This Day In Wrestling History – June 12th

Happy birthday to the World’s Strongest Man!! (photo credit: World Wrestling Entertainment)

1936 – Dave Levin defeats Ali Baba, to win the World Heavyweight Championship of the New York State Athletic Commission.

1972 – Bob Sweetan defeats The Stomper, to win the NWA (Tri-State) Brass Knuckles Championship.

1982 – The Spoiler defeats Frank Dusek, to win the WCCW Television Championship.

1987 – In a tournament final, Antonio Inoki defeats Masa Saito, to become the inaugural IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

1991 – Jushin Thunder Liger defeats Norio Honaga, to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

1991 – WCW’s Clash of the Champions XV: Knocksville USA is held in Knoxville, TN, in front of 5,000 fans.  The event draws a 3.9 TV rating on TBS.

Dark Match:
– Curtis Rockwell defeats Michael Laney.
Clash:
– In a Six Man Tag Team Match, Tom Zenk and The Young Pistols (Tracy Smothers & Steve Armstrong) defeat The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Jimmy Garvin, & Badstreet).
– Oz defeats Johnny Rich.
– Danny Spivey defeats Big Josh.
– Dustin Rhodes defeats Terrance Taylor via disqualification.
– Sting defeats Nikita Koloff.
– In a Loser Leaves WCW Tag Team Match, Barry Windham & Arn Anderson defeat Brian Pillman & El Gigante.  Windham pinned Pillman, forcing Pillman to leave WCW.
– The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott) defeat Hiroshi Hase & Masahiro Chono, to retain the IWGP Tag Team Championship.
– The Diamond Studd defeats Tommy Rich.
– Steve Austin defeats Joey Maggs.  NOTE: Austin had won the WCW World Television Title on June 3rd, but the match hadn’t aired on TV yet, so Austin was not the champion entering Clash of the Champions.
– United States Champion Lex Luger defeats The Great Muta, to become the #1 contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.  Luger’s US Championship was not on the line in this match.
– In a Two-Out-of-Three Falls Match, Ric Flair defeats Bobby Eaton, 2-1, to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

1992 – Bull Nakano defeats Lola Gonzalez, to become the inaugural CMLL World Women’s Champion.  Also, Cien Caras vacates the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship, as he leaves the promotion and moves to the AAA promotion.

1996 – The seventh NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Tournament is the first to use the current two-block round robin format.  Black Tiger II would Jushin Thunder Liger in the tournament final.

1996 – Kazuo Yamazaki & Takashi Iizuka defeated Junji Hirata & Shinya Hashimoto, to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship.

1998 – Kenta Kobashi defeats Toshiaki Kawada, to win the AJPW Triple Crown Championship.

2000 – In the Monday Night Wars, WWF RAW IS WAR (6.8 TV rating) beats WCW Monday Nitro (3.0 rating).  On RAW, Crash Holly defeats Gerald Brisco, to win the WWF Hardcore Championship for the 9th time.

2003 – WWE SmackDown airs its 200th episode.

2004 – Kendo Kashin & Yuji Nagata defeat Kaz Hayashi & Satoshi Kojima, to win the AJPW World Tag Team Championship.

2005 – ECW One Night Stand is held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, in front of 2,500 fans.  This event was intended to be a one-off, but was adopted as a recurring pay-per-view, until being replaced by Extreme Rules in 2009.

– Lance Storm (with Dawn Marie) defeats Chris Jericho.
– In a Three-Way Dance, Super Crazy defeats Tajiri (with The Sinister Minister & Mikey Whipwreck), and Little Guido (with Big Guido, Tracy Smothers, Tony Mamaluke, & J.T. Smith).
– Rey Mysterio defeats Psicosis.
– Sabu (with Bill Alfonso & Rob Van Dam) defeats Rhyno.
– Chris Benoit defeats Eddie Guerrero via submission.
– Mike Awesome defeats Masato Tanaka.
– The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von) defeat Tommy Dreamer & The Sandman.

2011 – TNA Slammiversary IX is held at the Impact Zone in Orlando, in front of 1,100 fans.  The event marked the approximate 9-year anniversary of TNA Wrestling.

– Gun Money (James Storm & Alex Shelley) (with Bobby Roode) defeat The British Invasion (Douglas Williams & Magnus) to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship.
– Matt Morgan defeats Scott Steiner.
– In a Three-Way Match, Abyss defeats Kazarian and Brian Kendrick, to retain the TNA X Division Championship.
– Crimson defeats Samoa Joe.
– Mickie James defeats Angelina Love (with Winter), to retain the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship.
– Bully Ray defeats AJ Styles in a Last Man Standing Match
– Mr. Anderson defeats Sting, to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
– Kurt Angle defeats Jeff Jarrett, to become the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship.  Had Angle lost, he would have had to give his Olympic Gold Medal to Jarrett.

2013 – On this evening’s episode of NXT, Bo Dallas defeats Big E Langston, to win the NXT Championship.

2016 – TNA Slammiversary XIV is held at the Impact Zone in Orlando, in front of 1,100 fans.

Dark Match:
– Mandrews defeats Paredyse.
PPV:
– In a Fatal 4-Way Match, Eddie Edwards defeats Trevor Lee, DJ Z, and Andrew Everett, to win the X Division Championship.
– The Tribunal (Basile Baraka & Baron Dax) defeat Grado & Mahabali Shera.
– In a Triple Threat Match, Sienna (with Maria & Allie) defeats Gail Kim and Jade, to win the Knockouts Championship.
– James Storm defeats Braxton Sutter.
– Eli Drake defeats Bram, to retain the King of the Mountain Championship.
– Ethan Carter III defeats Mike Bennett (with Maria).
– Jeff Hardy defeats “Broken” Matt Hardy, in a Full Metal Mayhem Match.
– Decay (Abyss & Crazzy Steve) defeat The BroMans (Jesse Godderz & Robbie E.), to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship.
– In a Tap Out or Knockout Match, Lashley defeats Drew Galloway, via knockout, to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:  Former ECW World Heavyweight Champions Johnny Hotbody & Jerry Lynn (both are 54 years old);  former WWE World Champion Mark Henry (46 years old);  and former WWF/E referee Jack Doan (45 years old).

Today would’ve been the 48th birthday for AAA Hall of Famer Hector Garza.