PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

 
 

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: SHAWN MICHAELS 'LOSES HIS SMILE', HELL FREEZES OVER AND MORE

By Buck Woodward on 2010-02-13 08:00:00
February 13th

On this day in history in ....

1989 - Clash of the Champions V was held in Cleveland, OH at the CSU Convocation Center and was nicknamed "St. Valentine's Day Massacre".  Here are the results from the show, which was aired live on TBS:
- The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane) defeated The Russian Assassins when Eaton pinned Assassin #1.
- Butch Reed defeated Steven Casey.
- Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat had an in-ring confrontation, with Flair making fun of Steamboat's family and home life, while bragging about his wild party life and women. Steamboat ended up ripping off Flair's clothes and running him out of the ring.
- Lex Luger defeated The Blackmailer (Jack Victory).
- United States Tag Team Champions Mike Rotunda & Steve Williams defeated The Fantastics when Williams pinned Tommy Rogers.
- Ricky Steamboat defeated Bob Bradley.
- Rick Steiner defeated Rip Morgan.
- NWA World Six Man Tag Team Champions The Road Warriors & Genichiro Tenryu vs. Mike Rotunda, Kevin Sullivan & Steve Williams ended in a double disqualification. The original match was scheduled to have Sting, Michael Hayes & Junkyard Dog challenging the Warriors & Tenryu for the belts.  However, a ridiculous backstage angle was done where Sullivan locked a gate over a stairwell, keeping Sting, Hayes and JYD from being able to get to the ring.  Sullivan and company went to the ring and took the match and after six minutes, Sting, Hayes and JYD hit the ring for a big brawl, ending the cluster in a double DQ.  The entire scenario was such an embarrassment that All Japan Pro Wrestling broke off relations with the NWA and wouldn't send Tenryu back to defend the belts.  The six-man title was soon forgotten and abandoned.

1994 - "Dirty White Boy" Tony Anthony defeats Brian Lee for the Smoky Mountain Heavyweight Title in Knoxville, Tennessee, ending Lee's second title reign and beginning his own second run with the title.

1997 - During a special Thursday edition of Raw from Lowell, Massachusetts, WWF World Heavyweight Champion Shawn Michaels, allegedly suffering from a knee injury, vacated the title. During a tearful speech, Michaels claimed that he "lost his smile" and needed time away from wrestling. Many at the time claimed Michaels vacated the belt and took a "vacation" from the ring because he knew he was going to be asked to drop the title at Wrestlemania. This added to the growing tension between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart, who was penciled in to win the belt from Shawn that he had lost the previous year at Mania. Several Hart supporters felt that if Michaels was healthy enough to get in the ring and make his speech, he was healthy enough to lie down and lose the title. As a result, the Final Four PPV that was to be headlined by Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin vs. Vader vs. Undertaker to determine a number-one contender to Michaels was changed to a match to fill the title vacancy.  Also during this show, Rocky Maivia won his first WWF championship, defeating Hunter Hearst Helmsley for the WWF Intercontinental Title.

1998 - Axl Rotten defeats Bull Pain in Lexington, Kentucky to win the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title, ending Pain's fourth reign as champion.

2000 - Big Vito & Johnny the Bull defeat Don & Ron Harris for the WCW World Tag Team Title in Germany, winning back the belts they had lost the night before.

2001 - Shelton Benjamin & Brock Lesnar defeat BJ Payne & Damien for the Ohio Valley Southern Heavyweight Tag Team Title.

2002 - Chad Collyer defeats Shannon Moore for the HWA Cruiserweight Title. On the same show, Lance Cade & Mike Sanders defeat The Island Boys for the HWA Tag Team Title.

2006 - In another "Hell Freezes Over" moment, WWE shocks many by announcing during an edition of Raw that Bret "Hitman" Hart would be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame during Wrestlemania weekend.  Hart, who had said in the past that he would accept induction in the Hall Of Fame despite his problems with WWE and Vince McMahon, would later stress that while he was going into the Hall Of Fame, he would not be appearing at Wrestlemania the next day.

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!