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THIS DAY IN HISTORY: KERRY VON ERICH WINS THE NWA TITLE, ZBYSZKO AND KOWALSKI WIN WORLD TITLES, INSURREXTION AND MORE

By Ryan Martinez on 2008-05-06 08:28:15

May 6th

On this day in ....

1921 - Stanislaus Zbyszko defeats Ed "Strangler" Lewis in New York City, New York to win his second World Heavyweight Title, ending Lewis' third reign.

1938 - Don McIntyre defeats Vic Christy for the Montreal World Heavyweight Title in Buffalo, New York.

1946 - Al Szasz defeats Paavo Ketonnen to win the Pacific Coast Light Heavyweight Title in Portland, Oregon, ending Ketonnen's second reign.

1953 - Killer Kowalski defeats Verne Gagne to win the Montreal World Heavyweight Title in Montreal, Quebec, beginning Kowalski's second reign.

1953 - Leo Nomellini and Enrique Torres defeat Ben and Mike Sharpe for the San Francisco NWA World Tag Team Title in San Francisco, California. This ended the Sharpes' seventh reign.

1958 - Black Hawk and Nelson Royal defeat Doug Donovan and Bill Savage for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title.

1960 - Ed Francis and Bill Savage defeat Tony Borne and Shag Thomas to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title, to begin their second reign.

1964 - Brian Knobbs is born in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

1966 - Georgia Championship Wrestling held an eight-team tournament for the vacant Georgia NWA Southern Tag Team Title in Atlanta, Georgia. The results:
Quarterfinals:
- The Infernos defeated The Scufflin' Hillbillies.
- Alberto and Enrique Torres defeated Swede Karlson and Jack Vansky.
- Chief Crazy Horse and Bobby Shane defeated Bad Boy and Billy Hines.
- The Mysterious Medics defeated Darrell Cochran and Jack Pesek.
Semifinals:
- Alberto and Enrique Torres defeated The Infernos.
- The Mysterious Medics defeated Chief Crazy Horse and Bobby Shane.
Finals:
- Alberto and Enrique Torres defeated The Mysterious Medics to win the vacant Georgia NWA Southern Tag Team Title.

1969 - Alberto and Ramon Torres defeat Treach Phillips and Karl Von Stroheim for the Tri-State NWA United States Tag Team Title in Little Rock, Arkansas.

1974 - Rip Tyler defeats Bob Sweetan in Shreveport, Louisiana to win the NWA Tri-State Brass Knuckles Title.

1976 - Bob Kelly defeats Duke Miller for the NWA Mississippi Heavyweight Title in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. This ended Miller's second reign and began Kelly's 17th.

1978 - Carlos Colón defeats Ox Baker in Bayamón, Puerto Rico to win his second WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Title. At the same event, The Hollywood Blondes (Jack Evans and Larry Sharpe) defeat Victor Jovica and Chief Thundercloud for the WWC North American Tag Team Title, beginning their second reign. Also, Hurácan Castillo and Pierre Martel win the WWC World Tag Team Title from Invader I and José Rivera, ending their second reign.

1979 - Ashura Hara defeats Miles Zrno in Tokyo, Japan to win the World Wrestling Union World Junior Heavyweight Title.

1980 - Masa Saito defeats Steve Keirn for the NWA Florida Television Title in Tampa, Florida.

1982 - Black Tiger (Marc Rocco) defeats Gran Hamada for the WWF Junior Heavyweight Title in Fukuoka, Japan. The title had been vacated in April by The Dynamite Kid due to injury.

1982 - Joyce Grable and Wendi Richter defeat Princess Victoria and Sabrina to win their second NWA Women's World Tag Team Title in Kansas City, Missouri.

1982 - King Kamaka and Baron Von Krupp defeat Mark Lewin and Steve Rickard for the NWA Australasian Tag Team Title in Auckland, New Zealand.

1984 - The first-annual Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions was held by World Class Championship Wrestling at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. 32,123 fans attended the show, held in honor of the recently deceased David Von Erich, who died on February 10 in Japan. The results were:
- Johnny Mantell and Kelly Kiniski fought to a draw.
- Chris Adams and Sunshine defeated Jimmy Garvin and Precious, when Adams pinned Garvin.
- Butch Reed defeated Chick Donovan.
- Kamala and The Great Kabuki fought to a double-disqualification.
- The Junkyard Dog defeated The Missing Link by disqualification.
- Rock 'n' Soul (King Parsons and Buck Zumhofe) defeated WCCW American Tag Team Champioons The Super Destoyers (I and II (Bill and Scott Irwin)), when Parsons pinned Super Destoyer I, to win the title, ending the Super Destroyers' second reign.
- Fritz, Kevin and Mike Von Erich defeated WCCW Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Fabulous Freebirds (Terry Gordy, Michael Hayes and Buddy Roberts), when Kevin pinned Roberts, to win the title. Kerry later replaced the retired Fritz in the championship team.
- Kerry Von Erich defeated NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair to win the title.

1984 - King Kong Bundy and The Masked Superstar defeat The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) to win the NWA National Tag Team Title in Atlanta, Georgia, ending the Road Warriors' second reign.

1984 - Crusher Lisowski and Baron Von Raschke defeat The Sheiks (Jerry Blackwell and Ken Patera) for the AWA World Tag Team Title in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

1988 - Makhan Singh defeats Owen Hart to win the Stampede North American Heavyweight Title in Calgary, Alberta, ending Hart's second reign and beginning Singh's third reign.

1989 - Chigusa Nagayo retires from the ring, as she had reached age 26, the mandatory retirement age for female wrestlers in Japan at the time. At her retirement, she was one-half of the WWWA World Tag Team Champions with Lioness Asuka as The Crush Gals, as well as IWA Women's World and All Pacific Champion. She wrestled her last two matches, at least at the time, that night at AJW's Wrestlemarinpiad event in Yokohama, Japan. The Crush Gals successfully defended the WWWA World Tag Team Title against Akira Hokuto and Mitsuko Nishikawa. Immediately following that match, Asuka defeated Nagayo in her retirement match.
Nagayo returned to competition a few years later, after that retirement rule was waived.

1990 - Matt Derringer defeats The Lightning Kid (Sean Waltman) for the Pro Wrestling America Light Heavyweight Title in Barron, Wisconsin, beginning his second reign.

1994 - Jack Steel defeats Scott D'Amore to win the Border City Wrestling Can-Am Heavyweight Title in North Bay, Ontario.

1994 - The Mongolian Stomper defeats Mike Samson for the Southern States Wrestling Heavyweight Title in Fall Branch, Tennessee.

1996 - Dick Togo defeats Danny Collins in Nakayama, Japan to win the British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Title.

1999 - Frenchy Riviera defeats Silky Boom Boom for the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title in Loganville, Georgia.

2000 - The WWF held the first of four annual Insurrextion pay-per-view events, which aired exclusively in the United Kingdom, at Earls Court in London, England. The results were:
- Too Cool (Grandmaster Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty) defeated The Radicalz (Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn), when Sexay pinned Saturn after the Hip Hop Drop.
- Kane (with Paul Bearer) pinned Bull Buchanan after a chokeslam.
- Road Dogg (with Tori) pinned Bradshaw (with Faarooq) after a pumphandle slam.
- The Kat (with Mae Young) defeated Terri Runnels (with The Fabulous Moolah) in an arm wrestling match.
- The Big Show and Rikishi defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von), when Big Show pinned Bubba Ray after a chokeslam.
- Kurt Angle pinned Chris Benoit after an Angle Slam.
- The British Bulldog pinned WWF Hardcore Champion Crash Holly after a powerslam on a chair to win the title.
- The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Edge and Christian by disqualification, when Edge hit Matt with the ring bell. Edge and Christian retained the title.
- WWF European Champion Eddie Guerrero (with Chyna) pinned Chris Jericho, after hitting him with his title belt while the referee was distracted, to retain the title.
- WWF Champion The Rock defeated Shane McMahon (with Vince McMahon) and Triple H (with Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley) in a Triple Threat match, by pinning Shane after the People's Elbow, to retain the title.

2000 - Shane Black defeats Zero Gravity to win the World Xtreme Wrestling Cruiserweight Title in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. This began Black's fourth reign and ended Zero Gravity's second reign.

2000 - Boyce LeGrand and Robert Thompson defeat Frank and Vic Murdoch for the All-Pro Wrestling Tag Team Title in Pacifica, California.

2001 - Steve King defeats Jason Rumble in Melrose, Massachusetts to win the NWA New England Heavyweight Title.

2001 - The Bloody and Fang Suzuki defeat The Masked Angels (Fleia and Rosetta) for the TWF World Women's Tag Team Title in Tokyo, Japan.

2002 - WWE held a live RAW at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut, which got a 4.6 rating on TNN. The results were:
- WWE Women's Champion Jazz (with WWF Hardcore Champion Steven Richards) pinned Trish Stratus in a no-disqualification match, after Richards hit Stratus with the Steven Kick, to retain the title. After the match, Bubba Ray Dudley brought a referee to the ring to go after Richards' title.
- Bubba Ray Dudley pinned WWE Hardcore Champion Steven Richards after the Bubba Bomb to win the title, beginning Bubba Ray's 10th reign and ending Richards' seventh.
- Raven pinned WWE Hardcore Champion Bubba Ray Dudley, after hitting Bubba with a trash can lid and hitting the Evenflow DDT, to win the title, and begin his 17th reign.
- Justin Credible pinned WWE Hardcore Champion Raven after a superkick to win the title, beginning his second reign.
- Crash Holly pinned WWE Hardcore Champion Justin Credible after a missile dropkick to win the title, his 18th.
- Trish Stratus pinned WWE Hardcore Champion Crash Holly, after Bubba Ray Dudley hit Crash with a trash can, to win the title.
- Steven Richards pinned WWE Hardcore Champion Trish Stratus to win the title, after Jazz sprayed Bubba Ray in the face with a fire extinguisher and Bubba Ray put Trish through a table in the ring, thinking he was doing this to Jazz because he was blinded. This began Richards' eighth reign. Bubba Ray carried Trish backstage after the match.
- William Regal defeated WWE European Champion Spike Dudley by submission with a half-crab to win the title, beginning his fourth reign.
- Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) pinned Shawn Stasiak after the F5.
- Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam besiegen Booker T and WWE Intercontinental Champion Eddie Guerrero, when RVD pinned Guerrero after Hardy hit a Swanton and RVD hit a Five-Star Frog Splash.
- Steve Austin, Bradshaw and Ric Flair fought The nWo (The Big Show, Scott Hall and X-Pac) to a no-contest.

2003 - All Star Wrestling held an eight-man tournament for the vacant World Heavy-Middleweight Title in Croydon, England at Fairfield Halls. The results were:
Quarterfinals:
- Five-Star Flash defeated Mal Sanders.
- Bryan Danielson defeated Santino Herbert.
- Robbie Dynamite defeated Murat Bosporus.
- James Mason defeated Steve Grey.
Semifinals:
- Bryan Danielson defeated Robbie Dynamite.
- James Mason defeated Five-Star Flash
Non-tournament match:
- PN Newz defeated Ricky Knight and Zebra Kid in a handicap match.
Finals:
- Bryan Danielson defeated James Mason to win the vacant World Heavy-Middleweight Title.

2004 - Paul Gomez, better known as Pepper Gomez, dies from kidney failure at age 77.

2006 - Alex Shelley defeats Acid Jazz, champion Jaysin Strife and Brandon Thomaselli in a four-way match in Streamwood, Illinois for the NWA Midwest X Division Title.

2006 - The Turbanators (Jaheed and Johad) defeated The Hillbillies (Bucky and Cletis) to win the NWA Blue Ridge Tag Team Title in Grundy, Virginia. The Night Prowlers (Mad Dog and Pit Bull) had been stripped of the title due to injury.

2006 - The Beastie Boyz (Ape Atomica and Lupo) defeat La Lesione Straniera (Drago and Manuel Majoli) for the Italian Championship Wrestling Italian Tag Team Title in Lecce, Italy. At the same show, Kaio defeats Chris the Bambikiller to win the ICW Italian Heavyweight Title, beginning his second reign.

2006 - Johnny Lightning defeats champion El Fandango and J.T. Hogg in a three-way match in Parkersburg, West Virginia to win the NWA Tri-State X Division Title.

2007 - MIYAWAKI and YOSHIYA defeat Yuji Hino and Saburo Inamatsu to win the Kaientai Dojo Strongest-K Tag Team Title in Chiba, Japan.

2007 - Lupo defeats Kobra for the ICW Interregional Heavyweight Title in Crema, Italy.

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