Implemented in 2001, still at the time of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Vengeance was for six years a summer pay-per-view in WWE, having been discontinued after 2007, reappeared in 2011 and resurfaced in 2021 as Vengeance Day of the NXT, around the time of Valentine’s Day.
However, the first Vengeance took place in December 2001, the WWF officials felt that month’s regular pay-per-view, Armageddon, did not have a suitable name at a time when it was still very fresh in memory of the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York.
In 2002, the event took place in July, as in the following two years: in 2003 exclusive to SmackDown , in 2004 exclusive to Raw . The red brandwould maintain exclusivity in 2005 and 2006, when Vengeance was held in June.
In 2007, the PPV was called Vengeance: Night of Champions and then it was discontinued, giving way to Night of Champions, which started to be held separately. Vengeance still returned in 2011 , but was later discontinued again, returning in 2021 as NXT’s Vengeance Day, a kind of pun for being held on Valentine’s Day.
Vengeance 2001 | WCW World Championship:
The Rock (c) vs. Chris Jericho
After Team WWF defeated The Alliance in a “Winner Takes All” at Survivor Series 2001, WCW was forced to close its doors and all of its titles were merged with equivalent WWF titles and consequently retired, with the exception of the WCW World Championship, which was in the possession of The Rock.
Initially, Ric Flair announced a match between The Rock and Steve Austin (WWF Championship holder), but Vince McMahon convinced him to create a four-man tournament, with Austin defending the WWF Championship against Kurt Angle and The Rock defending the WCW World Championship against Chris Jericho . The winners of both matches in another match whose winner would become the first holder of the Undisputed WWF Championship .
Vengeance 2002 WWE Undisputed Championship
The Undertaker (c) vs. The Rock vs. Kurt Angle
At the previous King Of The Ring pay-per-view , Undertaker retained the title by defeating Triple H. However, the match was marked by interference from The Rock , who at one point planted Deadman on the mat with a Rock Bottom.
Furious at this interference, Undertaker asked Vince McMahon to match The Rock with the title at stake, and the WWE owner complied, scheduling a duel between the two for Vengeance.
However, on the July 4th episode of Smackdown! , Undertaker and Kurt Angle tied in a match over the WWE Undisputed Championship , as the Deadman completed a settlement on Angle at the same time as he folded. Four days later, on Monday Night Raw , Vince McMahon announced that Kurt Angle would be added to the match on Vengeance, making it a triple threat match . And in the shows that followed up to the PPV , both Undertaker and Angle and The Rock took every opportunity to attack each other.
Vengeance 2003
Tournament final to determine the first holder of the WWE United States Championship : Eddie Guerrero vs. Chris Benoit
In July 2003, a year after the first brand extension , WWE decided to introduce the WWE United States Championship , a sort of reactivation WCW United States Championship, through the General Manager of SmackDown! , Stephanie McMahon, who presented the new belt design.
To determine the new champion, an eight-man tournament was held, with the final scheduled for Vengeance. Two former members of The Radicalz stable, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit, were finalists. Guerrero eliminated Último Dragón and Billy Gunn, while Benoit defeated Rhyno and Matt Hardy on the way to the decisive match.
Vengeance 2003 WWE Tag Team Championship :
The World’s Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin) (c) vs. Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio
On the July 3, 2003 episode of SmackDown , Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin won the WWE Tag Team Championship that belonged to Eddie Guerrero and Tajiri through a roll-up by Haas on Eddie when the latter was distracted and worried about his partner. tag team.
In the weeks that followed, Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman scored victories over The APA, The FBI and the Basham Brothers in a fatal 4-way tag team match , Los Conquistadores and Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore to secure a position as contenders for the tag team belts..
Vengeance 2004
WWE Intercontinental Championship : Randy Orton (c) vs. Edge
In mid-2004, Edge returned to action after more than a year of absence following neck surgery and appeared to be on a mission to take down the dominant faction on Raw at the time, Evolution.
Initially, Edge teamed with Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit to defeat Batista, Randy Orton , and Ric Flair in a six men tag team elimination match on the June 14 episode of Raw , with Chris Benoit ending the feud as the sole survivor.
A week later, Edge speared Orton , but the Canadian and Chris Jericho lost to Batista and Orton in a tag team match that same night . The following week, in the rematch, Edge and Y2J emerged victorious. Finally, on the June 5 episode of Raw , Edge confronted and attacked Evolution, promising to defeat Randy Orton at Vengeance.
Vengeance 2005: Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle
In the 2005 Royal Rumble match,Kurt Angle ( SmackDown ) attacked and eliminated Shawn Michaels ( Raw ) after the Heartbreak Kid had eliminated him.
However, Angle lost a match to John Cena to determine the main contender for the WWE Championship at No Way Out, and the following night Michaels told SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long to inform Angle that he had been challenged to a match at WrestleMania.
On the February 28 edition of Monday Night Raw , Kurt Angle attacked Shawn Michaels after he beat Edge in a Street Fight , announcing that he had accepted the challenge. In the weeks that followed, the two continued to attack and tease each other. Angle even challenged Michaels ‘ former tag team partner Marty Jannetty to a match, winning him by submission. He also convinced former HBK manager Sensational Sherri to parody Michaels ‘ theme song ” Sexy Boy “, calling it ” Sexy Kurt “. Michaels interrupted the joke and played a video with highlights of his career, leaving Sherri emotional. Who was not thrilled at all was Angle , who applied an Ankle Lock on Sherri.
At WrestleMania 21, Kurt Angle defeated Shawn Michaels by submission, forcing him to fold through an Ankle Lock in what was considered one of the best ever match in WWE’s biggest event.
The two were out of contact for more than two months, not least because HBK belonged to Raw and Angle to SmackDown , however, the draft placed the Olympic champion on Raw during the June 13 episode. That same night, Michaels challenged Angle to a rematch at Vengeance and Angle accepted.
Vengeance 2005 | Hell in a Cell Match
World Heavyweight Championship: Batista (c) vs. Triple H
The latest chapter in an intense rivalry between two former allies. In January Batista won the Royal Rumble and chose to face his former friend Triple H at WrestleMania 21 and go after the World Heavyweight Championship over JBL’s WWE Championship . At WrestleMania , Batista won, as he won at the next pay-per-view , Backlash .
Meanwhile, the Gold Rush Tournament took place to determine the main contender for the Animal belt . In that tournament, Triple H was eliminated in the first round, having been forced out by Chris Benoit. However, who won the tournament was Edge , who had eliminated Shawn Michaels and Kane. Batista retained the title from the Rated-R Superstar after a Batista Bomb on the May 23 episode of Monday Night Raw , but at the end of the match he was brutally attacked by Triple H , who used the sledgehammer and challenged the champion to a Hell in a Cell match on Vengeance. After launching the challenge, The Game applied a Pedigree to Batista, who ended up accepting the proposal.
NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day (February 14, 2021)
NXT North American Championship: Johnny Gargano (c) vs. Kushida
At NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2020, Johnny Gargano beat then-champion Leon Ruff and Damian Priest in a triple threat match to win the NXT North American Championship . After defending the title against Ruff on the December 30 episode of NXT , Gargano gained a title contender: Kushida. On February 4, it was announced that Gargano and Kushida would face off for the NXT North American Championship at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day.
NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day (February 14, 2021)
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Men’s Tournament Finals:
MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee) vs. Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson) (winners receive a shot at the NXT Tag Team Championship)
In the sixth edition of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee) eliminated Jake Atlas and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Drake Maverick and Killian Dain and Legado Del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza) on the way to the final , while the Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson) beat Ever-Rise (Chase Parker and Matt Martel), Kushida and Leon Ruff and Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher en route to the decisive match.
NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day (February 14, 2021)
NXT Championship: Finn Balor (c) vs. Pete Dunne
On the February 3 episode of NXT , Pete Dunne demanded that NXT champion Finn Bálor give him a title shot. Bálor then went to the ring and told Dunne that he would give him the title shot at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day. At the same time , 2021 men’s Royal Rumble winner Edge said he would be looking out for the match between Bálor and Dunne because he had never won the NXT Championship but also because he was still deciding which world title to fight for at WrestleMania 37 .
