Discovery of WWE Eras and more

1) The Golden Era I (1937-1982)

Matches discovered in this Era

First Cage Match

June 25, 1937 – Atlanta, GA

Jack Bloomfield defeated Count Petro Rossi 

Hair vs Mask match

November 7, 1962 - Olympic Auditorium

The Destroyer defeated Gorgeous George

Hair vs Hair match

August 1977 - Memphis

Jerry Lawler defeated Bill Dundee

First ever Casket / Coffin match 

1980 - Houston Wrestling

Dusty Rhodes defeated Ivan Koloff

Street Fight

May 4th, 1981 - Madison Square Garden Alley Fight 

Pat Patterson defeated Sgt. Slaughter 

Loser Leaves Town match

1983 - Classic Memphis Wrestling

Jerry Lawler defeated Bill Dundee  

2) The Golden era II (1982-1994)

Matches discovered in this Era

Object on a Pole match, Loser leaves town match

(stipulation: Coal Miner's Glove on a pole, Steel Cage Tuxedo Loser Leaves Town Match)

March 22, 1985 - Houston, TX

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan defeated Ted DiBiase

Special Guest Referee match

(Referee: Muhammad Ali and Pat Patterson)

March 31, 1985 - WrestleMania I

Hulk Hogan and Mr. T (with Jimmy Snuka) defeated Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff (with Bob Orton)

Flag match

October 5, 1985 - Saturday Night's Main Event

WWF Championship

Hulk Hogan (c) defeated Nikolai Volkoff (with Freddie Blassie)

No DisQualification match / No Holds Barred match 

January 11, 1986  - Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum 

Ricky Steamboat defeated Don Muraco (with Mr. Fuji) 

Mixed tag team match (Male + Female vs Male + Female)

April 1, 1990 - WrestleMania VI

Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire (with Miss Elizabeth) defeated Randy Savage and Queen Sherri

Retirement match

March 24, 1991 - WrestleMania VII

Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena

The Ultimate Warrior defeated Randy Savage (with Queen Sherri)

Ladder match 

July 21, 1992 - WWF Wrestling Challenge

Portland, Maine

WWF Intercontinental Championship

Bret Hart (c) defeated Shawn Michaels 

The Undertaker reintroduces Casket / Coffin match in his own way

November 25, 1992 - Survivor Series 

Richfield, Ohio

The Undertaker defeated Kamala

Lumberjack match

May 10, 1993 - Monday Night RAW

Shawn Michaels defeated Jim Duggan via DisQualification

Falls Count Anywhere Match
March 20, 1994 - WWF WrestleMania X 1994
Madison Square Garden
Randy “Macho Man” Savage defeated Crush

Pay Per Views

WrestleMania
March 31, 1985 
Madison Square Garden 
New York City

The Wrestling Classic
November 7, 1985 
Rosemont Horizon

WWF Big Event 
August 28, 1986
Toronto, Ontario, Canada 
CNE Stadium 

Survivor Series
November 26, 1987 
Coliseum at Richfield 

Royal Rumble 
January 24, 1988
Copps Coliseum 

SummerSlam 
August 29, 1988 
Madison Square Garden 
New York City

No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie 
December 27, 1989 
Nashville Municipal Auditorium 
Nashville

UK Rampage
April 24, 1991  
London Dockland Arena 

Battle Royal 
October 03, 1991 
London, England Royal Albert Hall 

This Tuesday In Texas
December 3, 1991 
San Antonio, Texas

King of the Ring
June 13, 1993 
Nutter Center 

Programs

The Launch of Saturday Night's Main Event

The Launch of Prime Time Wrestling

The Launch of Wrestling Challenge

The Launch of Superstars of Wrestling

Debut of WWF Monday Night Raw - January 11, 1993

The Launch of The Main Event

3) WWF The New Generation Era (1994–1997)

Matches discovered in this Era

Special Enforcer (Special outside referee)

Also known as Special Enforcer or Special Guest Enforcer is same as the Special Referee but the guest referee stays on the outside of the ring enforcing what the normal referee doesn't see. These guests are sometimes known as "enforcers".

(Special Guest Enforcer: Chuck Norris)

November 23, 1994 - Survivor Series

The Undertaker defeated Yokozuna

"I Quit" match

April 2, 1995 - WrestleMania XI 

Hartford, Connecticut

Bret Hart defeated Bob Backlund with Roddy Piper as the special guest referee

"Kiss My Foot" match

June 25, 1995 - King of the Ring

Bret Hart defeated Jerry Lawler

60-minute Iron Man match 

March 31, 1996 - WrestleMania XII 

Anaheim, California

WWF Championship

Shawn Michaels (with José Lothario) defeated Bret Hart (c)

Buried Alive match

(Introduced by the Legend The Undertaker)

October 20, 1996 - In Your House 11: Buried Alive

Indianapolis, Indiana

The Undertaker defeated Mankind

Pay Per Views

In Your House

May 14, 1995

Onondaga County War Memorial

In Your House 11: Buried Alive

October 20, 1996

Market Square Arena

WWF One Night Only

September 20, 1997

NEC Arena

Birmingham, England

Badd Blood: In Your House

October 5, 1997

Kiel Center

St. Louis, MO

4) WWF Attitude Era I (1997–2001)

Matches discovered in this Era

First ever Hell in a cell match

October 5, 1997 - Badd Blood

St. Louis, MO

Shawn Michaels defeated The Undertaker

Inferno match 

April 26, 1998 - WWF Unforgiven

Greensboro, North Carolina

The Undertaker defeated Kane 

Inter - gender match (Male vs Female)

May 31, 1998 - Over the Edge: In Your House

Wisconsin Center Arena

Marc Mero defeated Sable

First blood match

June 28, 1998 - King of the Ring

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Kane defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) to win the WWF Championship

Dungeon match (concept formed by Hart Family, specially Stu Hart)

July 26, 1998 - Fully Loaded: In Your House

Selland Arena, Fresno, California

Owen Hart defeated Ken Shamrock with Dan Severn as the special guest referee

Lion's Den match (concept formed by Ken Shamrock )

August 30, 1998 - SummerSlam 

Madison Square Garden, New York City

Ken Shamrock defeated Owen Hart (with Dan Severn)

Hardcore match

November 9, 1998 - Raw

Hardcore Championship match

Mankind (c) defeated Ken Shamrock

Gauntlet Match

February 13, 1999 - Raw

The Corporation (Vince McMahon, Ken Shamrock, Test, Kane, Chyna & The Big Bossman) defeated Stone cold Steve Austin 

- Steve Austin defeated Shamrock via DQ 

- Steve Austin defeated Test via DQ

- Steve Austin defeated Kane via DQ 

- Steve Austin defeated Chyna via DQ

- Steve Austin defeated Bossman via DQ

- Vince McMahon defeated Steve Austin

Last Man Standing Match 

February 14, 1999 - St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House

Memphis, Tennessee

WWF Championship

Mankind (c) vs The Rock ended in a draw

Strap match

July 25, 1999 - Fully Loaded

Buffalo, New York

Triple H (with Chyna) defeated The Rock

Six-Pack Challenge match

September 26, 1999 - Unforgiven 

Charlotte Coliseum, North Carolina

WWF Championship

Triple H defeated The Rock, Mankind, Kane, Big Show, and The British Bulldog with Stone Cold Steve Austin as the special outside enforcer

Elimination Tables match

January 23, 2000 - Royal Rumble

Madison Square Garden, New York

The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy) defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley)

Tables, Ladders, and Chairs (TLC) Match

August 27, 2000 - SummerSlam

Raleigh, North Carolina

Edge and Christian (c) defeated The Hardy Boyz (Matt & Jeff) and The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von) for the WWF Tag Team Championship

Three Stages of Hell match

(Singles match, Street Fight, and Steel Cage match)

February 25, 2001 - No Way Out

Las Vegas, Nevada

Triple H defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin

Pay Per Views

No Way Out of Texas: In Your House

February 15, 1998

Compaq Center Houston, TX

Unforgiven: In Your House

April 26, 1998

Greensboro Coliseum

Over the Edge: In Your House

May 31, 1998

Wisconsin Center Arena

Fully Loaded: In Your House

July 26, 1998

Selland Arena

Judgment Day: In Your House

October 18, 1998

Rosemont Horizon

Capital Carnage

December 6, 1998

London Arena, England

St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House

February 14, 1999

Memphis Pyramid Memphis, TN

Backlash: In Your House

April 25, 1999

Providence Civic Center

No Mercy

May 16, 1999

Manchester Evening News Arena

Rebellion

October 2, 1999

National Indoor Arena

Birmingham, England

Armageddon

December 12, 1999

National Car Rental Center

Insurrextion

May 6, 2000

Earls Court

London, England

Programs 

The Launch of WWF Heat

Debut of WWF SmackDown - April 29, 1999

5) WWF Attitude Era II -The WCW/ECW "Alliance" Invasion and the nWo (2001–2002)

Matches discovered in this Era

WWF vs WCW - Winner Take All, Losing Company Must Shut Down

November 18, 2001 - Survivor Series 

Greensboro Coliseum, North Carolina

Five-on-five survivor series tag team elimination match

Team WWF (The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, and Big Show) defeated The Alliance (Stone Cold Steve Austin, Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle, Booker T, and Shane McMahon)

Tag Team Turmoil match

Tag Team Turmoil is another version of an Elimination tag team match. The match has a team in each of the four corners to start the match, but as each team is eliminated another team takes its place, similar to a gauntlet match.

February 17, 2002 - No Way Out

Bradley Center

The APA (Faarooq and Bradshaw) defeated Christian and Lance Storm, Scotty 2 Hotty and Albert, Hardy Boyz, The Dudley Boyz and Billy and Chuck 

- Christian and Lance Storm defeated Scotty 2 Hotty and Albert

- Hardy Boyz defeated Christian and Lance Storm

- Hardy Boyz defeated The Dudley Boyz

- Billy and Chuck defeated The Hardy Boyz 

- APA (Faarooq and Bradshaw) defeated Billy and Chuck

Pay Per Views

WWF/WCW/ECW Invasion

July 22, 2001

Gund Arena

Cleveland, OH

Vengeance

December 9, 2001

San Diego Sports Arena

Programs 

The Launch of WWE Tough Enough

6) WWE Ruthless Aggression Era I (2002-2003)

Matches discovered in this Era

First ever Elimination Chamber match

November 17, 2002 - Survivor Series

New York City, New York

World Heavyweight Championship

Shawn Michaels defeated Triple H (c), Booker T, Chris Jericho, Kane and Rob Van Dam

Stretcher match

May 18, 2003 - Judgment Day 

Charlotte, NC

WWE Championship match

Brock Lesnar defeated Big Show

Ambulance match

November 16, 2003 - Survivor Series 

Dallas, Texas

Kane defeated Shane McMahon

Programs 

The Launch of Afterburn

The Launch of Velocity

The Launch of Bottom Line

7) WWE Ruthless Aggression Era II (The Entertainment Era) (2004-2005)

Pay Per Views

The Great American Bash

June 27, 2004

Norfolk Scope

Taboo Tuesday

October 19, 2004

Bradley Center

New Year's Revolution

January 9, 2005

Coliseo de Puerto Rico

San Juan, PR

Programs 

The Launch of WWE Experience

8) WWE Ruthless Aggression Era III (The Next Generation Era) (2005-2008)

Matches discovered in this Era

Beat the clock challenge match

December 26, 2005 - Raw

- Shawn Michaels defeated Snitsky (5:56)

- Chavo Guerrero vs Chris Masters ended in a no contest (5:56)

- Daivari defeated Kurt Angle via Count Out (1:20)

- John Cena defeated Shelton Benjamin (7:20)

- Carlito defeated Victoria (2:36)

- Kane defeated The Heart Throbs in 2 on 1 Handicap Match (0:28)

Extreme Rules match

June 11, 2006 - ECW One Night Stand

World Heavyweight Championship

Rey Mysterio (c) vs Sabu ended in a no contest

Punjabi Prison match

July 23, 2006 - The Great American Bash

The Undertaker defeated Big Show

Pay Per Views

One Night Stand

June 12, 2005

Hammerstein Ballroom

New York City

Cyber Sunday

November 5, 2006

U.S. Bank Arena

December to Dismember

December 3, 2006

James Brown Arena

Vengeance: Night of Champions

June 24, 2007

Toyota Center

Houston, TX

9) WWE Universe Era / PG Era (2008-2013)

Matches discovered in this Era

Chairs match

December 13, 2009 - Tables, Ladders and Chairs

San Antonio, Texas

World Heavyweight Championship

The Undertaker (c) defeated Batista

Miracle on 34th Street Fight

Christmas themed match involving a Christmas tree and presents.

November 29, 2011 - WWE Smackdown

Charlotte, North Carolina

Randy Orton defeated David Otunga

Pay Per Views

Extreme Rules

June 7, 2009

New Orleans Arena, LA

Breaking Point September 13, 2009 Bell Centre Montreal, QC Hell in a Cell October 4, 2009 Prudential Center Bragging Rights October 25, 2009 Mellon Arena Pittsburgh, PA TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs December 13, 2009 AT&T Center San Antonio, TX Elimination Chamber February 21, 2010 Scottrade Center St. Louis, MO Over the Limit May 23, 2010 Joe Louis Arena Detroit, MI Fatal 4-Way June 20, 2010 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Uniondale, NY Money in the Bank July 18, 2010 Sprint Center Kansas City, MO Capitol Punishment June 19, 2011 Verizon Center Washington, DC Payback June 16, 2013 Allstate Arena Rosemont, IL Battleground October 6, 2013 First Niagara Center Buffalo, NY

Programs 

The Launch of WWE Superstars

The launch of NXT

The Launch of WWE Main Event

The Launch of Vintage Collection

10) WWE Reality Era (2013-present)

Matches discovered in this Era

"Kiss My Ass Match"("Kiss Me Arse")

April 26, 2015 - Extreme Rules 

Dolph Ziggler defeated Sheamus

Pay Per Views

Fastlane
February 22, 2015
FedExForum
Memphis, Tennessee

Programs

The Launch of WWE Total Divas

Bonus Information

Last Chance match (Do or Die match): It is a championship match where, if the challenger does not win the title, they are banned from challenging for it again as long as the winner of the same match holds it. Rarely, the loser may even be barred from challenging for that title for as long as he remains employed at the company (a recent example of this is Slammiversary XI's main event where Sting would be defeated by defending champion Bully Ray in a No-Holds-Barred variant of this match and be barred from challenging for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship ever again no matter who holds it.)

Golden era II (1982-1994)

Champion vs Champion match (Title vs Title match)

Both Titles on the line

April 1, 1990 - WrestleMania VI

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship and WWF Championship

The Ultimate Warrior (IC) defeated Hulk Hogan (WC)

Loser Leaves WWF match

January 25, 1993 - Raw

Mr. Perfect defeated Ric Flair

The Attitude Era I (1997–2001)

Special Enforcer (Special outside referee)

(Special Guest Enforcer: Mike Tyson)

March 29, 1998 - WrestleMania XIV

WWF Championship

Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Shawn Michaels (c) (with Triple H and Chyna)

Mask vs Mask match

May 31, 1998 - Over the Edge: In Your House

Kane (with Paul Bearer) defeated Vader

Empty arena match

January 31, 1999 - Halftime Heat

WWF Championship

Mankind defeated The Rock  

"Title vs Career" match

February 27, 2000 - No Way Out 

Hell in a Cell match for WWF Championship

Triple H defeated Cactus Jack

The Attitude Era II -The WCW/ECW "Alliance" Invasion and the nWo (2001–2002)

Brand Extension: In 2000, the World Wildlife Fund (also known as WWF), an environmental organization now called the World Wide Fund for Nature, sued the World Wrestling Federation in UK, alleging various violations of the 1994 agreement. A British court agreed that Titan Sports had violated 1994 agreement which had limited the permissible use of the WWF initials overseas, particularly in merchandising. On Sunday May 5, 2002, the company quietly changed all references on its website from "WWF" to "WWE", while switching the URL from WWF.com to WWE.com. The next day, a press release announced the official name change from World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. to World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., or WWE, and the change was publicized later that day during a telecast of Monday Night RAW, which was broadcast from the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford. For a short time, WWE used the slogan Get The 'F' Out. The company had also been ordered by court to stop using the old WWF Attitude logo on any of its properties and to censor all past references to WWF, as they no longer owned the trademark to the initials WWF in 'specified circumstances'. However, despite litigation, WWE is still permitted use of the original WWF logo, which was used from 1984 through 1997, as well as the "New WWF Generation" logo, which was used from 1994 through 1998. Furthermore, the company may still make use of the full "World Wrestling Federation" and "World Wrestling Federation Entertainment" names without consequences. In 2003, WWE won a limited decision to continue marketing certain classic video games from THQ and Jakks Pacific that contained the WWF "scratch" logo. However, the packaging on those games had all WWF references replaced with WWE.

The Ruthless Aggression Era I (2002-2003)

Raw Roulette Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal

October 7, 2002 - Raw

The first edition, introduced by Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff, that featured the rosters of Raw and Smackdown. The stipulations of matches were decided by the spin of a wheel.

The launch of WWE draft (formerly known as the WWE draft lottery)

Ring Collapse Moment I

June 12, 2003 - Smackdown 

Brock Lesnar vs Big Show ended in a no contest

Mask vs Title match

June 23, 2003 - Raw

Triple h defeated Kane

The Ruthless Aggression Era II (The Entertainment Era) (2004-2005)

The concept for the Money in the Bank ladder match was introduced in March 2005 by Chris Jericho

The return of ECW

WWE Universe Era / PG Era (2008-2013)

Straight Edge Society pledge vs Hair match

May 23, 2010 - Over the Limit
Rey Mysterio defeated CM Punk

Streak vs Career match
March 28, 2010 - WrestleMania XXVI
The Undertaker defeated Shawn Michaels

Ring Collapse Moment II
October 23, 2011 - Vengeance

World Heavyweight Championship

Mark Henry (c) vs Big Show ended in a no contest

Reality Era (2013-present)

The Launch of WWE Network