This Day In Wrestling History – May 2nd

Happy birthday to The People’s Champion!

1964 – Mad Dog Vachon defeats Verne Gagne, to win the AWA World Heavyweight Championship.

1969 – Johnny Valentine defeats Fritz Von Erich, to win the NWA American Heavyweight Championship.

1977 – Stan Hansen defeats Dick Murdoch, to win the NWA (Tri-State) North American Heavyweight Championship.

1980 – The Junkyard Dog defeats Terry Gordy, to win the Mid-South Louisiana Heavyweight Championship.

1982 – Buzz Sawyer defeats Tommy Rich, to win the NWA National Heavyweight Championship.

1984 – The Rock n Roll Express (Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton) defeat The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Dennis Condrey), to win the Mid-South Tag Team Championship.

1987 – AWA SuperClash II is held at the Cow Palace, just outside San Francisco, in front of 2,800 fans.

– Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissy defeats Buck Zumhofe.
– DJ Peterson and Super Ninja wrestle to a time-limit draw.
– Sherri Martel defeats Madusa Miceli, to retain the AWA World Women’s Championship.
– Curt Hennig defeats Nick Bockwinkel, to win the AWA World Heavyweight Championship.
– In a Six Man Tag Team Match, Ray Stevens and The Midnight Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty)  defeat Buddy Wolfe, Doug Somers, & Kevin Kelly.
– Jerry Blackwell defeated Boris Zhukov.
– Jimmy Snuka & Russ Francis defeat The Terrorist & The Mercenary.

1988 – Antonio Inoki vacates the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, after suffering a fractured left foot.

1994 – On this evening’s Monday Night RAW, The Headshrinkers (Fatu & Samu) defeat The Quebecers (Pierre & Jacques), to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.  Elsewhere, Doug Gilbert defeats Brian Christopher, to win the USWA Heavyweight Championship.

1994 – On a taping of WCW Saturday Night, Larry Zbyszko defeats Lord Steven Regal, to win the WCW World Television Championship.  The match would air on tape delay May 28th.

1994 – Jake Roberts defeats Dirty White Boy, to win the SMW Heavyweight Championship;  the match would be televised on tape delay on May 14th.  Also, Kendo the Samurai defeats Chris Hamrick, to win the vacant SMW Television Championship (aired on tape delay June 6th).  The Television Title became vacant after it was relinquished by Bruiser Bedlam, after he had won five straight title defenses.

1996 – On a taping of WCW Worldwide, Dean Malenko defeats Shinjiro Otani, to win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.  The match would air on tape delay May 18th.

1998 – At a house show in Charleston, SC, Chris Benoit defeats Booker T, to win the WCW World Television Championship.

1999 – Mitsuharu Misawa defeats Vader, to win the AJPW Triple Crown Championship.  Elsewhere, Abismo Negro & Electroshock defeat Perro Aguayo & Perro Aguayo, Jr., to win the Mexican National Tag Team Championship.

2002 – At a house show in Glasgow, Scotland, the 24/7 Rule on the WWF Hardcore Championship sees the title change hands from:  Steven Richards to Shawn Stasiak – Stasiak to Justin Credible – Credible to Crash Holly – Crash to Steven Richards – Richards to Shawn Stasiak – and finally Stasiak back to Steven Richards.

2002 – Jushin Thunder Liger & Minoru Tanaka defeat Gedo & Jado, to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.

2003 – In a Title vs Title Match, Yoshihiro Takayama defeats Yuji Nagata, to retain the NWF Heavyweight Championship, AND win Nagata’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

2007 – Dick Togo & Taka Michinoku defeat Gedo & Jado, to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.

2008 – Vickie Guerrero strips The Undertaker of the World Heavyweight Championship, on this evening’s SmackDown;  Undertaker had used the Hell’s Gate submission hold to defeat (and injure) Edge for the title at Backlash, thus Guerrero deemed the submission hold too dangerous.

2010 – Minoru Suzuki defeats Ryota Hama, to win the AJPW Triple Crown Championship.

2012 – The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship is vacated by The No Remorse Corps, when Davey Richards is unable to attend Wrestling Dontaku 2012, due to travel issues.

2013 – On a TV taping of NXT, The Wyatt Family (Erick Rowan & Luke Harper) defeat Adrian Neville & Bo Dallas, to win the NXT Tag Team Championship.  The match aired on tape delay May 8th.  Bo Dallas replaced Neville’s regular partner Oliver Grey, due to injury.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: 10-time World Champion The Rock (45 years old);  former WWE wrestler & 4-time OVW Southern Tag Team Champion Caylen Croft (37 years old);  former WWF Tag Team Champion Moondog Rex (67 years old);  and former WWF/E & ECW wrestler Marty Garner (50 years old).

Today would’ve been the 54th birthday for WWE Hall of Famer The Big Boss Man.