This Day In Wrestling History – March 14th
1968 – Larry Hennig defeats Kurt Von Brauner, to win the vacant NWA (Amarillo) Brass Knuckles Championship.
1978 – At a house show in Philadelphia, Dino Bravo & Dominic DeNucci defeat Mr. Fuji & Professor Tanaka, to win the WWWF World Tag Team Championship.
1980 – Jose Lothario & Tiger Conway Jr defeat Mr. Hito & Mr. Sakurada, to win the WCCW American Tag Team Championship. Also, Bruiser Brody defeats Mark Lewin, to win the NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Championship.
1987 – On a live episode of World Championship Wrestling, Dick Murdoch & Ivan Koloff defeat Ron Garvin & Barry Windham, to win the NWA United States Tag Team Championship.
1987 – The tenth edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event airs on NBC, earning an 11.6 TV rating. Two title matches were on the card. Randy Savage retains the Intercontinental Championship, defeating George Steele via countout. The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart) defeat Tito Santana & Dan Spivey, to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship.
1999 – Naoya Ogawa defeats Dan Severn, to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
1999 – WCW/nWo Uncensored is held in Louisville, KY in front of 15,930 fans. Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko defeat Curt Hennig & Barry Windham, to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship; this was a Lumberjack Match. Booker T defeats Scott Steiner, to win the WCW World Television Championship. In a Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match, Ric Flair defeats Hollywood Hogan, to become the new WCW World Heavyweight Champion.
2000 – Trish Stratus makes her WWF debut, on a taping of Sunday Night Heat (aired March 19th).
2001 – The infamous Bob Costas interview of Vince McMahon airs on HBO’s “On the Record with Bob Costas.” McMahon looked very intense and visibly upset, when Costas asked him questions about the fledgling XFL, and the sex and violence, on WWF programming. This is mentioned in ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary, This WAS the XFL.
2004 – WrestleMania XX is held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, with 18,500 in attendance. March 14th is the earliest date WrestleMania has ever been held. Brock Lesnar and Goldberg faced off, in what would be the final match for each. Lesnar had only announced one week earlier, that he was leaving WWE and giving pro football a try, and Goldberg had “all but lost his passion for the business.” Both were booed during the match, with “This is boring” chants from the crowd throughout the match. You can read more about the Lesnar/Goldberg match here.
– John Cena defeats The Big Show, to win the WWE United States Championship.
– Rob Van Dam & Booker T defeat Garrison Cade & Mark Jindrak, The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von), and La Resistance (Rob Conway & Rene Dupree) in a Fatal 4-Way Match, to retain the World Tag Team Championship.
– Christian defeats Chris Jericho.
– Evolution (Batista, Ric Flair & Randy Orton) defeat The Rock n Sock Connection (Mankind & The Rock) in a Handicap Match. It was The Rock’s last match, until he returned to WWE in 2011.
– Torrie Wilson & Sable defeat Stacy Keibler & Miss Jackie, in a Playboy Evening Gown Match.
– Chavo Guerrero (with Chavo Classic) defeats Shannon Moore, Ultimo Dragon, Jamie Noble, Funaki, Nunzio, Billy Kidman, Rey Mysterio, Tajiri, and Akio, in a Cruiserweight Open, to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
– Goldberg defeats Brock Lesnar, with Stone Cold Steve Austin as special guest referee.
– Too Cool (Rikishi & Scotty 2 Hotty) defeat The World’s Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin), The Basham Brothers (Doug & Danny) and The APA (Bradshaw & Faarooq), in a Fatal 4-Way Match, to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship.
– Jesse Ventura came out and interviewed Donald Trump, who was in the front row. Trump promised to finance a future Ventura presidential candidacy, with Jesse hinting at a 2008 run for President.
– Victoria defeats Molly Holly, in a Hair vs Title Match, to retain the WWE Women’s Championship; Molly is forced to have her head shaved.
– Eddie Guerrero defeats Kurt Angle, to retain the WWE Championship.
– The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) defeats Kane. Undertaker had returned to his original “Deadman” gimmick.
– Chris Benoit defeats Triple H and Shawn Michaels, in a Triple Threat Match to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
2008 – Vince McMahon receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2008 – Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler films the climactic moments of the film, featuring Randy the Ram vs. The Ayatollah, in Dover, NJ as part of a Ring of Honor event.
2009 – At All Japan Pro Wrestling’s Puroresu Love in Ryoguku, Vol. 7, Yoshihiro Takayama defeats The Great Muta, to win the AJPW Triple Crown Championship.
2010 – In a Three-Way Elimination Match, Adam Pearce defeats Blue Demon Jr. and Phil Shatter, to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
2011 – On this evening’s WWE RAW, Sheamus defeats Daniel Bryan, to win the United States Championship.
2014 – WWE announces on Friday Night SmackDown, that Carlos Colon would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, as part of the Class of 2014.
2016 – It is announced that Jacqueline Moore will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Wrestling as either “Jackie” or “Jacqueline,” she was a 2-time WWF Women’s Champion and a WWE Cruiserweight Champion.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: WWE Intercontinental, United States, & Tag Team Champion Santino Marella (43 years old); former ECW valet Beulah McGillicutty (48 years old); 2-time WCW Tag Team Champion as a member of KroniK, Bryan Clark (53 years old); former USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion King Cobra (69 years old); and 14-time tag team champion among various NWA territories, Lars Anderson (78 years old).
Today would’ve been the 71st birthday for 5-time AWA Southern Tag Team Champion Don Bass.
SOURCES: Cage Side Seats, IMDB, wrestlingdata.com, gerweck.net, The Internet Wrestling Database
