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THIS DAY IN HISTORY: FLAIR AND STEAMBOAT GO THREE FALLS, A HEEL CLOSES WRESTLEMANIA WITH A WIN FOR THE FIRST TIME AND MORE

By Buck Woodward on 2010-04-02 08:00:00

April 2nd

On this day in history in ....

1989 - WCW held their Clash Of The Champions VI event at the New Orleans Superdome in Louisiana, and broadcast on TBS as competition to Wrestlemania IV. 
- The Samoa Swat Team defeated The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane) when Samu pinned Eaton after Fatu hit Eaton with Paul E. Dangerously's phone.
- The Great Muta defeated Steve Casey with a moonsault.
- The Junkyard Dog defeated Butch Reed after Reed collided with manager Hiro Matsuda.
- Bob Orton defeated Dick Murdoch after manager Gary Hart tripped Murdoch during a brainbuster attempt and Orton fell on top.
- Mike Rotunda & Steve Williams defeated The Road Warriors to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship when Williams pinned Hawk with a rollup after referee Teddy Long had refused to count a Road Warriors cover.
- Ranger Ross defeated The Iron Sheik via DQ when Rip Morgan attacked Ross.
- United Stated Tag Team Champions Eddie Gilbert & Rick Steiner defeated Dan Spivey & Kevin Sullivan when Gilbert pinned Sullivan with a cradle after hitting him with Missy Hyatt's purse.
- NWA World Champion Ricky Steamboat defeated Ric Flair in a 2 out of three falls match that lasted over 55 minutes. Ric Flair one the first fall with a small package.  Ricky Steamboat won the second fall by forcing Flair to submit to a double chicken wing.  Steamboat won the third fall with a bridge out of a double chicken wing, but Flair's foot was under the ropes, setting up the WrestleWar 89 rematch between the two.
- Dark Match: NWA Television Champion Sting defeated Rip Morgan with a Scorpion Deathlock.
- Dark Match: Lex Luger defeated Jack Victory with a Torture Rack. 

1989 - Wrestlemania V took place at Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey with the following results:
- Hercules defeated King Haku with a back suplex.
- Big Bossman & Akeem defeated Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty when Akeem pinned Michaels with a splash.  This was Shawn Michaels' first Wrestlemania.
- Brutus Beefcake vs. Ted DiBiase ended in a double countout.
- The Bushwackers defeated Jacques & Raymond Rougeau when Luke pinned Raymond after a Battering Ram.
- Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig defeated The Blue Blazer with a Perfect Plex.
- WWF World Tag Team Champions defeated The Powers Of Pain & Mr. Fuji in a handicap match when Ax pinned Fuji after the Demolition Decapitation.
- Dino Bravo defeated Ronnie Garvin with a side suplex.  Before the match, Jimmy Snuka was introduced to the crowd, marking his return to the company after being gone for over four years.
- Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard defeated Tito Santana & Rick Martel when Arn pinned Tito with a spike piledriver after Martel had walked out on the match.
- Jake Roberts defeated Andre The Giant via DQ after Andre headbutted guest referee John Studd.
- Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart defeated Honky Tonk Man & Greg Valentine when Hart pinned Honky after hitting him with Jimmy Hart's megaphone.
- Rick Rude defeated The Ultimate Warrior to win the WWF Intercontinental Title when Bobby Heenan tripped Warrior on a suplex attempt and held his leg down for the pin.
- Hacksaw Duggan vs. Bad News Brown ended in a double DQ when Brown grabbed a chair and Duggan grabbed a 2x4 and they started swinging at each other.
- The Red Rooster defeated Bobby Heenan in under a minute.
- Hulk Hogan defeated Randy Savage to win the WWF World Title after a legdrop.

1995 - Wrestlemania XI took place at the Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut with the following results:
- Lex Luger & Davey Boy Smith defeated Jacob & Eli Blu when Smith pinned Eli with a sunset flip off the top rope as he went to piledrive Luger.
- Razor Ramon defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett via DQ after The Roadie interfered.
- The Undertaker defeated King Kong Bundy with a top rope clothesline.
- Owen Hart & surprise partner Yokozuna defeated The Smoking Gunns to win the WWF World Tag Team Title when Owen pinned Billy following a Yokozuna Bonzai Drop.
- Bret Hart defeated Bob Backlund in an I Quit match with a Crossface Chicken Wing.  Roddy Piper was the guest referee.
- WWF World Champion Diesel defeated Shawn Michaels with a powerbomb.
- Lawrence Taylor defeated Bam Bam Bigelow with a forearm off the second rope. Pat Patterson, who was the referee for the match, helped put the bout together with the New York Giants great and Bigelow.  Taylor was accompanied for the match by several former NFL stars, including Ken Norton Jr., Chris Spielman, Ricky Jackson, Carl Banks and future WCW main eventers Reggie White and Steve McMichael.  Bigelow was accompanied by Ted DiBiase, Tatanka, King Kong Bundy, Nikolai Volkoff and Kama.

2000 - Wrestlemania 2000 took place at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California with the following results:
- Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan defeated The Godfather & D'Lo Brown when Bull pinned Brown with a legdrop off the top rope.
- Hardcore Holly won a 15-minute Hardcore Battle Royal to win the WWF Hardcore Title in a match where the title could change hands at any point for 15 minutes.  Crash Holly was the champion at the start of the match.
*Tazz pinned Crash Holly.
*Viscera pinned Tazz.
*Funaki pinned Viscera.
*Rodney pinned Funaki.
*Joey Abs pinned Rodney.
*Thrasher pinned Joey Abs.
*Pete Gas pinned Thrasher.
*Tazz pinned Pete Gas.
*Crash Holly pinned Tazz.
*Hardcore Holly pinned Crash Holly.
- Test & Albert defeated Al Snow & Steve Blackman when Test pinned Blackman after a top rope elbowdrop.
- Edge & Christian defeated The Hardys and The Dudleys in a ladder match to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship.  The Dudleys were the defending champions going into the match.
- Terri defeated The Kat in a match where the winner was the first wrestler to throw her opponent from the ring.  Bizarrely, this was the only singles match on the whole show.
- Chyna & Too Cool defeated Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn & Dean Malenko when Chyna pinned Guerrero after a sleeper slam.
- Chris Benoit won the Intercontinental Title and Chris Jericho won the European Title in a two fall match with Kurt Angle, who entered the match holding both titles.  The Intercontinental Title was on the line in the first fall, and Benoit pinned Jericho with a top rope headbutt.  The European Title was on the line in the second fall, and Jericho pinned Benoit with a Lionsault.  Angle lost both titles without being pinned.
- Kane & Riskihi defeated X-Pac & Road Dogg when Kane pinned X-Pac with a tombstone.
- Triple H defeated The Rock, Mick Foley and The Big Show in a Four Way Elimination Match to retain the WWF World Title.  Rock eliminated Show with a Rock Bottom.  Triple H eliminated Foley with a Pedigree on a chair.  Triple H pinned Rock after Vince McMahon turned on Rock and hit him with a chair.  This marked the first time Wrestlemania would end with a heel winning the final match.

2006 - Wrestlemania 22 took place at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois with the following results:
- Dark Match: Viscera won a battle royal, then kissed Lilian Garcia at ringside.  The final three competitors were Road Warrior Animal (who received a lot of support from the Chicago crowd, despite being a heel), Gene Snitsky and Viscera.  Snitsky and Viscera eliminated Animal, then Viscera dodged a running kick from Snitsky, who went over the top rope, to end the match. 
- WWE Tag Team Champions Kane & Big Show defeated Carlito & Chris Masters when Kane pinned Carlito with a chokeslam.
- Rob Van Dam won the Money In The Bank Match, outlasting Ric Flair, Matt Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, Bobby Lashley and Finlay. Rob Van Dam would cash in the briefcase at One Night Stand to win the WWE Title.
- JBL defeated Chris Benoit to win the United States Title when he reversed a Crippler Crossface into a cradle and hooked the ropes for leverage. 
- Edge defeated Mick Foley in a Hardcore Match by pinning him on the floor after spearing Foley off the apron and through a flaming table at ringside.
- Boogeyman defeated Booker T & Sharmell with a double handed chokeslam on Booker. 
- Mickie James defeated Trish Stratus to win the Women's Title with a Chick Kick.
- The Undertaker defeated Mark Henry with a tombstone in a Casket Match.
- Shawn Michaels defeated Vince McMahon in a No Holds Barred match with a superkick following an elbowdrop off a ladder that put Vince through a table while he was in a garbage can.  Prior to the elbow, Michaels delivered a DX "crotch chop". 
- Rey Mysterio defeated Kurt Angle and Randy Orton to win the World Title in a Triple Threat match when he pinned Orton after a West Coast Pop.  Angle, the defending champion, wasn't pinned in the match.
- Torrie Wilson defeated Candice Michelle in a "Playboy Pillow Fight" with a cradle.
- WWE Champion John Cena defeated Triple H with the STFU.  The match became infamous for over-the-top ring entrances, as Cena entered the ring dressed as an old school gangster, while Triple H was dressed like a Viking warrior.

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