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THIS DAY IN HISTORY: THE LAST SOULED OUT, EDGE-FLAIR TLC BATTLE AND MORE

January 16th

On this day in history in ....

1941 - Billy Weidner defeats Jules Larance to win the Midwest Wrestling Association World Junior Heavyweight Title in Columbus, Ohio, beginning his second reign.

1963 - Dory Funk defeats Gene Kiniski for the Amarillo NWA North American Heavyweight Title in Lubbock, Texas, to begin his 12th reign.

1963 - Al and Don Greene defeat Jack Curtis, Jr. and Jan Madrid to win the Gulf Coast NWA Southern Tag Team Title in Mobile, Alabama.

1964 - Karl and Skull Von Stroheim win their second Mid-America NWA Southern Tag Team Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This ended Jackie Fargo and Mario Milano's second reign.

1967 - Fritz Von Erich defeats Joe Blanchard to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title in Fort Worth, Texas. This began Von Erich's third reign and ended Blanchard's second.

1967 - Chris and John Tolos defeat Don Leo Jonathan and Dominic DeNucci for both the Vancouver NWA Canadian Tag Team Title and Vancouver NWA World Tag Team Title in Vancouver, British Columbia.

1968 - Paul DeMarco and Lorenzo Parente defeat Ron and Terry Garvin to win the Florida NWA World Tag Team Title in Tampa, Florida, to begin their second reign.

1970 - Fred Blassie and Don Carson defeat Pepe Lopez and El Medico to win the NWA Americas Tag Team Title in Los Angeles, California. At the same event, Rocky Johnson defeats Great Kojika for the NWA Americas Heavyweight Title.

1970 - Dick Dunn and Ken Lucas defeat Flash and Rocket Monroe for the NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Title in Dothan, Alabama, ending the Monroes' sixth reign.

1976 - Gilles Poisson defeats Frankie Laine to win the Stampede North American Heavyweight Title in Calgary, Alberta.

1977 - The WWWF holds an event at Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. The results were:
- Johnny Rodz defeated Mark Tendler.
- Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Pete Sanchez.
- Doug Gilbert defeated Manuel Soto.
- Stan Stasiak defeated WWWF World Tag Team Champion Chief Jay Strongbow.
- WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated Bruiser Brody in a lumberjack match.
- Tor Kamata defeated WWWF World Tag Team Champion Billy White Wolf.
- Nikolai Volkoff defeated Jose Gonzalez.
- The Executioners defeated Special Delivery Jones and Gorilla Monsoon in a two out of three falls.

1980 - Tony Benetto defeated El Halcón to win the Mexican National Heavyweight Title in Acapulco, Mexico, ending Halcón's third reign.

1981 - Steve O defeats Kevin Sullivan for the NWA National Television Title in Atlanta, Georgia.

1981 - Ernie Ladd wins his second Mid-South Louisiana Heavyweight Title, defeating Jake Roberts in Shreveport, Louisiana.

1982 - The WWF holds an event at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The results were:
- Charlie Fulton defeated Tony Altimore.
- Bulldog Brower defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna by countout.
- Davey O'Hannon defeated Johnny Rodz.
- Jesse Ventura defeated Jeff Craney.
- WWF Intercontinental Champion Pedro Morales defeated Killer Khan.
- WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund defeated Greg Valentine in a steel cage match.
- Tony Garea and Rick Martel defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito by disqualification. Tony Atlas was the guest referee for the match.
- Adrian Adonis defeated Dominic DeNucci.
- Larry Sharpe defeated Jose Estrada.
- Steve Travis defeated Hans Schroeder.

1982 - Jack and Jerry Brisco win their second Florida NWA North American Tag Team Title, defeating Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk in St. Petersburg, Florida. At the same event, Ray Stevens defeats Eric Embry for the NWA Florida Television Title.

1982 - Matt Borne and Rip Oliver defeat Rocky Johnson and Iceman King Parsons to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title.

1983 - The Grapplers defeat Ken Lucas and Ricky Morton to win the Southwest Championship Wrestling Southwest Tag Team Title in San Antonio, Texas, ending Lucas and Morton's third reign.

1985 - Rick Rude defeats Pez Whatley for the Florida NWA Southern Heavyweight Title in Tampa, Florida, ending Whatley's second reign.

1985 - Ted DiBiase defeats Brad Armstrong in Shreveport, Louisiana to win the Mid-South North American Heavyweight Title, beginning his fifth reign.

1985 - Alan Kilby defeats Steve Logan in Walsall, England for the vacant British Light Heavyweight Title.

1986 - Candi Devine defeats Sherri Martel to win the AWA World Women's Title in Winnipeg, Manitoba, beginning Devine's third reign and ending Martel's second.

1987 - Kevin Sullivan wins his third Florida NWA Southern Heavyweight Title, ending Lex Luger's third reign, in Daytona, Florida.

1988 - Kendo Nagasaki and Mr. Pogo defeat Invaders I and III for the WWC World Tag Team Title in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, beginning their second reign and ending the Invaders' third.

1988 - Rick Davis defeats Verne Siebert to win the Universal Wrestling Alliance World Junior Heavyweight Title in Cloverdale, British Columbia. The UWA was formerly NWA All-Star Wrestling, but changed its name when promoter Al Tomko pulled out of the National Wrestling Alliance in 1985.

1992 - Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton defeat Dustin Rhodes and Ricky Steamboat in a two out of three falls match for the WCW World Tag Team Title in Jacksonville, Florida.

1995 - The WWF holds an event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The results:
- Aldo Montoya defeated Steven Dunn.
- Duke Droese defeated Timothy Well.
- Henry Godwinn defeated Bob Holly.
- WWF Women's Champion Bull Nakano defeated Alundra Blayze.
- The Undertaker defeated Tatanka.
- Bret Hart defeated Owen Hart with the Sharpshooter in a No Holds Barred match.
- The Allied Powers (The British Bulldog and Lex Luger) defeated Bam Bam Bigelow and King Kong Bundy by disqualification.
- WWF Champion Diesel defeated Jeff Jarrett.

1995 - Miss Texas (Jackie Moore) defeats Sweet Georgia Brown for the USWA Women's Title in Memphis, Tennessee. This ended Brown's second reign and began Miss Texas' ninth reign.

1997 - Spice Richards defeats Bobby Collins to win the Canadian Wrestling Federation Light Heavyweight Title in Winnipeg, Manitoba, beginning his third reign.

1998 - Mr. Gannosuke, Jado and Yukihiro Kanemura defeat Hayabusa, Hisakatsu Oya and Masato Tanaka to win the FMW World Street Fight Six-Man Tag Team Title in Yokkaichi, Japan.

1998 - Super Delfin wins the UWF Super Welterweight Title for the fourth time, defeating Mens Teioh in Sapporo, Japan.

1999 - Quinn Magnum and T. Rantula defeat The Wrong Crowd (Brian Anthony and Paul Atlas) for the Pro Wrestling eXpress Tag Team Title in North Versailles, Pennsylvania, ending the Wrong Crowd's third reign.

1999 - Flexx Wheeler defeats Patch to win the Pennsylvania Wrestling Alliance Heavyweight Title in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was stripped of the title right after, as the promotion didn't allow a wrestler to hold more than one title at one time. Wheeler held the PWA Tag Team Title with The Original Mercury.

2000 - WCW holds the fourth-annual, and final, Souled Out pay-per-view at the Firstar Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The results were:
- Billy Kidman defeated Dean Malenko in a Catch-as-Catch Can match, when Malenko accidentally touched the floor. The rules stated that a competitor could not only lose by pin or submission, but also by touching the floor
- Vampiro defeated David Flair (with Daffney) and Crowbar in a Triple Threat match, by pinning Flair after a Nail in the Coffin.
- Big Vito and Johnny the Bull (with Disco Inferno) defeated The Harris Brothers (Ron and Don Harris), when Vito pinned Ron.
- Oklahoma pinned WCW Cruiserweight Champion Madusa with a roll-up to win the title.
- WCW Hardcore Champion Brian Knobbs defeated Fit Finlay, Meng and Norman Smiley in a Fatal Four-Way match, by pinning Smiley after hitting him with a police shield.
- Billy Kidman pinned Perry Saturn in a Bunkhouse match after a Bulldog.
- Booker T (with Midnight) defeated Stevie Ray by disqualification, after Big T made his debut and attacked Booker. Big T (Anthony Norris) was previously known as former WWF Intercontinental Champion Ahmed Johnson.
- Tank Abbott defeated Jerry Flynn by knockout.
- Buff Bagwell defeated Diamond Dallas Page in a Last Man Standing match.
- The Wall (with Shane Douglas) pinned Billy Kidman in a Steel Cage match after a chokeslam.
- Kevin Nash pinned Terry Funk in a Hardcore match after a Jacknife Powerbomb onto a steel chair to become the new WCW Commissioner.
- Chris Benoit defeated Sid Vicious by submission with the Crippler Crossface to win the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Title. Arn Anderson was the guest referee for the match. Benoit was stripped of the title the next night on WCW Monday Nitro when it was shown that Sid's leg was under the rope when he tapped out to the Crossface. In reality, Benoit had left the company in frustration, and would debut in the WWF two weeks later.

2000 - Jose Rivera, Jr. wins his second WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Title in Carolina, Puerto Rico, defeating Harley Lewis.

2000 - Three NWA New England titles change hands in Wethersfield, Connecticut. Jeff Mangles wins the NWA New England Junior Heavyweight Title from Jason Rage, beginning his second reign. A male wrestler, Vince Viccolo, defeats Amanda Storm for the NWA New England Women's Title. Finally, Curtis Slamdawg defeats Knuckles Nelson to win the NWA New England Heavyweight Title, to begin his second reign.

2001 - FMW holds a pay-per-view event at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The results:
- Ricky Fuji and Flying Kid Ichihara defeated Tomokazu Morita and Yoshito Sasaki, when Ricky pinned Sasaki.
- Mammoth Sasaki defeated Chocoball Mukai by knockout.
- Hideki Hosaka and Hisakatsu Oya defeated Asuza Kudo and Shinjuku Shark, when Oya pinned Shark.
- Naohiro Yamazaki defeated Kyoko Inoue.
- Jado, Gedo and Masato Tanaka defeated Kintaro Kanemura, Mens Teioh and Ryuji Yamakawa, when Tanaka pinned Kanemura.
- Goemon and Onryo defeated Chris Candido and Pat Tanaka, when Goemon pinned Tanaka.
- Kodo Fuyuki defeated Tetsuhiro Kuroda. As a result, Fuyuki had to retire and Kuroda had to marry Kyoko Inoue.

2002 - Gutter & Hacker defeat champions Tyson Dux & Tornado and Ruffy Silverstein & Trent Steele in a three-way match in Toronto, Ontario, for the Border City Wrestling Can-Am Tag Team Title.

2004 - Jerry Lynn defeats Danny Daniels for the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title in Oolitic, Indiana.

2004 - Harry Smith defeats Karnage to win the Stampede North American Heavyweight Title in Calgary, Alberta.

2004 - John Walters defeats Billy Kryptonite for the Chaotic Wrestling Title in Methuen, Massachusetts, beginning his second reign.

2005 - At a WWE RAW house show in Winnipeg, Manitoba, La Résistance (Rob Conway and Sylvain Grenier) defeat William Regal and Jonathan Coachman, who was subbing for Eugene, to win their third WWE World Tag Team Title. Coachman replaced Eugene, due to Eugene suffering a dislocated left patella one week earlier in the opening match of New Year's Revolution in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

2005 - TNA holds its first-annual Final Resolution pay-per-view, at the Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida, featuring AJ Styles starting his 4th reign as X Division Champion and America's Most Wanted winning the NWA World Tag Team Title for the fifth time by defeated Team Canada, ending their second reign.  A full report of the show is on Page 2!

2005 - Jamal and Taiyo Kea defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi and Yutaka Yoshie in Osaka, Japan for the vacant AJPW Unified World Tag Team Title. The title was stripped from Kendo Kashin and Yuji Nagata on December 16, because they did not defend them within six months.

2006 - WWE holds a live RAW and tapes that week's WWE.com Heat at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. The results:
- In a dark match, Ken Doane and Mike Mondo defeated Chris Cage and The Miz.
Heat:
- Trevor Murdoch pinned Antonio of the Heart Throbs after a top-rope bulldog in a Royal Rumble Qualifying match.
- Rob Conway pinned Michael Youngblood after the Ego Trip.
- Snitsky pinned Val Venis after a big boot.
- Viscera defeated Lance Cade, Gregory Helms and Tyson Tomko in an Royal Rumble Qualifying battle royal, last eliminating Helms.
RAW:
- Shawn Michaels pinned World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle in a non-title match with a roll-up.
- Chris Masters and John Cena fought to a no contest in the Masterlock Challenge, after Edge came in and hit Cena with the WWE Title belt.
- Candice Michelle, Victoria and Torrie Wilson defeated WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus, Mickie James and Ashley, when Victoria pinned Ashley after the Widow's Peak.
- Shelton Benjamin defeated WWE Tag Team Champion Big Show by countout when Triple H came through the crowd and fought backstage with Big Show.
- WWE Champion Edge defeated WWE Intercontinental Champion Ric Flair in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match to retain the title. After the match, Edge speared Flair and hit him with a con-chair-to, before John Cena made the save.

2007 - WWE tapes the January 19 edition of Friday Night SmackDown! and airs ECW live from Alltel Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas. The event featured the debut of Monty Brown on ECW, and the debuts of Deuce, Domino and Cherry on SmackDown!. The ratings for the two shows were 1.5 for ECW on SciFi, and 2.9 for SmackDown! on The CW. The results were:
In a dark match, Sensai (Shantelle Taylor) pinned Jamie Noble with a roll-up.
SmackDown!:
- Matt Hardy pinned Joey Mercury with a double-leg pickup into a roll-over. After the match, MNM gave Hardy the Snapshot on the exposed floor outside the ring.
- Montel Vontavious Porter, William Regal and Dave Taylor defeated Vito and WWE Tag Team Champions Brian Kendrick and Paul London, when MVP pinned Kendrick with a modified side slam.
- WWE United States Champion Chris Benoit defeated Chavo Guerrero by submission with the Sharpshooter in a No Disqualification match.
- Deuce and Domino (with Cherry) defeated Patrick Bentley and Adam Roberts, when Domino made the pin after Deuce hit the move that would become known as Crack 'Em in the Mouth.
- Kane pinned The Miz after a chokeslam.
- Mr. Kennedy defeated The Undertaker by disqualification, after World Heavyweight Champion Batista gave Kennedy a spear out of the ring just as Undertaker was going for the chokeslam. Kennedy had hit Batista just before while Batista was doing commentary on the match. If Kennedy had lost the match, the title match at January 28's Royal Rumble between Batista and Kennedy would have been made a Triple Threat match with The Undertaker added.
ECW:
- CM Punk pinned Matt Striker with a backslide after Kelly Kelly got on the apron and flashed Striker.
- Marquis Cor Von defeated Cassidy Riley by submission with an armbar. This was Monty Brown's WWE debut.
- Elijah Burke pinned The Sandman with a handful of Sandman's pants.
- ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley defeated Rob Van Dam and Test in a three-way match, by pinning Van Dam after a powerslam. After the match, Test hit Lashley with the title belt outside the ring.
- In a dark match after ECW, World Heavyweight Champion Batista, Kane and The Undertaker defeated Booker T, Finlay and Mr. Kennedy, when Batista pinned Kennedy after the Batista Bomb.

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