1964 – Lord James Blears & Neff Maivia defeated Mr. Moto & Nikita Mulkovich for the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Title in Honolulu, Hawaii
1965 – In Kansas City; Dick the Bruiser beat Bobo Brazil 2 falls to 1, Bob Geigel and Dr. X drew Ronnie Etchison and Sonny Myers 1 fall each, Mongolian Stomper beat Johnny Ramirez and Jerry Miller drew Bob Brown
1966 – In Milwaukee; The Crusher beat AWA Champion Mad Dog Vachon dq and The Alaskan & Big K beat Verne Gagne & Doug Gilbert.
1972 – In Chicago; AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Baron Von Raschke, Ivan Koloff beat Billy Robinson by count out and Bobby Heenan & Blackjack Mulligan beat Ramon Torres & Sailor Art Thomas
1973 – In Green Bay, Wisconsin; The Crusher beat Superstar Billy Graham by countout, Wahoo McDaniel beat Nick Bockwinkel, Larry Heiniemi & Buddy Wolff beat Billy Robinson & Geoff Portz in 2 out of 3 falls and Greg Gagne beat Bill Crouch. Attendance was 6,488.
1976 – Tiger Jeet Singh defeated Seiji Sakaguchi to become the first NWF Asian Heavyweight Champion (a New Japan title) in Osaka, Japan.
1977 – Ric Flair defeated Bobo Brazil in Richmond, Virginia to win the NWA United States Championship; In Denver, Colorado; AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Blackjack Lanza & Bobby Duncum on a reverse decision dq, Pedro Morales beat Super Destroyer dq, Angelo Mosca beat Ray Stevens and Billy Robinson beat Roger Kirby
1980 – Bill Dundee defeated Paul Ellering for the Southern Heavyweight Title in Louisville, Kentucky
1983 – In Houston, Texas; Mil Mascaras drew AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel, Junk Yard Dog beat Butch Reed dq, In a Taped Fist match, Dusty Rhodes beat King Kong Bundy, In a Texas Street fight, Hacksaw Duggan beat Ted Dibiase and Tommy Rich beat Kamala
1984 – In Milwaukee; Road Warriors beat AWA Tag Team Champions Crusher & Baron Von Raschke dq, Jim Brunzell no contest King Kong Brody, Fabulous Ones beat Nick Bockwinkel & Mr Saito, Tony Atlas beat Steve Regal, Larry Zbyszko beat Billy Robinson and Curt Hennig beat Bobby Heenan
1985 – Jerry Lawler defeated Bota The Witchdoctor in Memphis, Tennessee, for the Southern Heavyweight Title; In Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Ronnie Garvin & Jimmy Garvin beat Raymond Rougeau & Jacques Rougeau dq, AWA Tag Team Champions Road Warriors beat Tonga Kid & King Tonga, Jos Leduc beat Great Samu and Dino Bravo beat The Superstar
1988 – Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy defeated Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu in Takasaki, Japan to win the All Japan Tag Team Championship (PWF World & NWA International Titles); Yoshihiro Asai defeated Ray Richard in Mexico City, Mexico for the UWA World Welterweight Title. Asai would go on to become better known as Ultimo Dragon.
1989 – Super Medic I defeated Chicky Starr for the WWC World Junior Heavyweight Title in Caguas, Puerto Rico
1991 – Awesome Kong (not the TNA wrestler) defeated Jerry Lawler for the USWA Unified World Title in Memphis, Tennessee
1937 – In Kansas City; George Zaharias beat Lou Thesz.
1961 – In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; with Larry Hennig as special referee; Verne Gagne beat AWA Champion Gene Kiniski on a 3rd fall dq. Also, Wilbur Snyder double count out with Hard Boiled Haggerty.
1967 – In Chicago; AWA Champion Verne Gagne no contest Lou Thesz, Devils Duo Angelo Poffo & Chris Markoff beat Dick The Bruiser & The Crusher via dq, Wilbur Snyder ddq The Destroyer and Johnny Valentine beat Rene Goulet
1976 – In Davenport, Iowa; AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Mad Dog Vachon, The Crusher beat Baron Von Raschke by dq and Bobby Duncum & Bobby Heenan beat Larry Hennig & Jos Leduc.
1977 – Seji Sakaguchi & Strong Kobayashi defeated Tiger Jeet Singh & Umanosuke Ueda for the NWF North American Tag Team Title in Fukuoka, Japan.
1978 – In Denver, Colorado; In a Texas Death Match, AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Nick Bockwinkel & Bob Orton Jr, Wahoo McDaniel beat Blackjack Lanza, Mighty Igor Vodik beat Roger Kirby and Bobby Heenan beat Steve Olsonoski via dq.
1980 – Killer Karl Krupp & El Mongol defeated Ken Lucas & Ricky Morton to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Title in Memphis, Tennessee.
1983 – Satanico defeated Ringo Mendoza for the NWA World Light Heavyweight Title in Mexico City, Mexico.
1985 – The Cobra defeated Hiro Saito for the WWF World Junior Heavyweight Title in Osaka, Japan.
1987 – Wendi Richter defeated Monster Ripper (Bertha Faye) for the WWC Women’s Title in Trinidad.
1995 – Eddie Guerrero defeated Dean Malenko in Middletown, New York to win the ECW World Television Title
1997 – Alex Wright defeated Chris Jericho for the WCW Cruiserweight Title in Charleston, West Virginia.
2011 – In Austin, Texas; James Storm & Bobby Roode defeated Bully Ray & Gunner in a Bound For Glory Series match to retain the TNA World Tag Team Titles, Crimson defeated Jeff Jarrett and A.J. Styles pinned Mr. Anderson.
1939 – In Kansas City, Kansas at Memorial Hall; Steve Brody beat Mike Kilonis to capture the World Junior Heavyweight Title in 2 out of 3 falls. Also, Wladek Zbyszko defeated Paul Amnott.
1945 – Buddy Rogers defeated Dave Levin to win the Texas Heavyweight Title in Houston.
1956 – Duke Keomuka & Tony Martin defeated Iron Mike DiBiase & Danny Plechas to win the Texas Tag Team Title in Houston, Texas
1962 – The Destroyer defeated Freddie Blassie for the WWA World tite in a 2-of-3 falls match at the San Diego (CA) Coliseum.
1963 – In Omaha, Nebraska; Fritz Von Erich beat Verne Gagne to win AWA World Title, Fuji Tanaka beat Guy Mitchell and Mike DiBiase beat Dory Funk.
1966 – NWA World Champion Gene Kiniski defeated Stan Stasiak at Lane County Fairgrounds, Eugene Oregon.
1968 – In Minneapolis; The Crusher won an 11 man battle royal, Dr X beat Dick the Bruiser by dq and The Crusher beat Harley Race. In Chicago; AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Blackjack Lanza, AWA Tag Team Champions Mitsu Arakawa & Dr Moto no contest Bill Watts & Wilbur Snyder and Mad Dog Vachon beat Dutch Savage
1969 – In Chicago; AWA Tag Team Champions Dick the Bruiser & the Crusher beat Chain Gang Frank Dillinger & Jack Dillinger in 2 out of 3 falls, AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Bill Watts on a 3rd fall count out and Edouard Carpentier drew Blackjack Lanza. In Minneapolis; Mad Dog Vachon & Butcher Vachon beat Larry Hennig & Lars Anderson and Dr X beat Wilbur Snyder
1972 – In Jacksonville, Florida; Jack Brisco & Don Curtis wrestled Buddy Colt & Paul Jones, Nick Bockwinkel wrestled Johnny Walker Ray Stevens wrestled Hiro Matsuda; In Kansas City; Bob Geigel & Rufus R. Jones defeated Roger Kirby & Harley Race (sub. Black Angus) and Harley Race defeated The Stomper.
1973 – In Denver; Billy Graham & Ivan Koloff beat Mad Dog Vachon & The Crusher via dq, Nick Bockwinkel beat Dusty Rhodes in 2 out of 3 falls, Larry Heiniemi beat Reggie Parks and Greg Gagne drew Vic Rossitani. Attendance was 6,758
1980 – In Denver, Colorado; AWA Tag Team Champions Adrian Adonis & Jesse Ventura beat Mad Dog Vachon & Tito Santana. (Note: Adrian Adonis and Jesse Ventura are awarded the AWA Tag Team Title when Verne Gagne failed to show for a scheduled defense of the title). Also on the card, Jerry Blackwell no contest The Crusher and Tito Santana ddq Dennis Stamp.
1985 – In Milwaukee; Sgt. Slaughter beat Larry Zbyszko, The Crusher drew Michael Hayes, Fabulous Freebirds Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts beat Larry Hennig & Steve O and Boris Zhukov beat Rick Gantner.
1985 – In Atlantic City, NJ; AWA Champion Rick Martel beat Michael Hayes dq
1987 – In Memphis; (Winner to wrestle AWA Champion Curt Hennig on 8/11) Jerry Lawler beat Nick Bockwinkel, George Barnes & Blooey beat Rocky Johnson & Bill Dundee, Moondogs beat Big Bubba & Goliath and Billy Travis & Jeff Jarrett beat Nasty Boys via dq.
1988 – Stan Hansen defeated Genichiro Tenryu in Nagano, Japan to win the PWF World Heavyweight and NWA United National Heavyweight Titles, which would later become part of the All Japan Triple Crown.
1990 – Stan Hansen defeated Mitsuharu Misawa in Matsudo, Japan to win the vacant All Japan Triple Crown
1991 – Steve Simpson & Chris Walker defeated Scott Anthony (Raven) & Rip Rogers in the tournament final to win the Global Wrestling Federation Tag Team Champions in Dallas, Texas.
1996 – Dr. Wagner Jr. defeated Aquarius (Yoshihiro Tajiri) to win the CMLL World Light-Heavyweight Title in Sapporo, Japan.
2002 – Low Ki defeated Spanky, Christopher Daniels & Doug Williams in a 60-minute Iron Man match to become the first Ring Of Honor Champion in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
2003 – Kurt Angle defeated Brock Lesnar and The Big Show in a three way no-DQ match to capture the WWE World Title at the WWE Vengeance PPV in Denver, Colorado, and Eddie Guerrero defeated Chris Benoit in the finals of the US Title Tournament.
2004 – In Cincinnati, Ohio; Spike Dudley pinned WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio Jr. to win the title
When you’re at the bar of a popular seafood restaurant in Koreatown, it takes something to grab your attention. You come for the happy hour specials and the dollar oysters. You stay for the bevy of young Korean singles (not for me, I’m happily committed) and the vibe.
The bar at the Koreatown restaurant has a television behind it, but unless there’s a big game going, it’s just background noise. Maybe SportsCenter or maybe some basketball game, but in the sports wasteland of July, there wasn’t supposed to be anything keeping anyone’s attention from a peak happy hour crowd on a Saturday night.
Then, Jordan Burroughs came on. He’s an American wrestling for Gold at the Pan-Am games and ESPN was about to show his match. My friend (a non-wrestling fan who hates boxing and thinks that MMA is disgusting) needed prompting, but when you’re a sports fan and you’re told that a freak is about to compete, that’s enough.
Burroughs did not disappoint. Of course he won a gold (scored an 11-0 victory via “Great Superiority” using Freestyle wrestling arcane scoring system), but that wasn’t the point. A non-wrestling fan barely cares about gold medals, yet my friend watched the entire match intently. He watched in part because Burroughs is, in fact, a freak. And freaks — like Jon Jones or Rey Misterio, Jr. in his prime — are naturally interesting.
There was only one comment from the non-wrestling fan while watching Burroughs wrestle: “The American guy just plays defense.” Scoring eleven points in a wrestling match may seem like lots of offense, but my friend was correct. Burroughs spent most of the match — especially the early part — using his superior strength, balance, athleticism and gamesmanship to keep the Ecuadorian at bay. It’s not that Burroughs was afraid to go forward, but airtight defense was clearly essential to his game.
Sports fans know defense because it’s everywhere in sports. The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers played the best defense in basketball, and that’s the main reason they met in the NBA Finals. UFC interim featherweight champion Conor McGregor played brilliant guard defense against Chad Mendes, and then whipped his ass when the time was right. There are always exceptions to any rule, but the rule is clear: defense wins championships.
Except in pro wrestling where there is no longer any defense.
Pro wrestling may not be a sport, but it thrives when its concepts are taken from the sports of its time. The 70s were a wild, experimental decade while the 80s were a time of crass ambition. In both decades, wrestling followed suit accordingly. There was no shame when the United States dominated a heavily boycotted Olympics in 1984 and there was no shame when Hulk Hogan teamed up with a muscled up actor a year later.
In recent years, wrestling has certainly gotten further away from the concept of being a fake sport, both for good and for bad. Pro wrestling promoted as a sport (complete with modern accoutrements like lengthy pre-game shows, instant replay for referees and countless self-satisfied commentators reciting statistics) would be a turn off for some and a refreshing change for others. But whether a fan enjoys real sports or not, certain traits of real sports make wrestling more enjoyable.
Real sports and wrestling both thrive when antagonism is strong. McGregor fans celebrated his January 2015 demolition of Dennis Siver, but their reaction was nothing compared to the unbridled joy that was unleashed when he beat Mendes. Winning a championship was part of that, but the way he won it mattered. Conor overcame a perilous situation and he had to play great defense to do it. Mendes, an accomplished wrestler, was on top of him for several minutes at a time, but Conor kept his received damage to a minimum.
All the while, suspense was building in the audience. Can Conor last? How can Conor get out of this? If he does, will he have the energy to overcome? When Conor answered those questions emphatically, the audience’s reaction was a joy that surpassed mere accomplishment. It was heightened by what Conor had to overcome.
Modern pro wrestling has elevated false finishes and highspots above defense. In the moment, that change often feels good. The crowd popped for all of the near falls in the John Cena vs. Kevin Owens match at WWE Battleground, just as the crowd at the American Legion Post in Reseda, CA, will during the Young Bucks vs. Angelico/Jack Evans main event at Friday’s PWG show. It will be fun and the fans will love it, at least in the moment.
For an indy promotion to offer a fun style makes sense. PWG shows are about the fans and their relationship with the wrestlers more than anything else. It’s more akin to a Yo La Tengo concert than a pro wrestling event. We love the promotion and the wrestlers and they love putting on a show. And for a promotion whose stated goal is to produce enjoyable wrestling at the local level, it’s perfect.
WWE (along with TNA, New Japan, ROH and a few others), however, has larger ambitions. They want to be as big as possible. And while the false finish-heavy style gets great reviews, it limits how big the audience can get. Drawing big requires archetypal stories, powerful antagonism and charismatic babyfaces. The antagonism just can’t build to the level it needs to be when nobody plays defense and everyone kicks out of everyone’s finishing move.
Freestyle wrestling has the benefit of being small, because when you’re small time, nobody takes shortcuts. There aren’t masses of impressionable young boys watching Burroughs and dreaming that they will become like him. Status and power don’t come from being a world class freestyle wrestler, and thus dreamers stay away. The few who do idolize Burroughs are left to learn the fundamentals of the craft.
Pro wrestling is so popular that it attracts dreamers. Dreamers want to create moments, but they often attempt reverse engineering to do so. They see Misawa’s epic Budokan Hall matches with Kawada and they want the pop that those nearfalls created. They learn how to get finishers over and how to fit that moment into a match, but they overlook what wrestling is at its core: a fake sport. And sports require defense. And defense is no fun in the moment. So, defense goes and an emptier match is what’s left.
All sports and all forms of entertainment must evolve. This is not a grouchy treatise wishing for a day that has passed. I well remember the bad old days of endless restholds and lumbering, waterlogged oafs wheezing their way around the ring. There must, however, be some kind of happy medium. And I hope that one of the great young wrestlers currently populating NXT, PWG or some other promotion, experiments with adding some defense to the story. It has the power to make the finished product championship-caliber.
1941 – In Kansas City, Kansas; Dorv Roche beat Orville Brown in 2 of 3 falls. Also, Steve Brody and Jack Hader wrestled to a 60 minute draw with falls tied 1-1.
1947 – In Kansas City, Kansas; for the MWA Title, Orville Brown beat Tug Carlson 2 falls 1 to retain the title. Also, Cardiff Giant beat Ronnie Etchison and Sailor Fred Blassie drew Jack Hader in 30 minutes.
1956 – Jesse James defeated Frank Jares for the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title in Nashville, Tennessee
1962 – In Minneapolis, MN; AWA Champion Mr M went to a 60 minute draw with Doug Gilbert, Ilio DiPaolo beat Tiny Mills and Moose Evans beat Bill Wright
1964 – In Denver, Colorado; Wilbur Snyder beat The Sheik and Jack Lanza beat Mad Dog Vachon.
1965 – In Minneapolis, MN; The Crusher & Verne Gagne beat Larry Hennig & Harley Race to win AWA tag team title. Also on the card, Tex McKenzie beat Chris Markoff, Junior Heavyweight Champion Danny Hodge beat Gene Anderson, Eddie Sharkey beat Paul Caruso and Kenny Jay beat Jose Quintero. Attendance was 8,156
1969 – In Winnipeg; AWA Tag Team Champions Dick The Bruiser & The Crusher beat Mad Dog Vachon & Butcher Vachon in 2 out of 3 falls, Flying Redheads Red Bastien & Billy Red Lyons beat Larry Hennig & Dr. X in 2 out of 3 falls and Bill Watts beat Rene Goulet.
1970 – Nick Bockwinkel defeated Paul DeMarco to win the Georgia Heavyweight Title in Atlanta, Georgia.
1971 – In Minneapolis, MN; in a non title, Nick Bockwinkel beat AWA Champion Verne Gagne (sub Hercules Cortez. Cortez died the previous night in a car accident). Billy Robinson beat Edouard Carpentier, Bull Bullinski & Jean Ferre (Andre The Giant) beat Larry Hennig & Lars Anderson in 2 out of 3 falls, Ray Stevens beat Jose Betancourt (sub Red Bastien) and Vivian Vachon beat Kay Noble. Attendance was 6,123.
1972 – In Orlando, Florida; Buddy Colt & Phil Robley beat Don Curtis & Eddie Graham, Southern Champion Zodiac beat Jerry Brisco, Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Johnny Walker & Louie Tillet and Mike Graham beat Taurus
1977 – Rocky Johnson defeated WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham in a non-title match in Orlando, Florida.
1981 – In Houston, Texas; AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel drew Tony Atlas
1982 – Carlos Colon defeated Abdullah The Butcher for the WWC World Heavyweight Title in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
1983 – Magnum T.A. & Hacksaw Duggan defeated Ted DiBiase & Mr. Olympis for the Mid South Tag Team Title in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Sgt. Slaughter defeated Canadian Heavyweight Champion Angelo Mosca to win the title in Toronto, Ontario
1987 – Sherri Martel defeated WWF Women’s Champion the Fabulous Moolah in Houston, Texas to win the title; In Milwaukee, Wisconsin; AWA Champion Curt Hennig beat Nick Bockwinkel, Greg Gagne beat Larry Zbyszko, AWA Tag team Champions Soldat Ustinov & Boris Zhukov beat DJ Peterson & Wahoo McDaniel by dq and Kevin Kelly beat Mitch Snow
1996 – Rick & Scott Steiner defeated WCW World Tag Team Champions Harlem Heat to win the titles in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1999 – Kurt Angle defeated J.R. Smooth in Memphis, Tennessee, for the Memphis Power Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Title
2000 – Lance Storm defeated Big Vito in Cleveland, Ohio for the WCW Hardcore Championship
2005 – Road Warrior Animal and Heidenreich defeated Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro to win the WWE Tag Team Championships.
2009 – At the ROH Death Before Dishonor show in Chicago, Illinois; Kevin Steen and Lance Storm defeated Davey Richards and Chris Hero and ROH Champion Austin Aries defeated Tyler Black, Nigel McGuiness and Jerry Lynn to retain the title.
1933 – In Waterloo, Iowa; Bronko Nagurski beat George Vassell.
1970 – Sputnik Monroe and Tommy Gilbert defeated Ron and Don Wright for the Tennessee Tag Team Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee; In Kansas City; Rufus R. Jones & Luis Martinez defeated Scandor Akbar & Oki Shikina, Roger Kirby fought Danny Little Bear to a no contest and in a Texas Death Match; Bob Geigel defeated Harley Race
1971 – In Winnipeg; Nick Bockwinkel beat Hercules Cortez dq. (Driving back to Minneapolis after this match, Cortez was killed in a car accident. At the time, Cortez was half of the AWA tag team champions). Also, Larry Hennig & Lars Anderson beat Red Bastien & Bull Bullinski, Vivian Vachon beat Kay Noble, Billy Robinson beat Big K and Don Muraco beat Moose Morowski.
1974 – The Destroyer defeated Dick The Bruiser to win the WWA World Title in Los Angeles, Ca.
1976 – Blackjack Lanza & Bobby Duncum beat Dick the Bruiser & The Crusher to win the AWA tag team title in Chicago, Illinois at the International Amphitheatre. Also on the card, AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Wilbur Snyder, Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Mad Dog Vachon & Baron Von Raschke via dq, Ox Baker beat Jos LeDuc and Pepper Gomez beat Buddy Wolff
1977 – Mr. Wrestling II defeated Dick Slater to win the Georgia Title in Atlanta, Georgia.
1979 – In Fort Worth, Texas; NWA World Champion Harley Race beat Kevin Von Erich, then wrestled David Von Erich to a draw.
1983 – In Chicago, Illinois at the UIC Pavilion; AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Wahoo McDaniel, Mad Dog Vachon & Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Jerry Blackwell & Ken Patera & Sheik Adnan, Dick the Bruiser beat Blackjack Lanza, Mr. Saito beat Buck Zumhofe, David Shults beat Baron Von Raschke (sub Rick Martel) and Bill White drew Brad Rheingans.
1984 – At the MTV special, “War to Settle the Score”, Wendi Richter defeated The Fabulous Moolah to win the WWF Women’s Title in Madison Square Garden. Also, WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan defeated Greg Valentine; In Fort Worth, Texas; NWA World Champion Ric Flair defeated Gino Hernandez to retain the title.
1989 – Great American Bash PPV was held in Baltimore, Maryland headlined by Ric Flair defeating Terry Funk to retain the NWA World Title. Also, NWA Television Champion Sting defeated The Great Muta and NWA United States Champion Lex Luger defeated Ricky Steamboat via DQ.
2000 – Perry Saturn defeated Eddie Guerrero to win the WWF European Title in Dallas, Texas and The Rock defeated Chris Benoit to retain the WWE World Title.
1942 – At Riverview Park in Des Moines, Iowa; NWA World Heavyweight Champion Bill Longson beat Orville Brown to capture Brown’s claim to the World Heavyweight Title in 2 out of 3 falls. Also, Gene Bowman beat Jack Kennedy, Babe Zaharias beat Don McIntyre and Cowboy Luttrall and Hans Schultz drew.
1943 – Earl McCready defeated Whipper Billy Watson to win the Toronto British Empire Heavyweight Title in Toronto, Ontario.
1947 – Herb Welch defeated Tex Riley for the Tennessee World Junior Heavyweight Title in Nashville, Tennessee
1958 – Corsica Jean defeated Ray Stevens for the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title in Nashville, Tennessee
1960 – Danny Hodge won the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title by defeating Angelo Savoldi in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Don Leo Jonathan defeated Torbellino Blanco for the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title in Houston, Texas; Dick Steinborn defeated The Mighty Yankee to win the vacant Georgia NWA Southern Heavyweight Title in Atlanta, Georgia
1961 – Don Greene defeated Len Rossi to win the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
1963 – Ron Etchison and Dan Miller defeated Mitsu Arakawa and Kinji Shibuya for the Vancouver NWA Canadian Tag Team Title and the Stampede International Tag Team Title in Calgary, Alberta; Gene Kiniski defeated Whipper Billy Watson in Vancouver, British Columbia for the Vancouver British Empire Heavyweight Title
1964 – The Destroyer defeated Dick the Bruiser to win the WWA World Heavyweight Title in Los Angeles, California
1965 – In Davenport, Iowa; AWA Tag Team Champions Larry Hennig & Harley Race beat The Crusher & Verne Gagne by countout, Danny Hodge beat Pampero Firpo, Tex McKenzie beat Gene Anderson and Rene Goulet drew Chris Markoff; In Kansas City; Bob Geigel and Dr. X defeated Cowboy Bob Ellis and Mongolian Stomper, Jerry Miller and Bob Brown wrestled to a double disqualification, Sonny Myers beat Johnny Ramirez and Ronnie Etchison beat Frank Hickey
1967 – Johnny Kostas defeated Moondog Mayne to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title.
1968 – Paddy Barrett and Don Leo Jonathan defeated Abdullah the Butcher and Armand Hussein for the Vancouver NWA Canadian Tag Team Title in Vancouver, British Columbia.
1969 – Jack Brisco and Ciclón Negro defeated Hiro Matsuda and The Missouri Mauler for the NWA Florida Tag Team Title in Tampa, Florida.
1972 – Tommy Gilbert and Sputnik Monroe defeated Don and Ron Wright to win the NWA Tennessee Tag Team Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Opearl Anston and Masked Lee defeated Miyoko Hoshino and Jumbo Miyamoto to win the WWWA World Tag Team Title in Irima, Japan
1974 – Tex McKenzie and Ken Patera defeated The Blackjacks (Lanza and Mulligan) for the NWA American Tag Team Title in Fort Worth, Texas.
1975 – Mr. Wrestlings I and II defeated Don Green and Jerry Lawler to win the NWA Macon Tag Team Title in Macon, Georgia; In Omaha, Nebraska; Verne Gagne & Greg Gagne beat Nick Bockwinkel & Bobby Heenan, Baron Von Raschke beat Larry Hennig, Billy Robinson beat Paul Perschmann (Buddy Rose), Jimmy Valiant & Johnny Valiant drew Chris Taylor & Jim Brunzell and Buddy Wolff beat Bull Bullinski
1976 – Larry Lane won a tournament to win the vacant Amarillo NWA International Heavyweight Title in Amarillo, Texas; At Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas; Bob Geigel won a 6-man Battle Royal. Also, Bob Geigel & The Super Intern defeated Bob Brown & Tank Patton and Black Gordman & Great Goliath defeated Pat O’Connor & Harley Race
1977 – Keith Franks (Adrian Adonis) and Roddy Piper defeated Mando Guerrero and Tom Jones for the NWA Americas Tag Team Title; Mr. Wrestling II defeated Dick Slater to win the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title in Atlanta, Georgia.
1978 – The Valiant Brothers (Jimmy and Johnny) defeated Dominic DeNucci and Wilbur Snyder for the WWA World Tag Team Title in Indianapolis, Indiana; Jean and Pierre Martel defeated Carlos Colón and Chief Thundercloud to win the WWC North American Tag Team Title in San Juan, Puerto Rico. At the same event, Gorilla Monsoon won the WWC North American Heavyweight Title by defeating Bruno Sammartino; Dutch Mantel defeated Whipper Watson, Jr. for the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee
1979 – Mark Lewin defeated Bruiser Brody in Dallas, Texas to win the NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Title.
1981 – Bob Roop defeated The Super Destroyer for the Mid-South Louisiana Heavyweight Title in Shreveport, Louisiana. At the same event, Butch Reed won the Mid-South Television Title from Dutch Mantel.
1982 – In Oakland, California; AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Hulk Hogan by dq, Ken Patera & Bobby Duncum beat Baron Von Raschke & Otto Wanz, Greg Gagne beat Jerry Blackwell, Tommy Rich beat Bobby Heenan and Ray Stevens beat Moondog Moretti
1985 – Phil Hickerson defeated Terry Taylor to win the CWA/AWA International Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee
1986 – The Masked Superstar defeats Lex Luger for the Florida NWA Southern Heavyweight Title in Tampa, Florida, ending Luger’s second reign.
1988 – Scott Armstrong defeated Nelson Royal in Knoxville, Tennessee on a USA Wrestling card to win the World Junior Heavyweight Title; The Cuban Commandos (Cuban Assassin and Jerry Morrow) defeated Bad Company (Bruce Hart and Brian Pillman) for the Stampede International Tag Team Title in Calgary, Alberta
1989 – Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu defeated Stan Hansen and Genichiro Tenryu to win the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Title in Ishikawa, Japan
1994 – After 16 hours of deliberation, a jury finds WWF owner Vince McMahon not guilty of conspiracy to distribute steroids to wrestlers.
1998 – The Charlie and Russ Hass defeated The Nation of Immigration (Homicide & Kane D) and The Skinhead Express (Flash Wheeler & Lord Zieg) in a three-way match to win the vacant JAPW Tag Team Title in North Bergen, New Jersey.
1999 – Chris Candido defeated champion Ace Darling and 2 Cold Scorpio in three-way match in Wildwood, New Jersey to win the Independent Superstars of Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Title.
2001 – In Cleveland, Ohio at the WWF Invasion PPV; WWF Tag Team Champions The A.P.A. (Bradshaw and Faarooq) defeated WCW World Tag Team Champions Sean O’Haire and Chuck Palumbo and Team WCW/ECW (Booker T, The Dudley Boyz, Diamond Dallas Page and Rhyno (with Paul Heyman, WCW owner Shane McMahon and ECW owner Stephanie McMahon Helmsley) defeated Team WWF (Kurt Angle, Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, Kane and The Undertaker (with WWF Chairman Vince McMahon)).
2002 – In Grand Rapids, Michigan; WWE Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam defeated WWE European Champion Jeff Hardy in a Ladder match to unify the titles and WWE Undisputed Champion The Rock pinned Eddie Guerrero
2005 – Bobby Roode defeated A-1 to win the Border City Wrestling Can-Am Heavyweight Title at “Wrestlefest” in Oldcastle, Ontario. Also, Phil Atlas and Jimmy Jacobs defeated Danny Daniels and N8 Mattson for the BCW Can-Am Tag Team Title.
2007 – At the Great American Bash PPV in San Jose, California; WWE Intercontinental Champion Umaga pinned Jeff Hardy to retain the title, ECW World Champion John Morrison pinned CM Punk to retain the title, Randy Orton pinned Dusty Rhodes in a Texas Bullrope match and WWE Champion John Cena pinned Bobby Lashley to retain the title.
2010 – AJ Styles defeated Rob Terry to win the TNA Global Title.
Friday, July 24, marks the first set of TV tapings for GFW Amped for Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling promotion. I had the opportunity to talk to Nick “Magnus” Aldis about why he joined the company, the reasons he left TNA, whether he has been in contact with WWE, he and MIckie juggling their careers now that they are parents, the UK influence in the wrestling industry, his new book (The Superstar Body) and much, much more. The full transcript is below. I hope you enjoy it!
Before we get into the wrestling side of things, Mickie and you have been parents now for 10 months. How’s it going? How are you finding parenthood?
It’s fantastic! It’s such a blessing. We do our best to work around it. He comes with us if he needs to come with us. It’s rewarding overall – it’s just really great!
How are you both finding juggling your wrestling and singing careers around it? How are you finding working that out?
Well, obviously we’re easing into it gently because he’s a baby and it’s not like he has to be anywhere – obviously, when he gets older, he’ll need to be in kindergarten and then school, and I’m sure things will be more challenging – but we both hope to be in a more stable and secure situation by that time.
We’re starting to explore more things outside of wrestling on an entrepreneurial sort of level. Certainly, for me, that has always been a passion of mine, and that’s one of the reasons why I was excited to start working with Jeff at Global. Jeff is allowing me some opportunities to allow me to explore more things as a businessman, not just as a wrestler. That’s a rewarding part of it for me. It’s that old saying: “When you love what you do, you don’t work a day in your life.” Everything we do we really like doing.
It is a lot of work. I mean, writing the book was a struggle, because finding time and making it good….You can’t just sit there and type whatever! There has to be content. So, it was challenging, but at the same time if you have a passion for it then you make it work.
You talked about Jeff – he has been a big supporter of your across the years. Did it take much convincing from him to get you to throw your hat into the ring with him, so to speak?
No, not really. But also, it’s not really like it was a huge decision to make, because at this point I had already made the decision that whatever happened I was done with TNA. I had done everything I could do, there was nothing left for me to accomplish there. I had worked with everybody I wanted to work with. There was nothing left I wanted to do there and I didn’t want to work for the current guys who were in control. So it was an easy decision on that front, although I felt a certain degree of loyalty to the promotion (TNA). But to me, the TNA I was loyal to didn’t exist anymore. To me, a lot of that disappeared with Jeff.
Jeff has always been an advocate for me and he has gone to bat for me before anybody else was and before I was being touted as the next guy – blah, blah, blah. Jeff was the guy who saw it before almost anyone, so I’ve always felt a degree of loyalty to Jeff and wanted to repay him – and I’ve always wanted to work with him again! I like working with Jeff because he’s a wrestling guy.
Was that the issue (with TNA) – was it more with “creative”? When we spoke in December 2014, you couldn’t talk about the contract situation, but now, as of the middle/end of June, you have left. Where those pure and simply the reasons that you left – issues with creative and with having done all that you wanted to do?
Well, it was kind of both. If I was honest with myself, there were a few different instances over the last couple of years – and some of which occurred when I was World Champion – but there were a few different instances that just made me promise to myself that when you see this contract through that you don’t sign another one. I felt sometimes that the loyalty was kind of a one-way street – as it often can be in wrestling!
There were a few different instances where I felt like I was disrespected or thrown under the bus a little bit – there were things that weren’t really my fault that they were more than happy to let look like was my fault. Then I just looked at who they were grooming to put into these positions, and these are guys being rewarded for being suck ups basically. Even though they were talented, they were rewarded for taking low paid contracts and for sucking up. This was the wrong message and I didn’t want to be part of it!
At the time – or since you have finished (with TNA) – had there been overtures from WWE or have they been sounding you out?
Obviously there were no communications while I was under contract! There has been some brief contact – that’s about as much as I really want to say about it. They are a huge company and they have a hell of a lot of things going on – you can’t sit around waiting for them to decide. All I can do is keep working away.
On that front, part of me was looking forward to being a free agent, which I’m enjoying now. While working with Jeff, I’m doing everything I can to help him build Global into a company that can sign contracts and all that kind of stuff. I’m really enjoying being in on the ground floor (with GFW). It’s very embryonic, but it’s exciting too. Jeff is so busy, but between he, I and Sonjay and Kevin and all those guys, everyone is dialed in to make this work and offer all these things to help build a brand and find all these opportunities, which is exciting for me.
They have had a few baseball shows, but next week begins the TV tapings schedule for the summer. Two parts to that: firstly, how excited are you to be getting in at the start for the beginning of the TV tapings and secondly, is there any more word of a TV outlet?
Jeff is only going to share a certain amount with me – and most of that is pretty privileged. I know it’s started to get tiresome with a lot of people when they say “Oh, there’s stuff in the works, there’s stuff in the works” but what I can say is that I think that within a there’s going to be television – and not just within the United States!
You have to remember that Jeff has always had a very good idea of how to make this business sustainable as far as television. The way you do that is by going after all of the international markets, and I know that I’m playing a little bit of a role in that as far as the UK is concerned, and I’m excited about that. On that front, there is very, very exciting prospects, but I don’t want to risk anything by saying more than that!
Over this last year there has been a big UK and Irish influence on the US scene, between Finn and Becky in NXT, and Paige – who you would know from Ricky (Knight) – in WWE, and then there is yourself, Bram and Drew in TNA, and also the stuff that Drew was doing in Evolve and Dragon Gate USA. Do you hope to be another flag bearer for the UK in GFW?
Absolutely! And I know that that’s a big check mark with me as a talent and as an investment. I’m excited about that. You talk about the guys who are doing really well over here – and not forgetting….
Harry (Smith) in Japan?
Yea….And Wade (Barrett) is still doing so great and Neville is finally showing the world what a ridiculously talented guy he is. But not only that, it’s how thriving the scene is in the UK. You have these companies like PCW and ICW, Progress, Southside and Rev-Pro – they are all great promotions, doing great houses, bringing in great talent and showcasing the best of British talent. Now it’s not “Oh, well he’s good for a Brit!”, now the Brits are the best in the world! People are starting to understand that.
I’m not lying when I say that most of the Americans I hang out with here are going on about how much they wish they could go back to the UK or go and live there. It’s ironic that I spent my whole life trying to get here (America) and now they’re all trying to go there (UK)!
Again another two part question. You are starting with GFW and also have a book which has come out. What do you think you future holds within Global and also with the other opportunities that you are pursuing outside it?
I’ve already started with Global, really. I did my first live events last week. I got to work with Tomasso Ciampa – we know each other but I’ve never got to work with him before, so that was fun and interesting – and I got to work with Kongo Kong, who is a great up-and-coming superheavyweight guy who I think has a tonne of potential.
The book is called “The Superstar Body”. The hard copy version is available for pre-order through everything – Amazon, Barnes and Noble, bookdepository.com – and it’s available for download on Kindle and all those e-readers. It’s written by me and it has contributions from Kurt Angle, Rob Terry, Brooke Adams, Robbie E, Mickie has contributed to the book. There are top quality trainers who have trained NBA and NFL guys. There’s a guy called Nick Ehrlich who has contributed to the book, Ben Hebert from Natural Stacks has contributed to the book, David McIntosh who used to be on Gladiators with me, who a lot of guys in the UK will be familiar with – there’s a tonne of great quality people who have contributed to the book.
You can read these books that are all science or you can read these magazines that are half – or basically all – adverts, but the reality is that guys that are in shape are constantly exchanging ideas and knowledge with each other, and this is hopefully what this book will give you – that trial and error straight from the horse’s mouth from guys who really get it.
Kurt was so generous with his contributions to the book. He is (in the book) all about focus and motivation and mental visualisation and intensity in the gym and all that kind of stuff. Imagine if you had to try and pay Kurt Angle to be your personal trainer, you know what I mean? So to be able to buy this book that has that and then has contributions from guys like Rob Terry and all these other great athletes. That’s what I wanted to put out.
Do you think people will be surprised with the book? Obviously, with wrestling books when they come out you have guys like Mick Foley or Chris Jericho who bring out the comedy books, but everybody else brings out a “Here are our stories from the road and funny things that happened” type of book – but all of a sudden this is a proper book about proper stuff to help people with their training. Do you think people will be…..surprised may be the wrong way to put it…..
I hope wrestling fans buy the book – that is the majority of my audience, wrestling fans – but for me part of it came organically, because I would get so many emails through and things like that at the website, asking for tips and stuff. I know that my column in FSM is well received, so it was the basis of both of those.
I want to try and shake some of that stigma that guys who are in shape are all meatheads – that it’s a culture of “I want to be jacked!” Anybody can benefit from being in better shape. Your ideal physique might be different to what my idea of an ideal physique is, so that’s why the book is called “The Superstar Body”. I want you to have whatever kind of body you want that makes you feel like a star, so that you have that confidence. Life is so much better when you’re in shape, I can promise you that!
I was a skinny, lacking in confidence kid, and I’ve achieved so many things that I’ve been able to achieve just through being in shape. That’s why I want to share it with people. But honestly, I’m trying to aim it at a mainstream audience too, so when it comes to wrestling…..it’s not a biography, not at all! There are a couple of accounts of different things that link in. I talk about what it was like going through the Gladiators audition and that sort of thing, but, ultimately, who wants to hear the story of a guy who’s not even 30? That’d be very pretentious! (laughs)
Bringing us back to GFW, with the TV tapings coming next week, what do think the fans can expect to see?
From what I understand – and the conversations I’ve had with Jeff, Sonjay, Karen and others – I think there’ll be very good production values. The Orleans Arena has been a huge partner for Jeff. He’s got this lighting company on board who do really incredible lighting for concerts and events and stuff. He understands that first and foremost it’s got to look the part.
One of the criticisms that have been levied against Global a little bit is the roster. It’s like “Is it really your roster or is it just guys who are available now?” That’s the truth – he’s developing a roster based on who he has available to him, but I think some of it is that he’s seen guys who perhaps he saw more potential in and wants to bring out the rest of it. I think that you’ll see some talent who are showcased and you’ll see them in a while new light.
I think honestly the thing that’s going to differentiate it more than anything is the way that we present the product. It’s going to be much closer to what you might see from a New Japan or someone like that. It’s more about the competitiveness and the rivalries and the sort of sporting element that exists – with the production value – which, for me, was always what was best about pro wrestling, rather than so, so heavily story orientated.
When you mention the roster, it was something that people had said to me. But to me when I looked at it, yes, you had the name guys, but from speaking to Jeff in the early days when Global as a concept had just come out, he was always “Yes, we need name guys – but I want to bring in people from all across the world that people haven’t seen and showcase them.” There were guys even on the initial shows that I hadn’t heard of, or know much about. I think there’s going to be that good mix and combination.
You’re right…….Look here’s the thing. Jeff could have put together a roster of guys who already have a name from somewhere, and he would have been bashed for not giving any new talent a chance. He could have put a roster together of all new guys and been bashed for having a roster of nobodies. At the end of the day, those critics, that voice is small but it’s always going to be there. You don’t ignore it, but you have to understand what its value is in the big picture, which is perhaps as significant sometimes as we, in wrestling, make it out to be. By that I mean social media, the immediate online community and that feedback. I’m certainly not going to bash it and say it’s insignificant, because it’s not, but I don’t think it’s as significant as sometimes we make it out to be.
I think one of the reasons TNA went wrong was that they started treating that minority as the voice of everybody. They forgot the fact that there was this casual audience, and what happened is that TNA had the biggest remaining slice of market share after WWE – which obviously has the huge majority – and then they ended up dividing it up between Ring of Honor and Lucha Underground, because they focussed too much on this minority that weren’t necessarily theirs. They started to go after what I think was Ring of Honor’s audience and in the process they lost the ones that they were retaining – who then decided to look for alternatives in Lucha Underground, which I think is a magnificent product, and in Ring of Honor.
Jeff is one of those guys who has enough of an idea of that audience but doesn’t get too wrapped up in their opinion that he forgets about going after the big fish.
Good luck may be the wrong way to put it, but good luck with the tapings and I hope they go well for all involved. Any other plugs?
Right now I’m just focused on the book and getting as much awareness as possible. But I would say this as far as Global is concerned; there are some pretty cool announcements and news coming up in the next week or two, which I’m privy to. Obviously I can’t share it – and I’m not trying to be a worker and be all “Hey” There’s a big, huge announcement!” – but it is a pretty cool one. There is some pretty cool stuff coming up that people will be interested to hear from Global.
I would urge wrestling fans to keep an open mind and remember how long it takes to forge a process like this. It’s been around for a year. We live in a world where people expect things to materialise on cue, but it doesn’t work like that. Stick with it and watch it, because there’s some pretty cool stuff coming up. I think it’s going to be a new player in the business, otherwise I wouldn’t have gone forward with it.
1940 – At Riverview Park in Waterloo, Iowa; World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown defeated Mayes McLain, Dick Shikat beat Al Lovelock and Juan Humberto beat Alford Johnson
1961 – Shoulders Newman & Ted Travis defeated Neff Maivia & Billy White Wolf for the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Title in Honolulu, Hawaii; In St. Paul, MN at Midway Stadium; Hard Boiled Haggerty & Gene Kiniski beat Leo Nomellini & Wilbur Snyder to win AWA Tag title. (Kiniski now simultaneously holds the Tag Title, AWA US Title and AWA Heavyweight Title). Also on the card, Stan Kowalski beat George Scott, Roy McClarty drew Bob Geigel and Tony Bailargeon beat Marquis de Paree.
1968 – Fritz Von Erich & Grizzly Smith defeated The Spoiler & Gary Hart in Houston, Texas to win the NWA American Tag Team Title (later renamed the World Class World Tag Team Title)
1971 – Thunderbolt Patterson & Toru Tanaka defeated Johnny Valentine & Wahoo McDaniel to win the NWA American Tag Team Title (later renamed the World Class World Tag Team Title) in Ft. Worth, Texas.
1972 – In Miami, Florida; In a $5,000 Karate Match with Special Referee Don Curtis; Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods beat Paul Jones, Johnny Walker beat Buddy Colt, Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Ron Fuller & Johnny Kace, Cowboy Lang beat Wee Willie Wilson, Hiro Matsuda beat Redbeard by dq and Tony Garea & George McCready drew Phil Robley & Smasher Sloan; In Sioux Falls, SD; Billy Robinson drew Ivan Koloff and Larry Hennig & Dusty Rhodes beat Don Muraco & Wahoo McDaniel in 2 out of 3 falls
1973 – At Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas; Jim Brunzell & Mike George defeated Bob Orton & Percy Pringle, Roger Kirby defeated Jim Dalton, Lord Alfred Hayes defeated Jim Dalton, Rufus R. Jones defeated Tokyo Joe, Bob Brown defeated Hillbilly Vic, Danny Little Bear defeated Togo the Great via DQ and World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race defeated Terry Funk
1975 – In Chicago, Illinois; AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Baron Von Raschke by dq, AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat The Crusher & Dusty Rhodes, Wilbur Snyder beat Dr. Bill Miller, Ivan Putski beat Lord James Blears, Moose Cholak beat The Viking and Bobby Heenan beat Prince Pullins
1977 – In Davenport, Iowa; Bob Backlund & Larry Hennig & Billy Robinson beat Super Destroyer & Angelo Mosca & Roger Kirby, Greg Gagne beat Bobby Heenan, Jim Brunzell beat Blackjack Lanza and Steve Olsonoski beat Chris Markoff
1978 – In Honolulu, Hawaii; Tor Kamata beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel by dq, Sam Steamboat drew Bill Francis,
Ed Francis beat Chris Markoff, King Curtis ddq Pampero Firpo and Don Muraco & John Tolos beat Mr. Fuji & Randy Morse
1980 – Pierre Martel defeated Mr. Fuji to win the WWC North American Heavyweight Title in Caguas, Puerto Rico.
1981 – El Solitario defeated Eric Embry in Mexico City, Mexico to win the UWA World Junior Light-Heavyweight Title; In St. Paul, Minnesota; AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Adrian Adonis & Jesse Ventura, Sheik Adnan beat Tito Santana by countout, Jerry Blackwell beat Brad Rheingans and Baron Von Raschke beat Ben DeLeon
1985 – In East Rutherford, NJ at the Meadowlands; AWA Tag Team Champions Road Warriors beat Fabulous Freebirds Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy, AWA Champion Rick Martel beat Nick Bockwinkel, Sgt. Slaughter beat Larry Zbyszko, Joyce Grable won a women’s battle royal, Baron Von Raschke drew Billy Robinson, Ray Stevens beat Greg Gagne by dq, Buck Zumhofe drew Buddy Roberts, Bob Backlund beat Larry Sharpe and Boris Zhukov beat Sean O’Reilly. Attendance was 4500
1989 – The Brain Busters (Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson) defeated Demolition to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship in a two out of three falls match that aired on Saturday’ Nights Main Event. The event was taped in Worcester, Massachusetts.
1997 – The Gangstas (New Jack & Mustafa) defeated The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray & D-Von) to win the ECW World Tag Team Title in a Steel Cage Weapons match in Philadelphia, PA.
2009 – Angelina Love defeated Tara to win the TNA Knockouts Title in Orlando, Florida. Also, Kevin Nash defeated AJ Styles to win the Legends Title and Scott Steiner & Booker T defeated Beer Money to win the TNA Tag Team Championship.
1934 – In St. Louis, Missouri for promoter Tom Packs; Orville Brown beat Dr. Karl Sarpolis, Abe Coleman beat Whitey Hewitt, Dick Raines beat Tommy Marvin and George Tragos defeated Harold Metheny
1964 – In Omaha, Nebraska; AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Mad Dog Vachon dq, Reggie Parks drew Otto Von Krupp and Billy Red Cloud beat Bulldog Danny Plechas
1968 – In Winnipeg; The Crusher won a 12 man battle royal, NWA Champion Gene Kiniski beat Bill Watts by dq, Dr. X beat Man Mountain Mike and Crusher beat Harley Race
1972 – In Tampa, Florida at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory; In a Texas Death Match; Jack Brisco beat Paul Jones, Zodiac & Buddy Colt beat Mr Wrestling Tim Woods & Johnny Walker, Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Louie Tillet & Hiro Matsuda and Mike Graham beat Mike Webster
1974 – In Kansas City, Kansas; Don Fargo vs. Mike George, World Tag Team Champions Pat O’Connor & Omar Atlas vs. The Interns (w/ Dr. Ken Ramey) and Bob Brown vs. Harley Race.
1976 – In Green Bay, Wisconsin; AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Mad Dog Vachon, Baron Von Raschke beat Larry Hennig, Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Blackjack Lanza & Bobby Duncum in 2 out of 3 falls and Buddy Wolff drew Billy Red Cloud
1980 – Verne Gagne defeated Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA World Heavyweight Title at Cominskey Park in Chicago, Illinois. Also on the card, Jerry Blackwell (sub Ernie Ladd) beat Dick The Bruiser, Greg Gagne beat Bobby Heenan by count out, The Crusher & Mad Dog Vachon beat Jerry Valiant & Adrian Adonis, Bobo Brazil beat Super Destroyer Mark II, Steve Regal beat Roger Kirby, Paul Christy drew Tito Santana, Pat O’Connor no contest Wilbur Snyder and Jerry Blackwell won a 15 Man, $25,000 Battle Royal. Attendance was 12,000
1982 – In St. Paul, Minnesota; Hulk Hogan & Otto Wanz & Baron Von Raschke beat Ken Patera & Bobby Duncum & Jesse Ventura, AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Tito Santana & Rick Martel by countout, Jerry Blackwell & Sheik Adnan beat Spike Huber & Ray Stevens and Buck Zumhofe & Brad Rheingans beat Bobby Heenan & Rene Goulet
1988 – At the Mid South Coliseum in Memphis; AWA Champion Jerry Lawler beat Kerry Von Erich by dq, Jimmy Valiant & Jeff Jarrett no contest Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden, Billy Travis beat Great Sensei by dq, CWA Champion Phil Hickerson beat Max Pain and Brickhouse Brown beat Scott Steiner
1989 – Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard defeated Demolition for the WWF World Tag Team Title in Worcester, Massachusetts
1993 – At the Beach Blast 1993 PPV, Ric Flair defeats Barry Windham for the NWA World Heavyweight Wrestling Title in Biloxi, Mississippi; Vampire Warrior (Gangrel) defeated Jeff Jarrett for the USWA Southern Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee.
1999 – Balls Mahoney & Spike Dudley defeated The Dudley Boyz for the ECW World Tag Team Championship in Dayton, Ohio
2000 – Lance Storm defeated Mike Awesome in a tournament final for the WCW United States Heavyweight Title.
2010 – Kane defeated Rey Mysterio to win the WWE World Title after Kane cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase he won earlier in the night at the Money in the Bank PPV in Kansas City, Missouri.
2013 – At the Destination X PPV, Chris Sabin defeated Bully Ray to win the TNA World Title.
