– The show opened with a comedy segment with the New Day complaining that the Dudleys are endangering furniture. The Dudleys came out, as did the Prime Time Players and it led to a match with Dudley vs. PTP.
– The Dudleys b Prime Time Players
– Stardust was to face Neville next, but The Ascension came out and laid out Neville which appeared to be on the orders of Stardust.
– Cesaro was doing an interview. Sheamus interrupted him.
– Sheamus b Cesaro
– The Miz TV segment with Lana saw Summer Rae come out and the two women got into it. Miz and Dolph Ziggler pulled them apart.
– Bo Dallas b R-Truth
– Charlotte b Tamina Snuka. Team Bella came out and Nikki raised the title belt in the air.
– Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose b WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) via DQ
Total Divas airs on E! at 9:00 p.m. ET with “Clash of the Divas.” Paige gets in trouble again, Nattie plays matchmaker with her sister and Big E, and Bryan doesn’t like Brie wearing overly revealing clothing.
SmackDown and Main Event will be taped in Miami. If you’re attending the taping, please send reports/results to to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com:
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Figure Four Weekly:
The new issue of Figure Four Weekly is now up for subscribers (subscribe to the site here and get access to Figure Four, the Observer, tons of audio, and more) featuring a hands-on look at WWE 2K16 from the 2K/WWE media event last week. There are also notes on WWE’s lawsuit against their Thai TV partner, including how this type of litigation is familiar territory for WWE and one past suit is exceptionally bizaree. On top of that, we have all the usual stuff like Vinny’s reviews and international news from Dr. Lucha Steve Sims and and Alan”4L” Counihan.
Last week’s FREE Figure Four Weekly is still up with a look at the crazy story of why Gawker thinks the FBI may have helped Hulk Hogan cover up his racist and homophobic comments. A judge has ordered the FBI to turn over the records of their investigation, and what Gawker is saying in court about what has and hasn’t been turned over paints a very interesting picture.
Also, now available for the first time on Kindle (meaning Kindle devices and anything with the Kindle app) is Fall Guys, the seminal 1937 book that has been described as being like the 1930s version of the Wrestling Observer. It was surprisingly not on Kindle already, so we put together a nice version with a full table of contents w/ chapter marks, proper formatting on everything, etc. Right now it’s available from the American, Canadian, and Australian Amazon/Kindle stores OR you can also buy it from anywhere in the world on PayHip, who will provide you with both Kindle and ePub (every other e-reader) format files, and you can either sideload them to your device or have them email it to your Kindle.
****
Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
A complete rundown of the WWE’s weekend in Brooklyn, with all the business notes, surprises and what is known about the future direction is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. We also cover the decision to have Holly Holm replace Miesha Tate as Ronda Rousey’s opponent next, a UFC business year-in-review story, ROH big weekend, New Japan next tour, 2017 Mania and Daniel Bryan future note.
The latest Wrestling Observer: Wrestling Observer Newsletter August 31, 2015: SummerSlam weekend wrap-up, UFC business
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The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.
We have rundowns of NXT Takeover, SummerSlam and Raw from Brooklyn. We look at the Night of Champions card and what is and isn’t confirmed, the unique aspect of that weekend no PPV, the returns of Sting and the Dudleys, Dudleys tag title reigns, Jushin Liger’s WWE future, New Japan stars at SummerSlam, Bray Wyatt’s new Wyatt family member and his booking, Jon Stewart, Lesnar and Undertaker’s finish, business notes, NXT in the U.K., Wrestlers complaining about fans at Raw, as well as more on the problems in the WWE Diva Division and what isn’t working.
We look at UFC’s 2015 business numbers and what they show about the UFC audience, the appeal of the audience to advertisers, how it compares with the audience at other sports, how much of this year’s increases have to do with Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey and what their effects are on business as a whole. We also look at who the new fans UFC has brought in this year are.
We also have full coverage of UFC from Saskatoon, with match-by-match coverage and business notes on the show.
We look at two major stars returning to a major promotion after seven years and their first programs, the CMLL Anniversary show main event, notes from the Arena Mexico shows from the past weekend Ultimo Dragon taping TV in Mexico City.
We also have notes on a top woman star being injured, a booker getting bad pub from television, a promotion so hot that their sold out events are going to be broadcast in movie theaters as well as upcoming tournaments in Japan.
We also have a look at the New Japan business and how it has increased over recent years, More on A.J. Styles challenging for the IWGP title, New wrestlers debuting in Japan including names not announced yet, lineups for the New Japan World shows in September, Hiroshi Tanahashi talks neck problem, Tanahashi talks theories of wrestling and Ricochet in New Japan.
We also look at WrestleMania in 2017, the Madison Square Garden network special the 2K 16 launch party, the next Stone Cold podcast, an update on Daniel Bryan and well as some of his own philosophies of wrestling, Dolph Ziggler talks contract, the end of Tough Enough, more on NXT talent and pay, stars with new deals, the WWE Divas title, HHH talks NXT, other stars talk who they’d like to see in WWE, Jericho talks Hogan and more.
We also note an indie show in Japan that outdrew Brock Lesnar and WWE at Sumo Hall, as well as the 40th anniversary of the pro debut of one of this era’s biggest stars.
We note the death of Duke Myers, his career highlights, GFW’s latest TV taping and everything that happened, Taz getting a new gig, Wale and pro wrestling, Terry Funk wrestling again in a few months, Jim Ross talk show, Leroy McGuirk into NWA Hall of Fame, Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Red, Alberto El Patron in Europe, promoter critical of Sabu and an update on Len Rossi.
We also look at the future of Lucha Underground, ROH/New Japan relationship update, next ROH PPV show, ROH weekend shows in Philadelphia and Brooklyn notes as well as the upcoming show.
We also update TNA.
We look at UFC’s marketing its fall and winter shows, what main events all UFC ‘s upcoming dates, Plans for the debut in Melbourne, Australia, and more notes on drug testing UFC athletes.
We also look at the next FOX show, lots of new fights, Ronda Rousey T-shirt sales, Anthony Johnson situation, Two UFC women fighters pregnant and new Fight Pass series.
We also look at a major wrestler signing, Alberto Del Rio in negotiations to be an announcer, early UFC promoter back running live shows and huge One championship bout.
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Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.
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Tuesday Daily Update
— Here’s the recommended reading to catch up on Jimmy Snuka being charged with the 1983 murder of girlfriend Nancy Argentino:
* Sarah Cassi of LehighValleyLive.cm has done an excellent job providing up to date information on her Twitter account.
* TMZ was first to obtain the grand jury record and apparently, Snuka’s changing story, including the differences between his police statement and the account in his book, is what swayed the grand jury.
— WWE issued this statement: “WWE expresses its continued sympathy to the Argentino family for their loss. Ultimately this legal matter will be decided by our judicial system.”
— To clear up some confusion from what the Morning Call initially reported, Snuka was not arrested at home in New Jersey. He surrended into custody in Pennsylvania. They’ve since edited their article.
— There’s a ton to go over, but from skimming the presentment and reading the mainstream articles so far, it looks like Snuka’s conflicting statements and history of domestic abuse were deciding factors on top of the forensic evidence. Snuka’s then-wife and Buddy Rogers’ widow are among the witnesses who testified.
Also, Irv Muchnick deserves a credit for staying on top of this story the way he did for so long. While it was known to MSG ringside regulars and some newsletter readers in the ’80s, it didn’t blow up until his article (written for the Village Voice, who never ran it) got attention in the late ’90s via his website.
— Statement from The Gulfport Police Department about the arrest of Thomas “Bram” Latimer (he’s since been released): Professional Wrestler Arrested on Domestic Violence Charges
Gulfport, FL—On 8/30 at approximately 6:00 AM, officers responded to a call about a disturbance in an apartment at 3205 58th Street South. There they encountered Thomas R. Latimer and a woman who identified herself as his girlfriend. The officers observed evidence indicative of a physical altercation, and their investigation revealed that, after the couple had been arguing, the woman felt threatened and sought refuge in her bedroom. Latimer followed her into the bedroom, closed the door, and refused to allow her to leave. He then pushed the woman onto the bed and was holding her down by her neck. Latimer, who is a wrestler with TNA Impact Wrestling, was charged with domestic battery by strangulation and false imprisonment. Both are felony charges, and he is currently being held in the Pinellas County Jail.
— UFC officially announced the retirement of Antoinio Rodrigo “Minotauro/Big Nog” Nogueira today. He’s getting a company ambassador job with the UFC.
— From Allan Blackstock: Preston City Wrestling (PCW) ran a show outside of the Preston City limits for the first time in their 4 year history on Saturday (8/29/15). This was a bought show by Blackpool Council and was free to attend. I estimated there were approx 1,200 in the ballroom at any one time. This is the same venue that NXT will be running on December 13th. The venue has a capacity of 3,000, Viper & Mr Anderson def. So Scandalous (Ryan Smile & Damian Dunne), Mickie James def. Toni Storm, The Wolves def. Martin Kirby & Joey Hayes, Dave Mastiff def. Nick “Magnus” Aldis, Lionheart def. Sha Samuels by disqualification, Noam Dar def. Ashton Smith by submission, Dave Rayne def. Gilligan Gordon, Mr Anderson & Too Cool def. Bubblegum, Rampage Brown & Iestyn Rees It was a family show with all the faces going over. Match of the day was the Wolves over Kirby/Hayes in a ***1/4 match.
— Pro Wrestling Eclipse Rocktoberfest has ben postponed until Oct 4th.
— No new WWE DVDs this week, but Monday Night War vol. 2 comes out a week from today on DVD and Blu-Ray.
— NWA Classics added a Midnight Express vs. Fantastics match today.
— Kris Zellner and myself were joined by Les Moore on the latest Between the Sheets podcast, covering August 25-31, 1991. Topics include SummerSlam ’91/Ultimate Warrior being suspended by the WWF, Randy Savage threatening to quit, Ric Flair threatening to sue a newsletter writer, and much more.
I learned three things from watching this episode. Hulk Hogan was phenomenal in 1985. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan is one of the greatest talkers in the history of the business. King Curtis Iaukea has a disgusting forehead.
Let’s start there. I love pro wrestling blood. As we all learned from watching 20/20 in 1984, the blood is often self-induced. But there was something thrilling to see Ric Flair get pounded and then lift his head and see the crimson mask. You knew the guys who bled were a bit tougher than the guys who didn’t. Ever see The Miz bleed? Exactly.
But I think I have changed my mind a bit on that after seeing Iaukea on this week’s episode of TNT. We’ll get to him in a moment, and it won’t be pretty.
*****
The show begins with Lord Alfred Hayes shouting, “From the World Wrestling Federation it’s TNT.”
The first guests are Heenan and “strongman” Ken Patera. Patera was one of the most uncharismatic wrestlers ever. He absolutely needed a manager. They tried to dress him up a bit with some shiny clothes, but it didn’t really work. Patera talked at you, not to you. And why did he disappear for awhile, skipping WrestleMania?
McMahon is in full instigator mode, reminding Heenan that the last time he was here it was an embarrassing situation. He’s referring to Paul Orndorff firing him. I don’t remember this and have never seen it because this episode for some reason is not on the WWE network. But we will take McMahon’ word for it.
Heenan says he’s not the kind of man who gets embarrassed. “If I had done something wrong and I had been the average 8-to-5, clock-punching humanoid I could be embarrassed,” Heenan said.
Heenan was so great at being dismissive. Rather than show us the clip of Orndorff firing Heenan, we go to an episode of Piper’s Pit, where Heenan reveals to Piper that Orndorff canned him.
Piper introduces Heenan with some respect. “We have with us the greatest wrestling manager I have ever seen in my entire life,” Piper says.
Paul Heyman is certainly giving The Brain a run for his money, but in 1985 Piper’s statement was 100 percent true. Heenan reveals what happened like he’s in some sort of confessional with his priest. There’s an air of guilt and shame in his words.
“The world’s biggest no-good, lowlife ingrate, Paul “Mr. Wonderful” Orndorff has fired me,” Heenan says.
Piper looks outraged and says “he cannot do that. He’s a coward. He’s Mr. Blunderful. He’s not worth wasting your time on.” Heenan is flustered and freaking out. “He was nothing until I took over,” he says, flinging his arms.
Orndorff did the job at WrestleMania and his reward for that was probably a big singles push as a good guy, and eventually a money-making run as Hulk Hogan’s No. 1 opponent.
Back in the TNT studios, Patera says Orndorff has “a lot of class, but it is low class.”
He claimed Orndorff’s career was mediocre until Heenan started managing him. Orndorff was cursed with a bit of what plagued Patera. Orndorff was a boring. He was a natural heel, and way better as a heel. He was way more unlikable than likable, so him turning on Heenan totally had to be carried by Heenan, who could make fruit salad look daring.
Heenan is pulling this whole segment off perfectly, a combination of paranoia, disappointment and unbridled rage.
“The day is going to come when I am going to be soaking my hands in epson salt to bring down the swelling because I am going to smack you so hard I am going to knock the taste out of your mouth,” Heenan says. Nothing like the little guy promising to destroy the musclehead.
Heenan says he remembers Orndorff, “out at Madison Square Garden like a cheap light bulb.”
Heenan then gets back to Patera, his new focus. He called Patera an Olympic Gold Medalist, which isn’t true, unless they had a category for best blonde curly perm. Heenan also claims Patera is undefeated, which isn’t true either.
We go to the ring with Patera pounding on some guy named Ronny Dee. Patera is 100 percent owning this guy, taking time to flex during the match, a move that would excite announcer Jesse “The Body” Ventura.
“Another little pose for the crowd: We like it Kenny,” Ventura says. Jack Reynolds is doing play-by-bay and asks why a man as strong as Patera needs to resort to choking his opponent.
Ventura says Patera needs to cut off the ring and take away the man’s air. “Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat,” Ventura says.
Patera pins him with a swinging full Nelson that would excite Cesaro. He puts one foot on his chest like he just retired Randy “Macho Man” Savage.
Back in the TNT studios Patera says he is putting Orndorff and the Hulkster on notice.
“I want that World Wrestling Federation belt around my waste. I am undefeated and everyone knows this,” Patera says. Patera would have needed to purchase one of those $250 replica belts that didn’t exist in 1985 if he wanted to be champion.
McMahon seems less interested in Patera and goes back to talking about Heenan. He asks Heenan if he is doubting himself and his abilities after Orndorff canned him. Heenan seems committed to ruining Orndorff.
“I am going to financially and physically make sure the Paul Orndorff’s living in some doorway of skid row,” Heenan says.
Heenan portrayed a genuine sense of betrayal here. This wasn’t just a wrestler firing his manager. This was a son turning on his father and moving out of the house. Heenan was hurt and it showed.
Up next is King Curtis Iaukea. I used to think Abdullah The Butcher had the most disgusting forehead in the business. Iaukea gives him a run for his money. I have to admit that I didn’t take a lot of notes during the Iaukea segment. I was too busy staring at his forehead. How and why did McMahon even allow this guy on television?
McMahon says “You look fabulous,” almost like he was trying to be sarcastic. He looked anything, but fabulous. He was an abrupt reminder that maybe it’s not such a bad thing that we don’t see a lot of blood anymore in wrestling.
Iaukea’s forehead is simply disgusting. He didn’t seem to mind though. He seemed fairly happy.
Since it’s wrestling, of course, we had to sit through a gazillion cultural stereotypes, and listen to Iaukea talk about life in Hawaii and the surfer, care-free attitude. I guess all people from Hawaii just hang around at the beach all-day.
Then we get some bizarre promotional video of Hawaii, which featured lots of scenic shots of the ocean, mountains — and skin.
Iaukea says “you can’t miss me. I am the fattest Hawaiian on the island.” Points to McMahon for saying that he thought he spotted a Kielbasa tree during the video. Hayes also deserves credit for saying one of the men surfing looks like Don Muraco.
When they show the girls in bikinis, McMahon tells Hayes to “watch your heart.”
From the stereotypes of Hawaii we go to the squared circle to see some vintage footage of Iaukea teaming up with Baron Mikel Scicluna against Chief Jay Strongbow and Sonny King.
When the segment was over, Iaukea shook McMahon’s hand: “It is a great honor and privilege to be a professional wrestler. Thank you for having me here and please come my way so I can make you comfortable.”
A lot of these old-timers really seemed to treat TNT like it were a real talk show. They seemed genuine to be there and tried to answer McMahon’s questions with legitimacy. That was another great thing about TNT. It was a total unscripted work on many occasions, but some some of the guys didn’t seem to be in on the joke. McMahon, of course, was eating up all of it, perhaps the only guy on the set, who wasn’t guessing.
From there we go to Hulk Hogan, the man who 30 years ago was one of the biggest stars in the world. It’s sad to see how far this guy has fallen. Since he’s Hogan though, I don’t doubt that he will rise again. He always seems to do so.
In this segment we go to Madison Square Garden where Hogan is the ringmaster for the circus. Hogan’s “Real American” music plays over clips of him beating up guys like the Iron Sheik.
From there we see Hogan interviewed by Bruce Beck on the MSG network. Beck is pointing out that Hogan is making a difference in the lives of 18,000 “handicapped youngsters.”
Hogan at one point puts two kids on his shoulders and smiles, looking genuinely happy. Beck asks him what it feels like to help the youngsters. Hogan says that initially he was a bit sad, but once he got to meet all the kids he realized that the were “full of life.”
Beck asked Hogan if he felt it was important for an athlete to give back.
“You’ve got to,” Hogan said. “These are the people who support you. It makes you realize where you stand. I don’t know how to explain it. It just make you feel really good.”
Hogan came across super genuine here.
Back in the studio McMahon introduces Hogan, who gives him a huge handshake. With the big smile on his face, McMahon doesn’t seem to interested in figuring out who was responsible for the wrestling boom of the 1980s, he or Hogan. It looks like he is just happy to be cashing those checks.
Hogan turns the focus to wrestling and says Patera and Studd are the types of challengers that the WWF doesn’t need. He praises Orndorff for dropping Heenan.
“The first good move he did was firing Bobby “The Brain” Heenan,” Hogan says. “Since then I have seen a lot of good change in the man. I think Mr. Wonderful is right on the right track.”
As we would find out later, Orndorff’s firing of Heenan was all a ruse, a set-up for one of the greatest turns in history, leading to one of the best house show runs in history. But for now, Orndorff and Hogan are buddies. Ever notice how everyone Hogan hangs out with eventually turns on him? Randy “Macho Man” Savage, Orndorff, Bubba “The Love Sponge?” Jimmy Hart apparently is the only guy who has figured out how to get along with Hogan for more than two decades.
Hogan stays on the couch as McMahon introduces “Mean” Gene Okerlund, another guy McMahon stole from the AWA.
Okerlund was one of the faces of the WWF in the 1980s. He’s one of those guys everybody 35 and older remembers. Gene was funny and whipsmart. They show a clip of him interviewing WWF Women’s Champion Richter. During the interview Richter says: “I am not about to lay down on my back and let some woman cover me.”
Okerlund starts laughing on camera, while Richter plays serious refusing to break character. Okerlund was famous for his reactions during live broadcasts, infamously dropping the F-Bomb when a part of the set fell down behind him during an interview.
He’s in a good mood during this episode, however. He’s wearing a what dress hat. McMahon asks him where he got it and Okerlund responds that it is the last thing that Truman Capote gave him before he left.
Okerlund starts talking about the good days when he and Hayes would “cavort with an occasional maiden.” Hayes reminds us that they were maidens, not wenches, prompting Okerlund to say “not that we didn’t try, but it just didn’t work out that way.”
McMahon and Hogan make fun of Okerlund wearing dress pants and dress shoes, but no socks, but Okerlund is proud to show of his legs.
This segment was going great until McMahon had to show us the video — for the third time in TNT history — of Hogan training Okerlund. This is footage of Hogan forcing Okerlund to run, lift weights and eat raw eggs. It was funny the first two times.
Back on the set Hogan says he need to train Okerlund because he found out that he had seven maidens lined up and had to get Gene into shape.
McMahon asks Okerlund how he got the name “Mean Gene.” Okerlund admits that it was given to him by Ventura, a declaration that probably had Hogan quietly using colorful language in his head, since Ventura was another guy Hogan couldn’t get along with.
The show ends with McMahon, Hayes, Hogan and Okerlund heading to the band and Okerlund to play a few songs on the piano as the credits rolled.
TNT this week offered a great mix of past, present and future, with great jokes and humor from Heenan and Okerlund. It’s amazing to see Hogan in his prime, just oozing charisma without even trying. Had he played his cards right, he could have been an announcer, a voice of the WWE, rather than persona non grata. He’s a good reminder that no matter how big of a superstar you become, it is still McMahon’s world.s
Jimmy Snuka, one of the most popular pro wrestlers of the 1980s, was charged Tuesday with third degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the 1983 death of mistress Nancy Argentino, someone he traveled the Northeast with during the last year of WWF as a Northeast territory.
Snuka surrendered himself into custody in Pennsylvania, was booked, and is being held on $100,000 bond.
The case was reopened last year after the Allentown Morning Call (PA) published a story about all the questions that were not answered involving the case. Here’s the paper’s updated story.
Argentino passed away on May 11, 1983, from traumatic brain injuries. Her body had a number of cuts and bruises.
Snuka had told police that while driving to Allentown, Argentino got out of the car, slipped when going to urinate on the side of the road, and hit her head. However, there were inconsistencies in his story from other stories reported by those who had spoken to him at the time.
The WWE made a statement regarding today’s legal proceedings:
“WWE expresses its continued sympathy to the Argentino family for their loss. Ultimately this legal matter will be decided by our judicial system.”
Due to an issue at Neilsen, cable TV ratings for last night will not be released until Wednesday morning which is when we’ll get WWE RAW numbers for Monday.
Raw was battling NFL preseason football, and had a show built largely around Sting and the Dudleys appearing, as well as the Divas’ Beat the Clock challenge.
The UFC announced Tuesday at a press conference in Brazil that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has retired as a fighter and has taken an Athlete Relations Ambassador position in UFC Brazil.
Nogueira, the first holder of the Pride world heavyweight championship and who also held the UFC interim heavyweight title, will serve as a liaison for the promotion between athletes, sponsors, media and governing bodies, as well as act as a mentor in developing young athletes. He will also serve as a scout for UFC in looking for new fighters in Brazil.
Nogueira and his brother, current UFC fighter Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, own a chain of Team Nogueira gyms that have 33 locations worldwide with more than 10,000 total students.
– R-Truth def. Adam Rose. Rose did the party pooper gimmick he was doing at the weekend house shows.
– Neville and the Lucha Dragons def. Stardust and The Ascension when Neville hit the Red Arrow for the pin and win.
Post Raw:
After Cena and Sting left, Cena came right back out to his music. This led to…
– John Cena & Randy Orton def. Seth Rollins & Sheamus when Orton pinned Sheamus in 10 minutes after a lot of AA’s and RKOs.
Notes:
– The crowd was into Sting in the opening segment.
– The women’s beat the clock series was very disappointing. PCB and Sasha Banks got big reactions for their entrances, but it was quiet during the first two matches. Lots of Sasha and Paige chants for the short amount of time that lasted.
– Big reaction for Kevin Owens. Ambrose and Reigns were also over. No boos at all for Reigns.
– Dudleys and New Day got big reactions when they came out, but crowd got tired during this match.
– Cena reaction was about 75 percent favorable.
– Interesting that Rollins’ line about Sting killing WCW got a lot of boos. WCW did big business in Florida, but we’re talking 15-20 years ago and even further beyond that.
Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin is expected to announce developments this afternoon in the Grand Jury investigation of Jimmy Snuka regarding the 1983 death of Nancy Argentino, his mistress at the time, who died in Allentown.
A series of articles on the 30th anniversary of her death caused the case to be reopened.
On Tuesday, ROH announced that the ROH World Champion/TV Champion Jay Lethal vs. Stevie Richards match that was set up at this past Saturday’s Atlanta, GA, house show will happen on 9/26 in Lockport, NY at the Kenan Center.
At this point, it has not been announced if either of Lethal’s titles are on the line as he defends both the TV and ROH titles on the 9/18 PPV show in San Antonio, facing Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly, respectively, in the same angle predating what WWE is doing for its show two nights later at WWE Night Of Champions.
1868 – Homer Lane defeated James H. McLaughlin for the American Collar-and-Elbow Title in Utica, New York.
1923 – Clarence Weber defeated Billy Meeske in Melbourne, Australia to win the Australian Heavyweight Title
1941 – Wild Red Berry defeated Danny McShain for the World Light Heavyweight Title in Hollywood, California
1946 – George Becker defeated Babe Sharkey in Portland, Oregon to win the Pacific Northwest (later Los Angeles) World Heavyweight Title.
1958 – Eddie and Jerry Graham defeated Don Curtis and Mark Lewin in Washington, DC to win the Northeast NWA United States Tag Team Title.
1967 – Killer Kowalski defeated Bearcat Wright in Melbourne, Australia for the International Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title.
1972 – At Soldier Field (Home of the Bears) in Chicago, Illinois; AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Ivan Koloff, Steel Cage Match, Special Ref Jersey Joe Walcott, Dick the Bruiser & the Crusher beat Blackjack Lanza & Blackjack Mulligan, AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Billy Robinson & Wilbur Snyder, Dusty Rhodes beat Wahoo McDaniel Handicap Match: Andre Rousimoff beat Larry Hennig & Butcher Vachon, Baron Von Raschke beat Billy Red Cloud, Sailor Art Thomas beat Hans Hermann, Ramon Torres beat Angelo Poffo and Rene Goulet beat Don Muraco. Attendance was 12,000: Johnny Valentine defeated Johnny Powers to win the National Wrestling Federation North American Heavyweight Title in Cleveland, Ohio
1977 – Don Leo Jonathan defeated Otto Wanz for the Catch Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title in Johannesburg, South Africa; Dory Funk, Jr. defeated Ciclón Negro in Amarillo, Texas to win the Amarillo NWA International Heavyweight Title
1978 – Pak Choo and Roddy Piper defeated Ryuma Go and Black Gordman to win the NWA Americas Tag Team Title; Paddy Ryan defeated Mr. Sakurada for the Stampede North American Heavyweight Title in Calgary, Alberta.
1979 – Pat Patterson was introduced as the first WWF Intercontinental Champion.
1979 – Jimmy Snuka defeated Ricky Steamboat to win vacant Mid-Atlantic NWA United States Heavyweight Title during a one night tournament held in Charlotte, NC.
1980 – Tommy Rich defeated Jimmy Valiant for the AWA Southern Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee.
1982 – Paul Jones defeated Jack Brisco to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title in Charlotte, North Carolina
1985 – American Force (Paul Diamond and Shawn Michaels) are awarded the TASW Texas Tag Team TItle in San Antonio, Texas.
1985 – In Orlando, Florida; Wahoo McDaniel & Billy Jack Haynes beat AWA Tag Team Champions Road Warriors dq, Rick Rude beat Frank Lane, Rip Oliver & Grappler beat Coco Samoa & Kendall Windham and Hector Guerrero drew Jack Hart
1986
Championship Wrestling from Florida hosted the Battle of the Belts III card at Daytona Beach, Florida. The White Ninja (Keiji Muto) defeated NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Champion Tim Horner to win the title and Barry Windham defeated NWA Florida Heavyweight Champion Ron Bass to win the title. Also, NWA World Champion Ric Flair wrestled Lex Luger to a time limit draw. Attendance was 8,000.
Matt Borne and WCWA Texas Heavyweight Champion Buzz Sawyer defeated WCWA World Heavyweight Champion Chris Adams and WCWA World Six-Man Tag Team Champion Lance Von Erich to become the first WCWA World Tag Team Champions during the Labor Day Star Wars event in Fort Worth, Texas. Also, WCWA World Heavyweight Champion Chris Adams defeated Rick Rude by disqualification to retain the title and Abdullah the Butcher defeated Bruiser Brody by disqualification.
Tarzan Goto and Akio Sato defeated Jeff Jarrett and Pat Tanaka for the CWA International Tag Team Title in Memphis, Tennessee. At the same show, Don Bass and Dirty Rhodes (Roger Smith) defeat Cousin Junior and Giant Hillbilly Elmer to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Title; Denny Brown defeated Steve Regal to win the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title in Greenville, South Carolina
1990 – Fit Finlay defeated Steve Wright in Vienna, Austria to win the CWA World Middleweight Title.
1991 – The Grappler and Don Harris defeated Demolition Crush and Steve Doll for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title in Seaside, Oregon.
1993 – Los Cowboys (Silver King and El Texano) won the WWA World Tag Team Championship in Tlanepantla, Mexico, by defeating Corazón de León (Chris Jericho) and El Dandy.
1994 – Hiromichi Fuyuki, Gedo and Jado defeated Bob Backlund, Scott Putski and Warlord to win the WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Title in Saku, Japan.
2004 – In Nashville, Tennessee; NWA World Tag Team Champions The Naturals (Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens) defeated America’s Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm) and Triple X (Christopher Daniels and Elix Skipper) in a three-way match to retain the title and TNA X Division Champion Petey Williams (with Coach D’Amore) defeated Sonjay Dutt to retain the title.
2011 – Mickie James defeated Winter to become TNA Knockout Champion in Huntsville, Alabama. Also, TNA World Champion Kurt Angle retained the title over Sting and Christopher Daniels defeated AJ Styles.
