This week in WWE history: 10-time champion makes huge RAW debut, Roman Reigns battles top AEW name (March 18-March 24)

WWE WrestleMania season is in full swing. The biggest show World Wrestling Entertainment puts on each and every year is set to take place in just under two weeks. As a result, all eyes are on the Sports Entertainment juggernaut.

The stars are all here, with the likes of Roman Reigns, Rhea Ripley, Cody Rhodes, Bayley, The Rock, Becky Lynch, Gunther, Logan Paul, IYO SKY, Bianca Belair and others on television just about every week. There is a lot to enjoy right now.

Naturally, entertainment is very subjective and pro wrestling is no different. Some fans prefer to take a stroll down memory lane and re-live moments from their early fandom as opposed to focusing on today's product.

For fans looking to do that, you're in luck. Sportskeeda offers a weekly article looking back at some of the biggest matches, moments, and shows that helped shape the pro wrestling landscape into what it is today. This article will break down some of the biggest events from this past week in the company's history.

Here are five key events that took place this week in WWE history:

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#5. Brock Lesnar debuted on RAW on March 18th, 2002

The first entry on this week's list is the first episode of Monday Night RAW following WWE WrestleMania 18. This show was held at the Molson Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on March 18th, 2002. Around 17,000 fans were in attendance for this massive episode of RAW.

While this show had major big moments, one stood out then and especially stands out in retrospect. It all started with a silly WWE Hardcore Championship match. Maven and Al Snow fought with Spike Dudley getting involved, only for a massive behemoth to debut alongside Paul Heyman.

That beast was Brock Lesnar, making his main roster debut. He brutalized all three men and made an instant impact. Heyman went on to call Brock "The Next Big Thing" and that nickname was immediately fitting from this epic debut.

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#4. Saturday Night's Main Event returned on March 18th, 2006

WWE Saturday Night's Main Event was a staple throughout much of the 1980's and early 1990's as a weekend special. It eventually went away, but the company revived the concept with the first new edition taking place on March 18th, 2006.

This time around, the show was held at the Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan. It featured several big matches, including a Handicap Match pitting the RAW and SmackDown WrestleMania main eventers clashing against each other. Ultimately, though, one match stood out above the rest.

Shawn Michaels battled Shane McMahon in a Street Fight. Shawn mostly dominated when it was one-on-one, but Vince McMahon repeatedly interfered. In the end, Shawn lost when Vince re-enacted The Montreal Screwjob and called for the bell, giving his son the victory.

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#3. WrestleMania X took place on March 19th, 1994

WWE held the tenth annual WrestleMania event back on March 20th, 1994. The big show was held live at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. Around 18,000 screaming fans were in attendance for the epic show.

While the show was great, it is mostly remembered for being such thanks to two matches. One was the epic opening bout between Bret Hart and Owen Hart. The other match, which is still a standard bearer to this very day, was a Ladder Match.

Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon fought over the WWE Intercontinental Championship. In an 18-minute match, Razor eventually climbed to the top rope and pulled down his prized title. To this very day, many believe it is the best Ladder Match to ever take place.

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#2. Roman Reigns stood tall at Fastlane on March 19th, 2021

The next entry on this list is WWE Fastlane 2021. This show took place on March 21st, 2021 and it aired live from The ThunderDome. This meant that no fans were actually in attendance thanks to the worldwide pandemic.

While no fans being in attendance is certainly disappointing, the card was still loaded with stars. The likes of Alexa Bliss, Sheamus, Sasha Banks, Bianca Belair, Seth Rollins and Big E were in action. The main event, however, is what stole the show.

Roman Reigns defended his WWE Universal Championship against Daniel Bryan with Edge as the special guest enforcer. In the end, Roman Reigns won in about half an hour, but Bryan did make The Tribal Cheif tap out for a moral victory when the referee had been distracted. The bout was one you should go out of your way to see.

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#1. Steve Austin and Bret Hart had a classic at WWE WrestleMania 13 on March 23rd, 1997

The final entry on this week's list is WWE WrestleMania 13. This show took place on March 23rd, 1997 and aired live from the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois. Over 18,000 fans were in attendance, a stark contrast to the mega event WrestleMania has become.

This particular show is notable for having one of the greatest matches in both WWE and professional wrestling history. Bret Hart locked horns with Stone Cold Steve Austin in a No Disqualification Submission Match.

Ken Shamrock was the special guest referee and was there for a classic. In the end, the heel Steve Austin turned babyface and the babyface Bret Hart turned heel in a perfectly executed double turn. Austin lost by submission due to passing out at 22 minutes in what may be the perfect wrestling match.