This day in history - 1st April

1st April

On this day in history in ....

1974 - WWWF ran at Madison Square Garden in New York City with the following results:
- Otto Von Heller vs. Jose Gonzalez ended in a draw.
- Larry Zbyszko defeated Ed Sullivan.
- WWWF Tag Team Champions Dean Ho & Tony Garea defeated Mr. Fuji & Toru Tanaka via DQ.
- Gorilla Monsoon defeated Don Leo Jonathan.
- Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Stan Stasiak.
- Pedro Morales defeated Larry Hennig.
- WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated Nikolai Volkoff.

1989 - Master Of Pain defeats Jerry Lawler for the USWA Unified Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee, ending the first of Lawler's 27 runs with the title.

1990 - Wrestlemania VI takes place. Mike Johnson penned the following:

WRESTLEMANIA VI

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Venue: Skydome
Announced Attendance: 67, 678

*Rick Martel forced Koko B. Ware to submit to a Boston Crab.

*Demolition defeated the Colossal Connection, Andre the Giant and Haku to win the WWF Tag Team championship. Andre was at the very end of his run here so Hake did most of the in-ring work. Demolition hit their finisher on Haku for the pin. Andre the Giant turns babyface again by laying out Haku and manager Bobby Heenan. It would be Andre's final Wrestlemania appearance inside the ring.

*The Earthquake pinned Hercules Hernandez in a short match. Hernandez is carried out on a stretcher after the match.

*Brutus Beefcake pinned Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig after a slingshot into the ringpost. This would "break" Hennig's perfect record within WWF's television storylines, although he had lost on house shows to both Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior prior to the PPV bout. Lanny Poffo, working under the name the Genius, managed Hennig.

*Roddy Piper, painted half black, fought Bad News Brown to a double countout. Piper would recount in his autobiography that the paint would take some time to come off, and he actually flew home painted half black.

*The Hart Foundation defeated The Bolsheviks in a quick match. Nikolai Volkoff attempts to sing the Russian National Anthem and is attacked with the Hart's hitting their Hart Attack finisher for a quick pin.

*The Barbarian pinned Tito Santana with a flying clothesline. Bobby Heenan would start as Barbarian's manager here for his singles run with the company.

*In a mixed tag match, Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire defeated Randy Savage and Sherri Martel. Miss Elizabeth is in Dusty's corner and sets up Sapphire's pin on Martel after interfering. It would be the last time we'd see Elizabeth until next year's Wrestlemania.

*The Orient Express, Pat Tanaka and Akio Sato defeated The Rockers by countout when Mr. Fuji tossed salt in the eyes of Marty Janetty and blinded him.

*Hacksaw Duggan pinned Dino Bravo after clobbering him with the trusty old 2 x 4. Earthquake laid out after the bout.

*Ted DiBiase defeated Jake Roberts to regain possession of his "Million Dollar Belt." DiBiase in a series of vignettes had the belt created because it was worth more than the WWF championship. Roberts had stolen it and kept it in his bag with Damien the snake. DiBiase hides under the ring after the match.

*Big Bossman, fresh off his turn as a babyface, pinned former Twin Towers partner Akeem with a sideslam. DiBiase attacked Bossman while he was on the floor during the bout. Bossman would go right into a feud with DiBiase because he couldn't be bribed to return the Million Dollar belt several weeks earlier.

Rhythm and Blues (Honkytonk Man and a jet black-dyed hair version of Greg Valentine) perform their new "single", only to be attacked by The Bushwhackers.

*Rick Rude pinned Jimmy Snuka with the Rude Awakening.

*WWF Intercontinental champion The Ultimate Warrior pinned WWF champion Hulk Hogan in a Title-For-Title bout. This is a great match the first time you watch it, as the crowd makes it just incredible. Years later, the same fans would create a similar atmosphere for Hogan's Wrestlemania return vs. The Rock. Hogan hurts his knee early and walks around the ring. Gorilla Monsoon actually says that it may have been dislocated during the match. Hogan locked on a side headlock. When Monsoon talked about what a dangerous hold it was, Ventura quipped, "Absolutely- ask Richard Belzer." as a nod to the lawsuit over Hogan dropping Belzer on his head when he passed out in a side headlock. Hogan missed his legdrop, setting up Warrior splashing him for the pin. In an unplanned moment, Hogan presented the belt to the Warrior, leaving as the sympathetic legend. The final visual of the show is plain awesome as Warrior celebrated with both championships and fireworks galore, while Hogan watches from his departing ring cart, the legend defeated.

Celebrities: Rona Barrett, a gossip reporter, did an interview with Miss Elizabeth....Steve Allen, future spokesman for the Parents Television Council, did a sketch rehearsing with The Bolsheviks singing in the men's room....Robert Goulet sang the Canadian national anthem to open the event.

Notes: The first International Wrestlemania set a then-Skydome attendance record....The theme to the show was "The Ultimate Challenge" based around the main event....WWF was turned down by all of the Skydome-related companies to sponsor and co-promote the event, to the point that the Toronto Blue Jays declined allowing WWF to use their ticketing system to sell tickets.....The late Jack Tunney had a lot to do with local promotions for the event....Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura were the announcers for the show. This would be Ventura's final appearance at a Wrestlemania as commentator as he parted ways with the company soon after....A dark match on the show saw Paul Roma defeat The Brooklyn Brawler....The ring carts from Wrestlemania III returned for this show, the last time (thus far) that they have been used for a Wrestlemania event....Yes, that's none other than future WCW World champion Diamond Dallas Page driving a pink Cadillac (which he owned) to bring Honkytonk Man and Greg Valentine to the ring....Future WWE star Edge attended the show as a fan, sitting 11th row.

Buck Woodward: This whole show was built around Hogan-Warrior, and it drew a huge crowd, but it was (and still is) painfully obvious that they hardly paid any attention to the undercard. ... I don't think Andre even tagged in during his match. His back was in horrible shape at this point, and soon after this, Vince McMahon made a deal with Giant Baba so Andre could go over to All Japan for a few tours, where he worked tag matches as part of a "dream team" with Baba. ... Brutus Beefcake was not the person I expected to break Hennig's "perfect record". I thought for sure it would be Warrior or Hogan. ... Piper and Brown could have had a great feud, but WWE dropped the ball with it. I don't think they even had a rematch. ... The Hart Foundation were the winners of the "really fast Mania match" award this year, invented by King Kong Bundy at the first Mania. ... A stranger sight than Dusty Rhodes, Sapphire and Miss Elizabeth dancing in the ring you will never see. ... I remember DiBiase vs. Roberts and Rude vs. Snuka as being decent matches, and the announcers put over hard that Rude would be next in line to challenge for the World Title. ... Warrior vs. Hogan was, arguably, the best match Warrior would ever have. The two worked on it in a gym for several weeks, and all the pieces came together. ... I remember Jesse Ventura and Gorilla Monsoon doing an outstanding job calling the main event, because for the first time, there was no heel/face dynamic for them to do their usual routine with. They had to call it differently than any other WWF match.

Jess McGrath: Much like Mania 5, this was a one-match show. And just like Mania 5, that match delivered. But, unlike Mania 5, if you went back today and watched Hulk Hogan vs. the Ultimate Warrior, you would be quite disappointed. Hogan-Savage held up much better than Hogan-Warrior. But at the time, it was a tremendous match. I remember being shocked at how interesting it was. I think what made it in part was that they went so long; I was figuring on a quick match like Hogan-Andre from three Manias before. Instead they surpassed the twenty minute mark, and it was really entertaining the whole way. Another thing that can't be underestimated is how big that finish was. Hogan NEVER missed the legdrop, and nobody ever kicked out of it. Even more of a shock than if somebody kicked out of the pedigree today, let's say. Not really much to say about the rest of the show. Quite a contrast when Robert Goulet finished up his anthem and they went right into Koko B. Ware's "Bird Bird Bird" song, or whatever it was that they called it.

Mike Johnson: This was a one match show and the match delivered as the WWF did a rare babyface vs. babyface match. While Warrior was being positioned as the new king of the mountain, he lasted less than a year in the role....This show began a huge push for Rick Rude as the Warrior's first real challenger, based on his Wrestlemania victory the previous yearr....There was a lot of filler on the show and much of it wasn't pleasant....Interesting to note that the Canadian stars (Dino Bravo, Earthquake, etc.) still worked as villains despite the hometown advantage.

Dave Scherer: I remember two things totally jumping out at me for this show. First and foremost, I never thought I would see Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior have a great match, but they did. As Mike said, it was a one match show and man, that one match delivered in a big, big way. The match was booked perfectly as well, with Hogan symbolically passing the torch to the new top guy. I also loved the aura that eminated from booking the show at Skydome. It gave the company's big show a big show feel, the first of its kind since Mania 3 in Pontiac.

1994 - The Rock N' Roll Express defeat the Heavenly Bodies (Tom Pritchard & Jimmy Del Ray) for the SMW Tag Team Title in Pikeville, Kentucky, starting their seventh reign with the title.

1996 - Goldust defeats Savio Vega to win back the WWF Intercontinental Title at a Raw taping in San Bernadino, California. The belt was held up earlier in the show following a controversial finish in a match between the two. The two matches were shown on separate episodes of Raw. Also at this taping, Mick Foley had his in-ring TV debut as Mankind, defeating Bob Holly with the Mandible Claw. Later in the same episode, Mankind would attack the Undertaker, laying him out with the Mandible Claw as well.

2001 - Wrestlemania 17 takes place. Mike Johnson penned the following:

WRESTLEMANIA X7

Location: Houston, TX
Arena: The Astrodome
Announced Attendance: 67,925

RESULTS

*WWF Intercontinental champion Chris Jericho pinned William Regal

*The APA & Tazz defeated The RTC (Bull Buchanan & The Goodfather & Val Venis when Bradshaw pinned Goodfather with a clothesline from hell.

*Kane beat Raven and Big Show to win the WWF Hardcore championship when he pinned Big Show.

*Eddie Guerrero pinned Test to win the WWF European championship.

*Kurt Angle pinned Chris Benoit, hooking the tights in an awesome match that Angle later commented was as close to Olympic wrestling as it would ever get in the WWF.

*Chyna pinned Ivory to win the WWF Women's championship in a virtual squash.

*Shane McMahon pinned Vince McMahon in a Streetfight with Mick Foley as the special referee after McMahon hit the Van Terminator with a trash can on Vince for the pin. An early sign of problems with the WCW Invasion were seen when Shane gave a shout-out to the WCW stars sitting in a luxury box to no reaction from the crowd. A catatonic Linda McMahon came out of her trance to help her son with after a low blow to Vince. Trish Stratus turned babyface here as well and got into it with Stephanie McMahon. A fun brawl!

*Edge & Christian defeated The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz in a TLC match to win the WWF Tag Team championship. This excellent match featured run-ins by Lita, Spike Dudley, and Rhyno. This was the ultimate TLC style match and the last time the three teams who pioneered the idea would face each other.

*The Iron Sheik won a Gimmick Battle Royal which featured Brother Love, Bushwhackers, Jim Cornette, Doink, Duke Droese, Earthquake, Gobbledy Gooker, Goon, Michael Hayes, Hillbilly Jim, Kimala, Kim Chee, One Man Gang, Repo Man, Sgt. Slaughter, Tugboat, and Nikolia Volkoff. Bobby Heenan and Gene Okerlund were brought out for commentary. The entire thing was played for laughs and nostalgia and gave the crowd a chance to calm down.

*The Undertaker pinned Triple H with a tombstone in a good brawl including Hunter being tossed off some production scaffolding.

*Steve Austin pinned The Rock in a No DQ match to win the WWF World Title after Austin obliterated The Rock with several stone cold stunners and a chair. Austin aligned himself with Vince McMahon after the bout.

Notes: The peak of WWF's business....The crowd was announced as a new Astrodome record....Before the PPV went on the air, Justin Credible (Wrestlemania debut) & X-Pac beat Steve Blackman & Grandmaster Sexay when X-Pac pinned Blackman during Sunday Night Heat....Paul Heyman (Wrestlemania debut) and Jim Ross hosted the event....The promotion held another AXXESS during the weekend.

Mike Johnson: I attended Wrestlemania X7 live at the Astrodome in Houston. I remember liking the show, although from my sightlines (the 200 level, which was priced at $75) it was a little hard to get into some of the matches because of the distance of the ring. Nothing, however could match the atmosphere of being inside the Dome, which I still consider to be one of the best live events I've attended. From the second you walked out from the tunnel into the building, one could not just feel overwhelmed by the sheer size of everything: the crowd size, the production, everything. The roar of the crowd when the show began was unlike anything I had ever seen in any event, be it a wrestling show, a concert, a theatrical production or a sporting event. It truly was WWF's peak and in my eyes, they have yet to surpass this 2001 day in that regard. While the crowd roared for the superstars of the promotion all night, the World Wrestling Federation's production was the true star of the event. The staging of the show, particularly 16 spotlights with changing colors added a great sense of magic to the look of the building, while the graphics and Titantron screens made everything seem important. Every match had it's own identity based upon the graphical designs of the WWF staff. They were second to none anywhere in the entertainment business. The main event between Steve Austin and the Rock was nothing less than spectacular, although live whatever the storyline was for the alliance with Vince McMahon was completely lost on the crowd and eventually was a factor that helped put WWF business into a downward spiral. The dichotomy of the audience was really interesting to follow in the main event. The crowd cheered Austin completely, while factions were cheering for the Rock, most of the majority booed his offense and comebacks on Austin. When McMahon got involved, the crowd wasn't happy, but if turning Austin was the point, the crowd didn't seem to know whether to react or not. They booed at the doubleteaming but when Austin scored the pinfall after pummeling the Rock with multiple chairs, the crowd exploded. The crowd was really strong for the opening matches and quieted down as the show went on. They came alive again for the TLC match, were brought down by the gimmick Battle Royal and were completely electric for the two main events. It was quite an experience as the Texan fans were something else. Live, Triple H vs The Undertaker was really great with the crowd totally behind the Undertaker. The roar when Helmsley was thrown off the scaffolding was tremendous. The crowd swarmed to the stage that Motorhead was playing from and popped huge for Triple H's entrance like he was a true star. At the time with Austin's turn, it would have made sense to turn Triple H face, but the idea was discarded. The TLC match was a really fun match to watch, although one couldn't help to wonder at the times how in the world they could even try to top themselves. You could see they were working really hard and well beyond the point of sanity and logic and one can only respect what everyone involved went through. The scariest moments of the match were easily Jeff Hardy slipping as he crossed the top of three ladders and D-Von nearly killing himself on a ladder as he fell when hanging from the belts. Hardy's penchant for crazy stunts eventually burnt him right out of a full time wrestling career. When one thinks about this show, they have to think of the gimmick battle royal. What can one say other than it was there? It was fun in a nostalgic sense to hear all the old theme songs. Live, the crowd didn't seem to know who most of the performers were, although Michael Hayes, Jim Cornette and Doink received great ovations live. It was a great idea to bring the crowd down so they weren't burnt out for the main event, too. The Vince McMahon-Shane McMahon match was a lot of fun to follow live with great twists and turns. The crowd came alive for the match, chanting "Linda" through the entire match while waiting for the then-catatonic Linda McMahon to attack her husband. It was really fun to see Mick Foley returning to old form for a few brief moments while pummeling Vince. The debut of the Van Terminator by Shane McMahon was a surprising move, and with all the turns, the catfight, and the great finisher, Paul Heyman's fingerprints were all over the match. While Rob Van Dam would eventually do the move in WWE, it would be Shane McMahon would be credited with doing it first on a huge national scale. The undercard of Mania 17 had it's moments as well. Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle gave us a nice taste of what to come. It was cool to see the crowd popping live for the matwork in the opening moments of the show. Chris Jericho vs William Regal and Test vs Eddy Guerrero were fine live, although I found the earlier portion of the show odd at first because I couldn't hear the bumps in the ring. The crowd popped huge for Bradshaw hitting the lariat and the big boot like he was Stan Hansen in the Tokyo Dome during the six man tag team bout, which was a little too fast to follow live. Tazz got a nice pop coming out when he prevented the RTC from speaking on the mic.

Buck Woodward:: I remember this being one of the few Wrestlemania's with a strong undercard. Jericho-Regal, the six-man tag, the Hardcore match and Guerrero vs. Test were all perfectly fine matches. ... Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit was fantastic. Their on-again, off-again rivalry has been one of the bright spots of the last five years of WWE shows. ... Poor Ivory. She and every other female had to be thrilled when Chyna the Diva-Squasher finally left two years later. ... Shane vs. Vince had no right to be that good. They put it all on the line, and really worked hard to put on a believeable fight. ... The TLC match was amazing, and E&C picked up their second consecutive Wrestlemania win over the Dudleys and Hardys. ... If you didn't like the Gimmick Battle Royal, then you need to stop taking yourself so seriously. Tons of funny one-liners from Bobby Heenan, surprisingly loud reactions to Hillbilly Jim and Duke Drose, and Freebird Michael Hayes comes home to Texas. Plus we finally got the conclusion to the Iron Sheik-Sgt. Slaughter feud. ... Undertaker vs. Triple H was incredible. You really got the sense that Taker might finally lose at Mania here, but Taker pulled it out in a legitimately exciting match. Plus you had Motorhead, so how could it not be cool? If only they had played Overkill or Ace Of Spades. ... Note to WWF/E: You CANNOT turn Steve Austin heel in Texas. I don't care if Austin took out a machine gun and riddled Rock with bullets, the fans in Houston are still going to cheer him. A great match, but if Vince McMahon really thought the fans hatred of him would overcome Austin's hometown popularity, he was insane.

Jess McGrath: BEST. WRESTLEMANIA. EVER. What more needs to be said? It will be a very long time before you see a show this good from WWE. Everything clicked on all cylinders, topped by one of the best WWF title matches ever with Austin vs. Rock. On a scale of 1 to 10, this show was a 9.9. The only small thing that still bothers me to this day is turning Austin heel. People didn't want to see it, and certainly the people in Houston that day didn't. There were a lot of good arguments for it on paper, and they had a lot of success ending Wrestlemania with a heat finish the previous year rather than the big babyface winning. But it just didn't work. That said, I don't want to dwell too much on a small blight on an otherwise awesome show. Definitely the best of the Wrestlemanias, and the one against which future Manias will be judged.

Dave Scherer: You could read my thoughts from Mania 2000 and put them here on this show. All of the same things apply. This was the WWF at its very best.

2003 - At a Smackdown taping in Spokane, Washington, Sable returned to the WWE after a four-year absence, interrupting Torrie Wilson's celebration over her Playboy magazine cover. The return shocked many, given the bad blood between Sable and the WWE, which included Sable filing a lawsuit against WWE at one point for sexual harassment.

2006 - WWE held their Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in conjunction with Wrestlemania weekend, inducting Bret Hart, Eddie Guerrero, Gene Okerlund, The Blackjacks, Tony Atlas, Verne Gagne, Sherri Martel and William Perry (who went into the "celebrity wing"). This would be Bret Hart's one (and to date, only) appearance at a WWE event following the 1997 "Montreal Screwjob".

Source: PWInsider.com