This Day In History - July 4th
July 4th
On this day in history in ....
1966 - Don Leo Jonathan & Haystacks Calhoun defeat John Tolos & Tony Borne to win the NWA Canadian Tag Team Title.
1974 - Ric Flair & Rip Hawk defeat Paul Jones & Bob Bruggers in Greensboro, North Carolina to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Title.
1983 - World Class Championship Wrestling held their "Independence Day Star Wars" event in Fort Worth, Texas, with the following results:
- Michael Hayes defeated Iceman King Parsons in a Lights Out match.
- Bruiser Brody vs. Kamala ended in a double disqualification.
- David Von Erich defeated Jimmy Garvin to win the vacant World Class Texas Heavyweight Title.
- The Von Erichs (Kerry, Kevin & David) defeated The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts) in a three falls match when Kevin pinned Hayes to win the deciding fall.
1984 - World Class Championship Wrestling held their "Independence Day Star Wars" event in Fort Worth, Texas, with the following results:
- Killer Khan defeated Mike Reed.
- Scott Irwin & The Missing Link defeated Jose Lothario & Buck Zumhoffe.
- World Class American Heavyweight Champion Gino Hernandez defeated Jules Strongbow.
- Kelly Kiniski defeated George Weingroff.
- The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts) defeated The Von Erichs (Kerry, Kevin & Mike) to win the World Class Six-Man Tag Team Title when Hayes pinned Kevin.
- Iceman King Parsons defeated Bill Irwin in a singles match to win the World Class American Tag Team Title. Parsons chose Buck Zumhoffe as his partner.
- Gino Hernandez won a "Pole Battle Royal" in which a check was affixed to the top of a pole in the corner of the ring and the wrestlers had to try and climb the pole to be the first to get it.
- Chris Adams & Stella Mae French defeated Jimmy Garvin & Precious in a Loser Leaves Town steel cage match when Adams pinned Garvin.
1985 - World Class Championship Wrestling held their "Independence Day Star Wars" event in Fort Worth, Texas, with the following results:
- Steve Casey defeated Jack Victory.
- Brian Adidas vs. Jim Powers ended in a no-contest.
- The Fantastics defeated Rip Oliver & Kelly Kiniski in a three falls match in two straight falls.
- Iceman King Parsons defeated Tim Brooks.
- Kerry Von Erich defeated The One Man Gang in a Chicago Death Match.
- The Great Kabuki defeated Chris Adams.
- Sunshine defeated Jim Cornette. Cornette had to wrestle with one arm tied behind his back and a blindfold on.
- Chris Adams & Gino Hernandez defeated Kerry & Kevin Von Erich when Adams pinned Kerry.
1986 - World Class Championship Wrestling held their "Independence Day Star Wars" event in Dallas, Texas, with the following results:
- The Grapplers defeated Brad & Bart Batten.
- Buzz Sawyer defeated Brian Adidas to win the World Class Texas Heavyweight Title.
- Abdullah the Butcher defeated The Great Kabuki to win the World Class Brass Knuckles Title.
- Sunshine defeated The Raven.
- Steve Simpson defeated Tim Brooks.
- Bruiser Brody vs. Abdullah The Butcher ended in a double disqualification.
- Chris Adams defeated Rick Rude to win the World Class World Heavyweight Title.
- World Class Six-Man Tag Champions The Von Erichs (Kevin, Mike & Lance) defeated Butch Reed, Buzz Sawyer, & Matt Borne.
1987 - Jim Crockett Promotions holds the main show of their 1987 Great American Bash tour in Atlanta, Georgia at the Omni, featuring the debut of "War Games: The Match Beyond". The match features two rings, side by side, covered by a large steel cage with a roof. The bout saw The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard & Lex Luger) & manager JJ Dillon vs. Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, The Road Warriors & manager Paul Ellering. The match started with Rhodes vs. Anderson for five minutes, then the teams alternated sending in a wrestler in two minute intervals. Once both teams were completely inside the cage, the match could only end by submission or surrender. Dillon surrendered, giving Rhodes' team the victory. Dillon was injured during the match, and was replaced in the other War Games matches on the Bash tour by "The War Machine" (Bubba Rogers under a mask). The match would become a staple of Jim Crockett Promotions/WCW for years to come.
Here are results from the rest of the card:
- Kendall Windham defeated Gladiator #1.
- Sting defeated Thunderfoot #1.
- Lazertron defeated Spike of the Mod Squad.
- Jimmy Valiant defeated Basher of the Mod Squad.
- UWF Western States Champion Barry Windham defeated Rick Steiner.
- Ronnie & Jimmy Garvin defeated Vladimir Petrov & The Barbarian.
- UWF Tag Team Champions Tim Horner & Brad Armstrong defeated Big Bubba Rogers & Angel Of Death.
- Chris Adams defeated Black Bart via DQ.
- The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts) defeated Ivan Koloff, Manny Fernandez & Paul Jones.
- NWA World Tag Team Champions The Rock N' Roll Express defeated The Midnight Express via DQ.
- Steve Williams defeated Dick Murdoch in a Texas Death Match.
1990 - John Tatum defeats Bill Dundee in Dallas, Texas to win the USWA Southern Heavyweight Title for a third time, ending Dundee's third reign, and putting an end to a back and forth series of title switches between the two.
1997 - Michael Modest defeat Donovan Morgan in a tournament final to win the APW Universal Heavyweight Title.
