This Day in History - 8th May, 2013

May 8th
On this day in history in ....

1964 - The WWWF ran West Hempsted, NY, headlined by WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino & Tony Marino defeating Jerry & Luke Graham.

1967 - WWWF ran Trenton, NJ with the following results:
-Jerry Graham defeated the Ox.
-Spiros Arion defeated Smasher Sloan.
-Bull Ortega defeated Arnold Skaaland.
-Prof. Toru Tanaka defeated Arman Hussian.
-WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino & Spiros Arion defeated Tank Morgan & Baron Mikel Scicluna.

1969 - The WWWF ran Washington, D.C. at the National Arena with the following results:
-John L. Sullivan defeated Tony Altimore.
-Dominic DeNucci defeated Lou Albano.
-Killer Kowalski defeated Arnold Skaaland.
-Bulldog Brower defeated Angelo Savoldi.
-Victor Rivera defeated Duke Savage.
-The Fabulous Moolah & Toni Rose defeated Alice Young & Betty Walker in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2 falls to 0.
-Victor Rivera (substituing for WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino) fought Prof. Toru Tanaka to a draw

1970 - The WWWF ran Elizabeth, NJ at the Armory with the following results:
-Dominic DeNucci pinned Arnold Skaaland at 12:10.
-Salah El Din pinned Frank Hickey at 11:25.
-Eric the Red pinned the Red Demon at 7:15.
-Lee Wong defeated Joe Turco via disqualification at 12:10.
-WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino pinned Karl Kovacs at 15:25.
-Victor Rivera & Mario Milano defeated Prof. Toru Tanaka & Mike Conrad in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-0.

1973 - WWWF ran Hagerstown, MD, headlined by Freddie Blassie defeating El Olympico Undercard results saw Juan Caruso defeat Ben Ortiz, Mike McCord defeat Ernie Lassiter and Tony Garea defeat Miguel Feliciano.

1973 - WWWF also ran The Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY with the following results:
-Joe Turco fought Miguel Feliciano to a draw.
-Iron Mike McCord defeatead Vincente Pometti.
-Moondog Mayne defeated El Olympico.
-The Fabulous Moolah & Dottie Downs defeated Lily Thomas & Tippy Wells.
-WWWF World Champion Pedro Morales defeated Freddie Blassie.

1974 - Jimmy & Johnny Valiant defeat Dean Ho & Tony Garea for the WWWF Tag Team Title in Hamburg, Pennsylvania at the Fieldhouse during a TV Taping for All Star Wrestling. This would be the only time this combination of the Valiant brothers would win the title. Johnny and Jerry Valiant would win them in 1979, right before they were renamed the WWF Tag Team Title.

1974 - Antonio Inoki defeats Killer Karl Krupp and Seiji Sakaguchi to win the 1st Annual New Japan Pro Wrestling World League. Inoki, Krupp and Sakaguchi had all tied each other in the round robin portion of the tournament.

1976 - WWWF ran Boston, MA at the Boston Garden with a matinee event featuring the following results:
-Kevin Sullivan fought Baron Mikel Scicluna to a draw.
-Bobo Brazil defeated Rocky Tomayo.
-Executioner #2 (John Studd) defeated Pat Barrett.
-Executioner #1 (Killer Kowalski) pinned Jose Gonzalez with a knee drop to the head after Gonzalez hit the corner.
-Skandor Akbar defeated Man Mountain Mike at 9:42.
-Haystacks Calhoun defeated Crusher Blackwell at 11:16.
-Ivan Putski defeated Louis Cyr at 8:27.
-Stan Hansen defeated WWWF Tag Team Champion Louis Cerdan via disqualification at 7:28 when Tony Parisi and another wrestler made the save after Hansen knocked Cerdan out with the lariat.
-Ernie Ladd fought WWWF Tag Team Champion Tony Parisi to a no contest at 9:20.
-Stan Hansen won a 20-man battle royal by last eliminating Jose Gonzalez; other participants included Bobo Brazil, Haystacks Calhoun, the Executioners, Jerry Blackwell, WWWF Tag Team Champions Louis Cerdan & Tony Parisi, Louis Cyr, Man Mountain Mike, Ernie Ladd, Kevin Sullivan, Superstar Billy Graham, Ivan Putski, Gorilla Monsoon, Scandor Akbar, & Baron Mikel Scicluna; order of elimination: Graham by Brazil via a headbutt; after the elimination, Graham got back up on the ring apron where he received several more headbutts from Brazil until he was sent to the floor; Putski by one of the Executioners; the Executioners by Cerdan & Parisi; Cyr by Brazil; Ladd by Brazil via a headbutt; Brazil was eliminated; Cerdan by Hansen; Parisi by Hansen; after the elimination, Parisi returned to the ring where he was attacked by Hansen and Akbar and thrown to the floor by Akbar; Akbar by Gonzalez via a dropkick; Gonzalez by Hansen via the lariat.

1976 - After the matinee in Boston, the roster split into two, running events that evening in Kingston, NY and New Haven, CT. The CT event was headlined by Ivan Koloff vs. Bruno Sammartino with Haystacks Calhoun as the special referee. The NY event was headlined by Ivan Putski vs. Ernie Ladd.

1978 - The WWWF ran Washington, PA at The Senior High School Gym, The benefit event had initially been scheduled for February 27th but had been postponed due to a coal miner's strike. Results from the show saw:
-Dino Bravo defeated Johnny DeFazio.
-Dominic DeNucci defeated Strong Kobayashi.
-Ivan Putski defeated Stan Stasiak via count-out.
-Haystacks Calhoun & Larry Zbyszko defeated Butcher Vachon & Johnny Rodz.

1981 - The WWF ran Pittsburgh, PA at the Civic Arena with the following results:
-Johnny DeFazio defeated Jim Grabmire.
-Bruno Sammartino Jr. (David) defeated Pete Mitchell.
-Angelo Mosca defeated Dominic DeNucci.
-Farmer Jerome & the Carolina Kid defeated Sky Low Low & the Chocolate Kid.
-Tony Garea & Rick Martel defeated Lou Albano & Moondog Rex.
-Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated SD Jones via count-out.
-WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Killer Khan.

1982 -WWF ran the Boston Garden, drawing 13,007 with the following results:
-Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Pete Doherty.
-Tony Garea defeated Charlie Fulton.
-Mr. Saito defeated Pete Sanchez.
-Mr. Fuji defeated Rick McGraw.
-Greg Valentine defeated Johnny Rodz
-Blackjack Mulligan defeated Steve Travis.
-WWF Intercontinental Champion Pedro Morales defeated Adrian Adonis via disqualification.
-Tony Atlas defeated Jesse Ventura in a steel cage match.
-WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Bob Orton Jr.

1983 - NWA World Champion Ric Flair defeated Billy Jack Haynes via disqualification in Cetralia, Washington.

1984 - Ivan Koloff & Don Kernolde defeated NWA World Tag Team Champions Wahoo McDaniel & Mark Youngblood to win the titles in Raleigh, NC. The undercard featured:
-Sam Houston defeated Ben Alexander.
-Brian Adidas defeated Bob Orton Jr.
-Adrian Street defeated Rufus R. Jones
.-Jimmy Valiant defeated Tully Blanchard via disqualification.

The same evening, Jim Crockett Promotions also ran Columbia, SC, featuring the following results:
-Vinnie Valentino defeated Jeff Sword.
-Gary Royal defeated Doug Vines.
-Jesse Barr defeated Barry Hart.
-Johnny Weaver defeated Kurt Von Hess.
-Wahoo McDaniel defeated Ernie Ladd.
-Ricky Steamboat defeated Dick Slater via disqualification.

1985 - WWF ran a charity event at the Shikellany, IL High School, headlined by WWF Tag Team Champions Nikolai Volkoff & the Iron Sheik defeating The U.S. Express, Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo.

1985 - WWF ran The Fieldhouse in Hamburg, PA with the following results:
-Tony Garea defeated Johnny Rodz (substituing for Don Muraco).
-Rocky Johnson defeated Rene Goulet.
-George Sanders (substituing for Ivan Putski) defeated Ken Patera via disqualification.
-The Fabulous Moolah (substituing. for Mad Maxine) defeated Wenona Little Heart.
-Salvatore Bellomo defeated Steve Lombardi; the match replaced a previously scheduled David Sammartino vs. Buddy Rose match.
-The Junkyard Dog fought WWF Intercontinental Champion Greg Valentine to a draw.

1986 - WWF ran Welland, Ontario at the Arena with the following results:
-Rene Goulet defeated Bob Marcus.
-Tony Parisi defeated Steve Lombardi.
-Candi Perdue defeated Judy Martin.
-Ted Arcidi defeated Iron Mike Sharpe.
-Cpl. Kirchner defeated Nikolai Volkoff.
-The Iron Sheik defeated Sivi Afi.
-Jacques & Raymond Rougeau defeated Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart.

1986 -WWF ran East Rutherford, NJ at the Meadowlands, headlined by WWF champion Hulk Hogan defeating Don Muraco, Dory "Hoss" Funk defeating The Junkyard Dog and a tag match featuring Tito Santana & King Tonga (subbing for Hillbilly Jim) defeating WWF IC Champion Randy Savage & Bob Orton Jr. (subbing for Adrian Adonis) when Santana pinned Savage.

1987 - WWF ran Richfield, OH at the Coliseum, drawing 8,000 fans with the following results:
-Outback Jack defeated Steve Lombardi.
-Brad Rheingans defeated Frenchy Martin.
-Ron Bass defeated Pedro Morales.
-Greg Valentine & Dino Bravo defeated Jacques & Raymond Rougeau.
-Kamala defeated George Steele via disqualification.
-Jim Duggan pinned the Iron Sheik.
-WWF Tag Team Champions Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart defeated Davey Boy Smith & the Dynamite Kid in a steel cage match.
-WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan pinned King Harley Race with a roll up after avoiding Race's headbutt off the top.

1987 - WWF ran Springfield, MA at the Civic Center drawing 2,776 with the following:
-Sika defeated SD Jones.
-Nikolai Volkoff defeated Jerry Allen.
-Demolition defeated the Islanders.
-Billy Jack Haynes (substituting for Jake Roberts) pinned the Honkytonk Man.
-Koko B. Ware pinned Danny Davis.
-Paul Roma & Jim Powers defeated the Shadows (Randy Culley & Jose Luis Rivera).
-WWF IC Champion Ricky Steamboat defeated Randy Savage in a steel cage match at around the 5-minute mark

1988 - Kerry Von Erich defeats Iceman King Parsons in Irving, Texas to win the World Class Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Title for the second time.

1988 - Tatsumi Fujinami defeats Big Van Vader for the IWGP Heavyweight Title in Tokyo, Japan. The title had been vacated by Antonio Inoki (who was the initial IWGP Champion after New Japan decided to make it a regular title, as opposed to a yearly tournament championship, which it had been since 1983) due to a broken foot.

1989 - WWF ran The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, NJ with the card broadcast over the MSG Network:
-Mr. Perfect pinned the Blue Blazer with the Perfectplex at 10:59.
-Bret Hart fought Greg Valentine (w/ Jimmy Hart) to a 20-minute time limit draw at 19:34; late in the bout, Mr. Perfect came ringside briefly, distracting Hart.
-Tito Santana fought Rick Martel (w/ Slick) to a no contest when Martel attacked Santana before the bout during Santana's entrance, with the referee deeming Santana unable to compete but would allow the match to take place later in the card if Santana's condition improved, which it did.
-The Honkytonk Man (w/ Jimmy Hart) pinned Hillbilly Jim at 9:15 with a running knee to the back and hooking Jim's overalls for leverage after Jim became distracted by Hart; prior to the bout, Jim danced with ring attendant Tony Chimmel at ringside.
-The Ultimate Warrior defeated WWF Intercontinental champion Rick Rude (with Bobby Heenan) via count-out at 10:02 when Rude began walking backstage as Warrior chased Heenan into the ring.
-Jim Powers pinned Iron Mike Sharpe at 10:34 with a powerslam.
-The Red Rooster pinned the Brooklyn Brawler with a sunset flip after the Brawler hit the turnbuckle at 10:10.
-Rick Martel (w/ Slick) pinned Tito Santana at 3:24 with his feet on the ropes.
-WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition defeated the Big Bossman & Akeem (w/ Slick) via disqualification at 15:12 when Bossman attacked the champions with his nightstick; after the bout, Akeem attempted to handcuff Ax to the bottom rope until Smash made the save with a steel chair.
-Zeus appeared on The Brother Love Show, with Zeus cutting a promo ripping on Hulk Hogan while claiming he was the true star of WWF's first film "No Holds Barred."

1989 - WWF announced Summerslam would be held at the Meadowlands in August 1989.

1990 - The NWA World championship is defended in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the first time in six years as Ric Flair defeated Road Warrior Hawk by DQ in 12 minutes. The NWA card at the Metro Centre drew 1,200 fans and featured:
-Mike Rotunda pinned Bruce Martin.
-Bam Bam Bigelow pinned Joe Hogan.
-Mike Rotunda & Norman defeated Dutch Mantell & Kevin Sullivan.
-Road Warrior Animal pinned Bobby Eaton.

1991 - WCW ran Birmingham, Alabama at the Boutwell Auditorium featuring the following results:
-Big Van Vader pinned Black Bart.
-Bobby Eaton pinned Terrance Taylor.
-Big Josh pinned Rip Morgan.
-Tracy Smothers & Steve Armstrong defeated Michael Hayes & Jack Victory (who was substituting for Jimmy Garvin, who had a pinched nerve in his neck and was unable to compete.)
-Dustin Rhodes defeated the Angel of Death.
-Sting & El Gigante defeated Stan Hansen & Dan Spivey via disqualification when Hansen choked Gigante with his bullrope.
-WCW World Tag Team Champions Rick & Scott Steiner defeated WCW World Champion Ric Flair & Barry Windham.

1992 - WCW ran St. Joseph, MO at The Civic Arena, drawing 1,700 fans with the following results:
-Big Josh pinned Richard Morton.
-Van Hammer pinned JT Southern.
-The Junkyard Dog pinned Mr. Hughes.
-Ron Simmons pinned Cactus Jack.
-Nikita Koloff (subsituting for WCW World Champion Sting) & the Great Muta defeated Big Van Vader & WCW U.S. Champion Rick Rude via disqualification when Harley Race interfered.
-WCW US.. Tag Team Champions Greg Valentine & Terry Taylor defeated Tom Zenk & Marcus Alexander Bagwell.
-Ricky Steamboat pinned Steve Austin.
-WCW World Tag Team Champions Rick & Scott Steiner defeated Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton when Rick pinned Eaton after catching him coming off the top and hitting a belly to belly suplex as Rick was on Anderson's shoulders.

1993 - Wolfie D defeats Danny Davis in Memphis, Tennessee to win the USWA Middleweight Title, becoming the final champion in the belt's short (four months) existence.

1995 - The USWA ran Memphis, TN, headlined by Jerry Lawler & Psycho Sid defeating Brian Lee & Ron Harris in the main event.

1996 - WWF ran in Kuwait City, Kuwait, featuring the following results:
-Savio Vega vs. Duke Drose; Drose played the heel in the match.
-Kuwait Cup Opening Round: Steve Austin defeated Marty Jannetty via submission with the Million Dollar Dream after kicking Jannetty in the face as he ran into the corner.
-Ahmed Johnson vs. Aldo Montoya; Montoya played the heel for the match.
-The Bushwhackers vs. Bob Backlund & Isaac Yankem.
-Bret Hart defeated Leif Cassidy via submission with the Sharpshooter after catching Cassidy in the air as he attempted a leapfrog.
-The Undertaker pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the tombstone.
-WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Davey Boy Smith with a backdrop and the superkick.

1997 - ECW ran The Madhouse of Extreme, the Elks Lodge in Queens, NY with the following results:
-Axl Rotten pinned Chris Chetti.
-Spike Dudley pinned Little Guido.
-Balls Mahoney pinned the New Jersey Devil (Bill Wiles).
-Tommy Dreamer defeated Louie Spicolli.
-ECW World TV Champion Shane Douglas defeated Pitbull #1.
-ECW World Tag Team Champions The Eliminators defeated The Gangstas and D-Von & Big Dudley in an elimination match.
-Raven defeated the Sandman and Stevie Richards in a Three-Way Dance.
-ECW World Champion Terry Funk defeated Raven at the 4-minute mark.
-Taz & Chris Candido defeated Rob Van Dam & Sabu at the 10-minute mark.

1997 - WCW ran Salina, KS with the following results:
-Bobby Eaton defeated Steve Armstrong.
-Konnan defeated Marty Jannetty.
-Yuji Nagata defeated Ernest Miller.
-Psychosis & La Parka defeated Silver King & Juventud Guerrera.
-WCW Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho defeated Disco Inferno.
-Sting & Lex Luger defeated Scott Norton & WCW World Tag Team Champion Scott Hall.

1999 - ECW ran at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the following results:
- Little Guido defeated Mosco De La Merced with a Boston Crab.
- Justin Credible did an interview announcing that due to injury, Sabu was not being allowed to wrestle. Credible bragged about putting Sabu out of action.
- Danny Doring defeated Bill Wiles with a double arm DDT. Wiles was actually working as a timekeeper, and chanted "boring" while Doring and Roadkill were having an interview, leading to their match.
- TAKA Michinoku & Yoshihiro Tajiri defeated Super Crazy & Spike Dudley when TAKA hit the Michinoku Driver #2 on Crazy for the pin. The match had started with Crazy teaming with Super Nova, but the FBI attacked Nova, leading to Spike Dudley substituting.
- Chris Candido defeated Chris Chetti when Chetti was injured and could no longer continue. Candido attacked Chetti on the stretcher, leading to ECW World Champion (and Chetti's cousin) Taz running off Candido. Taz then beat up Chetti, saying if this is what he would do to his own cousin, Candido could imagine what would be done to him.
- Steve Corino vs. Axl Rotten ended in a no-contest when the Dudleys attacked Rotten, and Corino left.
- ECW World Tag Team Champions The Dudley Boyz defeated Axl Rotten & Balls Mahoney after 3D on Balls.
- ECW World Television Champion Rob Van Dam defeated Skull Von Krush with the five star frog splash.
- Tommy Dreamer, Jerry Lynn & Francine defeated Lance Storm, Justin Credible & Dawn Marie when Francine pinned Storm after DDTing Dawn into Storm's groin.

1999 - J.R. Smooth defeats Michael Hayes for the Memphis Power Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee.

2000 - Chris Benoit defeats Chris Jericho for the WWF Intercontinental Title in Uniondale, New York, ending Jericho's 3rd IC Title reign after only six days. This marked the beginning of Benoit's second run with the belt.

2000 - WCW broadcast Nitro from St. Louis, MO with the following results:

-WCW Hardcore Champion Terry Funk defeated Norman Smiley & Ralphus in a handicap hardcore match.
-Shawn Stasiak defeated Capt. Rection.
-Mike Awesome defeated Diamond Dallas Page in a stretcher match.
-Kronik defeated Stevie Ray & Big T, Ron & Don Harris, and Big Vito & Johnny the Bull in an elimination match.
-Elizabeth fought Daffney to a no contest.
-Hulk Hogan & Kevin Nash fought Mike Awesome, Billy Kidman, Rey Mysterio Jr., & Konnan to a no contest in a handicap streetfight.
-WCW World Champion Jeff Jarrett defeated Sting.

2002 - Tom Howard defeats Christopher Daniels in Santa Ana, California to win the Ultimate Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Title. Howard, already the UPW Shoot Champion, unifies the two belts.

2002 - A press release was issued, touting the June 2002 debut of NWA: Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a weekly Wednesday night PPV. The promotion still exists today as TNA Impact Wrestling. The press release (which listed Dixie Carter as the PR contact; she would go on to become President of the company after it was purchased by Panda Energy) reads as follows:

iN DEMAND; J SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCE NEW WEEKLY PPV WRESTLING SERIES

NWA: TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION TO KICK OFF JUNE 19, 2002

New York, NY (May 9, 2002)…iN DEMAND LLC and J Sports & Entertainment, Inc (JSE), today announced a new weekly series of PPV wrestling entertainment events premiering on June 19, 2002, and continuing every Wednesday night. The series will represent the first weekly original programming available exclusively on PPV.

The new series will be called “NWA – Total Nonstop Action” and will feature nationally and world-renowned superstars from the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the oldest professional wrestling sanctioning body in the world. The NWA’s heritage is the foundation for professional wrestling today, and this new venture repositions the NWA brand for the 21st century.

Appearing on initial programs will be top names such as, former World Champion Jeff Jarrett, former UFC Champion Ken Shamrock, NWA legends Dory Funk Jr. and Harley Race, hardcore midget Puppet, Puerto Rican sensation Apolo, and young high-flyer A.J. Styles. These top athletes, representing a diverse array of wrestling styles, will be joined by the luscious “TNA Girls” as well as other top free agent wrestlers from around the world who will be announced in the weeks to come. The live events will be held at various arenas and coliseums throughout the country.

In addition, superstars from both the entertainment and sporting worlds, as well as “infamous” celebrities, will make guest appearances on a regular basis to create this new, multi-faceted approach to wrestling entertainment. The first broadcast will feature country music superstar and CMA & ACM Male Vocalist of the Year, Toby Keith, and current NASCAR Winston Cup point leader, Sterling Marlin.

“Our show fills a void currently in the marketplace,” said Jeff Jarrett, President of JSE. “With its fast paced storylines and Total Nonstop Action, we will give fans, as well as those who might have stopped watching wrestling in the past year, a new entertainment experience.”

“Each show will be a spectacular, in line with the quality of programming expected from a PPV broadcast,” said Jerry Jarrett, Chairman of JSE and a well known wrestling promoter and industry leader for over 35 years. “Because the storyline continues on a weekly basis, fans will want to tune in each week. It was important for us to offer this entertainment at an affordable price level. Viewers can obtain 8 hours of this original, high-quality entertainment on a monthly basis.”

"This is a great opportunity for iN DEMAND, our MSOs and affiliates," said Daniel York, SVP Programming and Development, iN DEMAND. "With weekly consistency and an affordable price point, we expect the new series to appeal to wrestling fans, and are confident it will attract new fans to the category."

“NWA: Total Nonstop Action” will premiere every Wednesday at 8pm ET with an encore presentation scheduled for the following Sunday at Noon ET (time approximate). The Sunday broadcast will often serve as “lead-in” programming for iNDemand’s recently announced NASCAR iN CAR ON iN DEMAND series.

More information about NWA: Total Nonstop Action will be available online at www.nwatna.com.

iN DEMAND, the nation’s leading PPV & VOD provider, delivers television premiers of the best movies, championship boxing, mega-event wrestling, professional and college sports, plus original programming. iN Demand’s 60-channel digital lineup also offers MLB Extra Innings, NBA LEAGUE PASS, WNBA Season Pass, NHL Center Ice and ESPN Full Court, ‘NASCAR iN CAR ON iN DEMAND’, plus half-hour start times for its top movies each month. The company’s shareholders are AT&T Broadband, L.L.C., Time Warner Entertainment – Advance/Newhouse Partnership, Comcast Programming Ventures, Inc, and Cox Communications, Inc. Further information about the company can be found on the Internet at www.indemand.com.

2002 - WWE released Curt Hennig due to his conduct on the "plane ride from hell" where he and Brock Lesnar got into a physical confrontation, wrestling in the aisle of the plane.

2002 - World Wrestling Entertainment presented "The Slammy Awards 2002" at their World Restaurant in Manhattan as a way to establish the WWE as an entertainment brand to advertisers and sponsors. The event was not open to the public.

The point of the "Awards" presentation was that the WWFE was competing not just within sports-entertainment but against the entire entertainment industry. Each category which had an "award" given out featured a WWFE character competing against 2 non-WWFE entities or performers.

The first award, presented by Edge was for "Best Comedic Performance" with Kurt Angle defeating actors Drew Carey and Ray Romano. They showed the clip from Smackdown several weeks back with Edge giving him pictures with "You Suck" and other insults written on the back, and Angle's reaction.

Stephanie McMahon came out and spoke about the brand extention, saying it was neccesary because while the WWFE historically are the #1 rated show on cable, they are still willing to re-invent themselves and evolve, and added about how they listen to their audience. She spoke about how WWFE is a full entertainment brand, not one limited to just wrestling.

Torrie Wilson presented the award for "Best Dramatic Performance" which Chris Jericho won by beating James Gandolfini ("The Sopranos") and Alison Chaney ("The West Wing"). They aired a clip of Jericho intensely yelling and demanding the Rock respect him because he is the Undisputed champion.

Shane McMahon came out and spoke about the WWFE Television demographics and the new television programming that is listed elsewhere on the Newsline.

Stacy Kiebler presented the award for "Best Performance in an Action Series" which WWE champion Hulk Hogan won, beating out Kiefer Sutherland ("24") and Jennifer Garner Alias ("Alias"). Hogan accepted and received a large ovation from the industry crowd.

Billy & Chuck presented "Best Performance in A Soap Opera" which was won by Triple H (for his wedding storyline) over Katie Holmes ("Dawson's Creek") and Kerri Russel ("Felicity").

Ivory presented the award for "Most Successful Run of Television Programming" which was won by WWE programming, which beat the Tonight Show and 60 Minutes. Vince McMahon came out and accepted saying that they showed everyone today that the WWE does humor, characters, action, and more and they are the most successful variety show on television today. McMahon invited everyone to stay for lunch and told them when they were done to make sure they got the "F" out, using the new company slogan.

I was told by one person from the entertainment industry who attended that the presentation of the event was "incredibly overwhelming." She compared it to the presentations MTV puts on for similar events, which are considered the top events in the TV industry in terms of presentation, catering, and overall atmosphere. I was told that the WWE made a very favorable impression on those in attendance.

Other Notes: Others in attendance who did not take part in the presentation were Mark Henry, D-Von Dudley, Rikishi Phatu, and Billy Kidman....Everyone who attended was given a promotional bag featuring WWE T-shirts, DVDs, candy bars, Hats, a media package, and a WWE paperweight shaped like a wrestling ring.... Outside the World on the sidewalk were painted golden stars, like the Hollywood Walk of Fame featuring names of current WWE performers....Outside the restaurant, the company placed Movie Parody Posters featuring WWE Superstars. Some of the posters were The McMahonos (McMahon family in a "Sopranos" parody), Lita the Superstar Slayer (parody of "Buffy"), and WWF Divas in the City ("Sex and The City" Parody)

2003 - WWE broadcast Smackdown. Buck Woodward filed the following TV report:

Smackdown for May 8th began with a highlight package on the debut of Mr. America, and Vince McMahon's rage over Hulk Hogan figuring out a way back onto Smackdown.

Vince McMahon came to the ring, and announced that Hulk Hogan was going to be on Smackdown via satellite from his home. McMahon said that since Hogan was home in Tampa, Florida, Mr. America would not be appearing. McMahon reiterated that he was paying Hogan to stay home and rot, and accused him of being Mr. America, saying everyone knew it was him. The fans chanted "You screwed Bret" which both McMahon and the announcers acknowledged. McMahon then brought out Stephanie McMahon, obviously mad over her signing Mr. America. Stephanie defended her decision by saying she signed him for the fans and because it was good for business. Stephanie said she had to offer Mr. America his "no fire" contract in order to outbid Eric Bischoff. Vince wanted to know how Stephanie was going to break the contract so he could get rid of him. Stephanie said if it is proven Mr. America is Hulk Hogan, his contract will be nullified. Vince sent Stephanie to the back, then had Hogan brought up on the big screen. McMahon asked Hogan why he risked his financial security by showing up as Mr. America last week. Hogan claimed he was "dying" sitting at home, but said he hoped to someday return to the ring, so he could team with Mr. America. Hogan said he enjoyed watching Mr. America kick Vince's ass last week. Hogan said there were physical similarities between himself and Mr. America. McMahon and Hogan went back and forth over Mr. America, with Hogan saying that Mr. America could show up at Smackdown tonight. McMahon said if and when Mr. America comes back, he will rip the mask off him.

They announced that Brock Lesnar & Chris Benoit vs. Big Show & A-Train was the main event tonight.

A stagehand told Vince McMahon that Mr. America was here. McMahon figured this was a joke, and ordered the crewman away.

Eddie & Chavo Guerrero's theft of Kurt Angle's medals from Team Angle last week was shown.

Eddie Guerrero, with Chavo, defeated Matt Hardy, with Crash & Shannon Moore, in 5:27. The Cruiserweight Title was not on the line. Towards the end, Guerrero hit a series of vertical suplexes. Eddie went for the frog splash, but Matt moved out of the way and grabbed an Oklahoma roll for a two count. Matt went for the Twist of Fate, Eddie shoved it off, and Hardy booted Guerrero to the mat. Hardy hit a legdrop off the second rope to the back of the head for a two count. Matt went for a Side Effect, but Guerrero armdragged out of it into a cradle for the pin. Team Angle ran out after the match and ambushed Chavo, stealing back the gold medals.

Backstage, Big Show was talking with the FBI. Stagehands with a screen walked by, and Mr. America walked behind the screen, making it somewhat unclear if it was really him or not.

They recapped Brian Kendrick's confrontation with John Cena from last week, when Cena clotheslined Kendrick after he made fun of him. Kendrick is now referred to as Brian "Spanky" Kendrick.

Kendrick came out and talked about how Cena kicked his "butt" because whenever he said Cena, the fans would say "sucks". He then led the crowd in a brief call and response of "Cena Sucks".

Brian "Spanky" Kendrick defeated Jamie Noble, with Nidia, in 4:36. John Cena was watching the match from the back. Towards the end, Noble went for a superplex, but Spanky shoved him off. Spanky went for a moonsault, but Cena moved. Spanky landed on his feet, and hit the Sliced Bread #2 (walking the ropes flip into a reverse DDT out of the corner) for the pin.

Backstage, Cena was annoyed at Spanky's win. Mr. America stood next to him, back to the camera, and Cena did a double take.

They replayed Big Show's brutalizing of Rey Mysterio from Backlash. Tazz and Michael Cole said that Mysterio was still not cleared to return to the ring, but that he would be on Smackdown next week.

Josh Matthews interviewed Brock Lesnar. Lesnar said he and Benoit would have no problem with A-Train and Big Show. Lesnar also said that since Big Show likes stretchers, his match with Show at Judgment Day will be a Stretcher Match.

Vince McMahon was in the back. Funaki told McMahon that Mr. America was going to the ring right now. McMahon said this Mr. America was an imposter. McMahon had Funaki poor him a cup of coffee.

Mr. America came to the ring. Vince and Stephanie were watching from her office, and Vince was incensed when he saw that it was Hogan. Mr. America again claimed to not be Hulk Hogan, and said he was actually just an accountant from Hoboken, New Jersey that was inspired by Hulk Hogan. Vince McMahon came out and confronted Hogan. He reiterated his earlier promise to unmask Mr. America. He then said Stephanie would do the unmasking, and she came to the ring. Vince feigned like Stephanie was going to jump on Mr. America, and when he turned, Vince hit him with a low blow. Vince pulled on the mask, but America shrugged him off, sending Vince flying into Stephanie. America sent Vince from the ring with some punches, then scooped up Stephanie and carried her to the back.

They replayed the previous segment after the commercial. We saw that Stephanie was being attended to in the back for a bump on the head. Vince barged in, looking for Mr. America, more concerned with Hogan than Stephanie. Stephanie said Vince was the one that hurt her, while Vince said the blame lies with Hogan.

Sable came to the ring to watch the next match.

Torrie Wilson defeated Dawn Marie in 49 seconds. Torrie hit a sunset flip out of a Dawn fireman's carry to get the pin. After the match, Sable congratulated Torrie on breaking her losing streak, and challenged Torrie to a bikini contest at Judgment Day. Torrie took the top off her bodysuit, revealing her bra, which I guess means she accepts the challenge.

A video on Kurt Angle's injury and recovery, putting him over huge, was shown.

Team Angle (Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin) defeated Rikishi & Yoshihiro Tajiri in 4:29. The WWE Tag Team Championship was not on the line. Towards the end, Tajiri got the Tarantula on Haas, while Shelton low blowed Rikishi on the apron. Haas grabbed Tajiri in a reverse atomic drop, Benjamin hit him with a superkick, and Haas rolled up Tajiri for the pin. Los Guerreros ran out and stole the Kurt Angle portrait and medals from ringside.

Chris Benoit and Brock Lesnar were shown warming up for their tag match.

Brian "Spanky" Kendrick joined the announcers for the next match.

John Cena came to the ring, and did a rap about Rhyno, his opponent for tonight. Kendrick commented how Cena couldn't take a joke.

Rhyno defeated John Cena in 3:07. Towards the end, Cena went for a Death Valley Driver, but Rhyno blocked it and hit a spinebuster. Cena went for his chain, but Spanky grabbed it, and there was a brief tug-of-war. Rhyno took advantage of this and cradled Cena from behind for the pin. Cena went after Spanky, who jumped into the crowd. Rhyno grabbed Cena and rammed him into the ring apron. Rhyno went for a Gore, but Cena moved and Rhyno hit the ringsteps hard.

The FBI were in the back, talking about being ready to do their job.

The matches for Judgment Day were discussed.

Brock Lesnar was in the back. Nunzio got in his face, saying he was disrespectful to Big Show and A-Train. Lesnar shoved him aside, so Nunzio slapped him in the back of the head. Lesnar chased Nunzio into a room, but Nunzio hadn't really gone in it. The FBI closed the door and barricaded it with a forklift, trapping Lesnar inside. Big Show and A-Train emerged, thanking the FBI for taking care of Lesnar. They then argued briefly over who was going to wrestle Chris Benoit, with Show saying he would fight him, saying Benoit would go out on a stretcher. Show pulled out a stretcher that said "Mysterio, Benoit, Lesnar" with Mysterio's name crossed out.

Big Show, with A-Train, defeated Chris Benoit in 5:03. Michael Cole scores huge points as an announcer by mentioning the famed Andre The Giant vs. Killer Kahn stretcher match during this bout (if someone has a good video copy of that, email me!). Towards the end, Benoit hit a flying headbutt on a standing Big Show, but Show kicked out at two. Show grabbed Benoit for the chokeslam, but Benoit reversed it into the Cripple Crossface. A-Train goes for the stretcher, so Benoit lets go of Show to dropkick A-Train. Benoit goes for the Crossface again, but Show blocked it and hit a chokeslam for the pin.

After the match, A-Train kicked and Show chokeslammed Benoit again. Benoit was strapped to the stretcher, but Brock Lesnar ran out before Show could swing him into the ringpost. Lesnar cleaned house, then hit the F5 on A-Train. However, this allowed Show to clothesline and chokeslam Lesnar to end the show.

2003 - WWE Smackdown ran Aberdeen, Scotland. Kris Gibson filed the following live report:

I was at the WWE Smackdown house show in Aberdeen last night. The arena was a sell out, which according to the arena staff was around 5000. Due to the huge amount of road works and speed cameras on the road to Aberdeen, we were 15 minutes late and as a result we missed the first match of the night, which was Rey Mysterio against Matt Hardy. Don't know who won, but apparently Rey got hurt somehow, as a friend of ours was on the security staff.

The second match of the night was Rhyno vs. Albert. The crowd were really loud for this match, showing the appetite for WWE over here in Scotland. The end came when Rhyno missed a Gore and Albert hit a scissors kick. After the 3 count, a number of WWE staff, including Arn Anderson, came out to check on Rhyno who didn't move after the scissors kick. Rhyno came round, but looked really groggy. If he was selling the move, then he deserves an Oscar!

The 3rd match saw the Guerreros defeat the F.B.I Palumbo and Stamboli. This was a good match which saw Eddie and Chavo hit some cool high flying move.

The last match before the intermission was John Cena against Chris Benoit. Cena rapped about how all the people in Aberdeen were ugly (couldn't disagree...except me and some of the other non-Aberdonians!) Benoit came out and said that Cena rapped like he was "the man" when he should realize that he was looking at "the man". Excellent match. Benoit won after landing the tope rope headbutt.

After the interval, we had a Tag Team Title Match between Team Angle and Rikishi & Tajiri. Team Angle certainly impressed me with their work rate. They got the victory after Haas nailed Tajiri with a title belt, while Tajiri had the Tarantula on Benjamin.

Sable came out to be the guest ring announcer for the Diva match between Nidia and Torrie. On the wrestling front, this match was thankfully short. On the T & A front, this match was too short! But hey, I guess you can't have it both ways! Torrie got the victory by landing a DDT on Nidia. During the match, the usual "referee getting caught while the Divas are rolling around on the mat" spot was hit, and Brian Hebner tried to climb the ropes and slipped, to which the hot crowd gave him an ECW style chant that couldn't be repeated here. Something about him messing up!

Main event was next and it was WWE Title Match time. Big Show challenged Lesnar for the title. Before the match, Lesnar was taunting Show with the belt then got on the mic and told Show that he was “one ugly S.O.B.!" Show smiled as if to laugh, then realized he was supposed to be annoyed. I enjoyed that bit. The match was very entertaining as well. High spots were Lesnar first body slamming Show, then hitting an F5 for the 3 count. After the three count, some little idiot jumped over the barricade and got in the ring. Mike Keota (sp?) grabbed the guy by the throat and pushed him through the ropes to the floor, where security grabbed him. Lesnar hung about for a while, posing around the ring for the benefit of those with flash photography.

Overall, it was a good show, which I definitely enjoyed. The price for the tickets was huge, £49.50 (around $75!). That was for ringside seats. Cheapest were £22.50 (about $34!). Bit steep for a house show, but the Scottish public showed that they were willing to pay that sort of money to see the WWE. Hopefully they will return to Scotland next time they tour the UK, rather than just touring England. The crowd were hot for the whole night. Even Tony Chimmel got a massive reception, including several chants of "Tony! Tony!" The arena staff were sensible in how they controlled the crowd. They allowed you to get right down to the front to get photos when the wrestlers came out.

Good work from all the wrestlers and I would like to thank the WWE for an entertaining night. I hope they come back soon!

2004 - The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, housed in Schenectady, New York held their 2004 induction ceremonies. The 2004 inductees were Mae Young, Gordon Solie, Lord Little Brook, Terry Funk, Harley Race, Verne Gagne, William Muldoon, Vince McMahon Sr., Angelo Savoldi, Freddie Blassie, The Vachons, Len Rossi, and Dr. John Bonica. In attendance at the ceremonies were Paul and Maurice Vachon, Angelo Savoldi, Mae Young, The Fabulous Moolah, Harley Race, Verne Gagne, Johnny Rodz, Killer Kowalski, Nick Bockwinkel, Dave O'Hannon, Lord Littlebrook, (The Missing Link) Dewey Robertson, Destroyer Dick Beyer, S.D. Jones, Angelo Mosca, Jim Powers, Ida Mae Martinez, Bill Eadier, Johnny Valiant, and Terry Funk.