This Day In Wrestling History – October 16th
1968 – Dusty Rhodes makes his professional wrestling debut.
1976 – Paul Jones defeats Blackjack Mulligan, to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic United States Championship.
1981 – Les Thornton defeats Gerald Brisco, to win the NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship.
1984 – Shawn Michaels makes his professional wrestling debut.
1987 – The Sheepherders (Luke Williams & Butch Miller) defeat The Lightning Express (Brad Armstrong & Tim Horner) to win the UWF Tag Team Championship. This would be the final reign before UWF was absorbed into Jim Crockett Promotions, later that year.
1988 – Ted DiBiase defeats Randy Savage, to win the WWF King Of The Ring Tournament.
2000 – On RAW IS WAR, William Regal defeats Al Snow, to win the WWF European Championship.
2003 – Special K (Dixie & Izzy) defeat The Backseat Boyz (Johnny Kashmere & Trent Acid), to win the ROH Tag Team Championship.
2003 – After suffering a stroke the day before, legendary WWE trainer Stu Hart passes away at the age of 88. Stu was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame posthumously, in 2010.
2011 – Atsushi Aoki & Kotaro Suzuki defeat Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Kenta, to win the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles. Also, Ricky Marvin defeats Satoshi Kajiwara, to win the vacant GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship. Marvin refuses the belt, saying that he wants to earn it by defeating injured former champion Katsuhiko Nakajima.
2011 – TNA Bound For Glory is held in Philadelphia, in front of 3,585 fans.
– Austin Aries defeats Brian Kendrick, to retain the TNA X Division Championship.
– Rob Van Dam defeats Jerry Lynn, in a Full Metal Mayhem Match.
– Crimson defeats Matt Morgan and Samoa Joe, in a 3-Way Match.
– Mr. Anderson defeats Bully Ray, in a Falls Count Anywhere Philadelphia Street Fight.
– Velvet Sky defeats Winter, Mickie James, and Madison Rayne, to win the TNA Knockouts Championship.
– AJ Styles defeats Christopher Daniels in an ‘I Quit’ Match.
– Sting defeats Hulk Hogan, via submission, to regain control of TNA for Dixie Carter.
– Kurt Angle defeats Bobby Roode, to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: former CZW Junior Heavyweight Champion Derek Frazier (37 years old); former Chikara regular Jimmy ‘Equinox’ Olsen (31 years old); former ECW World Champion Justin Credible (44 years old); WSU Hall of Famer Missy Hyatt (54 years old); 3-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuyuki Fujita (47 years old); current IWGP United States Champion Kenny Omega (34 years old); and former AJPW Tag Team Champion Takao Omori (48 years old).
Former WCW Cruiserweight Champion Lenny Lane is listed as being born on October 16th or October 20th, depending on what source you use.
Today would’ve been the 52nd birthday for former WCW Television Champion Rick ‘The Renegade’ Wilson.
