This Week In Wrestling History (Season 4 Episode 8: 2/19 – 2/25)

Enjoy this episode (Season 4 Episode 8) covering the week of 2/19 thru 2/25. Running Time: 5 Hours 25 Minutes.

This Week In Wrestling History (TWIWH) hosted by Don Tony debuted in 2018 for two seasons. Due to demand for new episodes, it returned in 2025 and is now in its Fourth Season for 2026!

Hundreds of hours of original wrestling clips & stories. Enjoy this deep dive into pro wrestling's awesome history. You won't find history shows like this anywhere but here!

SYNOPSIS: SEASON 4 EPISODE 8 (2/19 - 2/25)
RUNNING TIME: 5 HOURS 25 MINUTES

• Audio: Bob Backlund def Superstar Billy Graham and begins 2,135 day reign as WWF Champion
• Audio: Superstar Billy Graham speaks on Vince McMahon Sr decision in 1978 to crown Bob Backlund as Champion
• Jumbo Tsuruta def Nick Bockwinkel to win AWA Heavyweight Title
• Looking back at NWA Chi-Town Rumble PPV 1989
• Audio: Highlights of Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair for NWA Heavyweight Championship.
• Looking back at NWA/WCW Wrestlewar PPV 1990, 1991
• Looking back at WCW Superbrawl III (1993), IV (1994), V (1995), VII (1997), VIII (1998), IX (1999), 2000 (2000)
• Hulk Hogan returns to Raw and forms the Mega-Maniacs with Brutus Beefcake
• Hulk Hogan and TV producers scout areas in Florida to film the movie pilot, "Hurricane In Paradise"
• Looking back at ECW 'Return Of The Funker' event (1995)
• Audio: Cactus Jack endures 82 Singapore Cane shots as Terry Funk makes surprise return to ECW (Funk In A Box)
• Looking back at ECW CyberSlam 1997
• Audio: Paul E Dangerously accepts Jerry Lawler's challenge: ECW invades Monday Night Raw (1997)
• Juventud Guerrera and Rey Mysterio Jr both forced to unmask on WCW PPVs
• Audio: Scott Steiner turns on brother Rick and joins NWO
• Audio: Undertaker vs Kane Inferno Match on Raw leads to Vince McMahon crying over a torched teddy bear
• Audio: Public Enemy makes their WWF debut on Raw
• Audio: Goldberg appears on The Tonight Show and issues $100,000 challenge to Steve Austin
• Audio: James Brown makes a surprise appearance at WCW Superbrawl 2000 (Original unedited music)
• Audio: WWE Network butchers the same James Brown segment (mentioned above from Superbrawl 2000), replacing James Brown' theme with horrible generic production music
• Looking back at WWE No Way Out 2001, 2003, 2006
• Ring Of Honor makes their promotional debut
• Audio: The Rock makes surprise appearance on Raw and trashes the live Toronto crowd (2003)
• Audio: Goldust' first interview after being 'electrocuted' by Randy Orton and Batista
• Vince McMahon vs Eric Bischoff battle in the ring on Raw
• Chris Masters makes WWF Raw debut and breaks Steven Richards' orbital bone
• Audio: Batista gives a 'Thumbs Down' and chooses to face Triple H at WrestleMania for World Heavyweight Title
• WWE begins contacting former ECW wrestlers to appear at ECW One Night Stand PPV
• Looking back at WWE Elimination Chamber 2010, 2012, 2014, 2021, 2024
• Audio: Batista ends John Cena's 32 second reign as WWE Champion
• WWE airs debut episode of NXT on Sci-Fi
• 2-21-11: Undertaker and Triple H make WWE returns and issue a WrestleMania challenge (well sorta) to each other
• WWE signs the original Sin Cara
• AJPW, NJPW, and Noah join together to raise money for those affected by Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami
• John Cena vs CM Punk wrestle for the last time against each other and tear it up on Raw
• Audio: WWE announces Donald Trump for 2013 Hall Of Fame
• Looking back at Ring Of Honor 12th Anniversary Show (2014)
• WWE Network officially launches in the US
• Audio: Following TNA run, Hulk Hogan makes WWE return (2014) after seven-year absence
• The Miz and Maryse get married.
• Looking back at WWE Fastlane PPV (2015, 2016).
• Audio: Shane McMahon makes WWE Raw return after six-year absence and interrupts Vincent J McMahon Legacy Award ceremony.
• Chyna (as part of D-Generation X) WWE Hall Of Fame induction announcement heavily criticized by IWC
• Audio: DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) defeat WWE Tag Team Champions The Revival (FTR) in their RAW debut
• Hulk Hogan Biopic starring Chris Hemsworth announced. Unfortunately, the project would be killed off five years later
• Audio: Batista makes a shocking return to WWE RAW and ruins Ric Flair's 70th Birthday celebration
• Audio: Roman Reigns makes WWE return and reveals to WWE Universe that he is cancer free!
• Controversy erupts when WWE releases Brock Lesnar kid's body costume, which looks more like a giant penis!
• Looking back at Impact Wrestling: Sacrifice PPV 2020
• Matt Hardy rolls out of WWE (and into AEW shortly thereafter) with a memorable picture of himself in the Chair Of Wheels
• Audio: Cody Rhodes cuts a passionate promo to live AEW crowd following Cage Match against Wardlow (making his AEW in ring debut)
• Lacey Evans / Ric Flair love angle is quickly written off WWE TV due to Evans' real-life pregnancy
• Looking back at the historic Class Of 2021: WWE announces the NXT signings of Andre Chase, Zoey Stark, Carmelo Hayes, GiGi Dolin, Brutus Creed, Jacy Jayne, Elektra Lopez, Anthony Henry, Cora Jade, Blake Christian, Trick Williams, Tony Dangelo, AQA, Amari Miller, Taya Valkyrie, Parker Boudreaux, Bron Breakker and LA Knight
• AEW signs Paul Wight, Swerve Strickland and Jennifer Pepperman
• Joseph Hudson, better known as The Question Mark in NWA, tragically dies at 43 years old
• Looking back at Impact Wrestling: No Surrender PPV 2022
• Audio: Buddy Matthews makes his AEW debut and aligns with the House Of Black
• Funny story involving President of Warner Brothers Discovery programming after publicly claiming that AEW Dynamite draws over 4 million viewers each week
• Cesaro contract expires with WWE, refuses to sign a new deal
• Audio: Tony Khan and Adam Cole reveal a new AEW reality show 'AEW All Access'
• Jeff Hardy's DUI Case is closed opening the road to his return to AEW programming
• Mercedes Mone and Trinity Fatu (Naomi) appear on a cringe episode of Bar Rescue
• Liv Morgan and Jey Uso appear in an odd commercial for Credit One credit cards
• John Cena launches an Only Fans page to hype up the upcoming movie release of Ricky Stanicky. Randy Orton even wanted in on the fun
• Internet spat between Vanilla Ice and Chavo Guerrero over Ice purchasing a Lowrider previously connected to Eddie Guerrero
• Looking back at TNA: No Surrender PPV 2024
• Audio: The Rock trolls fans for not appearing in Australia for Elimination Chamber during the road to WrestleMania 40
• Audio: R-Truth hops on a flight to attend WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 event. But there's a problem
• Ryan Nemeth files a lawsuit against All Elite Wrestling, Tony Khan, and CM Punk alleging assault, professional retaliation, and blacklisting from the wrestling industry
• Ricky Saints (Starks) makes his WWE NXT in-ring debut
• Audio: WWE and The Rock announce WrestleMania returning to New Orleans, Louisiana for WrestleMania 42 just to move it to Las Vegas, NV months later without ever giving a public explanation
• Audio: "I want your soul": The Final Boss pops up on SmackDown and wants Cody Rhodes to be 'his Champion' and 'give him his soul' at WWE Elimination Chamber
• And so much more!

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