This Day In Wrestling History – April 3rd

Better late in the day than not at all.  This would’ve been posted sooner if I woke up earlier than 4pm, and if I wasn’t distracted by Twitter while watching baseball on TV.

1993 – At a Hardcore TV taping, Don Muraco defeats The Sandman, to win the NWA-ECW Championship.  Also, The Suicide Blondes (Chris Candido, Johnny Hotbody, & Chris Michaels) defeat Tony Stetson & Larry Winters, to win the NWA-ECW World Tag Team Championship.  The Suicide Blondes will defend the titles under the “Freebird Rule.”

1995 – On Monday Night RAW, Alundra Blayze defeats Bull Nakano, to win the WWF Women’s Championship.  Elsewhere, Razor Ramon defeats Bill Dundee, to win the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship.

2000 – Two titles change hands on this evening’s RAW IS WAR.  Eddie Guerrero defeats Chris Jericho, to win the WWF European Championship.  Also, Crash Holly defeats Hardcore Holly, to reclaim the WWF Hardcore Championship;  Crash had lost the title to Hardcore one night earlier at WrestleMania 2000.  RAW (6.4 TV rating) beats WCW Monday Nitro (1.8 rating) in the Monday Night Wars.  As WCW was in the middle of “rebooting,” this evening’s episode was just a recap show called, “The History of Monday Nitro.”

2005 – WrestleMania 21 is held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, in front of 20,193 fans.  It was dubbed “WrestleMania Goes Hollywood.”

Dark Match:
– Booker T wins a 30-man inter-promotional Battle Royal, by last eliminating Chris Masters.
PPV:
– Rey Mysterio defeats Eddie Guerrero.
– Edge wins the inaugural Money In The Bank Ladder Match, defeating Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, Christian (with Tyson Tomko), and Kane.
– The Undertaker defeats Randy Orton (with Bob Orton).
– Trish Stratus defeats Christy Hemme (with Lita), to retain the WWE Women’s Championship.
– Kurt Angle defeats Shawn Michaels, in what was to be the Match Of The Year.
– Akebono defeats The Big Show in a Sumo Match.
– John Cena defeats John Bradshaw Layfield, to win his first WWE Championship.
– Batista defeats Triple H, to win his first World Heavyweight Championship.

2006 – On this evening’s RAW, The Spirt Squad (Mikey & Kenny) defeat Kane & Big Show, to win the World Tag Team Championship.  Also, Umaga makes his return to WWE (he had previously wrestled as “Jamal” and “Ekmo”).

2009 – At Ring of Honor’s Supercard of Honor IV, Jerry Lynn defeats Nigel McGuinness, to win the ROH World Championship.

2010 – Ring of Honor’s The Big Bang! is held in Charlotte, NC, in front of 800 fans.

Dark Match:
– Grizzly Redwood & The Bravado Brothers (Harlem & Lance Bravado) defeat Mr. Ernesto Osiris, KC McKnight, and Zack Sabre Jr..
PPV:
– Davey Richards defeats Kenny King (with Rhett Titus) in a Pick 6 Series Match.
– Necro Butcher defeats Erick Stevens (with Ernesto Osiris & Prince Nana) in a Butcher’s Rules Match.
– Cassandro el Exotico defeats Rhett Titus.
– El Generico & Colt Cabana defeat Steve Corino & Kevin Steen, via disqualification.
– The Kings Of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) defeat The Briscoe Brothers (Mark & Jay) to win the ROH Tag Team Championship.
– Tyler Black defeats Roderick Strong and Austin Aries, in a Triple Threat Elimination Match, to retain the ROH World Championship.
– Blue Demon, Jr. & Magno defeat Super Parka & Misterioso.

2011 – WrestleMania XXVII is held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, in front of 71,617 fans.  The Rock made his first WrestleMania appearance in 7 years, as the evening’s host. This was the first WrestleMania to see both main champions retain their Championships.

Dark Match:
– In a Lumberjack Match, Sheamus fights Daniel Bryan to a no-contest, to retain the WWE United States Championship.
– The Great Khali wins a 23-man Battle Royal, by last eliminating Sheamus, who had just defended his United States Title (Daniel Bryan also participated).
PPV:
– Edge (with Christian) defeats Alberto Del Rio (Brodus Clay & Ricardo Rodriguez), to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.   Edge vacates the title one week later due to a legit neck injury, that would also force him to retire.
– Cody Rhodes defeats Rey Mysterio.
– In an 8-Man Tag Team Match, the team of Kane, Santino Marella, The Big Show, & Kofi Kingston defeat The Corre (Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater, & Justin Gabriel).
– Randy Orton defeats CM Punk.
– Michael Cole (Jack Swagger) defeats Jerry Lawler (with Jim Ross) via disqualification, with Stone Cold Steve Austin as special guest referee.
– The Undertaker defeats Triple H, via submission, in a No Holds Barred Match.
– In a Mixed Tag Team Match, Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi, Trish Stratus & John Morrison defeat Dolph Ziggler & LayCool (Layla & Michelle McCool) (with Vickie Guerrero).
– The Miz (with Alex Riley) defeats John Cena, to retain the WWE Championship. Originally, the match was a draw by double countout, but guest host The Rock ordered that the match be restarted under No Disqualification Rules.  The Rock rock bottomed Cena, and Miz scored the pinfall to win.  After the match, The Rock would perform a spinebuster, and a People’s Elbow, on The Miz.

2015 – AJ Lee, who had just turned 28 years old a few weeks earlier, and had just competed at WrestleMania 31 earlier in the week, decides to retire as a professional wrestler.

2015 – In a Title vs Title Match at SHINE 26, Santana Garrett defeats Mia Yim, to retain the NWA World Women’s Championship, AND also wins Yim’s SHINE Championship.

2016 – WrestleMania 32 is held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.  WWE had announced the attendance as 101,763, which turned out to be very inflated.  According to Arlington Police, actual attendance was 80,709.

Pre-Show:

– Kalisto defeats Ryback, to retain the WWE United States Championship.

–In a tag team match, The Usos (Jimmy & Jey) defeat The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & Devon).
– In a 10-Diva Tag Team Match, Team Total Divas (Brie Bella, Paige, Natalya, Alicia Fox, & Eva Marie) defeat Team B.A.D. and Blonde (Lana, Naomi, Tamina, Emma, & Summer Rae).  Brie Bella would retire a few days later.

PPV:
– In a Ladder Match, Zack Ryder defeats Kevin Owens, The Miz, Sin Cara, Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn, and Stardust, to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
– Chris Jericho defeats AJ Styles.
– In a Six-Man Tag Team Match, The League of Nations (Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, & Rusev) defeat The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, & Xavier Woods).
– In a No Holds Barred Street Fight, Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) defeats Dean Ambrose.
– In a Triple Threat Match for the brand new WWE Women’s Championship, Charlotte (with Ric Flair) defeats Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks.  The Divas Title, introduced in 2008, is retired.
– The Undertaker defeated Shane McMahon, in a No Holds Barred Match.  Had Shane won, he would gain control of RAW, and Undertaker would’ve been banned from competing at WrestleMania.
– In his debut on the main roster, Baron Corbin wins the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, last eliminating Kane.
– In a match that lasted six seconds, The Rock defeats Erick Rowan (with Bray Wyatt & Braun Strowman).         – Roman Reigns defeats  Triple H (with Stephanie McMahon), to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Former NJPW Asia Heavyweight & Tag Team Champion Tiger Jeet Singh (69 years old);  and 3-time ECW World Tag Team Champion & 4-time WWF/E Tag Team Champion Lance Storm (48 years old).

Follow me on Twitter at @Bill_Fenbers