This Day In History - April 24th
April 24th
On this day in history in ....
1967 - John & Chris Tolos defeat Don Leo Jonathan & Rocky Johnson to win the NWA Canadian Tag Team Title for the second time.
1978 - WWWF ran at Madison Square Garden in New York City with the following results:
- Mil Mascaras defeated The Golden Terror.
- Peter Maivia defeated Butcher Vachon.
- WWWF Tag Team Champions Dino Bravo & Dominic DeNucci defeated Stan Stasiak & Johnny Rodz.
- Dusty Rhodes vs. Spiros Arion ended in a draw.
- Strong Kobayashi defeated Steve King.
- Ken Patera defeated Larry Zbyszko.
- WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Superstar Graham in a steel cage match.
1987 - Ken Patera wrestled his first match following his prison term for the infamous "McDonald's incident" at a WWF television taping in New Haven, Connecticut. Patera defeated Hercules Hernandez via disqualification when Harley Race and Bobby Heenan interfered as Hercules was about to lose to Patera's bearhug.
1989 - New Japan Pro Wrestling held their first ever Tokyo Dome event, "Super Powers Clash" drawing 44,000 fans for a show that featured a tournament for the IWGP Title, and the participation of Russian wrestlers and martial artists. Lou Thesz was brought in as special referee for several matches. Here are the results:
- Naoki Sano defeated Hiro Saito to win the Young Lions League.
- IWGP Tournament, First Round: Big Van Vader defeated Masahiro Chono.
- IWGP Tournament, First Round: Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Vladimir Berkovich.
- IWGP Tournament, First Round: Victor Zangiev defeated Buzz Sawyer.
- IWGP Tournament, First Round: Shinya Hashimoto defeated Riki Choshu.
- Benny "The Jet" Uriquidez vs. Shinya Asuka went to a five round draw.
- IWGP Tournament, Semifinals: Big Van Vader defeated Tatsumi Fujinami.
- IWGP Tournament, Semifinals: Shinya Hashimoto defeated Victor Zangiev.
- Wahka Eveleov defeated Masa Saito.
- Big Van Vader defeated Shinya Hashimoto to win the IWGP Title tournament.
- IWGP Tag Team Champions Super Strong Machine & George Takano defeated Hiro Hase & Shiro Koshinaka.
- In his debut (with the Liger gimmick), Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Kuniaki Kobayashi.
- Salman Hashimikov defeated Bam Bam Bigelow.
- Shota Chochyashvili defeated Antonio Inoki to win the New Japan Martial Arts Title.
1989 - WWF ran at Madison Square Garden in New York City with the following results:
- Greg Valentine defeated The Blue Blazer.
- Hillbilly Jim defeated The Honky Tonk Man via DQ when Honky Tonk attacked Hillbilly before the match with Jimmy Hart's megaphone.
- Dino Bravo defeated Hercules Hernandez.
- Paul Roma defeated Boris Zhukov.
- Jake Roberts defeated Ted DiBiase.
- Mr. Perfect vs. Bret Hart ended in a twenty minute draw.
- The Bushwackers defeated Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard.
- Randy Savage defeated WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan via countout when Sensational Sherri prevented Hogan from beating the ten count.
1990 - At a WWF television taping in San Antonio, Texas, Roddy Piper fought Rick Martel to a double DQ in an Intercontinental Title tournament match. What makes the match interesting is that the Finals of the tournament, with Curt Hennig defeating Tito Santana for the title, was taped the night before this match!
1991 - WWF held their UK-only PPV event, UK Rampage, at the London Arena in England. Here are the results:
- Jim Neidhart defeated The Warlord.
- Greg Valentine defeated Haku.
- Ted DiBiase defeated Kerry Von Erich via countout.
- The Rockers defeated The Orient Express.
- Jimmy Snuka defeated The Barbarian.
- Davey Boy Smith defeated The Bezerker.
- Earthquake defeated Jake Roberts via countout.
- WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan defeated Sgt. Slaughter.
1994 - At a WCW television taping at the Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, Ric Flair defeated Ricky Steamboat to win back the WCW World Title, which had been held up following the double-pin finish of a match between the two at the Spring Stampede Pay-per-view. This match, which would air on WCW Saturday Night, would be the final bout between Steamboat and Flair.
1992 - Danny Davis is stripped of the Global Wrestling Federation World Light-Heavyweight Title. Davis had left the GWF for Memphis, and despite leaving the company, wrestled on Memphis shows at the GWF Champion.
1998 - Ox Harley defeats Harry Palmer to win the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title in Louisville, Kentucky. Previous champion Axl Rotten had been stripped of the title.
1999 - ECW and the WWF both ran shows in New York City on the same night, with ECW running the Elks Lodge in Queens, New York while WWF ran at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. Both shows were sold out, with ECW drawing over 1,000 fans to their event and WWF drawing 16,000 to theirs. Here are the results from the shows:
ECW in Queens, New York:
- Nova defeated Little Guido.
- Jerry Lynn defeated TAKA Michinoku.
- Yoshihiro Tajiri & Spike Dudley defeated Super Crazy & Mosco de la Merced.
- Tommy Dreamer defeated Lance Storm.
- Skull Von Krush defeated Danny Doring.
- Balls Mahoney defeated New Jack.
- ECW Television Champion Rob Van Dam defeated Bubba Ray Dudley.
WWF in Manhattan, New York:
- The Acolytes defeated the DOA.
- Jerry Lawler defeated Droz.
- WWF Tag Team Champions X-Pac & Kane defeated Big Bossman & Test.
- WWF Hardcore Champion Hardcore Holly defeated Val Venis.
- Road Dogg & Billy Gunn defeated Owen Hart & Jeff Jarrett and Gangrel & Edge.
- Undertaker & Mideon defeated Ken Shamrock & Mankind.
- WWF Intercontinental Champion The Godfather defeated Goldust.
- Al Snow & Tori defeated D'Lo Brown & Ivory.
- Steve Austin & The Big Show defeated The Rock & Triple H.
2004 - Cold Cabana & CM Punk defeat Jay & Mark Briscoe to win the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Title in Chicago, Illinois.
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