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THIS DAY IN HISTORY: PIPER BEATS HOGAN, HANSEN WINS AWA TITLE, MANKIND GETS READY TO PUT BUTTS IN SEATS, DREAMER LEAVES ECW

December 29th

On this day in history in ....

1922 - Sam Hanna defeats Kid Ross to become the first Canadian Welterweight Champion in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada.

1937 - Lou Thesz defeats Everett Marshall for the National Wrestling Association and Midwest Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Titles in St. Louis, Missouri. Thesz would also be awarded the vacant American Wrestling Association (Boston) World Title shortly after.

1955 - Fritz Von Erich and Karl Von Schober defeat Whipper Billy Watson and Ilio DiPaolo for the NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Title in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, beginning Von Erich and Von Schober's second reign.

1955 - Bob Geigel defeats Roy Heffernan to win the NWA Southwest Heavyweight Title in Amarillo, Texas.

1956 - Ben and Mike Sharpe defeat Enrique Torres and Ron Etchison in Fresno, California to win the San Francisco version of the NWA World Tag Team Title for the 13th time.

1960 - Tiny Mills and Stan Kowalski defeat Whipper Billy Watson and Ilio DiPaolo for the NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Title in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, ending Watson and DiPaolo's fourth reign.

1961 - Don Curtis defeats Karl Krauser (Karl Gotch) to win the NWA Eastern States Heavyweight Title in Columbus, Ohio.

1964 - Tarzan Tyler defeats Bob Orton in Tampa, Florida to win the Florida version of the NWA Southern Heavyweight Title, ending Orton's second reign.

1967 - Bob Kelly defeats Don Carson for the NWA Tri-State Louisiana Heavyweight Title in Lafayette, Louisiana, ending Carson's third reign.

1968 - Curtis Iaukea wins his fourth NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title in Honolulu, Hawaii.

1972 - Rick Gibson defeats The Wrestling Pro for the NWA Alabama Heavyweight Title in Dothan, Alabama.

1972 - Buddy Colt wins the Georgia version of the NWA Southern Heavyweight Title for the second time, defeating Bob Armstrong in Atlanta, Georgia.

1973 - Moondog Mayne defeats Pat Patterson for the San Francisco version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Title in San Francisco, California, ending Patterson's third reign.

1973 - Don Greene and Bearcat Brown defeated The Interns (Tom Andrews and Jim Starr) to win the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

1974 - Fritz Von Erich defeats Blackjack Lanza for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title in Dallas, Texas, beginning his 13th reign as champion.

1974 - The Crusaders (Dewey Robertson and Billy Red Lyons) defeat The Love Brothers (Reginald and Hartford Love) to win the Toronto version of the NWA International Tag Team Title in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, beginning and ending both team's second reigns.

1974 - Ron Fuller won a tournament final for the vacant Mid-America version of the NWA Southern Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee.

1985 - The National Wrestling Alliance and American Wrestling Association hold their third joint-promoted "NWA/AWA Star Wars" event at the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The results:
- Ron Bass defeated J.J. Dillon.
- NWA World Midgets' Champion Little Tokyo defeated Cowboy Lang to retain the title.
- AWA World Women's Champion Sherri Martel defeated Debbie Combs to retain the title.
- Carlos Colón defeated Konga the Barbarian.
- Jake Roberts defeated Paul Ellering by disqualification.
- NWA World Tag Team Champions The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton) defeated The Long Riders (Bill and Scott Irwin) to retain the title.
- Sgt. Slaughter defeated Chris Markoff and Boris Zhukov in a handicap match.
- NWA United States Heavyweight Champion Magnum T.A. defeated Tully Blanchard to retain the title.
- NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair defeated Dusty Rhodes by disqualification to retain the title.
- The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) defeated Ivan Koloff and Krusher Khruschev.
- Stan Hansen defeated AWA World Heavyweight Champion Rick Martel by submission to win the title.  Hansen had Martel in the Brazos Valley Backbreaker (Boston Crab) and when Martel would try to power out of it, Hansen would press his head against the middle turnbuckle to keep the hold on. Martel eventually submitted.

1986 - Adrian Street defeats Wendell Cooley in Birmingham, Alabama to win the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Title for the fourth time, ending Cooley's second reign.

1990 - Askari El Gringo defeats El Hijo del Black Shadow for the World Wrestling Association World Lightweight Title in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico.

1991 - Baron Von Raschke and Ken Patera defeat The Punishers (Sledge and Hammer) to win the Pro Wrestling America Tag Team Title in St. Paul, Minnesota.

1991 - WCW holds the ninth-annual "Starrcade" event, the first under the WCW name, at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia. This event featured the first of two Starrcades with "The Lethal Lottery", a random drawing to pair 16 tag teams, with the 16 men on the eight winning teams competing in a two-ring "BattleBowl" battle royale. The results were.
- Marcus Bagwell and Jimmy Garvin defeated Michael Hayes and Tracy Smothers, when Bagwell pinned Smothers.
- Steve Austin and Rick Rude defeated Big Josh and Van Hammer, when Rude pinned Hammer.
- Richard Morton and Dustin Rhodes defeated El Gigante and Larry Zbyszko, when Rhodes pinned Zbyszko.
- Bill Kazmaier and Jushin Liger defeated Mike Graham and Diamond Dallas Page, when Liger pinned Page.
- Todd Champion and Ricky Steamboat defeats Cactus Jack and Buddy Lee Parker, when Steamboat pinned Parker. Abdullah the Butcher attacked Parker in the locker room before the match.
- Arn Anderson and Lex Luger defeated Terrance Taylor and Tom Zenk, when Luger pinned Taylor.
- Abdullah the Butcher and Sting defeated Bobby Eaton and Brian Pillman, when Sting pinned Eaton.
- Mr. Hughes and Big Van Vader defeated The Nightstalker (subbing for the injured Diamond Studd) and Rick Steiner, when Vader pinned Nightstalker.
- Thomas Rich and Ron Simmons defeated Steve Armstrong and P.N. News, when Simmons pinned Armstrong.
- Sting won the "BattleBowl" battle royale, last eliminating Lex Luger.

1991 - Two Pro Wrestling America titles change St. Paul, Minnesota. Jerry Lynn defeats Ricky Rice to win his third PWA Light Heavyweight Title, and Ken Patera and Baron Von Raschke defeat The Punishers (Sledge and Hammer) for the PWA Tag Team Title.

1995 - ECW made its New York City debut, with "Holiday Hell" at Queens' Lost Battalion Hall. The results:
- Taz defeated Koji Nakagawa by submission with the Tazmission.
- Hack Meyers pinned J.T . Smith.
- Mikey Whipwreck pinned ECW World Television and World Tag Team Champion 2 Cold Scorpio, after Cactus Jack double-arm DDT'd Scorpio while the referee was knocked out, to win both titles. After the match, Whipwreck tried to return the Television Title to Scorpio, saying that he didn't want to win it that way, before Cactus clotheslined Scorpio to the floor. Cactus Jack became co-holder of the title. This began Jack and Whipwreck's second reign as tag champs, Whipwreck's second as TV champ, and ended Scorpio's third TV Title reign.
- The Eliminators (Saturn and Kronus) defeated The Pitbulls when Saturn pinned Pitbull #2 after Total Elimination.
- Stevie Richards, The Blue Meanie and Beulah McGillicutty came to the ring and told Tommy Dreamer that Raven broke his leg the night before and couldn't wrestle, so Dreamer would have to face Meanie instead. Dreamer pinned Meanie in 12 seconds after a DDT, and pinned Richards in the same fashion in 12 seconds. Dreamer attempted to piledrive Beulah when Raven attacked Dreamer and they had their scheduled match. Raven pinned Dreamer after a DDT on a chair, earning an ECW World Heavyweight Title match later in the show.
- Bruiser Mastino pinned El Puerto Ricano after a powerslam. After the match, Mastino continued to attack El Puerto Ricano before 911 chokeslammed Mastino. Bill Alfonso came out and shoved 911 until Tod Gordon jumped Alfonso. Taz then came out and pulled Gordon off Alfonso. 911 hit a second chokeslam on Mastino before a stare-down with Taz.
- Buh Buh Ray Dudley pinned The Blue Meanie after a top-rope splash.
- ECW World Heavyweight Champion The Sandman pinned Raven to retain the title after a top-rope facebuster slam.
- The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustafa Saed), who subbed for The Heavenly Bodies (Jimmy Del Ray was still in ECW, but Tom Prichard had gone to the WWF to become Zip of the Bodydonnas), defeated The Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock) when Saed pinned Rock with a roll-up after New Jack hit Rock with a chair. Before the match, the crowd chanted "please don't go" towards Public Enemy, but after the match chanted "you sold out" before eventually applauding them. Public Enemy would wrestle two more matches for ECW before leaving for World Championship Wrestling in January 1996.
- Sabu pinned ECW Tag Team Champion Cactus Jack when Cactus failed a bodyslam and Sabu fell on top for the win. Before the match Cactus Jack said the match would be contested under Olympic rules and brought out NCAA wrestling referee John "Pee Wee" Moore, who then proceeded to go through amateur rules, before 911 came out and chokeslammed Moore, and declared himself the referee.

1996 - WCW holds the 14th-annual "Starrcade" event at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. This would be the last Starrcade in the Music City, where the previous two events were held. The remaining four Starrcades would be held in Washington, DC. The results were:
- In a Mexican Minis dark match, Octagoncito and Mascarita Sagrada defeated Jerrito Estrada and Piratita Morgan, when Sagrada pinned Morgan.
- J-Crown Champion The Ultimate Dragon pinned WCW Cruiserweight Champion Dean Malenko with a Tiger Suplex, to win the WCW title. Dragon's eight J-Crown titles were also on the line.
- Akira Hokuto pinned Madusa after a Brainbuster in a tournament final to become the first WCW Women's Champion. The eight-woman tournament began on November 4, and also included Malia Hosaka, Reina Jabuki, Kaoru, Sonoka Kato, Meiko Satomura and Zero. Hokuto defeated Satomura and Kaoru before defeating Madusa. Madusa defeated Jabuki and Zero. Hokuto would be the only person to hold the title, as she returned to Japan after making her last defense of the title at the 1997 Great American Bash, where she also defeated Madusa in a Title vs. Career match.
- Jushin Liger pinned Rey Misterio, Jr. after a Liger Bomb.
- Jeff Jarrett pinned Chris Benoit after Kevin Sullivan came out and hit Benoit with a chair.
- WCW World Tag Team Champions The Outsiders (Scott Hall and Kevin Nash) defeated The Faces of Fear (The Barbarian and Meng), when Nash pinned Barbarian after a Jacknife Powerbomb.
- In a tournament final, Eddie Guerrero pinned Diamond Dallas pinned Page after a Frog Splash to win the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Championship. The title had been vacated in September when champion Ric Flair suffered a shoulder injury.
- Lex Luger pinned The Giant after hitting him with Sting's baseball bat.
- Roddy Piper defeated WCW World Heavyweight Champion Hollywood Hulk Hogan by TKO with a Sleeper hold in a non-title match. This was Hogan's first clean loss since his loss of the WWF World Title to the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI in 1990.

1997 - The Monday Night Wars continued, WCW Monday Nitro's 4.6 rating defeated WWF Monday Night RAW's 3.6 rating. RAW in Uniondale, New York featured Owen Hart defeating WWF Champion Shawn Michaels by disqualification when Triple H broke one of his crutches over Hart's head while he had Michaels in the sharpshooter. Nitro was just over 200 miles away in Baltimore, Maryland, and featured Ultimo Dragon defeating WCW Cruiserweight Champion Eddie Guerrero by submission to win the title for the second time, Booker T winning his first of a record six WCW World Television Titles from Disco Inferno, and a main event of WCW World Champion Sting defeating Hollywood Hulk Hogan.

1998 - Mankind  (Mick Foley) defeats The Rock to win the WWF World Title at a RAW is WAR taping in Worcester, Massachusetts. The show would air on the following Monday, January 4, 1999.  That night Tony Schiavone would reveal the result during WCW Monday Nitro, airing live that night, noting that Mankind as champion "ought to put a lot of butts in the seats."  Schiavone would later claim Eric Bischoff fed him that line to say.

1998 - Doug Basham defeats Rip Rogers to win the OVW Heavyweight Title in Louisville, Kentucky, beginning and ending each's second reign.

1998 - Luis Ortiz defeats Tre for the NWA New England Cruiserweight Title in Somerville, Massachusetts.

2000 - Paul E. Smooth defeats Mark Wolf in Charlestown, Indiana for the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Title, beginning Smooth's second reign.

2001 - Jimmy Hart's short-lived X Wrestling Federation holds an event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the U.S. Cellular Arena. The company would hold just three more events after this. The results:
- Hail defeated Greg Valentine.
- Drezden defeated Big Vito.
- XWF Cruiserweight Champion Kid Kash defeated Josh Mathews.
- Vampiro and Johnny B. Badd defeated Buff Bagwell and Curt Hennig.
- Jim Duggan defeated The Wall.
- Ian Harrison defeated Norman Smiley.
- The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) defeated XWF Tag Team Champions The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) in a non-title match.

2001 - One day after they were defeated for the titles in Deland, Florida at am event held by Dusty Rhodes' Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling, The New Heavenly Bodies (Casanova Chris and Vivacious Vito) win their second NWA World Tag Team Title, defeating Glacier and Jason Sugarman in Live Oak, Florida.

2001 - Eddie Brown defeats Madd Maxx to win the Carolina Wrestling Federation Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title in Graham, North Carolina.

2001 - Dirk Ciglar defeats Brandon K for the NWA East Triple Crown Heavyweight Title in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, ending Brandon K's second reign.

2001 - Jack Hammer and Latin Tornado defeat Spazman Anthony and Jake Davis for the House of Pain Wrestling Federation Tag Team Title in Hagerstown, Maryland.

2001 - Johnny Angel defeats Don Vega to win the South Coast Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Title in Fall River, Massachusetts, ending Vega's second reign and beginning Angel's sixth. At the same event, "Portuguese Princess" Ariel defeats The Crazy Mexican for the vacant SCCW Women's Title.

2001 - Big Cliff and Overkill defeat J.C. Derksen and Dean Ricktor in St. Boniface, Manitoba for the Canadian Wrestling Federation Tag Team Title.

2002 - Kevin Cannon defeats Bobby Collins in Winnipeg, Manitoba to win the Canadian Wrestling Federation Hardcore Title.

2002 - Los Barriquas defeat The Solution to win the Jersey Championship Wrestling Tag Team Title in Paramus, New Jersey.

2003 - Rising Son defeats Scorpio Sky for the Revolution Pro Wrestling Junior Heavyweight Title in South Gate, California.

2003 - Danshoku Dino defeats O.K. Revolution to win the DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Title in Tokyo, Japan. This ended and began each man's sixth reign. At the same event, Hero! and Kudo defeat Tomohiko Hashimoto and Seiya Morohashi for the DDT KO-D Tag Team Title.

2005 - Sonny Siaki and Elix Skipper defeated The Naturals (Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens) to win the vacant NWA Wrestle Birmingham Tag Team Title in Irondale, Alabama. The title was vacated on October 8 when Jimmy Golden, who held the title with Robert Fuller, lost a loser leaves town match to The Bullet (Bob Armstrong). That ended Fuller and Golden's second reign.

2006 - HARASHIMA defeats Toru Owashi for the DDT KO-D Open-weight Title in Tokyo, Japan.

2010 - On an edition of ECW on SyFy from East Rutherford, New Jersey, Tommy Dreamer wrestled his last match for WWE's version of ECW, facing Zack Ryder in a match where Dreamer promised to leave ECW if he lost.  Here is the original report from the show: 

Match Number Three: Tommy Dreamer versus Zack ‘Attack’ Ryder with Rosa Mendes in a Could this be it for Dreamer Match

They lock up and Ryder with a side head lock take down but Dreamer with a head scissors and Ryder escapes. Dreamer with a side head lock take down and Ryder with a hip toss but he misses an elbow. Dreamer with a hip toss and arm drag into an arm bar. Ryder punches Dreamer but Dreamer with an Irish whip and bulldog for a near fall. Dreamer catches Ryder when Ryder tries to float over and Dreamer hits a running power slam for a near fall. Dreamer with a pump handle suplex and Ryder rolls to the floor. Ryder goes to the apron and he hits a cannonball off the apron. Ryder hides behind Rosa and then he punches Dreamer and sends Tommy into the ring post. We go to commercial as Ryder continues the attack and they return to the ring.

We are back and Ryder with an arm bar and then he slams Dreamer’s arm into the mat and Ryder stomps on the arm. Ryder returns to the arm bar and Rosa screams her approval. Dreamer catches Ryder on a cross body attempt but Ryder counters with a divorce court and gets a near fall. Ryder with elbows to the head. Ryder punches Dreamer in the head and then Dreamer misses a charge into the corner and hits the ring post. Ryder with a baseball slide as Dreamer hangs in the corner. Ryder kicks Dreamer in the head and then he measures for the running kick in the corner but Dreamer moves out of the way. Dreamer with a neck breaker and then he drives Ryder into the mat. Dreamer with a Lo Down and he gets a near fall. Dreamer goes up top but Ryder stops him and crotches Dreamer after a punch. Ryder with a superplex attempt but Dreamer knocks Ryder off. Dreamer is met with a kick and Ryder tries for the Zack Attack, but Dreamer counters with a near fall. We get a series of near falls by Ryder and Dreamer. Ryder with a leg lariat for a near fall. Ryder goes up top but he does it slow enough that Dreamer is able to recover and he puts Ryder in the Tree of Woe and we get the E . . . C . . . W baseball slide into the corner and it was vintage. Dreamer with a DDT but Ryder has his foot under the rope despite the three count. Dreamer thinks that he won the match but the referee tells him the match must continue. Dreamer pulls Ryder from the ropes and then hits an elbow drop but Dreamer almost gets pinned from too casual a cover. Dreamer puts Ryder on the turnbuckles again and Dreamer tries for a belly-to-back suplex off the turnbuckles but Ryder counters with a cross body and gets the three count.
Winner: Zack Ryder

After the match, Dreamer has the mic and he says the first time in this building he was sitting in the building at the second time he ever saw a WWE show. He says that he saw a live Piper’s Pit. He says that there are so many people he wants to thank. He thanks everyone from the original ECW and the new ECW. He says that this has been his dream since he was nine years old. This proves that if you have passion for what you do, you can make it anywhere. He says that he made it in ECW and he made it in the WWE. He says that there are so many great people in this organization that he is going to miss. Dreamer starts to cry despite his claim that he would not cry. Tommy says that the three letters mean so much to him. He has always considered the fans his family. He talks about how his daughters have a list that says what their parents do. One daughter says that his daddy falls down a lot, but his other daughter says that he gets up a lot. Tommy says that he fell down a lot but the fans made him get up. He says that life is hard but you have to keep fighting and trying. He says that he will miss everyone and thanks everyone.

Dreamer takes off his ECW shirt and leaves it in the center of the ring before he leaves the ring. He goes over to his wife and children and brings his daughters over the ringside barrier and then he goes up the ramp and does his signature pose one last time before going to the back.

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