This Day In Wrestling History – August 10th

1977 – Hulk Hogan makes his professional wrestling debut, in a match against Brian Blair.

1989 – Big Van Vader defeats Riki Choshu, to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.  Also, Naoki Sano defeats Jushin Liger, to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

1996 – WCW’s Hog Wild event is held at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, in front of 5,000 fans.  This was the first and only Hog Wild event, though the lineage would continue with 1997′s Road Wild.  The promotional poster featured ‘Hulkamania’ Hulk Hogan, despite the fact that he had joined the nWo one month prior.

– Rey Misterio, Jr. defeats The Ultimate Dragon, to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.
– Scott Norton defeats Ice Train.
– Madusa defeats Bull Nakano, in a ‘Battle Of The Bikes’ Match.  Match stipulation allowed Madusa to destroy Nakano’s motorcycle with a sledgehammer.
– Chris Benoit (with Woman & Miss Elizabeth) defeats Dean Malenko.
– Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) defeat The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott), to retain the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
– Ric Flair (with Miss Elizabeth & Woman) defeats Eddie Guerrero, to retain the WCW United States Championship.
– The Outsiders (Kevin Nash & Scott Hall) defeat Sting & Lex Luger.
– Hollywood Hogan defeats The Giant (with Jimmy Hart) to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

1997 – Shinjiro Otani defeats El Samurai, to win the NJPW J-Crown.  Otani was the final J-Crown holder, before the title is abandoned three months later.

1998 – In the Monday Night Wars, WCW Monday Nitro (4.6 TV rating) edges out WWF RAW IS WAR (4.5 rating).  Both shows had title changes.  On Nitro, Lex Luger defeats Bret Hart, to win the WCW United States Championship.  And Chris Jericho defeats Stevie Ray, to win the WCW Television Championship.  In a Four-Way Match over on RAW, Kane & Mankind defeat D’Lo Brown & The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin & The Undertaker, and The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg & Billy Gunn), to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.

1999 – The August 16th WWF RAW IS WAR is taped in Milwaukee.  This would be the last RAW that would air on tape-delay;  beginning August 23rd, the night after SummerSlam, RAW would air LIVE every Monday, with the exception of is London tapings and during the Christmas/holiday season.

2002 – WWE’s Global Warning Tour holds a live event in Melbourne, Australia, in front of 56,734 fans at Colonial Stadium.

– Rikishi defeats Rico in a “Kiss My Ass” Match.
– Mark Henry & Randy Orton defeat Batista & Reverend D-Von.
– Jamie Noble defeats The Hurricane, to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.

– Chavo Guerrero & Hardcore Holly defeat Billy & Chuck.
– Kurt Angle defeats Test.
– The Un-Americans (Lance Storm & Christian) defeat Billy Kidman & Rey Mysterio, to retain the World Tag Team Championship.
– Edge defeats Chris Jericho.
– Torrie Wilson defeats Stacy Keibler, in a Bra & Panties Match.
– In a Triple Threat Match, The Rock defeats Brock Lesnar & Triple H, to retain the WWE Undisputed Championship.

2003 – At a house show in Des Moines, Iowa, Christian defeats Booker T, to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

2008 – TNA Hard Justice is held in Trenton, NJ in front of 3,500 fans.

– Petey Williams defeats Consequences Creed, to retain the TNA X Division Championship.
– In a Six-Knockout Tag Team Match, Gail Kim, ODB, & Taylor Wilde defeat Awesome Kong and The Beautiful People (Angelina Love & Velvet Sky).
– Beer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode & James Storm) defeat The LAX (Homicide & Hernandez), to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship.
– Jay Lethal defeats Sonjay Dutt, in a Black Tie Brawl & Chain Match
– Christian Cage & Rhino defeat Team 3D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon), in a New Jersey Street Fight.
– AJ Styles defeats Kurt Angle, in a Last Man Standing Match.
– In a Six Sides of Steel Weapons Match, Samoa Joe defeats Booker T, to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

2009 – Sgt. Slaughter guest hosts WWE RAW in Calgary.

2013 – At Combat Zone Wrestling’s Tangled Web 6 event, Drew Gulak (with Dewey Donovan & Kimber Lee) defeats MASADA (with Christina Von Eerie), to win the CZW World Heavyweight Championship.

2014 – In the tournament final, Kazuchika Okada defeats Shinsuke Nakamura, to win the NJPW G1 Climax Tournament.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:  Indy wrestler & valet Lizzy Valentine (34 years old);  five-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 2015 King of the Ring Wade Barrett (37 years old);  Global Force Wrestling’s Kongo Kong (38 years old);  the final ECW World Tag Team Champion Roadkill (41 years old);  former WWF Tag Team Champion Fred ‘Tugboat‘ Ottman (61 years old, also known as ‘The Shockmaster‘ in WCW);  and three-time WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion & former WWF wrestler Savio Vega (51 years old).