This Day In History - December 16th
December 16th
On this day in history in ....
1880 - John McMahon defeats H.M. Dufur in Boston, Massachusetts to win the American Collar-and-Elbow Title, ending Dufur's second reign.
1917 - Frank Gotch, an early professional wrestling great who many feel was the first true crossover celebrity into the mainstream entertainment world, died of kidney failure brought on by Uremic Poisoning at the age of 38 (some reports list him as being 39 and 40) in his birthplace of Humboldt Iowa..
1941 - Black Guzmán defeats Tarzan López in Mexico City, Mexico for the NWA World Middleweight Title.
1949 - Verne Gagne defeats Leo Newman in Houston, Texas to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title.
1949 - George Flynn defeats Danno O'Connor for the Georgia version of the NWA Southern Heavyweight Title in Atlanta, Georgia.
1952 - Fred Atkins and Ray Eckert defeat Ben and Mike Sharpe to win the San Francisco version of the NWA World Tag Team Title, ending the Sharpes' sixth reign.
1954 - Ray Villmer defeats Joe Dusek in Kansas City, Kansas to win the NWA Central States Title.
1955 - Al Lolotai defeats The Zebra Kid (George Bollas) to win the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title in Honolulu, Hawaii.
1962 - Mr. High and Mr. Low (Doug Gilbert and Dick Steinborn) defeat Art and Stan Neilson in St. Paul, Minnesota to win the AWA World Tag Team Title.
1963 - Édouard Carpentier wins his second World Wrestling Association (Los Angeles) World Heavyweight Title by forfeit, when Bearcat Wright no-shows a title defense in Indio, California.
1966 - Mike DiBiase defeats The Viking in St. Joseph, Missouri, to win the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title for the third time.
1970 - Mighty Atlas and Oni Wiki Wiki defeat Bobby Hart and Lorenzo Parente for the Mid-America version of the NWA World Tag Team Title in Nashville, Tennessee.
1970 - Bob Kelly wins his second NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title, defeating The Wrestling Pro in Mobile, Alabama.
1970 - Bill Robinson defeats The Destroyer (Dick Beyer) for the Hawaii version of the NWA North American Heavyweight Title.
1971 - Ole Anderson defeats Jack Brisco in Tampa, Florida for the NWA Florida Television Title, ending Brisco's second reign with the belt.
1972 - George Gordienko and Super Hawk defeat Danny Babich and Michel Martel for the Stampede International Tag Team Title.
1975 - Rock Riddle and John Tolos defeat Micky Doyle and Mando Lopez to win the NWA Americas Tag Team Title.
1977 - The Canadian (Roddy Piper) wins his fourth NWA Americas Heavyweight Title by ending the 11th reign of Chavo Guerrero in Los Angeles, California.
1978 - Bobby Eaton and George Gulas defeat Gypsy Joe and Tojo Yamamoto for the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
1980 - Jackie Sato defeats Nancy Kumi to win the vacant WWWA World Singles Title in Tokyo, Japan, beginning her third reign.
1983 - Mike Rotundo defeats Greg Valentine in a tournament final for the vacant NWA Florida Heavyweight Title in St. Petersburg, Florida.
1984 - Blue Panther defeats El Matematico in Mexico City, Mexico for the UWA World Welterweight Title.
1986 - Hacksaw Higgins and Kareem Muhammad defeat The Fabulous Ones (Steve Keirn and Stan Lane) for the Florida version of the NWA United States Tag Team Title in Tampa, Florida, ending the Fabulous Ones' second reign. Higgins and Muhammad would be the final champions.
1986 - Bad News Allen defeats The Falcon in Orlando, Florida to become the final NWA Bahamas Heavyweight Champion. The title would be abandoned in 1987.
1987 - The WWF held their second annual "Slammy Awards" in Atlantic City, New Jersey, at Caesar's Palace. Here are the winners:
Best Performance by an Animal: George Steele
Woman of the Year: Miss Elizabeth
Best Ring Apparel: Harley Race (This was followed by Race brawling with Hacksaw Duggan, who was presenting the award. For the rest of the show, Race and Duggan brawled all over the building and backstage, while Gorilla Monsoon, following them with a camera crew, provided commentary.)
Hulk Hogan Real American Award: Billy Graham
Jesse "The Body" Award: Rick Rude
Greatest Hit: Jim Duggan
Manager of the Year: Presenter Gorilla Monsoon announced that the envelope was empty, so there was no winner, ticking off Bobby Heenan, Mr. Fuji, Jimmy Hart, and Slick.
Best Personal Hygiene: Nikolai Volkoff, Boris Zuhkov and Slick
Best Vocal Performance:
Song of the Year: There was no winner, as Sika the Samoan ate the envelope.
Best Group: One Man Gang
Humanitarian of the Year: Ted DiBiase (the story was that he bought the award)
Best Head: Gene Okerlund and Bam Bam Bigelow
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan Scholarship Award: Islanders Haku and Tama, Andre the Giant, Hercules, King Kong Bundy, and Harley Race (who were all managed by Heenan at the time).
This was the infamous program where Vince McMahon sang "Stand Back", footage that still haunts many fans to this day.
1988 - Terry Gordy and Stan Hansen win the vacant AJPW Unified Tag Team Title for the second time, by winning the 12th annual World's Strongest Tag Team League.
1990 - WCW held their Starrcade Pay-per-view at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri. The show centered around the Pat O'Conner International Tag Team Tournament, and also featured an end to the months-long storyline of the "Black Scorpion" that had been hounding WCW World Champion Sting, claiming to be someone from his past. Here are the results from the show:
- In a match held before the PPV broadcast, Bill Irwin defeated TC Carter.
- Bobby Eaton defeated Tom Zenk with a small package after Zenk missed a top rope dropkick.
- Tag Team Tournament, First Round: USA: Rick & Scott Steiner defeated South Africa: Sgt. Krueger (Matt Borne) & Col. DeKlerk (Rocco Rock) when Scott pinned DeKlerk with a Frankensteiner.
- Tag Team Tournament, First Round: Mexico: Konnan & Rey Misterio defeated United Kingdom: Chris Adams & Norman Smiley when Konnan pinned Smiley with a superplex.
- Tag Team Tournament, First Round: Japan: The Great Muta & Mr. Saito defeated New Zealand: Jack Victory & Rip Morgan when Muta pinned Victory with a German suplex.
- Tag Team Tournament, First Round: USSR: Victor Zangiev & Salman Hashimikov defeated Canada: Danny Johnson & Troy Montour when Hashimikov defeated Montour via submission with an armbar.
- Michael Wallstreet defeated Terry Taylor with a Samoan Drop.
- The Skyscrapers (Dan Spivey & Sid Vicious) defeated Big Cat & Motor City Madman in one minute when Vicious pinned Madman after a double powerbomb.
- Tommy Rich & Ricky Morton defeated Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin when Morton pinned Garvin with a rollup after manager Little Richard Marley's interference backfires and he hits Garvin with a crutch. The Freebirds would beat up Marley afterwards for the mistake.
- Tag Team Tournament, Semifinals: Rick & Scott Steiner defeated Konnan & Rey Mysterio when Rick pinned Mistero with a powerbomb as Misterio went for a rana.
- Tag Team Tournament, Semifinals: The Great Muta & Mr. Saito defeated Victor Zangiev & Salman Hashimikov when Saito pinned Zangiev with a backdrop driver.
- Lex Luger defeated Stan Hansen in a Bullrope match to win the NWA United States Title by touching all four corners. The referee was knocked out as Luger touched the fourth, and a second referee came out and declared Hansen the winner after seeing him touch all four corners, but the first referee woke up and said he say Luger touch four corners first, so he was declared the winner. This began Luger's fourth reign as champion.
- NWA World Tag Team Champions Doom vs. Arn Anderson & Barry Windham (subbing for Ric Flair) in a street fight ended in a no-contest when Windham pinned Ron Simmons with a small package and Butch Reed pinned Anderson with a clothesline at the same time.
- Tag Team Tournament Finals, Rick & Scott Steiner defeated The Great Muta & Mr. Saito when Rick pinned Saito with a sunset flip as Saito was putting Scott in a sleeper to win the tournament.
- NWA World Champion Sting defeated The Black Scorpion with a flying bodypress in a steel cage match. Dick The Bruiser was the special referee, and after the match a slew of Scorpions attacked Sting and Bruiser. Barry Windham and Arn Anderson finally jointed the brawl, and the Scorpion that Sting defeated was unmasked to reveal Ric Flair.
1992 - El Dandy defeats Bestia Salvaje for the CMLL World Middleweight Title in Naucalpan, Mexico, beginning his second reign.
1993 - Shinichi Nakano defeats ends Masayoshi Motegi's third reign as WWC World Junior Heavyweight Champion in Kawasaki, Japan. This was during the WWC's partnership with the W*ING promotion.
1994 - The Cowboys (Silver King and El Texano) defeat Emilio Charles, Jr. and El Sátanico to win the vacant CMLL World Tag Team Title. The title had been vacated the previous month when Canek, who held the title with Dr. Wagner, Jr., chose to no longer appear for the promotion.
1995 - Tony St. Clair and August Smisl defeat Cannonball Grizzly and John Hawk in Bremen, Germany for the Catch Wrestling Association Tag Team Title.
1999 - Ultimo Vampiro ends Bombero Infernal's second reign as IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Champion in Naucalpan, Mexico. At the same event, Scorpio, Jr. defeats Super Parka for the IWRG Intercontinental Heavyweight Title.
2000 - Lucha libre legend Blue Demon, born Alejandro Muñoz Moreno, dies of a heart attack at age 78.
2000 - Thunder and Lightning win their second WWC Tag Team Title, defeating The West Texas Rednecks (Barry and Kendall Windham) in Carolina, Puerto Rico.
2000 - Hy-Zya defeats Todd Morton for the vacant IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Title in Charlestown, Indiana, beginning his fifth reign.
2003 - T.J. Dalton and J.T. Stahr defeat The Riggs Brothers (Johnny and Jason) to win the HWA Tag Team Title.
2004 - Masaaki Mochizuki defeats CIMA for Dragon Gate's Open The Dream Gate Title in Tokyo, Japan.
2005 - Karachi Vice (Tiger Raj Singh and Gama Singh, Jr.) defeat Ravenous Randy and Pete Wilson to win the Stampede International Tag Team Title, beginning their second reign.
2006 - Don Jardine, better known as The Spoiler, dies from complications from a heart attack and leukemia in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, at age 66.
2006 - Carlito defeats Jon Heidenreich to win the WWC Universal Heavyweight Title in Caguas, Puerto Rico, beginning his short-lived 11th reign. Heidenreich would win the title back the same night.
2006 - Two German Stampede Wrestling titles change hands in Oberhausen, Germany, as The Absolute Alliance (Steve Allison and John Kay) defeat Steve Douglas and Emil Sitoci for the GSW Tag Team Title, and Chris Colen defeats champion Absolute Andy and Murat Bosporus in a Falls Count Anywhere match to win the GSW Breakthrough Title.
2006 - Shinobi defeats Sayoko Mita, a female newscaster, to win the DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight, for apparently the 153rd time.
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