2000s and 2010s

by Mark Long

Cool Timeline

2000
Vince Russo Removed From Position As WCW Creative Director
Vince Russo - historyofwrestling.com

Less than three months after leaving Vince McMahon's WWF and joining WCW, Vince Russo is removed from his position as lead WCW writer and overall creative director. While not fired from the company, the controversial Russo is replaced by a booking committee that includes Ed Ferrara, Terry Taylor, J.J. Dillon…
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2001
World Championship Wrestling’s Final Pay-Per-View Takes Place
WCW - Greed PPV - historyofwrestling.com

Greed, the final pay-per-view in the history of World Championship Wrestling, takes place at the Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum in Jacksonville, Florida. Greed replaced the promotion's traditional March PPV event, WCW Uncensored, which was held annually from 1995 to 2000. In the main event of the show, Scott Steiner defeats Diamond…
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Vince McMahon Purchases World Championship Wrestling
WWF Buys WCW - historyofwrestling.com

In what would turn out to be the biggest news story of the modern era, World Wrestling Federation owner Vince McMahon purchases his longtime competitor World Championship Wrestling. As part of the deal, the WWF gained certain WCW talent contracts (although most of the major, big-name contracts were not included…
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WWF Monday Night Raw Simulcast on TNT Network
WWF Buys WCW - historyofwrestling.com

In one of the most pivotal events of modern wrestling history, the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro airs on TNT. The event was made even more historic due to the fact that for the first (and only) time ever a portion of the USA Network's WWF Monday Night Raw,…
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Survivor Series ’01 End the WCW/ECW “Invasion” Angle
Winner Takes All - historyofwrestling.com

Survivor Series '01 takes place, with match stipulations designed to unify championships and end the WCW/ECW "invasion" angle. Team WWF (The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane and The Big Show) defeated The Alliance (Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Rob Van Dam and Shane McMahon) in a "Winner Take…
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2002
Wrestling Legend Lou Thesz Dies
Lou Tesz - historyofwrestling.com

The man that many consider to be the greatest professional wrestling champion of all time, Lou Thesz, dies at the age of 86 following complications from a triple bypass surgery.  Thesz, credited as the first man to win the World heavyweight title on six different occasions, spent an amazing 4,924…
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Total Nonstop Action Makes Its Debut
The Debut of TNA - historyofwrestling.com

Total Nonstop Action makes its debut, emanating live from the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The two-hour event was hosted by former WCW play-by-play announcer Mike Tenay and his two color commentators, Don West and Ed Ferrara. The main event of the evening, a Royal Rumble-style match to crown…
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2009
Japanese Legend Mitsuharu Misawa Dies In The Ring
Mitsuharu Misawa - historyofwrestling.com

Japanese legend Mitsuharu Misawa, who was the 2nd man to play the role of Tiger Mask, dies in the ring at the age of 46. Misawa had been competing in a tag team match against GHC Tag Team champions Akitoshi Saito & Bison Smith when he took a back suplex…
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2011
Macho Man Randy Savage Dies After Suffering Heart Attack
Macho Man Randy Savage - historyofwrestling.com

"Macho Man" Randy Savage (Randy Poffo) dies after suffering a heart attack near his home in Seminole, Florida. Savage, age 58, was driving when the heart attack took place and he crashed into a tree after losing control of the vehicle. A member of the WWE Hall of Fame, during…
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2015
The American Dream Dusty Rhodes Dies
The American Dream Dusty Rhodes Dies

One of the sport's all-time biggest attractions, former three-time NWA World Heavyweight champion "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes (Virgil Runnels) dies in Orlando, Florida. The previous day, Rhodes had fallen in his home and was taken to the hospital by paramedics. Less than twenty-four hours later, Rhodes passed away from…
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Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks Begin The Women’s Revolution
Sasha Banks - Charlotte Flair - Becky Lynch - historyofwrestling.com

Following their individual success in NXT, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks all make their main roster debuts and form the core of what would soon be known as the "women's revolution" in WWE. Their talent and popularity eventually led to the first all-female pay-per-view, Evolution, which was soon…
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2017
Billy Corgan Purchases The National Wrestling Alliance
NWA - Billy Corgan - historyofwrestling.com

In a move that confuses many interested parties within the world of professional wrestling, Billy Corgan, founder & frontman of The Smashing Pumpkins, purchases the name, trademarks, championship belts and intellectual properties of the National Wrestling Alliance from previous owner Bruce Tharpe. Given his celebrity status, the news that he'd…
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2018
All In PPV Takes Place In Suburban Chicago
All In - historyofwrestling.com

A truly game-changing event in modern professional wrestling history, "All In" takes place on Memorial Day weekend at The Sears Center in suburban Chicago. In record time, the coalition of promotions that included ROH, New Japan, AAA, CMLL, Impact Wrestling, MLW and the recently rejuvenated NWA sold 11,263 tickets. Additionally,…
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2019
Ring of Honor & New Japan Pro-Wrestling Present the G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden
G1 Supercard - historyofwrestling.com

Ring of Honor & New Japan Pro-Wrestling make history when they present the G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The event, which quickly sold-out, was the first MSG wrestling card in fifty-nine years to be promoted by someone outside of the McMahon family. The main event…
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All Elite Wrestling Presents Double Or Nothing PPV
AEW-Double-Or-Nothing - historyofwrestling.com

All Elite Wrestling presents their first pay-per-view event, "Double Or Nothing," at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The event, headlined by Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega, would sell over 12,000 tickets in less than five minutes and draw over 100,000 p.p.v. buys, incredibly successful figures considering the…
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AEW Dynamite Makes Its National Television Debut On TNT
AEW Dynamite Debut - historyofwrestling.com

Just ten months after officially forming All Elite Wrestling, LLC, AEW Dynamite makes its national television debut on TNT. Emanating live from the nation's capital, the young company continued its streak of sold-out shows and moved over 10,000 tickets in just three hours, eventually drawing a capacity crowd of 14,129…
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