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Besides this, a veteran female legend also officially retired and stepped away from the squared circle. Let’s have a quick look at this week in WWE history.
#3. Michelle McCool retired at Extreme Rules 2011
Two-time WWE Divas Champion Michelle McCool is one of the most popular female veteran stars in the history of WWE. The real-life wife of The Undertaker officially retired at Extreme Rules 2011.
Here, she locked horns with Layla in a loser-leaves-WWE no disqualification bout. Layla defeated the legendary star, which led to McCool retiring from World Wrestling Entertainment.
For those who might not remember, Extreme Rules 2011 took place in Tampa, Florida, on May 1, 2011. Recently, Layla posted about the match on her official X (Twitter) account. The star shared that even after 15 years, she can still feel it.
“May 1, 2011 → 2026. 15 years later… and I still feel it. Extreme Rules was one of the most meaningful nights of my career. So happy, so proud… but also deeply emotional. That wasn’t just a match – it was the end of something real. Michelle deserved a beautiful send-off, and I’m grateful we got to give that to each other. LayCool broke boundaries in an era that didn’t always make space for it – and we did it our way. We cried. Not storyline tears… real ones. Flawless,” Layla wrote.
Nevertheless, Michelle returned to the Stamford-based promotion in 2018 to compete in the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match. She also appeared in the 2022 and 2023 editions of the women’s over-the-top-rope battle.
#2. JBL calls Rey Mysterio an “illegal immigrant” on WWE SmackDown
JBL and Rey Mysterio have a history in WWE. Almost 20 years ago, on an episode of SmackDown, John “Bradshaw” Layfield insulted the Master of 619 and his Mexican heritage.
In 2006, JBL was part of a controversial storyline with the Hall of Famer during which JBL insulted Mysterio by calling him “the epitome of a masked illegal immigrant.” This generated a lot of heat between them and resulted in a match at Judgment Day 2006.
JBL was not just a definitive heel during this feud, but also portrayed himself as a wealthy, patriotic Texan. He felt Rey Mysterio didn’t belong in the United States and mocked his Mexican culture.
At the Judgment Day 2006 Premium Live event, Rey Mysterio defeated JBL and retained his World Heavyweight Championship. The match lasted for 16 minutes, and the Master of 619 won after a pinfall victory. This feud helped Rey become one of the most iconic and beloved stars in the history of professional wrestling.
At WrestleMania 42, the Hall of Famer competed in a six-man Intercontinental Championship ladder match and stunned everyone with his performance. For those unaware, Mysterio is currently 51 years old. It’s commendable that he still competes in WWE with the same energy and pace all these years later.
#1. Multiple superstars were released, including Wade Barrett
Superstars losing their jobs will always remain an unfortunate fact of life. Almost 10 years ago, World Wrestling Entertainment released eight superstars from the company, including current commentator Wade Barrett, on May 6, 2016.
Besides King Barrett AKA Wade Barrett, the list included seven other stars: Damien Sandow, Cameron, Santino Marella, Alex Riley, Hornswoggle, Zeb Colter, and El Torito.
“WWE has come to terms on the release of WWE Superstars Damien Sandow, King Barrett, Santino Marella, Cameron, Hornswoggle, Alex Riley, El Torito and Zeb Colter as of Friday, May 6, 2016. WWE wishes them the best in all of their future endeavors,” the company announced back then.
At the time, Wade Barrett was doing great and even won the King of the Ring tournament. Damien Sandow was also widely popular among fans for his run as The Miz’s stunt double, Damien Mizdow. The A-Lister and Damien had great chemistry and even locked horns in a match.
In 2020, Wade returned to the Triple H-led WWE in a new role as a color commentator. He is currently commentating on SmackDown, alongside Joe Tessitore.
So, we hope you liked this walk down memory lane. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for more stories where we look back in time.
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