This Day In Wrestling History – April 2nd (Recaps of WrestleMania V, XI, XVI, and XXII)
For everything else that happened on April 2nd in Wrestling History, click on this link.
1989 – WrestleMania V is held at Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, NJ, in front of 18,946 fans. It was the second consecutive WrestleMania to be held at Trump Plaza.
– Hercules defeats King Haku (with Bobby Heenan).
– The Twins Towers (The Big Bossman & Akeem) (with Slick) defeat The Rockers (Marty Jannetty & Shawn Michaels).
– Ted DiBiase (with Virgil) and Brutus Beefcake fight to a double countout.
– The Bushwhackers (Butch & Luke) defeat The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques & Raymond) (with Jimmy Hart).
– “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig defeats The Blue Blazer (Owen Hart).
– In a Handicap Tag Team Match, Demolition (Ax & Smash) defeat Mr. Fuji and The Powers of Pain (The Warlord & The Barbarian), to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship.
– Dino Bravo (with Frenchy Martin) defeats Ronnie Garvin.
– The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard) (with Bobby Heenan) defeat Strike Force (Tito Santana & Rick Martel).
– Jake Roberts defeats Andre The Giant (with Bobby Heenan) via disqualification. Big John Studd was the special guest referee.
– The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart) defeat Greg Valentine & The Honky Tonk Man (with Jimmy Hart).
– Rick Rude (with Bobby Heenan) defeats The Ultimate Warrior, to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
– Bad News Brown and Jim Duggan fight to a double disqualification.
– The Red Rooster (Terry Taylor) defeats Bobby Heenan (with The Brooklyn Brawler).
– Hulk Hogan defeats Randy Savage, to win the WWF Championship.
1995 – WrestleMania XI is held at the Hartford Civic Center in Connecticut, in front of 16,305 fans.
– The Allied Powers (Lex Luger & The British Bulldog) defeat The Blu Brothers (Jacob & Eli) (with Uncle Zebekiah)
– Razor Ramon (with The 1-2-3 Kid) defeats Jeff Jarrett (with The Roadie) via disqualification. Jarrett retains the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
– The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) defeats King Kong Bundy (with Ted DiBiase). Larry Young was the special guest referee.
– Owen Hart & Yokozuna (with Mr. Fuji & Jim Cornette) defeat The Smoking Gunns (Billy & Bart), to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.
– Bret Hart defeats Bob Backlund in an “I Quit” Match. Roddy Piper was the special guest referee.
– Diesel (with Pamela Anderson) defeats Shawn Michaels (with Jenny McCarthy & Sycho Sid), to retain the WWF Championship.
– NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor defeats Bam Bam Bigelow.
2000 – WrestleMania 2000 is held at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California, in front of 19,776 fans. This is the only WrestleMania in history, not to feature a standard one-on-one wrestling match.
– The Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan defeat The Godfather & D’Lo Brown (with Rapper Ice-T).
– Hardcore Holly wins a Hardcore Battle Royal, to win the WWF Hardcore Championship. Crash Holly was champion going into the event.
– T & A (Test & Albert) (with Trish Stratus) defeat Head Cheese (Al Snow & Steve Blackman) (with Chester McCheeserton).
– In a Triangle Ladder Match, Edge & Christian defeat The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von), and The Hardy Boyz (Matt & Jeff), to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.
– Terri Runnels (with The Fabulous Moolah) defeats The Kat (with Mae Young), in a Catfight. Val Venis was the special guest referee.
– In a Six-Person Inter-Gender Tag Team Match, Chyna and Too Cool (Scotty 2 Hotty & Grand Master Sexay) defeat The Radicalz (Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn, & Dean Malenko).
– There was a 2-fall Triple Threat Match between Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, and Kurt Angle for the WWF Intercontinental and European Championships. Benoit takes the first fall to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Jericho takes the second fall, to win the WWF European Championship. Angle held both titles heading into the match, but lost both titles without conceding to a pinfall or submission.
– Rikishi & Kane (with Paul Bearer) defeat D-Generation X (Road Dogg & X-Pac) (with Tori).
– Triple H (with Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley) wins a Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match, to retain the WWF Championship. Triple H defeats The Rock (with Vince McMahon), Mick Foley (with Linda McMahon), and The Big Show (with Shane McMahon). Vince McMahon turned on The Rock by hitting him twice with a steel chair.
2006 – WrestleMania 22 is held at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, in front of 17,159 fans.
Dark Match:
– Viscera wins an 18-person Inter-Promotional Battle Royal, last eliminating Snitsky.
PPV:
– Kane & The Big Show defeat Carlito & Chris Masters, to retain the World Tag Team Championship.
– Rob Van Dam wins the Money In The Bank Ladder Match.
– John Bradshaw Layfield defeats Chris Benoit, to win the WWE United States Championship.
– Edge (with Lita) defeats Mick Foley, in a Hardcore Match.
– The Boogeyman defeats Booker T and Sharmell, in a Handicap Match.
– Mickie James defeats Trish Stratus, to win the WWE Women’s Championship.
– The Undertaker defeats Mark Henry, in a Casket Match.
– Shawn Michaels defeats Vince McMahon, in a No Holds Barred Match.
– In a Triple Threat Match, Rey Mysterio defeats Kurt Angle and Randy Orton, to win the World Heavyweight Championship. The title is referred to as just the “World Championship,” due to Mysterio (175 pounds) not being a heavyweight.
– Torrie Wilson defeats Candice Michelle, in a Playboy Pillow Fight.
– John Cena defeats Triple H, to retain the WWE Championship.
Follow me on Twitter at @Bill_Fenbers.
