This Day In Wrestling History – August 9th

1967 – Buddy Moreno defeats Buddy Austin, to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship.

1969 – Antonio Inoki & Michiaki Yoshimura defeat Crusher Lisowski & Al Mahilik, to win the vacant JWA All Asia Tag Team Championship.

1976 – Jack Brisco defeats Jerry Lawler, to win the NWA (Mid-America) Southern Heavyweight Championship.

1980 – The Showdown at Shea is held at Shea Stadium in Flushing, NY, in front of 36,295 fans.  In a Two-out-of-Three falls match, the tag team of WWF World Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund & Pedro Morales, defeat The Wild Samoans (Afa & Sika) two falls to none, to become the new WWF World Tag Team Champions.  Backlund and Morales would have to vacate the Titles the next day, due to Backlund’s status as Heavyweight Champion.  In the main event, Bruno Sammartino defeats Larry Zbyszko, in a Steel Cage Match.

1982 – Dream Machine & Jim Mitchell defeat Stan Lane & Ron Bass, to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship.

1986 – In St. Louis, Ric Flair defeats Dusty Rhodes, to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

1987 – El Pantera II defeats Guerrero Samurai, to win the Mexican National Lightweight Championship.

1991 – Akira Nogami defeats Jushin Thunder Liger, to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

1997 – WCW’s Road Wild is held at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, in front of 6,500 fans.

– Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray & Booker T) defeat Vicious & Delicious (Scott Norton & Buff Bagwell).
– Konnan defeats Rey Misterio, Jr. in a Mexican Deathmatch.
– Steve McMichael & Chris Benoit defeat Dean Malenko & Jeff Jarrett, in an Elimination Match.
– Alex Wright defeats Chris Jericho, to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.
– Ric Flair defeats Syxx.
– Curt Hennig defeats Diamond Dallas Page (with Kimberly Page).
– The Giant defeats Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth)
– The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott) (with Ted DiBiase) defeat The Outsiders (Kevin Nash & Scott Hall), via disqualification;  The Outsiders retain the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
– Hollywood Hogan defeats Lex Luger, to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

1997 – ECW’s Born to Be Wired is held at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, in front of 1,800 fans.

– Little Guido defeats Prodigy.
– Mikey Whipwreck defeats Louie Spicolli.
– Spike Dudley defeats Bam Bam Bigelow.
– Chris Candido defeats Chris Chetti.
– Shane Douglas defeats Lance Storm.
– Taz defeats Al Snow, via submission, to retain the ECW World Television Championship.
– In a Six-Man Tag Team Match, The Dudley Boyz (Big Dick, Buh Buh Ray, & D-Von Dudley) defeat Hack Meyers, Balls Mahoney, & Axl Rotten.
– Rob Van Dam defeats Tommy Dreamer.
– In a Barbed Wired Match, Sabu defeats Terry Funk, to win the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.

1998 – In a Glass & Fire Coffin Cremation Deathmatch Tournament Final, The Great Pogo defeats Mitsuhiro Matsunaga, to become the inaugural Big Japan Deathmatch Heavyweight Champion.

1999 – In the Monday Night Wars, WWF RAW IS WAR (6.4 TV rating) beats WCW Monday Nitro (3.1 rating).  On Nitro, Chris Benoit defeats David Flair, to win the WCW United States Championship.  Over on RAW, Kane & X-Pac defeat The Acolytes (Faarooq & Bradshaw), to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.  Also, while The Rock cuts a promo in the ring, the millennium clock hit zero, and ‘Y2J’ Chris Jericho made his WWF debut, proclaiming that he ‘has come to save the World Wrestling Federation.’  And Chyna becomes the first female to win the #1 contender spot for the WWF Championship, after defeating The Undertaker & Triple H, in a Triple Threat Falls Count Anywhere Match;  Shawn Michaels served as special guest referee.  Chyna would lose her #1 contender spot to Mankind before SummerSlam.

2001 – The Heartland Wrestling Association holds its 4th Annual Brian Pillman Memorial Show, at Cincinnati’s Oak Hills High School (of which I’m a proud graduate).  The event featured many WWF/WCW superstars, along with stars from the HWA, NWA, Ohio Valley Wrestling, and East Coast Wrestling Association, among others.

– Nigel McGuinness (HWA) defeats The Machine (OVW).
– Ron Waterman & Rob Conway defeat The Disciples of Synn (Damien & Payne).
– JR Ryder (ECWA) defeats Richard Pound (Stampede Wrestling).
– Chad Collyer (HWA) defeats Donovan Morgan (APW).
– Lance Cade & Cody Hawk defeat The Island Boyz (Ekmo & Kimo).
– Randy Orton (OVW) defeats Flash Flanagan.
– The Damaja & Hardcore (OVW) defeat The A Squad (Chet & Dean Jablonski) (HWA).
– The Haas Brother (Russ & Charlie) (HWA) defeat Steve Bradley (HWA) & Rico Constantino (OVW).
– In a Four-Way Match, Matt Stryker defeats Shark Boy, Chad Collyer, and Pepper Parks, to win the HWA Cruiserweight Championship.
– Nick Dinsmore defeats Race Steele, to win the HWA Heavyweight Championship.
– Terry Taylor defeats Bobby Eaton, with Ricky Steamboat as the special guest referee.
– Steve Corino defeats David Flair, to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
– Mark Henry (OVW) defeats Hugh Morrus (WCW).
– Lita (WWF) defeats Victoria (Memphis Championship Wrestling).
– Evan Karagias (WCW) defeats Chris Candido (NJPW).
– Dean Malenko & Perry Saturn (WWF) defeat Raven & Justin Credible (ECW).
– In a Three-Way Tag Team Match, The Hardy Boyz (Jeff & Matt) (WWF) defeat Edge & Christian (WWF), and Diamond Dallas Page & Kanyon (WCW).

2001 – There were two title changes on SmackDown.  Alliance members Kanyon & Diamond Dallas Page defeat The Acolytes Protection Agency (Faarooq & Bradshaw), to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.  Meanwhile, WWF’s Brothers of Destruction (Kane & The Undertaker) defeat The Alliance’s Natural Born Thrillers (Sean O’Haire & Chuck Palumbo), to win the WCW Tag Team Championship.  This was the final SmackDown with the “Ovaltron;”  part of the set would be destroyed after Chris Jericho gets gored through the center screen by Rhyno.

2002 – At a house show in Kelowna, British Columbia, the WWE Hardcore Championship gets passed from Tommy Dreamer, to Shawn Stasiak, to Steven Richards, and back to Dreamer, via the 24/7 Rule.

2003 – There were two title changes at Combat Zone Wrestling’s Aftermath event.  In a Ladder Match, Sonjay Dutt defeats J.C. Bailey, to win the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship.  In a Tables Match, Nate Hatred defeats Nick Gage, to win the CZW Death Match Championship.  Hatred is the last to hold this title;  it would be retired, and in 2005 its equivalent, the Ultraviolent Underground Championship, would be introduced.

2009 – The Weedman & Billy Bong defeat The Thomaselli Brothers (Vito & Pauly), to win the Juggalo Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship.

2013 – At Full Impact Pro’s Heatstroke event, Gran Akuma defeats Uhaa Nation, to win the FIP Florida Heritage Championship.  And Trent Baretta defeats Jon Davis, to win the FIP World Heavyweight Championship.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:  Current RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss (26 years old);  former TNA wrestler D-Ray 3000 (35 years old);  Japanese hardcore legend Kintaro Kanemura (47 years old);  and Ring of Honor’s Silas Young (37 years old).