This Day In Wrestling History – December 30th

Happy birthday to the TNA World Champ!!

1978 – Ricky Steamboat defeats Ric Flair, to win the NWA (Mid-Atlantic) United States Championship.

1984 – In his WWF debut, Angelo Mosca, Jr. defeats Goldie Rogers at a house show in Toronto.

1988 – Cactus Jack defeats Eric Embry, to win the WCWA World Light Heavyweight Championship.

1989 – King Cobra defeats Jerry Lawler, to win the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (though not recognized by the Texas / World Class Branch of the United States Wrestling Association).

1992 – At a house show in Baltimore, Big Van Vader defeats Ron Simmons, to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

1996 – In the Monday Night Wars, WCW Monday Nitro (3.6 TV rating) easily beats WWF Monday Night RAW (1.6 rating).

1999 – On this evening’s SmackDown, a match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship between Chyna (challenger) and Chris Jericho (champion) ends in a no-contest.  Both had their shoulders pinned to the mat while two referees counted to three.

The main event is a singles match between Big Show and X-Pac (who would’ve been fired if Big Show beat him).  Triple H, however, changes the stipulations several times during the match and makes it a 4-on-1 Handicap Match.  X-Pac and Triple H would be joined by DX partners Road Dogg and Billy Gunn;  Big Show becomes overmatched and loses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGnfuaaLV5M

2005 – MNM (Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro) defeat Batista and Rey Mysterio, to regain the WWE Tag Team Championship on Friday Night SmackDown.  MNM had lost the titles to Mysterio and Batista two weeks earlier.  MNM was assisted by a returning Mark Henry, who came out and attacked Batista while the referee was knocked out.  “The World’s Strongest Man” had been out of action for over a year, after tearing a quad muscle during a practice session with Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW).

2007 – At Ring of Honor Final Battle 2007, The Age of the Fall (Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black) defeat The Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark), to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship.  Also, Erick Stevens defeats Roderick Strong, to win the FIP World Heavyweight Championship.

2010 – News broke that Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) World Heavyweight Champion Nick Gage was being sought for a bank robbery on 12/22/10 in New Jersey.  Surveillance cameras had caught Gage leaving a Collingswood, New Jersey PNC Bank. Gage escaped on foot with $3,000 and later went to a casino in Atlantic City, NJ.  He would turn himself in and plead guilty, citing an addiction to pain killers.  Gage was sentenced to five years in prison but was released on parole in April 2015.  Gage violated his parole and ended up back in prison.  He was released November 16, 2016.

2011 – A Falls Count Anywhere Match on WWE Friday Night SmackDown, between Wade Barrett and Randy Orton ends in a no contest, after Barrett throws Orton down a flight of steps and flees the building.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fod4GNP1BBc

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: former WCW & NJPW wrestler Bill Kazmaier (63 years old);  former AAA wrestler Laredo Kid (30 years old);  former IWF performer Rave (30 years old);  former Lucha Underground Champion Fénix (26 years old);  former TNA manager & current catcher in Major League Baseball A.J. Pierzynski (40 years old);  former wrestler in All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling (AJW) Nancy Kumi (54 years old);  indy wrestlers in Mexico Tony Rivera (43 years old) and Bobby Lee, Jr (45 years old);  and current TNA World Heavyweight Champion Eddie Edwards (33 years old).

SOURCES: wrestlingdata.com, The Internet Wrestling Database, Gerweck.net Archives, Pro Wrestling Sheet