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WWE continues to fire on all cylinders. The Sports Entertainment juggernaut just held their Backlash France event, which as the title implies was in the country of France and the crowd was absolutely electric.
Now, the company is already looking ahead. The newly drafted rosters take hold beginning on RAW, and the King and Queen of the Ring Premium Live Event is in just three weeks. From there, big shows such as Money in the Bank and Clash at the Castle Scotland are planned.
There is an abundance of shows to look forward to, but if you're a fan who prefers looking towards the past, you're in luck. Sportskeeda offers a weekly look back at some of the most notable matches, moments, and events in the company's 70-plus-year history.
This particular article will take a look at numerous Backlash events and an Extreme Rules show. Highlights from these events include a bizarre Vince McMahon-related booking decision, the return of Brock Lesnar, and much more. What went down?
Below are five major matches, moments, and events from this week in WWE history:
#5. The WWE Backlash event was held on April 29th, 2001
The first entry on this week's list is WWE Backlash. The specific event is from 2001 and aired on April 29th live from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. Around 15,000 fans were in attendance for this big show.
In total, WWE booked seven matches on this card. The most notable was an all or nothing tag team match with the then-WWF Championship, Intercontinental Championship, and WWF Tag Team Titles on the line.
The Two-Man Power Trip duo of Triple H and Steve Austin ultimately defeated The Brothers of Destruction. This meant The Undertaker and Kane lost the WWF Tag Team Titles. The bout lasted for 25 minutes. Sadly, Triple H was soon injured and the Two-Man Power Trip story never had a proper conclusion.
#4. The Undertaker and Batista had a chaotic end to their Last Man Standing Match at Backlash on April 29th, 2007
The next entry on this list is another edition of Backlash. WWE held its 2007 edition of the Backlash event on April 29th at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Over 14,000 fans were in attendance for the first pay-per-view post-WrestleMania 23.
There were several big matches for this show, but perhaps the most memorable was a Last Man Standing Match. The Undertaker defended his newly won World Heavyweight Championship against Batista in a bout that lasted 21 minutes.
The finish to this match was particularly noteworthy. The Undertaker and Batista fought up the ramp to the stage. While up there, Batista charged with a Spear and both he and The Deadman went flying off the stage. This led to both men failing to get to their feet by the count of ten, thus resulting in a draw.
#3. Brock Lesnar returned to the ring at Extreme Rules on April 29th, 2012
WWE Extreme Rules took place on April 29th, 2012. This was another show that World Wrestling Entertainment held at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. This time around, 14,000+ fans were in attendance.
The big hook of this show was the return of Brock Lesnar to WWE. He had shockingly returned to RAW weeks earlier after being away from the company since 2004. His return seemed impossible at one point, so this was particularly exciting. In fact, there were even lawsuits in place at one point.
His return match was against John Cena. The two men clashed for 17 minutes in an Extreme Rules Match. In the end, Brock shockingly lost in a decision that many fans still question to this very day. Brock would go on and get revenge in future matches, however.
#2. Shawn Michaels teamed up with "God" at Backlash on April 30th, 2006
One of WWE's most bizarre and questionable matches took place at Backlash in 2006. This particular Backlash show was held on April 30th, 2006 and it aired live from the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. This event had 14,000 fans in attendance.
While much of this event was quite entertaining, there was one bout in particular that remains memorable to this very day. Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon teamed up to battle Shawn Michaels and "God" in a tag team match.
That isn't a joke, Vince actually booked the match. "God" was represented by a spotlight and had a special entrance and "stood" at the apron while Vince McMahon verbally berated him. In the end, Vince and Shane won the No Holds Barred Match which was essentially just a Handicap Match in just under 20 minutes.
#1. Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan formed a dream team at Backlash on May 1st, 2005
The final entry on this list featured the formation of a dream team. WWE held their Backlash event on May 1st, 2005, live from the Verizon Wireless Arena, which was in Manchester, New Hampshire. 14,000 fans were in attendance for what is the only pay-per-view the company ever held in that state.
As is common with Backlash events, this show saw WWE continue some rivalries and create new stories. One of the most interesting was a dream team forming with Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan uniting.
The legendary stars proved to be a successful duo, as they defeated Daivari and Muhammad Hassan in tag team action after around 15 minutes. The pair then posed together in an epic moment post-match. Not long after this, however, the pair would team up again and Shawn Michaels would turn on The Hulkster.
