This Day In Wrestling History – November 1st
Happy birthday, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan!!
1957 – Lou Thesz is named the inaugural NWA International Heavyweight Champion.
1981 – Ted DiBiase defeats Paul Orndorff, to win the Mid-South (MSW) North American Heavyweight Championship. Elsewhere, Dory Funk, Jr. defeats Bruiser Brody, to win the NWA International Heavyweight Championship.
1982 – Al Madril defeats Frank Dusek, to win the WCCW Television Championship.
1989 – On a taping of World Championship Wrestling, The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) defeat The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin), to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship. The match would air on television via tape delay November 18th.
1990 – Jushin Thunder Liger defeats Pegasus Kid, to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the 3rd time. Also, Hiroshi Hase and Kensuke Sasaki defeat Keiji Mutoh and Masahiro Chono, to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship.
1998 – ECW November to Remember is held in New Orleans in front of 5,800 fans. One title change occurs; Masato Tanaka and Balls Mahoney defeat The Dudleyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von), to win the ECW World Tag Team Championship. The complete results of this pay-per-view can be found here
2001 – On this evening’s WWF SmackDown, Booker T and Test defeat The Rock and Chris Jericho, to win the WWF Tag Team Championship. Also, Christian defeats Bradshaw, to win the WWF European Championship.
2003 – The Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark) defeat Special K (Dixie and Izzy), to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship.
2004 – On this evening’s WWE RAW, La Resistance (Robert Conway and Sylvain Grenier) defeat Edge and Chris Benoit, to win the World Tag Team Championship.
2005 – The second and final WWE Taboo Tuesday is held in San Diego in front of a crowd of 6,000. Fans could go online and vote on the stipulations for the matches on the card. One title change occurs; Big Show and Kane (fan vote for opponent) defeat Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, to become the new World Tag Team Champions. The rest of the results can be found here
2006 – In Ohio Valley Wrestling, Katie Lea becomes the new OVW Women’s Champion; she defeats Serena in the finals of an eight-woman Gauntlet Match.
2007 – On this evening’s TNA Impact!, A.J. Styles and Tomko retain the TNA World Tag Team Titles, defeating The Latin American XChange (Hernandez and Homicide). The XChange had earned a title shot by winning the Ultimate X Gauntlet Match at October’s Bound for Glory.
2008 – In Ohio Valley Wrestling, Anthony Bravado defeats Ryback, to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship.
2011 – WWE Tag Team Champion Evan Bourne is suspended 30 days for his first violation of the Wellness Policy.
2012 – Former WCW Light Heavyweight Champion & Six-Man Tag Team Champion Brad Armstrong passes away at age 51. While his cause of death has never been made public, it has been speculated that Armstrong suffered a heart attack. Along with his accomplishments in WCW, Armstrong was a 1-time USWA Heavyweight Champion & 2-time Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) Heavyweight Champion. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter named Armstrong it’s 1981 “Rookie of the Year.”
2014 – In Ohio Valley Wrestling, TerreMex (Randy Terrez and The Mexicutioner) defeat War Machine (Shiloh Jonze and Eric Locker), to win the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship. Also, Michael Hayes defeats Chris Silvio, to win the OVW Television Championship. It was also announced that the OVW Women’s Championship is being vacated, due to the Women’s Division being discontinued.
2015 – Jun Akiyama defeats Akebono, to win the AJPW Triple Crown Championship.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Former WWE talent, FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion & 2-time FCW Florida Tag Team Champion Tyler Reks (38 years old); 11-time WWF/E Tag Team Champion & 1999 King of the Ring winner Billy Gunn (53 years old); and 2004 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Bobby “The Brain” Heenan (72 years old).
