This week in WWE history: CM Punk pushed aside by The Rock, legendary stable debuts (February 12-February 18)

Things continue to heat for WWE ahead of two massive Premium Live Events. The next big one is Elimination Chamber Perth, which will air this Saturday. Following that show, WrestleMania 40, a two-night extravaganza, will air in April.

There is constant build to these big shows, including on RAW and SmackDown this past week. The likes of The Rock, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Bayley, IYO SKY, Rhea Ripley, Becky Lynch, and Seth Rollins are all being highlighted ahead of the massive Premium Live Events. They're also involved in extremely compelling stories or segments.

As exciting as the modern product can be at times, however, there are always some fans who prefer to re-live the past as opposed to living in the present. For those in the audience who prefer a nostalgia kick, you're in luck.

Sportskeeda offers a weekly look back at some of the biggest matches, moments, and shows that helped to build the Sports Entertainment juggernaut into the company fans know and love today. This article will look at five of those key events, including a controversial match with two all-timers.

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

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#5. Bray Wyatt won his first world title at Elimination Chamber on February 12th, 2017

Bray Wyatt at Crown Jewel

WWE held an Elimination Chamber event on February 12th, 2017. The big show took place at the Talking Stick Resort Arena, which is in Phoenix, Arizona. 11,000 fans were in attendance for the epic event.

The show featured two Elimination Chamber Matches and 7 matches total on the main card. The most interesting, however, was the main event bout. John Cena, AJ Styles, The Miz, Baron Corbin, Dean Ambrose, and Bray Wyatt clashed inside of the Elimination Chamber.

In a move that thrilled fans, the now-late Bray Wyatt won the bout and thus captured his first world title. The new WWE Champion held onto the belt heading into WrestleMania. While the reign wasn't particularly memorable thanks to how it was booked, the win was a great moment for long-time fans of his.

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#4. Adam Cole and Tommaso Ciampa headlined NXT TakeOver Portland on February 16th, 2020

The final NXT TakeOver event to be held in front of live fans outside of Florida took place on February 16th, 2020. NXT TakeOver: Portland was presented live from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. Over 7,000 fans were in attendance.

The show featured six main card matches, which included four championship bouts and a Street Fight. The latter featured long-time friends turned rivals Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox clash. Keith Lee also successfully defended the WWE NXT North American Championship against Dominik Dijakovic.

The main event of the night was a 33 minute classic. The reigning NXT Champion Adam Cole defended his prized title against Tommaso Ciampa. In the end, Cole retained, continuing one of the best championship reigns in the brand's history.

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#3. The New World Order debuted in WWE at No Way Out on February 17th, 2002

WWE held their fourth-ever No Way Out event on February 17th, 2002. The show took place in front of over 15,000 screaming fans live from Milwakuee, Wisconsin. The event was held inside of the Bradley Center.

While this show featured seven matches, nobody remembers the bouts on the card. Instead, people remember this show as the WWE debut of the New World Order. Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall made their returns to the promotion after each man left in the 1990's and formed the nWo in World Championship Wrestling.

They appeared on the show in a few segments. The first saw the three nWo members come out to the ring. Instead of being a lethal dose of poison, however, they cut what seemed to be a babyface promo. This was all a set up, however, as they returned at the end of the night and laid out Stone Cold Steve Austin.

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#2. The Rock battled CM Punk at Elimination Chamber on February 17th, 2013

The Rock on RAW

The fourth edition of WWE Elimination Chamber was held on February 17th, 2013. The show took place in the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. 13,000 fans were in attendance, which is actually somewhat small given the main event.

The main event and most anticipated match of the night saw CM Punk battle The Rock for the WWE Championship. The Rock had returned and won the title prior to this big show. The People's Champion then retained the gold in this rematch that went on for about 20 minutes.

CM Punk losing this match was a bone of contention for both himself and many wrestling fans for a long time. They believed that The Rock took Punk's WrestleMania spot and stalled his momentum. Interestingly enough, both are back in the company today and are huge stars still.

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#1. A unique tag team match headlined No Way Out on February 18th, 2007

The final event being covered in this week's list was another edition of No Way Out. WWE held their No Way Out pay-per-view event on February 18th, 2007 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Around 14,000 fans attended this big-time show.

While on paper this event was meant to just be a SmackDown branded show, stars from all three WWE brands appeared. This includes the main event, which saw the two WrestleMania main events clash when John Cena and Shawn Michaels united to fight Batista and The Undertaker.

Cena and Michaels would fight over one title at WrestleMania, while Batista and The Undertaker fought over the other belt. At this show, however, Cena and Michaels worked well enough together to win the bout in 22 minutes.