering a pectoral tear during an attack at the hands of Kane. Following this announcement, General Manager Theodore Long announces a 20-man battle royal that night to crown a new champion for the brand. With fans at the arena and sitting at home rooting for Batista or Kane to win the championship, The Great Khali surprises all to take the title.

July 18: Former ECW, USWA, and XPW competitor John Kronus is found dead at age 38 in his fiancée's New Hampshire home due to complications from an enlarged heart. Kronus, whose real name is George Caiazzo, had been known primarily as the tag team partner of Perry Saturn (as The Eliminators) and New Jack (as The Gangstanators). He last appeared before U.S. fans in 2005 at “Hardcore Homecoming” in Philadelphia.

July 22: WWE presents the Great American Bash, which is headlined by John Cena retaining the Raw World title against Bobby Lashley and The Great Khali's successful Smackdown World title defense against Batista and Kane in a three-way match. The show marks the last appearance by Jeff Hardy on a WWE pay-per-view for nearly two months, as he is taken off the road due to what is believed to be a Wellness Policy violation.

July 23: Tor Kamata dies of heart disease at age 70. During his long stay in Stampede Wrestling, Kamata won the North American title three times, had a bloody feud with Abdullah the Butcher, and participated in ladder matches more than two decades before they became popular. He also battled a young Bob Backlund in a memorable Texas death match in the WWWF … Former Memphis manager Ronnie P. Gossett dies of colon cancer. He was 64 years old. In hindsight, Gossett is best known for his 1989 stint as The Master of Pain, who would later become The Undertaker.

July 24: Konnan undergoes successful kidney transplant surgery in Tijuana, Mexico. Thanks to the Internet, Konnan collects about $14,000 from wrestling fans to cover a portion of the costs associated with the surgery. Konnan's former employer, TNA, contends it had lent the former LAX member money for the surgery and that it expected to be repaid.

July 28: Hall of Fame wrestler and trainer Karl Gotch dies of natural causes at age 82. Gotch is credited with popularizing the German suplex, the cradle piledriver, and the Gotch special, a chicken wing/headscissors combination submission hold. He was revered as a performer in Japan, and his highest-profile run in the U.S. took place in late-1971 and early-1972, when he held the WWWF tag team title with Rene Goulet.

July 31: Only three days after the Associated Press breaks a story that Congress plans to investigate WWE as part of an ongoing illegal steroid probe, Vince McMahon receives a letter from U.S. Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL) in which he seeks a detailed description of both the company's steroid policy and the measures the company actively takes to prevent the abuse of such drugs. WWE is given a deadline of August 24, but complies in advance with the request.

August 13: Former WWF and WCW star Brian Adams, 43, is found dead in his home in Tampa, Florida, from what was believed to be a drug overdose. The Hawaiian star, who was known as Crush for much of his career, is best remembered for his involvement in Demolition, The Nation of Domination, The Disciples of Apocalypse, and Kronic. Adams last appeared on WWE TV in 2001 at Unforgiven, where he and Kronic partner Bryan Clark lost to WCW World tag team champions The Undertaker and Kane.

August 16: After a struggle with cancer, 68-year-old Dewey Robertson passes away. A former bodybuilder, Robertson became a wrestler in the 1960s. Twenty years later, he morphed into The Missing Link for runs in World Class, the Mid-South territory, and the WWF, prior to his retirement in the early-1990s. In 2006, Robertson penned his autobiography, Bang Your Head: The Real Story Of The Missing Link.

August 18: Matt Hardy battles former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield to a no-contest when U.S. champ Montel Vontavious Porter interferes in their boxing match on Saturday Night’s Main Event. Originally, Hardy was to have fought Porter for the U.S. title in the latest installment of their ongoing game of one-upsmanship, however MVP is forced to bow out of the match because a routine Wellness Program exam reveals he has Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a dangerous heart condition.

August 25: Ring of Honor champion Takeshi Morishima defeats Bryan Danielson at “Manhattan Mayhem II.” The match is presented as the first real test for Morishima, who had steamrolled through challengers such as KENTA, Shingo, Jimmy Rave, and Nigel McGuinness since winning the Ring of Honor title from Homicide in February. Morishima pins Danielson following a backdrop driver, which causes the former champ to suffer a detached retina and a fractured orbital bone.

August 26: Hulk Hogan’s 17-year-old son, Nick Bollea, is involved in a high-speed car wreck that leaves his passenger, John Graziano, with severe brain damage. Bollea would be released from the hospital one day later … Former world champions Triple-H and Rey Mysterio Jr. make their WWE returns from injury at SummerSlam after weeks of promotional videos. Triple-H receives a king’s welcome and easily pins King Booker to stake his claim as Raw’s only “King Of Kings.” Meanwhile, Mysterio gains revenge against Chavo Guerrero Jr., the man who injured and beat him in an “I Quit” match nearly a year earlier.

August 31: After meeting with prosecutors from the Albany, New York, District Attorney’s office, WWE announces the suspension of 11 active performers for allegedly purchasing performance-enhancing drugs from Signature Pharmacy, an online pharmaceutical site. The 30-day suspensions include top stars across all three brands, with two wrestlers receiving additional 30-day suspensions due to previous Wellness Policy infringements.

September 1: WWE releases Eugene (Nick Dinsmore) and Simon Dean (Mike Bucci), reportedly for Wellness Policy violations. WWE also cuts ties with The Sandman and Cryme Tyme … Adam Pearce defeats Brent Albright (replacing Bryan Danielson) in the tournament final in Puerto Rico to crown a new NWA champion.

September 4: Heading into a 30-day suspension for his role in the Signature Pharmacy scandal in late-August, John Morrison loses the ECW title to C.M. Punk after falling prey to Punk’s go to sleep finisher on ECW’s weekly program.

September 5: A post-mortem examination reveals that Chris Benoit’s brain had suffered extensive damage due to a series of concussions stemming from his career as a wrestler. Chris’ father, Michael Benoit, had allowed medical researchers with the Sports Legacy Institute—a group co-founded by former WWE star Christopher Nowinski—to study his son’s brain to research the neuro-pathological effects of repeated concussions on pro athletes’ behavior. WWE responds by calling the research “speculative.”

September 9: One month after taking Samoa Joe’s TNA X and World tag team titles at Hard Justice, World heavyweight champion Kurt Angle loses both titles at No Surrender. Early in the night, Angle teams with Sting to lose to Ron Killings and Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam Jones in a match in which “Pacman” cannot legally participate physically. Later in the night, Angle drops his X title in a clean upset to Jay Lethal. Angle retains his heavyweight title against Abyss in the main event.

September 10: After weeks of hints seemingly leading to Ken Kennedy being Vince McMahon’s son, Finlay’s leprechaun friend, Hornswoggle, is announced as McMahon’s lovechild on Raw. After the entire roster is stationed at ringside, it is teased that McMahon’s off-screen son-in-law, Triple-H, is actually his spawn. The show goes off the air with an elated “Game” and Hornswoggle dancing around a despondent McMahon.

September 16: Batista wins the Smackdown World title from The Great Khali at Unforgiven in a triple-threat match also involving Rey Mysterio Jr. Originally, Mysterio was supposed to receive the one-on-one title shot until General Manager Theodore Long added Batista to the match. The card also sees Randy Orton defeat Raw World champion John Cena by disqualification after Orton goes after Cena’s father at ringside. In addition, The Undertaker returns to action, gaining revenge against Mark Henry for injuring him earlier in the year.

October 1: Heading into his Raw World title defense against Randy Orton at No Mercy, John Cena is injured in a televised match against Ken Kennedy and a post-match attack by Orton. Cena, who suffers a torn pectoral muscle on that night, would require surgery and is told he could miss up to a year of action. Less than 24 hours after the injury, Vince McMahon strips Cena of the championship.

October 4: TNA stages its first card since Impact is extended to two hours each week on Spike TV. The show is highlighted by an eight-man tag team main event with several competitors from the X division. The show earns a Nielsen TV rating of 1.1, which is comparable to the numbers it received under its old format.

October 7: WWE fans are treated to three Raw World title changes in a single night at No Mercy. The pay-per-view kicks off with Vince McMahon naming Randy Orton the new titleholder, however Orton is then immediately goaded into defending his title against Triple-H, who wins the championship. Later in the night, Triple-H is forced to defend his newly won title against his previously scheduled opponent, Umaga. Then, in the main event, Orton reclaims the Raw strap from Triple-H in a last-man-standing match.

October 8: Shawn Michaels makes his surprising return to Raw to attack the man who had put him out of action at Judgment Day, Randy Orton. Michaels, who was essentially filling the main-event void left by the injured John Cena one week earlier, would shortly thereafter be granted a match for Orton’s Raw World title at Survivor Series.

October 14: Capping off weeks of feuding, Sting overcomes interference from Kevin Nash to beat Kurt Angle for the TNA World championship at Bound for Glory. In the end, Sting uses the scorpion deathdrop to pin Sting. Two days later, Sting would grant a title rematch to Angle at TNA’s Impact tapings and lose the championship back to Angle after Nash again interfered.

October 19: Former WCW and WWF star Lex Luger is left temporarily paralyzed after suffering a spinal stroke at WrestleFanFest in San Francisco, California. The weekend also features a wrestling show dubbed “Malice In The Palace,” which is filmed for DVD release by Big Vision Entertainment. The Great Muta defeats The Sandman and Steve Corino in the three-way main event.

October 25: Heading into his return to Raw in November, Chris Jericho releases his autobiography, A Lion’s Tale: Around The World In Spandex. The book would reache number 22 on the New York Times Best Seller List and lead to speculation that Jericho may be considering a return to wrestling after a two-year hiatus. Coinciding with the release of Jericho’s book is the appearance of several short, cryptic videos featuring coded letters, numbers, and clues on Raw.

October 27: Booker T and his wife, Sharmell, are released from their WWE contracts. For Booker, the release caps nearly eight weeks of speculation as to whether he had actually been guilty of steroid abuse, considering that he had been linked to Signature Pharmacy, an online pharmacy under investigation. He maintained his innocence in the matter. It is reported that Booker asked for his release immediately after the suspension was issued in late-August, but had been asked to reconsider.

October 28: Cyber Sunday hits pay-per-view again, allowing fans to vote on some matches and stipulations. Among fans’ popular choices are: Shawn Michaels as the challenger for Randy Orton’s Raw World title, The Miz as the challenger for C.M. Punk’s ECW title, and Steve Austin as the special referee for the Smackdown World title match between Batista and The Undertaker. This match sees Batista cleanly pin The Undertaker for the first time after a pair of Batista bombs.

November 2: Lillian Ellison, better known to the wrestling world as The Fabulous Moolah, dies at age 84. It is believed Moolah suffered a heart attack or a blood clot related to shoulder replacement surgery she had recently undergone. Arguably the top women’s wrestler of all-time, Moolah enjoyed a world women’s title reign recognized by promotions worldwide between 1956 and 1984.

November 7: In light of the controversial CNN special “Death Grip: Inside Pro Wrestling,” WWE executives accuse the network of sensationalizing the story by deleting key excerpts of its interview with John Cena. The full context of the interview reveals that one of his answers was shortened to imply that he had been guilty of taking steroids. The 60-minute documentary also features interviews with stars such as ECW champion C.M. Punk, The Dynamite Kid, and WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

November 8: Scott Hall returns to TNA, aligning with former Outsiders partner Kevin Nash to verbally abuse Kurt Angle. In his opening promo, however, Hall accuses Nash of not being there for him through a lot of personal problems. Hall and Nash are subsequently booked to team with Samoa Joe in a tag team match against Angle, A.J. Styles, and Travis Tomko at December’s Turning Point.

November 11: Former WWE and WCW star Booker T makes his TNA debut at Genesis, a pay-per-view headlined by a tag team match in which Kurt Angle’s TNA World title would be on the line. Angle teams with Kevin Nash to defeat Sting and his “mystery partner,” Booker T, when Angle sneaks in a pinfall over Sting. Booker is joined at ringside by his wife, Sharmell. A few days later, Booker vows he will be known as “Booker T-NA.”

November 18: Edge makes his return at Survivor Series, costing The Undertaker his “Hell In A Cell” match against Smackdown World champion Batista. Nevertheless, Acting General Manager Vickie Guerrero books Edge for a World title match against Batista at Armageddon. It is revealed that Edge and Vickie had been secretly dating and that Guerrero had been instrumental in helping Edge return. Survivor Series also sees Shawn Michaels fall short in his bid to defeat Randy Orton for the Raw World title.

November 19: Chris Jericho returns to Raw after a two-year hiatus, confronting Randy Orton in the middle of a promo after a cryptic “Second Coming” and “Save_Us_Y2J” video is played on the big screen. The debut, which is reminiscent of Jericho’s 1999 introduction in which he interrupted a Rock promo, makes it clear that he is a threat to Orton’s Raw World title reign. Jericho would go on to challenge Orton at Armageddon.

November 20: Hulk Hogan’s wife, Linda, files for divorce, further dramatizing the Hogans’ personal lives before the entire world. Linda, who had been Hogan’s wife for 24 years, was seeking child alimony for their 17-year-old son, Nick. Hogan claims to learn of the news for the first time when approached by a St. Petersburg Times reporter. The story follows news that Nick Hogan had surrendered to police in Clearwater, Florida, on charges of reckless driving stemming from a car crash that caused severe brain damage to his friend, John Graziano.

November 26: At an edition of Raw in Ric Flair’s hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, the 16-time world champion dismisses rumors of his pending retirements, declaring that he “will not retire until his death.” Vince McMahon, however, tells Flair that his career will be over when he loses his next match. That same night, Flair benefits from interference by Chris Jericho to defeat Raw World champion Randy Orton in a non-title bout.

December 2: Scott Hall, who is to have appeared in the main event teaming with Kevin Nash and Samoa Joe, cites food poisoning and does not show at Turning Point. With Eric Young selected as Hall’s replacement, the trio goes on to defeat the team of Kurt Angle, A.J. Styles, and Travis Tomko. After the match, Joe cuts a promo in which he blasts Hall and, by inference, Nash. Nash is upset by Joe’s words and the two become involved in an altercation backstage.

December 10: WWE celebrates the 15th anniversary of Raw, marking the surprise returns of several stars, including Steve Austin, Sunny (Tammy Sytch), Trish Stratus, Lita, Mankind, Ted DiBiase, and Irwin R. Schyster. The show ends with McMahon himself the “Raw Superstar Of The Decade,” a distinction that earns him beatings at the hands of Mick Foley, The Undertaker, and Steve Austin.

December 16: Batista loses the Smackdown World title to Edge in a triple-threat match also involving The Undertaker at Armageddon. The night also sees Chris Jericho fail in his bid to unseat Raw World champion Randy Orton after costly interference by Smackdown announcer John Bradshaw Layfield. Also, Intercontinental champion Jeff Hardy upsets Triple-H to become the new number-one contender for the Raw World title.

December 24: WWE offers its latest “Tribute To The Troops” Raw special from a former soccer stadium in Tikrit, Iraq. The show kicks off with an Armageddon rematch between Raw World champion Randy Orton and Chris Jericho, which again features interference by John Bradshaw Layfield. At the end of the night, Shawn Michaels and Triple-H reunite as DeGeneration X to defeat Ken Kennedy and Umaga.
2008
January 6: A.J. Styles aligns himself with Kurt Angle instead of Christian Cage, turns on his former partner, and helps Angle retain the TNA World title at Final Resolution. Earlier in the evening, Styles defended his world tag team championship, alongside partner Travis Tomko, against Samoa Joe and Kevin Nash. The relationship between Joe and Nash had been strained since Joe’s infamous promo about Nash’s close friend Scott Hall one month prior at Turning Point.

January 10: Only days after being narrowly defeated by Gail Kim at Final Resolution, Awesome Kong decimates the champion, winning her first Knockouts championship during the main event of TNA Impact. The match follows several weeks in which Impact’s women’s matches had been among TNA’s highest-rated segments. Kong goes on to dominate TNA’s female roster for several months.

January 17: As part of a joint Tokyo Dome supershow featuring the stars of both New Japan Pro Wrestling and TNA—portions of which were broadcast in the U.S. as TNA Global Impact—Kurt Angle successfully defends his IWGP 3rd belt against Yuji Nagata. The show also features Shinsuke Nakamura defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi to win his second IWGP championship, NJPW tag champions Travis Tomko and Giant Bernard overcoming The Steiner Brothers, and IWGP junior heavyweight champion Wataru Inoue defeating Christopher Daniels.

January 22: ECW champion C.M. Punk is upset by Chavo Guerrero Jr. in a no-disqualification match, losing the title after some timely interference by Guerrero’s La Familia stablemate Edge. Even though he never reclaims the championship, Punk goes on to embarrass Guerrero in ensuing weeks, attacking him after dressing as a serenading mariachi musician and even dumping him into the Gulf of Mexico.

January 26: At Ring of Honor’s Without Remorse show in Chicago, The No Remorse Corps (Davey Richards and Rocky Romero) wins the promotion’s tag team championship from Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black (The Age of the Fall). The elimination match—dubbed “Ultimate Endurance” and also featuring The Hangmen Three and the team of Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson—includes three parts: a scramble match, an “I Quit” match, and a traditional match.

January 27: John Cena returns four months early from a torn pectoral muscle to win the Royal Rumble, surprising fans and fellow wrestlers alike. Cena, who draws spot number 30, last eliminates Triple-H to presumably secure his spot in the WrestleMania main event. Earlier in the evening, WWE champion Randy Orton successfully defends his title against Jeff Hardy, while WWE World champion Edge fends off Rey Mysterio Jr.

January 31: Negotiations falter between WWE and the CW Network, ensuring that Smackdown would be moving to a another network at the start of the 2008 fall television season. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, CW projected losses of about $50-million in 2008, thus preventing it from making a competitive offer to WWE to keep the show on its home of more than nine years.

February 2: Brock Lesnar makes his UFC debut with a submission loss to former heavyweight champion Frank Mir at UFC 81. Lesnar—who entered the Octagon amidst massive fanfare due to his reputation from WWE—dominated the early part of his match before being tripped up in an anklelock submission hold. Lesnar’s former wrestling colleagues “Stone-Cold” Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, and The Undertaker were seated at ringside.

February 4: WWE.com confirms the release of former ECW champion Bobby Lashley. With the reason for his release shrouded in mystery, fans speculate that potential issues with management, his feelings on the release of his close friend (and former Diva) Krystal Marshall, or his own desire to compete in mixed martial arts could have contributed to his release.

February 12: The Fayette County, Georgia, sheriff’s department concludes its eight-month investigation into the Benoit family tragedy, determining that Chris Benoit acted alone in killing his wife, Nancy, and son, Daniel, before taking his own life. Friends and neighbors claimed the couple had a strained relationship, complicated by suspicions of infidelity, physical abuse, and steroid use, as well as Benoit reportedly taking out a secret life insurance policy to benefit his children.

February 14: WWE chairman Vince McMahon opts not to attend a scheduled Congressional hearing dealing with the use of steroids and other drugs in sports after his attorney, Jerry McDevitt, is unable to attend. The hearing—conducted by the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection—was to have been the culmination of a six-month probe. McMahon is criticized for being the only witness to decline. Other witnesses include officials from the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL.

February 15: Mid-Atlantic legend Johnny Weaver is found dead in his Charlotte, North Carolina, home at the age of 72. Weaver’s wrestling career spanned more than 40 years and—alongside partner George Becker—included rivalries with teams such as Gene and Ole Anderson and Swede Hanson and Rip Hawk. Weaver was also instrumental in helping train stars such as Ric Flair, Roddy Piper, and Greg Valentine. He worked as a deputy sheriff at the time of his death.

February 16: Kurt Angle loses his IWGP 3rd championship in a title unification match against IWGP heavyweight champion Shinsuke Nakamura.

February 17: Boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather makes a surprise run-in to save friend Rey Mysterio Jr. from an attack at the hands of the returning Big Show at No Way Out. During the confrontation, Mayweather breaks Show’s nose after the big man had gotten down on his knees to taunt the world-renowned fighter. Also on the show, John Cena cashes in his Royal Rumble title shot early, defeating Randy Orton by disqualification. Meanwhile, Triple-H and The Undertaker each win an “Elimination Chamber” match to become the top contenders on Raw and Smackdown, respectively.

February 26: Ring of Honor’s Larry Sweeney, Allison Danger, and Bobby Dempsey are involved in a controversial simulated rape angle at the company’s sixth anniversary show at the Manhattan Center in New York City. During an interview segment, Sweeney knocks out both Danger and Dempsey, throwing him on top of her and encouraging him to “be a man.” Then-booker Gabe Sapolsky issues an apology for the incident; still, officials kept the segment as part of the event’s DVD release.

March 3: Jeff Hardy loses his Intercontinental championship to Chris Jericho on Raw, about a week before WWE announces he is suspended for 60 days for a WWE Wellness Policy violation. Only four days after the suspension is announced—his second strike since re-signing with the company in 2007—Hardy suffers more personal tragedy as his uninsured Cameron, North Carolina, home burns to the ground, taking with it the life of his dog, Jack.

March 6: Eighty-year-old former NWA star Don Curtis dies after suffering a massive stroke in February. Curtis was best known for his rivalries with men such as Gorgeous George and Dick the Bruiser in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as his partnership with Mark Lewin. Curtis and Lewin were the first to hold the United States tag team championship, considered a forerunner to the WWF World tag team title.

March 9: Samoa Joe teams with Kevin Nash and Christian Cage to defeat TNA World champion Kurt Angle, A.J. Styles, and Travis Tomko at Destination X. The event, held at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia, also sees Rhino defeat James Storm in an Elevation X match and Robert Roode (with Jacqueline) defeat Booker T (with Traci Brooks, substituting for an injured Sharmell) in a “Stand By Your Man” strap match.

March 14: With his wife Linda, son Shane, and son-in-law Triple-H in attendance, Vince McMahon is given his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

March 16: Legendary wrestler, manager, and booker Gary Hart—probably best known for his time spent in Texas with World Class Championship Wrestling—dies of a heart attack at 66. After surviving an airplane crash in 1975, Hart went on to guide the careers of The Great Kabuki, Keiji Muto, Don Kernodle, and “Cowboy” Bob Orton, among others, and also served as an adviser to Chris Adams.

March 27: TNA airs its first live edition of Impact in Orlando. The show marks the TNA return of Sting, who teams with Christian Cage, Rhino, and Kevin Nash to defeat A.J. Styles, Travis Tomko, and Team 3-D.

March 28: In honor of WWE’s massive presence in the city for WrestleMania, Ring of Honor presents Dragon Gate Challenge II in downtown Orlando. The show features a six-man tag match pitting CIMA, Go Shiozaki, and Erick Stevens against the No Remorse Corps., as well as four special interpromotional matchups. Tammy Lynn Sytch also makes an appearance as a special guest.

March 29: Ric Flair is inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame following a fitting, teary-eyed induction speech by Triple-H. Flair tells his fans that, regardless of the outcome of the next night’s match, he is honored by the respect he has been shown in his four-decade career. Other inductees include: Peter Maivia, Rocky Johnson, Gordon Solie, Eddie Graham, The Brisco Brothers, and Mae Young.

March 30: Ric Flair retires from the ring after losing his WrestleMania 24 match to a visibly upset Shawn Michaels. The match followed months of speculation about who would actually be the one to retire Flair after Vince McMahon informed the “Nature Boy” that his next loss would be his final match. In other action from the card, The Big Show loses a match to boxer Floyd Mayweather, Randy Orton retains his WWE title against Triple-H and John Cena, The Undertaker defeats Edge for the WWE World championship, and C.M. Punk wins the “Money In The Bank” ladder match.

April 5: Sara Lee (Sarah Eugene Miquet) dies due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. The former wife of Corsica Joe, Lee had wrestled throughout the 1950s and ’60s and had continued to remain involved in the Tennessee wrestling scene through 2002. Lee also played a part in the earliest years of TNA.

April 9: Former Voodoo Murders stable member Suwama defeats Hiroshi Tanahashi after a frog splash in the finals of All Japan Pro Wrestling’s Champion Carnival tournament, positioning himself for a championship match for the Triple Crown on April 29.

April 13: Samoa Joe puts his TNA career on the line at Lockdown to entice Kurt Angle into defending the TNA World title, then defeats him in a MMA-style steel cage match to win the championship. Joe, who competed in the match after weeks of training with UFC fighter Marcus Davis, overcame Angle’s technical grappling advantage (and the presence of MMA competitor Frank Trigg) to win the championship.

April 15: Longtime ECW announcer Joey Styles calls his final match for the brand and announces he is accepting a role as the director of digital media content for wwe.com. Styles announces that his replacement will be relative newcomer—and former American Gladiators announcer—Mike Adamle.

April 17: Jim Cornette strips Kaz and Eric Young of the TNA World tag team championship they had won days earlier at Lockdown after Young refused to admit he is the masked Super Eric (who scored the title-winning pinfall). Cornette, after listening to the protests of former champions A.J. Styles and Travis Tomko, decides to hold a tag team title tournament in the ensuing weeks. Tomko walks out on TNA in protest. That same night, Petey Williams cashes in his “Feast Or Fired” briefcase and wins TNA’s X division title from Jay Lethal.

April 19: Warrior—formerly known as the Ultimate Warrior or Jim Hellwig—appears at a Nu Wrestling Evolution card in Madrid, Spain. The controversial star is honored before 15,000 fans and is presented with an award to commemorate his career achievements. Warrior appears touched by the ceremony until he is challenged by NWE champion—and former Smackdown star—Orlando Jordan. Warrior accepts a match with Jordan for June.

April 21: During an episode of Raw, WWE brings back its King of the Ring single-elimination tournament. The brand’s general manager William Regal is coronated after defeating Hornswoggle, Finlay, and C.M. Punk. Other competitors in the 2008 tournament include: Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho, The Great Khali, and Montel Vontavious Porter. WWE also presents pre-taped vignettes featuring all three presidential candidates, followed by a special attraction match between wrestlers portraying Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

April 27: Despite his failed attempt at taking Randy Orton’s WWE title one month earlier, Triple-H wins his rematch, and the championship, at Backlash. Meanwhile, on the Smackdown side, The Undertaker retains his WWE World championship by pinning Edge. On the undercard, Shawn Michaels feigns an injury to defeat Batista in a grudge match fueled by resentment over Michaels’ retiring of Ric Flair at WrestleMania … In Japan, Keiji Muto defeats Shinsuke Nakamura to win his fourth IWGP championship.

April 29: Announcer Mike Adamle inexplicably walks off prior to the main event of an ECW telecast. Minutes later, his broadcast partner Tazz does the same, leaving nobody at the booth for the night’s final match. Adamle would later apologize, claiming he had become upset about the criticism lodged at him by fans.

May 2: Smackdown GM Vickie Guerrero strips The Undertaker of his WWE World championship after he uses his Hell’s Gate—a gogoplata chokehold—submission move, which had been banned by Guerrero earlier in the evening. The Undertaker is later presented with the opportunity to reclaim the championship at Judgment Day, where he would face the winner of an 18-man battle royal.

May 3: Ashley Massaro is fingered in a Rolling Stone article for her alleged participation in a high-end celebrity escort service several years prior.

May 5: Kurt Angle is sidelined after sustaining a neck injury in a South Korea match against All Japan Pro Wrestling’s Osamu Nishimura and Yeok Bal San for the NKPW heavyweight title. Angle was dropped on his head after a botched attempt at a bodyslam. Angle was advised by doctors against challenging Samoa Joe (in a three-way match with Scott Steiner) in a rematch for the TNA World title at Sacrifice.

May 9: Hulk Hogan’s 17-year-old son, Nick Bollea, is sentenced to eight months in Pinellas County, Florida, prison for his role in the severe injuries sustained by friend John Graziano in August 2007. Bollea plead no contest to a count of reckless driving.

May 10: Jay and Mark Briscoe retain their Ring of Honor tag team title against The Age of the Fall. Heading into the brothers’ title defense at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, Mark Briscoe was forced out of action when Jimmy Jacobs digs a spike into his wrist. Austin Aries lent his services to keep the titles around the brothers’ waists.

May 11: Samoa Joe successfully defends his TNA World title at Sacrifice against Scott Steiner and Kaz (substituting for Kurt Angle) in a three-way match after pinning Steiner. On the same card, The Latin American Xchange wins the TNA World tag title at the conclusion of the “Deuces Wild” tag team tournament with a win over Team 3-D.

May 18: Triple-H defeats Randy Orton in a steel cage match at Judgment Day to retain the WWE World title, while The Undertaker seemingly again wins the heavyweight championship after a countout victory over Edge. Unfortunately, The Undertaker soon learns that the title remains vacant because it is only a countout win.

May 20: William Regal is suspended 60 days for a second violation of WWE’s Wellness Policy. The announcement comes one day after his losing a match to Ken Kennedy whereby he would be “fired.” Much of the previous month was marked by royal abuses on the GM’s part, including: blacking out the arena during matches on consecutive weeks, ordering Triple-H and Kennedy to take on 14 men in a handicap match, and throwing Mickie James’ brother out of his ringside seat.

May 26: Vince McMahon makes a pair of announcements to close an episode of Raw. First, McMahon makes his annual decree that “it’s time to shake things up” with a brand draft, to be hosted in four weeks time. McMahon then also announces “Million-Dollar Mania,” a promotion through which he will give away a total of $1-million each week to a Raw viewer chosen at random.

June 1: Randy Orton breaks his collarbone in a hardcore match with Triple-H at One Night Stand. Orton, who continues to battle for the WWE championship despite the painful injury, falls victim to a Pedigree. Meanwhile, Edge forces The Undertaker into retirement—per a pre-match stipulation—after defeating him in a TLC match marred by interference by La Familia.

June 7: Ric Flair—still technically under contract with WWE—pulls out of a scheduled appearance for the NWA’s 60th anniversary show in which he was to be inducted into the NWA Hall of Fame. On this same show, The Rock ’n’ Roll Express defeat The Midnight Express, Tommy Rich brawls with Abdullah the Butcher, and Sid Vicious wins a handicap match.

June 8: Samoa Joe becomes the first man to win a “King Of The Mountain” match to retain his TNA World title at Slammiversary against Christian Cage, Rhino, Booker T, and Robert Roode. Joe executes a musclebuster on Roode, climbs the ladder, and places his title on the overhead hook. Sadly, at the end of the night, TNA stage worker Kevin Sinex, 45, is killed while disassembling the Slammiversary set, after falling more than 25 feet to the floor.

June 21: Japanese legend Masatake “The Great” Kusatsu dies of cancer at 66.
June 23: WWE holds its annual draft, which sees WWE champion Triple-H, Jeff Hardy, Ken Kennedy, Umaga, and announcer Jim Ross join Smackdown; Batista, Rey Mysterio Jr., C.M. Punk, Kane, and Michael Cole join Raw; and Matt Hardy join ECW. The show also marks the conclusion of the Million-Dollar Mania promotion, where, after giving away the final cash prize, part of the Raw set collapses and falls on top of McMahon.

June 27: NWA champion Adam Pearce defeats Ring of Honor champion Nigel McGuinness by disqualification at a small show in Dayton, Ohio. McGuinness is also forced to contend with Pearce’s Sweet ’n’ Sour stablemates at ringside, prompting several members of ROH’s roster to come out to try to even the sides.

June 28: Bret Hart trashes wrestling writer Greg Oliver, on hand to receive the James C. Melby award for wrestling journalism, at the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Waterloo, Iowa. Oliver had ranked Hart as just the 14th greatest Canadian wrestler in his book Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians. After issuing an ultimatum that Oliver leave or he would, Hart walks out.

June 29: Smackdown’s Triple-H successfully defends his WWE championship against Raw’s John Cena, while Raw’s Batista falls short in his attempt to defeat Smackdown’s Edge for the WWE World title at Night of Champions. Meanwhile, ECW’s Mark Henry defeats ECW champion Kane (a member of the Raw brand) and Smackdown’s Big Show in a three-way match.

June30: C.M. Punk withdraws his “Money In The Bank” and defeats Edge for the World title on Raw. Edge was making a special Monday night appearance to gloat that Raw was left without a world title after Triple-H is drafted to Smackdown. Moments later, Batista stormed the ring and decimated Edge in revenge for being screwed in a match the night before. In the aftermath, Punk delivers his GTS against Edge to win the title.

July 6: New TNA competitor Mickie “Moose” Knuckles suffers a severe break in her leg while competing at an IWA: Mid-South show against Sara Del Rey.

July 13: Booker T steals Samoa Joe’s TNA World title at the conclusion of their Victory Road match in Booker’s hometown of Houston. Joe had thrashed Booker during the match, despite pleas for mercy from the challenger’s wife, Sharmell, and Sting. Soon, Sting hit Joe over the head with his bat while Sharmell registered the three-count in lieu of a referee. Also on the show, Team Mexico wins TNA’s World X Cup. TNA’s team captain—Frank Kazarian—would quit TNA days later.

July 14: John Bradshaw Layfield attempts to run over John Cena as the two brawl in a parking lot at the conclusion of Raw. Layfield leaves Cena leaning on a car, only to climb into his own vehicle and apparently sandwich him between the two cars. Raw goes off the air without an answer as to what happened to Cena.

July 17: After several weeks as a “fan” who gets the better of TNA Knockouts champion Awesome Kong, Taylor Wilde defeats the champion on an episode of Impact, not just winning her Knockouts title, but $25,000 of Kong’s cash. Only two weeks earlier, Wilde had been given a TNA contract by virtue of her win over Kong’s manager, Raisha Saeed.

July 18: Edge and Vickie Guerrero are married on an episode of Smackdown, only for Triple-H to crash the wedding and reveal Edge had cheated with the couple’s wedding coordinator, Alicia Fox. This news would not sit well with Edge, who was set to challenge Triple-H for the WWE World title 48 hours later at the Great American Bash.

July 20: Triple-H retains Smackdown’s top title against Edge on the same night in which Smackdown crowns Michelle McCool as its first-ever Diva’s champion with a win over Natalya Neidhart. The Great American Bash card also features a double disqualification between World champion C.M. Punk and Batista; a grudge match between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels that is ended when Michaels cannot continue; and a victory by John Bradshaw Layfield over John Cena in a New York City parking lot brawl.

July 24: Raven, Chris Kanyon, and Mike Sanders file a federal suit against WWE, contending that wrestlers—because they are unfairly classified as independent contractors—are deprived of necessary health benefits while also depriving the IRS of taxes.

July 28: With a stunned John Cena and Batista looking on, Mike Adamle announces that Shane McMahon has named him Raw’s newest general manager. That same day, in a non-televised event, Stephanie McMahon and Triple-H welcome the birth of their second daughter, Murphy Claire Levesque.

July 29: Former ECW star The Sandman is arrested in New York City after instigating a brawl while out celebrating the 75th birthday of Capt. Lou Albano.

August 2: Ring of Honor’s Brent Albright defeats Adam Pearce to win the NWA title at a ROH card in New York City … WWE announces that celebrity Freddie Prinze Jr. will join its creative team as a contributor for the Smackdown brand.

August 3: Just four months after losing his final wrestling match to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania, Ric Flair and WWE amicably part ways, paving the way for the “Nature Boy” to start participating in non-WWE events. Flair had been with the company for nearly seven years, most recently serving as a public relations ambassador.

August 7: WWE begins a series of talent cuts that lasts for several days and includes Shannon Moore, Nunzio, Stevie Richards, Big Daddy V, James Curtis, Domino, Cherry, Chris “Braden Walker” Harris, Colin Delaney, The Highlanders, and referees Wes Adams and Nick Patrick.

August 8: Former WWE announcer and personality Jonathan “Coach” Coachman appears as a broadcaster with ESPN for the first time since receiving his WWE release weeks earlier. The appearance marks the end of an 81⁄2-year stint with the company in which he had served as an announcer, wrestler, and on-air executive.

August 9: Former WWE star Brock Lesnar defeats Heath Herring at UFC 87, his first win since joining the MMA promotion.

August 10: Sting returns to TNA at the conclusion of the A.J. Styles-Kurt Angle last-man-standing match at Hard Justice, slamming the back of Styles’ head on the entrance ramp. Later in the night, TNA also teases the return of Jeff Jarrett when—after the arena lights go out—Samoa Joe uses a guitar to defeat Booker T in a hardcore six sides of steel match to retain his TNA World title.

August 17: Chris Jericho inadvertently strikes Shawn Michaels’ wife, Rebecca, at SummerSlam, as the couple made an appearance to announce Michaels would be retiring due to injuries. Also at SummerSlam, The Undertaker defeats Edge in a Hell in a Cell match, choke-slamming him off of a ladder and through the ring; Batista pins John Cena; WWE World champion Triple-H pins The Great Khali to retain his championship; and C.M. Punk defeats John Bradshaw Layfield to hold on to his World title.

August 20: Gail Kim’s TNA contract expires as rumors flair she will soon return to WWE. In spite of its inability to re-sign Kim to a longer deal, TNA goes through with airing her final match—a losing effort in a streetfight with Awesome Kong—a day later.

August 25: John Cena undergoes surgery in Pittsburgh to repair a herniated disk in his neck. At the time, renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Joseph Maroon tells Cena he should be able to return to the ring in two to four months. Hours later, Cena shows up backstage at a Smackdown taping to visit with friends.

August 30: The wrestling world mourns the loss of Walter “Killer” Kowalski, who had been hospitalized following a heart attack a few weeks before. The 81-year-old wrestler was one of wrestling’s top villains for the AWA, NWA, and WWWF, and later the trainer of several top wrestlers, including Triple-H, Chyna, Frank Kazarian, and Perry Saturn.

September 5: Mick Foley makes his TNA debut at a house show in Long Island, New York. Foley, who had last been seen as a Smackdown announcer under attack by Edge a few weeks prior, speaks of his eagerness to try something new and give the relatively young promotion a boost … Ric Flair’s daughter Ashley is arrested for assaulting a police officer after he investigates an alleged case of domestic violence at her apartment. Flair is found inside the home, sporting a swollen black eye.

September 7: Chris Jericho and Matt Hardy become the lucky beneficiaries of Mike Adamle’s five-man championship scramble match concept at Unforgiven, winning the World and ECW titles, respectively. Jericho—who lost earlier to Shawn Michaels—replaced C.M. Punk in Raw’s portion of the main event after Punk was punted in the head by Randy Orton. Triple-H retains his WWE World title in the Smackdown scramble.

September 9: Kurt Angle is acquitted of charges that he drove under the influence of alcohol near his home in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, one year prior. Officials had claimed Angle failed a field sobriety test when the police came to his house.

September 14: In spite of a ringside brawl with Sting, Samoa Joe retains his TNA World title in a three-way No Surrender match with Kurt Angle and Christian Cage after Jeff Jarrett returns to smash a guitar over Angle’s head. Booker T was also scheduled to compete in the match, but was unable to attend the show due to Hurricane Ike hitting his native city of Houston … Former ECW valet and WWE Diva Dawn Marie holds a fund-raising event in Piscataway, New Jersey, for her newly formed “Wrestler’s Rescue” charity organization, designed to look after the needs of retired wrestlers.

September 17: Jeff Hardy is escorted from his flight at Nashville International Airport after he is deemed by flight attendants as too intoxicated to fly back to North Carolina. Hardy, who is on the flight with his brother, Matt, and friend Gregory Helms, quietly makes other arrangements. Fans of Hardy fear he is at risk for a third—and final—strike under WWE’s Wellness Policy.

September 18: Amid chants of “Welcome back,” Jeff Jarrett takes the microphone in the center of the ring at the Impact Zone. The TNA founder criticizes Sting for his recent actions against TNA’s originals, stating, “This isn’t WCW, it’s TNA. And I’m not going to stand for it.” After Jarrett is challenged to a match by Kurt Angle, Mick Foley makes his televised TNA debut on the big screen, coming to Jarrett’s defense.

October 4: WWE Smackdown debuts for MyNetworkTV in its usual time slot. During the show, Russian Vladimir Kozlov attacks and lays out both Jeff Hardy and Triple-H. The episode attracts 3.2 million viewers, enabling MyNetworkTV to pull ahead of The CW for fifth place among cable networks.

October 10: Scott Hall incites violence during a roast for The Iron Sheik in Monroe, New Jersey. According to reports, Hall is angered when comedian Jimmy Graham makes a joke about the late Owen Hart. Hall charges Graham, knocking over the podium and going off on a tirade of obscene words and gestures.

October 12: Sting pins Samoa Joe to win the TNA World title at Bound For Glory IV in Hoffman Estates, just outside of Chicago. Meanwhile, Jeff Jarrett defeats Kurt Angle with some help from specially appointed ringside enforcer Mick Foley. Booker T defeats A.J. Styles and Christian Cage in a three-way match.

October 14: Lance Cade is released from his WWE contract after suffering a presumably drug-related seizure on a flight. Jim Ross refers to Cade’s situation as a case of bad judgment.

October 18: Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling program debuts on Country Music Television. The show features guest judges Eric Bischoff and Jimmy Hart, trainers Brian Knobbs and Brutus Beefcake, and special guest instructors Rob Van Dam and Bill Goldberg.

October 19: Former promoter Lia Maivia, wife of the late Peter Maivia and grandmother of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, dies of a heart attack at 77 in her Davie, Florida, home.

October 23: On the same night in which TNA debuts its new, high-definition set at an Impact taping in Las Vegas, TNA World champion Sting, Kurt Angle, Kevin Nash, and Booker T align to form a stable of former world champions. The Main Event Mafia goes on to wage war against the TNA talent they claim lacks respect for the business. Scott Steiner is added to the group one week later.

October 24: Sixty-three-year-old Conrad Efraim, better known to WWF fans as Special Delivery Jones, suffers a severe stroke that ultimately takes his life. Jones battled King Kong Bundy in a losing effort at the first WrestleMania.

October 25: Gabe Sapolsky is relieved of his duties as Ring of Honor booker after serving in that capacity for all six years of the company’s history. He is replaced by Adam Pearce … In Newark, Delaware, the ECWA crowns its 12th Super 8 tournament champion, coincidentally just the second since 1998 to be an active member of the ECWA roster. Aden Chambers pins AAA (and former CMLL) competitor Alex Koslov in the final match of the evening to win the coveted trophy. The tournament also features recently released WWE wrestler Shannon Moore.

October 26: Batista wins Chris Jericho’s World title at Cyber Sunday in a match in which the fans voted in Steve Austin as the referee. The match is marred by the interference of Shawn Michaels, John Bradshaw Layfield, and Randy Orton. In other action, Triple-H pins Jeff Hardy to retain his WWE title, ECW champion Matt Hardy defeats Evan Bourne, and The Undertaker beats The Big Show in a last-man-standing match.

October 31: ECW wrestler The Miz makes a special appearance on The Sci-Fi Channel’s Ghost Hunters program.

November 3: Chris Jericho regains the World championship from Batista in a steel cage match that headlines a Raw commemorating the program’s 800th episode. The title is the fifth major title of Jericho’s career, and the second he held in the course of a week. On the same show, Mike Adamle resigns from his position as Raw general manager, claiming he “lost his cool” by slapping Randy Orton the week prior. Within days, Adamle is gone from WWE altogether.

November 7: In another round of cost-cutting moves that take place over several days, WWE begins releasing several wrestlers. Those to lose their jobs include Elijah Burke, Chuck Palumbo, Paul London, Kenny Dykstra, Armando Estrada, and Lena Yada.

November 9: The Main Event Mafia sweeps all of its matches at Turning Point, including Sting’s successful defense of the TNA World title against A.J. Styles; Kurt Angle’s win in a falls-count-anywhere match against Abyss; Booker T’s retaining of the new TNA legend’s championship by pinning Christian Cage; and Kevin Nash’s defeat of Samoa Joe after a low blow.

November 13: Christian Cage makes his final appearance on TNA Impact, suffering a beatdown at the hands of all five Main Event Mafia members. Within days, it becomes clear that the company has been unable to resign the former TNA World champion before his three-year contract expired.

November 15: Brock Lesnar defeats legendary UFC competitor Randy Couture to win the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 91 in Las Vegas. Despite being an underdog in the match, Lesnar wins by technical knockout in the second round.

November 22: TNA star Samoa Joe returns to Ring of Honor for the promotion’s Rising Above event in Chicago, where he defeats Tyler Black with a musclebuster and chokehold submission. The event—taped for pay-per-view—also features ROH champion Nigel McGuinness’ successful defense against Bryan Danielson.

November 23: Before his hometown Boston fans, John Cena returns from a neck injury to win the World title from Chris Jericho in the main event at Survivor Series. On the same show, Edge makes a surprise return as well, replacing Jeff Hardy to win the WWE title from Triple-H in a three-way match also involving Vladamir Kozlov. Hours prior to the show, WWE.com reported that Jeff Hardy was found unconscious in the stairwell of his hotel. Fans were immediately concerned that Hardy was again battling personal demons until it became clear he had been attacked as part of an angle.

December 4: Former WWE developmental star and ECWA Super 8 winner Steve Bradley is found dead in his parked car just outside his former wrestling school in Manchester, New Hampshire. Even though no cause of death was established, the 32-year-old was known to have had a history of drug abuse.

December 6: Former NBA star and NWO member Dennis Rodman wins the first Celebrity Championship Wrestling belt, outlasting Dustin “Screech” Diamond and Todd Bridges on the show’s finale … That same night, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair appear at a show at Vance High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, participating in the professional debut of Flair’s son Reid.

December 7: Sting holds on to his TNA World title with a win by his team in an eight-man tag team match. Sting teams with Booker T, Kevin Nash, and Scott Steiner in a match where his title is at stake against an A.J. Styles-led team. Sting pins Samoa Joe to keep his belt.

December 13: Former ECW champion Bobby Lashley wins his debut match for the Mixed Fighting Alliance’s There Will Be Blood event at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. Lashley defeats fellow newcomer Joshua Franklin when the referee calls for the bell after just 41 seconds.

December 14: Jeff Hardy surprises WWE fans by winning the WWE title from Edge at Armageddon in a three-way match also featuring Triple-H. Hardy’s brother, Matt, comes to his aid after Vladimir Kozlov comes down to interfere. That same night, John Cena defeats Chris Jericho once again to retain the World title.

December 15: After tearing his hamstring and falling victim to an attack by Randy Orton and new allies Cody Rhodes and Manu, Batista is sidelined indefinitely. Doctors inform the former champion that he will miss an estimated 6-8 months of action, taking him out of all plans for the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 25. WWE claims Batista’s hamstring had been bothering him since his SummerSlam match with John Cena.

December 19: Darren Aronofsky’s movie The Wrestler opens in select cities to extremely positive reviews. The fictional film chronicles the life of aging wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) and the extreme difficulties he experiences in his life and career after his health begins to fade. Ernest Miller, Ron Killings, and Romeo Roselli are among the wrestlers with roles … WWE announces an agreement with WGN America to relaunch its one-hour Superstars program in April 2009.

December 20: NBC airs WWE’s Tribute To The Troops special, taped at the Al Faw Palace at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq. The show features a six-man tag match with John Cena, Batista, and Rey Mysterio Jr. facing Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, and The Big Show, as well as footage from the wrestlers’ visit with the personnel serving overseas.

December 22: Trish Stratus makes a surprise in-ring return for Raw in Toronto, teaming with John Cena to defeat Beth Phoenix and Santino Marella.

2009

January 2: Henry Waxman, chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee for the U.S. House of Representatives, releases the transcripts of interviews with Vince, Linda, and Stephanie McMahon, and Dixie Carter. Waxman also publishes results of several WWE Wellness tests, as well as an extremely critical letter of wrestling to John Walters, National Drug Control Policy director.

January 4: Wrestlers from TNA, All Japan, NOAH, Zero-1, and CMLL participate in New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual Tokyo Dome show, competing before 40,000 fans. The card sees The Motor City Machine Guns defeat No Limit for the IWGP International junior tag title, Team 3-D win the International heavyweight tag belts in a hardcore match against Togi Makabe and Toru Yano, and Kurt Angle, Kevin Nash, Masa Chono, and Riki Choshu defeat Karl Anderson, Giant Bernard, Takashi Iizuka, and Tomohiro Ishii. These matches are taped to air in October, on a special episode of Global Impact on Spike TV.

January 9: WWE announces it will lay off 10 percent of its staff, as part of a bid to save the company approximately $8-million in annual compensation and benefits. While most of the cuts affect office staff, a number of television personalities are also impacted, including Bob Holly, Val Venis, D-Lo Brown, and longtime referees Jimmy Korderas and Tim White.

January 11: At Genesis, Mick Foley wins his TNA debut match, teaming with Frontline members A.J. Styles and Brother Devon against a Main Event Mafia team comprised of Booker T, Scott Steiner, and Kip James (substituting for Kevin Nash).

January 12: The still-undefeated Jack Swagger wins the ECW title from Matt Hardy during an ECW television taping in Sioux City, Iowa. The Perry, Oklahoma, native would go on to hold the belt for 104 days, before finally losing the belt to Christian at Backlash.

January 13: Forty-eight-year-old Larry Kean Jr.—who is best known as Moondog Cujo and Cousin Junior throughout Memphis, the AWA, and the WWF—dies of a heart attack, in Franklin, Indiana. Kean wrestled from 1983 to 1995, and, after briefly retiring, returned to the ring in 2007 to reprise his role as Moondog Cujo.

January 16: On an episode of Smackdown, Victoria wrestles what is believed to be her last match in a losing effort to Michelle McCool … Thirty-three-year-old independent wrestler Paul E. Normous is found dead. Ironically, the former Ring of Honor talent and WWE developmental wrestler is as visible as ever at the time of his death for his cameo in the film The Wrestler.

January 25: Randy Orton wins the Royal Rumble, last tossing Triple-H to win the match and a WrestleMania title shot. Also on the card, Matt Hardy’s interference costs his brother Jeff the WWE title in a match against Edge.

January 26: Ring of Honor secures a television contract with HDNet to air a weekly program.

February 2: Controversial wrestling whistle-blower Jim Wilson dies from cancer at 67. A former NFL player, Wilson became a full-time wrestler in the 1970s. Unfortunately, his career took a negative turn after he allegedly turned down the sexual advances of NWA promoter Jim Barnett, and was believed to be blackballed by most wrestling promoters of the time. In response, Wilson took his campaign to the public eye, accusing the wrestling community of a tradition of political blacklisting, racism, sexism, and exploitation.

February 5: Former wrestler and Mexican film star Renato “The Hippie” Torres (Adolfo Contreras) dies of a heart attack.

February 7: Chris Jericho is involved in a parking lot confrontation with fans after a house show in Victoria, British Columbia. While trying to leave the arena, Jericho reportedly shoves a 20-year-old woman, who spits in his face, after he gets out of his car. The rowdy fans are soon forced to leave by security. The incident receives national coverage, with portions of it posted TMZ and YouTube. Jericho is not punished for the incident.

February 8: TNA’s Against All Odds sees Sting pin Team 3-D’s Brother Ray to successfully defend his World title. Sting is also forced to contend with Brother Devon and fellow Main Event Mafia member Kurt Angle, in the four-way main event.

February 9: MyNetworkTV announces it will change formats, and that Friday Night Smackdown will be the only original programming it will offer. The announcement raises a lot of questions about the future viability of Smackdown.

February 15: On the same night he loses his WWE championship title in an Elimination Chamber, Edge capitalizes on his relationship with Vickie Guerrero to win the WWE World title in a second Elimination Chamber later in the night at No Way Out. With Guerrero serving as interim GM for Raw, Edge attacks Kofi Kingston and takes his place in the chamber, defeating champion John Cena, Kane, Rey Mysterio Jr., Chris Jericho, and Mike Knox.

February 17: Christian makes his surprising return to WWE during an episode of ECW On Syfy. The appearance is the first for the former NWA World champion since being attacked by the Main Event Mafia after TNA’s Turning Point pay-per-view.

February 19: Sting and Kurt Angle battle in an empty arena match, in Orlando, Florida, on an episode of Impact. After fighting throughout the arena, Sting appears poised to hit his Main Event Mafia partner with a steel chair, but Kevin Nash intervenes to make the save. Nash implores both men to stop their feud for the sake of the group. Both men shake hands and appear to make peace, before Angle spits in Sting’s face.

February 24: Vince McMahon officially announces Glendale, Arizona, as the host city for WrestleMania 26, to be held on March 28, 2010, in the 74,000-seat University of Phoenix Stadium. At a press conference to mark the announcement, McMahon and several wrestlers are joined by Mayor Elaine Scruggs and Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt.

March 9: John Cena blackmails his way into the WrestleMania 25 World title match between Edge and The Big Show. On an episode of Raw, Cena threatens to reveal a secret that includes compromising footage of Raw GM Vickie Guerrero. Guerrero adds Cena to the match, but he still reveals that Guerrero has been cheating on her husband, Edge, with Show. Meanwhile, WWE heavyweight champion Triple-H invades Randy Orton’s St. Louis home and assaults him. The attack, which is broadcast via satellite, shows Triple-H throw Orton through a glass window before being hauled off by local police.

March 12: Survivor: The Amazon alumna Jenna Morasca makes her debut with TNA on an episode of Impact. Morasca is shown in an interview segment with Mick Foley, and then later makes several appearances alongside Kevin Nash and other Main Event Mafia members.

March 13: Andrew “Test” Martin is found dead in his Tampa apartment after a neighbor notices he had been sitting motionless for several hours. Authorities would later reveal that both painkillers and anabolic steroids were found in his residence. The cause of death is later listed as an accidental overdose of Oxycontin. The 6’8”, 300-pounder competed for WWE from 1999 until 2004, then again in 2006 and 2007 before a short stint in TNA as The Punisher.

March 21: Ring of Honor makes its debut on HDNet, at 11 p.m. EDT. The show features matches that had been taped at The Arena in South Philadelphia three weeks earlier. Headlined by a grudge match between Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs, the show received a lot of buzz thanks to Ric Flair praising ROH for having some of the brightest stars of the future.

March 15: Sting capitalizes on interference from Jeff Jarrett and Mick Foley to vanquish Kurt Angle at Destination X. Jarrett, who is scheduled to be guest referee for the match, is knocked out and replaced by Foley. After Angle hits Foley with a low blow, Foley inadvertently hits Sting with a steel chair. Soon, Jarrett recovers to attack Angle, who Sting then defeats with a Scorpion Deathdrop.

March 22: Mexican lucha libre wrestler Abismo Negro (Andres Alejandro Palomeque Gonzalez) is found floating in a river in El Rosario, Mexico. According to reports, the 37-year-old masked star was riding a bus to Mexico City when he became extremely anxious and asked the driver to drop him off. Negro would later call his wife to tell her he was lost on a dark hillside, which prompted her to contact promoter Vincente Martinez, who organized a search party. An autopsy is never conducted. Negro began wrestling in 1987, at 16, and had worked for CMLL, AAA, WWF, and TNA.

March 27: John Cena’s second film, 12 Rounds, makes its theater debut earning a lackluster $5.3-million in its opening weekend. In the film, Cena plays police officer Danny Fisher, who is in pursuit of a criminal that had kidnapped his girlfriend. The film ultimately pulls in $17-million worldwide.

April 3: Jerry Lynn, 46, pins Nigel McGuinness after a cradle piledriver to win the Ring of Honor title at Supercard of Honor IV in Houston, Texas. The fans were not aware that, despite a torn biceps muscle, McGuinness had refused to back out of the match.

April 4: Steve Austin headlines the WWE Hall of Fame class, and is inducted by longtime nemesis Vince McMahon. The ceremony, which is televised on USA Network, also includes the inductions of Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr., Rick Steamboat, Koko B. Ware, the Von Erichs, and longtime ring announcer Howard Finkel.

April 5: At WrestleMania 25, The Undertaker defeats Shawn Michaels to extend his WrestleMania winning streak one more year. The match, which lasts more than a half-hour and leaves ringside fans standing after dozens of near-falls, ends when ’Taker catches Michaels during an attempted moonsault and delivers his Tombstone piledriver. In other action, Triple-H retains his WWE title in a no-holds-barred match with Randy Orton, John Cena defeats World champion Edge in a triple-threat match that also involves The Big Show to win the title, and C.M. Punk wins his second consecutive Money in the Bank ladder match.

April 13: WWE conducts its 2009 draft, moving Intercontinental champion Rey Mysterio Jr. and Women’s champion Melina to Smackdown and U.S. champion MVP and Divas champion Maryse to Raw. Raw also acquires Triple-H, The Big Show, Matt Hardy, and The Miz, while Smackdown wins the services C.M. Punk, Chris Jericho, and Kane. As for ECW, despite the loss of several wrestlers, it is awarded only Smackdown’s Vladimir Kozlov.

April 14: Former Ring of Honor booker Gabe Sapolsky announces the opening of Dragon Gate USA, a sister promotion of Japan’s Dragon Gate. Sapolsky, who had maintained a business relationship with the company since 2005, would serve as vice president.

April 16: WWE Superstars makes its return to WWE programming for the first time since 2001, with a debut show on WGN America. The show, which draws a 0.9 rating, is headlined by a match between The Undertaker and Jeff Hardy—a countout victory for The Undertaker.

April 19: Mick Foley, channeling some of his more savage Cactus Jack days in WCW, wins the TNA World title from Sting in a steel cage match at Lockdown. Meanwhile, in a Lethal Lockdown match, Jeff Jarrett’s team, which includes A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe, and Daniels defeats a Main Event Mafia team comprised of Kurt Angle, Scott Steiner, Booker T, and Kevin Nash. The show also marks the TNA introduction of former ECW champion and current MMA competitor Bobby Lashley.

April 26: WWE’s three primary titles change hands at Backlash, as Edge regains the World title from John Cena in a last-man-standing match that is marred with interference from The Big Show. Christian wins the ECW title from Jack Swagger, and Randy Orton pins Triple-H in a six-man tag team match in which Triple-H’s WWE title is on the line.

April 28: “Playboy” Buddy Rose is found dead in his home in Vancouver, Washington, of diabetes complications. He was 56. Rose, who first began wrestling in 1973, had made a name for himself in the AWA and the WWF, as well as Pacific Northwest Wrestling. Despite the success of his tag team with Doug Somers in the AWA, Rose is best known for his comedy “Blow Away Diet” vignettes in the WWF in the early-1990s.

May 6: Hiroshi Tanahashi is defeated by his mentor, 41-year-old Manabu Nakanishi for the IWGP championship in a match at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

May 12: Dr. Phil Astin III, the physician accused of illegally prescribing drugs to Chris Benoit, is sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after a hearing in the Northern District of Georgia. Astin pleads guilty to 175 counts against him and admits to illegally distributing to 19 patients—even filling prescriptions in the names of two patients without their knowledge.

May 15: In his MMA debut for the Maximum Fighting Championship League, Bobby Lashley beats Mike Cook with a guillotine choke just 24 seconds into the match.

May 17: Randy Orton fends off a returning Batista to retain his WWE title at Judgment Day by slapping the referee to get himself disqualified. Batista faces an assault by Orton’s Legacy teammates, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr., but is saved by a returning Ric Flair.

May 19: Vince McMahon announces that the May 25 edition of Raw will take place at the Staples Center, the home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. The announcement ends much speculation as to what McMahon would do after E. Stan Kroenke, the owner the Denver Nuggets and their home arena, the Pepsi Center, contacted WWE to inform them that his facility would be unable to host Raw because of the Nuggets’ upcoming playoff game against the Lakers. The McMahon/Kroenke dispute garners national headlines, mostly in favor of McMahon for what is deemed as unfair treatment and poor planning on the part of Kroenke’s staff. At the Los Angeles show, McMahon ridicules and assaults a Kroenke look-alike; in Denver, the Nuggets win the game, but eventually lose the series.

May 24: Per pre-match stipulation, Sting becomes the new leader of the Main Event Mafia after pinning Kurt Angle in a four-way title match at TNA Sacrifice. The match also features champion Mick Foley and Jeff Jarrett.

May 29: Former wrestler and manager John Tolos dies at 78 following a series of strokes and heart attacks … Ken Anderson (Kennedy) is released from his WWE contract just a few days after a backstage confrontation with Randy Orton. Anderson, who had made his surprise return on the May 26 Raw, had injured Orton’s wrist and nearly re-injured Orton’s shoulder after an awkward dropm … Ric Flair makes an appearance for Ring of Honor during TV tapings at The Arena in South Philadelphia and announces he will step down from his position as ROH ambassador to rejoin WWE.

June 7: Only moments after Jeff Hardy wins his second WWE World title from Edge at Extreme Rules, he falls victim to C.M. Punk’s Money in the Bank title shot. Punk is criticized by fans and wrestlers alike for taking a shortcut to the championship. In other matches: Batista wins the WWE title in a steel cage match against Randy Orton, and Tommy Dreamer wins his second ECW title with a win over champion Christian and Jack Swagger in a triple-threat match.

June 8: Batista is forced to vacate his newly won WWE heavyweight title due to yet another injury when Legacy attacks his arm by putting it in a chair and stomping on it … Umaga is released after violating the WWE Wellness Policy for a second time and refusing to enter a rehab program.

June 10: Austin Aries wins the Ring of Honor title from Jerry Lynn in a three-way elimination match also featuring Tyler Black at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Aries becomes the first two-time ROH champion … The family of Nancy Benoit files a wrongful death suit against Dr. Phil Astin III, the physician who prescribed anabolic steroids and other medications to Chris Benoit.

June 13: Mitsuharu Misawa dies after absorbing a blow to the head in his match in which he teamed with Go Shiozaki against Bison Smith and Akitoshi Saito. After absorbing a Saito suplex, Misawa goes into cardiac arrest and cannot be resuscitated. After starting his career as the second Tiger Mask, Misawa went on to achieve a reputation as one of the finest wrestlers in the world. He was a five-time All Japan Triple-Crown champion and a former holder of NOAH’s GHC title.

June 15: Donald Trump buys the Raw brand from Vince McMahon, in a memorable edition of the Monday night show. Trump would sell Raw back to McMahon for twice the price just a week later, but not without leaving his mark on the brand: First, he refunds all of the fans in Green Bay, Wisconsin, their money, essentially making it a free Raw. Second, he negotiates with the USA Network to air the June 22 show commercial-free. Finally and most lasting, Trump announces that rather than naming a new general manager to replace the departed Vickie Guerrero, Raw will feature a special celebrity guest host each week. Also on the show, Randy Orton recaptures the vacant WWE heavyweight championship in a four-way match.

June 21: Behind the back of Main Event Mafia leader Sting, Samoa Joe joins the faction, aiding arch-rival Kurt Angle in winning King of the Mountain—and Mick Foley’s TNA World title—at Slammiversary. Also on the card: Suicide wins an X division King of the Mountain match. Angelina Love regains her Knockouts championship from Tara, and Beer Money Inc. wins back the World tag team championship from Team-3D.

June 27: Former ECW valet Francine Fournier-Meeks promotes an ECW reunion show at The Arena. Many ECW alumni—including Terry Funk, The Sandman, Raven, Justin Credible, Al Snow, Jerry Lynn, and Rhino—make an appearance at Legends of the Arena, raising more than $6,000 for cancer research. The effects of cancer had profoundly impacted Fournier, as she lost both her father and one of her sisters to the disease in the course of just one week in 2008.

July 5: Waldo Von Erich (Walter Sieber) and Karl Von Brauner die in Kitchener, Ontario, and northern California, respectively. Sieber wrestled primarily in Toronto and Calgary before moving to the U.S. and repackaging himself as a German villain. Von Erich, together with his storyline brother, Fritz, won several NWA Southern and American tag team championships. He also feuded with Bruno Sammartino over the WWWF title. Von Brauner, who had his name legally changed from Doug Donnan, was one of four storyline Von Brauner brothers.

July 8: Jerry Lawler announces he will once again run for mayor of Memphis, Tennessee. A few months later, Lawler places fifth among the candidates, garnering just four percent of the vote.

July 11: Brock Lesnar knocks out Frank Mir at UFC 100 to become UFC heavyweight champion. Following the match, Lesnar finds himself embroiled in controversy for his post-match rant, during which he flips off the fans in attendance and trashes UFC sponsor Bud Light in favor of Coors Light.

July 19: The Main Event Mafia reigns supreme at Victory Road as Kurt Angle retains the TNA World title against Mick Foley, Kevin Nash captures the Legends title from A.J. Styles, and Booker T and Scott Steiner defeat Beer Money Inc. to win the World tag title. Also, former WWE announcer Taz makes his TNA debut as Samoa Joe’s mystery mentor.

July 21: An anonymous caller to the Bubba The Love Sponge radio show reveals that Kurt Angle’s ex-wife, Karen, has been secretly having an affair with Jeff Jarrett for several months. Apparently, the report has some validity to it, as TNA President Dixie Carter is quick to send Jarrett home in what appears to be an attempt to diffuse the situation. Jarrett misses several months with the company.

July 25: Dragon Gate USA makes its American debut with a show at The Arena in Philadelphia. The tapings—which include matches that will be featured on pay-per-view at a later date—are entitled Open the Historic Gate and feature internationally recognized names such as Yamato, BXB Hulk, and Dragon Kid … In Toronto, retired ECW, WCW, and WWF star Lance Storm makes his return and Ring of Honor debut, teaming with Kevin Steen to defeat Chris Hero and Davey Richards.

July 26: Jeff Hardy recaptures theWWE World title from C.M. Punk at Night of Champions. In other results: Christian beats Tommy Dreamer to reclaim the ECW championship, and Chris Jericho names The Big Show as his new tag team partner in place of Edge, who was forced to abdicate his portion of the Unified title due to an Achilles tendon injury. Jeri-Show defeats Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. to retain the Unified tag team title.

July 27: Serving a guest host of Raw, NBA star Shaquille O’Neal stands face-to-face with The Big Show. Later in the evening, Shaq, as special referee in a Jeri-Show-Cryme Tyme tag match, sends Show tumbling from the ring, which prompts wrestling fans to wonder if the two will eventually have a match.

August 12: Karl Von Hess (Frank Faketty) dies at what is believed to be the age of 80. Faketty—who portrayed a German Nazi in the 1950s and 1960s—first gained notoriety in the Pacific Northwest before moving on to work for the WWWF under Vince McMahon Sr.

August 15: Kurt Angle is arrested after his former girlfriend, Rhaka Khan (Trenesha Biggers), files a protection order from abuse. Angle is arrested and incarcerated for nine hours on charges of driving with a suspended license, drug possession, and harassment. Angle is subsequently exonerated of all charges after a hearing.

August 16: Kurt Angle retains his TNA World title in a three-way match against Sting and Matt Morgan at Hard Justice, while Samoa Joe wins the X title with a victory over Homicide.

August 23: WWE SummerSlam sees the return of The Undertaker, who chokeslams new World champion C.M. Punk after Punk defeats Jeff Hardy in a ladder match.

August 24: Boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather makes his return to WWE as a guest host for Raw, interfering in a tag team match that involves his WrestleMania 24 opponent The Big Show. During a non-title tag match pitting Show and Chris Jericho against MVP and Mark Henry, Mayweather slides a pair of brass knuckles into the ring for MVP to use against his opponents.

September 2: Rey Mysterio Jr. is suspended for 30 days for violating WWE’s Wellness Program, and subsequently draws the ire of WWE officials for an unauthorized interview in Mexico in which he claims he was never given due process by WWE. In reality, WWE has a policy whereby the suspected wrestler has a certain period of time in which to produce evidence of a prescription that explains the test results. Mysterio fails to meet this deadline and subsequently drops his Intercontinental title to John Morrison on Smackdown.

September 3: Angelina Love is released from her TNA contract due to issues with her U.S. visa. The Toronto-born Love reportedly never had her work visa renewed after leaving WWE’s developmental system. The former Knockouts champion is quickly replaced in The Beautiful People by newcomer Lacey Von Erich.

September 11: According to police, a raid at the home of Jeff Hardy uncovers 262 Vicodin prescription pills, 180 Soma prescription pills, 555 milliliters of anabolic steroids, trace amounts of cocaine, and drug paraphernalia. Hardy is immediately taken into custody. The news surfaces just days after Hardy wrestles his final match with WWE … Kerry Brown, a former wrestler in the U.S. Midwest and for Stampede Wrestling in Calgary, dies at 51.

September 13: John Cena defeats Randy Orton for the WWE heavyweight title at Breaking Point in an “I Quit” match. Cena is handcuffed to the ring railing and beaten with a kendo stick during the match, but does not give up.

September 16: WWE CEO Linda McMahon announces she will run for a Republican Senate seat, representing her home state of Connecticut. McMahon is criticized for her participation in some of WWE’s past storylines. Vince McMahon announces he will fill the CEO position vacated by his wife on an interim basis.

September 20: A.J. Styles wins the TNA World title by defeating champion Kurt Angle, Sting, Matt Morgan, and Hernandez at No Surrender. The controversial ending sees Sting and Styles both standing atop a downed Angle, with Sting opting to leap out of the ring to take out Morgan, allowing Styles to claim the pinfall victory for himself. Meanwhile, Bobby Lashley defeats Rhino in his TNA debut match, and Sarita and Taylor Wilde become the first Knockouts tag team champions, defeating Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne in a tournament final.

September 26: Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness work their final date with Ring of Honor, and are believed to be headed to WWE. Their match at the Manhattan Center in New York City is met with a standing ovation from the crowd. That same night, deposed TNA official Jim Cornette makes his ROH return, coming out to the surprise of the crowd and offering up some choice words for former colleagues such as Vince Russo and Dixie Carter.

October 2: WWE Smackdown celebrates its 10th Anniversary with a memorable show, highlighted by a special, pre-recorded message from The Rock, as well as clips from historic moments from Smackdown’s past, including videos featuring Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, and Eddie Guerrero.

October 4: WWE presents Hell in a Cell, a pay-per-view headlined by three HIAC matches. The card sees The Undertaker open the show by winning the World title from C.M. Punk, John Cena recapture the WWE title from Randy Orton, and D-X defeat Legacy.

October 9: Beverly “B.J.” Race, the wife of Harley Race, dies after several days in the hospital with fever and flu-like symptoms. B.J., who was instrumental in the running of her husband’s promotion and wrestling school, was 60.

October 10: Nick Logan wins the ECWA’s annual Super 8 tournament, defeating Prince Nana and Quiet Storm en route to the final, where he forced former WWE developmental prospect Tomasso Ciampa to submit. Remarkably, Nick’s brothers Matt and Bryan win ECWA’s tag team title on the same night, after winning a Summit battle royal for a title shot, then defeating The Arion Brothers.

October 14: Famous wrestling and mainstream personality Capt. Lou Albano dies at 76. Albano, who began his career as one-half of The Sicilians tag team with Tony Altimore, would achieve greater recognition as a manager in the (W)WWF. In addition to leading the charge for Ivan Koloff in his upset win over Bruno Sammartino for the World title, Albano also led numerous teams, including The British Bulldogs, The Valiants, and the Samoans, to tag team gold. In the 1980s, Albano gained greater fame as “Dad” in Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” music video, helping usher in the WWF’s Rock ’n’ Wrestling era.

October 16: Shane McMahon, Vince McMahon’s only son, announces he is resigning from WWE, effective January 1, 2010. “Sometimes life takes an unexpected turn,” Shane says in a news release on wwe.com. “While it is the most difficult decision I have ever made, it is time for me to move on. I will always love this business and will remain a fan forever.”

October 18: A.J. Styles defeats Sting in what is billed as potentially Sting’s final TNA match at Bound for Glory in Irvine, California. Following the match, Styles invites Sting back to the ring to talk to the fans. He does not fill them in as to whether he will ever again wrestle.

October 22: Former Ring of Honor star Nigel McGuinness makes his TNA debut on an episode of Impact, attacking Kurt Angle during a backstage interview segment with Jeremy Borash. McGuinness quickly rechristens himself Desmond Wolfe. After Angle challenges Wolfe to a fight, he responds with a jawbreaker lariat, after which Angle has to be stretchered out of the arena. The news surprises a number of wrestling fans, after rumors had leaked the month before that McGuinness would be headed to WWE, along with Bryan Danielson.

October 25: A Raw team, captained by D-X members Shawn Michaels and Triple-H loses to a Smackdown team, headed by Chris Jericho and Kane, at Bragging Rights. During the match, Jericho’s partner The Big Show, who is actually a part of the Raw team, turns on Kofi Kingston to allow his partner to pick up the win.

October 29: On Impact, TNA airs footage from a recent press conference at Madison Square Garden in New York City, touting the signing of Hulk Hogan with the company. The press conference, which includes Hogan, TNA President Dixie Carter, and longtime Hogan business partner Eric Bischoff, generates buzz throughout the wrestling world, which immediately speculates on how long it will be before Hogan is appearing on Thursday nights.

November 6: Dixie Carter issues a speech to TNA’s entire roster on Impact during which she chides TNA talent who are not 100 percent behind her bringing in Hulk Hogan.

November 13: Ring of Honor establishes a “Pick 6” tournament to decide who can challenge Austin Aries for his ROH title. Under this format, six wrestlers—seeded 1-6—can challenge for the championship, with higher-ranking wrestlers receiving preference. Consequently, other wrestlers can earn a title shot by defeating one of those six men, in essence taking their position.

November 15: TNA Turning Point is headlined by a three-way match between TNA World champion A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe, and Daniels—a rematch of the 2005 encounter that is widely regarded as one of TNA’s best matches of all-time. Meanwhile, Kurt Angle is able to squeeze out a win over newcomer Desmond Wolfe, forcing him to submit to a triangle chokehold.

November 16: “Rowdy” Roddy Piper eliminates rumors that he is on death’s door, hosting a special edition of Raw from Madison Square Garden. The show features an appearance by The Iron Sheik, and is headlined by a special, three-way tag match involving D-X, Chris Jericho and The Big Show, and World and WWE heavyweight champions The Undertaker and John Cena, respectively.

November 17: Ric Flair bloodies Hulk Hogan at a press conference for Hogan’s “Hulkamania” tour of Australia. Flair goes on to make his return to the wrestling ring, headlining the Australian tour with a series of matches against Hogan himself. The “Nature Boy” goes 0-for-4 against Hogan on the tour, which includes stops in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne.

November 22: At Survivor Series, John Cena defeats Shawn Michaels and Triple-H to retain his WWE heavyweight title, while The Undertaker overcomes Chris Jericho and The Big Show to keep his World title. The night also serves as the genesis for a strong youth movement in WWE, with men such as Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, and The Miz all stepping up to defeat a team headed by John Morrison. In another elimination match, Kofi Kingston pins both C.M. Punk and Randy Orton in a matter of 11 seconds, to gain victory for his team.

November 23: Jesse Ventura returns to WWE to host a special edition of Raw. The show is historic for a number of reasons, including that Sheamus’ performance in a qualifying match and battle royal earns him a future title match with John Cena at TLC. Ventura also forces Vince McMahon to dress up in his old, trademark tuxedo, as the duo team to offer commentary for the main event battle royal. It is the first time McMahon and Ventura have joined forces at the announcers’ desk since early-1990.

November 25: Dragon Gate USA frontman Gabe Sapolsky launches EVOLVE wrestling with Ring of Honor’s Davey Richards and Full Impact Pro Wrestling founder Sal Hamaoui. Sapolsky announces that the promotion will host its first show, in Rahway, New Jersey, in January 2010.

December 4: Fresh off of his performances at Australia’s “Hulkamania” tour, former WWE wrestler Edward “Umaga” Fatu is rushed to the hospital, where the former Intercontinental champion is pronounced dead hours later. Umaga, who was discovered by his wife in an unresponsive state, was rushed to the hospital, where it was believed he had a series of heart attacks. Fatu was 36.

December 13: Less than six months after making his WWE debut, Sheamus upsets John Cena for the WWE heavyweight title in a tables match at TLC. The match is one of four themed title matches, with The Undertaker defeating Batista in a chairs match to retain his World title, ECW champion Christian defeating Shelton Benjamin in a ladder match, and D-X winning the WWE Unified tag team title from Chris Jericho and The Big Show in a TLC match.

December 14: WWE presents its special Slammy episode of Raw, which sees John Cena win a mini tournament to be named the Superstar of the Year, prompting him to challenge Sheamus to a rematch for the WWE heavyweight title. Of note is that Dennis Miller—the comedian who is serving as guest host—tells Vince McMahon that he would like to see Bret Hart host a future Raw, to the delight of the audience. The proclamation immediately sparks rumors that Hart could soon be making his WWE return.

December 20: A.J. Styles retains his TNA World title in a grudge match against former friend Daniels at Final Resolution. Meanwhile, Kurt Angle vanquishes Desmond Wolfe after defeating him in a special 2/3 falls match. Wolfe is awarded the first pinfall-only fall, but then loses to Angle in both a submissions-only fall and steel cage match.

December 28: Vince McMahon, at the urging of Shawn Michaels, confirms that Bret Hart will host the Raw episode on January 4, which will go head-to-head with a live TNA Impact, featuring Hulk Hogan … Ring of Honor presents its year-end show on HDNet, airing footage from Bryan Danielson’s and Nigel McGuinness’ final ROH match and post-match celebrations from September.

December 29: “Dr. Death” Steve Williams dies after a lengthy bout with throat cancer at age 49. Williams was a former football and wrestling star at the University of Oklahoma, as well as a good friend of WWE announcer Jim Ross. Even though his time with WWE was brief—in fact mostly limited to his participation in the ill-fated Brawl for All shoot tournament—Williams made a name for himself in Japan, as well as in the Mid-South and WCW. He is perhaps best known for the team he once formed with the late Terry Gordy.

December 31: TNA presents a four-hour, New Year’s Eve Impact special, featuring a tournament to crown a top contender for Tara’s Knockouts title at the company’s planned January 4 Impact super show. The tournament is ultimately won by ODB.