This Day In Wrestling History – March 20th
Happy birthday to The Icon!!
1983 – In Mexico City, Villano III defeats Perro Aguayo, to win the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship.
1984 – Harley Race defeats Ric Flair, to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, the title change isn’t recognized by either the NWA or WWE. It was briefly recognized by WCW.
1987 – At New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Spring Flare Up 1987, Keiji Mutoh & Shiro Koshinaka defeat Akira Maeada & Nobuhiko Takada, to win the vacant IWGP Tag Team Championship.
1987 – In Mexico City, MS-1 defeats Rayo de Jalisco, Jr., to win the NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship. Jalisco had held the title since June 21, 1985, a span of 637 consecutive days.
1988 – In Mexico City, Lizmark defeats Cien Caras, to win the NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship.
1994 – On his 35th birthday, Sting defeats Vader, to win the WCW European Cup in Hamburg, Germany.
1994 – WrestleMania X is held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, with 18,065 in attendance.
Dark Match:
– The Heavenly Bodies (Dr. Tom Prichard & Jimmy Del Ray) (with Jim Cornette) defeat The Bushwhackers
PPV:
– Owen Hart defeats Bret Hart.
– Bam Bam Bigelow & Luna Vachon defeats Doink The Clown & Dink, in a Mixed Tag Team Match.
– Randy Savage defeats Crush (with Mr. Fuji) in a Falls Count Anywhere Match.
– Alundra Blayze defeats Leilani Kai, to retain the WWF Women’s Championship.
– Men On A Mission (Mabel & Mo) (with Oscar) defeat The Quebecers (Jacques & Pierre) (with Johnny Polo) via countout (The Quebecers retain the WWF Tag Team Titles).
– Yokozuna (with Mr. Fuji & Jim Cornette) defeats Lex Luger by disqualification, to retain the WWF Championship. Mr. Perfect served as special guest referee.
– Earthquake defeats Adam Bomb (with Harvey Wippleman).
– Razor Ramon defeated Shawn Michaels, in a Ladder Match, to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
– Bret Hart defeats Yokozuna (with Mr. Fuji & Jim Cornette) to win the WWF Championship. Roddy Piper served as special guest referee.
1995 – Big John Studd, winner of the 1989 Royal Rumble, dies at the age of 47, after battling both Hodgkin’s Disease and liver cancer. He was posthumously inducted into the WCW Hall of Fame (1995) and the WWE Hall of Fame (2004).
1996 – At Day 9 of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Hyper Battle 1996, Shinjiro Otani defeats Wild Pegasus in a tournament final, to win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. Otani is the first champion since the Cruiserweight Title was vacated by Brad Armstrong (knee injury) in September 1992.
2000 – In the Monday Night Wars, WWF RAW IS WAR (6.2 TV rating) beats WCW Monday Nitro (2.5 rating). On RAW, Triple H wins a Triple Threat Match (vs The Rock & The Big Show), to retain the WWF Championship. This was originally the scheduled main event for WrestleMania 2000. After the match, Linda McMahon comes out to the stage, to announce that Triple H will now defend his title at WrestleMania in a Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match; Triple H will again face Big Show and The Rock, with the fourth competitor being Mick Foley! Foley had lost a Title vs Career Hell in a Cell Match to Triple H at No Way Out and had been forced to retire.
2008 – Taiji Ishimori & Kenta defeat BxB Hulk & Shingo Takagi, to win the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.
2008 – Former TNA performer Konnan serves the company with a lawsuit. The lawsuit pertained to his departure from the company, and TNA’s treatment of him as he was dealing with several health issues, including a hip replacement. A cash settlement was reached out of court in May 2009. Konnan returned to the company as a manager for LAX, earlier this month.
2008 – Afa Anoa’i, Jr. (Manu) is suspended by WWE for 30 days, for violating the company’s Wellness Policy.
2009 – On this evening’s Friday Night SmackDown, Montel Vontavious Porter defeats Shelton Benjamin, to win the WWE United States Championship. Elsewhere, Negro Casas defeats Mistico, to win the CMLL World Welterweight Championship.
2012 – At All Japan Pro Wrestling’s Pro-Wrestling Love in Ryoguku Vol.14, Takao Omori & Manabu Soya defeat Dark Cuervo & Dark Ozz, to win the AJPW World Tag Team Championship.
2012 – WWE announces they would induct Yokozuna into the WWE Hall of Fame, during a SmackDown taping in Newark, New Jersey.
2015 – Two titles change hands on this evening’s Impact Wrestling. Rockstar Spud invokes his “Feast or Fired” title opportunity, and defeats Low Ki, to become the new TNA X Division Champion. In the main event, Kurt Angle defeats Lashley, to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the 6th time.
2015 – Mexican star Perro Aguayo Jr. passes away in the middle of the ring, during a match for indy promotion CRASH, in Tijuana, Mexico. Aguayo Jr. had just taken a move to set up the “619” finisher by Rey Mysterio Jr. Aguayo was 35 years old.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: TNA & WWE Hall of Famer Sting (58 years old); former Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) World Heavyweight Champion Jonathan Gresham (29 years old); former WWE wrestler & 5-time OVW Southern Tag Team Champion KC James (35 years old); former TNA World Tag Team Champion Homicide (40 years old); indy wrestlers The Silent Warrior (41 years old) and Slayer (46 years old); former WCW & WWF wrestler Sick Boy (44 years old); and 12-time National Wrestling Federation (NWF) North American Heavyweight Champion Johnny Powers (74 years old).
SOURCES: prowrestlinghistory.com, wrestlingdata.com, The Internet Wrestling Database, Wrestling News World, gerweck.net
