This Day In Wrestling History – July 6th
1982 – In a tournament final, Killer Khan defeats Junkyard Dog, to win the vacant Mid-South Louisiana Heavyweight Championship.
1985 – In a Steel Cage Match, Tito Santana defeats Greg Valentine, to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
1985 – NWA’s inaugural Great American Bash event is held at the American Legion Memorial Stadium, in Charlotte, NC, in front of 27,000 fans.
– Jimmy Valiant defeats Paul Jones in a Dog Collar Match.
– In a Six-Man Tag Tam Match, Sam Houston, Manny Fernandez, & Buzz Tyler defeat Konga the Barbarian, Billy Graham, & Abdullah The Butcher (with Paul Jones).
– Ron Bass (with James J. Dillion) fought Buddy Landel to a draw.
– The Minnesota Wrecking Crew (Ole & Arn Anderson) defeat Dick Slater & Buzz Sawyer, to retain the NWA National Tag Team Championship.
– AWA World Tag Team Champions The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) fought NWA World Tag Team Champions Ivan Koloff & Krusher Krushchev to a double disqualification.
– Magnum T.A. defeats Kamala (with Skandor Akbar), via disqualification, to retain the NWA United States Championship.
– Ric Flair defeats Nikita Koloff (with Ivan Koloff), to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. David Crockett served as special guest referee.
– Dusty Rhodes defeats Tully Blanchard (with Baby Doll) in a Steel Cage Match to win the NWA World Television Championship. As a result Blanchard’s valet Baby Doll, is forced to become Rhodes’ valet for 30 days.
1991 – The Miracle Violence Connection (Steve Williams & Terry Gordy) defeat Stan Hansen & Danny Spivey, to win the AJPW World Tag Team Championship.
1992 – The Moondogs (Spot & Cujo) defeat Jerry Lawler & Jeff Jarrett, to win the USWA World Tag Team Championship.
1997 – WWF In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede is held in Calgary, Alberta in front of 12,151 fans.
Match on the Free For All show:
– The Godwinns (Henry O. & Phineas I.) defeat The New Blackjacks (Blackjack Bradshaw & Blackjack Windham)
PPV:
– Mankind fought Hunter Hearst Helmsley (with Chyna) to a double count-out.
– The Great Sasuke defeats Taka Michinoku.
– The Undertaker defeats Vader (with Paul Bearer), to retain the WWF Championship.
– In a Ten-Man Tag Team Match, The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, The British Bulldog, & Brian Pillman) defeat Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust, and The Legion Of Doom (Hawk & Animal).
1998 – In the Monday Night Wars, WCW Monday Nitro (4.8 TV rating) defeats WWF RAW IS WAR (4.0 rating). In his hometown of Atlanta, in front of 41,412 fans at the Georgia Dome, Goldberg defeats Hollywood Hulk Hogan, to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
2000 – On this evening’s SmackDown, Val Venis defeats Rikishi, to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
2002 – With the 24/7 Rule in effect, the WWE Hardcore Championship passes from Bradshaw to Steven Richards, to Crash Holly, to Christopher Nowinski, and back to Bradshaw.
2004 – Ric Flair’s new autobiography, To Be the Man, makes its debut in bookstores nationwide.
2007 – Ryusuke Taguchi defeats Minoru, to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
2008 – Mickie Knuckles suffers a broken leg during an IWA Mid-South match against Sara Del Rey. At the time, Knuckles was also performing for TNA Wrestling as Moose, though she was still negotiating an official contract with TNA. Knuckles underwent surgery for the broken leg. However, the surgery was unsuccessful, and a second surgery had to be performed. This led to Knuckles losing her TNA contract.
2009 – Ted DiBiase, Sr. is the guest host of this week’s WWE RAW.
2009 – Rudy Charles, who had been one of the top referees for TNA, and had been with the company since 2002, is released from his contract. After spending the next few years as a referee on the independent circuit, Charles would sign with WWE in 2013 under his real name, Dan Engler. Since the 2016 Brand Extension, Engler has been a referee on SmackDown Live and its brand-exclusive pay-per-views.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Daichi Sasaki (27 years old); indy wrestlers Frankie Feathers (32 years old), Brandon Blaze (38 years old), & Chris ‘The Australian Wolverine’ Colen (37 years old); current Go Wrestle Powerweight Champion Kory Chavis (41 years old); and NXT wrestler Lars Sullivan (age unknown).
Today would’ve been the 103rd birthday for WWWF (now WWE) founder Vincent J. McMahon, and the 88th birthday for 6-time NWA World Light Heavyweight Champion Ray Mendoza.
