This Day In History - September 21st
On this day in history in ....
1964 - Fred Blassie and Bobo Brazil took their famous feud to Madison Square Garden in New York City, where the two battled to a draw. In the main event, WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated Waldo Von Erich via countout.
1986 - Carlos Colon defeats Terry Funk in a tournament final for the WWC Universal Heavyweight Title in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The belt had been vacated on April 30th when Colon was injured. This began Colon's fifth reign with the belt. On the same card, The Rock N' Roll RPM's (Mike Davia & Tommy Lane) defeatThe Pastores (Luke Williams & Butch Miller) to win the WWC World Tag Team Title, starting their second reign.
1981 - WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeats Intercontinental Champion Don Muraco in a Texas Death Match at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
1987 - Ted DiBiase made his return to Madison Square Garden after almost eight years after his last Garden match (where he lost to a debuting Hulk Hogan). In his Million Dollar Man persona, DiBiase offered Junkyard Dog $500 to not wrestle him. JYD instead headbutted DiBiase, then gave out the money to the crowd.
1989 - WWE taped Saturday Night's Main Event at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio. Here are the results, which aired on October 14, 1989 on NBC:
- Randy Savage defeated Jimmy Snuka with a rollup after hitting him with Sensational Sherri's loaded purse.
- WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan defeated Ted DiBiase with a small package. After the match, DiBiase and Zeus attacked Hogan, but Jake Roberts made the save, using Damien to run them off.
- Roddy Piper defeated Haku with a belly to belly suplex.
- Tito Santana vs. Rick Martel ended in a double disqualification when their upcoming Survivor Series partners (Dusty Rhodes, Red Rooster, Brutus Beefcake, Big Bossman, Akeem, Honky Tonk Man) all interfered and a huge brawl broke out.
- The Buskwackers defeated The Rougeau Brothers when Butch Miller pinned Jacques after a double gutbuster.
1990 - Dustin Rhodes made his Madison Square Garden debut, defeating Paul Diamond with an elbowdrop.
1992 - Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes defeat Terry Gordy & Steve Williams to win the WCW & NWA World Tag Team Championship in Atlanta, Georgia.
1992 - Brian Christopher defeats Reno Riggins in Memphis, Tennessee to win the vacant USWA Southern Heavyweight Title. The belt had been vacated after a match between then-champion Riggins and Christopher on September 14th. With this win, Christopher became the champion for the fifth time. On the same card, Junkyard Dog defeated Eddie Gilbert for the USWA Unified Heavyweight Title, ending Gilbert's second reign, and Moondog Fifi defeated Miss Texas for the USWA Women's Title.
1994 - After just over three years of operations, the Global Wrestling Federation closed down. The group, which had a television show on ESPN, had attempted to fill the wrestling void left when Fritz Von Erich left the business and Jerry Jarrett stopped promoting in Texas. This would pretty much mark the end of any Dallas-based company as a national force on the wrestling scene. The company is credited for helping to launch the careers of The Patriot, Jerry Lynn, and Lightning Kid (Sean Waltman).
1994 - WWF ran Sayreville High School in Sayreville, NJ with the following results: Nikolai Volkoff pinned PJ Walker (ECW's Justin Credible), WWF Ladies champion Alundra Blayze (Madusa) pinned Bull Nakano, Kwang (Savio Vega under a mask) pinned Jim Powers, Doink (Ray Apollo) pinned Jeff Jarrett, Thurman "Sparky" Plugg (Bob Holly) pinned Abe"Knuckleball" Schwartz (Brooklyn Brawler Steve Lombardi), The Heavenly Bodies defeated Well Dunn, Mabel pinned Bam Bam Bigelow.
1998 - Masahiro Chono vacates the IWGP Heavyweight Title due to a severe neck injury.
1999 - During a Smackdown taping in Dallas, Texas, Triple H wrestles five times in order to earn a spot in the Six-Pack Challenge at Unforgiven. He loses to Big Show in a Chokeslam match, defeats Kane in an Inferno match, loses to Mideon & Viscera in a Casket Match, defeats Mankind in a Boiler Room Brawl, and defeats the Rock in a Brahma Bullrope Match. Also on the show, Road Dogg & Billy Gunn defeat The Rock & Mankind to win the WWF Tag Team Championship and Ken Shamrock wrestles his final WWF match, losing to Chris Jericho in a First Blood match when Jericho hits Shamrock with a hockey stick and Shamrock "spits up" blood.
2002 - Xavier defeats Low Ki in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to become the second ever Ring Of Honor champion.
2003 - WWE held their Unforgiven Pay-per-view in Hershey, Pennsylvania at the Giant Center, headlined by Bill Goldberg defeating Triple H for the World Heavyweight Title. This would be the final championship, to date, that Goldberg would win. Here is Tim Whitehead's original report on the show:
WWE's Unforgiven, a RAW brand PPV, aired live from Hershey, PA. I'm giving the show a thumbs up, mainly for HHH finally dropping the world title and the fact that everyone worked hard. Overall it was a somewhat mixed show, hot in spots, cold in others.
THE DUDLEYS defeated LA RESISTANCE & ROB CONWAY in a handicap tables match to capture the RAW World Tag Titles in 10:17. Earlier on HEAT it was announced that Spike Dudley couldn't compete due to injury. Eric Bischoff made the match into a handicap bout (it was originally a six man). Steve Austin then upped the ante and declared that La Resistance's tag belts would be on the line. D-Von got doubled on early. He fought back, and joined Bubba Ray in destroying Conway. Bubba cleared the ring of all three heels to a good pop. D-Von tagged back in and cleared the ring again with a ton of flying lariats. Bubba called for the tables after a wazzup spot, and before you know it several tables materialized in and around the ring. D-Von got sent through a table first (the rules were that to win you had to put all of the opposing team through a table). Bubba pounded Sylvan Grenier and put him through a table. D-Von moved a table to keep Bubba from being smashed through it. The Dudleys then powerbombed Conway from the ring through a table on the floor, and his head hit a second table next to it in a manner similar to what happened to Spike two weeks ago. Finally they 3D'ed Rene Dupre through a table for the win. Decent opener, and the crowd was into it.
TEST defeated SCOTT STEINER in 6:56. Jim Ross kept talking about how sweet Stacy Keibler is, how she has a nice personality, etc., leading Jerry Lawler to say JR probably goes to Hooter's and orders carry-out. Stacy kissed Steiner, infuriating Test. Steiner hit a suplex, some chops, and an elbow. Test tried to use Stacy as a shield and she slapped him. Test sent Steiner into the stairs and then full nelson slammed him. Test came off the top but got caught and suplexed. Test got powerbombed but didn't seem to go up right for it. Test tried to use the ropes for a pin after a low blow on Steiner, but Stacy broke the pin up. Test reached over the ropes to grab her, but she snapped his neck on the ropes and Steiner almost scored the pin. Test hit the pump handle slam, but got distracted by Stacy and chased her rather than going for the pin. There was a badly mistimed spot where Stacy accidentally bumped into Steiner, leading to Test booting him in the face. Test got a chair. Stacy took it from him and swung it at him, but Test ducked and Steiner took the blow. Stacy looked like she was about to cry. Steiner staggered back up, but caught the boot to the face and was pinned. This was the usual cluster-type match we've been seeing on RAW. Test dragged Stacy to the back afterward, as it was reported that Steiner, by losing, now becomes Test's "property". We'll see the results of this tonight on RAW.
RANDY ORTON defeated SHAWN MICHAELS in 19:20. Ric Flair came out with Orton. Heartbreak Kid outwrestled Orton on the mat. Orton tried to match HBK move for move but HBK kept outwitting him. Orton looked frustrated. HBK hurled Orton over but he skinned the cat and nailed HBK with a dropkick. Orton put the boots to HBK. Orton came off the top but caught a knee to the groin. HBK lariated Orton over and skinned the cat himself. HBK nailed Orton on the floor with a flying crossbody off the top. HBK dominated for a while, scoring some twos after standard suplex and sunset flip moves. They traded fists and chops. HBK charged at Orton, and ended up hitting the post when Orton sidestepped. Flair posted the wounded HBK and gave him a low blow. Orton began working on HBK's shoulder, which was sold as injured from the post shot. Orton scored several two counts here. HBK came back with fists and chops, hitting a flying forearm. HBK did a kip-up to show he was still in the game. He backdropped Orton and slugged Flair off the apron. HBK hurled Orton over the top and sent him into the ring barrier. Back in the ring, Orton recoverd and sent HBK crashing upside down into the corner. Orton blocked the sweet chin music and hit the RKO, but only scored a two. Orton came off the top with a crossbody. HBK sidestepped and Orton crashed to the mat. HBK slugged Flair again. He hit an elbow off the top on Orton, but hurt his own shoulder (still sore from the earlier posting) and couldn't follow up with a pin. He kipped-up again. HBK hit the chin music and Orton went down and was pinned, but Flair put Orton's foot on the rope right after the three count. The ref saw it there and assumed it had been there during the count, so he voided his count and the match continued. Flair got back on the apron, and HBK nailed him with the chin music, but this gave Orton the opening to pull out some brass knux. He KO'ed HBK with them and scored the pin. Very good match, easily the best on the show.
Chris Jericho visited La Resistance & Conway. All three were nursing their wounds from the tables match. Jericho said they were the latest victims of Austin's abuses of power as general manager. He noted that their match wasn't supposed to be for the tag titles but that Austin changed the rules just minutes before the match. He vowed that he would stand up and fight Austin's tyranny.
TRISH STRATUS & LITA defeated MOLLY HOLLY & GAIL KIM in 6:45. Trish & Lita cleaned house early. Lita nailed Gail with armdrags, backdrops, and suplexes. Trish chopped the hell out of Gail. Molly enabled Gail to gain command but Trish fought back and escaped Gail's choke-type hold. Trish got trapped in the heel corner and beaten down. She escaped and tagged but the ref didn't see it and disallowed it. As Gail stomped Trish, Molly caused Lita to bump off the apron. It looked like Lita hit pretty hard and she split her lip open. Lita was a little rusty here from being out of action for a year. Lita finally hot tagged and threw lariats and fists like crazy. She hit a spinning headscissors on Molly and Litabombed Gail. Trish gave Molly a huracanrana and Lita then hit her with a twist of fate and moonsault for the pin. All action, and a solid match.
KANE defeated SHANE McMAHON in the Last Man Standing match in 19:52. Shane hit Kane with a chair from behind during the intros. He nailed Kane with several chairshots, including some to the knee. He wrapped Kane's knee around the ringpost. He rammed Kane into the stairs. Kane juiced from the back, apparently from a chairshot. Shane came off the ring barrier but Kane caught him and slammed him on the floor. The ref counted but Shane got back up. Kane beat Shane down and hit him with the stairs. Shane made it back up at the count of eight. In the ring, Kane chokeslammed Shane, but Shane again got back up before the ten count. The ref got bumped. Kane went for a tombstone piledriver, but decided to do it on the stairs, so he dropped Shane and brought the stairs into the ring. Shane recovered and bulldogged Kane on the stairs. Shane did a Van Terminator, kicking the stairs into Kane's face. The ref was still out, and in fact he was out for a ridiculously long time with no substitute ref coming in. He finally revived just as both Kane and Shane went down after some brawling with the stairs. Both beat the ten count. They left the ring and brawled up the aisle, with Shane holding his own as he slugged it out with the alleged monster. Kane rammed Shane over and over into the steel Unforgiven sign. Kane smashed Shane into the Spanish announcers' desk, which was on an elevated platform, and then tried to turn the desk over on Shane, but Shane rolled clear. Shane hit Kane with a piece of metal and a boom camera (breaking the camera lens). Kane got back up at the nine count. Shane used a cable to choke Kane and to drag him up on a platform. He beat Kane down with a monitor and gave him a DDT. Shane then went to the top of the big Unforgiven sign and came off, attempting to give Kane an elbow smash. But Kane rolled clear and Shane crashed through the wooden platform in a daredevil spot. JR & Lawler sold it like Shane was destroyed and likely broke his neck. Shane stayed down and was ten counted, with Kane winning. Shane did a full neck brace and stretcher job, and it was later reported that he was hospitalized. I have mixed feelings about this match. On the one hand, it's totally bizarre to push Shane as competitive with a guy they're trying to promote as an unstoppable monster. On the other hand, they were both good here and the crowd seemed to love it, and Shane clearly got over doing that daredevil spot.
Jericho confronted Austin backstage. He blamed him for making Kane into a monster and for screwing La Resistance out of their tag belts. Austin dared him to take his best shot. But Jericho said he was too smart for that, and would force Austin to crack by getting to him psychologically and avoiding any physical provocation.
CHRISTIAN defeated CHRIS JERICHO and ROB VAN DAM in a three way match to retain the IC Title in 19:02. The crowd was dead here after the Last Man Standing spectacle and the earlier HBK vs. Orton bout. In addition, most of the match didn't click. I've never been a fan of three way matches, which always have too many broken up pin attempts. Most of the match was Jericho & Christian doubling on RVD, but then being unable to pin him because neither wanted the other to win. RVD rallied a few times but obviously couldn't score the pin either. A lot of this was really sloppy and they seemed to not be on the same page. Some early highlights were RVD moonsaulting both foes on the floor, RVD hitting a somersault plancha on Christian, and Jericho hitting a springboard dropkick on RVD. Jericho blocked an RVD huracanrana attempt and hooked the walls hold, but Christian broke it up. Jericho and Christian went at it for a while. RVD started a comeback and the crowd finally got into the match the last four minutes or so. They did one great spot where RVD was setting Jericho up for a move off the top, but Christian got underneath both and superplexed them. RVD hit a frog splash on both foes at the same time. Christian brought the title belt in. RVD sent Jericho from the ring and laid Christian out. He went up for the frog splash but Christian got his knees up, with the title belt on his knees, and RVD landed on the belt. Christian pinned RVD to retain the title. JR said the match wasn't pretty, which was his way of saying it was disappointing, which it was. But the last four minutes or so were good.
Triple H did a promo comparing Goldberg to a dragon-slaying knight in a fairy tale who suddenly finds himself in the real world and gets his ass kicked. HHH said he doesn't believe the hype.
AL SNOW & JONATHAN COACHMAN defeated JIM ROSS & JERRY LAWLER in 8:16. No one did commentary here, since apparently no one realized it was necessary. Actually, it wasn't. JR wore an Oklahoma jersey. Lawler and Snow started off, doing some routine brawling and occasional pin attempts. Snow backdropped Lawler. Coach, from the ring apron, told Snow to do another backdrop, but this time Lawler blocked it and gave Snow a piledriver. Snow draped his leg across the ropes to break the three count. Snow rallied and beat Lawler down. Coach tagged himself in, against Snow's wishes. Coach stomped Lawler and went for the bronco ride but got crotched when Lawler moved. Lawler bodyslammed Coach as the crowd chanted for tables. Lawler hit Coach with a fistdrop. Snow broke up Lawler's attempted pin. JR tagged in to a big pop. Snow confronted him like a bully, and JR kicked him in the balls. JR then put the boots to Coach as if he were nothing but a government mule. JR was pounding the hell out of Coach, and seemed primed for victory. But, out of sight of the ref, Jericho ran in, dropkicked JR, and rolled Coach on top of him. Lawler tried for the save but Snow held him. JR was pinned. Jericho did a promo from ringside boasting that this was the first stage in his plan to mentally break Austin, namely by costing his boy JR his job, since the stips were that Snow & Coach would replace JR & Lawler on RAW if victorious. The match itself was about what you'd expect, but JR was great during the post-match, looking heartbroken at the loss, and telling Lawler he let him down. He did a nice promo talking about how he'd wanted to be in the wrestling business since he was a kid and said Lawler was like a brother to him. He and Lawler vowed to go out on top like professionals and to call their final match together (the main event) doing the best job of the careers.
GOLDBERG defeated TRIPLE H to capture the RAW World Title in 14:57. The rules were that the title could change hands on a DQ or count-out, and that Goldberg would have to retire if he lost. The crowd was hot at first but soon cooled, though they popped at the finish. Goldberg press slammed HHH early and HHH bailed out. They slugged it out, followed by a backdrop from Goldberg, and HHH bailed again. HHH snapped Goldberg's throat on the ropes. HHH got back in the ring, but Goldberg caught him with a suplex. Goldberg went for a spear. However, HHH nailed Goldberg with a knee to the head, so the spear move backfired. HHH lariated Goldberg out and posted him. HHH hit a chop block and wrapped Goldberg's leg around the post. He kept working over Goldberg's leg, including hooking the figure four. Goldberg reversed it, but HHH escaped. HHH hit a knee drop. He went for another one but Goldberg blocked it and hit a powerslam. HHH bumped out, where Goldberg rammed him into the stairs. HHH juiced. Back in the ring, there was the mandatory ref bump. HHH hit Goldberg with a low blow and a DDT. Goldberg shook it off and backdropped HHH from the ring. HHH got the sledgehammer he always has hidden under the ring (why don't they search for it earlier?) and hit Goldberg with it. Goldberg went down, but this time came back up like Superman, or more likely Hulk Hogan, and speared the shocked HHH. Goldberg jackhammered HHH for the pin as the ref revived. The match was only average, and to get Goldberg's win over it needed to be quick and lighting-like, which wasn't going to be allowed for political reasons. But Goldberg is now the champ and we'll see how they handle it.
2004 - At a Smackdown taping in Phoenix, Arizona, The Fabulous Moolah & Mae Young (combined age of 162) defeat Torrie Wilson & Dawn Marie (combined age 62) when Moolah rolled up Dawn for the pin in under four minutes.
2006 - WWE signs 2 Cold Scorpio to a three year contract. He would go back to his old WWF name of Flash Funk (because he would not sign the rights to the Scorpio name over to WWE) and be used on a few overseas shows, but would never appear on WWE TV, and would be released less than a year after being signed.
2006 - Word came out that Vince Russo had officially joined the TNA Creative team, while Mike Tenay and Scott D'Amore were off the team. This meant the new creative team would be Vince Russo, Dutch Mantel and Jeff Jarrett.
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