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11/16 THIS DAY IN HISTORY: SABU AND TAZ SET THE STAGE FOR ECW'S BARELY LEGAL

November 16th

On this day in history in ....

1955 - Tiger Jokinder & King Kong Czaya defeat Rikidozan & Harold Sakata in Tokyo, Japan to win a tournament to crowd the first ever All-Asian Tag Team Championships, belts that are still defended today in All Japan Pro Wrestling.

1961 - Dale Lewis & Pat Kennedy defeat Hardboiled Haggerty & Bob Geigel for the AWA World Tag Team Title in Rochester, Minnesota. Haggerty held the belts with Gene Kiniski, but when the team broke up, Haggerty defeated Kiniski in a singles match and selected Geigel as his new partner.

1984 - Crusher Blackwell defeats Harley Race for the Missouri State Heavyweight Title in St. Louis, Missouri, ending Race's sixth reign with the belt, and starting his own second reign.

1987 - WWF holds a "Legend's Battle Royal" at the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It's interesting to note that, at the time, WWF rarely acknowledged other wrestling organizations or their history, yet this match contained many stars that achieved their fame outside the WWF. 72-year-old Lou Thesz won the match, outlasting Nick Bockwinkel, Art Thomas, Bobo Brazil, Jay Strongbow, Gino Brito, Arnold Skaaland, Eduardo Carpentier, Baron Scicluna, Al Costello, Pat O'Connor, The Crusher, Pedro Morales, Dominic DeNucci, Killer Kowalski, Tony Garea, Gene Kiniski, and Rene Goulet.

1992 - The Sandman defeats Don Muraco for the ECW (at the time Eastern Championship Wrestling) Heavyweight Title in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sandman would go on to become the only five time Heavyweight champion in ECW history.

1994 - WCW held the Clash of the Champions XXIX in Jacksonville, Florida at the Jacksonville Coliseum. Here are the results of the show, which was aired live on TBS:
- The Patriot & Marcus Bagwell defeated Paul Roma & Paul Orndorff to win the WCW World Tag Team Title when Bagwell pinned Roma with a back suplex.
- WCW Television Champion Johnny B. Badd defeated The Honkytonk Man via DQ when Honky Tonk hit Badd with a guitar.
- Harlem Heat defeated The Nasty Boys when Stevie Ray pinned Sags.
- Vader defeated Dustin Rhodes with a powerbomb. Vader when to splash Rhodes off the ropes after the match, but Hacksaw Duggan hit him with a 2x4.
- WCW United States Champion Hacksaw Duggan defeated Steve Austin in less than a minute via DQ when Vader ran in to attack Duggan. Hacksaw grabbed his 2x4 and cleared the ring.
- Hulk Hogan, Sting & Dave Sullivan defeated The Butcher (Brutus Beefcake), Avalanche & Kevin Sullivan when Hogan pinned Sullivan. Mr. T was the special referee, and hit Sullivan to set up the pin.

1996 - ECW held their November to Remember event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the ECW Arena.

- Taz came to the ring at the start of the show, and addressed Paul Heyman, who was on the stop stage. Pointing out that Heyman had revealed the Taz-Sabu agreement (that if Sabu returned to ECW, he and Taz would stay away from each other), Taz said he was going to blow Heyman's "big surprise". Taz said that wrestlers in the locker room were signing contracts for a big event to take place in the first half of 1997 (although he never actually said it, he was referring to ECW's first Pay-per-view). Taz said that he would main event that show against Sabu, and there was nothing Heyman could do about it.

- Stevie Richards defeated David Tyler Morton Jericho (Kid Kash). This was the debut of the BWO (Blue World Order) with Big Stevie Cool (Richards as Kevin Nash), Da Blu Guy (Blue Meanie as Scott Hall), and Hollywood Nova (Super Nova as Hogan). Richards won the match with a Steviekick (superkick).

- Axl Rotten defeated Hack Myers with a facebuster on a chair.

- Buh Buh Ray Dudley defeated D-Von Dudley with a Bubba Cutter. Following the match, Joel Gertner stated that D-Von had won "on points" and ended up taking a moonsault from Big Dick Dudley as a result.

- The Eliminators vs. Sabu & Rob Van Dam went to a time limit draw (twenty minute time limit, then two five minute overtime periods) in a match to determine the number one contenders to the ECW World Tag Team Championship. ECW Commissioner Tod Gordon then announced that due to the draw, both teams would face The Gangstas for the belts in a three way dance later in the show.

- Chris Candido defeated Mikey Whipwreck with a top rope powerbomb.

- ECW World Tag Team Champions The Gangstas defeated The Eliminators and Sabu & Rob Van Dam in a Three Way Dance. Taz came out and started choking Van Dam, allowing the Eliminators to pin Sabu with Total Elimination. New Jack then hit Saturn with a flying chairshot to win the match.

- During an interview with 2 Cold Scorpio, who was leaving ECW for the WWF, Scorpio laid out a challenge to anyone to come out and try to make him leave. 2 Cold Scorpio defeated Devon Storm, JT Smith and Hack Myers in "Loser Leaves ECW" matches, beating all of them in less than 90 seconds each. Louie Spicolli then defeated 2 Cold Scorpio in a "Loser Leaves ECW" match with a Spicolli Driver. Scorpio still refused to leave the ring, until Taz came out, at which point Scorpio left, saying he was going to where the "big money" was. Taz bid Scorpio farewell, calling him "Flash" (his WWF name was going to be Flash Funk).

- In one of the most memorable moments in ECW history, Taz stated he would not leave the ring until Sabu came out and faced him. Tod Gordon came to the ring, and Taz choked him out. Paul Heyman came out, and Taz grabbed Heyman and gave him a Tazplex. Taz started choking him out, when the lights went out. When they came back on, Sabu and Taz were standing in the ring, face to face, for the first time since Sabu's return to ECW one year earlier. As they charged each other, the lights went out again. When they came back on, the ring was empty, and the fans chanted "ECW".

- ECW World Heavyweight Champion The Sandman defeated Raven with a DDT on a guardrail.

- Terry Funk & Tommy Dreamer defeated Shane Douglas & Brian Lee when Funk pinned Lee with a DDT.

1996 - Jerry Lawler defeats The Colorado Kid for the USWA Unified Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee to start his twenty fifth reign as champion.

1996 - The WWF Hall Of Fame inductions were held at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. This would be the last induction ceremony until WWE revived the Hall in 2004. Inducted at this ceremony were Captain Lou Albano, Killer Kowalski, Baron Mikel Scicluna, Johnny Valiant, Jimmy Valiant, Johnny Rodz, Pat Patterson, Vincent J. McMahon, and Jimmy Snuka.

1998 - Juventud Guerrera defeats Billy Kidman for the WCW Cruiserweight Title in Wichita, Kansas, starting his third (and final) reign as champion.

2000 - General Rection & Alex Wright defeat Mark Jindrak & Sean O'Haire for the WCW Tag Team Title in Oberhausen, Germany, ending Jindrak & O'Haire's second title reign.

2003 - WWE ran their Survivor Series Pay-per-view in Dallas, Texas. Here is Tim Whitehead's original report on the show:

WWE scored big with their 11/16 Survivor Series PPV from Dallas. There wasn't a bad match on the show. There was one excellent match with awesome heat, plus several good matches, strong workrate, good announcing (including less bickering than usual between Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler), a hot crowd, and a few positive surprises. I guess I could nitpick and say they needed the Cruiserweight match on the PPV, and yes the ever-present McMahons were there, but the show was very strong and a clear thumb's up.

TEAM ANGLE (Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, John Cena, Bradshaw, and Hardcore Holly) defeated TEAM LESNAR (Brock Lesnar, Big Show, Nathan Jones, Matt Morgan, and A-Train) in a Survivor Series elimination match in 13:17. Kind of odd seeing them start off with Angle and Lesnar in the opener. But they assumed the RAW Survivor Series team match would be the one with the emotional heat due to the stipulations (they were right), wanted the RAW World Title match to end the show, and needed a strong bout to kick things off. Before the bell even rang, Hardcore Holly attacked Lesnar and sent him crashing into the stairs. The ref tried to calm Holly, and he responded by shoving the ref down. The storyline here was that Holly was determined to get at Lesnar for injuring him last year and putting him out for so long. That made sense. This caused the ref to DQ Holly, thus eliminating him. That made no sense given that the bell had not yet rung. So the match began with Team Angle down one man. Bradshaw started off for his team against A-Train, and he pinned A-Train at 0:30 after a lariat. Show came in and chokeslammed Bradshaw to eliminate him at 0:50. So they cleared out some lower tier guys fast to leave the major stars and the two big monsters (Jones & Morgan). They also left Cena in there, since he's clearly on the verge of moving up. Cena took Lesnar down by going after his legs and scored some twos on him. Lesnar lariated Cena and pulled him over to his corner, where the big guys put the power moves on him. Jones & Morgan only tagged in for brief segments. Cena managed to DDT Lesnar out of nowhere and hot tag Benoit. Benoit cleaned house until Lesnar hot shotted him across the ropes. Show press slammed Benoit, but when he went for another slam Benoit evaded and hooked the crossface. Lesnar broke it up. Show legdropped Benoit, with Angle breaking up the pin. Angle was protected somewhat in this match by limiting his ring time but he still risked his bad neck by working like crazy the short time he was in. Angle did the multiple German suplexes on both Lesnar and Morgan. He pinned Morgan at 9:07 after an Olympic slam. Angle then forced Jones to tap to the ankle lock at 9:32. But Lesnar immediately caught Angle with an F5 and pinned him at 9:44. Benoit rushed in and went after Lesnar. He hooked the crossface. Lesnar escaped but he hooked it again and this time Lesnar tapped at 11:55 to trigger the "you tapped out" chants. This left Show against Benoit & Cena. Benoit hit a shoulderblock off the top. He tried for the crossface but Show blocked it. Benoit made a blind tag to Cena. Show threw a bad kick which totally missed at Cena, and then went back after Benoit, thinking he was still the legal man. Show chokeslammed Benoit. Cena pulled out a chain and clobbered Show with it behind the ref's back and then gave Show the FU, which was awesome and just the type of spot needed to put Cena over, for the pin at 13:17. Really good opener with great heat, and a nice surprise to see Benoit & Cena left standing at the end.

Vince McMahon visited son Shane. He began all that mystical, almost satanic, talk about being protected by a "higher power". Shane wasn't interested in hearing it and told him to leave. As Vince left, he encountered Steve Austin, who laughed at him, expecting Undertaker to destroy him later.

MOLLY HOLLY beat LITA in 6:48 to retain the women's title. Lita tossed Molly around and suplexed her. Molly sent Lita from the ring for a big bump and then rammed her into the security rail. They went to mat holds for a minute or so. Molly hit a springboard elbow. It's pretty clear that post-injury Lita is now somewhat limited in the ring, as she isn't nearly as smooth as the other top ladies in the division have become. They traded two counts, with Lita hitting a crossbody off the top and a powerbomb, while Molly hit a sideslam. Lita missed on a moonsault when Molly rolled clear. Molly hit the Molly-Go-Round but only scored two. In something of an abrupt ending, Molly removed the padding from a turnbuckle, rammed Lita into it, and rolled her up for the pin to ruin Lita's Cinderella-story quest to regain the belt (at least for this show). Pretty much a standard women's match like we'd see on RAW.

KANE defeated SHANE McMAHON in an ambulance match in 13:32. Shane attacked Kane at the bell, crossbodying him out to the floor. Kane took a scary looking bump on his head but seemed okay afterward. Shane pounded Kane with the stairs and with monitors. He laid Kane out on the Spanish announcing desk and came off the top rope, putting Kane through the desk. Shane ran out into the crowd and, as Kane revived, he taunted him to come after him. So Kane took the bait and followed Shane to the back. Shane ambushed him and hit him with like fifty shots from a kendo stick. Shane got in a car and backed in into Kane, knocking him through a glass window. Actually, there was a barrier that took the brunt of the car blow, but it was still a pretty dangerous spot. Kane seemed out after this, so Shane called for the ambulance. But Kane revived as he was being gurneyed into the vehicle. He jumped Shane and rammed him over and over into the ambulance. There were a couple of technical glitches here where the video went out and you could hear the production crew talking. Kane pounded Shane some more. They ended up back around the ambulance, with Shane ramming the door into Kane's head twice, the second shot being sick. Kane booted Shane in the face and threw him in the ambulance but Shane jumped right back out. Shane gave Kane a tornado DDT on the floor and stuck a garbage can in his arms (that part always looks contrived, since it is). Shane came off the top of the ambulance with a Van Terminator to kick the can into Kane's face. There was a padded box laying there to break Shane's fall but it was still very dangerous. They brawled a little more, but in the end Kane surprised Shane with a tombstone piledriver on the floor. That put Shane out and Kane locked him in the back of the ambulance for the win. Kane had a badly split lip from one of the shots he took. A solid brawling match. It was kind of strange, though, after all the car crashes, fiery infernos, and deadly plunges from high places, to see this feud apparently ended with a piledriver. It took the ambulance forever to weave its way through all the corridors and obstructions to take Shane to the hospital.

Josh Matthews interviewed Lesnar about his team's loss. Lesnar denied losing and kept making excuses. He denied tapping out when the crowd started the "you tapped out" chant. He insisted he could beat anyone one-on-one and acted like the other guys on his team were the ones who got beat. Then, in a big surprise, Goldberg walked up and introduced himself as the World's Heavyweight Champion. Lesnar didn't know what to say. As Goldberg walked off, he smirkingly asked Lesnar to wish him luck in his match. This left Lesnar totally speechless, and was pretty neat as an angle.

Jonathan Coachman came out in a neck brace, to sell the DDT he took from the Dudleys on RAW. He thanked everyone for all the concern they've shown over his injury, as if they've been sending him cards and flowers all week or something. Coach spotted Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on the front row and went to interview him. Cuban said he was looking forward to Eric Bischoff getting his ass kicked by Austin. Coach said that wouldn't happen, and then asked him if he prefers WWE referees or NBA referees. Cuban said all refs suck. Bischoff came out to the ring, angry over Cuban's remarks. He dared Cuban to come in the ring and say something to his face. Cuban came in, not appearing to take this all that seriously. Bischoff told him he had rented the arena for tonight, so it was his building, not Cuban's. He threatened to have security eject Cuban from the arena and shoved him. Cuban shoved Bischoff down to a great pop. But Randy Orton came out of nowhere and laid Cuban out with the RKO. Cuban was left laying. That was actually great! Orton, like Cena, is moving up.

Backstage, Triple H, Ric Flair, and Batista were relaxing. There were a ton of babes there, and they were all over HHH. Flair told the girls to wait until after the show, since HHH needed to conserve his energy for the match. HHH was totally confident, saying the match would be just a formality and that the title was as good as his. Orton came in, bragging about laying out Cuban and vowing to end Austin's career later. The chicks liked him, too. They all ended up doing a toast to HHH regaining the belt and Orton ending Austin's career.

THE BASHAM BROTHERS defeated LOS GUERREROS in 7:30 to retain the Smackdown World Tag Titles. They quickly brawled on the floor. In the ring, Eddie put the boots to Danny and gave him multiple vertical suplexes. Eddie was on a roll against both Bashams until being dropped across the ropes. Shaniqua lariated and bodyslammed Eddie on the floor. The Bashams scored twos on Eddie, including one after a double slingshot suplex. Eddie managed to escape using a headscissors and Chavo tagged in, cleaning house. All four began brawling. Eddie did a huracanrana on Doug. Chavo hit an innovative dropkick. The match kind of got a lost a little here. Shaniqua came in, but Chavo lariated her and Eddie frog splashed her. Chavo spanked her. Why would he do that since she'd probably like it? The finish saw Chavo hit a swinging DDT on Doug, with Chavo accidentally kicking Eddie while executing the move. But Danny rolled Chavo up from behind and used the tights to score the pin. Afterward, Eddie was mad at Chavo for kicking him and for losing. The match was okay, but I'm not sure if Los Guerreros and the Bashams mesh that well as rivals. I do wish they'd stop the arguing between Eddie and Chavo and just let them be a great team.

TEAM BISCHOFF (Chris Jericho, Scott Steiner, Christian, Mark Henry, and Randy Orton) defeated TEAM AUSTIN (Shawn Michaels, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, and the Dudleys) in a Survivor Series elimination match in 27:25. Both Austin and Bischoff were at ringside, and remarkably they didn't get involved until the very end. Christian started off against D-Von. They traded some good spots. D-Von lariated the hell out of Christian. RVD came in and kicked the daylights out of both Christian and Jericho. Jericho hit an enzuigiri on RVD. Steiner tagged in and put the boots to RVD. RVD came back with a crossbody and some more kicks. They traded near falls. Steiner superplexed RVD. They were being stiff as hell with each other. Booker came in and lariated Steiner. Steiner got back up but was caught with the scissor kick. Booker did the spinaroonie. Steiner revived and hit a low blow, hooking Booker in the recliner. Stacy Keibler got on the apron and began cheering for Booker. Yes, Steiner made a stupid mistake bringing her out there. He made another stupid mistake when he dropped the hold on Booker to chase after Stacy. The Dudleys ended up 3D'ing him, allowing Booker to pin and eliminate Steiner after a bookend at 7:28. However, Henry surprised Booker with a devastating press slam at 7:51 to pin and eliminate him. Henry spent the next couple of minutes pounding everyone and shaking off their blows on him, which actually came off good. He overpowered both Dudleys at the same time. Henry finally got taken down during a brawl and was frog splashed by RVD. RVD and both Dudleys pinned Henry at 10:02. Jericho came in. RVD caught him with a split-leg moonsault but Jericho made the ropes. Orton tagged in and lariated RVD. RVD retaliated with kicks and the rolling thunder. Jericho caused RVD to bump off the ropes, and Orton caught RVD in the RKO for the pin at 12:05. D-Von laid Orton out and hit him with a diving headbutt. Jericho missile kicked D-Von and then pinned him after a swinging neckbreaker at 13:48. Heartbreak Kid Michaels finally tagged in to a huge pop. By this point the crowd was dying to see him come in. HBK chopped everyone. Jericho lariated HBK. Orton dropkicked him. Bubba Ray gave Christian a very high backdrop. Jericho caught Bubba with a low blow and Christian then pinned Bubba after an unprettier at 16:50. This left HBK in alone against three Bischoff guys. Jericho caused HBK to bump out where he got pounded on the floor by Orton. Christian posted HBK and he juiced a gusher, and I mean a major gusher. Christian seemed to be in command but HBK caught him with the sweet chin music out of nowhere and scored the pin at 20:27. Jericho attacked HBK and pounded his open wound to increase the blood flow. Orton came in but was caught by an HBK sleeper. Orton suplexed his way out of it. Jericho made the tag, but HBK DDT'd him. Orton broke the pin up. Jericho bulldogged HBK and went for the lionsault. HBK got his knees up and Jericho landed on them. When Jericho staggered up, HBK went for the chin music. Jericho avoided the shot and went for the walls hold, but HBK surprised him with an inside cradle for the pin at 23:52. Jericho was furious about being eliminated and hit HBK with a chairshot before leaving. Orton went for a crossbody off the top. HBK ducked and the ref took the blow. With the ref out, Bischoff at this point went in and kicked HBK from behind, a violation of the provocation rule which may or may not be addressed at a future time. Austin, of course, went in and beat Bischoff up. He gave Orton a stunner. Austin then pounded Bischoff up the ramp to the back. The ref was still down, so Batista ran in and gave HBK a sit-down powerbomb. Orton crawled on top of HBK at 27:25 for the pin as the ref revived to end an outstanding match. The crowd heat throughout had been off the charts, as they clearly loved this bout. The Team Bischoff win, scored by Orton to move him closer to the top, meant that Austin was out as general manager. He was still pounding Bischoff at the ramp top, and looked stunned when he saw that HBK had been pinned. JR & Lawler put over that this was the end of the career of the biggest star ever. Austin went back to the ring, acting like he was in shock. HBK revived and said "I'm sorry". But Austin knew he had done his best and helped him up. He shook HBK's hand and walked to the back with him. But Austin then returned to the ring to make a farewell speech. I was afraid the "whats" would ruin this, but they trailed off after the first few, as the crowd saw this as a solemn occasion. Austin was awesome here, seeming legit sad and broken up by his team's loss and the end of his career. He said he began his career in 1989 in Dallas, and if it had to end it was appropriate that it took place there. He said there have been plenty of good times and bad times in his career but he's loved it all, and concluded by saying, "You won't hear me say this very often, but I love the s**t out of you guys." Coach then came out, surrounded by security. He sang "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" and demanded that Austin leave the arena. Austin beat up all the security guards, tore Coach's neck brace off, and gave him a stunner. Austin guzzled beer for a final time in the ring, and left two empty beer cans standing as he left to cheers from the fans. This was one of the best retirement segments ever, and would be remembered for years if it really was Austin's swan song (of course, it won't be).

VINCE McMAHON beat UNDERTAKER in the buried alive match in 11:58. Vince came out praying to the "higher power". He was dressed in black so we'd all know who the higher power was. Undertaker slugged him and Vince juiced a fountain immediately. It was another major gusher. The next several minutes was just UT slowly and methodically pounding on Vince in and around the ring as Vince continued to juice. UT posted Vince's crotch and wrapped his leg around the post. He used a monitor to knock Vince across the broadcast desk. It was so one-sided that it almost telegraphed a Vince win. It was the most one-sided brawl since Sonny Corleone beat up his brother-in-law. The crowd wasn't all that hot, mainly because nothing could follow the prior match and post-match Austin speech. But they weren't really cold, either. UT smashed the stairs on Vince's leg. He carried Vince to the gravesite after walloping him hard with a shovel. Vince managed to get a handful of dirt to throw in UT's eyes. He hit UT in the balls and shoved him into the grave. But UT reached out and dragged him in. He beat Vince down in the grave and then left to get in the dirt mover (they had a big dirt mover shovel vehicle there to dump dirt into the gave onto the loser). But when UT opened the vehicle's door he was hit with a fireball type flash. Kane emerged! He helped Vince out of the grave, beat the blinded UT down, and then tossed him in the grave. Vince got in the dirt mover and used the big shovel to dump dirt on UT in the grave, burying him to win the match. Okay for what it was, and the Kane surprise was pretty neat. Combined with the earlier Lesnar-Goldberg confrontation, it looks like there may be some inter-divisional stuff starting, or some guys switching divisions.

GOLDBERG beat HHH to retain the RAW World Title in 11:43. They brawled before the bell and Goldberg hit a spear out of nowhere. Flair freaked out and went after Goldberg to protect HHH. Goldberg lariated Flair from the ring. HHH staggered up at the bell, and Goldberg hurled him out to the floor. Goldberg rammed HHH into the desk, stairs, and security rail. In the ring, Goldberg powerslammed HHH, but when he went for a press slam, his bad leg went out (I was really thankful they at least sold it some here) and he collapsed. HHH naturally went after the leg. Flair distracted the ref, allowing HHH to use a chair on the leg. HHH just kept focusing on the leg as Flair took cheap shots whenever he found an opening. HHH threw Goldberg out and Flair put the boots to him before rolling him back in. HHH kneedropped onto Goldberg's leg. Goldberg kept attempting to rally by doing moves, such as lariats, on one leg. HHH went for the figure four. Goldberg kicked him off and there was a very weak ref bump. The ref bump was inevitable, of course. Flair tossed brass knux to HHH, who used them on Goldberg, but the ref was slow to count due to being bumped and Goldberg kicked out at two. HHH KO'ed the ref in anger and retrieved the always handy sledgehammer. But Goldberg blocked the blow and made a great babyface comeback. He slammed Flair off the top. He lariated both HHH & Flair on one leg. He hit Flair in the gut with the sladgehammer. Batista & Orton ran in and he used the hammer on both of them as well. HHH surprised Goldberg from behind and went for a pedigree, but Goldberg backdropped him. Goldberg picked the hammer back up and was about to use it on HHH, but instead he tossed it away, making it clear that he wanted to prove he could win with his own legal moves. He hit the spear and jackhammer to score the pin as the ref revived. As far as action goes, this was a decent match, but the most important aspect was the booking which made Goldberg look like a true superstar. They sort of telegraphed a Goldberg win earlier when he introduced himself to Lesnar as the world champion, but it still managed to be a shock when he won again over HHH.

2006 - WWE announces that they have signed former TNA main eventer Monty Brown.  The signing, expected for several weeks prior, was essentially the first case of a "TNA made star" being picked up by WWE.

2006 - TNA Impact moved to primetime, with Spike TV giving the formerly late-night Saturday show a new home at 9pm on Thursdays.  For the debut episode in the new timeslot, TNA was given a two hour special, and earned a 1.0 rating for a show that featured Kurt Angle defeating Abyss, Christopher Daniels defeated AJ Styles and Chris Sabin to win the X Division Title, Christian Cage defeating Rhino in a Six Sides Of Steel Barbed Wire match, The Naturals defeated Team 3D in a Tables Match and Samoa Joe defeating Jay Lethal. 

2007 - WWE released developmental wrestler Russell Simpson.

2008 - Former WWE champion Brock Lesnar captured the UFC Heavyweight championship, defeating Randy Couture in the second round via TKO in Las Vegas during the main event of UFC 91.   Lesnar was congratulated inside the Octagon by his wife, former WWE Women's champion Rena "Sable" Mero, who was obviously expecting child.   Lesnar will go down in history as the first and likely only man to ever headline a Wrestlemania main event, hold the WWE title and win the UFC championship.

2008 - Former ROH Booker Gabe Sapolsky publicly discussed his firing from Ring of Honor for the first time since being let go the previous month via a MySpace blog.  Highlights:

His Departure: "I've had a little over three weeks to reflect, think about things and get out of the ROH bubble. It's funny how you don't realize you are in the bubble until you are out of it. It is actually amazing the conclusions you come to and the things that become clear about yourself and business once you are removed from a situation. I've come to a lot of realizations in the last few weeks. First of all, while I won't admit that I agree with the decision to dismiss me, now that I've thought about things I certainly can't disagree with it. There are several reasons for this all relating to me and my behavoir, but that is for another time if I ever decide to even publicly talk about it."

ROH owner Cary Silkin and ROH as a company: "Cary Silkin put a lot of faith and trust in me, more than I could ever hope or ask for. He deserves much more than a huge thank you from me, but it is all I can offer at this time. Cary is the man. I still have nothing but love for ROH and everyone there. It is full of hard-working, professional, intelligent people and the pro wrestling business needs what ROH offers. Most importantly, it is full of good people and that includes the entire office and the locker room. I am looking forward to seeing how the company grows and what direction it takes now. It is a fun time for ROH with everything so fresh and exciting."

2009 - WWE and the USA Network signed a new TV deal, running through October 2014 for Monday Night Raw.

2009 - WWE broadcast Raw from Madison Square Garden in NYC, guest hosted by Roddy Piper.  Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:

We are live from New York, New York and your announcers are Jerry ‘Some day the Indians will have a World Series parade like the Yankees’ Lawler and Michael ‘Vintage Mecca of Sports’ Cole.

We start off with Roddy Piper in Piper’s Pit. He says that he is back and so is Piper’s Pit. Roddy has Luis Guzman at his guest. He talks about the movie Old Dogs featuring everyone. Piper mentions Mr. T but Luis says Mr. T isn’t in the movie. Piper reminds everyone that he beat Mr. T. The Bellas bring out Bobby Flay, but it is the Iron Sheik instead because they got Iron Chef and Iron Sheik mixed up. Guzman brings up Hogan and it is time for Sheik to go off on Hogan. Hogan’s name is mentioned and Sheik goes off and shows how to give Hogan the camel clutch with the Wrestling Buddies.

Before our first match starts, the Miz gets on the mic and he says that he hasn’t said one word yet, but the fans have already chosen to hate him. Miz reminds everyone that he is the US Champion. Miz says that New York loves champions, like the Yankees. Miz questions whether they are really champions. Miz says they didn’t earn their World Series title, they bought it. That is why everyone hates New York and its franchises. Miz points out that he is from Cleveland. Miz says that he did not have to buy his United States Title, he earned it. Now he is going to earn it because the guest host told him that he has to defend his title even if Piper cannot differentiate between the Iron Chef and Iron Sheik.

Match Number One: The Miz versus Montel Vontavious Porter for the United States Title

Porter gives a Yankees cap to Sherri Sheppard who is in the front row.

Miz with punches to Porter followed by a knee and kicks in the corner. The referee pulls Miz out of the corner. Miz with an Irish whip but Porter floats over and hits a flying clothesline and hip toss followed by a slam. Porter tries for a big boot and Miz stops short and goes to the floor. Porter runs around the ring and punches Miz and sends Miz back into the ring. Porter with a punch but Miz kicks Porter as he tries to re-enter the ring and Porter goes to the floor. Miz sends Porter’s head into the ring post and then he kicks Porter. Miz gets a near fall and then he kicks Porter in the back. Miz with a rear chin lock but Porter with an elbow and punches. Porter with more punches and then he tosses Miz into the air and down to the mat. Porter with a clothesline and punch followed by a facebuster. It is time for the Ballin’ elbow. Porter tries for the Playmaker but Miz blocks it. Porter with a boot and a near fall. Porter tries for another float over but Miz catches Porter and kicks him in the chest and then hits the Skull Crushing Finale for the three count.
Winner: The Miz

We go to commercial.

We are back with the Slam of the Week: Chavo Guerrero embarrassed again by the Guest Host.

Match Number Two: Chavo Guerrero versus Santino Marella

Santino comes to the ring in the Diva cheap pop local sports jersey. He starts off with the Rangers, goes to the Giants, the Knicks (with boos), the Jets (with more boos), the Mets (to even more boos), a Phillies jersey, and then finishes it off with a Yankees jersey.

Chavo with a kick and then he hits the Three Amigos and then he goes up top but Santino rolls away. Chavo goes to the opposite corner and Chavo rolls away. Chavo goes up top and Santino rolls back. Chavo kicks Santino and Hornswoggle comes out with his DX gear and Santino gets a rollup for the three count.
Winner: Santino Marella

After the match, Chavo looks for Hornswoggle.

DX comes out to the ring and they throw glow sticks to the fans. Hunter wants to hear the crowd get louder. He talks about how they are in the most famous arena in the world and the DX Army is in the house. Hunter says they wanted to come out tonight, have some fun, embarrass some people, and sell some merchandise, but it isn’t going to happen. Shawn says that is true. Shawn mentions the DX book and Hunter says that they can go to Border’s and buy a copy.

Hunter says that they are going to talk about the big fat elephant in the room. Not the Big Show, but the Triple Threat Match with John Cena. Hunter says that Cena said that this will be the end of DX because they will turn on each other and implode. Hunter says that he does not know what the word means, but they won’t implode like Show and Jericho will. They are a single unit. They know that only one person can be WWE Champion as long as the title comes to DX. Shawn says that they will compete against each other at Survivor Series, but you cannot tear DX apart. Shawn has a piece of business tonight. That is the member of the leprechaun community. Hunter says that they know that Hornswoggle is under the ring and since Hornswoggle will not listen to logic and wears DX merchandise. Hunter points out that Hornswoggle did not pay for the merchandise. Hunter says that even little people can get to live their dream. Hunter says that he is going to consider letting Hornswoggle be a member of DX.

Hornswoggle comes into the ring and he is a crotch chopping machine. Hunter asks Hornswoggle if he wants to be a part of DX, he has to get in the line like a big boy. Hunter wants to know if Hornswoggle is ready. Hunter kicks Hornswoggle and then he gives Hornswoggle a Pedigree. Shawn then tells Hornswoggle that there are two words for him.

Shawn and Hunter get a back board with the DX logo on it and they put Hornswoggle on it and take him to the back.

We go to commercial.

We are back with a Moments Ago Moment of Triple H settling the DX legal problems with Hornswoggle ‘The DX Way’.

Michael Cole asks Jerry Lawler what is so magical about Madison Square Garden. It is time for a WWE/Madison Square Garden video package.

Roddy is back in his Pit and he has a fire extinguisher and coconuts. Chris Jericho enters and he comments on the features of the office. Chris says that just like every other guest host, Piper did not come to Jericho. Piper says that he will show Jericho some respect but he has something for Jericho. He brings in Chris Masters to move his pecs to the rhythm. The Bellas are impressed. Jericho has a sour look on his face.

Alicia Fox and Melina are walking in split screen as we go to commercial.

We are back and did you know that WWE just came back from a European tour?

It is time for the guest ring announcers and it is Judah Freedlander.

Match Number Two: Alicia Fox versus Melina for the Divas Title

Alicia wants to be announced as the next Divas Champion. Judah says that he came here for two reasons, to watch Melina’s entrance and to announce that it is a lumberjack match.

Alicia with a kick to Melina and then she tries to throw Melina out but Alicia is thrown out and she returns to the ring. Melina with a rollup for a near fall. Melina avoids a kick and then Alicia sends Melina to the floor. Alicia throws Melina to the mat and gets a near fall. Melina with a knee to Alicia and she sends Alicia into the corner. Melina with a flapjack and clotheslines. Melina kicks Alicia but Alicia with a tilt-a-whirl back breaker for a near fall. Melina with a counter into the Banshee Code Red for the three count.
Winner: Melina

After the match, Michelle attacks Melina and we have a ten woman catfight until Michelle’s team is vanquished from the ring.

Judah celebrates with Team Mickie and we go to commercial.

Michael Cole lets us know what Mike reported earlier that Raw is on USA through 2014.

It is time for Roddy Piper to make his way to the ring. Roddy says that he loves everyone too. He enjoys getting a standing ovation every time he comes to Madison Square Garden. Roddy says that a lot of things have changed. Roddy asks the camera man if he is going to stand there all night because he will kick him. Roddy mentions that he made his career by not being so nice and the New Yorkers would put up with that. Roddy says that he had some embarrassing moments. He embarrassed Cyndi Lauper but she did a good job embarrassing herself. Roddy mentions Captain Lou Albano, Bruno Sammartino, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan. He says that if you mess with Hot Rod, you are going to be bald or dead. Piper says that he is the reason why Hulk Hogan has no hair. Piper says that he has done some unspeakable things here and he loved every one of them. He has one more thing to do before he checks out. Piper wants one more match against Vince McMahon. Piper says that he knows that Vince is a big fan of his. Piper mentions his appearance on Real Sports and Vince fired him in this building. Piper says that he knows that he is in the back . . .

Vince McMahon comes to the ring. Vince comments on Roddy’s dye job on the hair. Vince says that the most heinous thing that Piper did in the Garden was show up tonight. Vince says that Mother Nature has not been too kind to Roddy. Vince mentions the toothpick arms, knobby knees, and the catcher’s mitt face. Vince says that the only thing that hasn’t dried up and withered away is Roddy’s kilt. Piper says that there are a lot of things to be ashamed of when it comes to Vince McMahon. Piper comments on Vince’s suit and says that it was bought for him by John Gotti. Vince says that people says that people come to him and say that they want to look as good as Vince when they are his age. Vince says that they don’t look as good as him right now. Vince mentions that he has beaten them all. Vince says that unless there is better competition in the future, Vince is officially retired. Piper says that is all of the games he is going to play because retired is the same as being a coward and afraid to fight. Piper says that he is not sane. He says that he has been in plane crashes, been electrocuted, and he has beaten cancer. Piper wants to make Vince accountable too to the people who made him a billionaire. Piper does not want this at a pay per view or Wrestlemania. He wants this match tonight.

We go to commercial.

We are back and Lawler and Cole wonder if Vince McMahon will accept Roddy Piper’s challenge.

We take a look back at the ‘feud’ between Sheamus and Jamie Noble that led to Noble’s retirement.

Sheamus lets everyone know who he is and he says that he has been on Raw for four weeks and he has already put one man out of the business. He will do the same to anyone who is willing to face him in the ring.

Sheamus attacks the guy who sits in the cubicle with Justin Roberts and throws him across the announce table. Jerry Lawler gets up from the announce table and that was his first mistake because Sheamus gives Lawler a bicycle kick. Sheamus goes to the back while the referees check on the carnage at ringside.

We go to commercial.

We are back and Michael Cole is joined by Matt Striker who happened to be in town because he lives in New York.

It is time to take a somber look at the card for Survivor Series.

Match Number Three: Evan Bourne versus Jack Swagger

The match is joined in progress and Swagger with a waist lock. We see Swagger with a wheelbarrow suplex from the commercial break. We are back to live action and Swagger maintains the waist lock. Bourne with elbows but Swagger with a clothesline to the back of the head. Swagger with a suplex attempt but Bourne with a knee to the head followed by a rollup for a near fall. Bourne with a drop kick that sends Swagger into the corner. Swagger sends Bourne to the apron and Bourne with a kick and then he goes up top and hits the double knees and gets a near fall. Bourne tries for a moonsault but Swagger catches Bourne and runs him into two turnbuckles and then Swagger hits the Doctor Bomb for the three count.
Winner: Jack Swagger

Roddy Piper is walking in the back as we go to commercial.

We are back and did you know that every state will be represented at Wrestlemania, and some countries.

Roddy Piper is in the ring and he wants Vince to come to the ring, but Randy Orton’s music plays.

Randy makes his way to the ring as only Randy Orton can and he has a mic. Randy says that he doesn’t know if Vince is coming out but Piper has a big problem because he is here. Randy figures that there is no better way to relieve some stress than to kick Piper around. Orton with a kick to Piper and then he waits for Piper to get back to a standing position. Piper punches Orton and Orton thinks about it and he kicks Piper a few times. Orton prepares to kick Piper but he stops short and then hears Kofi Kingston’s music.

Kofi comes to the ring and he punches Orton and Orton leaves the ring. Kofi attacks Orton as Piper goes to the back. Kofi sends Orton into the crowd and Kofi follows. Orton sends Kofi into a chair. Orton is down and Kofi with a kick and punches. Orton with a kick and then he sends Kofi back over the ringside barrier. Orton stomps on Kofi’s lower abdomen. Orton with a forearm to the chest and then he slingshots Kofi into the bottom rope. Orton sets for the field goal kick but Kofi with a cross body and punches as he recovers before Orton can give him the kick of doom. Kofi punches Orton and connects with an uppercut. Kofi sends Orton shoulder first into the ringside barrier. Orton is sent over the ringside barrier again. Orton punches Kofi and the referees try to separate them. Orton has had enough but it was a trap and he goes after Kofi. Kofi punches back. They fight into the stands as they action moves to Section 155. Kofi sends Orton over the railing and Kofi takes one of the cases and he hits Orton in the head and Orton has a dazed look in his eyes. Kofi goes to the guardrail and he is stopped by the referees. Kofi gets away from the referees and he hits the Boom Boom Leg Drop from the stands. Kofi stands over Orton as the referees try to get Kofi to go to the back.

We go to commercial.

We are back and John Cena is in the interview area and he talks about how tonight, history will be made when the Unified Tag Champions face DX and the team of John Cena and the Undertaker. Cena says that it is tough to talk to Undertaker. Cena mentions the Survivor Series match and he wonders how he can compete with two first ballot Hall of Famers. A production assistant hands something to John Cena and he cannot believe that it is real. Cena looks a bit bummed and he has made a mistake. Cena is reminded that it is not a handicap match, it is a Triple Threat Match. Cena says that he is ready and it is time to face fact. Cena says that he hopes Hunter and Shawn are still friends because on Monday they will have to deal with the fact that he is still champion.

Match Number Four: Chris Jericho and Big Show versus Degeneration X versus John Cena and Undertaker

Jericho, Cena, and Michaels start things off and Jericho and Cena lock up and Cena throws him off. Cena does the same to Michaels. Show tags in and so does Hunter and Taker. Hunter and Taker go face to face and then they look at Show. Hunter and Taker punch Show. Hunter with a facebuster to Show and Taker clotheslines Show over the top rope. Taker with a boot to Hunter followed by punches. Hunter with a spinebuster and then Hunter tags in Michaels. We have our Wrestlemania rematch. And Taker misses a punch and Shawn with chops. Taker throws Shawn over the top rope and Shawn skins the cat. Show with a spear to Taker. Show blocks a super kick and Show takes Michaels down. Jericho tags in and he hits a bulldog. Jericho tries for the Lionsault but Michaels gets his knees up. Jericho is able to put Shawn in the Walls of Jericho. Taker grabs Jericho but Cena tags in and hits a bulldog on Jericho but Shawn with a chop and Hunter is tagged in.

Hunter punches Cena but Cena with a side slam to Jericho. Cena and Hunter face off in the ring and Cena waves his hand in Cena’s face and Hunter with a crotch chop. They exchange punches but Show with a double choke slam. Taker punches Show and Taker with a flying clothesline and a kick that sends Show to the floor. Taker is Irish whipped into the ringside barrier. Jericho covers Cena and gets a two count. Shawn waits for Hunter to make it across the ring to make the tag and he makes it. Michaels with a flying forearm and kip up followed by a reverse atomic drop and punch. Shawn with a slam and then he goes up top for the elbow drop and he hits it. Shawn waits for the vintage Sweet Chin Music and he tries for one on Cena but Cena moves. Cena with the two flying shoulder tackles followed by the Blue Thunder bomb and the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena gets Michaels up but Hunter makes the tag and Hunter kicks Cena. Hunter with a high knee and then he punches Cena. Hunter with a face buster and a punch to Jericho. Hunter with a spinebuster to Cena and then he poses. Show with a head butt to stop a pedigree on Cena. Shawn with Sweet Chin Music to Show. Jericho with a Codebreaker to Shawn. Taker with a choke slam to Jericho. Hunter clotheslines Taker over the top rope and Taker lands on his feet. Cena with the Attitude Adjustment to Hunter for the three count.
Winners: John Cena and Undertaker

After the match, Taker gives Cena a tombstone piledriver and then Taker poses in the ring as we go blue for credits.

2010 - Bonnie Hammer, who had been a strong ally for World Wrestling Entertainment and their programming on the USA Network and SyFy, ained more responsibility and power in the NBC Universal-Comcast.   Beyond overseeing USA and SyFy, Hammer will now also oversee E! Entertainment Television and gamer-focused G-4, according to The Los Angeles Times.   The merger and Hammer's new responsibilities provide World Wrestling Entertainment with new potential cable outlets for their programming.  Hammer's rise within NBC Universal correlated with the success of WWE Raw in the late 1990s as she worked hand in hand with the company to help them re-tool the product and make it more accessible for new viewers who weren't diehard wrestling fans. She was instrumental in bringing WWE back to the USA Network after their run with Viacom and gave the green light to ECW and later NXT and Smackdown on SyFy. 

2011 - TNA canceled a planned event in Argentina.

2011 - WWE broadcast NXT.  Richard Trionfo filed the following report:

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