This Day In Wrestling History – June 15th
1962 – Sailor Art Thomas defeats The Mummy, to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship.
1970 – In a Two-Out-of-Three Falls Match, The Mongols (Bepo & Geto) defeat Bruno Sammartino & The Battman, to win the WWWF International Tag Team Championship.
1977 – Ricky Steamboat defeats Ric Flair, to win the NWA Television Championship.
1979 – Seiji Sakaguchi & Riki Choshu defeat Hiro Matsuda & Masa Saito, to win the NWA (Los Angeles/Japan) North American Tag Team Championship. Sakaguchi & Chosu would remain the champions, until the title is retired on April 23, 1981.
1979 – The Blond Bombers (Larry Latham & Wayne Farris) defeat Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee, to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship.
1980 – Sangre Chicana defeats Cachorro Mendoza, to win the NWA World Middleweight Championship.
1982 – King Kong Bundy is awarded the vacant WCCW American Heavyweight Championship, after previous champion Fritz Von Erich retires. Von Erich had defeated Bundy for the title one night earlier.
1990 – John Tatum defeats Bill Dundee, to win the CWA Southwestern Heavyweight Championship.
1992 – Eddie Gilbert defeats Jerry Lawler, to win the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship.
1996 – Former WWF Tag Team Champion Dick Murdoch dies of a heart attack at the age of 49.
1996 – In a torneo cibernetico, Pierroth, Jr. last eliminates Konnan, to become the inaugural AAA Campeon de Campeones. Elsewhere, Brickhouse Brown defeats Bart Sawyer, to win the USWA Television Championship.
1997 – WCW’s Great American Bash is held at The MARK of the Quad Cities, in Moline, Illinois, in front of 9,613 fans.
– The Ultimate Dragon defeats Psychosis (with Sonny Onoo).
– Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray & Booker T) (with Sister Sherri) defeat The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott), via disqualification.
– Konnan defeats Hugh Morrus.
– Glacier defeats Wrath (with Mortis & James Vandenberg). During the match Mortis was handcuffed to the ring post.
– In a Title vs Career Match, Akira Hokuto (with Sonny Onoo) defeats Madusa, to retain the WCW Women’s Championship. Madusa is forced to retire. This would turn out to be Hokuto’s final WCW appearance, as she would leave the country. The Women’s Championship was apparently dropped, as it was not mentioned nor defended on TV again.
– Chris Benoit defeats Meng in a Death Match.
– Kevin Greene defeats Steve McMichael (with Debra McMichael).
– The Outsiders (Kevin Nash & Scott Hall) defeat Ric Flair & Roddy Piper, to retain the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
– In a Falls Count Anywhere Match, Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) defeats Diamond Dallas Page (with Kimberly Page).
1998 – In the Monday Night Wars, WWF RAW IS WAR (4.3 TV rating) beats WCW Monday Nitro (4.0 rating).
2001 – Electroshock defeats Hector Garza, to win the AAA Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship.
2001 – The Memphis Clash of the Legends is held in Memphis, TN in front of 4,700 fans.
– PG-13 (J.C. Ice & Wolfie D.) defeat Spellbinder & Reggie B. Fine.
– Brian Christopher defeats Mike Rapada.
– In a Six Man Tag Team Match, King Cobra, Chris Harris, and Tommy Rogers defeat Porkchop Cash, Mad Dog, and Tracy Smothers.
– The Kat defeats Ying Yang.
– Bill Dundee & Robert Gibson defeat The Galaxians.
– The Moondogs fought The Bushwhackers (Luke Williams & Butch Miller) to a double disqualification.
– Rocky Johnson & Jimmy Valiant defeat Buddy Landel & Billy Joe Travis.
– The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) fought Stan Lane & Curt Hennig to a no contest.
– Jerry Lawler defeats Lord Humongous. Guest referee was Lance Russell.
– Jimmy Hart wins a 20-man Battle Royal, to win a 2002 Cadillac Escalade.
2002 – Stone Cold Steve Austin’s then-wife Debra called the San Antonio police to their home, to investigate an incident of alleged violence. The story would receive mainstream news coverage over the next several months.
On November 25th Austin would plead no-contest to the assault charges. Austin was given a $1,000 fine, one year’s probation, ordered to perform 80 hours of community service, and told to undergo domestic violence counseling. As part of the plea, Austin would be prohibited from drinking alcohol for a year.
2003 – In a Four-Way Elimination Match, Lady Apache & Electroshock defeat the teams of Gran Apache & Faby Apache, El Brazo & Martha Villalobos, and Chessman & Tiffany, to win the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship.
2003 – WWE Bad Blood is held in Houston in front of 10,000 fans. This was the first regular pay-per-view to be brand-exclusive (RAW), beginning a long run of brand-exclusive pay-per-views (excluding Royal Rumble. WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series).
Sunday Night Heat:
– Ivory defeats Molly Holly.
PPV:
– Rodney Mack & Christopher Nowinski defeat The Dudley Boyz (D-Von & Bubba Ray).
– Scott Steiner defeats Test, to acquire the services of Stacy Keibler as manager.
– Booker T defeats Christian via disqualification. Christian retains the Intercontinental Championship.
– La Resistance (Rene Dupree & Sylvain Grenier) defeats Rob Van Dam & Kane, to win the World Tag Team Championship.
– Goldberg defeats Chris Jericho.
– Ric Flair defeats Shawn Michaels.
– Stone Cold Steve Austin defeats Eric Bischoff in a Redneck Triathlon.
– In a Hell in a Cell Match, Triple H defeats Kevin Nash, to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Mick Foley served as special guest referee.
2007 – Former WWF Women’s Champion “Sensational” Sherri Martel, who also served as manager to Randy Savage, Ted DiBiase, and Shawn Michaels, dies of a drug overdose at the age of 49. Sherri was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.
2008 – Wataru Inoue wins the NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Tournament, defeating Koji Kanemoto in the final.
2009 – In a Fatal 4-Way Match, on RAW, Randy Orton defeats John Cena, Big Show, and Triple H, to win the vacant WWE Championship. Also, Vince McMahon sells RAW to Donald Trump. At the time Trump was the host of NBC’s The Apprentice. Via satellite, Trump made a couple announcements regarding the June 22nd RAW; the program would run commercial-free on USA Network. Also, Triple H, who had just won a battle royal, would face Randy Orton for the WWE Championship in a Last Man Standing Match.
2010 – After The Band (Scott Hall & Kevin Nash) were stripped of the TNA World Tag Team Championship at the Impact! tapings the night before, TNA announces that that Scott Hall had been released from the company. This comes about a month after Hall had been charged with disorderly conduct and resisting a police officer in Florida.
2014 – TNA Slammiversary XII is held at the College Park Center in Arlington, TX, in front of 3,500 fans. TNA announced that Team 3D (Bully Ray & Devon) would be the third inductees into the TNA Hall of Fame, and would be inducted at Bound for Glory in the fall.
– In a Six Man Ladder Match, Sanada defeats Eddie Edwards, Davey Richards, Tigre Uno, Crazzy Steve, and Manik, to retain the TNA X Division Championship.
– Lashley defeats Samoa Joe, to qualify for the main event title cage match.
– Magnus (with Bram) defeats Willow (with Abyss).
– Austin Aries defeats Kenny King, to qualify for the main event title cage match.
– Ross & Marshall Von Erich (with their father Kevin von Erich) defeat The BroMans (Jessie Godderz & DJ Z), via disqualification.
– Angelina Love (with Velvet Sky) defeats Gail Kim, to retain the TNA Knockout’s Championship.
– Ethan Carter III (with Rockstar Spud & Dixie Carter) defeats Bully Ray, in a Texas Death Match.
– Mr. Anderson defeats James Storm.
– In a Three-Way Steel Cage Match, Eric Young defeats Austin Aries and Lashley, to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
2014 – Takao Omori defeats Jun Akiyama, to win the vacant AJPW Triple Crown Championship.
2016 – Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi defeat The Bodyguard and Zeus, to win the AJPW World Tag Team Championship. Also, Yohei Nakajima defeats Kazuhiro Tamura, to win the GAORA Television Championship.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Former NXT & RAW Women’s Champion Bayley (28 years old); 4-time WCW & 2-time WWF/E Tag Team Champion Chuck Palumbo (46 years old); and 2-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion & 2-time IWGP Tag Team Champion Scott Norton (56 years old).
Today would’ve been the 55th birthday for former USWA & SMW Heavyweight Champion Brad Armstrong.
