Today In Pro Wrestling History: September 27th

We’ve got an Attitude Era classic segment that is still a benchmark in WWE history that will probably never be beaten, given how consumption of entertainment has changed. Also it’s kind of a puroresu sandwich, WWE bread on the sides, puro in the middle. Let’s see how it tastes!

• WWF Raw is War: Rock This Is Your Life (1999)

If you were watching wrestling in 1999, Monday nights were absolute chaos, but nothing prepared us for the night Mankind threw a birthday bash for The Rock. This segment became legendary because it took two of the biggest, most contrasting characters of the Attitude Era and let them riff off each other for almost thirty minutes of pure entertainment. For fans used to non-stop action, watching Mankind present a giant line of ridiculous childhood guests, old teachers, and homemade gifts to a completely unimpressed Rock was pure comedy gold. The chemistry between them was electric, and it completely shattered television ratings records (the 8.4 still stands today) because it perfectly captured the unpredictable, character-driven magic that defined that entire generation of wrestling.

• NOAH Great Voyage In Osaka (2008)

So a nugget and some nice history on this show. The nugget was the cross-promotional showcase of GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Champions Kotaro Suzuki (aka Mushi King Terry) and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs New Japan tag team No Limit (Tetsuya Naito & Yujiro Takahashi). Crazy to think that Naito is now the GHC Heavyweight Champion as of writing this article, and he was so young in his career still teaming with Yujiro. The Champions won, but it was a great showcase that displayed four very prominent names, even still, in Japanese pro wrestling. But the main event was special because it was Kensuke Sasaki‘s first defense after being the first man to complete the trifecta aka Japanese Grand Slam of winning all three major Japanese promotions Heavyweight titles. His first challenger was Mohammed Yone. Many of us know Yone as a tag team specialist and mostly a funky/comedic gimmick, but this was a matter of company pride. Yone wanted to take the title off of the “invader” who made history, resulting in him attacking Sasaki in the parking lot. A battle for pride and respect gave Yone his very first GHC Heavyweight title shot of his career. The match echoed the desire of the challenger. It was a rough brawl. There was nothing pretty or King’s Road about it. Yone threw everything at Sasaki, tried to use psychology of grounding the powerhouse to help his cause, but the champion was too much and the gap between them was too large. Sasaki retained with his Northern Lights Bomb, but Yone did earn respect.

• NJPW Destruction in Kobe: Intercontinental Championship: Hirooki Goto (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura (2015)

The history of this match adds to it’s importance even beyond what the match came in with. Shinsuke was the heart and soul of the White Belt, anyone who was a fan of New Japan from 2010-2020 knows that part of the outrage with combining the Intercontinental with the Heavyweight was how hard Nakamura fought to make it as prestigious while being separate. The combination was spitting on Shinsuke’s legacy. I say all that, because this match, was his final chase. He won the title off of Goto in a great match, but this was the same title reign that lead to his Wrestle Kingdom 10 match with AJ Styles, and both of them leaving for WWE. Shinsuke was not beaten on the way out, he handed the White Belt over on January 25, 2016, vacating it, but forever leaving his essence in what the title meant to fans.

• WWE Clash of Champions (2020)

This was the show that had Jey Uso challenging Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship and the “Head of the Table” gimmick. It was a harbinger to the Tribal Chief, and we saw a new heel Roman really lay into the stubborn Jey, unwilling to give in, Roman had to keep beating on him until Jimmy ran in to throw in the towel on Jey’s behalf. Randy Orton having Karma catch up with him during the WWE Championship Ambulance match with Drew McIntyre. Big Show, Christian and Shawn Michaels each played a part in screwing Orton after he punted all of them over the previous weeks. As Orton was placed in the Ambulance, Ric Flair revealed himself as the driver, and the final legend who got a measure of revenge on Randy. Lastly we can also look at the Intercontinental Triple Threat Ladder Match fondly. Sami Zayn, Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles put on a match that nearly stole the show early on. The show is a generally well received show with tons of highlights and good memories to look back on for fans.

• NXT No Mercy: NXT Championship: Oba Femi (c) vs Ricky Saints (2025)

This was definitely a surprising moment in NXT history. Oba was the Ruler, and held the title for over 260 days. So when Ricky came over from AEW, with his flashy clothes, little “Revolution” nickname and Hollywood swagger, he wasn’t taken super seriously. Even after Ricky won the North American title, most people didn’t think he was a legit threat to Oba Femi. Ricky then managed to win #1 Contender after he beat Josh Briggs, and Oba had to handle this new mouthy problem. Oba was presented as a dominant but monster that the fans loved. The match was much closer than anyone expected, and when Ricky countered a Powerbomb on the outside, into a DDT to send Oba through it. Fans were starting to think maybe Ricky had it. Both barely get in at before 10, Oba snaps off a Fall From Grace…but Ricky kicks out. So as Oba brings him up for another Fall, Ricky counters with a Tornado DDT and pulls off one of the bigger upsets in modern NXT history. Also it is interesting to note that it’s the first time in NXT history to have 3 Black Champions in a row (Trick Williams -> Oba Femi -> Ricky Saints).

AJ Styles had a slight mention in two events, Rock & Sock leave a mark that will never be touched, Shinsuke Nakamura’s final leg of his NJPW legacy, before NJPW ruined it and some NXT history mixed with a big upset. Love em or hate em, these were all fairly important moments and things that will stick out beyond an echo chamber of tribalism.