This Day In Wrestling History – June 16th

Happy birthday to The Sandman!! (Photo credit: World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.)

1937 – Bronko Nagurski defeats Dean Detton, to win the World Heavyweight Championship of the New York State Athletic Commission.

1959 – The Zebra Kid defeats The Golden Giant, to win the NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Championship.

1961 – Pepper Gomez & Dory Dixon defeat Duke Keomuka & Tony Martin, to win the  NWA (Texas) World Tag Team Championship.

1971 – Suni War Cloud & Steven Little Bear defeat Ripper Collins & Mad Dog Mayne, to win the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship.

1977 – The Great Kojika & Motoshi Okuma defeat Samson Kutsuwada & Akihisa Takachiho, to win the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship.

1984 – Terry Taylor defeats Krusher Khrushchev, to win the Mid-South Wrestling Television Championship.

1986 – Dutch Mantel defeats Rip Rogers, to win the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship.  Elsewhere, Buzz Sawyer defeats Chris Adams, to win the WCWA Television Championship.

1992 – WCW Clash of the Champions XIX is held at the McAlister Field House, on the campus of The Citadel, in Charleston, SC.  There were 4,600 fans in attendance, and the event drew a 2.8 TV rating on TBS.  This event featured the first round of the NWA World Tag Team Title Tournament, which would be completed at The Great American Bash.

First Round of the NWA World Tag Team Title Tournament:
– Ricky Steamboat & Nikita Koloff (USA & Lithuania) defeat Dean & Joe Malenko (Hungary).
– Steve Austin & Rick Rude (USA) defeat Tom Zenk & Marcus Bagwell (USA).
– Terry Gordy & Steve Williams (Japan) defeat Larry & Jeff O’Day (Australia).
– WCW World Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott) (USA) defeat Miguel Perez, Jr. & Ricky Santana (Puerto Rico), via forfeit.  Perez and Santana had been assaulted backstage, though the attack wasn’t shown.
– Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes (USA) defeat Bobby Eaton & Arn Anderson (USA).
– WCW United States Tag Team Champions The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin) (USA) defeat Silver King I and II (Mexico).
– Jushin Thunder Liger & Brian Pillman (Japan/USA) defeat Chris Benoit & Beef Wellington (Canada)
– Akira Nogami & Hiroshi Hase (Japan) defeat The Headhunters (Dominican Republic)
Second Quarter Final Match:
– Terry Gordy & Steve Williams (Japan) defeat The Steiner Brothers (USA).  The Steiners’ WCW Tag Titles were not on the line.

1993 – At a house show in Rockford, IL, Money Inc (Ted DiBiase & Irwin R. Schyster) defeat The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott), to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.

1993 – WCW Clash of the Champions XXIII is held at the Norfolk Scope, in Norfolk, VA, in front of 6,000 fans.  The event drew a 2.6 TV rating on TBS.

– Ron Simmons defeats Dick Slater.  Slater was subbing for WCW World Television Champion Paul Orndorff, whom had been injured in a car accident.
– Lord Steven Regal defeats Marcus Alexander Bagwell.
– Maxx Payne defeats Johnny B. Badd, via forfeit  Payne had shot Badd in the face with his Baddblaster earlier.
– Barry Windham defeats 2 Cold Scorpio, to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
– In a Six Man Tag Team Match, Big Van Vader, Sid Vicious, and Rick Rude defeat Dustin Rhodes, Sting, and Davey Boy Smith.
– Ric Flair & Arn Anderson defeat The Hollywood Blonds (Steve Austin & Brian Pillman) in a Two-Out-of-Three Falls Match.  The Hollywood Blonds retain the NWA & WCW Tag Team Titles as the second fall was a disqualification.

1996 – WCW’s Great American Bash is held in Baltimore, MD in front of 9,000 fans.

Matches airing on WCW Main Event:
– Rocco Rock defeats Jerry Saggs.
– V.K. Wallstreet defeats Jim Powers.
– Jim Duggan defeats Disco Inferno.
PPV:
– The Steiner Brothers (Scott & Rick) defeat Fire & Ice (Ice Train & Scott Norton), to become the #1 contenders for the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
– Konnan defeats El Gato, to retain the WCW United States Championship.
– Diamond Dallas Page defeats Marcus Alexander Bagwell.
– Dean Malenko defeats Rey Misterio, Jr., to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.
– John Tenta defeats Big Bubba Rogers (with Jimmy Hart).
– Chris Benoit defeats Kevin Sullivan (with Jimmy Hart), in a Falls Count Anywhere Match.
– Sting defeats Lord Steven Regal (with Jeeves).
– Ric Flair & Arn Anderson (with Bobby Heenan, Woman, & Miss Elizabeth) defeat Kevin Greene & Steve McMichael (with Debra McMichael, Randy Savage, & Tara Greene).  Debra McMichael had chased Woman and Elizabeth to the back, only to return with the briefcase containing money and a Four Horsemen T-shirt.  McMichael’s accepting of the case gave him Brian Pillman’s spot in the Horsemen.
– The Giant (with Jimmy Hart) defeats Lex Luger, to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

1996 – Aeroflash wins a tournament final, to win the vacant WWF World Light Heavyweight Championship.  Records are unclear as to who he defeated in the final.

1997 – In the Monday Night Wars, WCW Monday Nitro (3.3 TV rating) beats WWF RAW IS WAR (2.4 rating).

2002 – Mr. Niebla, Black Warrior, & Atlantis defeat Blue Panther, Dr. Wagner, Jr., & Fuerza Guerrera, to win the CMLL World Trios Championship

2008 – Wataru Inoue vacates the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, after deciding to move to the Heavyweight Division.

2012 – At NJPW’s Dominion event, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask defeat Taka Michinoku & Taichi, to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.  Also, Hiroshi Tanahashi defeats Kazuchika Okada, to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

2012 – Marti Belle defeats Jessica Havok, to win the WSU Spirit Championship.

2013 – In a tournament final, the team of Mascara Dorada, Mistico, & Valiente defeat Euforia, Niebla Roja, & Ultimo Guerrero, to win the CMLL World Trios Championship.

2013 – In a Five-Way Elimination Match, Crazy Boy & Joe Lider defeat Angelico & Jack Evans, Drago & Fenix, Mr. E & Sexy B, and Daga & Psicosis, to win the vacant AAA World Tag Team Championship.

2013 – WWE Payback is held at the Allstate Arena, in Rosemont, Illinois, in front of 14,623 fans.  This was the first annual Payback event, replacing No Way Out.

Pre-show Match:
– Sheamus defeats Damien Sandow.
PPV:
– In a Triple Threat Match, Curtis Axel (with Paul Heyman) defeats The Miz and Wade Barrett, to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
– AJ Lee (with Big E Langston) defeats Kaitlyn, via submission, to win the WWE Divas Championship.
– Dean Ambrose defeats Kane via countout, to retain the WWE United States Championship.
– Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez) defeats Dolph Ziggler (with Big E Langston & AJ Lee), to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
– CM Punk (with Paul Heyman) defeats Chris Jericho.
– The Shield (Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns) defeat Randy Orton & Daniel Bryan, to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship.
– John Cena defeats Ryback in a Three Stages of Hell Match to retain the WWE Title.  The first Stage was a Lumberjack match (won by Ryback).  The second Stage was a Tables match (won by Cena).  The third and final stage was an Ambulance Match (won by Cena).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:  Current NXT Tag Team Champion Rezar from The Authors of Pain (23 years old);  former CZW World Heavyweight Champion Masada (27 years old);  indy wrestler Babi Slymm (39 years old);  Japan indy wrestler Masao Orihara (48 years old);  5-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion The Sandman (54 years old);  and the first 700-pound bench presser Ted Arcidi (59 years old).

Today would’ve been the 62nd birthday for Scottish wrestler Drew McDonald, and the 58th birthday for WWE Hall of Famer The Ultimate Warrrior.