This Day In Wrestling History – September 25th
1981 – The Great Kabuki defeats Kerry Von Erich, to win the WCCW American Heavyweight Championship.
1983 – Brett Wayne defeats Larry Zbyszko, to win the NWA National Heavyweight Championship.
1987 – Ron Garvin defeats Ric Flair, to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
1994 – Stars ‘n’ Stripes (Marcus Alexander Bagwell & The Patriot) defeat Pretty Wonderful (Paul Roma & Paul Orndorff) to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
1995 – In the Monday Night Wars, WCW Monday Nitro (2.7 TV rating) beats WWF Monday Night RAW (1.9 rating). On RAW, The Smoking Gunns (Billy & Bart) defeat Owen Hart & Yokozuna, to win the WWF Tag Team Championship. Hart and Yokozuna had just had the titles returned to them, after a controversial finish one night earlier; Diesel & Shawn Michaels had defeated Yokozuna & British Bulldog (subbing for Owen), to win the titles. The ruling was reversed due to Owen getting pinned, despite not being the legal man.
1999 – The NWA 51st Anniversary Show: Battle of the Belts, is held in Charlotte, NC in front of 700 fans.
– EZ Ryder defeats Sebastian P. Sterling, to win the Queen’s Cup.
– In a Three-Way Dance, Gary Steele defeats Brian Anthony and Naoya Ogawa, to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
– Logan Caine defeats Twiggy Ramirez, to retain the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. Ramirez had won an 11-man Battle Royal earlier in the night, to earn a title shot.
– Ron Garvin defeats Stan Lane.
– Team Extreme (Kit Carson & Khris Germany) defeat The Brotherhood (Dukes Dalton & Knuckles Nelson), to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
2000 – In the Monday Night Wars, WWF RAW IS WAR (5.4 TV rating) beats WCW Monday Nitro (2.9 rating). There were two title changes on Nitro. Sean O’Haire & Mark Jindrak win a Battle Royal, to win the vacant WCW World Tag Team Championship. Later, in a Steel Cage Match, Vince Russo defeats Booker T, to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Russo wins after getting speared through the cage by an interfering Goldberg. It was the 15th time since WCW’s April 10th ‘reboot’ that the World Heavyweight Championship had changed hands.
2000 – WWF RAW ends its first run on the USA Network, moving to TNN (which later became Spike TV) one week later.
2003 – On SmackDown, Tajiri defeats Rey Mysterio, to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
2003 – Former ECW Tag and Television Champion ‘Pitbull #2′ Anthony Durante dies of a heart attack, at age 36.
2010 – At a house show in Rahway, NJ, Jay Lethal defeats Amazing Red, to win the TNA X Division Championship.
2011 – KAI defeats Koji Kanemoto, to win the AJPW Junior League.
2014 – New Japan stand out Prince Devitt adopts the new ring name Finn Balor, in NXT.
2016 – WWE Clash of Champions, a RAW-exclusive pay-per-view, is held in Indianapolis in front of 13,467 fans.
– Nia Jax defeats Alicia Fox (pre-show).
– TJ Perkins defeats Brian Kendrick, via submission, to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
– In the final match of their Best-of-Seven series, Sheamus and Cesaro battle to a no-contest.
– Chris Jericho defeats Sami Zayn.
– In a Triple Threat Match, Charlotte Flair defeats Bayley and Sasha Banks, to retain the RAW Women’s Championship.
– Roman Reigns defeats Rusev, to win the WWE United States Championship.
– The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) defeat Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson, to retain the RAW Tag Team Championship
– Kevin Owens defeats Seth Rollins, to retain the WWE Universal Championship.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Garvin (65 years old); 2-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Atsushi Aoki (40 years old); New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Famer Dr. Heresy (41 years old); former AJPW Triple Crown Champion Shuji Ishikawa (42 years old); and former All Japan Women’s Champion Aja Kong (47 years old).
Today would have been the 68th birthday for former EMLL regular Villano II.
