WWE Unleashed (Raw house show)
First Union Arena - Wilkes-Barre PA
This is the first WWF/E show that I've been to since my 11th birthday when I saw WWF Champion Hulk Hogan defeat the evil Iraq sympathizer, Sgt. Slaughter in a "Desert Storm Match" in the main event.
So much has changed in professional wrestling in the 12 year span between the first and second WWF/E shows that I've been in attendance for. Although we didn't know it back in 1991, we were in the final years of Hulkamania running wild in the WWF. Hulk Hogan would go on to lead the nWo in World Championship Wrestling, which is almost solely responsible for the ratings battle between WCW and the WWF from 1995 to 2001. Today, Hogan is once again working for Vince McMahon. These days, he's wearing a mask and calling himself Mr. America as he feuds with his old nemesis from my childhood, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.
The main event at last night's show was a championship match between Triple H and Kevin Nash. Back in '91, Nash was working a Wizard Of Oz gimmick in WCW, and Triple H was just beginning to train to become a professional wrestler. The two would meet in the WWF in the mid 90's where their friendship with Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman would become immortalized as The Kliq.
Here is the full card from last night in Wilkes-Barre:
This card featured a little bit of everything. The show included ECW alumni Tommy Dreamer, Lance Storm, Stevie Richards, Jazz, Rodney Mack and The Dudley Boys. There were champions of the golden era of WCW, including Booker T, Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner and Shane Helms (The Hurricane), and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship belt, which is now just being called the "World Heavyweight Championship". The WWF Attitude Era was represented by Triple H, Kane, Val Venis (Chief Morley), Trish Stratus, Christian and Test. There were also younger stars, including Tough Enough graduates Maven and Christopher Nowinski, former WXW stars Matt E. Smalls (Rosey) and Eddie Fatu (Jamal), and WWF developed talent La Résistance.
Results
| |
| Tag Team Match | The Hurricane and Maven defeated Lance Storm and Sean Morley |
| Singles Match | Christopher Nowinski defeated Tommy Dreamer |
| WWE Women's Championship Triple Threat Match | Jazz defeated Trish Stratus and Victoria |
| Singles Match | Kane defeated Christian |
| Six Man Tag Team Tables Match | The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley and Spike Dudley) defeated Three Minute Warning (Rosey and Jamal) and Rico Costantino |
| Tag Team Match | La Résistance (René Duprée and Sylvain Grenier) defeated Scott Steiner and Test |
| Singles Match | Booker T defeated Rodney Mack |
| World Heavyweight Championship Match | Triple H defeated Kevin Nash |
