Eight years ago....
The first public gathering of a large size after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington D.C. was in Houston, Texas, as WWE went live with SmackDown on Sept. 13.
"We will not live our lives in fear! The citizens of Houston are not afraid. The citizens of Texas are indeed not afraid. And by God, the citizens of the United States are not afraid!
For we are a proud people, proud of who we are, and we are damn proud to be Americans! ... We will fight for our families. We will fight for our rights. And we will fight for our great nation!
America's heart has been wounded, but her spirit shines as a beacon of freedom, that never has been or never will be extinguished!"
Mr. McMahon
SmackDown, Sept. 13, 2001
Houston, Texas
In this busy week of sports and WWE action, here's a look at all the Comings and Goings you might have missed:
COMING: Mr. McMahon, back to Monday Night Raw for the first time since his accident after giving away his millions. The Chairman got a roar from the crowd as he made his trademark "strut" to the ring.
GOING: Mr. McMahon, after a swift punt to the head from Randy Orton! What was the Legend Killer thinking?!?! He might just have "killed" the biggest legend of them all, and brought down a whole heap of trouble upon himself. I think Sunday night in Detroit could be "Awkk-warrrrd" to say the least.
COMING: Chris Jericho, who got his WWE job back after pleading groveling with Stephanie McMahon to let him back in. The apology to the fans was a nice touch.
GOING: William
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Maybe it's the tens of thousands that visited our WWE Draft Live Blog tonight (read the archived blog here), or the blockbuster happenings at the Draft on Raw in San Antonio, Texas, or the five straight hours of typing, but ...
Wow, I'm left with that "Wha' Happened?"-type of feeling. Like in "A Mighty Wind"...
First and foremost, "Wha' Happened?" to Mr. McMahon?!?!
Folks at WWE.com HQ sat stunned as we saw the Raw stage collapse underneath The Chairman after he gave away his $500,000 grand prize for the night. Then, as McMahon stood up, the large $1,000,000 dollar bill display fell on top of him, and all heck broke loose as sparks from the sign flew all over.
Returning to the locker room after their Battle Royal, Triple H, John Cena
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Hey everyone! I'm just gearing up for tonight's Raw Live Blog, as Mr. McMahon gives away another $1,000,000. Make sure you're entered at this link and know the password if The Chaiman calls.
Plus we're only ONE WEEK from the 2008 WWE Draft. Will we find out any details tonight about the structure of next week's big 3-hour Raw special?
Join us on the Live Blog and follow along with WWE Fan Nation. The link is below!
Also, if you haven't noticed, more and more Superstars continue to join WWE Fan Nation. In the past week, Mr. McMahon, JBL, Matt Striker and Michelle McCool have all added their Superstar profiles to the site. Be sure to stop by and welcome them!
More from me after Raw tonight. See you on the Live Blog!
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