This Day In Wrestling History – June 8th

Happy birthday to Maria Menounos!!

1963 – Johnny Barend defeats Bobo Brazil, to win the WWWF United States Championship.

1985 – The Dynamite Kid defeats Mighty Inoue, to win the NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship.

1987 – In a tournament final, Mark Starr & Billy Travis defeat Phil Hickerson & Mr. Shima (Akio Sato), to win the vacant AWA Southern Tag Team Championship.

1988 – NWA’s Clash of the Champions II: Miami Mayhem is held in Miami, FL in front of 2,400 fans.  The event draws a 4.8 TV rating for TBS.

– Barry Windham defeats Brad Armstrong, to retain the NWA United States Championship.
– The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton & Tommy Rogers) defeat The Sheepherders (Luke Williams & Butch Miller), to retain the NWA United States Tag Team Championship.
– Jimmy & Ronnie Garvin (with Precious) defeat The Varsity Club (Rick Steiner & Mike Rotunda).  Kevin Sullivan was locked in a cage at ringside, but stole the key from Precious, and freed himself.
– Nikita Koloff defeats Al Perez via disqualification.
– Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard fought Sting & Dusty Rhodes to a double disqualification.  This comes after interference from Ric Flair and Barry Windham.  Anderson and Blanchard would retain the NWA World Tag Team Championship.

1990 – Stan Hansen defeats Terry Gordy, to win the AJPW Triple Crown Championship.

1993 – Tommy Cairo wins a Battle Royal, to become the inaugural ECW Pennsylvania Champion.

1997 – WWF King of the Ring is held in Providence, RI in front of 9,312 fans.

On the ‘Free For All’ Show:
– The Headbangers (Thrasher & Mosh) defeat Jesse James & Bart Gunn.
PPV:
– Hunter Hearst Helmsley (with Chyna) defeats Ahmed Johnson, in a King of The Ring Tournament Semi-Final Match.
– Mankind defeats Jerry Lawler, in a King of The Ring Tournament Semi-Final Match.
– Goldust (with Marlena) defeats Crush (with Clarence Mason and D’Lo Brown).
– In a Six Man Tag Team Match, The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Owen Hart, & Jim Neidhart) defeat Sycho Sid and The Legion of Doom (Hawk & Animal).
– Hunter Hearst Helmsley wins the King of the Ring Tournament, defeating Mankind in the final.
– Shawn Michaels fought Stone Cold Steve Austin to a double disqualification, due to both men attacking the referee.
– The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) defeats Faarooq (with Savio Vega, D’Lo Brown, Crush, & Clarence Mason) to retain the WWF Championship.

1998 – In the Monday Night Wars, WWF RAW IS WAR (4.3 TV rating) beats WCW Monday Nitro (4.0 rating).

2001 – Keiji Mutoh defeats Genichiro Tenryu, to win the AJPW Triple Crown Championship.  Also, Masahito Kakihara & Mitsuya Nagai defeat Shinya Makabe & Yuji Nagata, to win the vacant AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship.

2002 – Trent Acid defeats Jody Fleisch, to win Combat Zone Wrestling’s annual Best of the Best Tournament.

2002 – The Shane Twins (Mike & Todd) defeat The ‘New’ Heavenly Bodies (Chris Nelson & Vito DeNucci), to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship.  The Shane Twins would hold the titles until June 28th;  TNA Wrestling would purchase the rights to the NWA Tag Team Championship and World Heavyweight Championship.

2003 – In a tournament final, Keiji Mutoh & Arashi (Isao Takagi) defeat Satoshi Kojima & Jimmy Yang, to win the vacant AJPW World Tag Team Championship.

2004 – WWE and John Bradshaw Layfield found themselves with a public relations nightmare.  This occurred after JBL  did a “Nazi Salute,” in an attempt to get heat from the crowd during a WWE event, on June 5th in Munich, Germany.  While there was some outrage from fans over the gesture (which can actually get you arrested in Germany), problems really began when it was picked up by the media, with pictures of the incident appearing online.  WWE issued the following statement:

“WWE & John Layfield deeply regret Mr. Layfield’s actions in the ring at our event in Munich, &  apologize if it has offended or upset our fans. Mr. Layfield has been reprimanded for his actions.”

2008 – TNA Slammiversary is held at the DeSoto Civic Center, in Southaven, Mississippi, in front of 2,000 fans.  This event was marred by a fatal accident after the show;  Kevin Sinex, an independent contractor, was removing a light array, when the scaffolding he was standing on collapsed, causing Sinex to slam onto the concrete floor below.  He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.  Another contractor, Paul Martin, was also injured in the accident, as his thumb was cut off.

Dark Match:
– The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) defeat Lance Hoyt & Johnny Devine.
PPV:
– Petey Williams (with Rhaka Khan & Scott Steiner) defeats Kaz, to retain the TNA X Division Championship.
– In a Six Woman Tag Team Match, Gail Kim, ODB, & Roxxi defeat Moose (Mickie Knuckles) and The Beautiful People (Angelina Love & Velvet Sky).
– The LAX (Homicide & Hernandez) (with Salinas, & Hector Guerrero) defeat Team 3D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon) to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship.
– Awesome Kong (with Raisha Saeed) wins two $25,000 Fan Challenges against ‘fans’ Serena Deeb and Josie Robinson.
– AJ Styles defeats Kurt Angle (with Tomko)
– In a King of the Mountain Match, Samoa Joe defeats Robert Roode, Booker T, Rhino, and Christian Cage, to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.  Kevin Nash served as Special Guest Ringside Enforcer.

2009 – Kenta Kobashi defeats Makoto Hashi, to win the GHC Openweight Hardcore Championship.

2009 – After suffering a torn biceps injury at the hands of Legacy (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, & Ted DiBiase, Jr.), WWE Champion Batista is forced to vacate his title.  This comes one night after Batista had beaten Orton, in a Steel Cage Match, to become the new WWE Champion.

2010 – The second season of WWE: NXT begins on Syfy.

2014 – At DREAMWAVE’s Live at Buffalo Days event, Arik Cannon & Darin Corbin defeat Candice LeRae & Joey Ryan, to win the DREAMWAVE Tag Team Championship.  LeRae and Ryan had only been champions for one day.

2016 – NXT TakeOver: The End is held in front of a sold-out crowd of over 400 fans, at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL.

– Andrade Almas (La Sombra) defeats Tye Dillinger.
– The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder) defeat American Alpha (Jason Jordan & Chad Gable), to win the NXT Tag Team Championship.  Jordan and Gable were attacked after the match by two men wearing black;  the attackers would be known as The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar).  This also marked the return of Paul Ellering to WWE, acting as manager of Akam & Rezar.
– Shinsuke Nakamura defeats Austin Aries.
– Asuka defeats Nia Jax, to retain the NXT Women’s Championship.
– In a Steel Cage Match, Samoa Joe defeats Finn Balor, to retain the NXT Championship.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:  2-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dan Severn (59 years old);  former WWF/E star Tatanka (56 years old);  5-time Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) Tag Team Champion Scott Lost (37 years old);  former Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) World Heavyweight Champion Egotistico Fantastico (35 years old);  current NXT wrestler Liv Morgan (23 years old);  occasional WWE interviewer, wrestler, & Hall of Fame Red Carpet host Maria Menounos (39 years old);  and past RAW guest star Mark Feuerstein (46 years old).

Today would’ve been the 84th birthday for WrestleMania II celebrity guest Joan Rivers, and the 111th birthday for 3-time National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Champion ‘Wild’ Bill Longson.