This Day In Wrestling History – October 12th

1953 – Dot Dotson defeats Betty Hawkins, to win the NWA Florida Women’s Championship.

1954 – George and Bobby Becker defeat Mr. Moto and Kinji Shibuya, to win the NWA Mid-Southern Tag Team Championship.

1971 – Larry Hamilton and Brute Bernard defeat Johnny Weaver and George Becker, to win the NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship.

1977 – Baron Von Raschke defeats Rick Steamboat, to win the NWA Television Championship.

1983 – “The Grand Wizard” Ernie Roth dies of a heart attack at age 57.  Roth was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1995.

1986 – Kevin Von Erich defeats Black Bart, to win the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship.

1992 – At a WWF house show in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Bret Hart defeats Ric Flair, to win the WWF World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career.

1992 – In the United States Wrestling Association, Butch Reed defeats Junkyard Dog, to win the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship.  Also, Danny Davis defeats Brian Christopher, to win the USWA World Light Heavyweight Championship.

1996 – In All Pro Wrestling, Robert Thompson defeats Michael Modest, to become the inaugural APW Universal Heavyweight Champion.

1998 – On WWF Raw Is War, Ken Shamrock defeats X-Pac, to win the vacant Intercontinental Championship.  The title had been vacated by Triple H, due to injury.  In the Monday Night Wars, Raw (4.8 TV rating) edges out WCW Monday Nitro (4.6 rating).

2002 – Naofumi Yamamoto (aka Yoshi Tatsu) makes his debut in New Japan Pro Wrestling.  In the House of Pain Wrestling Federation, Fumar defeats Aidean, to win the HoPWF Cruiserweight Championship.

2004 – Universo 2000 defeats Mr. Niebla, to win the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship for the 3rd time.  In the Heartland Wrestling Association, JT Sthar defeats Tack, to win the HWA Television Championship.

2005 – In Ohio Valley Wrestling, Seth Skyfire and Chet Jablonski defeat The Blonde Bombers (Chad and Tank Toland), to win the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship.

2006 – Francine is released from her contract by WWE.   Francine had been part of WWE’s ECW roster, acting as a valet for Balls Mahoney.

2008 – TNA Bound for Glory IV is held at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago).  Records indicate that the attendance was somewhere between 5,000 and 5,500 fans.

-In a dark match, Eric Young and Sojourner Bolt defeat Lance Rock and Christy Hemme, in an inter-gender tag team match.

-Jay Lethal wins a Steel Asylum Match to become the #1 contender for the TNA X Division Championship.

-In a Six-Person, Inter-gender, Tag Team Bimbo Brawl Match, ODB, Rhaka Khan, and Rhino defeat The Beautiful People (Angelina Love, Cute Kip, and Velvet Sky).  Traci Brooks served as special guest referee.

-Sheik Abdul Bashir defeats Consequences Creed, to retain the X Division Championship.

-In a Three-Way Match, Taylor Wilde defeats Awesome Kong and Roxxi, to retain the TNA Women’s Knockouts Championship.

-In a Four-Way Monster’s Ball Tag Team Match, Beer Money, Inc. (James Storm and Robert Roode) defeat the team of Abyss & Matt Morgan, The Latin American XChange (Hernandez and Homicide), and Team 3D (Brother Devon and Brother Ray), to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship.  The special guest referee was Steve McMichael from the 1985 Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears;  McMichael was in WCW in the mid 1990s and had one reign as WCW United States Champion.

-In a Three Way War, Booker T defeats A.J. Styles and Christian Cage.

-Jeff Jarrett defeats Kurt Angle;  Mick Foley served as Special Ringside Enforcer.

-Sting defeats Samoa Joe, to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.  Per pre-match stipulation, regardless of outcome, there would be no rematch.

2009 – On WWE Raw, Jillian Hall defeats Mickie James, to win the WWE Divas Championship.  Jillian would have her first title defense on the same night;  she’d lose the title to Melina.

2014 – TNA Bound for Glory is held in Tokyo, Japan in front of 1,500 fans.  Due to the time difference between Japan and the United States, the pay-per-view aired on tape delay.  Mike Tenay and Taz did TV commentary for the event from TNA’s headquarters in Nashville.  NOTE:  Due to already taped episodes of Impact Wrestling set to air after this event, Samoa Joe and Havok were not the actual champions at the time of Bound for Glory.

-Minoru Tanaka defeats Manik via submission.

-Ethan Carter III defeats Ryota Hama.

-MVP defeats Kazma Sakamoto.

-In a Three-Way Match, Samoa Joe defeats Low Ki and Kaz Hayashi, to retain the TNA X Division Championship.

-In a tag team match, Novus (Jiro Kuroshio and Yusuke Kodama) defeat Andy Wu and El Hijo del Pantera.

-In a Hardcore Tag Team Match, Team 3D (Bully Ray and Devon) defeat Tommy Dreamer and Abyss.

-Havok defeats Velvet Sky, via submission to retain the TNA Knockouts Championship.

-In a tag team match, The Great Muta and Tajiri defeat The Revolution (James Storm and The Great Sanada).

2015 – On WWE Monday Night Raw, John Cena defeats Dolph Ziggler, to retain the WWE United States Championship.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Former OVW Southern Tag Team Champion, NWA Mississippi Heavyweight Champion, and 3-time NWA Texas Heavyweight Champion Rodney Mack (46 years old), and former WWE & TNA wrestler Karen Jarrett (44 years old).  Today would’ve been the 60th birthday for CMLL legend Emilio Charles, Jr.

Yesterday, October 11th, would’ve been the 71st birthday for Dusty Rhodes.  Rhodes was inducted into the WCW Hall of Fam in 1995, and the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.  A life-size Bronze Statue of Rhodes was unveiled at WrestleMania Axxess in 2016.  He was named “Most Popular Wrestler” by Pro Wrestling Illustrated in 1978, 1979, and 1987;  and “Wrestler of the Year” in 1977 and 1978.  He was presented with the “Stanley Preston Award” by Pro Wrestling Illustrated in 2013.  Wrestling Observer Newsletter inducted Rhodes into their Hall of Fame in 1996;  Wrestling Observer Newsletter also named Rhodes “Most Charismatic” wrestler in 1982 (along with Ric Flair), “Best Babyface” in 1980, and “Best Booker” in 1986.

SOURCES: Google, Wikipedia, http://WWE.com http://www.gerweck.net

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