This Day in History - 2nd May, 2013

May 2nd

On this day in history in ....

1951 - Japanese legend Mr. Pogo was born.

1963 - Ray Traylor, known professionally as The Big Bossman, Big Bubba Rogers, The Guardian Angel and The Boss over different points of his career, was born.

1963 - The WWWF ran Washington DC with the following results:
-Chris & John Tolos defeated Pete Sanchez & Arnold Skaaland.
-Eduard Carpentier defeated Willie Bath.
-Pat Barrett defeated Pedro Morales.
-The Shadow defeated Ron Reed.
-Brute Bernard & Skull Murphy defeated Gregory Jarque & Pedro Morales.
-Johnny Barend defeated Boris Malenko.
-Eduard Carpentier fought Hans Mortier to a draw.

1964 - WWWF champion Bruno Sammartino defeated Boris Malenko in Philadelphia, PA.

1964 - Mad Dog Vachon won the AWA World title from Verne Gagne.

1965 - Bill Miller defeated WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino via disqualification at TV Taping in Washington, DC. According to newspaper reports, Miller petitioned the WWWF to be awarded the title but the organization stated that it was non-title.

1966 - Bruno Sammartino defeated Killer Kowalski in Adelaide, Australia.

1968 - WWWF ran a TV Taping in Washington, DC at the National Arena featuring:

Bull Ramos defeated Lennie Solomon
Virgil the Kentucky Butcher defeated Louis Cerdan
George Steele defeated Pete Sanchez
Eduard Carpentier defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna
Arnold Skaaland defeated Johnny Rodz
Earl Maynard & Victor Rivera defeated Lou Albano & Tony Altimore
Bobo Brazil defeated Bill Miller (sub. for Prof. Toru Tanaka)

1969 - WWWF ran Philadelphia, PA at the Civic Arena, featuring the following results:

The Batman Tony Marino & Dominic DeNucci defeated Lou Albano & Tony Altimore in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match
Victor Rivera pinned Ron Romano
Johnny DeFazio & Antonio Pugliese fought Baron Mikel Scicluna & Luke Graham to a draw
Haystacks Calhoun pinned Duke Savage
Killer Kowalski pinned John L Sullivan
Prof. Toru Tanaka pinned Guillotine Gordon
WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated George Steele via referee’s decision when Steele was injured and deemed too bloody to continue after Killer Kowalski interfered in the contest

1970 - WWWF ran Philadelphia, PA featuring the following results:

Lee Wong defeated Frank Hickey
John L Sullivan defeated Joe Turco
Dominic DeNucci defeated Prof. Toru Tanaka via count-out
The Fabulous Moolah defeated Sharon Young
The Mongols defeated Victor Rivera & Gorilla Monsoon
WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino fought Karl Kovacs to a double count-out

1972 - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is born.

1973 - WWWF ran Pittsfield, MA with the following results:

El Olympico fought Mike McCord to a draw
The Fabulous Moolah & Dottie Downs defeated Lilly Thomas & Tippy Wells in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-1
Freddie Blassie fought Chief Jay Strongbow to a double disqualification
WWWF Tag Team Champions Mr. Fuji & Prof. Toru Tanaka defeated Gorilla Monsoon & Tony Garea via count-out

1975 - WWWF ran Albany, NY at the Washington Ave. Armory with the following results:
Hans Schroeder defeated Joe Nova
Butcher Vachon defeated Mike Paidousis
Lee Wong fought Bill White to a draw
Waldo Von Erich defeated El Olympico
Victor Rivera defeated the Wolfman

1975 - WWWF ran Pittsburgh, PA at the Civic Arena, featuring WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeating Bobby Duncum in a Texas Death Match. Haystacks Calhoun was the guest referee for the bout

1978 - WWWF ran Portland, Maine featuring the following results:
Tank Patton defeated Johnny Tarzansis
SD Jones defeated Strong Kobayashi via disqualification
SD Jones fought Johnny Rodz to a draw
Peter Maivia defeated Stan Stasiak
Spiros Arion & Superstar Billy & Luke Graham defeated Haystacks Calhoun & Dino Bravo, & Dominic DeNucci

1979 - The WWF ran Bangor, Maine at the Auditorium with the following results:
-Hussein Arab defeated SD Jones.
-Jerry Valiant defeated Tony Altimore.
-Johnny Valiant defeated Dominic DeNucci via count-out.
-Steve Travis defeated Jimmy Valiant via disqualification.
-Cowboy Lang & Tiny Thumb defeated Butch Cassidy & Little Tokyo.
-WWF North American Champion Ted DiBiase fought Greg Valentine to a draw.

1980 - Former WWE star Caylen Croft was born.

1980 - WWF ran Pittsburgh, PA at the Civic Arena, featuring the following results:
Nick Busick pinned Jim Grabmire
Jo Jo Andrews pinned Tony Altimore
Baron Mikel Scicluna fought Johnny DeFazio to a draw
Dominic DeNucci defeated Johnny Valiant via disqualification
Pat Patterson defeated Ken Patera via disqualification
WWF World Champion Bob Backlund pinned Afa
Bruno Sammartino defeated Larry Zbyszko via count-out

1980 - WWF ran Albany, NY at the Washington Ave. Armory, featuring:
Frank Savage defeated Steve King
Larry Sharpe fought Johnny Rodz to a double disqualification
Tor Kamata defeated Frank Williams
Bobby Duncum defeated Rene Goulet
Hulk Hogan defeated Jose Estrada
Ivan Putski defeated Sika via disqualification

1982 - Buzz Sawyer defeats Tommy Rich for the Georgia National Heavyweight Title in Atlanta, Georgia, ending Rich's third title reign.

1982 - NWA World Champion Ric Flair defeated Angelo Mosca via disqualification in the main event of a Jim Crockett Promotions event at the Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina.

1982 - WWF ran Hartford, CT at the Civic Center, featuring the following results:
Johnny Rodz defeated Pete Mitchell
Charlie Fulton defeated Steve King
Bob Orton Jr. defeated Pete Sanchez
WWF Tag Team Champion Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito defeated Rick McGraw & Steve Travis
Adrian Adonis defeated Tony Garea
WWF Intercontinental Champion Pedro Morales defeated Greg Valentine in a Streetfight
Tony Atlas defeated Jesse Ventura
WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Blackjack Mulligan

1983 - Jim Crockett Promotioins ran Greenville, SC at the Memorial Auditorium featuring the following results:
The Magic Dragon defeated Mike Davis
Kelly Kiniski defeated keith Larsen
Mike Rotundo defeated Jake Roberts
NWA U.S. Champion Greg Valentine defeated Rufus R. Jones
Jimmy Valiant defeated the Great Kabuki
NWA World Tag Team Champions Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood fought Jack & Jerry Brisco to a double disqualification

1983 - Tony Atlas defeated NWA World Champion Ric Flair via disqualification at a Georgia Championship Wrestling event in Beckley, WV.

1983 - WWF ran Ogdensburg, NY at the Free Academy Gym, featuring:
Johnny Rodz pinned Pete Sanchez with a small package
Chief Jay Strongbow pinned Fred Marzino (substitute for Charlie Fulton)
SD Jones fought The Destroyer to a draw
Salvatore Bellomo pinned Swede Hanson with a reverse roll up
Iron Mike Sharpe pinned Jules Strongbow with a sunset flip
WWF World Champion Bob Backlund pinned WWF Intercontinental Champion Don Muraco.

1984 - WWF ran White Plains, NY at the Westchester County Civic Center, featuring:
Terry Daniels fought Pete Sanchez to a draw
Akira Maeda defeated Israel Matia
The Tonga Kid defeated Steve Lombardi
Paul Orndorff defeated Salvatore Bellomo
Jimmy Snuka defeated Ron Shaw
WWF Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana defeated Tiger Chung Lee
WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan fought David Schultz to a double count-out

1985 - Jim Crockett Promotions ran Pittsburgh, PA featuring:
Pez Whatley defeated LP
Denny Brown defeated John Tatum
Krusher Kruschev defeated Stoney Burke
Buzz Tyler fought Bob Roop to a draw
National Tag Team Champions Arn & Ole Anderson defeated Thunderbolt Patterson & Manny Fernandez
National Heavyweight Champion Ron Garvin defeated NWA TV Champion Tully Blanchard via disqualification

1985 - WWF ran Dallas, TX at the Convention Center, featuring:
Brutus Beefcake defeated SD Jones
Don Muraco defeated Chief Jay Strongbow
Rick McGraw fought Moondog Spot to a draw
Ricky Steamboat defeated the Cobra
Moondog Spot defeated Rick McGraw
WWF Women's Champion Wendi Richter defeated Leilani Kai
King Kong Bundy defeated Tony Garea
Jimmy Snuka defeated Roddy Piper via disqualification
Tito Santana defeated Bob Orton Jr. via disqualification

1985 - WWF ran Salisbury, MD at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center, featuring:
Bret Hart pinned Bob Bradley
Ivan Putski pinned Matt Borne
WWF Tag Team Champions Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik defeated The British Bulldogs
Tony Atlas fought Jim Neidhart to a double count-out
The Junkyard Dog defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion Greg Valentine via countout

1986 - Jim Crockett Promotions ran the Scorpe in Norfolk, Virginia featuring:
Don Kernodle defeated Mark Fleming
Leo Burke defeated Denny Brown
Dusty Rhodes & NWA U.S. Champion Magnum TA defeated Ivan & Nikita Koloff
Robert Gibson defeated NWA National Heavyweight Champion Tully Blanchard via disqualification
NWA TV Champion Arn Anderson defeated Ron Garvin
Ricky Morton fought NWA World Champion Ric Flair to a 60 minute draw.

1986 - WWF ran Uniondale, Long Island at the Nassau Coliseum, featuring:

King Tonga pinned Iron Mike Sharpe
Nikolai Volkoff pinned Lanny Poffo
Cpl. Kirchner pinned Tiger Chung Lee
SD Jones pinned the Red Demon
Paul Orndorff defeated Don Muraco via disqualification
Adrian Adonis defeated George Steele via disqualification
Jimmy Hart, Dory Funk Jr., & Jimmy Jack Funk defeated the Junkyard Dog, Ricky Steamboat, & the Haiti Kid when Hart pinned the Kid

1987 - Curt Hennig defeats Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA World Heavyweight Title in San Francisco, California after Larry Zbyszko handed him a roll of quarters to knock him out with. It would go on to be the only World title win of Hennig's career.

1987 - WWF ran Boston, MA at the Boston Garden, drawing 11,834 fans for an event broadcast on NESN, which featured:
-Nick Kiniski pinned Frenchy Martin with a German suplex into a bridge at 11:31
-Demolition (w/ Mr. Fuji) defeated the Islanders at 9:32 when Smash pinned Tama after Ax used Fuji's cane as a weapon
-Iron Mike Sharpe pinned Sivi Afi at 9:37 by grabbing the tights for leverage after the momentum of a flying bodypress by Afi put Sharpe on top
-WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan pinned King Harley Race at 9:17 with a roll up after Race missed a diving headbutt off the top; after the bout, Race attacked Hogan as he was posing and bloodied him; later on in the card, the champion returned ringside and challenged Race to a Texas Death Match for the following month's card and if he couldn't beat Race then he would quit pro wrestling
- Sika (w/ Mr. Fuji) pinned Pete Doherty at 3:07 with the Samoan Drop
-Brutus Beefcake defeated Johnny V via submission with the sleeper at 3:24; after the bout, Beefcake spraypainted and cut some of Valiant’s hair.
-Ken Patera (w/ Jake Roberts, who he was subbing for) pinned the Honkytonk Man (w/ Jimmy Hart) with an elbow drop after Roberts tripped Honky at 9:22; during the match, Hart briefly joined the commentary team of Gorilla Monsoon & Lord Alfred Hayes at ringside; after the bout, Patera applied the full nelson on Honky but was attacked from behind by Hart with the megaphone just as Roberts was getting Damien out of the bag to put on Honky.
-WWF Tag Team Champions Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart (w/ Jimmy Hart) defeated Davey Boy Smith & the Dynamite Kid via disqualification at 7:47 after Smith used Jimmy Hart's megaphone as a weapon; after the bout, Jimmy was thrown onto the champions on the arena floor.

The same night, WWF also ran Chicago, IL at the Rosemont Horizon, featuring:
-Outback Jack defeated Jimmy Jack Funk
-Ron Bass defeated Pedro Morales
-Rick Martel & Tom Zenk defeated Don Muraco & Bob Orton Jr.
-Jacques & Raymond Rougeau defeated Greg Valentine & Dino Bravo
-Jim Duggan defeated the Iron Sheik
-Koko B. Ware defeated Danny Davis
-Tito Santana fought Butch Reed to a 20-minute draw
-WWF Intercontinental champion Ricky Steamboat defeated Randy Savage in a steel cage match

1987 - A Jim Crockett Promotions events in Chatanooga, TN was headlined by Bob & Brad Armstrong defeated Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane via disqualification

1991 - WWF ran London, England at The Wembley Arena featuring the following results:
Dave Taylor, Tony St. Clair, & Danny Collins defeated Drew McDonald, Chic Cullen, & Johnny Smith when Collins pinned Cullen with a piledriver in a six man tag featuring British talents.
Koko B. Ware pinned the Brooklyn Brawler with a dropkick off the top
Jim Duggan pinned the Barbarian
Davey Boy Smith defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect via countout
Power & Glory, Paul Roma & Hercules defeated the Bushwhackers when Roma pinned Butch
The Berzerker (substituting for Rick Martel) pinned Tito Santana
Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart defeated Demolition when Bret pinned Smash
Greg Valentine pinned Haku
The Ultimate Warrior defeated the Undertaker via disqualification

1991- WCW ran The Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina with the following results:

Sam Houston defeated Joe Cruz.
The One Man Gang defeated Joey Maggs.
Big Josh defeated Jack Victory.
Dustin Rhodes, Tracey Smothers & Steve Armstrong defeated Dr. X, Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin.
WCW US Champion Lex Luger fought Nikita Koloff to a double disqualification.
Sting & El Gigante defeated WCW World Champion Ric Flair & Barry Windham in a steel cage match.

1992 - WCW ran Saginaw, Michigan at the Civic Center with the following results:
Jimmy Garvin pinned Mike Graham
WCW U.S. Tag Team Champion Greg Valentine pinned Marcus Alexander Bagwell
Tom Zenk pinned Mr. Hughes
Johnny B. Badd pinned Tracy Smothers
Rick & Scott Steiner defeated WCW World Tag Team Champions Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton via disqualification after Anderson hit Scott with Paul E. Dangerously's phone
Ron Simmons pinned WCW U.S. Tag Team Champion Terry Taylor
WCW World TV Champion Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes defeated Larry Zbyszko & Diamond Dallas Page
WCW U.S. Champion Rick Rude defeated Ricky Steamboat via disqualification at the 25-minute mark
Nikita Koloff (substituting for WCW World Champion Sting) pinned Steve Austin at 18:36

1992 - WWF ran Philadelphia, PA at the Spectrum, featuring:
Crush pinned Kato
The Nasty Boys defeated Owen Hart & Jim Powers
Jim Duggan defeated Repo Man via disqualification
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Papa Shango with the flying shoulderblock / splash combo
WWF Intercontinental Champion Bret Hart pinned Shawn Michaels after Michaels inadvertantly knocked Sensational Sherri off the apron
Rick Martel pinned Tito Santana
The Legion of Doom defeated the Beverly Brothers following a modified version of the Doomsday Device

1993 - WCW ran Harrisonburg, VA at the High School featuring the following results:
Vinnie Vegas (Kevin Nash) defeated Steve Regal
Johnny B. Badd defeated Chris Benoit
Keith & Kent Cole defeated the Wrecking Crew
Arn Anderson defeated Erik Watts
Ricky Steamboat defeated Unitfied WCW/NWA World Tag Team Champion Brian Pillman
Davey Boy Smith defeated Rick Rude via disqualification
WCW U.S. Champion Dustin Rhodes defeated WCW TV Champion Paul Orndorff; only the US title was at stake
NWA Champion Barry Windham defeated Ron Simmons

1993 - WWF ran three events in the same day with the following results:

Matinee event in Providence, RI at the Civic Center:
The Brooklyn Brawler pinned Jim Powers with a swinging neck breaker
Damien Demento pinned El Matador by holding onto the top rope as he was slammed into the ring
The Headshrinkers defeated the Smoking Gunns
Yokozuna pinned Jim Duggan with the Bonzai Drop
Bam Bam Bigelow pinned Kamala with a roll up
Mr. Perfect fought WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels to a 22-minute time limit draw. Michaels had almost pinned Perfect earlier after hitting him with the Intercontinental belt but the Smoking Gunns and Powers rushed in the ring and told the referee what had happened - so the match continued. Michaels was in the Perfect Plex when the bell rang
Bob Backlund pinned Blake Beverly
Bret Hart defeated Lex Luger via disqualification when Razor Ramon interfered as Hart had Luger in the Sharpshooter

Evening event in Binghamton, NY:
Owen Hart defeated Damien Demento
Crush fought Doink the Clown (Matt Borne) to a double count-out
Mr. Hughes defeated Virgil
The Undertaker defeated Giant Gonzalez via disqualification
Papa Shango defeated Typhoon
Tatanka defeated Terry Taylor
Rick & Scott Steiner defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Money Inc., Ted Dibiase & IRS via disqualification

Evening event in Springfield, MA at the Civic Center, featuring:
The Brooklyn Brawler defeated Jim Powers
Bob Backlund defeated Blake Beverly
The Headshrinkers defeated the Smoking Gunns
Yokozuna defeated Jim Duggan
Mr. Perfect defeated WWF Intercontinental champion Champion Shawn Michaels via disqualification
Bam Bam Bigelow defeated Kamala
Bret Hart defeated Lex Luger via disqualification when Razor Ramon interfered.

1994 - Larry Zbyszko defeats Lord Steven Regal for the WCW Television Title in Atlanta, Georgia. This was part of a storyline where Zbyszko, who was a heel announcer, got tired of Regal bashing the United States. Zbyszko came out of retirement, defeated Regal in a non-title match, then beat him again to win the belt. Regal would win it back just under two months later. The title change took place at Center Stage, the home of WCW Saturday Night as part of a TV taping. The taping featured the following results as well:

Marcus Alexander Bagwell defeated Shanghai Pierce
WCW U.S. Champion Steve Austin defeated Marcus Alexander Bagwell
Lord Steven Regal defeated Brad Armstrong
WCW U.S. Champion Steve Austin defeated Brian Armstrong
Ricky Steamboat defeated Bobby Eaton
Alex Wright defeated Tanaka-san (Pat Tanaka)
Dustin Rhodes & Johnny B. Badd defeated Pretty Wonderful, Paul Roma & Paul Orndorff

1994 - Jake Roberts defeats Dirty White Boy Tony Anthony for the Smoky Mountain Wrestling Heavyweight Title in Harriman, Tennessee as part of TV taping This ended Anthony's second reign. Roberts would promptly disappear from the promotion when he began no showing events, with Anthony regaining the belt in a phantom title change. The complete results from the taping saw:

Bobby Blaze defeated Killer Kyle
The Dirty White Boy pinned James Adkins at 2:01
SMW Beat the Champ TV Champion Bruiser Bedlam defeated Anthony Michaels at 1:28 via submission
Jake Roberts pinned SMW Heavyweight Champion the Dirty White Boy to win the title at 13:39 with the DDT after taking a camera from a ringside photographer and flashing it in the champion's injured eye; late in the bout, Kendo the Samurai came out and took off the champion's protective eye patch, with Tracy Smothers and Bobby Blaze then coming out to clear him from ringside
Tracy Smothers pinned Chris Hamrick at 2:13
SMW Beat the Champ TV Champion Bruiser Bedlam defeated Brian Logan via submission at 1:43
Ricky Morton (w/ Robert Gibson) defeated SMW Tag Team Champion Chris Candido (w/ Tammy Fytch & SMW Tag Team Champion Brian Lee) via disqualification at 5:24 when Fytch freed Lee from the ringpost he was handcuffed to, with Lee then attacking Morton in the ring; both Lee and Gibson were handcuffed at ringside for the bout; after the contest, Candido & Lee attempted to hit a spike piledriver on Morton, with Gibson then making the save and clearing the ring; moments later, Caudle conducted an interview with Morton & Gibson, with Bob Armstrong saying he would agree to a piledriver match for the titles but it would not be sanctioned by SMW; moments later, Morton said the winning team would be the one to hit the piledriver and that pinfalls didn't count
Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson defeated Killer Kyle & James Adkins at 1:52 when Morton pinned Adkins
Well Dunn defeated Brian Logan & Anthony Michaels at 1:47 when Steven Well pinned Michaels
Kendo the Samurai pinned Chris Hamrick at 3:07; the match was to determine the vacant SMW Beat the Champ TV Champion
SMW Tag Team Champions Brian Lee & Chris Candido defeated Mike Furnas & Bobby Blaze at 3:46 when Blaze pinned Candido
Tracy Smothers pinned Brian Logan at 2:58
Bruiser Bedlam defeated James Adkins & Chris Hamrick at the 54-second mark by forcing both men to submit
SMW Beat the Champ TV Champion Kendo the Samurai defeated the Dirty White Boy via count-out at 9:13

1994 - Doug Gilbert defeats Brian Christopher for the USWA Southern Heavyweight Wrestling Title in Memphis, Tennessee, ending Christopher's 12th reign with the title, and beginning Gilbert's third. Ironically, on the same show Christopher teamed with Doug's brother, Eddie Gilbert, to lose the USWA Tag Team Title to The Eliminators.

1996 - Dean Malenko defeated Shinjiro Ohtani to capture the WCW Cruiserweight champioship during a WCW Worldwide TV Taping at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL. The taping, which was filmed in one hour segments with a new audience brought in for each episode, also featured the following results:

Chris Benoit fought Eddie Guerrero to a double count-out
Jushin Liger defeated Steve Armstrong
The American Males, Marcus Alexander Bagwell & Scotty Riggs defeated Men At Work Chris Kanyon & Mark Starr
Chip Minton defeated Pat Tanaka
WCW World Tag Team Champions Sting & Lex Luger defeated The American Males, Marcus Alexander Bagwell & Scotty Riggs
WCW World Champion the Giant defeated Jim Duggan
Sgt. Craig Pittman defeated VK Wallstreet (Mike Rotunda)
The Booty Man defeated the Gambler
Joe Gomez defeated an unknown
Bobby Walker defeated an unknown
Steve Collins defeated Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker
Hugh Morrus defeated an unknown
WCW Cruiserweight Champion Dean Malenko defeated an unknown
Brad Armstrong defeated Jushin Liger
Masahiro Chono & Kensuke Sasaki fought the Nasty Boys to a double count-out
Public Enemy defeated Arn Anderson & Kevin Sullivan via disqualification
Kensuke Sasaki defeated Cobra
Sgt. Craig Pittman defeated Hugh Morrus via disqualification
Diamond Dallas Page defeated Fit Finlay
Public Enemy defeated Meng & the Barbarian and Harlem Heat

1997 - Extreme Championship Wrestling debuted in Atlantic City, NJ at the Convention Center for a TV Taping. Mike Johnson filed the following live report for The Wrestling Lariat, as archived in the PWInsider Elite section:

Extreme Championship Wrestling debuted in Asbury Park, New Jersey at the Convention Center on 5/2. ECW had pushed on its television that it would be the largest crowd in ECW history, but for some reason, the anticipated walkup did not appear after they had monster advance sales. As it turned out, they drew what seemed to be about or a little over 1,000, which for a debut in a building which was legitimately in the middle of an empty town, isn’t bad. The show was basically a television taping. You know what that means, Folks. ANGLES!

The show opened with Axl Rotten taking on Spike Dudley. The crowd was really hot and popped for both entrances. They started out with Axl stalling a bit. The crowd was on him and he played it off well, challenging fans to face him in the ring. They did some power spots, where the larger Axl would throw Spike around, before Spike hit a high cross-body block off the ropes during a crisscross. Spike takes Axl down with some matwork and gets a two count with a Sunset flip. Axl takes over and throws him out of the ring. He grabs a chair and teases hitting Spike, but throws it down and gives the fans the finger. Spike comes back to hit his running senton off the apron to the floor on Axl, garnering an "ECW" chant. Back in the ring, Axl hits a stiff clothesline but misses an elbow off the second rope. Spike hits a dropkick off of the top. Axl grabs him in a belly to back suplex, but spins as he drops him, which looked awesome. He then pulled him up like he was going to give him a face first-style suplex (like Goldust does), but instead dropped him headfirst into an awesome looking brainbuster for the pin. Both guys are great and deserve pushes.

Next up was the Full-Blooded Italians, with Tommy Rich, taking on Chris Chetti and hometown boy Jimmy Shoulders. Shoulders, of course, was Cloudy in the WWF and is Chris Candido's best friend. Rich says that the FBI is from "Little Atlanta" and that if Shoulders is from Asbury Park, the FBI will have no problem with him. Once he said that, of course Shoulders was over. The FBI jumped Shoulders, but he fought his way out of the corner. The FBI ran into a Chetti flying bodypress off the top rope, to a big pop. The crowd was behind Chetti more than any other show I’ve seen, even going as far as chanting "Chetti, Chetti." It is deserved. Shoulders runs both heels out of the ring and Chetti hits a tope to the floor. Back in the ring, Smothers & Shoulders exchange punches in the middle of the ring, and Shoulders hits a sunset flip for a two count. The FBI takes over and they toss him to the floor, where Rich atomic drops him on the guard rail. They beat on Shoulders until, finally, he makes the tag to Chetti. Chetti clotheslines both and dropkicks Smothers out of the ring. The faces Irish whip the FBI into each other, but Guido shoves Chetti into Tommy Rich on the apron. Rich is waiting with brass knucks and hits the Rookie, letting Guido make the pinfall. Afterwards, Shoulders trashed his partner.

This was followed by Wing Kanemura of FMW meeting "Wild Child" Kevin Quinn, who I am totally unfamiliar with, but thought was a decent worker. Kanemura hit several good moves, including a senton off the top rope, before gaining a pin with springboard elbow off the middle of the top rope. The crowd wasn’t into this at all, but the work was OK. Wing brought a "WINGS" promotion flag to the ring with him.

Following this was an ECW World Tag Team championship match, as the Eliminators defended against Dudley Boys, Big Dick & D-Von. They were accompanied by Buh Buh Ray, who, if you can believe this, took the cast off of his injured ankle. The Elims got a standing ovation. The match started out fast as Saturn dove over the top on Buh Buh out of nowhere and the crowd popped. A furious D-Von stalled and the crowd started chanting, "F**k you D-Von." Joel Gertner, also at ringside for the Dudleys, tried to ask the crowd to be quiet because the television cameras were rolling. The Dudleys double-teamed Saturn until Kronus and Big Dick tagged in and they stood in the middle of the ring, brawling. The Elims took over and hit twisting stereo splashes. Buh Buh hit the ring, but was hit with a Saturn Cutter. Out of nowhere, the Gangstas’ music began to play, so we had an impromptu Three Way Dance, as they hit the ring with New Jack’s magic trash can of goodies. Jack destroyed a guitar on D-Von’s head. It was the usual psychotic brawling with bats, highways signs and Jack breaking a crutch over someone’s head. The crowd ate it up. Kronus got an umbrella and started running around the ring with it open, then poked Big Dick with it. Jack & D-Von go into the crowd and they take out rows upon rows of seats as they brawl towards the concession stands. Buh Buh goes to help D-Von and Mustafa follows. Big Dick hits a double chokeslam on both of the Eliminators. Jack sets up Buh Buh on a table, and then goes to the second level of the building. Can you guess where this is going? The building has permanent raised seating, like a major sports venue would, and the main entrance is about 25-30 feet high. Well, if you were there, you would have believed a Gangsta could fly, as Jack dove off of that alcove onto Buh Buh with a Head butt (!) sending him crashing through the table. Amazing spot! It eventually ends up with everyone back in the ring, and Dick hits Jack, who by now bleeding, with a chokeslam for the pin. The Elims double-team D-Von with some martial arts kicks, and then pin Big Dick with Total Elimination, which is great because it gets over the idea that anyone can be killed with that move. Good brawl.

Next up was the voice of ECW, Joey Styles, who introduced his new co-host for the television show, "Ravishing" Rick Rude. Rude came out to a standing ovation. Rude said that while he doesn’t have the gift of gab that Joey does, he can give the wrestler’s viewpoint concerning Extreme Wrestling. He then warned Shane Douglas that he hasn’t finished "f**king with the 'Franchise." He kissed the camera and left.

About this time, Bam Bam Bigelow, who is from this area, showed up in the crowd and was shaking hands. The aforementioned Douglas came out to the ring, and started bitching about what a piece of sh** Bigelow was and what a crack-smoking ghost town he lived in. Douglas ranted and ranted and was great, and Bigelow was going to hop the rail but was stopped by security. The crowd was behind Bigelow all the way.

Next up was Tommy Dreamer, with Beulah, taking on Cpl. Punishment. Punishment is an Axl Rotten trainee and not bad. Punishment beat on Dreamer with punches and kicks but Tommy began to make a comeback. Out of nowhere, Dreamer was attacked by Louie Spicolli and the referee called for a DQ. A DQ in ECW? Oh My God! Spicolli trashed Dreamer and set up a table at a 45 degree angle and hit a Death Valley Driver through it, which Tommy rightfully sold as if he was dead. There was a small smattering of "ECW" chants for the spot. Tommy was bleeding badly from the head. Spicolli, who was dressed almost identically to Dreamer, made a crucifix, then the "clique" sign. After Spicolli left, Terry Funk came out to check on his protégé. The question begs to be answered: Does anyone really want to see Spicolli vs. Dreamer? Unless Louie gets his work back together, I know I don’t and I don’t think it’s fair to Tommy to put him in that match.

Next up was an ECW World Television championship as Shane Douglas, with the always amazing Francine, defended against ... Balls Mahoney? Bam Bam Bigelow has suddenly returned to the crowd and walks to the railing. I think I smell an angle, folks. Douglas rants on the mic and says that if Balls comes out with a chair, Shane will not wrestle. Balls doesn’t, but grabs one from a ringsider and Shane gets pissed. Referee Jeff Jones, outside the ring, tries to take the chair but Balls slams him with it. They finally start the match and Balls hits an armdrag. Balls gets in a lot of offense, and even hits a belly-to-belly for a two count. Meanwhile, the crowd is all over Francine, chanting "She’s a crack whore", deriving from the earlier Douglas comment about the town. Balls whips Douglas into the corner and hits a superkick. Has Balls ever lost his smile? I think not. He gets a chair and goes to hit Shane, but Chris Candido hits the ring, grabs the chair and hits Balls. The ref calls for a DQ! Two DQs in one night!!! They trash Balls and Bigelow hops the rail and hits the ring to a big pop ... and JOINS IN! The crowd is shocked, and the three trash Balls, until the Pit Bulls, who’s music played as they ran in, make the save, running off Shane, Chris, and finally Bigelow with some double-teaming. The heels make the Triple Threat sign on the stage of the building, so I guess Bigelow is in as a regular. Malenko....Benoit...Douglas....Candido.....Bigelow ? Seriously, I’ll wait and see how hard he works before I pass judgment. The Pits help up Balls and they leave. Side Note: Playing theme music during a run-in is extremely unrealistic and only makes the crowd pop for the music, like they do at WWF shows. I didn’t like that touch at all.

Next up was Louie Spicolli vs. Wild Bill Wiles in a squash. WHY? The show was running long, there were three matches left, and the crowd didn’t care, as most went to go buy something. Hmmm, maybe that’s why! At least there was a plus, ECW still made money! Spicolli beats Wild Bill outside with a chair and back in the ring, scores a Northern Lights Suplex before hitting the Death Valley Driver. Like I said, no one cared.

This was followed with a fantastic tag match, as Bill Alfonso’s team of Sabu & Rob Van Dam took on the combination of Chris Candido, returning from his torn bicep, and Taz. The faces (if that is what you can call Candido) got a huge reaction, and Alfonso’s team got a smattering of cheers. This was a really well-worked match and I look forward to seeing it again in the ECW Arena. There were tons of hot spots, and there’s no way I can relay them all. Sabu hit a springboard off a chair into a dive onto Candido on the floor as Taz trashed Van Dam in the ring. Van Dam hit a karate kick off the apron to the floor on Taz, and Sabu hit a 360 clothesline over the top rope onto Candido. Sabu sets a chair in the ring but Bill Alfonso jumps on the apron and blocks him. SOMEONE EXPLAIN THAT? Sabu stops and Candido jumps on the apron and grabs Fonzie but Sabu slugs him. Candido hits Sabu with a chair, then hits a splash off the ropes on him. Taz & Van Dam get in the ring, and Robby misses a spinkick but hits his somersault roll into a splash. Van Dam is charged by Taz in the corner, but splits his legs on the turnbuckle and rolls over. Taz still grabs him and Tazplexes him to a pop. Taz and Sabu finally meet in the middle of the ring to a great reaction, trading forearms and punches. The crowd was very into it. Taz goes for a Tazplex but Sabu reverses and hits his own. He folds his arms like Taz, but Taz no-sells and stand behind him. He then hits his own. Candido tags in and Sabu comes back to hit Air Sabu off a chair into a Frankensteiner on him. He goes for the triple Jump Moonsault, but Chris gets his knees up. Sabu tries to fight off the pain and springboards off the ropes into a spinkick. Chris grabs him in mid-air and drops him into a suplex. They kept doing cool spots until Candido had Van Dam on the top rope for a Suicide Bomb, but Fonzie grabs him and he crotches himself. Van Dam backdrops him into the ring. Taz is killing Sabu, but Fonzie jumps in the ring and hits him. He grabs Fonzie for a Tazplex, but Sabu takes out his knee. Taz is knocked out of the ring. Sabu uses Van Dam as a springboard and hits Air Sabu into a spinkick. They try to double-team Chris, but there’s miscommunication and they butt heads. Chris hits a Tiger suplex and pins Van Dam as Sabu & Taz brawl to the back. Van Dam recovers and gets the mic and says this never would have happened if he was working Monday Nights for a legitimate company. He then notices Candido on the stage and says the great thing about ECW is he has the freedom to talk about that and do what he wants and makes a motion like he’s feeling up Sunny’s butt. Candido gets pissed, but is held back. Fonzie says he wants to feel it too.

This left us with our main event, a Three Way Dance between Raven, Stevie Richards and the Sandman with the winner meeting ECW World champ Terry Funk. Raven got a huge pop and came out with Lupus, formerly Kent Porter and the unnamed bosom-gifted Blonde. Stevie likewise got one and the crowd, which had been dying, chanted "BWO" pretty loudly as Richards came out alone. Sandman made his grand entrance from the crowd and they loved it. After the three locked up several times, with no one getting a reaction, Lupus, who was hysterical on the mic, got in the ring with a multi-colored stick and chugged a drink to mimic the Sandman. He crushed it on his dead, hurting himself. He kept calling Sandy "Sand dude" and kept going back to Raven because he couldn’t remember the insults he was supposed to say. I’m not doing it justice but it was pretty funny. Sandman, of course, caned him. Raven jumped on him, and Stevie attacks Raven. There’s a crisscross and Sandy & Stevie hit each other when Raven drops down. They shove each other and Stevie hits a rocker dropper on Sandy. Stevie misses a dropkick and Sandy & Raven begin throwing punches at each other. Lupus hits Sandman with his cane and Stevie and Raven meet face to face and Raven hugs him, but Stevie isn’t returning the gesture, and is saying, "What do I do?" Sandman gets up and Stevie saves Raven by Steviekicking him back down. The BWO theme hits and the other members of the BWO hit the ring. The Blue Meanie confronts Stevie (and was very good on the mic) asking him where he was "last week, while Nova and I were defeating the Full-Blooded Idiots on TV. Are you with us or against us?" Before Stevie can answer, Sandman has recovered and knocks Stevie into Meanie, knocking him out of the ring. Sandman & Raven then beat up the BWO. The BWO storms off, leaving Stevie behind. Raven suplexes Sandman, but he lowblows both Stevie & Raven, and hits a DDT on Stevie for a two count. Raven saves Stevie and drags Sandman out of the ring, where he whips him into the guardrail, and Sandman does the headfirst flip into it. Back in the ring, Sandman pins Raven with a DDT, but Stevie hits a Steviekick, pinning Sandman for the first-time ever to gain the title shot.

Immediately, "Desperado" plays and ECW World champion Terry Funk makes his way to the ring for his first championship defense. He meets Stevie in the center of the ring, and clotheslines him over the top rope. He whips Stevie into the rail and hits him with a chair. Back in the ring, he hits a pair of Hangman’s neckbreakers for a 2 count, but Stevie comes back to whip Terry into the corner. Stevie misses a running start into a knee to the chest, hitting his knee on the turnbuckle, selling it for the rest of the match. Terry gets on his hands and knees and starts head butting Stevie. He rolls him up for a 2 count, and then applies the spinning toehold, but Stevie rolls him up for a 2 count. Terry and Stevie box, but Stevie kicks him low and hits a side slam for a 2 count. Terry takes over. He hits a belly-to-back suplex as Raven hits the ring and DDT’s the referee. The place popped! Raven trashes Funk and DDTs him several times. Stevie, unaware of Raven’s help, hit’s a Steviekick. Tommy Dreamer hits the ring, all bloody from earlier, and confronts Stevie. I have no clue where Raven went...maybe under the ring? I don’t recall him exiting at all. Anyway, Tommy & Stevie argue and Stevie strikes with a Steviekick, but Terry grabs him and DDTs him for the pin, retaining the belt. Tommy & Terry leave together to a nice pop, and Stevie gets a "BWO" chant on his way out. The main event was OK, but I was really disappointed because just as Funk & Stevie were starting to click, Raven did his run-in. The tease of whether Raven & Stevie are together is great.

Asbury Notes and Thoughts: Personally, I didn’t care for the show but I can’t put my finger on exactly why. The crowd died halfway thru the show, I guess because there was simply too much on it, it started a bit late, and ran long. I know that I was tired out by the time they did the Dreamer-Spicolli angle and it was hard for me to get back into the show....The building was cordoned off, and they had everyone sit on one side of the building for TV. The crowd was not happy about being told where to sit but ECW wanted everyone "on camera" and you can't blame them for that....There was a reporter and photographer from the Asbury Park Press, one of New Jersey’s largest papers, taking notes and interviewing fans and ECW staffers about their debut. I had the chance to speak to the reporter, Shawn Mullen, and he was interested in presenting a legitimate article about ECW and the sport and the differences between them and the "Big Two." The article will run this summer, to help preview ECW's return here on July 11th....Tammy Sytch was on stage all night, helping Mikey Whipwreck run the sound booth.

1997 - WWF ran Winnipeg, Manitoba with the following results:
Flash Funk defeated Rockabilly
Rocky Maivia defeated the Sultan
Goldust defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Blackjack Windham & Blackjack Bradshaw defeated Phil LaFon & Doug Furnas
Mankind defeated Jesse Jammes (Road Dogg)
Bob Holly defeated Leif Cassidy (Al Snow)
Ahmed Johnson & Steve Austin defeated The WWF Tag Team Champions, WWF Intercontinental Champion Owen Hart & WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith in a non-title match
The Legion of Doom defeated Savio Vega & Crush
WWF Champion the Undertaker defeated Vader

1998 - Chris Benoit defeats Booker T for the WCW Television Title in Charleston, South Carolina. This was the third of five days in a row that the Television title changed hands, with four of those changes being between Benoit and Booker. The event was technically an Internet PPV, although due to the technology of the time, fans were paying to listen to the live commentary of the event. The other results from the event, held at the Coliseum, saw:

Ernest Miller defeated Yuji Nagata
The Barbarian defeated Bobby Eaton
Perry Saturn defeated Fit Finlay
High Voltage defeated The Flock's Billy Kidman & Sick Boy when Rage pinned Kidman
Diamond Dallas Page defeated Raven.
The Giant defeated WCW Tag Team Champion Kevin Nash via disqualification

1998 - WWE ran Landover, MD at The USAir Arena, drawing 6,293 fans with the following results:
-Bradshaw pinned Barry Windham.
-The Headbangers defeated the Quebecers.
-Jeff Jarrett defeated Scorpio.
-D-Lo Brown & Owen Hart defeated Farooq & Steve Blackman.
-The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust pinned Marc Mero.
-the Legion of Doom defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Road Dogg & Billy Gunn via disqualification.
-The Undertaker defeated Kane via disqualification
-WWF champion Steve Austin defeated WWF European Champion Triple H

1999 - ECW ran Kissimmee, FL -at the Agricultural Center featuring the following results:

Nova defeated Buck Quartermaine
Chris Candido & Steve Corino defeated Danny Doring & Roadkill
Mosco de la Merced defeated Little Guido
Super Crazy defeated Yoshihiro Tajiri
ECW World Tag Team Champions Buh Buh Ray & D-Von Dudley defeated Skull Von Krush & Rod Price
Spike Dudley defeated Mustafa
Tommy Dreamer & Jerry Lynn defeated Justin Credible & Lance Storm

1999 - WCW ran Norfolk, VA at the Scope, featuring the following results:

Chavo Guerrero Jr. defeated Blitzkrieg
Prince Iaukea defeated Fit Finlay
Rick Steiner defeated Curt Hennig
Konnan defeated Horace
WCW Cruiserweight Champion & WCW World Tag Team Champion Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated Juventud Guerrera
Raven & Perry Saturn defeated Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko
WCW World Champion Diamond Dallas Page defeated Ric Flair

1999 - WWF ran a TV taping in San Diego, CA featuring the following:

Owen Hart & Jeff Jarrett (w/ Debra) defeated Edge & Christian (w/ Gangrel) when Jarrett pinned Edge after Owen came off with a dropkick that sent his partner on top for the pin
WWF Intercontinental Champion the Godfather pinned Goldust (w/ the Blue Meanie) after hitting the Ho Train on both the challenger and Meanie

Sunday Night Heat, which was broadcast live:

The Road Dogg & Billy Gunn defeated Mark Henry & D-Lo Brown via count-out at 1:14 after Henry & Brown began brawling with Prince Albert & Droz on the floor
Ken Shamrock & Test defeated the Acolytes at 1:20 when Faarooq submitted to Shamrock's ankle lock
Mankind fought the Big Bossman to a no contest in a Boiler Room Brawl
WWF Hardcore Champion Al Snow fought Hardcore Holly to a no contest

Raw is War, taped a day before it was broadcast:

Billy Gunn pinned X-Pac after avoiding the Bronko Buster; after the contest, Gunn and the Road Dogg began brawling at ringside with Gunn eventually hitting Road Dogg over the head with a chair; moments therafter, Gunn retreated backstage after Kane came ringside
Pat Patterson & Gerald Brisco defeated Pete Gas & Rodney via count-out when the Mean Street Posse left ringside
Test defeated the Big Bossman, Mideon, & Viscera in a handicap match by pinning Mideon after Bossman accidentally hit his partner with the nightstick; after the match, the Big Show, Ken Shamrock, and Mankind made the save
The Acolytes defeated Mankind in a handicap hardcore match when Bradshaw scored the pin following a double powerbomb through two chairs set up in the ring
Vince McMahon pinned Shane McMahon with the Stunner at 1:49; prior to the bout, Vince staggered out to the entrance stage after the assault he sustained earlier in the show from Triple H & the Undertaker, with Shane then running up the ramp to attack him and assault him on the floor before the match officially started
Triple H pinned Ken Shamrock with the Pedigree after Shamrock sustained a low blow from guest referee Chyna
The Big Show defeated the Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) via disqualification at 2:44 when, after Taker used ether on Show, he took a baseball bat and broke it over Show's head, busting him open; after the bout, Taker continued to choke, punch, and kick Show in the head before leaving ringside (The Undertaker's Most Dangerous Matches)
Nicole Bass (sub. for WWF Women's Champion Sable who appeared on the Titantron before the match) defeated Debra in a nightgown match when Debra stripped herself down to her bra and panties; after the contest, Jeff Jarrett made the save by busting a guitar over Bass' head before Val Venis came out, attacked Jarrett, and left ringside with Debra
WWF World Champion Steve Austin fought the Rock to a no contest in a lumberjack match when both competitors attacked the Corporate Ministry at ringside before the contest began; eventually a brawl broke out in the ring involving Mankind, Test, Show, Shamrock, Road Dogg, Edge, Gangrel, Christian, Mark Henry, D-Lo Brown, and Al Snow; as the show came to a close, both Rock and Austin were thrown off the stage by Triple H and the Undertaker

WWF Shotgun - Meat (Shawn Stasiak w/ PMS) pinned Albert (w/ Droz) with a small package

2000 - Chris Jericho defeats Chris Benoit for the WWF Intercontinental Titleduring a Smackdown taping in Richmond, Virginia, starting Jericho's third reign with the belt. The remainder of the taping featured the following results:

Scott Vick pinned Julio Fantastico (Julio Dinero)
The Dupps defeated Joey Matthews & Christian York

Sunday Night Heat:
Val Venis pinned Perry Saturn at 4:47 with the fisherman's suplex after Dean Malenko came ringside and tripped Saturn as he ran the ropes
Al Snow & Steve Blackman defeated Taka Michinoku & Sho Funaki at 4:21 when Blackman pinned Michinoku after Snow hit a legdrop off the top onto Taka as he was laid across Blackman's knee
The Godfater pinned D-Lo Brown at 3:48 when the momentum of a crossbody by D-Lo put the Godfather on top; after the bout, D-Lo attacked the Godfather, hit a leg lariat, and followed with the frog splash
The Dudley Boyz defeated Too Cool at 6:36 when D-Von pinned Scotty 2 Hotty following the 3D after Edge, who had been doing guest commentary with Christian, hit the spear on Scotty as he attempted the Worm

Smackdown:
WWF European Champion Eddie Guerrero & Chyna defeated Essa Rios & Lita when Chyna pinned Lita with a powerbomb and gorilla press slam
Kurt Angle pinned Hardcore Holly with a German suplex into a bridge
Rikishi defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Edge & Christian via count-out in a handicap match after Edge hit the ring post on the outside; Too Cool made the save for Rikishi after the match
Matt & Jeff Hardy defeated Test & Albert when Matt pinned Test after a Swanton from Jeff; after the bout, T&A further attacked their opponents
The Big Show (dressed as "Shownan the Barbarian") fought Bull Buchanan to a no contest after Show hit two chokeslams on his opponent before the match officially began
WWF Hardcore Champion Crash Holly defeated Dean Malenko after Perry Saturn interfered and got into an argument with Malenko
WWF World Champion the Rock & Earl Hebner defeated Triple H, X-Pac, & the Road Dogg in a handicap match when Rock pinned X-Pac with the Rock Bottom after Hebner hit a low blow on X-Pac. After the match, Triple H attacked Hebner until Chris Jericho, the Dudley Boyz, and Rikishi made the save.

2000 - WCW held a Thunder taping in Memphis, TN at the Mid-South Coliseum featuring the following results:

Chris Kanyon pinned Jeff Jarrett (w/ Kimberly) in 3:55 after Diamond Dallas Page ran in and hit Jarrett with a Diamond Cutter, with Kanyon making his own three-count, moments after Page bashed Kimberly over the head with the guitar she was about to hit Kanyon with; prior to the match, Kimberly claimed all of Page's success was due to her & Eric Bischoff, then called the fans a bunch of "lame wrestling marks"
Lex Luger defeated the Wall in 3:58 in a Tables Match when Wall fell out of Luger's Torture Rack and through a table, which didn't break, after Russo hit Luger in the stomach with a baseball bat; Russo & Ric Flair provided guest commentary for the match, with Russo's security bringing the kidnapped Elizabeth ringside, and Russo hitting Flair from behind with a baseball bat late in the match; moments later, Flair hit the ring and was about to put Russo in the figure-4 when Shane Douglas & Buff Bagwell attacked him, with Brian Adams & Bryan Clarke then making the save for Flair; Billy Kidman then appearing on the stage and announcing he drew Flair's name as his opponent next
Ric Flair fought Billy Kidman to a no contest in 6:17 shown after Rey Mysterio Jr & Konnan interfered and attacked Flair, with Kevin Nash making the save and hitting Konnan with the powerbomb as Hulk Hogan attacked Kidman on the stage and threw him back in the ring; Mike Awesome then appeared and Nash dropped him with the powerbomb as well; Hogan and Nash then raised Flair's arm in victory (the match began during the commercial break)
Diamond Dallas Page pinned Vampiro at the 13-second mark with the Diamond Cutter, with Page making his own three-count; prior to the match, Sting attacked Vampiro on his way to the ring and poured a bucket of red "blood" over him
Sting defeated Mike Awesome via submission in 2:15 with the Scorpion Deathlock; during the bout, Lash LeRoux, Chavo Guerrero Jr., and Van Hammer hopped the guardrail and attacked Awesome
Hulk Hogan defeated WCW US Champion Scott Steiner (w/ Midajah & Shakira) via count-out in a non-title match when Steiner left the ring after Hugh Morrus attacked him in the crowd, with Hogan and Hugh Morrus then double-teaming Steiner in the ring
Brian Adams & Bryan Clarke defeated WCW Tag Team Champions Shane Douglas & Buff Bagwell in a non-title match at 4:09 when Adams pinned Douglas after the High Times, with Clarke counting the fall; after the bout, Adams & Clarke took possession of the tag team titles
Ric Flair won a 41-man battle royal in 22:41, last eliminating Shane Douglas after hitting him with a baseball bat; the original 22 participants in the battle royal were Flair, Douglas, Hulk Hogan, Sting, Lex Luger, Jeff Jarrett, Diamond Dallas Page, Brian Adams, Bryan Clarke, Buff Bagwell, Ernest Miller, Chris Candido, Scott Steiner, Mike Awesome, the Wall, Billy Kidman, Shawn Stasiak, Hugh Morrus, Vampiro, Chris Kanyon, Horace Hogan, and Curt Hennig; additional entrants were added as the match progressed, with Konnan, Disco Inferno, Bam Bam Bigelow, Johnny the Bull, Big Vito, Ron & Don Harris, Stevie Ray, Big T, Cash, and Norman Smiley joining at the 3:20 mark; Tank Abbott at the 5-minute mark; Lash LeRoux, Van Hammer, and Chavo Guerrero Jr. at the 13-minute mark; Mona, Asya, & Madusa at the 15-minute mark; Jim Duggan at the 17-minute mark; Randy Savage at the 20-minute mark; Bret Hart at the 22-minute mark; prior to the bout, Eric Bischoff & Vince Russo led the New Blood to the ring, with each member wielding a weapon, and Bischoff calling the Millionaire's Club to the ring for "guerilla warfare;" moments later, Flair came out with the group and demanded a battle royal, with the last man standing receiving a WCW World Title shot at The Great American Bash on June 11th, and Bischoff accepting; after the bout, WCW World Champion David Arquette came out with a guitar but accidentally fell through the wooden part of the stage. The Savage appearance would be his final in WCW.

Bouts taped for WCW Worldwide after Thunder saw:
Disco Inferno defeted Mike Rapada
Ron & Don Harris defeated Kory Williams & Ashley Hudson
Madusa defeated Mona (Molly Holly)
2002 - The WWF Hardcore Title changed hands several times during a Raw house show in Glasgow, Scotland. Shawn Stasiak pinned Crash Holly with a roll up in a four way match with defending champion Steven Richards and Justin Credible to win the title. However, due to the 24/7 defense rule, Justin Credible then superkicked Stasiak and pinned him to win the title. This was followed by Crash bulldogging Credible and pinning him to win the title, then Richards hit Crash with a guitar and pinned him to win back the title he started the night with. However, before he could leave the ring, Stasiak rolled him up from behind and pinned him to win back the title, only for Richards to reverse and then pin Stasiak to win back the title, which he then left with. So, there were six title changes, with Stasiak and Richards winning the title twice each over the course of the match.

Other results from the live event saw:

Rob Van Dam pinned X-Pac with the Five Star Frog Splash
Jerry Lawler & Jackie defeated Mr. Perfect & Molly Holly when Lawler pinned Perfect with a roll up
Brock Lesnar pinned Matt Hardy with the Brockbuster
WWF Women's Champion Jazz defeated Trish Stratus via submission with the STF
Steve Austin pinned the Big Show with the Stunner
WWF European Champion Spike Dudley & Tommy Dreamer defeated Booker T & Goldust in a tables match after Dreamer hit a Spicolli Driver on Goldust through a table
WWF Intercontinental Champion Eddie Guerrero pinned Jeff Hardy with the frogsplash after using the title belt as a weapon
Scott Hall pinned Bradshaw with the Razor's Edge off the middle turnbuckle after Bradshaw became distracted by Kevin Nash and X-Pac at ringside
Triple H & Ric Flair defeated the Undertaker & William Regal when Flair pinned Regal with a low blow and roll up as Regal attempted to use his brass knuckles as a weapon

2002 - Bill Goldberg was the special guest on the McDonnell-Douglas show on ESPN Radio 1110 in Los Angeles, announcing that his WCW contract had been bought out by AOL-Time Warner, making him a free agent, able to negotiate a deal and work with any wrestling organization. Goldberg noted he would not wrestle immediately due to his arm injury, and that while he is not leaning towards the WWF, he has no personal animosity towards Vince McMahon. He said his differences with the WWF has to do with the product, and is nothing personal with McMahon, and he would not totally rule out going there. Goldberg would debut for WWE a year later and wrestle for them through March 2004.