This Day in Wrestling History
1980: The great Verne Gagne defeated Nick Bockwinkel to win his tenth and final AWA World Heavyweight Championship in Chicago at Comiskey Park.
1986: Harley Race defeated Pedro Morales to be crowned King of the Ring. The tournament also included Junkyard Dog, Paul Orndorff, Roddy Piper, Don Muraco, George “The Animal” Steele, The Iron Shiek and others.
1991: Lex Luger won the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Championship in a steel cage match with Barry Windham that was never supposed to happen. The match was originally scheduled between Luger and champion Ric Flair, but the “Nature Boy” was released from his contract and took the title belt with him to WWF after he wasn’t given his $25,000 champion’s security deposit back.
1992: Jimmy Snuka defeated Johnny Hot Body to win the ECW World Heavyweight title in Philadelphia.
1997: In one of the most unlikely pairings in WWE history, Dude Love and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin teamed up to defeat Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith on Monday Night Raw to become the new WWF Tag Team Champions.
1998: D-Lo Brown defeated Triple H on Monday Night Raw to become the new WWF European Champion. The show was headlined by Kane and Mankind taking on Steve Austin in a handicap match, plus Steve Blackman vs. Jeff Jarrett, a “Brawl For All” fight, and Rocky Maivia vs. X-Pac.
1998: WWE Hall of Famer Tatsumi Fujinami retained the IWGP Heavyweight title over Hiroyoshi Tenzan at NJPW Summer Struggle Day 16.
2001: Jay and Mark Briscoe defeated Nick Gage and Nate Hatred to win the CZW Tag Team titles.
2004: NWA TNA Weekly PPV #102. Chris Harris and James Storm headlined against Chase Stevens and Andy Douglas. Plus Kazarian vs. AJ Styles, Abyss and Alex Shelley vs. Sabu and Sonjay Dutt, and a 10-man “guitar on a pole” match.
2012: Ring of Honor Brew City Beatdown in Milwaukee, WI. Jay and Mark Briscoe teamed up against Jimmy Jacobs and Kevin Steen (Owens), Rhino vs. Eddie Edwards.
2012: CZW New Heights. Sami Callihan (Solomon Crowe) defeated Drake Younger in a 60-minute Ultraviolent Ironman match to win the CZW Jr. title, and then was immediately beaten by AR Fox to drop the belt.
Today’s Wrestling Birthdays
- Bully Ray (44)
- Kazushi Sakuraba (46)
- BxB Hulk (35)
- Joey Styles (44)
- Jeff Jarrett (48)
