This Day In Wrestling History – March 28th

Trivia

2003 – Satoshi Kojima wins the AJPW Champion’s Carnival, defeating Arashi in the final

2008 – One day after TNA cameras caught him in the crowd at a live TNA broadcast (& he was identified as a WWE wrestler), WWE sent Robbie McAllister of the Highlanders home from Wrestlemania

2010 – Gorilla Monsoon was inducted into the GERWECK.NET Hall of Fame, securing 90% of the reader votes

2011 – WWE announced The Road Warriors & Paul Ellering would be inducted into their Hall of Fame

2011 – WWE stars Chris Masters, Curt Hawkins, Dolph Ziggler, & JTG appeared on MTV’s “Silent Library”

Events

In 1999, WWF Wrestlemania XV was held at the First Union Center, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (This would be Gorilla Monsoon’s last television appearance as a judge for the Brawl For All Final):

Sunday Night Heat:
– Jacqueline (with Terri Runnels) defeated Ivory (with D’Lo Brown)
– D’Lo Brown & Test won a 21-Man Battle Royal to determine the #1 contenders for the WWF tag team Titles later that night. Last eliminating The Godfather & Droz
PPV:
– Hardcore Holly defeated Billy Gunn & Al Snow in a Triple Threat Match to win the WWF Hardcore Title
– Owen Hart & Jeff Jarrett (with Debra) defeated Test & D’Lo Brown (with Ivory) to retain the WWF Tag Team Titles
– Butterbean defeated Bart Gunn in a Brawl For All Match
– Mankind defeated “The Big Show” Paul Wight via DQ. To become the guest referee in the main event
– Road Dogg defeated Ken Shamrock, Goldust (with The Blue Meanie & Ryan Shamrock), & Val Venis in a Four Corners Elimination Match to retain the WWF Intercontinental Title
– Kane defeated Triple H (with Chyna) via DQ
– Sable defeated Tori to retain the WWF Women’s Title
– Shane McMahon (with Test) defeated X-Pac to retain the WWF European Title
– The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) defeated The Big Boss Man in a Hell In A Cell Match. This was the match where Taker infamously hanged The Boss Man
– Steve Austin defeated The Rock in a No-DQ Match to win the WWF Title with Mankind as the guest referee

In 2004, New Japan Pro Wrestling held an untitled PPV in Tokyo, Japan:

– Jushin Liger defeated Masayuki Naruse to retain the GHC Junior Heavyweight Title
– Heat defeated Koji Kanemoto to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title
– Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Kazunari Murakami to retain the U-30 Title
– Yoshihiro Takayama & Minoru Suzuki defeated Manabu Nakanishi & Genichiro Tenryu to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– Yuji Nagata defeated Masahiro Chono
– Bob Sapp defeated Kensuke Sasaki to win the IWGP Heavyweight Title

In 2010, WWE Wrestlemania XXVI was held at the University of Phoenix Stadium, in Glendale, Arizona:

Dark Match:
– Yoshi Tatsu last eliminated Zack Ryder to win a 26-man inter promotional “Pre-Wrestlemania” battle royal
PPV:
– ShoMiz (The Big Show & The Miz) defeated John Morrison & R-Truth to retain the WWE Unified Tag Team Titles
– Randy Orton defeated Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. in a triple threat match
– Jack Swagger wins the Money In The Bank Ladder Match defeated Kofi Kingston, Christian, Matt Hardy, Kane, Drew McIntyre, Shelton Benjamin, Dolph Ziggler, MVP, & Evan Bourne
– Triple H defeated Sheamus
– Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated C.M. Punk (with Luke Gallows & Serena) if Punk had won, Mysterio would have had to join the Straight Edge Society
– Bret Hart defeated Vince McMahon in a No Holds Barred Match Lumberjack Match, with Bruce Hart as special guest referee. All the Lumberjacks were Hart family members
– Chris Jericho defeated Edge to retain the World Heavyweight Title
– Michelle McCool, Vickie Guerrero, Layla, Alicia Fox, & Maryse defeated Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly, Gail Kim, Eve Torres, & Mickie James in a 10-diva tag team match
– John Cena defeated Batista to win the WWE Title
– The Undertaker defeated Shawn Michaels to go 18-0 at Wrestlemania & forced Michaels to retire

Title Changes

1963 – Dory Dixon defeated WWWF World Champion Buddy Rogers to become the first World Wide Wrestling Alliance World Champion. Rogers’ WWWF World Title is not on the line in Cleveland, Ohio

1980 – Andre The Giant vs. Hulk Hogan ends in a double countout in Binghamton, New York

1981 – Andre The Giant defeated Hulk Hogan in Old Saybrook, Connecticut

1983 – King Parsons defeated Tola Yatsu to win the WCCW Television Title

1984 – Tully Blanchard defeated Mark Youngblood to win the NWA Television Title

2000 – on Smackdown, Stephanie McMahon defeated Jacqueline to win the WWF Women’s Title

Birthdays

Happy birthday to one-time USWA Television Champion Brickhouse Brown (57), former WWE wrestler Rory McAllister (39), one-time AAA Tag Team Champion Ultimo Gladiator (37), former British Heavyweight Champion Tony St. Clair (68), & former WWF and NWA wrestler The Warlord (53)

Also, today would have been the birthday of former WWF/E Intercontinental Champions Eddie ‘Umaga’ Fatu (42), & ‘Mr. Perfect’ Curt Hennig (57)

In Memoriam

In 2007, Abe Coleman, 101 years old and believed to be the oldest living professional wrestler, passed away in a nursing home in Flushing, New York. A native of Zychlin, Poland, Coleman moved to the United States in 1923 & eventually landed in New York in 1941, where he resided for the rest of his life.  Coleman was discovered by local promoter Rudy Miller working out in a gym. Miller offered $25 for Coleman to wrestle & he debuted that week at the Ridgewood Grove Arena. Coleman would go on to tour across the world, with results I’ve found listing him for matches in Calgary, Australia and the Northeast. Coleman also claimed to have worked in Mexico. He used many nicknames including The Hebrew Hercules & Jewish Tarzan, which sometimes caused him to receive anti-Semitic reactions.  Coleman’s has claimed through the years that he was the creator of a move still prevalent today, the dropkick. He retired in 1958 & later worked for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. At the age of 80, Coleman was still making a splash when two teenaged muggers attempted to rob him. Coleman knocked each out with one punch. Coleman’s wife, Judy, passed away in 1987. The couple had no children but he was survived by several nephews & nieces.