Okay, first off, the official title for WWE’s upcoming all-encompassing look at the company’s history, The History of WWE: 50 Years of Sports Entertainment, is a factual inaccuracy. While WWE promotes itself to be sports entertainment instead of professional wrestling (or wrasslin’ if Ted Turner is speaking), the company didn’t use the term until the 1980s. As a means to get past sport regulations in New Jersey, 1989, then-World Wrestling Federation used the phrase “sports entertainment” in case with the state Senate and the phrase stuck. Then when WWF dropped the ‘F’ and added an ‘E’ due to the World Wildlife Fund’s lawsuit, WWE came about and further emphasized the sports entertainment phrase.
Splitting hairs, today’s generation of WWE fans sees WRESTLING and ENTERTAINMENT on a weekly basis in what is commonly referred to as the “TV-PG Era.”
What old-school fans want to see is World Wrestling Entertainment make great use of its video library. With more than 10,000 hours of footage from its old WWWF days though now, and competing promotions and territories, there’s much material to be mined.
So far, however, the bonus matches for The History of WWE don’t look to showcase notable heavyweight champions like Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund, or big matches from events held at Shea Stadium or Madison Square Garden. Granted, the three-hour documentary about WWE’s history is the biggest attraction, it would be nice for new fans to see the company’s growth – in match form – from what it was to what it is today.
And maybe we will get some matches like that. As of now, though, expect a lot of repeats.
Here are 6 matches we know that will be included.
Royal Rumble Match
Royal Rumble • January 24, 1988
*Significance: 1st Royal Rumble Match.
WWE Championship Match
Triple H vs. The Rock
Smackdown • August 26, 1999
*Significance: 1st Main Event in SmackDown! History.
#1 Contender’s Match for the WWE Championship
John Cena vs. CM Punk
Raw • February 25, 2013
*Significance: John Cena finally beats CM Punk on his way to face The Rock at WM 29.
WWE Championship Match
Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
Survivor Series • November 9, 1997
*Significance: The Imfamous Montreal Screwjob.
The Rock vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan
WrestleMania X8 • March 17, 2002
*Significance: Icon vs. Icon (but not the main event of WrestleMania X8).
6-Man Tag Team Match
John Cena, Batista, & Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho, Big Show & Randy Orton
Tribute to the Troops • December 20, 2008
*Significance: 1st Tribute to the Troops event that didn’t air as part of WWE Programming; it aired as a one-hour special on NBC.
