*We don’t have an update on Matt Taven past the injury to his right knee was legit. Taven came off the middle rope to do a spike piledriver on Ray Rowe before the tag team title match on tonight’s ROH show started. Taven started limping badly. They only did a three minute match with War Machine winning the titles. Bennett & Taven are no longer under contract to ROH and it is possible this was their last match with the promotion.
*Charles Oliveira failed to make weight and was fined 20 percent of his purse for his fight with Myles Jury. He looked confused as to why he didn’t make weight even though he was 4.5 pounds over.
*Danny Castillo, who was two pounds over, came back about 20 minutes later and made weight.
*C.B. Dollaway somehow lost 1.5 pounds just by taking off his underwear and he also made weight.
*Yoshitatsu was announced as part of the English language broadcast team for the 1/4 Tokyo Dome show. He will be working with Kevin Kelly and Matt Striker filling in the holes needed to translate Japanese. He’s very excited for getting this shot. This was a decision made some time back but New Japan just announced it tonight.
*Every NXT non-Florida house show in the month of January is sold out except for the 1/15 show in Green Bay, and that has a strong advance.
*There are tickets remaining for the 4/1 NXT show in Dallas before WrestleMania which is the next Takeover special. They’ll be available to the public at 10 a.m. Central time tomorrow. They’ll be gone very quickly so if you have interest in tickets I suggest logging in right away.
Kansas City, Kansas: – Orville Brown beat Al Lovelock to retain the MWA Title – Fred Blassie beat Yukon Eric (as Eric Holmback) 2 falls to 1
1965
Minneapolis, Minnesota: – Non Title: Verne Gagne & Mighty Igor Vodik beat AWA Tag Team Champions Larry Hennig & Harley Race – Chris Markoff beat The Crusher dq – Ivan Kalmikoff beat Danny Plechas – Larry Heiniemi beat Jack Pesek – Terry Funk beat Guy Taylor
1969
Bristol, England: – Tony Charles defeated Al Hayes (Lord Hayes) to win the Southern Area title
1970
Houston, Texas: – Toru Tanaka defeated Fritz Von Erich to win the NWA American Heavyweight Title (later to become the World Class World Heavyweight Title)
1975
Tokyo, Japan: – Giant Baba won All Japan Pro Wrestling’s 20-man Open Championship tournament, beating out second place finishers Abdullah The Butcher and Dory Funk Jr. by one point
1978
Toronto, Ontario, Canada: – Ricky Steamboat defeated Ric Flair to win the NWA United States Title
Tokyo, Japan: – Antonio Inoki declares himself the inaugural Martial Arts title holder
1982
Chicago, Illinois: – AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Tito Santana – Hulk Hogan & Dick The Bruiser beat Ken Patera & Bobby Duncum – Jesse Ventura beat Baron Von Raschke – Bobby Heenan & Jerry Blackwell beat Rick Martel & Spike Huber – Jerry Lawler beat Steve Regal – Tom Lintz beat Sonny Rogers
1983
Chicago, Illinois: – AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Blackjack Lanza by countout – AWA Tag Team Champions Jerry Blackwell & Ken Patera beat Greg Gagne & Rick Martel – Mad Dog Vachon & the Crusher (sub for Hogan) beat Mr. Saito & Jesse Ventura – Billy Robinson beat Superstar Billy Graham – Buck Zumhofe beat Ray Stevens – Brad Rheingans beat Bill White
1991
Acapulco, Mexico: – Blue Panther defeated Satanico in a tournament final to become the first CMLL World Middleweight Title
1993
Breman, Germany: – Hiroyoshi Yamamoto (Tenzan) defeated Alex Wright to win the CWA Jr heavyweight title
2011
– Big Show defeated Mark Henry to win the World Championship in a chair match – Daniel Bryan cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase and defeated the Big Show to become new World Champion – WWE Champion CM Punk defeated Alberto Del Rio and The Miz in a TLC match to retain the title
YESTERDAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY (thanks to Barry Rose)
1956 – Argentina Rocca beat Wild Red Berry (Tampa)
Kansas City, Kansas: – Frank Gotch defeated Fred Beel to win the American Heavyweight Title
1930
St. Louis, Missouri: – World Champion Jim Londos beat Milo Steinborn to retain the title – Fred Grubmeier beat Ray Steele
1965
Dothan, Alabama: – Chris and Ken Lucas defeated The Mysterio Medics to win the Gulf Coast version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Title
1967
St. Paul, Minnesota: – AWA Tag Team Champions Mitsu Arakawa & Dr Moto beat Bill Watts & Rock Rogowski (Ole Anderson) – Dr X beat Mighty Igor Vodik – Harley Race beat Bob Geigel – Luke Brown beat Bill Green – Rene Goulet beat Chris Markoff dq – Eddie Sharkey beat Steve Druk
1968
Dallas, Texas: – Fritz Von Erich & Dan Miller defeated The Spoiler & Gary Hart to win the NWA American Tag Team Title (later to become the World Class World Tag Team Title)
1969
Brisbane, Australia: – King Curtis Iaukea defeated Billy Robinson to win the IWA title
1970
– Kim Il and Pak Song defeated Gorgeous George, Jr. and Rufus R. Jones to win the NWA Texas Tag Team Title
1971
– The Royal Kangaroos (Jonathan Boyd and Norman Frederick Charles) defeated Beauregard and Dutch Savage for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title
1973
Miami, Florida: – Buddy Colt defeated Eddie Graham for the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title
Vancouver, British Columbia: – Buck Ramstead and Mr. X (Guy Mitchell) defeated The Samoans (Afa and Sika) to win the Vancouver version of the NWA Canadian Tag Team Title
1977
San Juan, Puerto Rico: – The Hollywood Blondes (Jack Evans and Larry Sharpe) defeated Carlos Colon and Victor Jovica for the WWC North American Tag Team Title – Jose Rivera and Invader I defeated The Samoans (Afa and Sika) for the WWC World Tag Team Title – Joe Novak defeated Hercules Ayala for the WWC Caribbean Heavywight Title
1978
Toronto, Ontario, Canada: – Dino Bravo defeated Gene Kiniski to become the first holder of the Toronto version of the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Title
Dallas, Texas: – Tiger Conway, Jr. and Bull Ramos defeated Killer Karl Krupp and Mark Lewin for the NWA Texas Tag Team Title
1979
New York City: – Bob Backlund defeated Bobby Duncum in a Texas death match to win the vacant WWF World Heavyweight Title
1985
Ames, Iowa: – Bob Brown defeated Brett Sawyer to win the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title
1987
Acapulco, Mexico: – El Gran Markus, Jr. defeated Super Halcon for the Mexican National Heavyweight Title
1988
Bayamon, Puerto Rico: – Hercules Ayala defeated Ricky Santana for the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Title
1989
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico: – Leo Burke defeated Carlos Colon to win the WWC Universal Heavyweight Title
1993
Tokyo, Japan: – Gran Hamada defeated Villano IV to win the WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Title
1994
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: – Tommy Dreamer & Cactus Jack defeated Tommy Cairo & The Sandman – ECW World Champion Shane Douglas defeated Ron Simmons – ECW World Tag Team Champions The Public Enemy defeated Sabu & Taz
1995
Hershey, Pennsylvania: – The Undertaker defeated King Mabel in a Casket match – Bret Hart pinned The British Bulldog to retain the WWF Title
Mexico City, Mexico: – Dr. Wagner, Jr. defeated Atlantis to win the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Title
1999
Nashville, Tennessee: – Masato Tanaka defeated Mike Awesome for the ECW World Heavyweight Title
2000
Washington, DC: – Kevin Nash & Dallas Page defeated Shawn Stasiak & Chuck Polumbo to win the WCW World Tag Team Titles – Goldberg defeated Lex Luger – Scott Steiner defeated Sid Vicious to retain the WCW World Title
2005
Edison, New Jersey: – Austin Aries and Roderick Strong defeated Sal Rinauro and Tony Mamaluke to win the ROH Tag Team Titles – Bryan Danielson defeated Naomichi Marufuji to retain the ROH World Title – KENTA defeated Low Ki to retain the GHC Junior Heavyweight Title
2006
Richmond, Virginia: – The Undertaker defeated Mr. Kennedy in a Last Ride Match – Chris Benoit defeated Chavo Guerrero to retain the US Title
YESTERDAY IN FLORIDA WRESTLING HISTORY (thanks to Barry Rose)
1958 – Sylvia Torres won 5 woman Battle Royal (Lake Worth)
1960 – Chief Big Heart & Chief Big Eagle beat Eddie Graham & Buddy Austin via DQ (Miami Beach)
1968 – Great Malenko & Louie Tillet & Tarzan Tyler beat Rene Goulet & Jose Lothario & Wahoo McDaniel (Orlando)
1969 – Dory Funk Jr. beat Dale Lewis to retain NWA title (Tampa)
1972 – Great Malenko & Big Bad John beat Paul Jones & Buck Robley (Lakeland)
1974 – Toru Tanaka & Dick Slater retained Florida tag titles over Eddie & Mike Graham (Orlando)
1975 – Terry Funk beat Jack Brisco to retain NWA title (Tampa)
1978 – Dusty Rhodes beat Pak Song in a bullrope match (Lakeland)
1979 – Dusty Rhodes & Manny Fernandez beat Bugsy McGraw & Bad Leroy Brown in a cage match (Orlando)
1980 – Dusty Rhodes beat Dick Murdoch (Tampa)
1981 – Barry Windham beat The Spoiler via DQ in a Southern title match (Miami Beach)
1983 – Blackjack Mulligan beat Ron Bass in a bullrope match (St. Petersburg)
Juan Banos, a Hall of Famer who was one of the major forerunners of the high flying style of Lucha Libre as the blue masked Lizmark, passed away earlier today from a heart attack.
Banos was 66.
Banos was a cliff diver out of Acapulco who was training to be a boxer and didn’t debut as a wrestler until 1976. He quickly became a star, capturing the Mexican national welterweight title just two years after starting his career. He was primarily known for his plancha outside the ring, a move he popularized, but he was a great all-around wrestler.
He is one of only two men in history to capture the NWA world championship in three different weight classes, welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight, the other being Gori Guerrero.
During the 1980s he was one of the biggest stars in Mexico, and regularly teamed with Atlantis, who was the next generation top high flyer, as well as with Rayo de Jalisco Jr. during a boom period in CMLL, facing Los Hermanos Dinamita, but his biggest feud was with El Satanico. He was still considered one of the top stars when he jumped to AAA in 1992. He had a major feud in the early days of that promotion with the original La Parka, now L.A. Park, which was the program that really got Parka over as a superstar.
He ended up returning to CMLL in 1995, to rekindle his feud with Satanico.
His son, who wrestled as Lizmark Jr. and El Hijo de Lizmark, started in CMLL and came to AAA with his father, and they often did a father-and-son team. Lizmark Jr. later wrestled for WCW.
He first suffered from heart problems back in 1999, which threatened to end his career, but he returned to the ring after six months and was still working occasional dates as late as last year.
Lizmark was voted into the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame in 2001
Boston, Massachusetts: – John McMahon defeated H.M. Dufur to win the American Collar-and-Elbow Title
1917
Humboldt, Iowa: – Frank Gotch died on this date from kidney failure
1941
Mexico City, Mexico: – Black Guzman defeated Tarzan Lopez to win the NWA World Middleweight Title
1949
Houston, Texas: – Verne Gagne defeated Leo Newman to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title
Atlanta, Georgia: – George Flynn defeated Danno O’Connor for the Georgia version of the NWA Southern Heavyweight Title
1952
San Francisco, California: – Fred Atkins and Ray Eckert defeated Ben and Mike Sharpe to win the San Francisco version of the NWA World Tag Team Title
1954
Kansas City, Kansas: – Ray Villmer defeated Joe Dusek to win the NWA Central States Title
1955
Honolulu, Hawaii: – Al Lolotai defeated The Zebra Kid (George Bollas) to win the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title
1962
St. Paul, Minnesota: – Mr. High and Mr. Low (Doug Gilbert and Dick Steinborn) defeated Art and Stan Neilson to win the AWA World Tag Team Titles – Crusher beat Moose Evans – Rocky Hamilton beat Jack Lanza – Larry Hennig beat Jack Allen – Stan Kowalski beat John King
1963
Indio, California: – Edouard Carpentier won the World Wrestling Association (Los Angeles) World Heavyweight Title by forfeit, when Bearcat Wright no-showed a title defense
1965
Kansas City, Kansas: – Cowboy Bob Ellis and Sonny Myers beat Bob Geigel and Bob Brown 2 falls to 1 – Pat O’Connor drew The Viking – Terry Funk beat Chris Belkas – Lee Henning and Jim Wehba (Skandar Akbar) beat Victor Rivera and Don Soto
1966
St. Joseph, Missouri: – Mike DiBiase defeated The Viking to win the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title
Chicago, Illinois: – Larry Hennig & Harley Race beat AWA Tag Team Champions Dick the Bruiser & the Crusher dq – Killer Kowalski beat Verne Gagne dq – Wilbur Snyder beat Mitsu Arakawa – Chris Markoff beat Jack Lanza – Reggie Parks beat Joe Tomasso – Doug Gilbert beat Igor Volkoff
1970
Nashville, Tennessee: – Mighty Atlas and Oni Wiki Wiki defeated Bobby Hart and Lorenzo Parente for the Mid-America version of the NWA World Tag Team Title
Mobile, Alabama: – Bob Kelly won the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title by defeating The Wrestling Pro
Honolulu, Hawaii: – Bill Robinson defeated The Destroyer (Dick Beyer) for the Hawaii version of the NWA North American Heavyweight Title
1971
Tampa, Florida: – Ole Anderson defeated Jack Brisco for the NWA Florida Television Title
1972
Calgary, Alberta, Canada: – George Gordienko and Super Hawk defeated Danny Babich and Michel Martel for the Stampede International Tag Team Title
1975
– Rock Riddle and John Tolos defeated Micky Doyle and Mando Lopez to win the NWA Americas Tag Team Title
1977
Los Angeles, California: – The Canadian (Roddy Piper) won the NWA Americas Heavyweight Title by defeating Chavo Guerrero
1978
Chattanooga, Tennessee: – Bobby Eaton and George Gulas defeated Gypsy Joe and Tojo Yamamoto for the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Title
1980
Tokyo, Japan: – Jackie Sato defeated Nancy Kumi to win the vacant WWWA World Singles Title
1983
St. Petersburg, Florida: – Mike Rotundo defeated Greg Valentine in a tournament final for the vacant NWA Florida Heavyweight Title
1984
Mexico City, Mexico: – Blue Panther defeated El Matematico for the UWA World Welterweight Title
1986
Tampa, Florida: – Hacksaw Higgins and Kareem Muhammad defeated The Fabulous Ones (Steve Keirn and Stan Lane) for the Florida version of the NWA United States Tag Team Title
Orlando, Florida: – Bad News Allen defeated The Falcon to become the final NWA Bahamas Heavyweight Champion
1988
Tokyo, Japan: – Terry Gordy and Stan Hansen won the vacant AJPW Unified Tag Team Title
1989
Rochester, Minnesota: – AWA Champion Larry Zbyszko dcor Unknown Soldier – Paul Diamond & The Trooper beat Destruction Crew Mike Enos & Wayne Bloom to win AWA Tag Title (Decision later reversed. Wrong man pinned) – Amateur Rules Match: Baron Von Raschke beat Wayne Bloom dq
1990
St. Louis, Missouri: – Lex Luger defeated Stan Hansen in a Bullrope match to win the NWA United States Title – Rick and Scott Steiner defeated The Great Muta and Mr. Saito to win the one night Pat O’Connell tag team tournament – Sting defeated the Black Scorpion (Ric Flair) in a steel cage match
1994
– The Cowboys (Silver King and El Texano) defeated Emilio Charles, Jr. and El Satanico to win the vacant CMLL World Tag Team Title
1995
Bremen, Germany: – Ludwig Borga (Tony Halme) defeated Rambo to win the CWA title
2000
Carolina, Puerto Rico: – Thunder and Lightning won the WWC Tag Team Title by defeating The West Texas Rednecks (Barry and Kendall Windham)
2006
Caguas, Puerto Rico: – Carlito defeated Jon Heidenreich to win the WWC Universal Heavyweight Title
2007
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: – Edge defeated Batista and The Undertaker to win the WWE Championship
2012
New York, New York – Kevin Steen retained the ROH World Title in a Ladder match over El Generico – The Brisco Brothers defeated SCUM and Cedrick Alexander & Caprice Coleman to win the ROH Word Tag Team Titles – The American Wolves defeated Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly – Jay Lethal defeated Rhino – Roderick Strong defeated Michael Elgin – Michael Bennett defeated Jerry Lynn – Matt Hardy defeated Adam Cole – Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin defeated Rhett Titus & BJ Whitmer
Brooklyn, New York – Dolph Ziggler defeated John Cena in a Ladder match for the Money in the Bank contract – Big Show defeated Sheamus to retain the World title in a chairs match – Antonio Cesaro defeated R-Truth to retain the US title
We’ve all got our decorations up here in the UK, but that doesn’t mean things have shut down for Christmas! Here’s 5 things you need to know about British wrestling this week.
1) William Regal came home.
When Darren Matthews decided he wanted to become a professional wrestler in 1983, his path into the business was learning his craft in a “shooter’s” booth on Blackpool Pleasure Beach where he’d take on all-comers in one of the last remaining remnants of the earliest days of the worked game. This weekend, he got to come home and show off his baby when he brought NXT to the town for a sold-out show at the Winter Gardens Ballroom.
Also in tow was Robbie Brookside, working for NXT as a coach, and the two met up with Frankie Sloan, a fellow veteran who broke in with Brookside in Liverpool. While the Pleasure Beach is now home to Nickelodeon Land, the three posed for photos in front of “where it all started”. Aside from John Freemantle’s Premier Promotions holding on in Worthing, British wrestling is all but unrecognisable from those heady days – mostly for the better – but it’s nice to be able to recognise that history when the time comes around.
2) WWE got a taste of the UK indy scene.
When WWE comes over for their twice-yearly tours, condescending to us with their telephone boxes and London taxis, there are always a few of the hardcore British fans that pop along, especially to Raw. But I’ve not seen such an enthusiasm for an imported tour as there was for NXT this week with barely a PROGRESS, ICW or PCW fan not hitting up at least one show, and most more than one. The fans took their usual chants to the shows, shocking the wrestlers and organisers with their passion, sheer loudness, and wacky chants. To the talent, these fans would have seemed like old friends, because a healthy proportion of the NXT roster spent some of their formative years on the UK indy scene, and the fans reacted to them accordingly.
Take Sami Zayn, who reminisced about his past visits (as el Generico, obviously) to the UK on Twitter, and Apollo Crews, who was PCW champion earlier this year as Uhaa Nation (and got the chants at the NXT shows to prove it). Finn Balor, of course, grew up on the UK scene, and Samoa Joe was no stranger to our shores as both men appeared for PROGRESS in the last couple of years in show-stealing matches. Further down the card, Scott Dawson tweeted a reminder that he’d toured the holiday camps earlier in his career, and at the Performance Center, the likes of Biff Busick, Rich Swann, Axel Tischer, and more have all done time in the clubs and halls of the UK. It just goes to show that you never know when that guy who locked up with your favourite Brit at your local show will make it to the big time…and it’s a fun ride following them.
3) The US indy scene got a taste of the UK.
The first Wrestling Road Diaries followed Colt Cabana – along with Bryan Danielson and Sal Rinauro – as he travelled around on the US indy scene, giving fans a glimpse of life on the road outside the big leagues. The second instalment – Wrestling Road Diaries Too – again trailed Cabana, but this time with Cliff Compton and Luke Gallows. For the third in the series, Cabana picked up Japanese indy star Kikutaro and somehow made the decision that having Grado along would be fun. Anyone who watched the second Insane Fight Club documentary, in which Grado and the other ICW stars toured the cities of the UK, promoting their upcoming tour, will already know that this isn’t the smartest of decisions, but it will make for great footage.
It’s been a banner year for Grado, with TNA’s British Bootcamp II elevating him to much-deserved stardom on both sides of the Atlantic, even if he is primarily known in the US as a TNA prelim guy (much like his fellow Bootcamp alumni, the criminally-underrated Mark Andrews). He ended 2015 as ICW champion, and has had crowds on their feet at PROGRESS, Rev-Pro, IPW:UK, and all over the UK. But he still divides opinion, and that’s fine, because if we all liked the same people, it would be dull, right? Well, we all like Will Ospreay (except that one guy), but you know what I mean. Speaking of Ospreay, he, Andrews, and Marty Scurll returned to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla this past weekend, and once again impressed. With on-demand services giving access to our shows for overseas fans, US indies are wising up to the talent – and drawing power – of our top guys. 2016 will be very interesting for some of the big UK names.
4) Tidal ends the year as Yorkshire’s number one promotion.
PROGRESS always make a point that they were told it was impossible to run professional wrestling in central London. While that may not have been strictly true (although doing it and making a profit, as they no doubt do, is another matter), it’s perfectly understandable why a London-based concert promoter might have looked elsewhere to start promoting wrestling shows. Just over two years ago, that’s what Tidal Concerts did, focusing on the north and north-east of England – with home bases in Leeds and Darlington – and they’ve built a tidy little operation since. A year ago, they were fighting over Leeds with True Grit Wrestling, although it was a friendly fight and they used much of the same talent, but the disappearance of TGW has left England’s fourth city wide open for Tidal, and they’ve cemented their place as the White Rose’s top operation.
Last weekend, they held their year-end spectacular at Leeds University’s Student Union, and brought in Tommy End to butt heads with Rampage Brown in a hard-hitting, show-stealing bout. At the top end of the card, Dara Diablo defended his TCW title in a three-way against Mexican Yorkshireman el Ligero and Liam Lazarus. Ligero came out with the gold, adding it to the PROGRESS tag team titles he won last month. With two Leeds show already scheduled for the first six weeks of the New Year, and a sensible booking policy based around a handy band of local regulars, Tidal should continue their growth, from a hidden gem to a solid player in an increasingly healthy scene.
5) Shows, shows, we got shows.
While Mark Dallas and the ICW top boys were enjoying the hospitality of NXT at the Hydro in Glasgow, Scottish wrestling continued to take the grappling to the masses with big shows in Inverness and Ayr, and a double shot from Scottish Wrestling Entertainment in Dundee. In Inverness, Grado headlined Rock N Wrestle’s Winterslam at the Ironworks, beating Liam Thomson in the main event of a card that also featured James Storm, Drew Galloway, and Davey (Boy) Blaze. Galloway also turned out for Pro-Wrestling Elite, at their Jingle All The Galloway show in his hometown of Ayr. Well, with a show called that you’d hope so! He took on Dave Mastiff – and lost – in the standout match on a card that also had Storm, Grado, Big Damo, Noam Dar, and just about everyone who is anyone in Scottish wrestling.
In the Midlands, AMP ran their monthly show at the Alan Higgs Centre in Coventry, while Leicester Championship Wrestling presented Christmas Cracker in, erm, Leicester, which was headlined by a title change as Joseph Conners – stablemate of Jimmy Havoc in Southside – downed Alex Gracie, on a show that also featured The Hunter Brothers, Xander Cooper, and the veteran Stixx, who trained both men in the title match. In the wrestling hotspot that is Bristol, Pro-Evolution promoted their Xmas show on Friday (and followed it with another in Worcester the next day), bringing in the tattooed brawler T-Bone to face Ricky Diamond. Pro-Evo have one of the hottest tips for 2016 in Justin Sysum, and he worked both shows, beating out Tiger Ali (not Singh) in Bristol, and downing T-Bone in Worcester.
And that’s all you need to know about this week’s BritWres. Next weekend sees shows by Attack-Pro, Lucha Britannia, IPW:UK, ICW, and HOP & HOP:E going head-to-head in Nottingham! Join me then for the down low!
Wichita, Kansas: – World Heavyweight Champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis beat Taro Miyake (Miyake was billed as the Jiu-Jitsu champion)
1966
Kansas City, Kansas: – The Ox defeated Bulldog Plechas – Sonny Myers defeated Ron Reed – Bob Geigel & Bob Brown defeated Mike DiBiase & Jack Donovan in three falls
1977
Tokyo, Japan: – Terry & Dory Funk Jr. defeated Abdullah The Butcher & The Sheik to win the first All Japan Pro Wrestling Real World Tag League tournament
1978
Minneapolis, Minnesota: – Verne Gagne beat Ray Stevens – Jim Brunzell beat Bobby Duncum dq – Lord Alfred Hayes beat Paul Ellering – Pat Patterson beat Red Bastien – Paul Ellering & Steve Olsonoski beat Cecil Dubois & Iron Sheik
Tokyo, Japan: – Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta defeated Dory Jr & Terry Funk
1979
Bayamon, Puerto Rico: – Abdullah The Butcher defeated Carlos Colon to win the WWC Puerto Rican Heavyweight Title
1984
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: – Fabulous Ones no contest AWA Tag Team Champions Road Warriors – Lights Out Match: Jerry Blackwell beat Crazy Luke Graham (sub King Kong Brody) – Curt Hennig beat Mr. Saito – Jimmy Garvin beat Tom Zenk – Baron Von Raschke beat Steve Regal
2002
WWE Armageddeon | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida: – Booker T and Goldust defeated Christian & Chris Jericho and The Dudleys and William Regal & Lance Storm to capture the RAW World Tag Titles in an elimination match – Kurt Angle defeated Big Show to capture the WWE World Title – Triple H defeated Shawn Michaels in a two-out-of-three falls match to capture the RAW World Title
Minneapolis, Minnesota: – Henry Ordemann beat Jess Reimer (Westergard) to capture the American Heavyweight Title in 2 out of 3 falls
1956
Miami, Florida: – Jerry Graham defeated Bobby Wepner to win the NWA Southern Heavyweight Title
1963
Minneapolis, Minnesota: – Verne Gagne won the AWA World Heavyweight Champion by defeating The Crusher in 2 out of 3 falls – Bill Miller drew Moose Evans – Tiny Mills & Larry Hennig no contest Rene Goulet & Maurice LaPointe – Marcel Semard beat Pee Wee Lopez – Marquis DeParee beat Lee Mattson
1977
Honolulu, Hawaii: – AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel drew Missing Link Pampero Firpo – Sam Steamboat beat North American Champion Tor Kamata – Bill Francis & John Tolos beat Steve Strong & Jesse Ventura – Billy Whitewolf drew Rocky Tamayo – Don Muraco beat Duke Savage – Chris Markoff beat Buck Zumhofe
1979
Houston, Texas: – Gino Hernandez & El Gran Markus defeated Jose Lothario & El Halcon for the NWA American Tag Team Titles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: – AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Greg Gagne – Adrian Adonis & Jesse Ventura beat The Crusher & Steve Olsonoski – Dino Bravo beat Super Destroyer Mark II – Mad Dog Vachon no contest Super Destroyer Mark III – Buck Zumhofe drew Ron Ritchie – Peter Sandor Szabo beat Chris Curtis
1983
Shelby, North Carolina: – Dick Slater defeated Greg Valentine for the United States Heavyweight Title
1992
Tokyo, Japan: – The Hell Raisers (Road Warrior Hawk and “Power Warrior” Kensuke Sasaki) defeated Scott Norton & Tony Halme (aka Ludvig Borga in WWF) for New Japan’s IWGP Tag Team Title
– Sabu defeated The Dirt Bike Kid and Mikey Whipwreck in a triple threat match to win the EWA Jr heavyweight title
2003
Nagoya, Japan: – Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Osamu Nishimura defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yutaka Yoshie to win New Japan’s IWGP Tag Team Titles – Heat (Minoru Tanaka) defeated Jado to win the Jr heavyweight title
Orlando, Florida: – Randy Orton defeated Rob Van Dam to win the Intercontinental Title (Mick Foley was the special referee) – Ric Flair & Batista won a Tag Team Turmoil match to become the World Tag Team Champions defeating the Dudley Boyz, Scott Steiner & Test, Rob Conway & Rene Dupree, Hurricane & Rosey, Mark Jindrak & Garrison Cade, Lance Storm & Val Venis – Triple H defeated champion Bill Goldberg and Kane in a Triple Threat match to win the World Heavyweight Title
2008
Buffalo, New York: – Jeff Hardy defeated Edge and Triple H to win the WWE Championship – Batista defeated Randy Orton – John Cena defeated Chris Jericho to retain the WWE World Title
2014
WWE TLC | Cleveland, Ohio: – Dolph Ziggler defeated Luke Harper in a Ladder Match to win the Intercontinental Title – John Cena defeated Seth Rollins in a Tables Match – Bray Wyatt defeated Dean Ambrose in a TLC Match – Rusev defeated Jack Swagger in a Chairs match to retain the United States Title
Boston, Massachusetts: – H.M. Dufur defeated John McMahon for the American Collar-and-Elbow Title
1905
Des Moines, Iowa: – “Farmer” Martin Burns beat Charles Hackenschmidt 2/3 falls
1920
New York City: – Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeated Joe Stetcher to win the New York version of the World Heavyweight Title
1923
St. Louis, Missouri: – World Heavyweight Champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeated Josef Gurkeweicz 2 falls to 0 – Stanislaus Zbyszko beat Yousif Hussane – Jim Londos beat Hans Schmitt
1940
Akron, Ohio: – Buddy Knox defeated The Great Mephisto to win the Midwest Wrestling Association (Ohio) Light Heavyweight Title
1944
Des Moines, Iowa: – World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown beat Jerry Meeker 2 falls to 0 – World Junior Heavyweight Champion Ken Fenelon beat Honey Boy Hackney 2 falls to 0
1952
Roseburg, Oregon: – Frank Stojack defeated Roger Mackay for the Pacific Coast Junior Heavyweight Title
1960
Minneapolis, Minnesota: – Gene Kiniski beat Wilbur Snyder by countout to win AWA US Title – Roy McClarty beat Hard Boiled Haggerty dq – Nick Roberts beat Len Montana dq – Bob Geigel beat Lou Whitson’
Pensacola, Florida: – Lee Fields defeated Pancho Villa for the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title
1961
Honolulu, Hawaii: – The Masked Executioner defeated Lord James Blears for the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title
1963
St. Joseph, Missouri: – Enrique Torres defeated Rock Hunter for the Central States version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Title
1966
Tampa, Florida: – The Infernos (Frankie Cain and Rocky Smith) defeated Jose Lothario and Sam Steamboat to win the Florida version of the NWA World Tag Team Title
1968
St. Joseph, Missouri: – Dusty Rhodes defeated Tommy Martin for the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title
1969
Melbourne, Australia: – Mario Milano & Spiros Arion defeated Skull Murphy & Brute Bernard to win the IWA tag title
– Tony Borne and Moondog Mayne defeated Beauregard and Roger Kirby for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title
1972
Mobile, Alabama: – Bob Kelly defeated The Spoiler to win the City of Mobile Heavyweight Title
Honolulu, Hawaii: – Don Muraco won battle royal – AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat King Curtis – Dusty Rhodes drew Sam Steamboat – AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Don Muraco & Red Bastien – Billy Robinson beat Jack Carson – Ed Francis beat Sueno – Tosh Togo drew Bull Bullinski – Spiros Arion beat Dennis Stamp
1973
Hattiesburg, Mississippi: – Duke Miller defeated Ken Lucas for the NWA Mississippi Heavyweight Title
Kansas City, Kansas: – Jim Brunzell defeated Jim Ledford – Black Angus defeated Bob Drummer – Lord Alfred Hayes fought Mike George to a double-DQ – Harley Race defeated Bob Orton in five falls – Bob Brown defeated Roger Kirby in three falls
1975
New Brockton, Alabama: – Duke Miller defeated Ken Lucas to win the NWA Alabama Heavyweight Title
1976
Vancouver, British Columbia: – Don Leo Jonathan defeated John Quinn for the Vancouver version of the NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Title
1979
Tokyo, Japan: Dory Jr & Terry Funk defeated Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta
1981
Mexico City, Mexico: – Perro Aguayo defeated Chris Adams to win the WWF Light Heavyweight Title
1982
Kansas City, Kansas: – Mark Romero (later known as Mark Youngblood) defeated Hercules Hernandez for the NWA Central States Television Title
1986
Memphis, Tennessee: – The Rock ‘n’ Roll RPMs (Mike Davis and Tommy Lane) defeated Jeff Jarrett and Billy Travis to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Title – Badd Company (Paul Diamond and Pat Tanaka) won the CWA International Tag Team Title from Akio Sato and Tarzan Goto
Portland, Oregon: – Rip Oliver defeated The Assassin for the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title
1987
San Juan, Puerto Rico: – Miguel Perez, Jr. defeated Kareem Mohammed to win the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Title
1988
Chicago, Illinois: – AWA World Champion Jerry Lawler defeated World Class Champion Kerry Von Erich to unify the titles. – Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson ddq Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden – Strap Match: Wahoo McDaniel beat Manny Fernandez – World Class tag Team Champions Samoan Swat Team beat Michael Hayes & Steve Cox – Boot Camp Match: Sgt. Slaughter beat Colonel DeBeers dq – The Terrorist won a lingerie battle royal – Greg Gagne beat Ronnie Garvin by countout to regain the AWA TV Title – Ricky Rice & Derrick Dukes & Wendi Richter beat Pat Tanaka & Paul Diamond & Madusa Meceli – Texas Champion Iceman King Parsons beat Brickhouse Brown – Jimmy Valiant beat Wayne Bloom – Eric Embry beat Jeff Jarrett to regain the World Class Light Heavyweight Title – Chavo Guerrero & Mando Guerrero & Hector Guerrero beat the RPMs & Cactus Jack
Tokyo, Japan: – Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy defeated Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada in the finals of All Japan’s Real World Tag League to win the vacant All Japan World Tag Team Title
1989
Huntsville, Alabama: – The Colossal Connection (Andre the Giant and Haku) defeated Demolition (Ax and Smash) for the WWF Tag Team Title
1992
Mexico City, Mexico: – Gran Hamada defeated Black Power II in a tournament final for the vacant UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Title
Bremen, Germany: – Tony St Clair defeated Jimmy Snuka to win the CWA British Commonwealth title
1993
– Alundra Blayze (Madusa) defeated Heidi Lee Morgan in the finals of a tournament to win the revived WWF World Women’s Title
1994
Osaka, Japan: – Shinjiro Ohtani defeated Norio Honaga for the UWA Welterweight Title
1995
Tokyo, Japan: – Jushin Liger defeated Gedo to win the Super J Cup
1998
Tokyo, Japan: – Rob Van Dam and Sabu defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley) to win the ECW Tag Team Title
2002
Zurich, Switzerland: – Sting defeated champion Lex Luger and Malice in a three way bout to win the World Wrestling All-Stars World Heavyweight Title
Mexico City, Mexico: – Ultimo Guerrero defeated Shocker to win the CMLL Light Heavyweight title
2008
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada: – John Morrison and The Miz won the WWE Tag Team championship by defeating CM Punk and Kofi Kingston
2009
San Antonio, Texas: – Sheamus defeated John Cena in a tables match to win the WWE title – Undertaker defeated Batista in a chairs match to retain the World title – DX (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) defeated Chris Jericho and Big Show to win the Unified Tag Team Titles in a TLC match – Drew McIntyre defeated Shelton Benjamin to win the Intercontinental title
Kansas City, Kansas: – Dusty Rhodes & Dick Murdoch defeated Bob Geigel & Bob Brown via DQ in three falls to retain Central States Tag Team Title
1969
Denver, Colorado: – AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Luke Graham – AWA Tag Team Champions Mad Dog Vachon & Butcher Vachon beat Flying Redheads Red Bastien & Billy Red Lyons 2/3 falls – Bill Watts beat Bob Geigel – Pepper Gomez beat Larry Hennig dq
1970
Tokyo, Japan: – Thunder Sugiyama & The Great Kusatsu defeated Larry Hennig & Bob Windham (Blackjack Mulligan) to win the IWE tag team title
1980
Richmond, Virginia: – Dewey Robertson (The Missing Link) & George Wells defeated The Sheepherders to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Title
St. Paul, Minnesota: – AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Jerry Blackwell – Greg Gagne & Buck Zumhofe & The Crusher beat Adrian Adonis & Jesse Ventura & Bobby Heenan – John Studd beat Mad Dog Vachon – Dino Bravo beat Steve Regal – Tito Santana beat Ben Deleon
1981
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: – AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Adrian Adonis & Jesse Ventura – Hulk Hogan beat Jerry Blackwell – Ken Patera beat Billy Robinson – Bobby Duncum drew Tito Santana
Tokyo, Japan: – Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka beat Dory Jr & Terry Funk
1982
Tokyo, Japan: Dory Jr & Terry Funk defeated Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody
1983
Tokyo, Japan: – Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody defeated Giant Baba & Dory Funk Jr
1984
Tokyo, Japan: – Jumbo Tsuruta & Genchiro Tenryu beat Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody
1985
Tokyo, Japan: – Stan Hansen & Ted DiBiase defeated Jumbo Tsuruta & Genchiro Tenryo – Tatsumi Fujinami & Kengo Kimura defeated Antonio Inoki & Seji Sakaguchi in the finals of the IWGP Tag Team League, becoming the first IWGP Tag Team Champions
1986
Tokyo, Japan: – Jumbo Tsuruta & Genchiro Tenryu defeated Stan Hansen & Ted DiBiase
– Steve “Dr. Death” Williams won the first (and only) Pro Wrestling Illustrated Cup tournament in the UWF by defeating UWF Champion One Man Gang in the finals
1987
Bayamon, Puerto Rico: – Mark & Chris Youngblood defeated The Samoans (Fatu & Samu) to win the WWC Caribbean Tag Team Title
Auckland, New Zealand: – Bruno Bekkar defeated Johnny Garcia (Tony Garea’s older brother) to win the British Commonwealth title
1988
San Juan, Puerto Rico: – Carlos Colon defeated Ron Garvin for the WWC Universal Heavyweight Title
Memphis, Tennessee: – AWA Champion Jerry Lawler beat Kamala dq – Bill Dundee & Wendell Cooley beat Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden – Beauty & The Beast beat Jeff Jarrett & Scott Steiner – Brian Lee beat CWA Champion Sid Vicious dq – Tatsumi Fujinami beat Tommy Lane – Tracy Smothers beat Mike Davis
1989
Dallas, Texas: – Jerry Lawler defeated Kerry Von Erich for the World Class/USWA Texas Heavyweight Title
1992
Morristown, Tennessee – Tracey Smothers defeated Tony Anthony in a tournament final to become the first Smoky Mountain Wrestling “Beat The Champ” Television Champion
1997
Netzahualcoyotl, Mexico: – Pirata Morgan defeated Mascara Sagrada to win the AAA title
1999
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida: – Miss Kitty wona Evening Gown Pool match to win the WWF Women’s Title over champion Ivory, B.B., and Jacquelyn – Val Venis defeated Davey Boy Smith and D’Lo Brown in a Triple Threat match to win the WWF European Title
2001
Jeffersonville, Indiana: – Rob Conway & Nick Dinsmore (Eugene) defeated Jason Lee & Derrick King to win the OVW Tag Team Title
2002
Mexico City, Mexico: – Ultimo Guerrero defeated Shocker to win the CMLL Light Heavyweight title
2003
Chilpanincu, Mexico: – Mascara Sagrada & Mascarita Sagrada defeated Abismo Negro & Mini Abismo Negro to win the first AAA Mascota title
2004
Nagoya, Japan: – Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Kensuke Sasaki to win the IWGP title
