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December 23rd

On this day in history in ....

1941 - Dave Reynolds defeats Buzz Jones in a tournament final to win the Midwest Wrestling Association World Light Heavyweight Title in Dayton, Ohio.

1949 - Ray Villmer defeats George Flynn in Atlanta, Georgia for the NWA (Georgia) Southern Heavyweight Title.

1952 - George Bollas defeats Sandor Szabo for the NWA Beat the Champ International Television Title in Los Angeles, California.

1953 - Doc and George Gallagher defeat Johnny Demchuck and Pepper Gomez to win the Big Time Wrestling Northwest Tag Team Title, ending Demchuck and Gomez's second reign.

1955 - Bill and Fred Blassie defeat Jerry Graham and Don McIntyre to win the NWA (Georgia) World Tag Team Title in Atlanta, Georgia, beginning their second reign.

1957 - Stan Mykietowich and Ted Stefanyk defeat Frenchy Champagne and Ed Tardi for the Madison Wrestling Club Tag Team Title in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to begin their second reign.

1958 - Kurt Von Himmler and Kurt Von Poppenheim defeat Herb and Seymour Freeman to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title.

1960 - Lord James Blears and Nick Bockwinkel defeat Stan Holek and The Preacher for the NWA (Hollywood Wrestling) International Television Tag Team Title in Long Beach, California.

1962 - Keiji Muto is born in Fujiyoshida, Japan.

1965 - Rocky Smith wins his third NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title, defeating Hiro Matsuda in a rematch to win the vacant title in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The title had been held up a week prior after a match between the two.

1970 - In Mobile, Alabama, Mike Boyette wins a battle royal, last eliminating champion Bob Kelly, for the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title and City of Mobile Heavyweight Title, ending Kelly's second reign.

1971 - Bob Roop defeats Ole Anderson in Tampa, Florida for the NWA Florida Television Title.

1972 - Geoff Portz defeats Kendo Nagasaki in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to win the Stampede North American Heavyweight Title for the third time.

1972 - Bobo Brazil defeats Pampero Firpo to win the NWA (Detroit) United States Heavyweight Title in Detroit, Michigan, ending Firpo's second reign and beginning Brazil's fifth.

1972 - Bearcat Brown and Johnny Walker defeat The Bounty Hunters (David and Jerry Novak) for the NWA (Mid-America) Southern Tag Team Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

1972 - Danny Babich and Michel Martel defeat George Gordienko and Super Hawk to win the Stampede International Tag Team Title, beginning their second reign.

1975 - Rocky Johnson defeats King Curtis Iaukea to win the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title in Tampa, Florida.

1979 - Estela Melina defeats Vickie Williams to win the UWA Women's World Title in Mexico City, Mexico.

1983 - Curt Hennig and Pat (Scott) McGhee defeat The Assassin and The Dynamite for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title in Eugene, Oregon.

1983 - Archie Gouldie wins his 10th and final Stampede North American Heavyweight Title in Calgary, Alberta, ending the second reign of Bad News Allen.

1985 - Mark Youngblood defeats Jack Victory for the WCCW Television Title in Fort Worth, Texas.

1985 - Robert Fuller defeats Roberto Soto to win the NWA Continental Heavyweight Title in Birmingham, Alabama.

1986 - Shinobu Kandori defeats Lola Gonzales to win the UWA Women's World Title in Tokyo, Japan, ending Gonzales' third reign.

1995 - The Pink Assassin defeats El Marcarado in Provincetown, Massachusetts, for the Century Wrestling Alliance (later NWA New England) Light Heavyweight Title, ending Maracarado's second reign.

1999 - ECW ran a show at the White Plains Civic Center in White Plains, New York. Some of the matches were taped for two episodes of ECW on TNN. The results:
- Kintaro Kanemura defeated C.W. Anderson.
- ECW World Tag Team Champions Danny Doring & Roadkill defeated Kid Kash & Super Nova and The Dupps in a three-way dance. This match aired on January 7, 2000.
- Little Guido Maritato pinned Super Calo.
- Yoshihiro Tajiri pinned Super Crazy. This match aired on December 31, 1999.
- Raven pinned Mikey Whipwreck. This match aired on December 31, 1999.
- Da Baldies (Angel, DeVito and Vic Grimes) defeated Balls Mahoney and New Jack in a handicap match.
- Sabu defeated Rhino and The Sandman in a three-way match.
- Mike Awesome defeats Masato Tanaka to win the ECW World Heavyweight Title, beginning his second reign. This match aired on December 31, 1999.
- Justin Credible defeated Tommy Dreamer in a Stairway to Hell match. This match aired on January 7, 2000.
- ECW Television Champion Rob Van Dam defeated Jerry Lynn.

1999 - Ran Yu Yu defeats Azumi Hyuga for the JWP Openweight Division Title in Tokyo, Japan.

2000 - A little over four months after forming, Pro Wrestling Noah holds their "Great Voyage" show at Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan, drawing their biggest crowd up to that point in time, with 12,000 fans attending.  The show saw special appearances from Shinya Hashimoto and WEW's Kodo Fuyuki and Tetsuhiro Kuroda.  Here are the results from the show:
- Tsuyoshi Kikuchi & Kenta Kobayashi defeated Kishin Kawabata & 2 Cold Scorpio when Kikuchi pinned Kawabata.
- Haruka Eigen, Jun Izumida, & Satoru Asako defeated Rusher Kimura, Mitsuo Momota, & Makoto Hashi when Izumida pinned Hashi.
- Kentaro Shiga, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Takeshi Morishima defeated Masao Inoue, Takeshi Rikio, & Takashi Sugiura when Shiga forced Sugiura to submit.
- Kodo Fuyuki & Tetsuhiro Kuroda defeated Tamon Honda & Naomichi Marufuji to win the WEW (FMW) Tag Team Title when Fuyuki pinned Honda.
- Yoshinari Ogawa & Daisuke Ikeda defeated Masashi Aoyagi & Akitoshi Saito when Ikeda pinned Aoyagi.
- Yoshihiro Takayama defeated Akira Taue.
- Shinya Hashimoto defeated Takao Omori.
- Mitsuharu Misawa defeated Vader.
- Kenta Kobashi defeated Jun Akiyama.

2000 - The final original Extreme Championship Wrestling event to ever take place at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is held.  While there would be three more ECW cards (including the Guilty As Charged Pay-per-view in New York), this was the last time ECW would hold a show in "The World's Most Famous Bingo Hall".  Here are the results from that show:
- Chilly Willy vs. The Blue Boy (Meanie) ended in a no-contest, when Rhino attacked and gored both men, as well as referee H.C. Loc and Jasmin St. Claire.
- ECW World Tag Team Champions Danny Doring & Roadkill defeated Da Baldies (Tony DeVito & Angel) when Roadkill pinned Angel.
- Balls Mahoney defeated Bilvis Wesley.
- Jerry Lynn defeated Spike Dudley.
- CW Anderson defeated Super Crazy via submission.
- EZ Money defeated Nova when the match was stopped due to Nova bleeding from the ear (this was an angle to explain an absence for Nova, who was considering surgery for an eardrum problem). This led to Tommy Dreamer coming out, leading into the next match.
- EZ Money, Julio Dinero & Chris Hamrick defeated Tommy Dreamer, Christian York & Joey Matthews when Money pinned Dreamer after CW Anderson interfered.
- Mikey Whipwreck & Yoshihiro Tajiri defeated The FBI (Little Guido & Tony Mamaluke) in a three falls match.  Tajiri and Whipwreck both submitted to lose the first fall, Mamaluke was pinned in the second fall, and forced to submit in the third fall by Tajiri.
- ECW World Champion Steve Corino defeated Justin Credible and The Sandman in a Three Way Dance.  Corino pinned both men to win the match. Towards the end of the match, fans were throwing chairs into the ring, the last time that would ever occur at an ECW event.  After Corino's win, Sandman laid him out and left with the title belt. 

2000 - Ian Rotten defeats Dino Bambino in West Allis, Wisconsin to win the Mid-American Wrestling Heavyweight Title for the fourth time.

2000 - Etsuko Mita and Mima Shimoda defeat Kayo Noumi and Manami Toyota to win the 2000 AJW The Best Tag Team League.

2003 - Mr. Big Japan and Mens Teioh defeat Badboy Hito and Ryuji Ito to win the BJW World Tag Team Title in Tokyo, Japan.

2004 - Chiharu and Yuka Nakamura defeat Vampire Bat Witch Devirats I and II in Tokyo, Japan to win the vacant NEO Itabashi Tag Team Title in Tokyo, Japan.

2005 - Apple Miyuki and YOSHIYA defeat Shiori Asahi and Makoto Oishi in Chiba, Japan, for the WEW (BJW) Hardcore Tag Team Title.

2005 - Lee Condry defeats J.T. Quest for the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Title in Columbia, Tennessee, ending Quest's third reign.

2006 - Ring of Honor held "Final Battle 2006" at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, New York. The results:
- Jimmy Rave defeated ROH World Tag Team Champion Christopher Daniels, Davey Richards and El Generico in a Four Corner Survival match.
- Adam Pearce defeated Ricky Reyes.
- Brent Albright and Jimmy Jacobs defeated Colt Cabana and B.J. Whitmer.
- The Briscoes (Jay and Mark Briscoe) defeated The Kings of Wrestling (Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero).
- Jimmy Rave defeated Nigel McGuinness.
- CIMA, Shingo and ROH World Tag Team Champion Matt Sydal defeated Generation Next (Austin Aries and Roderick Strong) and Delirious in a Dragon Gate Rules match.
- Homicide defeated Bryan Danielson to win the ROH World Title.

2006 - Tatsuhito Takaiwa defeats Takashi Sugiura to win the NOAH GHC Junior Heavyweight Title in Tokyo, Japan, ending and beginning each man's second reign.

2006 - Brandon Stone wins a battle royal for the vacant NWA Main Event X Division Title in Columbia, Tennessee. the previous champion, G.Q., had been stripped on November 24 for missing title defenses.

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