This Day In Wrestling History – August 19th

Happy birthday to Lilian Garcia!!

1974 – Al Greene & Phil Hickerson defeat Tommy Gilbert & Ricky Gibson, to win the Mid-Southern Tag Team Championship.

1975 – Former World Heavyweight Champion Jim ‘The Golden Greek’ Londos dies of a heart attack at age 78.

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

1982 – Mike George & Mark Romero defeat Dewey Robertson & Hercules Hernandez, to win the NWA Central States Tag Team Championship

1990 – Riki Choshu defeats Big Van Vader, to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.   Also, Pegasus Kid defeats Jushin Thunder Liger, to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

1991 – Bill Dundee defeats Danny Davis, to win the USWA Junior Heavyweight Championship.

1996 – In the Monday Night Wars, WCW Monday Nitro (3.5 TV rating) defeats WWF Monday Night RAW (2.9 rating).

1999 – On WCW Thunder, Lenny Lane defeats Rey Misterio, Jr, to win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.

2000 – Joey Abs defeats Lord Steven Regal, to win the Memphis Championship Wrestling Southern Heavyweight Championship.  Abs loses the title to K-Krush later that night.

2000 – ECW’s A New Era Begins event is held in Philadelphia.
– Bilvis Wesley defeats Jerry Lynn via disqualification.
– Steve Cornio defeats Scotty Anton.
– Nova & Chris Chetti defeat Julio Dinero and EZ Money.
– The FBI defeat Joey Matthews & Christian York.
– Yoshihiro Tajiri defeats Psicosis.
– Mikey Whipwreck defeats Pat Tanaka.
– The Blue Boy defeats Pitbull #1.
– In a Six-Man Tag Team Match, Tommy Dreamer, Danny Doring, & Roadkill defeat Simon Diamond, Swinger, & C.W. Anderson.
– In a tag team match, Rob Van Dam & Kid Kash defeat Justin Credible & Rhino

2001 – WWF’s 14th annual SummerSlam is held in San Jose, CA in front of 15,293 fans.

Sunday Night Heat:
– In a Six-Woman Tag Team Match, Lita, Molly Holly, & Jacqueline (WWF) defeat Torrie Wilson, Ivory, & Stacy Keibler (Alliance).
Summerslam:
– Edge (WWF) defeats Lance Storm (Alliance), to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
– In a Six-Man Tag Team Match, Test and The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von) from The Alliance defeat WWF’s Spike Dudley and The APA (Faarooq & Bradshaw).
– In a Title vs Title Match, X-Pac (WWF Light Heavyweight Champion) defeats Tajiri (WCW Cruiserweight Champion) to retain the Light Heavyweight Championship AND win the Cruiserweight Championship.
– Chris Jericho (WWF) defeats The Alliance’s Rhyno (with Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley), via submission.
– In a Ladder Match, Rob Van Dam (Alliance) defeats Jeff Hardy (WWF), to win the WWF Hardcore Championship.
– In a Steel Cage Title vs Title Match, The WWF’s Brothers Of Destruction (Kane & The Undertaker, WCW Tag Team Champions) defeat Diamond Dallas Page & Chris Kanyon (from The Alliance, WWF Tag Team Champions).  Kane and Undertaker retain the WCW Tag Team Championship AND win the WWF Tag Team Championship.
– Kurt Angle (WWF) defeats WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin (The Alliance), via disqualification.  Austin retains the WWF Championship.
– The Rock (WWF) defeats The Alliance’s Booker T (with Shane McMahon), to win the WCW Championship.

2002 – In a Hardcore Battle Royal on RAW, the WWE Hardcore Championship changes hands several times via the 24/7 rule.  Bradshaw wins the title over Tommy Dreamer.  Crash Holly defeats Bradshaw for the title; only to be defeated by Dreamer, who reclaims the title.  The 24/7 rule is deactivated after this match.

2010 – Due to injuries caused by an assault from Abyss, Rob Van Dam vacates the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

2010 – Skandor Akbar, former wrestling manager & founder of ‘Devastation, Inc.,’ dies from prostate cancer at age 75.  On the same day, former Mid-South Tag Team Champion Ted ‘The Nightmare’ Allen dies from a heart attack at age 54.

2012 – WWE’s 25th annual SummerSlam is held in Los Angeles, in front of 14,205 fans.

Pre-show:
– Antonio Cesaro (with Aksana) defeats Santino Marella, to win the WWE United States Championship.
SummerSlam:
– Chris Jericho defeats Dolph Ziggler (Vickie Guerrero), via submission.
– Daniel Bryan defeats Kane.
– The Miz defeats Rey Mysterio, to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
– Sheamus defeats Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez), to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
– Kofi Kingston & R-Truth defeat The Primetime Players (Titus O’Neil & Darren Young), to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship.
– In a Triple Threat Match, CM Punk defeats The Big Show and John Cena,  to retain the WWE Championship.    During the match, Punk had tapped out when Cena applied the STF, and Big Show had Punk in a Koji Clutch, both simultaneously.  Unable to determine a winner, RAW General Manager AJ Lee restarts the match.  Cena executes the Attitude Adjustment on Big Show, but Punk tosses Cena out of the ring, pins Big Show, and retains the title.
– In a No Disqualification Match, Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) defeats Triple H, via submission.

2016 – At Ring of Honor’s Death Before Dishonor XIV event, Adam Cole defeats Jay Lethal, to win the ROH World Championship.  This ends Lethal’s title reign at 427 days.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: former Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) World Tag Team Champion Tim Horner (58 years old, part of The Lightning Express);   former WWE developmental talent Chet Jablonski (37 years old);  NXT commentator Percy Watson (36 years old);  and long-time WWF/E ring announcer Lilian Garcia (51 years old).