The Professional Wrestling History Community

Happy May 19th!

April 14 - This Day in Wrestling History

Graham Cawthon
The History of WWE.com - http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com

1984: A WWF show at the Boston Garden featured Roddy Piper & David Schultz over Rocky Johnson & Tony Atlas, Bob Backlund fighting Paul Orndorff to a double disqualification, and the Iron Sheik beating Sgt. Slaughter via disqualification.

1985: The WWF made two stops on a tour of California. In San Diego, Brutus Beefcake beat Mr. Wrestling II, IC Champion Greg Valentine beat Tito Santana, and Andre the Giant & the Junkyard Dog defeated Big John Studd & Ken Patera in a lumberjack match. In Oakland, 12,000 fans saw World Champion Hulk Hogan beat Roddy Piper via disqualification, Jimmy Snuka over Bob Orton Jr., and Don Muraco over Rick McGraw.

1989: An NWA show at the Mecca in Milwaukee featured the Road Warriors over Steve Williams & Mike Rotunda, Butch Reed over Rick Steiner, TV Champion Sting over Dan Spivey, and World Champion Ricky Steamboat & US Champion Lex Luger over Ric Flair & Michael Hayes.

1990: An NWA show in Houston featured the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express over the Fabulous Freebirds in singles matches, US Tag Team Champions Brian Pillman & Tom Zenk over the Midnight Express, Tag Team Champions the Steiners over the Samoan Swat Team, the Road Warriors over Doom, and US Champion Lex Luger over World Champion Ric Flair via disqualification.

1991: Sting & El Gigante defeated World Champion Ric Flair & TV Champion Arn Anderson at the Omni in Atlanta. The undercard included Big Van Vader winning a handicap match, Tom Zenk over Larry Zbyzsko, Ron Simmons over Butch Reed in a lumberjack streetfight, Tag Team Champions the Steiners over Anderson & Sid Vicious, and US Champion Lex Luger battling Nikita Koloff to a double disqualification. On the same day, the WWF hit both Chicago and Moline, IL. Chicago saw Bret Hart over the Barbarian, Ricky Steamboat beat Haku, Ted Dibiase beat Virgil, and Sgt. Slaughter beat World Champion Hulk Hogan via disqualification. In Moline, IC Champion Mr. Perfect beat Davey Boy Smith, the Rockers beat the Orient Express, Earthquake beat Jake Roberts, and the Ultimate Warrior defeated the Undertaker.

1992: The post-WrestleMania European tour continues with stops in London and Munich. In London’s Wembley Arena, Rick Martel beat Kerry Von Erich, Virgil defeated the Warlord, and the Undertaker fought Sid Justice to a double count-out. In Munich, Davey Boy Smith won a 16-man battle royal, World Champion Randy Savage beat Shawn Michaels, and IC Champion Bret Hart beat Dino Bravo.

1993: WCW held its first ever show in New York City, attracting 3,500 fans to the Paramount at Madison Square Garden. Sting beat World Champion Big Van Vader via disqualification and NWA World Champion Barry Windham beat Ricky Steamboat in the two top matches. The undercard featured Chris Benoit fighting Ron Simmons to a double count-out, Maxx Payne over Steve Regal, Rick Rude over Cactus Jack, and Tag Team Champions the Hollywood Blondes over 2 Cold Scorpio & Marcus Bagwell. On the same day, the WWF held three shows overseas – Mr. Perfect beat Lex Luger in the main event in Aberdeen, Scotland and Newcastle, England while Bret Hart beat Bam Bam Bigelow in the main event in Brussels, Belgium.

1995: An ECW show in Jim Thorpe, PA featured the Tazmaniac over Stevie Richards, Dean Malenko over Mikey Whipwreck, Tag Team Champions Public Enemy over the Pitbulls, Tommy Dreamer over Raven, and Shane Douglas & Cactus Jack over the Sandman & Ron Simmons.

1996: The WWF stop in Bielefeld, Germany saw Razor Ramon over the 1-2-3 Kid, Bret Hart beating Owen Hart, the Undertaker over Diesel, and World Champion Shawn Michaels over Steve Austin.

1997: WCW Monday Nitro came to Philadelphia. Highlights featured Reggie White in attendance and the announcement he had signed to face Steve McMichael at Slamboree, Syxx debuting the Buzzkiller finisher, the Public Enemy beating High Voltage in a streetfight, and a closing segment in which Sting, Lex Luger, Diamond Dallas Page, and the Giant fended off the nWo with baseball bats after Luger beat Kevin Nash via disqualification.

1998: A WCW Saturday Night taping in Mankato, MN featured Curt Hennig over Jim Neidhart, Rick Steiner over Scott Norton, TV Champion Booker T fighting Chris Benoit to a double count-out, Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho over Prince Iaukea, and Lex Luger & Steiner beating Hennig & Brian Adams in the dark match. A Raw taping the same day in Long Island saw Farooq over Kama in a streetfight, Terry Funk & Scorpio over NWA Tag Team Champions the New Midnight Express in a non-title match, DX over Owen Hart & the Legion of Doom, and Dude Love over Steve Blackman when Vince McMahon called for the bell as Blackman was in an abdominal stretch, serving as a reminder of the Montreal Incident.

1999: The WWF stop in Ft. Wayne, IN saw Mankind & Ken Shamrock beating the Acolytes, the New Age Outlaws over Owen Hart & Jeff Jarrett, the Big Show beating the Rock via disqualification, and Kane beating Triple H via disqualification.

2000: An ECW show in Evansville, IN saw Little Guido over Kid Kash, Lance Storm & Dawn Marie over Nova & Jazz, Tommy Dreamer, the Sandman, & New Jack over Jack Victory, Yoshihiro Tajiri, & Steve Corino, and Super Crazy over Rhino.

2002: A WWF show in Abilene, TX saw the Hardys over Mr. Perfect & Shawn Stasiak, the Undertaker over Steve Austin, and Bradshaw pinning Brock Lesnar. The same day in Hattiesburg, MS featured Cruiserweight Champion Kidman over Tajiri, Diamond Dallas Page over Test, Kurt Angle beating Edge, and World Champion Triple H over Chris Jericho.

2003: Raw in Richmond featured Tag Team Champions Rob Van Dam & Kane over Lance Storm & Chief Morley in a No DQ match, Bill Goldberg laying out Christian after Christian called him out, and Booker T & the Hurricane beating World Champion Triple H & Ric Flair. Pre-match stipulations stated Booker would get a title shot against Triple H the next week if his team won.

2007: The WWE stopped in both Florence and Perugia, Italy. In Florence, Carlito beat Johnny Nitro, Tag Team Champions the Hardys over Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, ECW Champion Bobby Lashley over IC Champion Umaga, and World Champion John Cena over Edge and Randy Orton. In Perugia, Tag Team Champions Paul London & Brian Kendrick beat Deuce & Domino, US Champion Chris Benoit over MVP, Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, & Matt Striker defeated Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer, & Sabu and World Champion the Undertaker over Batista, Mark Henry, and Mr. Kennedy.


Graham Cawthon
The History of WWE.com - http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com

The Unreal Story of Pro Wrestling is on A&E right now.

So the BF & I got into another argument today. This time is about who has more fans: Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair. I said that Ric Flair has more fans than Hulk Hogan and of course he said that Hulk Hogan has more fans than Ric Flair.

so I am here to ask all of you who has more fans: Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair?

At Cyber Sunday, history will be made as the champions of all three WWE brands step into the ring to see who the “Champion of Champions” really is. This is the first time three champions have gone head to head, but it will not be the first champion vs. champion match in sports-entertainment history.

Before the Monday Night Wars, and even before the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling era of the mid-1980s, WWE and the NWA were fighting for supremacy. The best way to claim it was to find out whose champion was the best, so there were a few instances where the respective champions squared off to settle the score.

On Jan. 25, 1978 at Miami’s Orange Bowl, NWA Champion Harley Race and WWE Champion “Superstar” Billy Graham squared off. It was champion vs. champion and a battle of two future WWE Hall of Famers. However, after 60 minutes of punishing action, the time limit expired. The bout was declared a draw, leaving the question of supremacy unanswered.

Bob Backlund toppled Graham for the WWE Championship a few weeks later, and before he had time to celebrate his victory, Race was back at the WWE Champion’s heels. On Feb. 23, 1978, just three days following Backlund’s victory over Graham, he met Race in Jacksonville, Fla.

Again, however, the match went to a draw, so they would try again later in the year. On Oct. 29 in Orlando, Race and Backlund battled to yet another draw, making it seem as if no one would ever get the upper hand in this stalemate.

Early in 1979, the AWA joined the fray, as AWA World Champion Nick Bockwinkel challenged Backlund. But on March 25 at Toronto’s famed Maple Leaf Gardens, the two men battled to a double countout, still leaving the issue unsettled. Four matches in 13 months failed to settle the score, and the issue was laid to rest.

It would be revived a few years later, as the NWA had a new benchmark. Backlund was still WWE Champion, but “Nature Boy” Ric Flair was then the NWA Champion. In the midst of his first of 16 World Title reigns, Flair challenged Backlund to a battle of supremacy.

On July 4, 1982 at the Atlanta Omni (the building that was to the NWA what MSG is to WWE), Flair and Backlund had their showdown. Again, however, nothing was settled, as the two champions battled to a double countout.

So now, nearly a quarter-century later, the debate is once again in the forefront. At Cyber Sunday, John Cena, King Booker or Big Show will finally settle the debate when they stand tall as the Champion of Champions. Who will it be?

credit - wwe.com

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that on the recent WWF(E) DVD releases Jesse Ventura's color commentary has been edited out from old matches that he called with Monsoon? What the hell? I know he had a lawsuit a while back but I thought it was settled?

July 4th, 2006, The Big Show made sports entertainment history by becoming the first man ever to win the WCW World Championship, The WW(F)E Championship and The ECW World Championship.

Big Show fulfilled his goal by defeating Rob Van Dam in Philadelphia, PA to win the ECW Championship. No other man in sports entertainment history can make this claim. The Big Show is wrestling's second Triple Crown Champion as Steve Corino has been NWA World Champion, ECW World Champion and AWA World Champion.

The Big Show's Title history...

* WCW World Heavyweight Championship

Defeated Hulk Hogan by disqualification on October 29, 1995 in Detroit, Michigan, USA.
"Stripped of title on November 6, 1995 due to his controversial victory"

Wight won at the age of twenty three, becoming the youngest man to become world heavyweight champion in either the WWF or WCW.

* WCW World Heavyweight Championship (2)

Defeated Ric Flair on April 22, 1996 in Albany, Georgia, USA.

Lost to Hulk Hogan on August 10, 1996 in Sturgis, South Dakota, USA.

* WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Defeated Triple H on November 14, 1999 in Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Lost to Triple H on January 3, 2000 in Miami, Florida, USA.

* WWE Championship (2)

Defeated Brock Lesnar on November 17, 2002 in New York City, New York, USA.

Lost to Kurt Angle on December 15, 2002 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.

* ECW World Heavyweight Championship

Defeated Rob Van Dam on July 4, 2006 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

We're sad to report that Earthquake John Tenta passed away on Wednesday
following his two-year battle with cancer.

John Tenta, two weeks short of his 43rd birthday, was a successful
amateur wrestler (and footballer) at Louisiana State University. When
LSU dropped it's wrestling program in 1986 he was recruited into the
sport of Sumo in Japan. He was known there as Kototenzan and was
reportedly only the second non-Japanese to train in the ancient art at
the time. Although experts claim he didn't face any serious competition
he finished his short-lived Sumo career 21-0. He was spotted by Giant
Baba and later debuted for All Japan Pro Wrestling.

Tenta would eventually make his way to the WWF. His career peaked during
the early 90s following a PPV program as Earthquake with Hulk Hogan, and
a tag title run with Fred Ottman as The Natural Disasters, managed by
Jimmy Hart. He continued to wrestle for both the WWF and WCW for the
next few years under various guises, notably Avalanche, The Shark, and
Golga.

His last mainstream wrestling appearance was at WrestleMania X-Seven
where he wrestled in the Gimmick Battle Royal as Earthquake.

Tenta more or less retired in 2004 after he was diagnosed with bladder
cancer, in which he was given a twenty percent chance to live, assuming
he continued with his chemotherapy treatments. Tenta was a presence on
the Internet and frequently posted updates on his health at the
www.wrestlecrap.com website. He announced a few months ago that a recent
radiation dosage did not go as planned, as it had no effect on his
tumor. He also announced that multiple tumors had spread to his lungs. A
close friend of Tenta's posted on WrestleCrap.com last week that he was
not doing well but did not go into detail.

Tenta is survived by his wife and three children.

credit: THE WRESTLING 365 NEWSLETTER

See how you do... http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?…

I got 96% so it can't be that difficult. lol.

I never really thought about it. Well, I have thought about it - I mean I knew he was a great wrestler and was an excellent talker and being with Flair made it even greater - but I when I was watching the 80's Greatest Superstars DVD, I noticed how much I miss watching Arn Anderson wrestle.

Arn Anderson was really fucking awesome in the ring. You watch a match with him and watch that realism that he brought to each match. He'd finally hit that spinebuster and just kinda lean back as he sat on his knees, exhausted, before he finally pinned his man. He brought psychology into every match. I miss it, alot.