Mid 20th Century
138-504: The Mysterios were an American professional wrestling tag team composed of Rey Mysterio and his son Dominik Mysterio . Individually, both Rey and Dominik currently perform on the Raw brand . They are former one-time SmackDown Tag Team Champions , making them the first father and son team to have won a tag team championship in WWE. Dominik made his first professional wrestling appearance on
276-565: A six-man tag team match . Earlier that night, another title match between The Usos and The Mysterios was scheduled for the Kickoff pre-show. At Hell in a Cell, Bianca Belair defeated Bayley in a Hell in a Cell match to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship. On the following episode of SmackDown , both were involved in a mixed tag team match in which Bayley pinned Belair. The following week, Bayley claimed that Belair's Hell in
414-446: A " gimmick " consisting of a specific persona , stage name , entrance theme , and other distinguishing traits. Matches are the primary vehicle for advancing storylines, which typically center on interpersonal conflicts, or feuds , between heroic " faces " and villainous " heels ". A wrestling ring , akin to the platform used in boxing , serves as the main stage ; additional scenes may be recorded for television in backstage areas of
552-725: A 25-city tour beginning with the July 16, 2021, episode of SmackDown in Houston , Texas . Money in the Bank was in turn announced to take place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on July 18, thus it was the first WWE pay-per-view held outside of Florida since Elimination Chamber on March 8, 2020, and the first pay-per-view held following the end of the ThunderDome Era . The event comprised seven matches, including one on
690-406: A Cell victory was a fluke, citing her own victory over Belair in the mixed tag team match. Belair then came out and challenged Bayley to an "I Quit" match with the title on the line at Money in the Bank and Bayley accepted. On July 9, however, WWE announced that Bayley suffered a legitimate injury while training that would sideline her for up to nine months; this was followed by an announcement that
828-450: A Spear, Edge performed a Spear of his own for a nearfall. Rollins then returned to the ring, only for Edge to knock him off the apron. This brief distraction allowed Reigns to perform a Spear on Edge and retain the title. Following the match, as Reigns and Rollins had a stare down, Edge attacked Rollins and they brawled into the crowd. As Reigns obtained a microphone and proclaimed that the whole world needed to acknowledge him, John Cena made
966-413: A background in authentic wrestling no longer mattered. After this time, matches became more outlandish and gimmicky and any semblance professional wrestling had to catch wrestling faded. The personas of the wrestlers likewise grew more outlandish. Gorgeous George , who performed throughout the 1940s and 1950s, was the first wrestler whose entrance into the arena was accompanied by a theme song played over
1104-532: A carny term for a shooting gallery gun whose sights were not deliberately misaligned. Wrestling in the United States blossomed in popularity after the Civil War , with catch wrestling eventually becoming the most popular style. At first, professional wrestlers were genuine competitive fighters, but they struggled to draw audiences because Americans did not find real wrestling to be very entertaining, so
1242-519: A central authority. Nor could any of them stomach the idea of leaving the NWA themselves to compete directly with McMahon, for that would mean their territories would become fair game for the other NWA members. McMahon also had a creative flair for TV that his rivals lacked. For instance, the AWA's TV productions during the 1980s were amateurish, low-budget, and out-of-touch with contemporary culture, which lead to
1380-812: A challenge from Finn Bálor , who had returned to SmackDown the previous week. An altercation occurred during the contract signing the following week, which ultimately led to Cena signing the match contract, officially scheduling Reigns to defend the title against Cena at SummerSlam. Also on the following episode of SmackDown , Edge claimed that he would have won the Universal Championship had it not been for Seth Rollins' actions. He stated that their issues date back to December 2014 when Rollins had attempted to injure Edge's surgically repaired neck and definitively put an end to his career. Rollins then came out and said he despised older wrestlers like Edge and John Cena for coming back and taking opportunities from
1518-585: A champion that Curley put forth: Dick Shikat . The National Wrestling Association shut down in 1980. In 1948, a number of promoters from across the country came together to form the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The NWA recognized one "world champion", voted on by its members, but allowed member promoters to crown their own local champions in their territories. If a member poached wrestlers from another member, or held matches in another member's territory, they risked being ejected from
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#17328018167001656-407: A contract to grant them a match for either Raw's WWE Championship or SmackDown's Universal Championship , while female wrestlers competed for a Raw Women's Championship or SmackDown Women's Championship match contract. While the previous year's event had featured a "Corporate Ladder" gimmick, which took place at WWE's Titan Towers headquarters and had only six competitors in each match due to
1794-443: A degree. Vince Russo, the boss of WCW in 2000, completely disregarded kayfabe by routinely discussing business matters and office politics in public, which alienated fans. I watch championship wrestling from Florida with wrestling commentator Gordon Solie . Is this all "fake"? If so, they deserve an Oscar . Money in the Bank (2021) The 2021 Money in the Bank was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE . It
1932-410: A fee, a visitor could challenge the wrestler to a quick match. If the challenger defeated the champion in a short time frame, usually 15 minutes, he won a prize. To encourage challenges, the carnival operators staged rigged matches in which an accomplice posing as a visitor challenged the champion and won, giving the audience the impression that the champion was easy to beat. This practice taught wrestlers
2070-416: A former convict -thug who "had served time in prison with the world's most dangerous people" but in reality, he was only in county jail for a few hours. On Valentine's Day , Dominik and Ripley intruded on Rey's and Angie's Valentine's Day dinner where the latter party immediately gave up their table to the former. At the end of the dinner, Dominik fled the restaurant after seeing two police officers entering
2208-414: A genuine sport, and the phrase "professional wrestling" therefore has a more literal meaning in those places. A notable example is India's Pro Wrestling League . In numerous American states, professional wrestling is legally defined as a non-sport. For instance, New York defines professional wrestling as: Professional wrestling means an activity in which participants struggle hand-in-hand primarily for
2346-405: A legitimate sport. Firstly, wrestling was more entertaining when it was faked, whereas fakery did not make boxing any more entertaining. Secondly, in a rigged boxing match, the designated loser must take a real beating for his "defeat" to be convincing, but wrestling holds can be faked convincingly without inflicting injury. This meant that boxers were less willing to "take dives"; they wanted to have
2484-799: A match against Gus Sonnenberg in January 1929. Bowser then broke away from the trust to form his own cartel, the American Wrestling Association (AWA), in September 1930, and he declared Sonnenberg to be the AWA champion. This AWA should not be confused with Wally Kadbo's AWA founded in 1960. Curley reacted to this move by convincing the National Boxing Association to form the National Wrestling Association , which in turn crowned
2622-441: A match between McIntyre and Mahal was scheduled for SummerSlam with Shanky and Veer banned from ringside. Instead of waiting until SmackDown , John Cena first appeared on Raw to explain his appearance at Money in the Bank. He stated that he wanted to put Reigns in his place and officially challenged Reigns for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam. On SmackDown , however, Reigns rejected Cena's challenge and instead accepted
2760-458: A nearfall. In the end, as Rey attempted a 619 on Jey, Jimmy protected Jey with Jimmy receiving the 619 instead. Jey then performed a roll-up on Rey with an assist from Jimmy to win the titles for the fifth time, and their seventh overall tag team championship in WWE. This would mark the beginning of The Usos' record-setting title reign, which currently stands as the longest tag team title reign in WWE at 622 days. The actual pay-per-view opened with
2898-440: A new city, attendance was high because there was a waiting fanbase cultivated in advance by the cable TV shows. The NWA's traditional anti-competitive tricks were no match for this. The NWA attempted to centralize and create their own national cable television shows to counter McMahon's rogue promotion, but it failed in part because the members of the NWA, ever protective of their territories, could not stomach submitting themselves to
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#17328018167003036-478: A rematch against The Viking Raiders on the following week's episode, where Styles and Omos again retained. Jinder Mahal, along with Shanky and Veer, gloated about costing Drew McIntyre the Money in the Bank ladder match. McIntyre then appeared and attacked Mahal and Veer with a steel chair. As Shanky tried to calm McIntyre down, McIntyre attacked Shanky with multiple chair shots. After a couple more weeks of feuding,
3174-496: A replacement for Bayley would be revealed on that night's SmackDown . Carmella was revealed as the replacement and the match was changed to a regular singles match that would instead occur on the July 16 episode of SmackDown , where Belair retained. This also resulted in WWE moving the Raw Tag Team Championship match between AJ Styles and Omos (c) and The Viking Raiders from the July 12 episode of Raw to
3312-513: A six-man tag team match, Dominik taunted and goaded Rey into hitting him, saying that Rey was a "deadbeat dad" and that "[Dominik] should have been Eddie's son." On the following episode of Raw, Dominik interrupted Rey again and challenged Rey to a match at WrestleMania 39 . Rey declined, saying he would never fight his own son. On the March 24 episode of SmackDown, Rey finally accepted Dominik's challenge after Dominik berated Angie at ringside. On
3450-469: A surprise return—in his first appearance since WrestleMania 36 in April 2020—and entered the ring where Cena had a stare down with Reigns and performed his "You Can't See Me" taunt at Reigns to end the event. Though the event itself was well-received, Peacock's streaming of the event in the United States was poorly received due to technical issues occurring throughout, particularly during the men's Money in
3588-604: A tag team partner who was a "global superstar". On the following episode of Raw , as Miz teased the identity of his partner to face Rey and Dominik at WrestleMania 38 , the Mysterios interrupted, stating it did not matter who Miz had chosen. Miz then revealed his partner as social media personality Logan Paul , after which, Miz and Paul attacked the Mysterios. At WrestleMania 38, the Mysterios were defeated by Miz and Paul. The Mysterios later began feuding with The Judgment Day ( Finn Bálor , Damian Priest , and Rhea Ripley ) over
3726-503: A typical American household only received four national channels by antenna, and ten to twelve local channels via UHF broadcasting . But cable television could carry a much larger selection of channels and therefore had room for niche interests. The WWF started with a show called All-American Wrestling airing on the USA Network in September 1983. McMahon's TV shows made his wrestlers national celebrities, so when he held matches in
3864-586: A victory for all the pain to which they subjected themselves. In the 1910s, promotional cartels for professional wrestling emerged in the East Coast (outside its traditional heartland in the Midwest ). These promoters sought to make long-term plans with their wrestlers, and to ensure their more charismatic and crowd-pleasing wrestlers received championships, further entrenching the desire for worked matches. The primary rationale for shoot matches at this point
4002-410: Is a true sport. Wrestlers would at all times flatly deny allegations that they fixed their matches, and they often remained in-character in public even when not performing. When in public, wrestlers would sometimes say the word kayfabe to each other as a coded signal that there were fans present and they needed to be in character. Professional wrestlers in the past strongly believed that if they admitted
4140-510: Is also notable for marking the beginning of the Usos' fifth reign as SmackDown Tag Team Champions, which currently stands as the longest reign in the championship's history, and the longest Tag Team Championship reign of any kind in the history of WWE at 622 days, in which started on the Kickoff pre-show. Money in the Bank is an annual professional wrestling event produced by WWE since 2010, generally held between May and July. The concept of
4278-498: Is why he had taken the past two months off. Qualifying matches for the men's Money in the Bank ladder match began on the June 21 episode of Raw . Ricochet , John Morrison , and Riddle qualified by defeating AJ Styles , Randy Orton , and Drew McIntyre , respectively. Raw's final spot was determined in a triple threat match the following week, which was originally scheduled to be between Styles, Orton, and McIntyre; however, Orton
Mysterios - Misplaced Pages Continue
4416-549: The COVID-19 pandemic , the 2021 event reverted to the standard version of the titular ladder match as well as returning to having eight competitors for both matches, evenly divided between the two brands. It was the 12th Money in the Bank and the first to be held in July since the 2013 event . The event aired on pay-per-view (PPV) worldwide and was available to livestream on the WWE Network in international markets, and
4554-624: The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board that professional wrestling is not a real sport because its matches have predetermined outcomes. Shortly thereafter, New Jersey deregulated professional wrestling. The WWF then rebranded itself as a " sports entertainment " company. In the early years of the 20th century, the style of wrestling used in professional wrestling matches was catch wrestling . Promoters wanted their matches to look realistic and so preferred to recruit wrestlers with real grappling skills. In
4692-600: The Raw Tag Team Championship at a future date. On the July 12 episode, Ivar defeated Styles, while Omos defeated Erik in Omos' first singles match. That same day, the title match was scheduled for Money in the Bank. On the May 28 episode of SmackDown , The Usos ( Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) teamed up for the first time in over a year and defeated The Street Profits ( Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford ) to become
4830-776: The United States , Mexico , Japan , and northwest Europe (the United Kingdom , Germany/Austria and France ), which have each developed distinct styles, traditions, and subgenres within professional wrestling. Professional wrestling has developed its own culture and community , including a distinct vernacular . It has achieved mainstream success and influence within popular culture , with many terms, tropes , and concepts being referenced in everyday language as well as in film , music , television , and video games . Likewise, numerous professional wrestlers have become national or international icons with recognition by
4968-707: The WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match while he did not and also that Rey was the cover star of the WWE 2K22 video game. Miz also questioned if Rey was truly Dominik's dad, referencing the child custody battle that Rey had with Eddie Guerrero back at SummerSlam in 2005 . Dominik then defeated Miz in a rematch. Rey then defeated Miz during the Elimination Chamber Kickoff pre-show. Later backstage, Miz accused Rey of cheating due to Dominik and said he would find
5106-552: The WWE United States Championship at WrestleMania 35 . He once again appeared on Raw from April to June, during the feud between Mysterio and Joe. During the following months, he was involved in his father's storylines and matches, including getting physically involved in Rey's WWE Championship match against Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series , where they attacked Lesnar and performed a double 619 , but Rey
5244-636: The storyline , Guerrero stated that he was Dominik's ( kayfabe ) biological father. Mysterio defeated Guerrero in a ladder match for custody of Dominik at SummerSlam . He made two more appearances in 2006, first at WrestleMania 22 with Angie and Aalyah watching his father win the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time and second on the September 15 edition of SmackDown! where he watched backstage as his father battled with Mr. Kennedy . Mysterio would lose this match after Chavo Guerrero and Vickie Guerrero showed up on
5382-584: The 1920s, a group of wrestlers and promoters known as the Gold Dust Trio introduced moves which have since become staples of the mock combat of professional wrestling, such as body slams, suplexes , punches, finishing moves, and out-of-ring count-outs. By the early 1930s, most wrestlers had adopted personas to generate public interest. These personas could broadly be characterized as either faces (likeable) or heels (villainous). Native Americans, cowboys, and English aristocrats were staple characters in
5520-400: The 1930s and 1940s. Before the age of television, some wrestlers played different personas depending on the region they were performing in. This eventually came to an end in the age of national television wrestling shows, which forced wrestlers to stick to one persona. Wrestlers also often used some sort of gimmick, such as a finishing move, eccentric mannerisms, or out-of-control behavior (in
5658-509: The 1990s, WCW became a credible rival to the WWF, but by end it suffered from a series of creative missteps that led to its failure and purchase by the WWF. One of its mistakes was that it diminished the glamor of its World Heavyweight Championship . Between January 2000 and March 2001, the title changed hands eighteen times, which sapped fan enthusiasm, particularly for the climactic pay-per-view matches. In professional wrestling, two factors decide
Mysterios - Misplaced Pages Continue
5796-411: The 19th century, who later sought to make matches shorter, more entertaining, and less physically taxing. As the public gradually realized and accepted that matches were predetermined, wrestlers responded by increasingly adding melodrama, gimmickry, and outlandish stunt work to their performances to further enhance the spectacle . By at least the early 20th century, professional wrestling had diverged from
5934-653: The Atlantic Athletic Corporation (AAC). The AAC shut down in 1960. In 1958, Omaha promoter and NWA member Joe Dusek recognized Verne Gagne as the world champion without the approval of the NWA. Gagne asked for a match against the recognized NWA champion Pat O'Connor. The NWA refused to honor the request, so Gagne and Minneapolis promoter Wally Karbo established the American Wrestling Association in 1960. This AWA should not be confused with Paul Bowser's AWA, which ceased operations just two months prior. Gagne's AWA operated out of Minnesota . Unlike
6072-719: The Bank contract on Bobby Lashley to win the WWE Championship, thus transferring to Raw in the process, and made Big E WWE's 33rd Triple Crown winner. Also on SmackDown , Jimmy Uso defeated Dominik Mysterio in a singles match, thanks to Jey assisting Jimmy during the pin, similar to the pin during Money in the Bank Kickoff that won The Usos the SmackDown Tag Team Championship from Dominik and Rey Mysterio. The following week, Rey defeated Jimmy with that same pinning combination. On August 5,
6210-416: The Bank ladder match. Dave Meltzer rated the men's Money in the Bank ladder match 4.75 stars, which was the highest of the night. Roman Reigns vs. Edge and Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley both received 4.25 stars. The women's Money in the Bank ladder match and Bobby Lashley vs. Kofi Kingston received 2 stars, the lowest rated matches of the night. The Raw Tag Team Championship match received 2.5 stars, and
6348-479: The Bank ladder matches . In other prominent matches, Bobby Lashley defeated Kofi Kingston to retain Raw's WWE Championship and Charlotte Flair defeated Rhea Ripley to win her record-tying fifth Raw Women's Championship and 13th overall singles championship in the women's division. The event also saw the surprise return of John Cena , appearing for the first time since WrestleMania 36 in April 2020. This event
6486-584: The Bank winner Carmella as the first of SmackDown's four participants. Liv Morgan , who had been feuding with Carmella and defeated her two weeks earlier, took issue as Carmella did not compete in a qualifier match to earn her spot. Deville then had Morgan face Carmella to prove she deserved to be in the match and Morgan subsequently defeated Carmella; however, Deville did not add her to the ladder match. The following week, Deville named Zelina Vega , who made her return to WWE after her release in November 2020, as
6624-478: The Crossface on Reigns. The Usos (Jey and Jimmy) then came out and attempted to interfere in the match, however this was thwarted by Rey and Dominik Mysterio, who attacked them before they reached the ring. Seth Rollins, frustrated over losing the Money in the Bank ladder match earlier as well as for Edge receiving the championship match before him, then came out and performed a Superkick on Edge. As Reigns attempted
6762-490: The December 11 edition of SmackDown! in the crowd again with Angie and Aalyah watching his father compete against WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in a non-title match in a losing effort. In the summer of 2005, Dominik made his third appearance in WWE at the age of 8, but this time in a more prominent role, as part of his father Rey's ongoing feud with Eddie Guerrero , in which the two rivals fought for custody of him. During
6900-429: The June 11 episode, Rey challenged Reigns for the Universal Championship. The match was later scheduled for Hell in a Cell as a Hell in a Cell match , but was later rescheduled to the June 18 episode of SmackDown , where Reigns retained. The Mysterios returned on the July 9 episode of SmackDown to assist Edge in attacking Reigns and The Usos. The following week, Reigns and The Usos defeated Edge and The Mysterios in
7038-401: The June 21 episode of Raw , as WWE Champion Bobby Lashley and his manager MVP were celebrating Lashley's win over Drew McIntyre at Hell in a Cell the previous night, they were interrupted by The New Day ( Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods ). Kingston reminded Lashley that he had defeated him in a non-title match on the May 17 episode of Raw and that he had also never received a rematch for
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#17328018167007176-400: The June 25 episode of SmackDown , Reigns and his special counsel Paul Heyman had a Universal Championship address. Heyman stated that Reigns had defeated all of SmackDown's top contenders and that there was no one left to challenge Reigns. Edge then made a surprise return after a two-month hiatus and attacked Reigns and also took out Jimmy Uso , who had come to Reigns' aid. On Talking Smack
7314-525: The June 5, 2003 edition of SmackDown! at 6 years old when he was in the crowd along with his mother Angie and his younger sister Aalyah watching his father Rey Mysterio win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship from Matt Hardy . After the match, Dominik came over the barricade and into the ring to celebrate with his father, who promptly gave him a massive hug and hoisted him up on his shoulders. Dominik made his second appearance on
7452-427: The Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown . In the main event of Night 2 of WrestleMania 37 , Roman Reigns defeated Edge and Daniel Bryan in a triple threat match to retain the Universal Championship. On
7590-539: The Latino World Order were drafted to SmackDown, cooling off the feud once more. On the December 5 episode of NXT, Dominik's original opponent for his NXT North American Championship defense at NXT Deadline , Wes Lee , was not medically cleared to compete due to a legitimate back injury. Rey appeared via video message and announced Dragon Lee will take his place in the match. At the event on December 9, Lee, with Rey in his corner, defeated Dominik to win
7728-526: The March 31 episode of SmackDown , Rey reformed the Latino World Order and invited Legado Del Fantasma ( Santos Escobar , Zelina Vega , Joaquin Wilde , and Cruz Del Toro ) to join as a token of appreciation for aiding him in his feud against Dominik and The Judgement Day. Rey would go on to defeat Dominik on Night 1 of WrestleMania 39. At the 2023 Draft , The Judgment Day were drafted to Raw and
7866-534: The Money In The Bank event in order to fill the slot in the match card vacated by the cancellation of the former. During the Money in the Bank Kickoff pre-show, The Mysterios (Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio) defended the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso). During the match, Jey caught Rey with a Superkick in mid-air and then performed the Uso Splash on Rey for
8004-510: The Money in the Bank ladder match. SmackDown's first spot was filled by Big E , who qualified by defeating Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews on the June 25 episode of SmackDown . The following week, Kevin Owens qualified by defeating Sami Zayn in a Last Man Standing match , which was a rematch from Hell in a Cell that Zayn had won. SmackDown's last two spots were filled on the July 9 episode: Seth Rollins defeated Cesaro , which
8142-536: The Mysterio family home. Dominik and Ripley assaulted Rey after Rey and Angie refused entry into the house. On Christmas Eve , Dominik and Ripley visited Dominik's grandparents' home. A confrontation ensued between Dominik, Ripley, Rey and Angie outside of the house with Dominik shoving Rey and Angie slapping Ripley. The police arrived shortly after and ( kayfabe ) arrested Dominik. After being released from police custody, Dominik took on an additional gimmick of being
8280-478: The Mysterios defeated Bálor and Priest in a no disqualification match following an interference from the returning Edge , The Judgment Day's former leader, who attacked Bálor and Priest, allowing the Mysterios to defeat them. At Clash at the Castle , after Rey and Edge defeated Bálor and Priest, Dominik hit Edge with a low blow. Rey pleaded with Dominik to stop, but Dominik attacked Rey, turning heel and disbanding
8418-401: The Mysterios dropped the titles to The Usos, ending their reign at 63 days. As part of the 2021 Draft , both Rey and Dominik were drafted to the Raw brand . On the January 31, 2022 episode of Raw , The Miz defeated Dominik. The following week, the Mysterios were guests on "Miz TV". Rey claimed that Miz cheated to defeat Dominik while Miz took issue that Rey had an opportunity to qualify for
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#17328018167008556-409: The Mysterios in the process. Following his heel turn at Clash at the Castle, Dominik officially joined The Judgment Day on the September 5 episode of Raw and helped the group attack Edge and Rey. Dominik and The Judgment Day continued to torment Rey on Raw to the point that Rey informed WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H that he would rather quit than to fight Dominik. Triple H offered Rey to join
8694-408: The NWA, at which point his territory became fair game for everyone. The NWA would blacklist wrestlers who worked for independent promoters or who publicly criticized an NWA promoter or who did not throw a match on command. If an independent promoter tried to establish himself in a certain area, the NWA would send their star performers to perform for the local NWA promoter to draw the customers away from
8832-488: The NWA, which only allowed faces to be champions, Gagne occasionally allowed heels to win the AWA championship so that they could serve as foils for him. In August 1983, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), a promotion in the north-east , withdrew from the NWA. Vince K. McMahon then took over as its boss. No longer bound by the territorial pact of the NWA, McMahon began expanding his promotion into
8970-412: The November 13 episode of SmackDown after Rey defeated Rollins in a No Holds Barred match after assistance from Murphy, who turned on Rollins. At WrestleMania Backlash , Dominik and Rey won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, marking Dominik's first championship in WWE, and making Dominik and Rey the first father and son team to become tag team champions in WWE history. At Money in the Bank pre-show,
9108-644: The Raw Women's Championship against Charlotte Flair. After a well contested match, as Ripley went for the Riptide, Flair countered into a DDT. Flair performed the Natural Selection on Ripley off the second rope for a nearfall. Ripley performed a German Suplex on Flair who rolled out of the ring. Flair rammed Ripley's head in a turnbuckle and trapped her leg in between the steel steps and the corner post, kicking it several times. Flair then got Ripley back in
9246-500: The SmackDown Women's Championship match against Bianca Belair due to Bayley suffering an injury. Morgan once again confronted Deville about her giving Carmella an opportunity despite not earning one; although annoyed at Morgan's interruption, Deville named Morgan as Carmella's replacement in the Money in the Bank ladder match. WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina were announced as SmackDown's last two participants on July 12 and July 15, respectively, via Twitter . On
9384-550: The SmackDown brand instead. Rey accepted Triple H's offer, temporarily cooling off Rey's feud with Dominik and The Judgment Day. As part of The Judgment Day, Dominik took on a gimmick mirroring Eddie Guerrero's Latino Heat while together with Ripley, with Ripley calling herself as Dominik's "Mami". At the 2023 Royal Rumble , Rey was scheduled to enter the Royal Rumble match at #17 but did not appear when his entrance music
9522-401: The arena's loudspeakers, his being Pomp and Circumstance . He also wore a costume: a robe and hairnet, which he removed after getting in the ring. He also had a pre-match ritual where his "butler" would spray the ring with perfume. In the 1980s, Vince McMahon made entrance songs, costumes, and rituals standard for his star wrestlers. For instance, McMahon's top star Hulk Hogan would delight
9660-418: The art of staging rigged matches and fostered a mentality that spectators were marks to be duped. The term kayfabe comes from carny slang. By the turn of the 20th century, most professional wrestling matches were "worked" and some journalists exposed the practice: American wrestlers are notorious for the amount of faking they do. It is because of this fact that suspicion attaches to so many bouts that
9798-561: The audience by tearing his shirt off before each match. The first major promoter cartel emerged on the East Coast, although up to that point, wrestling's heartland had been in the Midwest. Notable members of this cartel included Jack Curley , Lou Daro, Paul Bowser and Tom and Tony Packs. The promoters colluded to solve a number of problems that hurt their profits. Firstly, they could force their wrestlers to perform for less money. As
9936-608: The availability of vaccines, WWE left the ThunderDome and returned to a live touring schedule in mid-July 2021, marking Money in the Bank as the first WWE PPV with a full crowd, and the first PPV held outside of the state of Florida since Elimination Chamber in March 2020. Seven matches were contested at the event, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event, Roman Reigns defeated Edge to retain SmackDown's Universal Championship . Additionally, Big E and Nikki A.S.H. won their respective men's and women's Money in
10074-427: The briefcase, however, Natalya intercepted Bliss. The rest of the competitors eventually buried Bliss under a pile of ladders, taking Bliss out for the remainder of the match. With three ladders positioned under the briefcase, Asuka, Naomi, Morgan, Vega, Natalya, and Tamina all fought atop of the three ladders. Nikki, who had been down outside the ring, used the opportunity to quickly climb the middle ladder and reach over
10212-412: The broader public. In the United States, wrestling is generally practiced in an amateur context. No professional league for competitive wrestling exists due to a lack of popularity. For example, Real Pro Wrestling , an American professional freestyle wrestling league, dissolved in 2007 after just two seasons. In other countries, such as Iran and India , wrestling enjoys widespread popularity as
10350-424: The cartel grew, there were fewer independent promoters where independent wrestlers could find work, and many were forced to sign a contract with the cartel to receive steady work. The contracts forbade them from performing at independent venues. A wrestler who refused to play by the cartel's rules was barred from performing at its venues. A second goal of the wrestling cartels was to establish an authority to decide who
10488-418: The case of heels). The matches could also be gimmicky sometimes, with wrestlers fighting in mud and piles of tomatoes and so forth. The most successful and enduring gimmick to emerge from the 1930s were tag-team matches. Promoters noticed that matches slowed down as the wrestlers in the ring tired, so they gave them partners to relieve them. It also gave heels another way to misbehave by double-teaming. Towards
10626-423: The character in shows must be considered fictional, wholly separate from the life of the performer. This is similar to other entertainers who perform with a persona that shares their own name. Some wrestlers also incorporate elements of their real-life personalities into their characters, even if they and their in-ring persona have different names. Kayfabe is the practice of pretending that professional wrestling
10764-461: The commission. The Commission did on very rare occasions hand out such authorizations, such as for a championship match between Jim Londos and Jim Browning in June 1934. This decree did not apply to amateur wrestling, which the commission had no authority over. Wrestling fans widely suspected that professional wrestling was fake, but they did not care as long as it entertained. In 1933, a wrestling promoter named Jack Pfefer started talking about
10902-468: The competitive sport to become an artform and genre of sports entertainment . Professional wrestling is performed around the world through various " promotions ", which are roughly analogous to production companies or sports leagues . Promotions vary considerably in size, scope, and creative approach, ranging from local shows on the independent circuit , to internationally broadcast events at major arenas. The largest and most influential promotions are in
11040-540: The current fashion of wrestling is the universal discussion as to the honesty of the matches. And certainly the most interesting phrase of this discussion is the unanimous agreement: "Who cares if they're fixed or not—the show is good." Newspapers tended to shun professional wrestling, as journalists saw its theatrical pretense to being a legitimate sport as untruthful. Eventually promoters resorted to publishing their own magazines in order to get press coverage and communicate with fans. The first professional wrestling magazine
11178-607: The current wrestlers who earned them. A brawl then ensued with Edge performing the Edgecution on Rollins. As Edge attempted a Spear, Rollins retreated. On the August 6 episode, Edge challenged Rollins to a match at SummerSlam that Rollins accepted. Big E cut a promo on winning the Money in the Bank briefcase and called it the biggest victory of his career, only for Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews (accompanied by Commander Azeez ) to interrupt and gloat about defeating Big E for
11316-577: The date for Extreme Rules . It was also reported that Money in the Bank would be held with live ticketed fans in attendance. Since August 2020, WWE had presented Raw and SmackDown's shows from a bio-secure bubble called the WWE ThunderDome due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With cases declining and vaccines available to most American citizens, the company announced that they would be leaving the ThunderDome and returning to live touring, starting with
11454-405: The end of the 1930s, faced with declining revenues, promoters chose to focus on grooming charismatic wrestlers with no regard for their skill because it was charisma that drew the crowds, and wrestlers who were both skilled at grappling and charismatic were hard to come by. Since most of the public by this time knew and accepted that professional wrestling was fake, realism was no longer paramount and
11592-421: The event comes from WWE's established Money in the Bank ladder match , in which multiple wrestlers use ladders to retrieve a briefcase hanging above the ring. The briefcase contains a contract that guarantees the winner a match for a world championship of their choosing at any time within the next year. The 2021 event featured wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brand divisions ; male wrestlers competed for
11730-603: The facade of kayfabe as best as they could. In 1989, Vince McMahon testified before the New Jersey government that professional wrestling was not a true sport and therefore should be exempted from sports-related taxes. Many wrestlers and fans resented McMahon for this, but Lou Thesz accepted it as the smart move as it gave the industry more freedom to do as it pleased, and because by that point professional wrestling no longer attempted to appear real. The demise of WCW in 2001 provided some evidence that kayfabe still mattered to
11868-470: The first place. "Double-crosses", where a wrestler agreed to lose a match but nevertheless fought to win, remained a problem in the early cartel days. At times a promoter would even award a victorious double-crosser the title of champion to preserve the facade of sport. But promoters punished such wrestlers by blacklisting them, making it quite challenging to find work. Double-crossers could also be sued for breach of contract, such as Dick Shikat in 1936. In
12006-485: The first time since the Royal Rumble in January. Goldberg proclaimed that he would be Lashley's next challenger, which was scheduled for SummerSlam . Also on the following Raw , as Charlotte Flair boasted about winning the Raw Women's Championship for a fifth time, she was confronted by Rhea Ripley, who challenged her to a rematch that night which was granted by WWE officials Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville. During
12144-610: The game is not popular here. Nine out of ten bouts, it has been said, are pre-arranged affairs, and it would be no surprise if the ratio of fixed matches to honest ones was really so high. The wrestler Lou Thesz recalled that between 1915 and 1920, a series of exposés in the newspapers about the integrity of professional wrestling alienated a lot of fans, sending the industry "into a tailspin". But rather than perform more shoot matches, professional wrestlers instead committed themselves wholesale to fakery. Several reasons explain why professional wrestling became fake whereas boxing endured as
12282-460: The government. They pledged to stop allocating exclusive territories to its promoters, to stop blacklisting wrestlers who worked for outsider promoters, and to admit any promoter into the Alliance. The NWA would flout many of these promises, but its power was nonetheless weakened by the lawsuit. Paul Bowser's AWA joined the NWA in 1949. The AWA withdrew from the Alliance in 1957 and renamed itself
12420-449: The group's desire to recruit Dominik, with the latter continuously refusing, leading to the group attacking the Mysterios in several occasions. During Rey's 20th anniversary celebration on the July 25 episode of Raw , the Mysterios defeated Bálor and Priest in a tag team match. Afterwards in a backstage segment, Ripley attacked Rey's daughter Aalyah before dragging Dominik away, leading Rey into an assault by Bálor and Priest. At SummerSlam ,
12558-479: The height of the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to July 2021, WWE had presented their shows behind closed doors, first from the WWE Performance Center , then moving in August 2020 to a bio-secure bubble called the WWE ThunderDome (excluding WrestleMania 37 in April 2021, which was the company's first major event to have live ticketed fans since the pandemic began). With declining cases and
12696-526: The independent. By 1956, the NWA controlled 38 promotions within the United States, with more in Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. The NWA's monopolistic practices became so stifling that the independents appealed to the government for help. In October 1956 the US Attorney General's office filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NWA in an Iowa federal district court. The NWA settled with
12834-492: The individual wrestlers are paid or have been paid for their performance in a professional wrestling exhibition. All engagements of professional wrestling shall be referred to as exhibitions, and not as matches. In the industry's slang, a fixed match is referred to as a worked match, derived from the slang word for manipulation, as in "working the crowd". A shoot match is a genuine contest where both wrestlers fight to win and are therefore "straight shooters", which comes from
12972-480: The industry was anything but a competitive sport. The first wrestling promoter to publicly admit to routinely fixing matches was Jack Pfefer . In 1933, he started talking about the industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , resulting in a huge exposé. The exposé neither surprised nor alienated most wrestling fans, although some promoters like Jack Curley were furious and tried to restore
13110-496: The industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , maintaining no pretense that wrestling was real and passing on planned results just before the matches took place. While fans were neither surprised nor alienated, traditionalists like Jack Curley were furious, and most promoters tried to maintain the facade of kayfabe as best they could. Not the least interesting of all the minor phenomena produced by
13248-453: The kick-off show match received 3.5 stars. Following his dominant victory over Kofi Kingston, Bobby Lashley (accompanied by MVP) held an open challenge for the WWE Championship on the following night's episode of Raw . The challenge was accepted by a returning Keith Lee , who had been out with health issues since February, but lost to Lashley. Following the match, Lashley and MVP were confronted by WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg , appearing for
13386-510: The ladder, Rollins pulled Owens off, performing a Powerbomb on Owens through a ladder that was wedged between the apron and announce table. As Rollins ascended the ladder, Big E stopped him and performed the Big Ending on Rollins off the ladder. Big E then ascended the ladder and unhooked the briefcase to win the match. In the main event, Roman Reigns (accompanied by Paul Heyman) defended SmackDown's Universal Championship against Edge. During
13524-476: The ladder, he was attacked by Jinder Mahal with a steel chair and was carried off by Mahal's henchmen Shanky and Veer —continuing a rivalry that had recently begun on Raw . As Ricochet ascended the ladder, Riddle tipped the ladder over and Ricochet jumped onto the other competitors, who were outside the ring. Riddle and Owens performed the RKO and Stunner, respectively, on the remaining competitors. As Owens ascended
13662-413: The match, Flair was disqualified after striking Ripley with the championship belt, thus Ripley won the match but not the title. Following the match, the two brawled at ringside where Ripley performed the Riptide on Flair. Nikki A.S.H. then ran down to the ring and cashed in her Money in the Bank contract and defeated Flair to win the Raw Women's Championship. The following week, Nikki was scheduled to defend
13800-558: The match, Reigns and Edge brawled at ringside. As Reigns attempted the Spear, Edge moved out of the way and Reigns went through the barricade. Edge then performed a Spear on Reigns through the remainder of the barricade. Back in the ring, as Reigns performed the Superman Punch on Edge, Edge incapacitated the referee. Reigns obtained a broken piece of a chair and attempted to apply the Crossface on Edge, however, Edge reversed and applied
13938-526: The members of the winning teams qualified. Asuka and Naomi qualified by defeating the team of Eva Marie and Doudrop (formerly Piper Niven in NXT UK ) and later, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross , the latter incorporating a superhero gimmick and a new nickname of Nikki A.S.H. (short for Almost a Super Hero), qualified by defeating the team of Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler . On the June 25 episode of SmackDown , WWE official Sonya Deville named two-time Money in
14076-498: The members of wrestling cartels as the champion drew big crowds wherever he performed, and this would occasionally lead to schisms. By 1925, this cartel had divided the country up into territories which were the exclusive domains of specific promoters. This system of territories endured until Vince McMahon drove the fragmented cartels out of the market in the 1980s. This cartel fractured in 1929 after one of its members, Paul Bowser , bribed Ed "Strangler" Lewis to lose his championship in
14214-412: The next day, it was revealed that Edge had confronted WWE officials Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville and demanded a one-on-one match against Reigns for the title at Money in the Bank, which he was originally supposed to have at WrestleMania before Bryan worked his way into the match. Pearce then granted him the match. The following week, Edge explained that the loss at WrestleMania affected him mentally, which
14352-444: The number one contenders for The Mysterios ' ( Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio ) SmackDown Tag Team Championship . The following week, however, The Usos failed to win the titles not once, but twice. The first time, Dominik pinned Jimmy despite Jimmy's shoulder being off the mat. The second time, Universal Champion Roman Reigns attacked Dominik, causing a disqualification. Afterwards, Reigns continued his attack on The Mysterios. On
14490-514: The other competitors to unhook the briefcase and win the match. Next, AJ Styles and Omos defended the Raw Tag Team Championship against The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar). In the end, Erik and Ivar performed The Viking Experience on Styles, however, Omos stood on the ring apron and shoved Erik into Ivar to void the pin attempt. Omos then delivered a Two-Handed Chokeslam on Erik to retain the titles. After that, Bobby Lashley (accompanied by MVP) defended Raw's WWE Championship against Kofi Kingston. At
14628-512: The premise that the performers are competitive wrestlers. Professional wrestling is distinguished by its scripted outcomes and emphasis on entertainment and showmanship . The staged nature of matches is an open secret , with both wrestlers and spectators nonetheless maintaining the pretense that performances are bona fide competitions, which is likened to the suspension of disbelief employed when engaging with fiction . Professional wrestlers perform as characters and usually maintain
14766-433: The premise thinking there was a sting operation on him as "[he was] the most wanted man on TikTok ". Ripley was left to pick up the bill before leaving. Professional wrestling 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Professional wrestling (often referred to as pro wrestling , or simply, wrestling ) is a form of athletic theater that combines mock combat with drama , with
14904-717: The promotion's closing in 1991. In the spring of 1984, the WWF purchased Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), which had been ailing for some time due to financial mismanagement and internal squabbles. In the deal, the WWF acquired the GCW's timeslot on TBS . McMahon agreed to keep showing Georgia wrestling matches in that timeslot, but he was unable to get his staff to Atlanta every Saturday to fulfill this obligation, so he sold GCW and its TBS timeslot to Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). JCP started informally calling itself World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1988, Ted Turner bought JCP and formally renamed it World Championship Wrestling. During
15042-439: The purpose of providing entertainment to spectators and which does not comprise a bona fide athletic contest or competition. Professional wrestling is not a combative sport. Wrestling constituting bona fide athletic contests and competitions, which may be professional or amateur combative sport, shall not be deemed professional wrestling under this Part. Professional wrestling as used in this Part shall not depend on whether
15180-501: The ring and applied the Figure Eight Leglock on her to win the title for a record-tying fifth time, marking her 13th overall singles championship in WWE and 14th title overall. The penultimate match was the men's Money in the Bank ladder match, featuring Drew McIntyre, John Morrison, Ricochet, and Riddle from Raw and Big E, Kevin Owens, King Nakamura, and Seth Rollins from SmackDown. During the match, as McIntyre ascended
15318-424: The second SmackDown entrant in the match. Morgan again confronted Deville about Vega not having to qualify. She also pointed out the fact that she proved herself by defeating Carmella and was not added, but would prove herself again in a match against Vega. Morgan subsequently defeated Vega, but was still not added. On the July 9 episode, Carmella was removed from the match as she was named as Bayley 's replacement in
15456-501: The stage with Gutiérrez to distract Mysterio as Kennedy rolled him up for the win. He once again appeared on the March 12, 2010 episode of SmackDown , this time during the feud between Rey Mysterio and the Straight Edge Society ( CM Punk , Luke Gallows , and Serena ). On the March 19, 2019 episode of SmackDown Live , Dominik appeared with his father, Rey Mysterio, who announced that he would be facing Samoa Joe for
15594-440: The stamina for an hours-long fight. Audiences also preferred short matches. Worked matches also carried less risk of injury, which meant shorter recovery. Altogether, worked matches proved more profitable than shoots. By the end of the 19th century, nearly all professional wrestling matches were worked. A major influence on professional wrestling was carnival culture. Wrestlers in the late 19th century worked in carnival shows. For
15732-532: The start of the match, Kingston performed a Double Stomp on Lashley's chest for a nearfall. Following this, Lashley completely dominated Kingston for the remainder of the match. After Kingston refused to submit to the Hurt Lock, Lashley performed the Dominator three times on Kingston before applying the Hurt Lock again, causing Kingston to pass out and retain the title. In the fourth match, Rhea Ripley defended
15870-426: The territories of his former NWA peers, now his rivals. By the end of the 1980s, the WWF would become the sole national wrestling promotion in the U.S. This was in part made possible by the rapid spread of cable television in the 1980s. The national broadcast networks generally regarded professional wrestling as too niche an interest, and had not broadcast any national wrestling shows since the 1950s. Before cable TV,
16008-556: The title after he lost the championship to Brock Lesnar at SmackDown's 20th Anniversary in October 2019. Kingston then challenged Lashley for the title. Lashley accepted and the match was scheduled for Money in the Bank. At Hell in a Cell, Charlotte Flair defeated Raw Women's Champion Rhea Ripley by disqualification after Ripley attacked Flair with the top cover of the announce table; however, since titles do not change hands via disqualification unless stipulated, Flair did not win
16146-421: The title against Flair and Ripley in a triple threat match at SummerSlam. Also on Raw , Riddle teamed with The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar) in a six-man tag team match against John Morrison and Raw Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Omos in which The Viking Raiders performed The Viking Experience on Morrison to win the match. Styles and Omos were subsequently scheduled to defend the Raw Tag Team Championship in
16284-500: The title back at WrestleMania 37. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode interrupted, followed by King Nakamura (accompanied by Rick Boogs ) and Cesaro, all wanting to challenge Crews for the Intercontinental Championship. A brawl then ensued with Big E, Cesaro, and Nakamura taking out Crews, Azeez, Ziggler, and Roode. Big E then appeared on the September 13 episode of Raw and successfully cashed in his Money in
16422-409: The title. The following night on Raw , Flair claimed she was "proud" of Ripley and told Ripley that she had never seen her as a "strategic champion". WWE official Sonya Deville then scheduled a rematch between the two for the title at Money in the Bank. On the June 7 episode of Raw , The Viking Raiders ( Erik and Ivar ) won a tag team battle royal to earn a match against AJ Styles and Omos for
16560-495: The title. On the March 8, 2024 episode of SmackDown, Escobar, who defected from the LWO in November 2023, defeated Rey after interference from Dominik. One week later, Escobar and his reformed Legado Del Fantasma stablemates thanked Dominik for his actions. Rey interrupted while introducing Lee as the newest member of the LWO. Rey and Lee subsequently challenged Escobar and Dominik to a tag team match at WrestleMania XL . However, Lee
16698-519: The trial, witnesses testified that most of the "big matches" and all of the championship bouts were fixed. By the 1930s, with the exception of the occasional double-cross or business dispute, shoot matches were essentially nonexistent. In April 1930, the New York State Athletic Commission decreed that all professional wrestling matches held in the state had to be advertised as exhibitions unless certified as contests by
16836-471: The truth, their audiences would desert them. Today's performers don't "protect" the industry like we did, but that's primarily because they've already exposed it by relying on silly or downright ludicrous characters and gimmicks to gain popularity with the fans. It was different in my day, when our product was presented as an authentic, competitive sport. We protected it because we believed it would collapse if we ever so much as implied publicly that it
16974-405: The venue, in a format similar to reality television . Performers generally integrate authentic wrestling techniques and fighting styles with choreography , stunts , improvisation , and dramatic conventions designed to maximize entertainment value and audience engagement. Professional wrestling as a performing art evolved from the common practice of match-fixing among American wrestlers in
17112-535: The way of proceedings: the "in-show" happenings, presented through the shows; and real-life happenings outside the work that have implications, such as performer contracts, legitimate injuries, etc. Because actual life events are often co-opted by writers for incorporation into storylines of performers, the lines between real life and fictional life are often blurred and become confused. Special discern must be taken with people who perform under their own name (such as Kurt Angle and his fictional persona ). The actions of
17250-449: The women's Money in the Bank ladder match, featuring Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Naomi, and Nikki A.S.H. from Raw and Liv Morgan, Zelina Vega, and WWE Women's Tag Team Champions, Natalya and Tamina, from SmackDown. During the match, Bliss used her supernatural powers to try and lower the contract into her hands only for Vega to stop her. Later atop a ladder, Bliss hypnotized Vega into climbing down the ladder and allowing Bliss an opportunity to unhook
17388-420: The wrestlers quietly began faking their matches so that they could give their audiences a satisfying spectacle. Fixing matches was also convenient for scheduling. A real ("shoot") match could sometimes last hours, whereas a fixed ("worked") match can be made short, which was convenient for wrestlers on tour who needed to keep appointments or share venues. It also suited wrestlers who were aging and therefore lacked
17526-425: Was Wrestling As You Like It , which printed its first issue in 1946. These magazines were faithful to kayfabe . Before the advent of television, professional wrestling's fanbase largely consisted of children, the elderly, blue-collar workers and minorities. When television arose in the 1940s, professional wrestling got national exposure on prime-time television and gained widespread popularity. Professional wrestling
17664-475: Was another rematch from Hell in a Cell that Rollins had also won, and King Nakamura defeated Baron Corbin , previously King Corbin before he lost his King of the Ring crown to Shinsuke Nakamura, who took on the king moniker. Qualifying matches for the women's Money in the Bank ladder match also began on the June 21 episode of Raw . The brand's four participants were determined by two tag team matches in which
17802-488: Was challenges from independent wrestlers. But a cartelized wrestler, if challenged, could credibly use his contractual obligations to his promoter as an excuse to refuse the challenge. Promotions would sometimes respond to challenges with "policemen": powerful wrestlers who lacked the charisma to become stars, but could defeat and often seriously injure any challenger in a shoot match. As the industry trend continued, there were fewer independent wrestlers to make such challenges in
17940-501: Was nonetheless defeated. In May 2020, Dominik was involved in the feud between his father and Seth Rollins . His in-ring debut took place at SummerSlam , being defeated by Rollins. After the event, Dominik and Rey began to work as a tag team, defeating Rollins and Buddy Murphy at Payback . As part of the 2020 Draft in October, The Mysterios were drafted to the SmackDown brand . The Mysterio family's feud with Rollins would end on
18078-483: Was played. Dominik then entered at #18 wearing Rey's mask, hinting that he and/or The Judgment Day had taken out Rey. On the March 10 episode of SmackDown , Dominik and The Judgment Day interrupted Rey as Rey was about to address being the first inductee to the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2023 . After The Judgment Day defeated Legado Del Fantasma (who were a heel stable and had recently turned face for siding with Rey) in
18216-650: Was previously considered a niche interest, but the TV networks at the time were short on content and thus were willing to try some wrestling shows. In the 1960s, however, the networks moved on to more mainstream interests such as baseball, and professional wrestling was dropped. The core audience then shrunk back to a profile similar to that of the 1930s. In 1989, Vince McMahon was looking to exempt his promotion (the World Wrestling Federation ) from sports licensing fees. To achieve this, he testified before
18354-415: Was something other than what it appeared to be. I'm not sure now the fear was ever justified given the fact that the industry is still in existence today, but the point is no one questioned the need then. "Protecting the business" in the face of criticism and skepticism was the first and most important rule a pro wrestler learned. No matter how aggressive or informed the questioner, you never admitted
18492-435: Was taken out by Carlito backstage during the go-home show of SmackDown before WrestleMania. This led to Andrade taking Lee's spot after an in-ring segment between Escobar, Dominik, Rey, and Andrade. At Night 1 of WrestleMania XL, Rey and Andrade emerged victorious. At the 2024 Draft , The Judgment Day and LWO were drafted to the Raw brand, reigniting the Mysterios' feud. On Thanksgiving , Dominik invited Rhea Ripley to
18630-417: Was the "world champion". Before the cartels, there were multiple wrestlers in the U.S. simultaneously calling themselves the "world champion", and this sapped public enthusiasm for professional wrestling. Likewise, the cartel could agree on a common set of match rules that the fans could keep track of. The issue over who got to be the champion and who controlled said champion was a major point of contention among
18768-415: Was the 12th annual Money in the Bank and took place on July 18, 2021, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas . The event aired via pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming and was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions . This was the first Money in the Bank to livestream on Peacock and the first Money in the Bank event to take place in the state of Texas . During
18906-530: Was the first Money in the Bank to livestream on Peacock after the American version of the WWE Network merged under Peacock in March. The 2021 event was initially scheduled for May 16, however, it switched dates with WrestleMania Backlash and was to take place on June 20 until Hell in a Cell was announced for that date with Money in the Bank pushed back to July 18, which had originally been reported as
19044-433: Was unable to compete for unknown reasons. A battle royal was held to fill Orton's spot in the triple threat match. Orton's RK-Bro tag team partner Riddle convinced WWE officials Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville to allow him to compete in the battle royal where if he won, he would represent Orton in the triple threat match. Although Riddle won the battle royal, McIntyre won the triple threat match to earn Raw's final spot in
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