This Day In Wrestling History – October 19th

1956 – Rolando Vera defeats Santo, to win the NWA World Middleweight Championship.  Elsewhere, Fred Blassie defeats Bull Curry, to win the NWA (Georgia) Southern Heavyweight Championship.

1965 – Jackie Fargo and Len Rossi defeat Tor Kamata and Tojo Yamamoto, to win the NWA Mid-Southern Tag Team Championship.

1970 – Jerry Jarrett and Tojo Yamamoto defeat Lorenzo Parente and Bobby Hart, to win the NWA Mid-Southern Tag Team Championship;   Eddie Marlin served as guest referee.

1976 – Killer Karl Kox and Ken Patera defeat Bob Sweetan and Randy Tyler, to win the Tri-State Version of the NWA United States Tag Team Championship.

1985 – Dusty Rhodes is stripped of the NWA World Television Championship after sustaining an injury.  Elsewhere, Bill Dundee defeats Jerry Lawler, to win the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship.  And in the World Wrestling Council, Carlos Colon defeats Abdullah the Butcher, to win the vacant WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship.

1987 – Bobby Jaggers defeats Billy Travis, to win the vacant AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship.

1993 – In the World Wrestling Council, Masayoshi Motegi defeat El Texano, to win the WWC/W*ING World Junior Heavyweight Championship.

1996 – In the World Wrestling Council, Huracan Castillo defeats Carlos Colon, to win the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship.

1997 – Keiji Mutoh and Masahiro Chono defeat Kazuo Yamazaki and Kensuke Sasaki, to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship.

1998 – In the Monday Night Wars, WWF Raw Is War (5.0 TV rating) defeats WCW Monday Nitro (4.4 rating).

2001 – Tatsuhito Takaiwa defeats Yoshinobu Kanemaru, to win the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship.  Also, Scorpio and Vader defeat Jun Akiyama and Akitoshi Saito, to become the inaugural GHC Tag Team Champions.

2001 – In the World Wrestling All-Stars promotion, B.G. James (aka Road Dogg) defeats Jeff Jarrett in Perth, Australia, to become the inaugural WWA World Heavyweight Championship.

2003 – Road Warrior “Hawk,” a 2-time WWF Tag Team Champion and 2011 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee, dies from a heart attack at the age of 46.

2003 – WWE No Mercy, a SmackDown-exclusive pay-per-view, is held in Baltimore in front of 8,500 fans.

-Billy Kidman defeats Shannon Moore, in a match that aired on Sunday Night Heat.

-Tajiri defeats Rey Mysterio, to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.

-Chris Benoit defeats A-Train via submission.

-Zach Gowen defeats Matt Hardy.

-In a tag team match, The Basham Brothers (Doug and Danny) defeat The APA (Faarooq and Bradshaw).

-Vince McMahon defeats Stephanie McMahon, in an “I Quit” Match.  Per pre-match stipulation, Stephanie had to resign as SmackDown General Manager.

-Kurt Angle defeats John Cena via submission.

-Big Show defeats Eddie Guerrero, to win the WWE United States Championship.

-In a Biker Chain Match, Brock Lesnar defeats The Undertaker, to retain the WWE Championship.

2004 – WWE Taboo Tuesday, a RAW-exclusive pay-per-view, is held in Milwaukee in front of 13,500 fans.  This marks the first time fans were able to vote on stipulations for the matches on the card.

-In the dark match, Sgt. Slaughter defeats Muhammad Hassan via disqualification.

-Shelton Benjamin (fans’ choice for  Chris Jericho’s opponent) defeats Jericho, to become the new WWE Intercontinental Champion.

-Trish Stratus wins a Fulfill Your Fantasy Battle Royal, to retain the WWE Women’s Championship.  Fans voted on the Divas outfits for the match.  The other Divas in this match were:  Molly Holly, Stacy Keibler, Victoria, Gail Kim, Jazz, and Nidia.

-In a fan-voted “Weapon of Choice” Match, Gene Snitsky defeats Kane.

-Eugene defeats Eric Bischoff in a “Choose the Loser’s Fate” Match.  The fans voted to have Bischoff’s head shaved off.

-Chris Benoit and Edge defeat La Resistance (Sylvain Grenier and Robert Conway), via submission, to win the World Tag Team Championship.  Fans voted on who would face Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship.  Shawn Michaels won the vote, meaning Benoit and Edge, who weren’t chosen, faced La Resistance.

-Christy Hemme defeats Carmella DeCesare, in a fan-voted Lingerie Pillow Fight.

-Triple H defeats Shawn Michaels (fans’ choice for Triple H’s opponent), to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.

-Randy Orton defeats Ric Flair, in a fan-voted Steel Cage Match.

2008 – In SHIMMER Women Athletes, Ashley Lane and Nevaeh defeat The Experience (Lexie Fyfe and Malia Hosaka), to become the inaugural SHIMMER Tag Team Champions.  This was a six-team Gauntlet Match.

2012 – In the Heartland Wrestling Association, Ron Mathis defeats Jake Crist, to win the HWA Heavyweight Championship.  Crist had already defended the title earlier that night against Jesse Emerson;  Mathis cashed in his Pick Your Poison title shot to fight Crist.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:  Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Champion & All-Star British Heavyweight Champion Peter Thornley, aka Kendo Nagasaki (75 years old);  2-time AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champion Mari Apache (37 years old);  former WWF valet Mrs. Yamaguchi-San (41 years old);  and former SHIMMER Women Athletes Champion “Sweet” Saraya Knight (45 years old).