Madison Square Garden – 2000-2009 Results

Royal Rumble 00 – New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – January 23, 2000 (19,231; 16,629 paid; sell out)
Sunday Night Heat – featured live backstage interviews from MSG; included numerous Rumble participants drawing their entry numbers, with the Mean Street Posse and Kaientai being excluded since they were denied spots in the match; featured a segment on the opening of WWF New York, with footage from the Sugar Ray concert as well as comments by many of the WWF superstars in attendance; included footage from seperate Radio WWF interviews conducted over the weekend with Steve Austin and Triple H as well as the Road Dogg and Bradshaw fighting in the studio during a broadcast; featured an in-ring promo by the Big Show regarding the Royal Rumble match
Pay-per-view bouts – included Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler on commentary; featured the Miss Rumble contest, with participants including WWF Women’s Champion Miss Kitty, Jackie, BB, Terri, and Luna, in which Mae Young came out unannounced and took off her shirt to reveal prosthetic breasts; moments later, Mae was announced as the winner; judges for the contest included Sgt. Slaughter, Tony Garea, Johnny Valiant, Freddie Blassie, the Fabulous Moolah, and Andy Richter from “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”; Jerry Lawler was the MC for the segment; included Jonathan Coachman interviewing Linda McMahon at WWF New York regarding the McMahon-Helmsley Era:
Tazz (mystery opponent) defeated Kurt Angle at 3:14 with the Tazzmission; after the bout, Angle was attended to by medics and taken backstage on a stretcher; later in the broadcast, Angle claimed because he was choked out – which is illegal – his undefeated streak still stood (Tazz’ surprise debut; Angle’s first TV singles loss)
Matt & Jeff Hardy defeated the Dudley Boyz in a tables match at 10:17; Bubba Ray was put through a table at ringside at 4:12 following a legdrop off a ladder by Matt and a top rope splash by Jeff; Matt was powerbombed off the top through a table in the ring, on top of two sets of ring steps, by Bubba Ray at 6:31; D-Von was eliminated by a Swanton from Jeff after both teams began brawling into the crowd; Michael Cole conducted a backstage interview with the Hardyz & Terri prior to the bout in which Matt & Jeff told Terri she was staying backstage because it would be too violent for her to be at ringside; moments later, the Dudleyz cut an in-ring promo saying the NYC fans were ass-backwards for cheering the Hardyz and booing Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker (Twist of Fate: The Matt & Jeff Hardy Story)
WWF IC Champion Chris Jericho defeated WWF IC Champion Chyna and Hardcore Holly at 7:30 by pinning Chyna with a bulldog and Lionsault after Chyna applied a Boston Crab on Holly; due to the decision, Jericho became the sole holder of the IC title
WWF Tag Team Champions Billy Gunn & the Road Dogg defeated the Acolytes at 2:37 when Gunn pinned Bradshaw with the Fameasser after X-Pac interfered as referee Tim White was knocked down on the floor and hit a spin wheel kick on the challenger
WWF World Champion Triple H pinned Cactus Jack at 26:49 with the Pedigree followed by a second Pedigree onto a pile of thumb tacs inside the ring; Stephanie McMahon escorted the champion ringside prior to the match before going backstage; mid-way through the bout, the Rock interfered and hit the champion over the head with a steel chair as both participants were near the entrance; late in the contest, Stephanie returned ringside after the challenger poured a bag of thumb tacs over the ring; after the match, Cactus knocked over the champion’s stretcher as he was being helped backstage, dragged him back inside the ring, and hit him with a 2×4 wrapped in barbed wire (Most Memorable Matches of 2000, Triple H: The Game, Mick Foley’s Greatest Hits & Misses, The History of the WWE Heavyweight Championship)
The Rock won the 30-man Royal Rumble match by last eliminating the Big Show at 51:47; due to pre-match stipulations, Rock earned a WWF World Title match at WrestleMania
Order of entry: D-Lo Brown (00:00); Grandmaster Sexay (00:00); Headbanger Mosh (1:41); Taka Michinoku & Sho Funaki, who were not legal participants, ran to the ring and were quickly thrown out; Christian (3:23); Rikishi (5:05); Scotty 2 Hotty (6:40); Steve Blackman (8:42); Viscera (10:32); the Big Bossman (14:23); Bossman refused to get in the ring with Rikishi until Test came out and threw him in; Test (14:28); Davey Boy Smith (15:30); Gangrel (17:30); Taka & Funaki came out again and were again thrown to the floor; Taka hit his face on the floor after being thrown out and was taken to the hospital; Edge (19:07); Bob Backlund (21:03); WWF IC Champion Chris Jericho (22:49); Crash Holly (24:27); Chyna (26:02); Farooq (27:36); WWF Tag Team Champion the Road Dogg (29:02); Al Snow (30:35); WWF European Champion Val Venis (32:13); Funaki came out again and was quickly thrown out of the ring; Albert (33:49); Hardcore Holly (35:28); the Rock (37:02); WWF Tag Team Champion Billy Gunn (38:38); the Big Show (40:39); Bradshaw (41:53); Kane (escorted to the ring by Tori) (43:50); Funaki came out a final time and was thrown out by Snow; the Godfather (46:09); X-Pac (46:52)
Order of elimination: Mosh by Rikishi (5:18); Christian by Rikishi following a belly to belly suplex (5:32); D-Lo by Rikishi following the Rikishi Driver (6:09); Grandmaster & Scotty by Rikishi after all three men danced together in the ring (7:43); after the elimination, Too Cool & Rikishi showed there were no hard feelings; Blackman by Rikishi following the Rikishi Driver (9:27); Viscera by Rikishi via a shoulderblock after three superkicks (11:57); Rikishi by Edge, Gangrel, Backlund, Bossman, Smith, & Test (21:27); Backlund by Jericho via a dropkick (23:04); after his elimination, Backlund left through the crowd; Jericho by Chyna following a suplex from the apron to the floor (26:36); Chyna by Bossman after being shoved off the apron (26:40); Farooq by the Bossman after Rodney, Pete Gas, & Joey Abs came out and attacked Farooq (27:53); Smith by Road Dogg (30:51); Edge by Snow & Venis via a double backdrop (33:55); Bossman by Rock via a punch (37:11); Crash by Rock following a floatover DDT (39:22); Test by Show via a boot to the face as Test was straddled on the top rope (40:45); Gangrel by Show (40:50); Bradshaw by Gunn & Road Dogg after Bradshaw fought off an interfering Mean Street Posse and threw all three men to the floor (42:17); moments later, Farooq joined Bradshaw in battling the Posse backstage; Venis by Kane via a choke throw (44:00); Albert by Kane via a clothesline (45:12); Hardcore by Kane via a clothesline (47:16); Godfather by Show (47:41); Snow by Rock via a clothesline (47:52); Road Dogg by Gunn (48:04); Gunn by Kane following two uppercuts (48:16); moments later, Kane brawled with the New Age Outlaws outside the ring, distracting referees as the Rock threw X-Pac over the top; Kane by X-Pac via a spin kick after Kane bodyslammed Big Show (50:01); X-Pac by Show via a press slam to the floor (50:24); Show by Rock when Rock held onto the top rope as Show had him on his shoulder and ran toward the ropes to throw him out, with the momentum sending Show over the top to the floor; after the elimination, Rock cut an in-ring promo on going to WrestleMania but was eventually interrupted by Show, who ran back out to the ring and threw Rock to the floor WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – February 28, 2000 (12,256; sell out)
Joey Abs pinned an unknown
Raw is War – included WWF World Champion Triple H, with Stephanie McMahon, cutting an in-ring promo on the previous night’s Hell in a Cell match against Mick Foley in which he said he had more respect for Foley than anyone and played a tribute video to Foley’s career; the video began with classic images of Mick but then cut to embarrassing clips in which Foley was beaten down to the tune of the DX theme; moments later, Shane McMahon & the Big Show interrupted, with Shane cutting a promo on Stephanie running Vince out of the WWF, then stating that the Big Show would be the future world champion; the Rock then came out onto the stage and said he would be the WWF Champion at WrestleMania despite what happened at No Way Out; Triple H then stated that since Rock was no longer the #1 contender, he would have to start off at the bottom of the roster and face the Brooklyn Brawler later in the show; featured a backstage segment in which Billy Gunn complained to DX about not being involved in the tag team title shot against the Dudley Boyz, despite the fact he had his arm in a sling; after telling Triple H off, Triple H, X-Pac, and the Road Dogg attacked Gunn and threw him out of the dressing room; included a musical tribute to the career of Mick Foley to the tune of Sarah McLachlan’s “I Will Remember You”:
Matt & Jeff Hardy defeated the Acolytes at 3:57 when Matt pinned Bradshaw with a kick to the midsection and the Twist of Fate after Jeff made the blind tag
Rikishi defeated WWF IC & European Champion Kurt Angle via count-out at 1:39 when Angle left the ring after sustaining the Stinkface; prior to the bout, Angle made an open challenge in the ring for anyone to face him, which Rikishi accepted; immediately after the bout, Chris Jericho came out with Chyna and threw Angle back inside the ring where Rikishi hit the Rikishi Driver and Bonzai Drop; moments later, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn attacked Jericho, Rikishi, and Chyna, with Too Cool eventually coming out to make the save; moments later, Rikishi, Too Cool, Jericho, and Chyna danced in the ring; only the Euro title was on the line
Edge & Christian (w/ Terri) defeated Al Snow & Steve Blackman at 3:23 when Edge pinned Blackman with the spear after Christian hit a missile dropkick while Blackman was distracted by Terri wearing the Head Cheese hat on the floor; prior to the bout, Terri came down to be in Edge & Christian’s corner and do guest commentary; during their entrance, Al Snow debuted Steve Blackman’s entrance music, which was put together to better portray his personality
The Rock pinned the Brooklyn Brawler with the Rock Bottom at the 31-second mark after an Irish whip; after the bout, the Rock grabbed a microphone and called Triple H out; Shane & Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, and the Big Show then came out, with Stephanie saying Rock could get a WrestleMania world title shot if he could pin either Triple H or Show in a handicap match later in the night
Chris Jericho (w/ Chyna) pinned Perry Saturn (w/ Dean Malenko) with the Lionsault at 3:03 after Chyna interfered behind the referee’s back and hit a low blow on Saturn (Saturn and Malenko’s MSG debut)
Mark Henry (w/ Mae Young) fought WWF Hardcore Champion Crash Holly to a no contest at around the 1:50 mark after Mae hit a splash on Crash inside the ring and doubled over in pain; moments later, EMTs came to the ring along with Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco, and the Fabulous Moolah and helped Mae onto a stretcher and to the back; later in the show, Mae gave birth to her baby, which turned out to be a hand
Tazz defeated Chris Benoit via disqualification at 2:03 when the Big Bossman and Albert attacked Tazz as Benoit was caught in the Tazzmission; Eddie Guerrero was in Benoit’s corner at the beginning of the match but was ejected by the referee mid-way through the bout; after the match, Tazz was double teamed by Bossman and Albert, eventually sustaining the Baldo Bomb and then a torture rack into a neckbreaker from Albert; moments later, Bossman cut a promo on the microphone as officials came in the ring to check on Tazz (Benoit and Guerrero’s MSG debut)
WWF Tag Team Champions the Dudley Boyz fought X-Pac & the Road Dogg (w/ Tori) to a no contest at around 4:30 when Kane and Paul Bearer came to the ring, with Kane hitting the chokeslam on Road Dogg, D-Von, and Bubba Ray as a sign to what he planned to do to X-Pac
The Rock defeated WWF World Champion Triple H (w/ Stephanie McMahon) & the Big Show (w/ Shane McMahon) in a handicap match via disqualification at 6:53 when Shane broke Rock’s cover on Triple H after hitting the People’s Elbow; after the bout, Rock sustained a low blow from Shane, was beaten down by Triple H, and took a chokeslam from Big Show; pre-match stipulations stated that had Rock earned the pinfall, he would have received a world title match at WrestleMania
Jakked – 3/4/00:
Test pinned Mideon with an elbow drop off the top at 4:10
The Headbangers defeated Kevin Landry & the Inferno Kid at 2:17 following the Stage Dive
WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Essa Rios (w/ Lita) pinned Sho Funaki at 3:11 with a moonsault
The Godfather & D-Lo Brown defeated the Big Bossman & Albert at 4:33 when D-Lo pinned Albert following a leg lariat WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – April 15, 2000 (16,925 paid)
WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Dean Malenko pinned Scotty 2 Hotty
WWF European Champion Eddie Guerrero pinned ECW World Champion Tazz after Chyna interfered and hit a DDT on the challenger; only the European title was at stake; Tazz was not announced as the ECW World Champion nor did he appear with the title belt
The Big Bossman & Bull Buchanon defeated the Headbangers when Buchanon pinned Thrasher with a legdrop off the top; after the contest, Kane appeared and dropped both Buchanon and one of the Headbangers with a chokeslam; Kane then dropped the other Headbanger with the tombstone
WWF Hardcore Champion Crash Holly pinned Perry Saturn; during the match, ECW World Champion Tazz ran out with a second referee in an attempt to win the title; after the match, Tazz and Saturn brawled
WWF Tag Team Champions Edge & Christian defeated Matt & Jeff Hardy and the Dudley Boyz in an elimination match; D-Von pinned Matt with the 3D; Edge pinned Bubba with the spear; after the contest, the Dudleyz set up a table, with the Hardyz returning ringside, brawlign with them, and then putting Christian through the table themselves
Test & Albert defeated Al Snow & Steve Blackman when Test pinned Snow
Kurt Angle pinned Val Venis with a roll up and grabbing the tights for leverage
WWF IC Champion Chris Benoit pinned Chris Jericho with his feet on the ropes for leverage
The Big Show fought Rikishi to a double count-out when both men brawled on the floor; prior to the match, the two had a dance contest; after the bout, the two faced off in the ring before dancing together
WWF World Champion Triple H, Road Dogg, & X-Pac defeated the Rock & the Acolytes WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – June 24, 2000 (16,975 paid)
Included a segment in which Jerry Lawler interviewing Donald Trump, who sat ringside for the event
The Godfather pinned D-Lo Brown with a roll up after hitting the Ho Train
WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Dean Malenko defeated Crash Holly via submission with the Texas Cloverleaf; after the bout, Holly raised Malenko’s hand
Kane pinned Gangrel at the 90-second mark with the chokeslam
Terri defeated the Kat in an arm wrestling match; Jerry Lawler was the official for the contest; after the match, Kat gave Terri the Bronko Buster and, after he asked, did the same to Lawler
WWF European Champion Eddie Guerrero pinned Perry Saturn with a hurricanrana after Chyna interfered
The Rock & the Dudley Boyz fought WWF World Champion Triple H (w/ WWF Women’s Champion Stephanie McMahon), X-Pac, & Road Dogg to a no contest at around the 16-minute mark; following DX’s entrance, Triple H took the mic and confronted referee Earl Hebner and threatened to kick his ass if he screwed with them in the match and leave him as bloody and beaten as he did Mick Foley at the Royal Rumble; late in the bout, Bubba Ray Dudley was put through a table at ringside; moments later, Rock hit the Rock Bottom and People’s Elbow on Triple H, only for Vince McMahon to run out and yank Hebner out of the ring to prevent the pinfall; Rock was then triple teamed and sustained the Pedigree until Kane came out; Kane was then triple teamed as well until the Undertaker drove his motorcycle to the ring and dropped Shane McMahon, X-Pac, and Triple H with the chokeslam (Undertaker’s MSG return after a 10-month absence)
The Acolytes defeated the Big Bossman & Bull Buchanon after Buchanon walked out of the match
WWF IC Champion Rikishi pinned Kurt Angle with a belly to belly suplex; after the match, WWF Tag Team Champions Grandmaster Sexay & Scotty 2 Hotty came out and danced with Rikishi
Chris Benoit defeated Chris Jericho, Hardcore Holly, and Val Venis after hitting Holly over the head with a chair and applying the Crippler Crossface; stiuplations stated the winner would be the #1 contender for the WWF IC Title
WWF Tag Team Champions Grandmaster Sexay & Scotty 2 Hotty defeated Edge & Christian, Matt & Jeff Hardy, and Test & Albert in an elimination match; Matt Hardy pinned Test; Christian pinned one of the Hardyz with the Impaler; Scotty pinned Christian WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – August 7, 2000
The Dupps defeated Charlie & Russ Haas
The Mean Street Posse defeated Low-Ki & Vince Goodnight (Low-Ki’s MSG debut)
Raw is War:
Rikishi defeated X-Pac via disqualification at 2:57 when Road Dogg interfered and hit a low blow on Rikishi; after the bout, the two double teamed Rikishi
The Dudley Boyz defeated Bull Buchanon & the Goodfather (w/ Steven Richards) via disqualification at 3:24 when Richards prevented a pinfall on Buchanon following the 3D; after the bout, the Goodfather powerbombed one of his former hoes through a table
Too Cool & Chyna (sub. for Eddie Guerrero) defeated Test, Albert, & WWF IC Champion Val Venis (w/ Trish Stratus) at 3:50 when Chyna pinned Venis after Guerrero interfered and hit a frogsplash on the champion; Chyna took over for Guerrero before the bout began after Venis hit a piledriver on the floor
WWF World Champion the Rock pinned Chris Benoit (w/ Shane McMahon) with the Rock Bottom in a No DQ match at 8:12 after Chris Jericho interfered, hit two powerbombs on Benoit onto a steel chair, and chased Shane through the crowd
The Acolytes & Matt Hardy defeated the Big Show (w/ Shane McMahon), WWF Tag Team Champions Edge & Christian via disqualification at 1:38 when Show hit the Acolytes with one of the tag title belts; after the match, the Undertaker made the save and took out Show, Shane, Edge, and Christian
Kurt Angle and Triple H (w/ WWF Women’s Champion Stephanie McMahon) pinned Chris Jericho in a #1 contenders match at 6:46 following a double superplex; after the bout, the Rock – who was doing guest commentary – hit a Rock Bottom on Triple H, Angle, and Stephanie
Jakked – 8/12/00:
The Big Bossman pinned Taka Michinoku with the sidewalk slam at 3:29
WWF Hardcore Champion Steve Blackman pinned Mideon at 3:36 after kicking a trash can into the challenger’s chest
D-Lo Brown & Chaz defeated Gangrel & Crash Holly at 3:21 when D-Lo pinned Crash with the frog splash after the Big Bossman interfered
WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Dean Malenko defeated Essa Rios via submission with the Texas Cloverleaf at 4:21 WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – September 23, 2000 (19,530; 16,952 paid; sell out)
Included an in-ring promo by William Regal before he was interrupted by Naked Mideon, with Regal then leaving the ring disgusted; featured an in-ring promo by Shane McMahon
Grandmaster Sexay & Scotty 2 Hotty defeated D-Lo Brown & Chaz when Scotty pinned D-Lo after Sexay hit the Hip Hop Drop
WWF European Champion Al Snow pinned Perry Saturn after hitting him with Head
Test, Albert, & Jackie (sub. for an injured Trish Stratus) (w/ Trish Stratus) defeated WWF Women’s Champion Lita, Matt & Jeff Hardy when Jackie pinned Lita; prior to the match, Trish cut an in-ring promo noting she couldn’t compete
WWF Tag Team Champions Edge & Christian defeated the Dudley Boyz after Edge hit Bubba with one of the title belts
Jerry Lawler & the Kat defeated Tazz & Ivory when Kat pinned Ivory
WWF Hardcore Champion Steve Blackman defeated Gangrel
The Goodfather & Val Venis defeated the Acolytes after Val Venis interfered; after the match, the Dudley Boyz ran out and aided the Acolytes in clearing the ring
Chris Jericho & Rikishi defeated WWF IC Champion Eddie Guerrero & X-Pac
WWF World Champion the Rock, Triple H (w/ Stephanie McMahon), & the Undertaker defeated Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, & Kane when Rock pinned Angle with the Rock Bottom; Triple H’s ribs were heavily taped in the match; late in the contest, Angle accidentally suplexed Stephanie, thinking she was someone else WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – December 5, 2000 (11,945 paid)
The Dupps defeated Charlie & Russ Haas
Sho Funaki pinned Chris Chetti
Smackdown! – featured Vince McMahon telling Linda he wanted a divorce:
Val Venis & WWF Women’s Champion Ivory defeated WWF IC Champion Billy Gunn & Chyna when Venis pinned Chyna after Ivory hit Chyna with the Women’s title belt as Gunn was distracted by Chris Benoit at ringside
Molly Holly defeated Trish Stratus via disqualification when Trish hit Molly with a trash can lid; due to pre-match stipulations, Molly became the #1 contender to the Women’s title
Chris Jericho & Hardcore Holly defeated Kane & WWF European Champion William Regal when Regal submitted to a sleeper by Holly
The Road Dogg & K-Kwick defeated Edge & Christian when Road Dogg pinned Edge after Edge sustained a spin kick from Kwick
WWF World Champion Kurt Angle, Steve Austin, the Rock, and the Undertaker fought to a no contest when Triple H and Rikishi interfered and a brawl ensued involving all six men, with Triple H remaining as the last man standing (WWE’s Top 50 Superstars of All Time)
Sunday Night Heat – 12/10/00 – only shown internationally – hosted by Jonathan Coachman & Michael Hayes:
Chris Benoit pinned WWF Hardcore Champion Steve Blackman in a non-title match at 4:33 by reversing a roll up and using the ropes for leverage Perry Saturn (w/ Terri & Eddie Guerrero) pinned Taka Michinoku (w/ Sho Funaki) at 4:37 with the Death Valley Driver
Tazz defeated Crash Holly via submission with the Tazzmission at 3:28
D-Lo Brown & Chaz (w/ Tiger Ali Singh) defeated Grandmaster Sexay & Scotty 2 Hotty at 6:00 when Chaz pinned Sexay after Sexay sustained D-Lo’s Sky High WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – January 27, 2001 (19,448; 17,238 paid)
Grandmaster Sexay & Scotty 2 Hotty defeated the Goodfather & Bull Buchanon when Sexay pinned Buchanon with the Hip Hop Drop; Debra was the guest ring announcer for the bout
WWF Hardcore Champion Raven pinned Steve Blackman with a DDT onto a steel chair
WWF Women’s Champion Ivory defeated Molly Holly (sub. for Jackie) after Steven Richards aided in blocking a sunset flip attempt
Billy Gunn defeated Steven Richards (sub. for Val Venis) with the cobra clutch slam
WWF Tag Team Champions the Dudley Boyz defeated Matt & Jeff Hardy and the Acolytes in an elimination match; Bradshaw pinned Matt with the Clothesline from Hell as Matt came off the top; Bradshaw was pinned with the 3D
WWF World Champion Kurt Angle (w/ Trish Stratus) pinned WWF IC Champion Chris Jericho with a low blow and the Olympic Slam
Perry Saturn pinned K-Kwick with the Death Valley Driver
Albert defeated Hardcore Holly
WWF European Champion Test pinned Christian with a boot to the face, despite interference from William Regal; prior to the match, Regal cut an in-ring promo on the crowd and then sat ringside for the match
The Undertaker, Kane, Steve Austin, & the Rock defeated Triple H (w/ Stephanie McMahon), Chris Benoit, Rikishi, & Haku when the Rock pinned Benoit with the Rock Bottom; after the match, Austin twice hit the Stunner on Triple H WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – March 24, 2001 (17,311 paid)
WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Crash Holly pinned Dean Malenko with a la magistral cradle
WWF Hardcore Champion Raven pinned Billy Gunn with the DDT onto a trash can lid
WWF Women’s Champion Ivory pinned Molly Holly after constant interference from Trish Stratus; after the bout, Lita and Molly held off Ivory and Steven Richards
Edge & Christian (w/ Rhyno) defeated the Acolytes when Edge pinned Bradshaw after Rhyno interfered and hit the Gore
WWF IC Champion Chris Jericho defeated Eddie Guerrero via submission with the Walls of Jericho
X-Pac & Justin Credible (w/ Albert) defeated Matt & Jeff Hardy when Credible pinned Jeff after Albert interfered and hit the Baldo Bomb as Jeff came off the top
WWF European Champion Test pinned Val Venis with a boot to the face; after the match, Venis and Steven Richards argued but eventually left ringside together
Chris Benoit defeated Perry Saturn via submission with the Crippler Crossface
WWF Tag Team Champions the Dudley Boyz defeated the Goodfather & Bull Buchanon following the 3D on the Goodfather after Spike Dudley interfered
Steve Austin, the Undertaker, & Kane defeated Kurt Angle, the Big Show, & Triple H when Austin pinned Triple H with the Stunner; late in the contest, Shane McMahon interfered on behalf of Austin’s team WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – June 25, 2001 (13,763; sell out)
Guido Maritato & Tony Mamaluke defeated Danny Doring & Roadkill (the MSG debuts of all four men)
Raw is War – included an opening in-ring promo by Vince McMahon in which he addressed the rumor the night before that Chris Jericho or Chris Benoit were planning to defect to WCW should they have won the WWF World Title the night before; McMahon then bragged about the win by Steve Austin, despite the interference of WCW World Champion Booker T; he went on to say the T in Booker T stood for terrible, trash, and temporarily employed; McMahon went on to say it was still his goal to put WCW and Shane McMahon out of business, adding that no WCW star should be in the building because it was hallowed ground and the house the WWF helped build; McMahon then showed the WWF Hall of Fame tribute video to Vince McMahon Sr., with comments from Freddie Blassie and Gorilla Monsoon; McMahon then guaranteed the fans more memorable moments at MSG later in the night; featured a backstage segment with Vince, Austin, and Debra in which McMahon complained about the two being late, and allowing a WCW wrestler to steal one of his belts; Austin then told Vince he didn’t care, and said Vince wasn’t there when he needed him the night before when his back was against the wall; after Austin told Vince that Vince didn’t really care about him, the two ended up hugging; included a video tribute to Bruno Sammartino for his accomplishments at MSG; featured a backstage segment with the Big Show and Trish Stratus, with Show noting he was challenging for the WWF European Title later and asked if Trish wanted to take a european vacation with him after he wins it; included a backstage segment with Kurt Angle, Austin, McMahon, and Debra in which McMahon congratulated Angle on beating his son Shane McMahon; Austin then mocked Angle’s concussion, and said he had to deal with worse the night before and he won; Vince then invited Angle to join them, with Austin staring at Angle; featured a video tribute to Superstar Billy Graham and his accomplishments at MSG; included a backstage segment with Austin, Angle, Vince, and Debra in which Austin quietly asked Vince if they could get rid of Angle, with Vince saying he was concerned about Angle since the King of the Ring ceremony was coming up and he needed to be around someone; Angle then brought up all the similarities between he and Austin before joking they could be related; featured an in-ring ceremony in which Commissioner William Regal and Tajiri awarded the 2001 King of the Ring trophy to Edge; moments later, Billy Gunn interrupted, bitter over having won the tournament himself two years prior but never having the opportunity to defend it, and having to spend the previous night at WWF NY; after trading insults, the two agreed to a match for later in the night; included Shane McMahon introducing WCW World champion Booker T to the crowd at WWF NY, with Booker then challenging Austin; Austin agreed to the challenge and brought Angle with him but by the time they arrived at WWF NY, Booker and Shane had already left the building; moments later, Shane came ringside to interrupt Vince’s promo, distracting Vince just long enough for Booker T to come into the ring from behind; once Vince saw Booker, he took a punch; Booker responded with a flurry of blows, ending with the scissors kick; seconds later, the Acolytes, Kaientai, Raven, Justin Credible, K-Kwick, Dean Malenko, and several others ran to the ring as Booker escaped through the crowd (Booker T’s MSG debut):
Rhyno pinned WWF Hardcore Champion Test to win the title at 4:33 after hitting the Gore backstage; seconds later, Mike Awesome ran down the hall, hitting Rhyno with a lead pipe and then powerbombing him onto a steel ladder to win the title (Rhyno’s MSG debut; Awesome’s surprise debut)
X-Pac pinned WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy to win the title at 3:11 with a backslide and putting his feet on the ropes for leverage after the champion failed a Swanton
Tazz defeated Steven Richards at the 13-second mark via submission with the Tazzmission; prior to the bout, Richards cut an in-ring promo against the NYC crowd
WWF Tag Team Champions the Dudley Boyz defeated the Undertaker (w/ Sara) & WWF IC Champion Kane at 4:51 when D-Von pinned Kane after Albert interfered and hit the Baldo Bomb; after the bout, Kane chased Albert backstage while Diamond Dallas Page knocked Taker out with a chair shot on the ramp before ripping out a lock of Sara’s hair (DDP’s MSG debut)
The Big Show (w/ Trish Stratus) defeated WWF European Champion Matt Hardy (w/ Lita) via disqualification at 3:12 when Lita hit a low blow on the challenger to prevent the chokeslam
Edge (w/ Christian) pinned Billy Gunn at 6:18 with the DDT after Christian interfered
Chris Jericho pinned Tajiri (w/ William Regal) with the bulldog and Lionsault at 5:11 after Tajiri accidentally sprayed mist into Regal’s face (Tajiri’s MSG debut)
Jakked – 6/30/01:
Crash & Hardcore Holly defeated Sho Funaki & Taka Michinoku at 3:15 when Hardcore pinned Funaki with the Alabama Slam
Raven pinned Low-Ki with the DDT at 3:58
Jerry Lynn pinned Essa Rios at 5:33 with a tornado DDT (Lynn’s MSG debut)
K-Kwik pinned the Inferno Kid at 4:04 with the Hat Rack Cracked WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – June 26, 2001 (11,772; sell out)
Essa Rios defeated Jerry Lynn
Low-Ki pinned Mike Sullivan with the Tidal Krush
Smackdown! – 6/28/01 – featured an opening in-ring promo by Vince McMahon in which he said Madison Square Garden stunk after the invasion of several WCW stars during Monday Night Raw, then adding it now might as well be the Nassau Coliseum; as Vince continued to vent, Linda McMahon eventually walked out and said she knew how important MSG was to the WWF, then introducing a clip of Vince at MSG months earlier in which he said he wanted a divorce and didn’t care about the WWF fans; Linda then said Vince would allow WCW matches to be part of Raw and Smackdown beginning the following week out of fairness; after Vince protested, Linda said that Fully Loaded was coming up in July and would be the perfect time for a WCW vs. WWF showdown, then asking whether Vince was afraid of competition before Vince eventually accepted, saying the event would now be called Invasion; included a backstage segment in the WWF locker room in which Farooq spoke to Godofather, Bull Buchanon, Haku, Dean Malenko, K-Kwick, Justin Credible, Test, Jerry Lynn, Al Snow, and more about getting payback on the WCW wrestlers; featured a backstage segment with WWF World Champion Steve Austin and Debra talked about Booker T showing up at MSG during Raw, with Vince walking in moments later and Austin suggesting WCW matches should happen on WWF TV, then whispering his plan to Vince and Vince agreeing with the idea; included a backstage segment with Spike Dudley and Molly Holly, with Perry Saturn walking in and ranting before walking off; moments later, Crash Holly interrupted and said he and Jackie wanted to challenge them to a match later in the show; featured Jim Ross conducting a pre-taped sit-down interview with the Undertaker & Sara regarding Diamond Dallas Page attacking Taker during Raw and taking a lock of Sara’s hair; after Sara got done talking, Taker walked off; included a backstage segment in which Vince spoke with Austin and Debra about WCW World Champion Booker T, with Kurt Angle then walking in and asking what would happen if Austin faced Booker; Austin quickly chimed in that he would beat Booker and would welcome the chance; featured a backstage segment with Vince, Austin, Debra, and Angle in which Vince said it was Taker’s fault Kane lost the WWF IC title because Taker wanted Diamond Dallas Page to have an all-access pass; included a backstage segment with Vince, Austin, Debra, and Angle in which Angle discussed who would have the advantages between Austin vs. Booker; moments later, Dave Hebner walked in and said someone from WCW wanted to see Vince in another dressing room; working under the assumption it was Booker, Vince, Angle, and Austin left together; featured a backstage segment with Vince in which he walked into the other dressing room only to find Torrie Wilson instead; Torrie then said she wanted to see whether she could get a contract with the WWF, with Vince saying they should meet in private (Torrie’s surprise debut); included a backstage segment with William Regal and Tajiri, with Regal still showing green paint on his face as a result of Chris Jericho; moments later, Jericho appeared in Regal’s office and said Regal & Tajiri should face he and another partner; Regal joked that Chris Benoit was out of action for six months, with Jericho saying he could find someone; featured a shot of the WWF wrestlers keeping watch for WCW stars at the entrance; included a backstage segment with Vince, Austin, Debra, and Angle in which Austin said he would go out to the ring and call out Booker; featured a closing in-ring segment in which Austin came out to the ring, took the mic, and called out Booker; after Booker didn’t show, Tazz joined Austin in the ring and said Austin should worry less about Booker T and should instead apologize for attacking Michael Cole the previous week during Smackdown, causing Cole to be taken backstage on a stretcher; after Austin said he wouldn’t apologize, Tazz said he would beat an apology out of him and take the title in the process; moments later, Austin said he would accept the challenge but it wouldn’t be tonight, then hitting Tazz with the title belt and continuing to assault him at ringside before throwing him onto Cole at the commentary table and repeatedly hitting him with a steel chair; the crowd then chanted “Booker T” and “Asshole” as Cole went to check on Tazz; Austin then said Cole was next and told Cole to get in the ring if he had any guts; moments later, Booker came through the crowd, hit Austin with the WCW Title, and escaped through the audience as the WWF lockerroom sprinted out and chased him; moments later, Booker was shown running into Shane McMahon’s black limo backstage and the limo drove off as hte WWF wrestlers watched on:
Edge & Christian defeated WWF Light Heavyweight Champion X-Pac & Billy Gunn when Edge pinned X-Pac with the DDT at 3:53 after knocking Gunn to the floor; following Edge & Christian’s entrance, Edge took the mic and introduced Gunn as “Billy Bitchcakes;” Christian came out to the ring carrying Edge’s King of the Ring trophy
Albert pinned WWF IC Champion Kane to win the title in a No DQ match at 5:53 with the Baldo Bomb after Diamond Dallas Page came through the audience and hit the Diamond Cutter on the champion before leaving through the crowd
WWF Tag Team Champions the Dudley Boyz fought Matt & Jeff Hardy (w/ Lita) to a no contest in a tables match at around the 5-minute mark when WCW Tag Team Champions Sean O’Haire & Chuck Palumbo interfered, attacking both teams and O’Haire hitting the Swanton on Matt; after the bout, O’Haire & Palumbo escaped into the crowd but were attacked in the crowd and in the ring by Rhyno, the Acolytes, Kaientai, the Goodfather, Bull Buchanon, Raven, K-Kwick, Hardcore & Crash Holly; moments later, O’Haire & Palumbo were sent through tables; during the commercial break, the WWF wrestlers physically threw O’Haire & Palumbo out of the building (O’Haire & Palumbo’s surprise debuts)
Spike Dudley & Molly Holly defeated Crash Holly & Jackie at 3:32 when Molly pinned Jackie with the Molly-Go-Round after Spike caused Crash to crotch Jackie on the top rope; after the bout, Crash and Jackie argued, with Crash shoving Jackie and Jackie responding by decking Crash and walking off
The Big Show (w/ Trish Stratus) pinned Perry Saturn (w/ Terri) with the chokeslam at 3:22 after Terri and Trish began fighting on the floor; during Show’s entrance, footage was shown from the commercial break of Saturn interrupting Show backstage, with Show snapping Saturn’s mop in half
Chris Jericho & Scotty 2 Hotty (mystery partner) defeated William Regal & Tajiri at 4:22 when Scotty pinned Tajiri with the bulldog and the Worm; during Jericho’s entrance, he took the mic and introduced his mystery partner (Scotty’s surprise return after a 3-month absence)
Sunday Night Heat – 7/1/01 – the live broadcast from WWF NY featured WWF Tag Team Champions the Acolytes being attacked by WCW Tag Team Champions Sean O’Haire & Chuck Palumbo:
Justin Credible pinned K-Kwick with the superkick at 4:35
Hardcore Holly defeated Test via disqualification at 4:04 after Test used the ring bell as a weapon, moments after Holly brought the weapon into the ring
Rhyno pinned Raven with the Gore at 3:42
Sunday Nigh Heat – 7/1/01 (international version): Dean Malenko defeated Taka Michinoku (w/ Taka Michinoku) via submission at 3:59 with the Texas Cloverleaf WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – October 14, 2001 (matinee) (11,098)
Included an opening in-ring promo by Jim Ross, addressing the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and noting that members of the New York City police, fire, and emergency services were in attendance
Billy Gunn pinned Justin Credible with the Fameasser
Perry Saturn pinned Tommy Dreamer with a catapult into the turnbuckle and the swinging fisherman’s suplex
WCW Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy & Lita defeated WWF European Champion Hurricane Helms & Molly Holly when Matt pinned Helms with the Twist of Fate
Test pinned Kane with the boot to the face after Booker T came ringside; after the match, the Undertaker made the save
The Undertaker pinned Booker T with the powerbomb in under 10 minutes
Kurt Angle pinned William Regal via submission with the ankle lock in a No DQ match after Mick Foley countered the outside interference of Tazz and put Tazz in the Mr. Socko Mandible Claw
WCW Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy pinned Kanyon with the Swanton after reversing a top rope Samoan Drop into a powerbomb
WWF Light Heavyweight Champion X-Pac pinned Tajiri with a low blow and the X-Factor
WWF Tag Team Champions the Dudley Boyz defeated the Acolytes when D-Von pinned Farooq after hitting him with one of the title belts, as Stacy Keibler distracted referee Nick Patrick
WCW World Champion the Rock defeated WWF World Champion Steve Austin via disqualification when WWF Tag Team Champions the Dudley Boyz interfered as Austin was trapped in the Sharpshooter; after the match, Rock cleared the Dudleyz from ringside and hit the People’s Elbow on Austin WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – January 7, 2002 (13,978)
Brock Lesnar defeated Rico Constantino (both men’s MSG debuts)
Randy Orton defeated Ron Waterman (both men’s MSG debuts)
Raw is War – featured a closing in-ring segment featuring Triple H (Triple H’s return after an 8-month absence):
Rob Van Dam pinned Test with the Van Daminator and the five star frog splash at 3:44
Billy Gunn & Chuck Palumbo defeated Scotty 2 Hotty & Albert at 3:43 after Gunn hit the Fameasser on Scotty
WWF IC Champion Edge pinned Lance Storm with the DDT at 1:10 (Storm’s MSG debut)
Steve Austin & the Rock defeated Booker T & the Big Bossman when Austin pinned Bossman with the Stunner at 8:21
WWF World Champion Chris Jericho pinned Rikishi in a non-title match at 4:27 after hitting him with the title belt; Rikishi kicked out of the cover but referee Nick Patrick made the three count anyway as payback for receiving the Stinkface earlier in the bout
Tazz & Spike Dudley defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Dudley Boyz (w/ Stacy Keibler) in a hardcore match to win the titles at 3:45 when Spike pinned Bubba Ray with the Dudley Dog through a table
WWF Women’s Champion Trish Stratus fought Terri to a no contest in a wet t-shirt contest when Jazz interfered and attacked Trish; Jerry Lawler was the guest host for the contest (Jazz’s MSG debut)
Jakked – 1/12/00:
The Hurricane pinned Sho Funaki with a flying crossbody at 4:55
Crash Holly pinned Prince Nana with a Tornado bulldog at 4:13
Perry Saturn defeated John Jirus (Xavier) via submission to the Rings of Saturn at 4:56
Christian pinned Lo-Ki with the Unprettier at 3:24 WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – January 8, 2002 (12,175)
Brock Lesnar pinned Randy Orton with a powerslam
Ron Waterman defeated Rico Constantino via submission with a Torture Rack backbreaker
Smackdown! – 1/10/02:
WWF Tag Team Champions Tazz & Spike Dudley defeated Christian & Lance Storm when Christian submitted to the Tazzmission at 4:57
WWF IC Champion Edge pinned the Big Bossman with the DDT at 3:55
The Rock & Rob Van Dam defeated WWF World Champion Chris Jericho & Test at 9:30 when the Rock used the Sharpshooter to make Jericho submit
Jazz & Terri defeated WWF Women’s Champion Trish Stratus & Jackie; the match was not televised
Rikishi fought Booker T to a no contest when Booker vomitted on the announce table after recieving the Stinkface
Steve Austin fought Kurt Angle to a no contest when Kane interfered and hit the chokeslam on both men
Sunday Night Heat – 1/13/02:
Albert & Scotty 2 Hotty defeated Crash Holly & Sho Funaki at 5:20 after Scotty hit the Worm on Crash
Billy Gunn pinned Tajiri at 4:31 with the Fameasser
The Dudley Boyz defeated Perry Saturn & Sgt. Slaughter via disqualification at 5:08 when Slaughter used his belt as a weapon WWE (Raw) @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – June 29, 2002
WWE European Champion William Regal & Christopher Nowinski defeated Bubba Ray & Spike Dudley when Nowinski pinned Spike; after the match, Nowinski was powerbombed through a table
D-Lo Brown pinned Justin Credible
Shawn Stasiak pinned WWE Hardcore Champion Bradshaw to win the title after Steven Richards interfered
Spike Dudley pinned WWE Hardcore Champion Shawn Stasiak to win the title with the Dudley Dog
Steven Richards pinned WWE Hardcore Champion Spike Dudley to win the title with the Steven Kick
Bradshaw pinned WWE Hardcore Champion Steven Richards to win the title with the Clothesline from Hell
WWE Women’s Champion Molly Holly pinned Trish Stratus with her feet on the ropes for leverage after reversing an attempt at the Stratusfaction
Matt Hardy pinned Raven
Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) pinned Ric Flair with the F5
Steven Richards pinned Tommy Dreamer with the Steven Kick
WWE IC Champion Rob Van Dam defeated Eddie Guerrero in a ladder match
Booker T & Goldust defeated X-Pac & the Big Show when Booker pinned X-Pac
WWE World Champion the Undertaker pinned Hulk Hogan with the chokeslam after Vince McMahon distracted Hogan from ringside; Jim Ross was the ring announcer for the match (Hogan’s MSG return after a 10-year absence) WWE @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – August 26, 2002
Shelton Benjamin pinned Shawn Stasiak with a spin kick to the face
Raw:
Booker T (w/ Goldust) pinned WWE Tag Team Champion Christian (w/ Lance Storm) with the scissors kick after Goldust sent an interfering Storm out of the ring
Bubba Ray & Spike Dudley defeated William Regal & Christopher Nowinski (w/ Molly Holly) when Bubba pinned Regal with the Bubba Bomb; after the match, Nowinski saved Molly from going through a table but Regal sustained a Dudley Dog onto and then a Bubba Ray powerbomb through the wooden table
Jeff Hardy defeated Chris Jericho via disqualification when Jericho failed to release the Walls of Jericho after Hardy reached the ropes; after the match, several referees forced Jericho to break the hold
WWE IC Champion Rob Van Dam pinned WWE Hardcore Champion Tommy Dreamer with the Five Star Frog Splash in a unification match following a modified Van Terminator as Dreamer was tied up in the Tree of Woe, with his legs trapped in a ladder; the match was fought under hardcore rules; after the match, the two embraced out of respect
Lillian Garcia (w/ Trish Stratus) defeated Howard Finkel in an Evening Gown vs. Tuxedo match, after both Trish and Stacy Keibler helped in attacking and stripping Finkel; due to pre-match stipulations, Lillian became the permanent ring announcer for Raw
Triple H pinned the Undertaker after Brock Lesnar interfered and hit Taker in the face with the world title belt; due to pre-match stipulations, Triple H became the #1 contender to the world title
Sunday Night Heat – 9/1/02 – hosted by Jonathan Coachman & D-Lo Brown:
Goldust pinned Johnny Stamboli with the Curtain Call at 5:21
Steven Richards pinned Crash Holly with the Steven Kick at 3:52
Bradshaw pinned Justin Credible with the Clothesline from Hell at 3:27
D-Lo Brown pinned Raven with the Sky High at 5:30 Survivor Series 02 – New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – November 17, 2002 (17,930; 15,500 paid)
Matt Striker was in attendance for the show
Sunday Night Heat – shown live:
Lance Storm & William Regal defeated Goldust & the Hurricane at 3:02 when Storm pinned Goldust with a cradle after Regal hit Goldust from behind; after the bout, Tommy Dreamer assaulted both Storm & Regal with his Singapore cane, clearing them from the ring (Survivor Series 02)
Pay-per-view bouts – included Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler on commentary for the Raw matches and Michael Cole & Tazz on commentary for the Smackdown! matches; featured Saliva performing “Always,” the show’s theme song, at The World; during the performance, clips were shown promoting the WWE Women’s Title, Smackdown! Tag Team Title, WWE World Title, and World Heavyweight Title matches later in the show; Stacy Keibler introduced the band at The World; included Kurt Angle speaking with Chris Benoit backstage, with Angle saying if Billy Kidman could win the Cruiserweight title then there was no doubt they could regain the Smackdown! Tag Team Titles; featured a backstage camera showing Victoria looking in the mirror, before the smashed it and then tore the head off a cardboard cutout of Trish Stratus; included Jonathan Coachman interviewing Eric Bischoff backstage until the Big Show interrupted and said Bischoff would be sorry for trading him since he would be leaving MSG with the WWE World Title; featured Paul Heyman speaking with WWE World Champion Brock Lesnar backstage about the match against Show later in the night; Al Wilson & Dawn Marie were shown sitting in the crowd; included an in-ring segment by Christopher Nowinski in which he insulted the crowd for not being as smart as him, with the crowd chanting “Shut the fuck up;” moments later, Matt Hardy appeared as well and said New Yorkers were not stupid, but losers; after both continued to insult the crowd, debating as to whether the fans were stupid or losers, Scott Steiner appeared and easily beat down both men, eventually gorilla pressing Hardy onto Nowinski on the floor before doing push ups in the ring and then cutting his own in-ring promo (Steiner’s surprise debut after a 9-year absence); featured Terri interviewing Shawn Michaels backstage regarding the Elimination Chamber, which was interrupted by a pre-taped RNN segment in which Randy Orton discussed his road to recovery and urged fans to continue sending well wishes to GetwellRandy@wwe.com; included Coachman interviewing World Heavyweight Champion Triple H, with Ric Flair, regarding his Elimination Chamber title defense later in the night:
Jeff Hardy, Bubba Ray & Spike Dudley defeated Rosey, Jamal, & Rico in an elimination tables match at 13:53; Spike was eliminated following a double flapjack through a table by Rosey & Jamal at 4:23; Hardy eliminated Rosey with a Swanton off an EXIT ramp through a table set up underneath at 7:42; Jamal eliminated Hardy with a splash off the top through a table on the floor at 10:31; Bubba eliminated Jamal with a powerbomb off the top through a table at 11:42; after the elimination, Rosey & Jamal attacked Bubba until D-Von Dudley made the save and cleared them from the ring; Bubba eliminated Rico following the 3D through a table by Bubba & D-Von (Bubba & D-Von’s surprise reunion after 7 months)
Billy Kidman pinned WWE Cruiserweight Champion Jamie Noble (w/ Nidia) with the Shooting Star Press at 7:29 to win the title after kicking Nidia off the apron and knocking Noble off the middle turnbuckle; after the bout, Kidman left through the crowd (the debut of Kidman’s “You Can Run” theme song)
Victoria pinned WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus in a hardcore match to win the title at 7:01 with a suplex after spraying a fire extinguisher in the champion’s face
The Big Show pinned WWE World Champion Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) to win the title at 4:19 after hitting the champion in the midsection with a chair followed by a chokeslam onto the chair; moments before the finish, Heyman turned on Lesnar by pulling the referee out of the ring and knocking him out after Lesnar hit the F5 on the challenger; immediately after the match, Heyman & Show drove out of the arena (Lesnar’s first TV pinfall loss) (The Big Show: A Giant’s World)
Eddie & Chavo Guerrero Jr. defeated WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions Edge & Rey Mysterio Jr. and Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit in an elimination match to win the titles at 19:20; Edge pinned Benoit with the spear at 13:04 after avoiding a clothesline; after the elimination, Angle & Benoit attacked their opponents and then argued with one another as they left ringside; Eddie forced Mysterio to submit to the El Passo Lasso after Chavo hit Rey in the leg with one of the title belts as the champion attempted the West Coast Pop (Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story)
Shawn Michaels defeated World Heavyweight Champion Triple H, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Chris Jericho, and Kane in an Elimination Chamber match to win the title at 39:21; Booker pinned RVD with a missile dropkick at 13:38 immediately after RVD hit the Five Star Frog Splash off the top of one of the chambers, with one of RVD’s knees landing across Triple H’s throat as he landed; Jericho pinned Booker with the Lionsault at 17:41; Jericho pinned Kane with the Lionsault after Kane sustained both Michaels’ superkick and the Pedigree at 22:54; Michaels pinned Jericho with the superkick at 30:43 as Jericho had the Walls of Jericho applied on Triple H; Michaels pinned Triple H with the superkick after reversing the Pedigree into a backdrop; prior to the bout, Eric Bischoff came out and cut an in-ring promo inside the chamber, detailing what the chamber was created of and the rules of the match; during Jericho’s entrance, Saliva performed “King of My World” live from The World; Ric Flair escorted Triple H to the ring prior to the match (Michaels’ in-ring return to MSG after a 4 year absence) (debut of the Elimination Chamber) (Satan’s Prison: The Anthology of the Elimination Chamber) WWE (Raw) @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – February 1, 2003
Steven Richards pinned Spike Dudley with the Steven Kick
Sean O’Haire pinned Rico with the Razor’s Edge
Rob Van Dam pinned D-Lo Brown with the Five Star Frog Splash
Booker T pinned Christian with the scissors kick onto a steel chair
Scott Steiner pinned Batista with a powerbomb
WWE Women’s Champion Victoria defeated Jackie and Molly Holly by pinning Jackie after Steven Richards interfered
Chris Jericho (w/ Christian) defeated Test after Christian interfered
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Lance Storm & William Regal defeated the Dudley Boyz after Regal hit Bubba Ray with brass knuckles while Chief Morley distracted the referee
Brock Lesnar defeated WWE World Champion Kurt Angle, Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas (sub. for World Heavyweight Champion Triple H) in a gauntlet match; Lesnar pinned Benjamin with the F5 after 6 minutes; Lesnar pinned Haas with the F5; Lesnar defeated Angle via disqualification when Benjamin & Haas interfered; prior to the match, Stephanie McMahon appeared and slapped Paul Heyman; after the bout, Lesnar hit the F5 on all three opponents WWE @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – June 23, 2003 (announced at 14,451)
Aaron Stevens defeated Primo Carnera III with a roll up
Mark Jindrak pinned Spike Dudley with a modified powerbomb
Raw – featured Lance Storm as a guest of the Highlight Reel; included an in-ring tribute to Mick Foley during which a music video set to Staind’s “So Far Away” was shown; later in the broadcast, Foley was confronted backstage by Randy Orton, assaulted, and kicked down the stairway:
WWE IC Champion Christian & Test defeated Booker T & Scott Steiner (w/ Stacy Keibler) when Test pinned Steiner with the boot to the face after Steiner clotheslined Christian to the floor; moments prior to the finish, Test pushed Steiner into Stacy – knocking her off the ring aprong
Maven pinned Christopher Nowinski (w/ Teddy Long) by avoiding a suplex and using a roll up at the 30 second mark
The Dudley Boyz defeated Chris Jericho & Lance Storm in an impromptu match when D-Von pinned Storm with the 3D after Storm collided with Jericho on the ring apron
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Sylvian Grenier & Rene Dupree defeated the Hurricane & Sgt. Slaughter in a non-title match when Dupree pinned Slaughter after hitting him with one of the title belts, moments after Slaughter applied the Cobra Clutch on both opponents
Shawn Michaels & Kevin Nash defeated Ric Flair & Randy Orton when Michaels pinned Flair with the flying elbowsmash and superkick
Bill Goldberg pinned Rodney Mack (w/ Teddy Long) with the Jackhammer at the 26 second mark of the 5-minute White Boy Challenge; during Goldberg’s entrance, Mack attempted to attack his opponent on the stage but was knocked through the pyro and down the ramp
World Heavyweight Champion Triple H (w/ Ric Flair) pinned Kane with the Pedigree at around the 11-minute mark after Randy Orton came out of the crowd and hit a low blow and the RKO as Kane prepared to chokeslam the champion; moments earlier, Kane fought off a double team from Triple H and Flair, eventually hitting Flair with a chokeslam; due to pre-match stipulations, Kane was forced to unmask; after the bout, Eric Bischoff came out and ordered Kane to unmask but, before he could, Evolution attacked him which brought out Rob Van Dam to make the save; after clearning the ring, Kane eventually did unmask before hitting a chokeslam on RVD (The Greatest Superstars of the 21st Century)
Sunday Night Heat – 6/29/03 – hosted by Al Snow & Jonathan Coachman; included a backstage segment with Rico scolding his off-camera assistant Jan for appearing on camera, then introducing Jackie Gayda who modeled an evening dress; featured a home video promo for ‘From the Vault: Shawn Michaels;’ included exclusive footage of Mick Foley being stitched up on Monday following his backstage assault at the hands of Randy Orton & Ric Flair; featured Rico & Gayda salsa dancing backstage until Rico became aggrivated by Jan attempting to dance with them; included Terri Runnels in the men’s room attempting to interview Steven Richards & Victoria, with Richards hopping out of a stall and revealing his new “Stevie Night Heat” trunks; featured a PPV promo for Vengeance:
Garrison Cade pinned Rosey at 2:19 with a high knee
Val Venis pinned Roman Zachako at 1:58 with the Money Shot; after the bout, Venis kisses a female in the front row
Rico (w/ Jackie Gayda) pinned Tommy Dreamer at 2:36 with a spinning kick as Dreamer was about to DDT the interfering Gayda
Steven Richards & Victoria defeated Goldust & Trish Stratus in an at 5:17 when Richards pinned Trish with a roll up as she prepared to hit Stratusfaction on Victoria; the bout was mistakenly announced as a mixed tag team match WWE @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – June 24, 2003
Roman Zachako defeated Aaron Stevens with a roll up
Smackdown! – 6/26/03 – Billy Kidman sat ringside for the show after not appearing on WWE TV for four months:
John Cena pinned Orlando Jordon by rolling through on a flying bodypress and using the tights for leverage; after the bout, Cena hit the FU on his opponent before leaving ringside as the Undertaker made his way to the ring; in a show of respect, Taker gave Jordon a pat on the ribs for a good showing (Jordon’s TV debut)
The Undertaker & the Acolytes defeated Nunzio, Chuck Palumbo, & Johnny Stamboli when Bradshaw pinned Stamboli with the Clothesline from Hell after Stamboli clotheslined Taker to the floor
WWE US Title Tournament Quarter Finals: Matt Hardy pinned Rikishi with the Twist of Fate after Rikishi missed a splash in the corner, hitting an unprotected turnbuckle back-first
WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions Eddie Guerrero & Tajiri defeated Roddy Piper & Sean O’Haire when Guerrero pinned Piper with the frog splash after Tajiri sprayed green mist into Piper’s eyes (Piper’s last appearance for 2 years; Piper’s last MSG match for 3 years)
The Ultimo Dragon pinned Shannon Moore with a standing Dudley Dogg into a reverse DDT; Rey Mysterio Jr. did guest commentary for the bout and helped celebrate the win with Dragon after the match (Dragon’s TV debut)
The Big Show, Shelton Benjamin, & Charlie Haas defeated WWE World Champion Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, & Mr. America when Show pinned Mr. America with the chokeslam after Mr. America became distracted by Vince McMahon and an injured Zach Gowen at ringside; after the bout, McMahon ordered a handicap match for the following week pitting the Big Show against Zach Gowen & Stephanie McMahon with the stipulation that if Gowen’s team is able to win, he would earn a WWE contract (Mr. America’s last appearance; Hulk Hogan’s last apperance for 2 years)
Velocity – 6/28/03 – hosted by Josh Matthews & Ernest Miller:
Billy Gunn (w/ Torrie Wilson) pinned Kanyon with the Fameasser at 5:24
Spanky pinned John Xavier at 6:24 with Sliced Bread #2
Albert pinned Kevin Knight at 2:40 with the backbreaker
Chris Benoit & Rhyno defeated Doug & Danny Basham (w/ Shaniqua) at 6:58 when Doug submitted to Benoit’s Crippler Crossface after Rhyno hit the Gore WWE @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – September 20, 2003 (less than 12,000)
Chris Benoit defeated the Big Show via submission with the Crippler Crossface at 4:41
Matt Hardy & Shannon Moore defeated Spanky & Paul London at 7:35 when Hardy pinned London with the Twist of Fate (Spanky & London’s MSG debuts)
Sho Funaki pinned Nunzio with a roll up at 5:22
Doug & Danny Basham defeated the Ultimo Dragon & Jamie Noble at 8:23 when Danny pinned Noble (the Bashams’ MSG debuts)
Albert pinned Orlando Jordan with a boot to the face at 5:09
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio Jr. pinned Tajiri following the 619 and West Coast Pop at 8:31
Charlie Haas pinned Billy Kidman at 6:40 with a roll up after Kidman failed the Shooting Star Press
WWE US & Smackdown! Tag Team Champion Eddie Guerrero defeated John Cena and Rhyno by pinning Cena with the frog splash at 6:45 after Rhyno hit the Gore on Cena who held up the title belt, knocking out both challengers; after the bout, Cena insulted NYC which prompted Tazz to come to the ring and apply the Tazzmission on Cena
Torrie Wilson defeated Dawn Marie and Sable in a tiny teddy contest; Sho Funaki was the guest MC
WWE World Champion Brock Lesnar defeated the Undertaker in a steel cage match at 18:20 by escaping over the top after Vince McMahon interfered and prevented the challenger from leaving the cage WWE (Raw) @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – December 12, 2003
Included Jonathan Coachman as the guest ring announcer for the night after Coachman ordered Howard Finkel to take the night off
The Hurricane pinned Test at 7:02 after Stacy Keibler prevented Test from using a steel chair, with Test then shoving Stacy into the corner and missing a chair shot to his opponent and the chair then bouncing off the top rope and hitting Test in the head
Mark Henry pinned Tommy Dreamer at 3:21 with a powerslam as Dreamer attempted to use his Singapore cane
WWE Women’s Champion Molly Holly defeated Trish Stratus, Lita, and Jazz in an elimination match at 8:24; Lita sustained an injury at around 1:20 while attempting a flip out of the corner and was helped backstage by Fit Finley and officials at the 4-minute mark; Trish pinned Jazz with a roll up at 6:31; after the elimination, Jazz continued to attack Trish until guest referee Victoria threw her out of the ring; Molly pinned Trish with a side roll after Victoria kicked Trish in the mid section as the challenger attempted the standing hurricanrana off the top
Mark Jindrak & Garrison Cade defeated Lance Storm & Val Venis at 8:57 when Jindrak pinned Storm after Cade pulled Storm from the ring, after he and Venis hit the Hart Attack, and threw him into the steel ring post
Matt Hardy pinned Maven with the Twist of Fate at 5:46 after Maven narrowly avoided colliding with the referee in the corner
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions the Dudley Boyz defeated Chris Jericho & Christian in a tables match at 14:48 when Christian was put through a table with the 3D moments after he accidentally knocked Jericho to the floor; late in the bout, both Trish Stratus and Lita interfered on behalf of the champions, hitting a simultaneous Wazzup Drop off the top
Shawn Michaels pinned Ric Flair at 21:17 with the superkick; the bout originally ended in a 20-minute time-limit draw, at 16:26, as Michaels was caught in the figure-4 but a bloody Flair challenged his opponent to 5 more minutes
WWE IC Champion Rob Van Dam & Booker T defeated Randy Orton & Batista at 11:03 when RVD pinned Orton with the Five Star Frog Splash after Booker hit the scissors kick
World Heavyweight Champion Bill Goldberg pinned Kane with the spear at 6:52; after the bout, Goldberg fought off Batista, Randy Orton, and Mark Henry, throwing Batista out of the ring and hitting the spear on the other two WrestleMania XX – New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – March 14, 2004 (18,500 paid; sell out)
Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, and AJ were in attendance for the show
Pay-per-view bouts – included a Hall of Fame segment showcasing Bobby Heenan, Harley Race, Superstar Billy Graham, Don Muraco, Greg Valentine, the Junkyard Dog, Tito Santana, Big John Studd, Sgt. Slaughter, Pete Rose, and Jesse Ventura; featured an interview by Ventura with Donald Trump, who sat ringside for the event; the Harlem Boys Choir performed ‘America the Beautiful’ to begin the broadcast; included Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler on commentary for the Raw matches, with Michael Cole & Tazz commentating the Smackdown! bouts
John Cena pinned WWE US Champion the Big Show to win the title at 9:13 with the FU after hitting the champion with a pair of brass knuckles
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Rob Van Dam & Booker T defeated Mark Jindrak & Garrison Cade, the Dudley Boyz, and Rene Dupree & Rob Conway at 7:55 when RVD pinned Conway with the Five Star Frog Splash after Booker hit the scissors kick
Christian pinned Chris Jericho at 14:56 with a roll up and using the tights for leverage after Trish Stratus accidentally raked Jericho in the eyes; after the bout, Trish slapped Jericho and left ringside with Christian
WWE IC Champion Randy Orton, Ric Flair, & Batista defeated the Rock & Mick Foley in a handicap match at 17:09 when Orton pinned Foley with the RKO as Foley prepared to apply the Mandible Claw (Foley’s first match in 4 years; Rock’s first match in 11 months) (Randy Orton: The Evolution of a Predator)
Torrie Wilson & Sable defeated Stacy Keibler & Jackie Gayda in a Playboy Evening Gown Match when Torrie pinned Jackie with a roll up at 2:41; prior to the bout, all four women disrobed to their bra and panties
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Chavo Guerrero Jr. (w/ Chavo Guerrero Sr.) defeated Nunzio, Shannon Moore, Rey Mysterio Jr., Sho Funaki, the Ultimo Dragon, Jamie Noble, Billy Kidman, Tajiri, and Akio in a gauntlet match at 10:38; Dragon pinned Moore with the Asai DDT at 1:18; Noble defeated Dragon via submission with a guillotine; Noble pinned Funaki with an inside cradle; Nunzio was counted-out at 4:15; Kidman pinned Noble at 6:08; Mysterio pinned Kidman at 7:35; Mysterio pinned Tajiri at 8:38; Akio couldn’t pariticpate after Tajiri accidentally blew mist into his face; Chavo pinned Rey by holding onto Chavo Sr. outside the ring
Bill Goldberg pinned Brock Lesnar at 13:48 with the spear and Jackhammer; after the bout, guest referee Steve Austin hit the Stunner on Lesnar before doing the same to Goldberg (Lesnar and Goldberg’s last match in the WWE) (Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection)
WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions Rikishi & Scotty 2 Hotty defeated the Acolytes, Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas, and Doug & Danny Basham when Rikishi pinned Danny with a sit-down splash at 6:05
WWE Women’s Champion Victoria pinned Molly Holly at 4:56 by reversing a neckbreaker submission hold into a backslide; due to prematch stipulations, Molly had her head shaved bald after the bout
WWE World Champion Eddie Guerrero pinned Kurt Angle at 21:30 with an inside cradle and using the ropes for leverage after avoiding the ankle lock by unlacing his boot
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Kane with the tombstone at 6:56; prior to the bout, druids holding torches lined each side of the aisle as Taker walked to the ring (Taker’s return after a 4-month absence) (Bearer’s surprise return after a nearly 4-year absence) (Tombstone: The History of the Undertaker, The Undertaker: 15-0)
Chris Benoit defeated World Heavyweight Champion Triple H and Shawn Michaels to win the title at 24:07 when Triple H submitted to the Crippler Crossface; after the bout, WWE World Champion Eddie Guerrero came out to congratulate Benoit; following the telecast, Benoit’s family came out to celebrate the victory as well; voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated and PWInsider Match of the Year (Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story) WWE (Raw) @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – June 26, 2004 (10,000)
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Rob Conway & Sylvian Grenier defeated Rhyno & Tajiri when Tajiri was pinned following the Aur Reviour
Eugene pinned Jonathan Coachman with the Rock Bottom and People’s Elbow, moments after William Regal countered the interference of Eric Bischoff; after the bout, Eugene dropped Bischoff with the Stunner
Kane pinned Matt Hardy with the chokeslam
The Hurricane & Maven defeated Garrison Cade & Test when Hurricane pinned Test with a roll up
Chris Jericho pinned Batista at 9:35 by reversing the sit-down powerbomb into a roll up and grabbing the tights for leverage
WWE IC Champion Randy Orton pinned Edge at 13:25 with a roll up and putting both feet on the top rope for leverage after dropping the challenger head-first onto the top turnbuckle
WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus (w/ Tyson Tomko) pinned Victoria at 7:21 by putting her feet on the ropes for leverage after Tomko pulled her out of the way of the challenger’s moonsault; after the bout, Tomko attempted to press slam Victoria until Lita came out and gave Tomko a low blow from behind
WWE Raw World Champion Chris Benoit defeated Triple H via submission with the Crippler Crossface after reversing an attempt at the Pedigree at 24:42, moments after the champion hit an interfering Ric Flair and Batista with a steel chair WWE @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – October 4, 2004
Val Venis defeated Muhammad Hassan (w/ Shawn Davari)
Raw – included WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho interrupting an in-ring promo by Triple H, admitting that it was Jericho who suggested the idea for Taboo Tuesday and that Triple H would have several challengers for the fans to choose from:
Shawn Michaels pinned Christian at 13:21 with the superkick
Batista defeated Chris Benoit via disqualification at 4:54 when Randy Orton interfered
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Rob Conway & Sylvian Grenier defeated the Hurricane & Rosey at 2:16 following the Aur Reviour
Stacy Keibler pinned Molly Holly with a roll up at 2:51
World Heavyweight Champion Triple H pinned WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho in a non-title lumberjack match at 5:20 after Rhyno interfered and hit the Gore on Jericho
Sunday Night Heat – 10/10/04 – hosted by Todd Grisham & Al Snow:
Victoria pinned Gail Kim with the Widow’s Peak at 4:19
Rhyno & Tajiri defeated Danny Doring & Arch Kinkaid at 5:52 when Tajiri pinned Kincaid with the kick to the head after the Tarantula
Maven pinned Steven Richards at 4:09 with a roll over
Shelton Benjamin pinned Rodney Mack (w/ Jazz) with the Exploder suplex at 5:22 after Mack collided with Jazz on the ring apron WWE (Smackdown!) @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – December 5, 2004 (matinee) (5,821)
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Spike Dudley defeated Nunzio, Shannon Moore, and Sho Funaki by pinning Moore with a roll up at 7:17
The Big Show defeated Kurt Angle, Luther Reigns, and Mark Jindrak in a handicap match by placing one hand on both Reigns and Jindrak following a double chokeslam at 5:54
Jesus pinned Charlie Haas at 6:43 with a roll up and putting his feet on the ropes for leverage after lifting his knees to block a Vader Bomb off the ropes (Jesus’ only MSG appearance)
Chavo Guerrero Jr. pinned Billy Kidman with the Gory Bomb at 9:14 after crotching Kidman on the top as he attempted the Shooting Star Press
WWE World Champion John Bradshaw Layfield (w/ Orlando Jordan) defeated Eddie Guerrero and Booker T at 8:54 by pinning Booker after hitting him with the title belt; moments prior to the finish, Orlando crotched Guerrero on the top rope as Eddie attempted the frog splash but was then kicked off the apron by Booker as JBL grabbed for the title belt
WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions Rene Dupree & Kenzo Suzuki defeated Rob Van Dam & Rey Mysterio Jr. at 14:41 when Suzuki pinned Mysterio with the STO after Dupree threw salt into Mysterio’s eyes after Mysterio leap frogged over Suzuki
Jackie Gayda pinned Dawn Marie at 5:42 with a sunset flip; after the bout, Torrie Wilson made the save for Jackie against Dawn and helped in clearing the ring of both Dawn and an interfering Hiroku
The Undertaker pinned John Heidenreich (w/ Paul Heyman) with the chokeslam and tombstone at 16:04; after the bout, John Bradshaw Layfield and Orlando Jordan double teamed the Undertaker inside the ring; moments later, Eddie Guerrero and Booker T came to ringside, distracting JBL & Orlando just long enough for Taker to get back to his feet and hit chokeslams on both men; Heyman was then thrown into the ring where he also sustained a chokeslam WWE (Raw) @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – February 25, 2005 (12,000 paid; 14,000)
Featured a WrestleMania music video to the tune of Kid Rock’s “Lonely Road of Faith;” included an appearance by Superstar Billy Graham in which he cut a promo on Ivan Putski and hit Jonathan Coachman after Coachman insulted him; Vince McMahon, in a wheelchair recovering from a double quad tear, was backstage for the show
WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin pinned Christian with the Exploder suplex at around the 12-minute mark
Chris Masters defeated Val Venis via submission with the full nelson at 9:31 (Master’s MSG debut)
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions William Regal & Tajiri defeated Rob Conway & Sylvian Grenier at 7:08 when Regal pinned Grenier with a running knee to the face
WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus defeated Victoria and Molly Holly at 4:36 by pinning Molly after Molly sustained Victoria’s Widows Peak, with Victoria then being hit with the champion’s Chick Kick immediately thereafter
Muhammad Hassan pinned Rhyno with the Flatliner at 6:43 after Rhyno failed the Gore
Kane pinned Gene Snitsky with the chokeslam at 8:18; Christy Hemme was the guest ring announcer for the bout
Chris Benoit defeated Chris Jericho in a submission match with the Crippler Crossface at 12:07 after Jericho spent nearly 50 seconds in the hold; after the match, the two men shook hands out of respect and held each other’s arm in the air
Shawn Michaels pinned Edge with the superkick at 14:18 as Edge attempted the spear
Batista & Randy Orton defeated World Heavyweight Champion Triple H & Ric Flair in a steel cage match at 19:58 when Batista pinned Triple H with a spinebuster and the sit-down powerbomb; both Flair and Orton were deemed unable to continue and helped backstage at around the 8-minute mark after Orton dropped Flair with an RKO on the floor and Triple H hit Orton over the head with a steel chair seconds later WWE @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – April 18, 2005 (17,258; 13,000 paid; sold out)
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Paul London & Nunzio defeated Billy Kidman & Spike Dudley at 5:24 when London pinned Kidman with a DDT off the top
Raw – featured Jonathan Coachman doing guest commentary alongside Jerry Lawler; included an in-ring confrontation between Trish Stratus and Lita, where the crowd loudly and repeatedly chanted “You screwed Matt” towards Lita, before Kane eventually came out to stalk Trish; moments later, Viscera came out to make the save, assaulting Kane inside the ring as the crowd chanted “Let’s go, Mabel”; featured Chris Masters challenging a fan out of the crowd by the name of Roman to escape his Masterlock full nelson, and if he succeeded he would win $1,000; Roman failed; included an in-ring promo from Christian, with Tyson Tomko, in which Christian was interrupted by Vince McMahon who then announced that in approximately a month a new draft would take place to shake up the rosters of Raw and Smackdown!; Christian later made mention of going to Smackdown! and facing John Cena saying, “I would kick Marky Mark’s ass and take his WWE title because that’s how I roll”; moments later, McMahon stated Christian would face Batista for the world title the next week on Raw (Vince’s surprise return to TV following his injury sustained at the Royal Rumble):
Chris Benoit fought Edge to a no contest when the two men fought their way backstage at around the 4:50 mark; following the commercial break, the two fought their way into the Divas’ locker room before Eric Bischoff had them separated and ordered a Last Man Standing match to take place at Backlash
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions William Regal & Tajiri defeated the Heart Throbs in a non-title match when Tajiri pinned Romeo at 4:41 with a modified sunset flip after Regal dropped Romeo throat-first across the top rope; after the bout, the champions were attacked from behind, with Tajiri eventually sustaining a double STO (the Heartthrobs’ surprise Raw debut)
Shawn Michaels defeated Muhammad Hassan (w/ Daivari) via disqualification at 10:06 when Daivari, who was thrown into the ring moments earlier by Michaels, began stomping Michaels after Hassan hit the Flatliner; moments later, Hulk Hogan came out to make the save, with Hogan and Michaels eventually throwing both Hassan & Daivari from the ring before posing to “Real American” (Hogan’s surprise return to MSG after an absence of 2 years)
WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin pinned Simon Dean with the Exploder suplex in a non-title match at 3:17; prior to the bout, Chris Jericho came out and told Benjamin that he would get a title shot at Backlash, with Jericho then bringing out Rich Ward from Fozzy to help him perform Fozzy’s latest single, “Shelton’s a Little Bitch”; Jericho remained on the stage for the duration of the match
Jim Ross pinned Triple H (w/ Ric Flair) in a No DQ match at 11:33 after Batista interfered, beat down Flair, hit Triple H with a steel chair, and hit the Batista Bomb before placing JR on top of Triple H; earlier in the bout, Jerry Lawler came to the ring to check on JR but was also beaten down; Batista was to have been in JR’s corner for the duration of the match but showed up late after Triple H paid off his limo driver to get lost
Smackdown! – included WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champion Eddie Guerrero as a guest of Carlito’s Cabana in which Rey Mysterio Jr. came out; moments later, the two shook hands and buried the hatchet for their issues over the previous few weeks; they were then interrupted by MNM on the big screen, shown backstage next to Guerrero’s low rider; to goad Guerrero & Mysterio into granting them a title shot, MNM vandalized Guerrero’s car; featured John Heidenreich inviting out his ‘friend’ the Brooklyn Brawler, with Heidenreich then reading a poem he wrote about the Brawler; moments later, Brawler ran down the poem, disowned New York, took off his Yankees’ shirt and hat and put on a Red Sox shirt and hat instead; Heidenreich then attacked the Brawler, eventually hitting the sidewalk slam:
#1 Contender’s Tournament Opening Round: The Big Show fought Booker T to a double disqualification at 5:19 when Kurt Angle and John Bradshaw Layfield, who were both doing guest commentary, attacked Show and Booker on the outside to make sure neither man advanced in the tournament; Booker’s wife Sharmel was at ringside for the match; after the bout, Show and Booker cleared the ring of the opposition; moments later, Teddy Long came out and ordered that a four-way match take place the following week in England between Angle, JBL, Booker, and Show to determine Cena’s top contender and that Booker & Show would face Angle & JBL later in the show
Matt Morgan pinned Brett Matthews at 1:18 with a suplex into a sidewalk slam (Morgan’s TV return after an absence of over a year)
Booker T & the Big Show defeated Kurt Angle & John Bradshaw Layfield at 13:11 when Show pinned JBL with the chokeslam after Booker hit the scissors kick; moments prior to the finish, Angle walked out on his partner
Johnny Nitro & Joey Mercury (w/ Melina) defeated WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions Eddie Guerrero & Rey Mysterio Jr. to win the titles when Mercury pinned Mysterio at 10:26 after hitting the elevated double team DDT as Melina jumped on Guerrero on the floor to distract him; after the bout, Guerrero & Mysterio argued in the ring over the outcome with Guerrero shoving Mysterio to the mat; moments later, Mysterio confronted Guerrero on the floor and shoved him to the floor before walking backstage alone (Guerrero’s last MSG appearance)
WWE World Champion John Cena pinned WWE US Champion Orlando Jordan in a non-title match with the FU at 7:06 after Jordan collided with an interfering Danny Basham on the ring apron WWE @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – September 11, 2006 (17,298; sell out)
The return to MSG after an absence of 17 months
Jim Duggan & Eugene defeated Charlie Haas & Viscera when Duggan pinned Haas with the running clothesline (Duggan’s MSG return after a nearly 15-year absence)
ECW – 9/12/06 – the MSG debut of Joey Styles; featured an opening in-ring segment in which Paul Heyman, with his two bodyguards in riot gear, cut a promo saying his recent comprimise with Vince McMahon brought ECW from a bingo hall to the Garden and all the fans owed him a thank you; moments later, Sabu appeared, rushed the ring, attacked the bodyguards with a steel chair, and cleared them from the ring; Heyman, from the floor, then ordered Sabu to face ECW World Champion the Big Show in an extreme rules match later in the show, with Sabu then leaping from the top rope onto the bodyguards on the floor; included a look at Robert Patrick’s role in the John Cena film “The Marine;” featured a brief backstage confrontation between CM Punk and Mike Knox after Kelly Kelly started hitting on Punk; included a backstage promo by Matt Striker regarding the Sandman:
Rob Van Dam defeated Hardcore Holly via disqualification at 4:50 when Test, Mike Knox, and Stevie Richards interfered as Van Dam attempted the Five Star Frog Splash; after the bout, Tommy Dreamer and the Sandman came through the crowd to make the save, with RVD eventually hitting the Five Star Frog Splash on Richards (Sandman and Knox’ MSG debuts; Dreamer’s MSG return after a 3-year absence; Richards’ MSG return after a 2-year absence; Holly’s MSG return after a 5-year absence; RVD’s MSG return after a 2-year absence)
CM Punk defeated Shannon Moore via submission with the Anaconda Vice following a uranage at 1:51 (Punk’s MSG debut; Moore’s ECW TV debut; Moore’s MSG return after a 2-year absence)
Rene Dupree pinned Balls Mahoney at 3:24 after Kevin Thorn, who was at ringside for the duration of the match with Ariel, knocked Mahoney off the ring apron and onto the steel ring steps (Dupree’s ECW TV debut)
ECW World Champion the Big Show (w/ Paul Heyman & his two bodyguards) pinned Sabu in an extreme rules match after a chokeslam through a table, a cobra clutch backbreaker and the Showstopper (Sabu’s MSG debut)
Raw – featured a moment of silence in honor of those lost on Sept. 11, 2001, the presentation of the American flag by the USMC Color Guard 2nd Battalion 25th Marine Regiment, and Lillian Garcia singing “America, the Beautiful” to open the show; included clips from the Triple H / Mick Foley, Shawn Michaels / Undertaker, Triple H / Chris Jericho, and Triple H / Kevin Nash Hell in a Cell matches to promote the upcoming Hell in a Cell at Unforgiven; featured the announcement that Sabu would face ECW World Champion the Big Show in an extreme rules match the following night on ECW TV; included a backstage confrontation between Jeff Hardy and WWE IC Champion Jeff Hardy in which Hardy doused Nitro with buckets of paint; Anthony Michael Hall and Toby Keith sat ringside for the event; featured a vignette promoting the debut of Cryme Tyme; included a look at Robert Patrick’s role in the John Cena film “The Marine;” featured a “This Week in Wrestling” segment focusing on the 9/13/01 live Smackdown! from Houston, the first show held in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks:
Umaga (w/ Armando Allejandro Estrada) defeated Ric Flair via disqualification at 1:06 when Flair began repeatedly hitting Umaga over the head with a steel chair, with Umaga seemingly not being affected by the blows; after the bout, Umaga attacked Flair and hit a Samoan Drop on the floor; moments later, Kane appeared, fought off Umaga, repeatedly hit him over the head with the chair, knocking him to the floor, threw the ring steps into Umaga’s face, and then rammed the steps into Umaga on the floor, knocking him into the front row (Umaga & Estrada’s MSG debuts)
Roddy Piper, Robbie & Rory McAllister defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champions the Spirit Squad in a non-title impromptu match at around the 8-minute mark when Piper scored the pin after the Highlanders hit the Scot Drop behind the referee’s back; the match came about when the Spirit Squad interrupted Piper & the Highlanders’ in-ring promo, in which Piper put over the fact he was named the #1 heel of all time in the new “51 Worst Offenders” WWE magazine; the NYPD Pipes and Drums Emerald Society played Piper & the Highlanders to the ring (the bout began during the commercial break) (Piper’s first match back in MSG after more than a 3-year absence)
John Cena, Jeff Hardy, & Carlito Caribbean Cool defeated WWE World Champion Edge (w/ WWE Women’s Champion Lita), WWE IC Champion Johnny Nitro (w/ Melina), & Randy Orton at 17:47 when Nitro submitted to Cena’s STFU after sustaining the FU; during the bout, the crowd had dueling chants directed to Cena – “Let’s go, Cena” / “Cena sucks” and “Go to Smackdown!” / “Stay on Raw” (Hardy’s MSG return after an almost 4-year absence; Carlito’s in-ring MSG debut)
Super Crazy pinned Chris Masters at 2:58 with a reversal (Super Crazy’s MSG debut)
Trish Stratus pinned Mickie James with the Stratusfaction at 3:14 after kicking an interfering WWE Women’s Champion Lita off the ring apron; after the bout, Trish and Mickie shook hands and hugged; moments later, Trish took the microphone and thanked the fans for their support (Trish’s last match on Raw)
Vince McMahon pinned Triple H in a no holds barred match at 7:00 after hitting Triple H with his own sledgehammer after the outside interference of Shane McMahon, ECW World Champion the Big Show, and Shawn Michaels; prior to the bout, Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch, Show, and Shane attacked DX backstage, during which Triple H had McMahon’s limo door slammed against his head causing him to bleed from the ear (Unforgiven 06, The New & Improved DX) WWE @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – August 13, 2007 (sell out; announced as 16,827)
D-Lo Brown pinned Ryan O’Reilly at 3:48 with the Lo Down
Raw – featured an opening in-ring promo by Vince McMahon, as the ring was surrounded by dozens of talent from Raw, Smackdown!, and ECW, regarding the news he has an illegitimate child – with the crowd chanting “Who’s Your Daddy;” moments later, Stephanie McMahon appeared, berated him for what he put the rest of the family through, and said the illegitimate child is a WWE superstar; as Vince left the ring, he stared at both Ken Kennedy and Mark Henry, wondering if they could be his son; included a vignette of Bobby Lashley in Birmingham, AL recovering from his shoulder injury sustained weeks earlier at the hands of Kennedy; featured footage backstage of McMahon and Jonathan Coachman in which McMahon vented about the news that his child works for WWE, with Ric Flair then appearing and repeatedly going “Whoo” towards McMahon; included a series of vignettes throughout the show detailing Randy Orton’s attacks on Shawn Michaels, Rob Van Dam, Dusty Rhodes, and Sgt. Slaughter; featured a backstage segment with William Regal, preparing for his hosting WWE Idol later in the show, in which Michael Cole & John Bradshaw Layfield dressed as Hall & Oates and sang “Private Eyes;” moments later, Maria and Ron Simmons appeared with Regal sayiing Maria would be one of the judges for the contest later in the show and she and Simmons date would be next week; Santino Marella then appeared and objected, saying he would sing a romantic song during WWE Idol to melt Maria’s heart but Regal said there weren’t any more spots open in the contest; Simmons then stared at JBL & Cole, with them asking Simmons what his favorite 80s band was, with Simmons sayinig “Wham!;” included two ads for Saturday Night’s Main Event the following weekend; featured a vignette promoting the return of Triple H at Summer Slam; included a backstage segment with Vince and Coachman with Coachman saying he would cross reference all of McMahon’s “indescretions” with the WWE superstars; moments later, Cody Rhodes appeared, said he knew who his father was, and gave McMahon a condom, saying he thought he could use it; the Boogeyman then appeared behind McMahon, singing Harry Chapin’s “Cats in the Cradle;” featured WWE Idol, judged by William Regal, Maria, and Mick Foley; Jillian Hall sang “Memories” from Cats, with her own lyrics; Nikolai Volkoff, with Howard Finkel and the Iron Sheik, singing the Russian National Anthem; after the performance, Regal and Sheik got into an argument until Regal had the three removed by security; Lilian Garcia sang “New York, New York” until she was interrupted by Santino Marella, who said Lilian was dressed as a “filthy prostitute” before himself singing a modified version of “Amore;” after Santino pressured Maria to leave with him, Simmons appeared, with Santino calling him Cookie Monster because he rhymes and Simmons throwing him into the stage; Simmons was then declared the winner and said “Damn” over the mic; included an in-ring segment in which Jerry Lawler was scheduled to officially crown Booker T, with Sharmell, as the sole king in wrestling; after Booker demanded Lawler to crown him, Lawler said Booker wasn’t the only king in wrestling and at Summer Slam – by order of William Regal – he would be facing Triple H, “the King of Kings;” Booker and Lawler then traded blows with Booker gaining the advantage thanks to Sharmell and busting Lawler open after hitting him with a TV monitor; Todd Grisham filled in for Lawler for the remainder of the show; featured a closing backstage segment with McMahon and Coachman in which Linda McMahon appeared and said Vince no longer had a home:
Ken Kennedy pinned the Sandman with a fireman’s carry into a forward roll at 2:23
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch defeated Cryme Tyme via disqualification in a non-title match at around the 4-minute mark when Shad hit Murdoch over the back with a steel chair after the champions hit the High-Low behind the referee’s back; prior to the bout, Cryme Tyme appeared ringside, took Lilian Garcia’s chair, autographed it, and then offered to sell it to fans in the crowd, with one fan buying it for $1,000; the same chair was used in the finish of the bout (the bout began during the commercial break)
Snitsky pinned Robbie McAllister (w/ Rory McAllister) with the pumphandle slam at the 20-second mark; after the bout, Rory attempted to make the save but was kicked in the face and also sustained the pumphandle slam
Cody Rhodes pinned Charlie Haas (w/ Shelton Benjamin) with an inside cradle at 5:04
WWE World Champion John Cena & WWE IC Champion Umaga defeated Randy Orton & Carlito Caribbean Cool at 13:54 when Cena pinned Carlito with the FU after Umaga avoided Carlito’s Back Stabber; prior to the bout, Orton cut an in-ring promo on Cena being the longest reigning champion in nearly two decades and his match with Cena at Summer Slam; the crowd chanted in unison during the bout, “Let’s Go, Cena” and “Cena Sucks”
Saturday Night’s Main Event #35 – 8/18/07 – featured an opening backstage segment with Vince McMahon and Jonathan Coachman in which Coachman said he has cross referenced all the WWE superstars and is confident he could name the identity of McMahon’s child later in the show; included Michael Cole, Jim Ross, & John Bradshaw Layfield on commentary; featured a backstage segment where McMahon saw an early 80s version of himself in the mirror; moments later, Ron Simmons walked over to the mirror, stared at it, and said “Damn;” included a vignette promoting the return of Triple H at Summer Slam; featured WWE US Champion MVP backstage with Evander Hollyfield and his entourage talking about Hollyfield’s fight with Matt Hardy later in the show; included an in-ring segment with McMahon and Coachman regarding McMahon’s mystery child in which Coachman introduced Eugene as the man he believed to be McMahon’s son, then Melina who he thought to be McMahon’s daughter, with Melina saying she would take McMahon for every cent that he has if it turns out she is his daughter; moments later, Coachman brought out a third option, Steve Austin; Austin then talked about McMahon possibly being his father and all the things he missed out on growing up without McMahon and then said he wanted to help McMahon control his “overactive grapefruits” and then kicked and punch McMahon in the groin before dropping Coachman with the Stunner; moments later, as McMahon struggled to his feet, Austin offered McMahon a beer to celebrate Austin’s return to Madison Square Garden; as McMahon went to drink it, Austin dropped him with the Stunner; featured backstage footage of MVP hyping Hollyfield up for his fight against Hardy later in the show; included a closing music video highlighting the night’s events:
Batista & Kane defeated World Heavyweight Champion the Great Khali (w/ Runjin Singh) & Finlay at 8:25 when Batista pinned Finlay with the spear and sit-down powerbomb, despite interference from WWE Cruiserweight Champion Hornswaggle, after Batista & Kane hit Khali with a double chokeslam
WWE World Champion John Cena defeated Carlito Caribbean Cool via submission with the STFU in a non-title match at 5:37; after the bout, Randy Orton attacked Cena, throwing him into the steel ringsteps, and dropping Cena with an RKO onto a steel chair set up at ringside; the crowd chanted back and forth “Randy Orton” and “Sucks” as Orton stood over Cena’s body; after the commercial break, Todd Grisham conducted a backstage interview with Orton regarding the attack and Orton’s upcoming match against Cena at Summer Slam
Evander Hollyfield (w/ WWE US Champion MVP) fought Matt Hardy to a no contest in a boxing fight at the 44-second mark of Round 2 when Hollyfield knocked out MVP with a punch after MVP repeatedly tried to tell Hollyfield what to do in the fight and climbed into the ring; Michael Buffer was the guest ring announcer for the bout
CM Punk & the Boogeyman defeated ECW World Champion John Morrison & Big Daddy V (w/ Matt Striker) at 6:40 when Punk pinned Morrison with an inside cradle; Tazz did guest commentary for the bout Royal Rumble 08 – New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – January 27, 2008 (announced at 20,798; 19,000; sell out)
Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore defeated Deuce & Domino (w/ Cherry) in under 5 minutes
Pay-per-view bouts – the first pay-per-view to air in HD; included Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler on commentary for Raw, Michael Cole & Jonathan Coachman on commentary for Smackdown!, and Joey Styles & Tazz on commentary for ECW; featured a backstage segment with Vince McMahon and Hornswoggle in which McMahon discussed the upcoming Royal Rumble match and told Hornswoggle he couldn’t trust anyone else in the match; moments later, Finlay appeared and McMahon suggested Hornswoggle could turn on him in the bout; included the debut of Mike Ademle as a new broadcaster, who introduced a video package on the Chris Jericho / John Bradshaw Layfield feud; featured a backstage segment with Ashley and Santino Marella in which Santino said Maria was too busy to talk with Ashley about Playboy and slammed the door in her face; included a backstage segment with Ric Flair – wearing a towel after getting out of the shower – and Ken Kennedy in which Kennedy congratulated Flair on his win until Shawn Michaels appeared, just as Kennedy implied he wanted to retire Flair, with Kennedy then walking off; Michaels then congratulated Flair on his win and Flair gave Michaels a pep talk before his participation in the Rumble; Batista and Triple H then appeared, with those two and Michaels chiming in on who would win the Rumble; featured an in-ring HD Kiss Cam, hosted by Maria, with Ashley then appearing and asking if Maria would be interested in posing for Playboy; Santino Marella then appeared with a person cloaked in black, insulted the crowd, especially the New York Giants by saying they were going to choke in the Super Bowl, and tried to take Maria backstage with him; after Ashley asked Maria again, Santino said they would discuss it more later and then brought the cloaked person into the ring, unveiling it as Big Dick Johnson wearing a Tom Brady Patriot’s jersey and thong; Ashley, who laughed outloud throughout the segment, then knocked Johnson to the floor; included a ‘Baywatch’ themed WrestleMania 24 ad with Kelly Kelly and Mae Young; featured Ademle introducing a Randy Orton / Jeff Hardy video package, accidentally calling Hardy ‘Harvey’ before correcting himself; the segment featured Hardy’s portion to the tune of Lostprophets’ “Rooftops”:
Ric Flair defeated WWE US Champion MVP via submission with the figure-4 in a non-title match at 7:50; prior to the match, Flair cut an in-ring promo on his career and thanked the MSG crowd for the respect they had shown him over the years; MVP originally won the match at the 4-minute mark following a boot to the face but referee Charles Robinson had the bout continue after noticing Flair’s foot was on the bottom rope during the cover; pre-match stipulations stated Flair would have to retire if he lost the match; Michael Cole & Jonathan Coachman provided commentary for the match
John Bradshaw Layfield defeated Chris Jericho via disqualification at 9:24 when Jericho hit JBL in the head with a steel chair as both men brawled on the floor; after the match, a bloody Jericho threw the chair into JBL’s face in the ring and choked him with a TV cable until he was pulled away by referees
World Heavyweight Champion Edge (w/ Vickie Guerrero) pinned Rey Mysterio Jr. at 12:36 by hitting the spear as Mysterio attempted a springboard into the ring, moments after hitting both Edge and an interfering Guerrero with the 619; Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins were in the champion’s corner early on but were ejected at the 3-minute mark as they attempted to attack Mysterio on the floor; after the bout, Ryder, Hawkins, and Edge tended to Guerrero outside the ring and helped her back into her wheelchair (Edge: A Decade of Decadence)
WWE World Champion Randy Orton pinned WWE IC Champion Jeff Hardy at 14:06 by reversing the Twist of Fate into the RKO (Jeff Hardy: My Life My Rules)
John Cena won the 30-man Royal Rumble match at 51:30 by last eliminating Triple H; due to pre-match stipulations, Cena earned a world title match at WrestleMania 24; Michael Buffer was the guest ring announcer for the match; Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Jonathan Coachman, Joey Styles, & Tazz did commentary for the bout (Cena’s surprise return after a 3-month absence)
Order of entry: The Undertaker (0:00); Shawn Michaels (0:00); Santino Marella (1:39); the Great Khali (w/ Runjin Singh) (3:34); upon Khali’s appearance, the crowd chanted “You can’t wrestle;” WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Hardcore Holly (5:06); WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champion John Morrison (6:42); Tommy Dreamer (8:00); Dreamer received several chants of his name upon his appearance; Batista (9:36); Hornswoggle (36:49); Hornswoggle hid under the ring upon his entrance where he remained until much later; Chuck Palumbo (12:34); Jamie Noble, with his ribs taped (14:04); CM Punk (15:27); WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Cody Rhodes (17:00); Umaga (18:35); Snitsky (20:04); Mike Mizanin (21:32); Shelton Benjamin (22:49); Jimmy Snuka (24:17); Roddy Piper (25:59); Kane (26:53); Carlito Caribbean Cool (28:11); Mick Foley (29:28); Ken Kennedy (30:56); Big Daddy V (32:46) (not shown on camera); Mark Henry (34:13); ECW World Champion Chavo Guerrero Jr. (35:47); Finlay (36:59); Finlay appeared before his number to save Hornswoggle from Henry & Big Daddy V, with Finlay laying out several men with the shillalagh before leading Hornswoggle backstage; Elijah Burke (38:47); Triple H (40:08); John Cena (43:02)
Order of elimination: Marella by Taker following Michaels’ superkick (2:05); Khali by Taker (4:43); Dreamer by Batista after fighting off a DDT attempt (10:10); Noble by Palumbo via a kick as Noble was on the apron (14:32); after the elimination, Noble was helped backstage by referees; Palumbo by Punk via a running knee to the head as Palumbo stood on the apron (16:34); Holly by Umaga via the thumb strike to the throat (18:52); Benjamin by Michaels via the superkick (23:07); Piper by Kane (27:00); Snuka by Kane (27:02); Snitsky by Taker via a clothesline (32:31); Taker by Michaels via the superkick (32:36); Michaels by Kennedy (32:42); after Taker’s elimination, Taker hit a legdrop onto Snitsky while he was laid atop the commentary table; Mizanin by Hornswoggle by pulling him down from the floor as Mizanin tried to keep himself on the top rope (34:39); Morrison by Kane via a boot to the face (36:06); Hornswoggle left ringside (38 minute mark); Finlay was disqualified for using a weapon (38 minute mark); Punk by Guerrero via a suplex (39:20); Rhodes by Triple H (40:16); Big Daddy V by Triple H following a kneelift (40:33); Foley & Burke by Triple H (40:58); Carlito by Cena (43:19); Guerrero by Cena (43:22); Henry by Cena (43:26); Kennedy by Batista via a clothesline (44:28); Umaga by Batista via a clothesline (44:41); Kane by Batista & Triple H (44:53); Batista by Triple H via a clothesline (47:18); Triple H by Cena via an FU to the floor WWE @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – August 23, 2008 (19,068; sell out)
Primo Colon pinned William Regal with a backslide at 8:42 (Colon’s MSG debut)
Lance Cade pinned D-Lo Brown at 8:30 with the sit-down spinebuster
WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix pinned Mickie James at 8:47 with the double chickenwing into the facebuster
Jamie Noble defeated Snitsky via submission at 6:45 with a front headlock chokehold
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. defeated Cryme Tyme at 8:48 when Dibiase pinned Shad after Rhodes hit an elbow drop onto Shad behind the referee’s back as Shad had Dibiase covered
WWE IC Champion Santino Marella pinned Kofi Kingston at 9:34 with a roll up after WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix interfered
John Cena & Batista defeated Chris Jericho & Kane at 17:28 when Cena pinned Kane with the FU (Cena’s last match for 3 months)
World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk defeated John Bradshaw Layfield in a steel cage match at 16:35 when JBL accidentally punched the champion out of the door as the two were fighting on the apron; before the bout, Punk hugged ROH owner Cary Silkin, who sat ringside with Larry Sweeney WWE (Raw) @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – December 28, 2008
Howard Finkel was the ring announcer for the show; featured an in-ring promo by Santino Marella which was interrupted by the Boogeyman, with the Boogeyman then chasing Marella backstage
Finlay pinned Mark Henry after hitting him with the shillelagh as the referee was distracted by Tony Atlas and Hornswoggle
Melina & Kelly Kelly defeated WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix & Jillian Hall when Melina pinned Hall with a modified legdrop
ECW World Champion Matt Hardy pinned Jack Swagger with the Twist of Fate (Swagger’s MSG debut)
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions John Morrison & Mike Mizanin defeated Cryme Tyme when Morrison pinned Shad with the Moonlight Drive
Shawn Michaels pinned Kane with the superkick; late in the bout, John Bradshaw Layfield appeared ringside, distracting both men
WWE IC Champion William Regal pinned CM Punk with a low blow and the knee to the head after Layla distracted the challenger as he attempted the Go To Sleep
Rey Mysterio Jr. & Kofi Kingston defeated Randy Orton & Cody Rhodes (w/ Manu) when Mysterio pinned Rhodes with a splash off the top after hitting a simultaneous 619 on both opponents
World Heavyweight Champion John Cena pinned Chris Jericho in a steel cage match with an FU off the top rope WWE @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – April 28, 2009 (announced at 17,294; 13,000 paid; sell out)
Mike Knox defeated Ricky Ortiz
ECW – 4/28/09 – featured an opening video package recapping Christian beating ECW World Champion Jack Swagger for the title at Backlash 2009, set to The Veer Union’s “Seasons;” included an in-ring promo by Christian regarding his title win, during which he said it was the greatest moment in his career; moments later, Tommy Dreamer, in a suit and tie, came out, congratulated Christian, and said finally ECW had a champion that truly represented the company; he then said he had less than six weeks before his contract expired and had to win the championship one more time or he would walk away; after Dreamer challenged Christian to a title match, Christian offered to put the title up later in the show; moments later, Jack Swagger appeared at the entrance stage, said Christian’s win was a fluke, and Dreamer was a joke; Swagger then said he had a rematch coming to him at Judgment Day and that no one should get a title shot before him; Tiffany then appeared and said Swagger would get his shot at Judgment Day and Dreamer would get his shot later in the broadcast; featured a promo by Vladimir Kozlov, decked out in a Russian military uniform, at the entrance stage in which he said there was no one in ECW that could compete with him and he would achieve global domination; included Gregory Helms conducting a backstage interview with Evan Bourne in which Bourne said he wanted a title shot; moments later, Paul Burchill & Katie Lea interrupted, with Paul saying he would be facing Bourne later in the week on WWE Superstars (Helms’ ECW debut); featured an ad promoting Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Chris Jericho vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Kane to take place Friday on Smackdown!, with the winner earning a title shot against World Heavyweight Champion Edge; the same match was advertised the previous night on Raw as featuring John Morrison and the Great Khali, instead of Kane, in a scramble match:
Tyson Kidd (w/ Natalya Neidhart) pinned Finlay at 10:36 after hitting Finlay in the back of his knee with his own shillelagh as Natalya distracted the referee; prior to the match, it was announced the show would move back to its original timeslot of Tuesday at 10 p.m. EST the following week
ECW World Champion Christian fought Tommy Dreamer to a no contest at 13:50 when Jack Swagger interfered and attacked both men after the challenger put Christian in the Tree of Woe; after the bout, Swagger dropped Christian with the gutwrench powerbomb
WWE Superstars – 4/30/09 – featured a vignette on Mark Henry; included an ad for “The Greatest Stars of the 90s;” featured a “Did you know” graphic which read the recent European tour saw sell outs in Germany, France, Austria, Ireland, Switzerland, and the UK; included a video package recapping the European tour; featured Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. regarding Shane McMahon facing WWE World Champion Randy Orton the following week on Raw and Dibiase facing WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Carlito later in the broadcast, during which Dibiase said they wanted the tag team titles; included the Dibiase vs. Carlito match taped 4/27/09 in Bridgeport, CT:
Michelle McCool & Alicia Fox defeated Gail Kim & Maria at 4:34 when McCool pinned Kim with a kick to the face as Kim came off the top; Todd Grisham & Jim Ross provided commentary for the match
Evan Bourne pinned Paul Burchill (w/ Katie Lea) at 10:36 with the Shooting Star Press after knocking Burchill off the top; Josh Matthews & Matt Striker provided commentary for the match
Smackdown! – 5/1/09 – featured an opening in-ring promo by Chris Jericho in which he said he was the biggest name to ever be drafted to Smackdown! and that he was the logical #1 contender and shouldn’t have to fight for that right later in the show; World Heavyweight Champion Edge then interrupted and argued he was better than Jericho because while Jericho could never beat John Cena, Edge did so at Backlash in a last man standing match; as the two shared words, CM Punk then appeared and aired a clip from his beating Edge to win the World Heavyweight Title the previous year; Jericho then repeatedly told Punk to leave the ring and then left the ring himself when Punk ignored him; when Edge then told Punk to leave, Punk said he would be facing Edge later in the show in a non-title match but when that match was over, he was cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE.com was ranked #1 for entertainment websites for males under 34, beating out AOL TV, CBS.com, Fox.com, Oprah.com, TMZ.com, and MTV.com; featured a video package recapping the history between WWE US Champion MVP, Dolph Ziggler, and Sherry Shepherd; included a backstage segment with Jericho and Teddy Long in which Jericho argued he shouldn’t have to compete in the #1 contender match later in the show; moments later, the Great Khali & Runjin Singh interrupted, with Khali reportedly telling Jericho to get over himself; featured a backstage segment with Jericho and Maria in which he demanded to see Long after claiming to be screwed in the elimination match; Edge then appeared also asking for Long, complaining that he shouldn’t have to face Punk later in the show; included Cryme Tyme hosting an in-ring dance contest between Layla and Eve, set to the Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow;” after Eve was named the winner, Layla attacked her with both women then fighting until Cryme Tyme pulled them apart as the crowd chanted “Let them fight;” featured a backstage segment with Shepherd and MVP in which Shepherd, dressed in a Ric Flair-like robe, said she wanted MVP to be on “The View” Monday; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE programs can be seen in 465 million homes worldwide, more than the NBA, MLB, and NFL combined; featured a backstage segment with Jericho and Long in which Jericho insulted Long before John Morrison appeared, with Jericho slapping Morrison before the two men brawled; moments later, Charlie Haas, Tony Garea, and R Truth pulled the two men apart as Punk walked by on his way out for the main event:
John Morrison pinned Shelton Benjamin at 2:46 with a springboard kick to the face and the Moonlight Drive
Jeff Hardy defeated WWE IC Champion Rey Mysterio Jr., Kane, and Chris Jericho in an elimination match at 17:31; stipulations stated the winner would earn a World Heavyweight Title match at Judgment Day; Jericho pinned Kane at 7:00 after Hardy hit the Whisper in the Wind and Swanton on Kane and was then pulled out to the floor by Jericho; after the fall, Kane attacked the three other men and threw a steel chair into the ring; Jericho was disqualified at 8:18 by blocking a springboard into the ring by Mysterio with raising the chair to block the move; Hardy pinned Mysterio with a roll up immediately after Mysterio hit a springboard senton; after the match, Hardy and Mysterio shook hands
WWE US Champion MVP (w/ Sherry Shepherd) pinned Dolph Ziggler with the Playmaker at 3:53; prior to the bout, Ziggler cut an in-ring promo stating he would win the US title “right here in New Jersey;” late in the bout, Shepherd slapped the challenger in the face
CM Punk pinned World Heavyweight Champion Edge in a non-title match at 11:35 with the Go To Sleep; after the match, Punk called to cash in his Money in the Bank title shot but Umaga came out of the crowd and laid Punk out before then leaving through the audience; moments later, Edge attempted to assault Punk with the Money in the Bank briefcase but Jeff Hardy made the save and hit the Swanton on the champion
Dark match after the taping: John Cena, Batista, & WWE IC Champion Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated World Heavyweight Champion Edge, WWE World Champion Randy Orton, & Chris Jericho at the 15-minute mark when Batista pinned Jericho with the sit-down powerbomb WWE @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – November 16, 2009 (announced at 20,538; 17,000 paid; sell out)
The recently departed Lilian Garcia sang the National Anthem before the show went live
Raw – featured an opening backstage segment of Piper’s Pit in which Roddy Piper, the host of the episode, introduced Luis Guzman and spoke about his upcoming film “Old Dogs,” with Seth Green, John Travolta, and Robin Williams; Piper stated Mr. T was in the film too, which Guzman corrected; moments later, Piper said he arranged for “Iron Chef” Bobby Flay to be part of the show but the Iron Sheik, with Brie & Nikki Bella, came out instead; Guzman told Sheik he remembered when he fought Hulk Hogan, with Sheik then going into a tirade about Hogan and eventually using an Iron Sheik LJN action figure to beat up a Hogan LJN action figure and put him in the Camel Clutch; Piper, Guzman, and Sheik then said “Live, from New York, it’s Monday Night Raw;” included a new show opening to the tune of Nickelback’s “Burn it to the Ground;” featured a new entrance way; included an in-ring promo by Triple H & Shawn Michaels in which they shilled “The Unauthorized History of DX” and noted Sherri Shepherd, of “The View,” was in the crowd with her own copy; Triple H then said he and Michaels agreed that they weren’t going to implode and it didn’t matter which of them beats WWE World Champion John Cena at Survivor Series; they then brought up the fact Hornswoggle was continuing to use their gimmick and asked for him to come out to the ring to see if he was a good fit to join DX; moments later, Triple H dropped Hornswoggle with the Pedigree and Michaels led the crowd in saying “Suck it;” Triple H & Michaels then pulled a backboard out from under the ring, which already had DX written on it, and took Hornswoggle backstage on it; featured a video package highlighting the history of WWE at Madison Square Garden, to the tune of “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys; included a backstage segment with Piper and WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Chris Jericho, with Jericho insulting Piper until Piper brought over Chris Masters and had him flex his pecs to the tune of the Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow;” moments later, Brie & Nikki Bella walked in, were impressed by Masters, and walked off with him; moments later, TABOO and apl.de.ap of the band were shown in attendance; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read the WWE just completed a 22 show, 2-week tour of Europe which drew more than 170,000 fans; included the announcement that Raw would remain on the USA Network through 2014; featured an in-ring promo by Piper in which he talked about his history at MSG with Cyndi Lauper, Hogan, Andre the Giant, Bruno Sammartino, and Capt. Lou Albano and said if you faced Piper at MSG, you either ended up dead or bald; Piper then said he’s the reason Hogan has no hair; Piper then said he wanted a match with Vince McMahon and noted McMahon fired him in that arena after Piper appeared on “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbal;” moments later, McMahon came out, complimented Piper on his hair dye job and said Mother Nature hadn’t been kind to him; Piper responded by saying there were many things Vince should be ashamed of and said his pinstripe suit was bought by Mr. Gotti; McMahon then noted his wins over Triple H, the Undertaker, the Rock, and Steve Austin and said he was officially retired; moments later, Piper said he had beaten cancer, he could beat McMahon, and he wanted it later in the show; included the announcement Jamie Noble had told WWE.com he was retired following the injuries sustained weeks earlier at the hands of Sheamus; featured an in-ring promo by Sheamus in which he made an open challenge to anyone backstage; when no one answered the challenge, Sheamus went to the floor and beat up a crew member before laying out Jerry Lawler with the kick to the face; moments later, referees tended to Lawler at ringside and he was helped backstage; following the commercial break, Matt Striker replaced Lawler on commentar; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read fans from 50 states and 22 countries purchased WrestleMania 26 tickets the previous week; featured an in-ring segment in which Piper called for McMahon to come out and accept his challenge to a streetfight; moments later, Randy Orton appeared instead of McMahon, to chants of “Randy Orton,” and said he wanted to lay Piper out to relive some stress; Orton then punched Piper, with Piper punching him back; Orton then assaulted Piper and prepared to kick him in the head until Kofi Kingston made the save and cleared the ring; after Orton went to go backstage, Kingston jumped him from behind and threw him into the front row; the two continued to brawl in the crowd, at ringside, and in the ring for several minutes until they were eventually pulled apart by referees; the fight continued until Kingston hit Orton across the face with a storage case near the technical table and attempted to jump from the stands through the table until he was forced down by referees; Kingston eventually broke free and hit the Boom Drop through the table Orton was laid out on; included a backstage promo by Cena regarding his teaming with World Heavyweight Champion the Undertaker in the night’s main event; moments later, Cena was handed a piece of paper that clarified his match against DX at Survivor Series was a triple threat match and not a handicap match, with Cena then ranting that he would still win, during which he noted the Ghostbusters once saved NYC from a giant marshmellow man; featured an ad for “Hulk Hogan’s Unreleased Collector’s Series”:
WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin pinned MVP with the Skull Crushing Finale at 3:46 after blocking a move in the corner and kicking the challenger; prior to the bout, Mizanin cut an in-ring promo about being the US champion while the New York Yankees had to buy their World Series championship; Sherri Shepherd, of “The View,” was shown in attendance prior to the match; the challenger wore a Yankees hat to the ring
Santino Marella pinned Chavo Guerrero Jr. with a roll up at 2:50 after Guerrero became distracted by Hornswoggle, dressed in DX gear, on the apron; Marella wore a New York Rangers jersey to the ring but then took it off to reveal a New York Giants jersey underneath, then taking that off to reveal a New York Knicks jersey under that; Marella continued to take off his shirts, revealing jerseys of the New York Jets, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and finishing with the New York Yankees (The Best of Raw: 2009)
WWE Divas Champion Melina pinned Alicia Fox in a lumberjill match at 1:39 with the sunset flip / powerbomb; Judah Friedlander, of “30 Rock,” was the guest ring announcer for the match; his intro claimed he was master of the martial arts, a bodybuilder, and a former player of the Brazilian National Soccer Team where he scored 15 goals in one game as the goal keeper, and is the greatest athlete in the world; the match was scheduled as a regular singles match; the added stipulation wasn’t announced until after both participants made their entrance; lumberjills around ringside included Jillian Hall, Mickie James, WWE Women’s Champion Michelle McCool, Layla, Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly, Gail Kim, and Eve; after the contest, all the divas brawled with the babyfaces eventually clearing the ring and dancing with Judah in the ring
Jack Swagger pinned Evan Bourne at around the 4-minute mark with the gutwrench powerbomb after ramming Bourne into two consecutive corners (the bout began during the commercial break)
WWE World Champion John Cena & World Heavyweight Champion the Undertaker defeated Triple H & Shawn Michaels and WWE Unified Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho & the Big Show in a non-title match at 7:07 when Cena pinned Triple H with the FU after Triple H knocked Taker to the floor; Taker’s entrance featured druids appearing with torches, during which the crowd chanted “Undertaker;” immediately after the match, Taker slid back into the ring and dropped Cena with the tombstone before posing with his own belt as Cena lay nearby (The Best of Raw: 2009)
WWE Superstars – 11/19/09: Mark Henry pinned Cody Rhodes with the powerslam at 11:08; prior to the match, footage was shown of MVP beating Ted Dibiase Jr. during the previous week’s show; Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler provided commentary for the match