This Day In Wrestling History – March 9th
Happy birthday to Melina!
1988 – At Day 14 of All Japan Pro Wrestling’s Excite Series 1988, Footloose (Samson Fuyuki & Toshiaki Kawada) defeat Mighty Inoue & Takashi Ishikawa, to win the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship. Also, Genichiro Tenryu defeats Stan Hansen, to win the AJPW/PWF World Heavyweight Championship.
1991 – On this evening’s WCW Pro, The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott) defeats The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin), to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
1996 – On WCW Saturday Night, Lex Luger defeats Johnny B Badd, to win the WCW World Television Championship.
1996 – Cactus Jack competes in his final ECW match, defeating Mikey Whipwreck, after piledriving Whipwreck onto a steel chair.
1998 – In the Monday Night Wars, WCW Monday Nitro (4.9 TV rating) defeats WWF RAW IS WAR (3.6 TV rating).
2000 – The Rock competes in multiple 2-on-1 Handicap Matches on this evening’s SmackDown. In the first, he defeats The Radicalz (Chris Benoit & Perry Saturn). In the second match, The Rock loses to The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & Devon), in a Handicap Tables Match (video of this match is below).
2001 – ECW officially cancels the March 11th Living Dangerously pay-per-view. This comes as little surprise, since there was no venue booked, no television to promote it, and obviously no tickets available. It had been well over a month since the last ECW show was held, and ECW owner Paul Heyman was appearing on WWF RAW IS WAR as color commentator.
2002 – Dan Severn defeats Shinya Hashimoto, to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
2008 – Chyna signs on to appear on NBC’s “Celebrity Circus” reality series.
2008 – TNA Destination X is held in Norfolk, VA in front of 3,200 fans. Awesome Kong retains the Knockouts Championship after defeating Gail Kim and ODB (3-Way Match). The Latin American XChange (Hernandez & Homicide) win a 3-way Tag Team Match, to become #1 contenders for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. The XChange defeat The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) and The Rock ‘n’ Rave Infection (Jimmy Rave & Lance Hoyt). Jay Lethal defeats Petey Williams, to retain the X Division Championship. In the main event, The Unlikely Alliance (Christian Cage, Samoa Joe, & Kevin Nash) defeat The Angle Alliance (Kurt Angle, Tomko, & AJ Styles).
2009 – On this evening’s RAW, John Bradshaw Layfield defeats CM Punk, to become the new WWE Intercontinental Champion. During the show it’s announced that Koko B Ware will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. And Triple H is arrested at the end of the show, after going to Randy Orton’s home and assaulting him.
2012 – Jerry Lynn announces that he intends to retire at the end of the year. His retirement is eventually pushed to March 2013, to coincide with the 25th anniversary of his in-ring debut.
2014 – TNA Lockdown is held in Miami in front of 1,500 fans. Madison Rayne defeats Gail Kim, to retain the Knockouts Championship (Steel Cage Match). Magnus defeats Samoa Joe, to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship (Steel Cage Match). In the main event, for complete control of wrestling operations, Team MVP defeats Team Dixie in a Lethal Lockdown Match. Team MVP consisted of MVP, Willow, and The Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards). Team Dixie consisted of Bobby Roode, Austin Aries, and The BroMans (Robbie E & Jesse Godderz).
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: NWA Hall of Famer Nikita Koloff (58 years old); eight-time NWA/WCW Tag Team Champion Rick Steiner (56 years old); former AJPW All Asia Tag Team Champion Koki Kitahara (53 years old); former WWF/E wrestler Tiger Ali Singh (44 years old); former ROH & NXT performer Shane Matthews (32 years old); and 2-time WWE Divas Champion, 3-time WWE Women’s Champion, & current Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW) Women’s Champion Melina (38 years old).
Today would’ve been the 80th birthday for Tor Kamata, aka Dr. Moto. He was one-half of the AWA World Tag Team Champions from December 2, 1967 – December 28, 1968, a span of 392 straight days.
SOURCES: WrestleView, gerweck.net, wrestlingdata.com
