Wrestlemania 22
Wrestlemania 22 is held at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois. The event features Edge vs Mick Foley, Trish Stratus vs Mickie James, The Undertaker vs Mark Henry, Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle vs Randy Orton and John Cena vs Triple H
Cena – Edge WWE championship
Cena defeats Edge at WWE Royal Rumble to recapture the WWE championship.
Pro Wrestling Radio interview
Watts talks about his time working for WWE:
Well, you know everything in the WWE is scripted. It was such a disappointment, the three months I was with Vince [McMahon], I’ll never forget, there was a problem that happened, we won’t go into it, where everybody was late and we were having a television shoot, and I had two top stars and they were going to have like a ten minute match, and they didn’t have enough time to get ready for it cause they only had an hour before show time. An hour for a ten minute match! I was fractured.
WWE.com interview
Christian talks to WWE.com about departing from the company and what he has planned after leaving.
My contract came up on Oct. 31 and we negotiated back and forth a little bit. But it wasn’t about the money for me, really. There were some other things that were going on that helped sway my decision. It wasn’t a contract dispute, if that’s what you want to call it. It was a number of different things — I’ve been on the road with WWE for eight years straight, and it takes a toll on your body when you’re going 250-300 days a year.
SmackDown moves to Friday
SmackDown officially moves to Friday nights with first broadcasts in new slot. The event features Ken Kennedy vs Paul London, Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio and Batista vs JBL.
First WWE OVW televised appearance
Punk makes his first WWE televised appearance as part of their roster on OVW. Punk wrestles Danny Inferno in singles competition. Punk wins the bout with a roll up pin.
You’re Fired match
Jericho loses “You’re Fired” match to John Cena on Monday Night RAW. Jericho is carried out of the building by security.
Pro Wrestling Radio interview
Awesome talks about his match against Tanaka at WWE’s ECW One Night Stand:
I thought the show was great you know, the entire thing, just the way it all came together, um the way it was put together. Maybe it had a little too much of the WWE influence with the angles that they were doing but overall I thought the show was great and I was very happy with my match. You know usually when I get out there with Tanaka him and I we just beat the hell out of each other and tear the house down.
Pro Wrestling Radio interview
Sammartino talks about the back injuries he suffered during his career:
Yeah in my case no question because when one of the world renowned neurosurgeons, Doctor James Moroon who did the surgeries on me, he told me that he could see how hard I had trained and the kind of condition I was in but he also the tremendous kind of abuse that the back took and when he did the couple of surgeries he had to remove a total of sixteen spurs on my back and three vertebrae he had to remove and I still have a lot of problems that to this day.
Signs with WWE
Punk competes in a try-out match on WWE Sunday Night Heat. He is later offered a developmental deal with WWE to begin training in their OVW territory which he accepts.
Cena – JBL WWE championship
Cena defeats JBL at Wrestlemania 21 to become WWE champion for the first time.
Undertaker – Orton Wrestlemania 21
Undertaker defeats Orton in singles competition at Wrestlemania 21.
Wrestlemania 21
Wrestlemania 21 is held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The event features a 30 man battle royal, Rey Mysterio vs Eddie Guerrero, The Undertaker vs Randy Orton, Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels, John Cena vs JBL and Batista vs Triple H.
Pro Wrestling Radio interview
Valentine talks about being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame:
I definitely was flattered by it I did not expect it because I hardly have talked to the WWE at all since I left. I did not leave on bad terms or anything I just was out of a job (laughs). So I went other places and I managed to stay, you know I have never done, honestly, anything else in my life to subsidize, or add some income in, in my career, my thirty-five year career in wrestling. I have never done anything but wrestle. I never drove a cab on the side, I never shined shoes, I never sold cars (laughs), keeping afloat. I am not the wealthiest of all of the wrestlers, obviously Hulk has got lots and lots of money, and Flair does. I was fortunate to make a lot of money but I never got rich from it. I’m still involved in the wrestling business because I want to be, and not really because I have to be.
Moment of Truth
Sting publishes a memoir Sting: Moment of Truth with co-author, George King. The book features Sting journey through the world of wrestling, marital troubles and finding faith.
I gave my life to Jesus Christ who became my Lord and Savior, right at the peak of my career where I had all the money and power and fame you could ever want. It’s just like in this book.
Cena – Carlito United States Championship
Cena defeats Carlito on WWE Smackdown to reclaim the United States championship.
Pro Wrestling Radio interview
Edge gives his thoughts on playing a heel character in WWE:
Right now, I’m having so much fun. It is so much more fun to piss people off. [It’s so hard] to get people to like you. If you try too hard to get them to like you, they just go ‘too hard,’ and if you don’t try hard enough, they go, ‘what’s his deal?’ As a heel, you can just let it all out. You can be whiny, you can be bitter, disgruntled, whatever you want, and blame it on everybody else. (Laughs) It’s a lot of fun. In a way, I’m taking the year of frustrations and channeling it into the character.
Pro Wrestling Radio interview
Sammartino responds to critics of his in ring style:
Well ask people like Killer Kowalski, Don Leo Jonathan, Ken Patera, Gene Kiniski, Ivan Koloff. I mean anyone who has ever seen me with these people, know what kind of action we provided in the ring. For one guy to accuse me of being lazy…if there’s one reputation I had amongst my peers, which makes me feel very proud, was always the great shape I kept myself into, and the great shape I was performing in the ring. I don’t understand why this man would say these things. I just don’t get it.
Pro Wrestling Radio interview
Heenan reflects on his WWE Hall of Fame induction speech:
I didn’t have anything. When I was called at home by Jim Ross, I said sure. I was thinking of how I am going to open up, what I was going to say, who’s going to be there. I don’t want start out knocking this guy or I don’t want to put this guy over. I don’t really know what to do. I’m just going to go there and see what happens and I really didn’t have anything. So I was sitting there talking to Muraco and Tito. Then when they started the show and started introducing us, I didn’t know what I’m going to do. See, I never like to rehearse anything. Monsoon and I never rehearsed a thing. There was nothing written. I can’t say other people’s words and I can’t remember things people write. I just have to do it on my own. That’s the only way I’ve ever done interviews or anything, forty years in the business.
Cena – Big Show U.S. championship
Cena defeats Big Show at Wrestlemania XX to capture the United States championship. This is Cena’s first title in WWE.
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