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January 4th
On this day in history in ....
1923 - Charlie Rentrop defeats Clarence Eklund for the World Light
Heavyweight Title in Sheridan, Wyoming, ending Eklund's second reign.
1929 - Gus Sonnenberg defeats Ed "Strangler" Lewis to win the
World Heavyweight Title in Boston, Massachusetts, ending Lewis' fifth reign. The
National Wrestling Association would later withdraw its recognition of
Sonnenberg in favor of Dick Shikat, based on Sonnenberg not facing "real
contenders".
1945 - Frankie Talaber defeats The Great Mephisto for the Midwest
Wrestling Association World Junior Heavyweight Title in Columbus, Ohio. This
began Talaber's fourth reign and ended Mephisto's third.
1951 - Jackie Nichols ends Frankie Talaber's seventh MWA World Junior
Heavyweight Title in Columbus, Ohio.
1955 - Lee Fields and Herb Welch defeat Mario Galento and Red Roberts in
a tournament final to become the first holders of the Gulf Coast version of the
NWA Southern Tag Team Title.
1957 - Chief Big Heart defeats Jerry Graham in Atlanta, Georgia, to win
the Georgia version of the NWA Southern Heavyweight Title.
1958 - James Manley, better known in the WWF and WCW as Jim Powers, is
born in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
1961 - Nick Bockwinkel and Édouard Carpentier defeat Stan Holek and
The Preacher for the World Wrestling Association International Television Tag
Team Title in Los Angeles, California, ending Holek and Preacher's second reign.
1962 - Chris and John Tolos win the Toronto version of the NWA International
Tag Team Title for the second time, defeating Whipper Billy Watson and Yukon
Eric.
1966 - Johnny Barend and Ripper Collins defeat Luther Lindsay and Bearcat
Wright for the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Title in Honolulu, Hawaii.
1970 - Chris Klucsaritis, better known as Mortis and Kanyon in the WCW
and WWF, is born in Sunnyside, New York.
1971 - The Infernos defeat José Lothario and Danny Miller to win the
NWA Florida Tag Team Title in Orlando, Florida.
1972 - Bobby Shane defeats Bob Roop for the NWA Florida Television Title
in Tampa, Florida.
1974 - Dick Dunn defeats Duke Miller for the NWA Alabama Heavyweight
Title in Dothan, Alabama, beginning his third reign.
1975 - Jackie Fargo defeats Don Kent to win the NWA Mid-America
Heavyweight Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
1980 - Rimi Yokota defeats Chino Sato to become the first AJW Junior
Champion in Tokyo, Japan.
1981 - Former World Light Heavyweight Champion Clarence Eklund dies at
age 93.
1981 - Tomoko Kitamura (Lioness Asuka) defeats Noriko Kawakami for the
AJW Junior Title in Tokyo, Japan. Rimi Yokota vacated the title in August 1980.
1986 - Arn Anderson defeats Wahoo McDaniel in a tournament final to win
the vacant NWA World Television Title in Greensboro, North Carolina. The title
was stripped from Dusty Rhodes on October 19 due to Rhodes having his leg broken
by Ric Flair and Ole and Arn Anderson on September 29.
1986 - Condor Saito defeats Kazue Nagahori to win the vacant AJW Junior
Title in Tokyo, Japan. Yumi Ogura vacated the title on December 12.
1988 - In Dallas, Texas, The Freebirds (Terry Gordy, King Parsons and
Buddy Roberts) defeat Chris Adams, Matt Borne (subbing for Kevin Von Erich) and
Steve Simpson to win the World Class Six-Man Tag Team Title.
1989 - Eric Embry defeats Cactus Jack for the World Class Light
Heavyweight Title for the fifth time. Embry would be the final champion. The
title was vacated in May after he won the World Class Texas Heavyweight Title on
April 7, and abandoned in August when World Class became the USWA.
1989 - Madusa Miceli wins the IWA Japan Women's Title from Chigusa Nagayo
in Tokyo, Japan.
1990 - Bull Nakano defeats Mitsuko Nishiwaki in a tournament final for
the vacant WWWA World Singles Title in Tokyo, Japan. The title was vacated by
Lioness Asuka on July 19, 1989 when she retired.
1992 - At New Japan Pro Wrestling's annual Tokyo Dome show, "Starrcade
1992 in Tokyo Dome", Riki Chōshū defeats Tatsumi Fujinami to
retain his Greatest 18 Title and win the IWGP World Heavyweight Title. This
ended Fujinami's fourth reign and began Chōshū's third.
1993 - At New Japan's annual Tokyo Dome show, "Fantastic Story in
Tokyo Dome", IWGP World Heavyweight Champion The Great Muta defeats
Masahiro Chono to win Chono's NWA World Title. Also, Jushin Liger defeats Ultimo
Dragon for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title, beginning Liger's sixth reign.
1994 - At New Japan's annual Tokyo Dome show, "Battlefield",
The Hell Raisers (Hawk Warrior (Road Warrior Hawk) and Power Warrior (Kensuke
Sasaki)) defeat The Jurassic Powers (Hercules Hernandez and Scott Norton) to win
the IWGP World Tag Team Title, beginning their second reign.
1995 - Memphis promoter John Regus dies at age 78.
1995 - At New Japan's annual Tokyo Dome show, "Battle 7",
Antonio Inoki defeats Sting in the finals of the Final Countdown BVD Tournament.
1996 - At New Japan's annual Tokyo Dome show, "Wrestling World
1996", Nobuhiko Takada defeats Keiji Muto to win the IWGP World Heavyweight
Title, ending Muto's second reign. Also, Jushin Liger defeats Koji Kanemoto for
the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. This began Liger's seventh reign and ended
Kanemoto's second.
1997 - At New Japan's annual Tokyo Dome show, "Wrestling World
1997", Tatsumi Fujinami and Kengo Kimura defeat Masahiro Chono and
Hiroyoshi Tenzan to win the IWGP World Tag Team Title. This began Fujinami and
Kimura's fourth reign and ended Chono and Tenzan's second. Also, Jushin Liger
defeats Ultimo Dragon for the eight J-Crown titles.
1998 - Riki Chōshū wrestled what was then to be his final five
career matches, consecutively, at New Japan's annual Tokyo Dome show,
"Final Power Hall in Tokyo Dome". The series of matches was called the
"Riki Road Final Message 5". Chōshū pinned Kazuyuki Fujita
and Yutaka Yoshie after lariats, made Tatsuhito Takaiwa submit to the
Sasori-Gatame (Chōshū's own finishing move), and was defeated by
Takashi Iizuka by submission with an ankle lock. In his final match, Chōshū
pinned Jushin Liger after a lariat.
1999 - The Monday Night War continued, and featured two very infamous
moments, both occuring on WCW Monday Nitro. WWF RAW is WAR's show, taped
December 28 in Worcester, Massachusetts at the Centrum, won the night with a 5.7
rating. That rating was contributed to by Tony Schiavone's comment that Mankind
would win the WWF World Title on RAW and "put a lot of butts in the
seats", during Nitro. Nitro was live from WCW's homebase, Atlanta, Georgia
at the Georgia Dome, and featured "The Fingerpoke of Doom", when
Hollywood Hulk Hogan simply poking WCW World Champion Kevin Nash in the chest,
causing him to fall to the mat in a fashion that was recounted in the book The
Death of WCW as Nash "getting hit in the chest with a shotgun." Hogan
pinned Nash, won his fifth WCW World Title, and the nWo was reformed. Nitro came
in second with a 5.0 rating.
1999 - At New Japan's annual Tokyo Dome show, "Wrestling World
1999", Keiji Muto defeats Scott Norton to win his third IWGP World
Heavyweight Title. Also, Kendo Kashin and Dr. Wagner, Jr. defeat Shinjiro Otani
and Tatsuhito Takaiwa for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title.
2000 - At New Japan's annual Tokyo Dome show, "Wrestling World
2000", Kensuke Sasaki pinned Genichiro Tenryu for his second IWGP World
Heavyweight Title.
2000 - In Osaka, Japan, Super Delfin defeats Dick Togo to become the
first Osaka Pro Wrestling Singles Champion, and Kuishimbo Kamen defeats Ebessan
to become the first Osaka Pro World's Best Attraction Champion.
2000 - Manami Toyota wins her third WWWA World Singles Title, ending the
third reign of Yumiko Hotta in Tokyo, Japan. At the same event, Rumi Kazama,
Carol Midori and Eagle Sawai defeat Keiko Aono, Noriyo Tateno and Harley Saito
for the Ladies' Legend Pro Wrestling Six-Woman Tag Team Title.
2001 - José de Jesus DÃÂaz Mendoza, better known as Villano I, dies
at age 54.
2001 - New Japan's annual Tokyo Dome show, "Wrestling World
2001", featured a six-man tournament for the vacant IWGP World Heavyweight
Title, which was vacated on October 9 when then-champion Kensuke Sasaki lost a
non-title match to Toshiaki Kawada. Kawada and Masahiro Chono received
first-round byes in the tournament. 62,001 fans attended the event. The results:
- In a tournament quarterfinal match, Kensuke Sasaki defeated Satoshi Kojima by
submission with a Boston crab.
- In a tournament quarterfinal match, IWGP World Tag Team Champion Hiroyoshi
Tenzan pinned Yuji Nagata after a moonsault.
- IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Koji Kanemoto and IWGP Junior
Heavyweight Champion Minoru Tanaka defeated Shinya Makabe and Tatsuhito Takaiwa,
when Kanemoto made Makabe submit with an ankle lock.
- Takashi Iizuka defeated Kendo Kashin with a sleeper hold.
- In a tournament semifinal match, Kensuke Sasaki defeated Masahiro Chono by
submission with the Strangle Hold γ.
- In a tournament semifinal match, Toshiaki Kawada pinned IWGP World Tag Team
Champion Hiroyoshi Tenzan after a powerbomb.
- Keiji Muto and Shinjiro Otani defeated Jushin Liger and Manabu Nakanishi, when
Otani made Liger submit with a cobra twist.
- Riki Chōshū and Shinya Hashimoto fought to a no contest.
- Kensuke Sasaki pinned Toshiaki Kawada after a Northern Lights bomb to win the
tournament and the vacant IWGP World Heavyweight Title, beginning his third
reign.
2002 - Kayo Noumi defeats Kayoko Haruyama for the AJW World Singles Title
in Tokyo, Japan, beginning her second reign.
2002 - Brett Bonz defeats John Allen to win the NWA Southwest Television
Title in North Richland Hills, Texas.
2003 - At New Japan's annual Tokyo Dome show, "Wrestling World
2003", Yoshihiro Takayama defeats Tsuyoshi Kosaka to win the NWF
Heavyweight Title, revived after 22 years of inactivity. Also, the Young
Generation Cup four-man tournament took place, with Ryushi Yanagisawa defeating
Yutaka Yoshie in the finals.
2003 - Mika Nishio defeats Kaori Yoneyama to win the AJW World Singles
Title in Tokyo, Japan.
2003 - Kevin Northcutt defeats Rip Steele for the NWA Mississippi
Heavyweight Title in Magee, Mississippi.
2003 - Justin Idol defeats Scottie Gash in a tournament final to win the
vacant NWA East Three Rivers Title in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.
2003 - Superstar Steve defeats Takao Omori in Neosho, Missouri for the
World League Wrestling Heavyweight Title.
2004 - At New Japan's annual Tokyo Dome show, "Wrestling World
2004", IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shinsuke Nakamura defeats NWF
Heavyweight Champion Yoshihiro Takayama in Tokyo, Japan to unify the titles. The
NWF title dates back to 1970 and Pedro Martinez's National Wrestling Federation,
which was initially an NWA office, and was mainly defended in the Buffalo, New
York, Cleveland, Ohio and Toronto, Ontario areas, until then-champion Johnny
Powers took it with him on a tour of Japan. Powers lost the NWF title to Antonio
Inoki in 1973, and the title remained a New Japan-promoted title until it was
retired in 1981. In 2003, the title was revived by NJPW, but was again retired
when Nakamura defeated Takayama. Also at the show, Jushin Liger defeats Takashi
Sugiura for the Pro Wrestling NOAH GHC Junior Heavyweight Title.
2004 - Amazing Kong defeats Ayako Hamada to win the WWWA World Singles
Title in Tokyo, Japan. At the same show, Saki Maemura and Kaori Yoneyama defeat
Hikaru and Haruka Matsuo for the vacant WWWA World Tag Team Title.
2004 - Caprice Coleman defeats Rainman for the NWA Wildside Television
Title in Cornelia, Georgia, ending Rainman's second reign.
2005 - At New Japan's annual Tokyo Dome show, "Toukon Festival:
Wrestling World 2005", Tiger Mask defeated HEAT (Minoru Tanaka) for the
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title, beginning Tiger Mask's second reign and ending
Tanaka's third. Also, Shinsuke Nakamura defeats Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the
IWGP U-30 Title, and Ron Waterman won an eight-man MMA-style (worked)
tournament, defeating Yuji Nagata in the final match.
2005 - Brian Beech defeats Deuce to win the Heartland Wrestling
Association Television Title in Cincinnati, Ohio.
2006 - Aaron Stevens defeats CM Punk for the OVW Television Title in
Louisville, Kentucky.
2007 - Two-time NWA World Midgets' Champion Harold "Cowboy"
Lang dies at age 56 in Portland, Oregon.
2007 - Kaio wins his third Italian Championship Wrestling Italian
Heavyweight Title in Aosta, Italy, defeating Andres Diamond.
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