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On this day in history in ....
1959 - Jackie Fargo defeats Jesse James in Mobile, Alabama to win the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title, ending James' third title reign.
1960 - Two of the most important figures in the history of professional wrestling, Shohei "Giant" Baba (founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling) and Antonio Inoki (founder of New Japan Pro Wrestling), make their pro wrestling debuts at a Japanese Wrestling Association show in Tokyo, Japan. Baba defeats Yonetaro Tanaka in his debut, while Inoki loses his match with Kintaro Oki.
1971 - Marie Vagnone & Jane Sherill defeat Jumbo Miyamoto & Maxie Murata for the WWWA World Tag Team Title in Kawasaki, Japan.
1972 - WWWF ran at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York, drawing over 20,000 fans for a show main evented by a battle of the babyfaces, as WWWF World Champion Pedro Morales and Bruno Sammartino wrestled to a curfew draw after 75 minutes of wrestling. The two shook hands and embraced before exiting the ring. During the match, George Steele tried to interfere, but was escorted out by security.
1973 - Miyoko Hoshino & Peggy Kuroda defeat Masked Lee & Lita Marez for the WWWA World Tag Team Title in Himeji, Japan.
1974 - Duke Myers & Blue Scorpion defeat Ricky & Johnny Fields to win the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Title in Birmingham, Alabama.
1977 - Ox Baker defeated Captain USA (John Studd) for the NWA American Heavyweight Title in Houston, Texas.
1978 - Gypsy Joe & Tojo Yamamoto defeat Ken Lucas & Dutch Mantel in Chattanooga, Tennessee for the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Title.
1980 - New Japan Pro Wrestling ran a show at Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan. It would be the last time New Japan would run Budokan (a regular venue for the competing All Japan Pro Wrestling) for a decade, as the company would not return to Budokan until November 1990. Here are the results:
- WWF World Junior Heavyweight Champion Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Ron Starr.
- NWA International Junior Heavyweight Champion Kengo Kimura vs. Chavo Guerrero ended in a double countout.
- WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Stan Hansen via disqualification.
- NWF Champion Antonio Inoki defeated Ken Patera.
1989 - WWF's event at Madison Square Garden saw two returns, as Jimmy Snuka made his first MSG appearance since Wrestlemania (where he seconded Hulk Hogan & Mr. T), defeating the Honky Tonk Man, and Roddy Piper fought Rick Rude to a double countout in Piper's first match in over two years. The show, which also featured Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior defeating Andre The Giant via DQ and Demolition defeated WWF World Tag Team Champions Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard via DQ, sold out MSG with a crowd of over 20,000 fans. That same night, WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage in a steel cage match only drew 9,000 fans in St. Louis, Missouri.
1990 - All Japan Pro Wrestling holds a show at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Giant Baba's debut. Here are the results of the show:
- Mitsuo Momota defeated Motoshi Okuma.
- Rex King & Steve Doll defeated Richard Slinger & Isamu Teranishi.
- Rusher Kimura & Mighty Inoue defeated Haruka Eigen & Masa Fuchi.
- The British Bulldogs (Dynamite Kid & Davey Boy Smith) defeated Dean & Joe Malenko.
- Kenta Kobashi & Johnny Ace defeated Danny Spivey & Kamala #2.
- Jumbo Tsuruta & Akira Taue vs. Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada ended in a forty-five minute draw.
- Andre The Giant & Stan Hansen defeated Giant Baba & Abdullah The Butcher.
1991 - At a WWF television taping in Wheeling, West Virginia, Tito Santana wrestled his first match with his new "El Matador" character, defeating Bob Bradley with a flying forearm. Also at the taping, Intercontinental Champion Bret Hart, prior to a non-title match with The Mountie, said he would never defend the belt against "a jailbird", in reference to the Mountie having to spend a night in jail after losing to the Big Bossman. In response, manager Jimmy Hart threw a bucket of water on Hart and the Mountie "electrocuted" Hart with his cattle prod.
1992 - Glen Osbourne defeats The Sandman in a tournament final to win the ECW Television Title in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The belt had been vacated a month earlier when the first champion, Johnny Hotbody, broke his ankle while winning a tournament final over Larry Winters. On the same show, Don Muraco defeats Jimmy Snuka to win the ECW Heavyweight Title.
1992 - WWF runs in Berlin, Germany for the first time at Deutchlandhalle Arena, headlined by WWF World Champion Ric Flair defeating Randy Savage.
1994 - ECW ran a television taping in Hamburg, Pennsylvania, highlighted by a match featuring Sabu and Cactus Jack. Early in the match, Sabu missed a moonsault to the floor and landed on his already injured ribs on the guardrail. Later in the bout, Sabu broke a beer bottle over the head of Cactus. Sabu actually hit Cactus with the thick bottle several times before it finally broke. Sabu then won the match with an Arabian Press. This match is featured (unfortunately with overdubbed commentary by Foley and Jonathan Coachman) on the "Mick Foley - Greatest Hits & Misses DVD, available in the PWInsider.com Online Store. The show also saw Chris Benoit vs. The Tazmaniac (Tazz) in a ten-minute draw, The Public Enemy defeat Axl & Ian Rotten in a Baseball Bat match, and 2 Cold Scorpio defeating Borne Again (Matt Borne) via DQ.
2002 - During an edition of Raw from Houston, Texas, Kane became a double champion and set up an opportunity to become a triple champion. Already one-half of the World Tag Team Champions with The Hurricane, Kane defeats Chris Jericho to win the Intercontinental Title with a chokeslam, despite the interference of Triple H. As a result of this win, Kane earned a title shot a Triple H's World Championship at No Mercy.
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