This Day In Wrestling History – October 28th

Happy birthday to Christy Hemme!! (photo credit: Lee South)

1959 – Josh Smith & Tosh Togo defeat Don & Luke Fields, to win the NWA Mid-Southern Tag Team Championship.

1964 – Chief Little Bear & Mack York defeat The Corsicans (Jean &  Joe), to win the NWA Mid-Southern Tag Team Championship.

1975 – Killer Karl Kox defeats Dick Murdoch, to win the Tri-State Wrestling North American Heavyweight Championship.

1989 – The inaugural  Halloween Havoc pay-per-view is held in Philadelphia, in front of 7,300 fans.  The event was produced by World Championship Wrestling, under the NWA banner.

– Tom Zenk defeats Mike Rotunda.
– In a Six-Man Tag Team Match, The Samoan Swat Team (Fatu, The Samoan Savage, & Samu) defeat ‘Dr. Death’ Steve Williams & The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane).
– Tommy Rich defeats The Cuban Assassin.
– The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin) defeat The Dynamic Dudes (Johnny Ace & Shane Douglas), to retain the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
– Doom (Butch Reed & Ron Simmons) defeat The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott).
– Lex Luger defeats Brian Pillman, to retain the NWA United States Championship.
– The Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk) defeat The Skyscrapers (Dan Spivey & Sid Vicious), by disqualification.
– In a Thunderdome Match, Ric Flair & Sting defeat The Great Muta & Terry Funk.  Bruno Sammartino served as special guest referee.

1995 – Tracy Smothers & Jesse James Armstrong defeat PG-13 (J.C. Ice. & Wolfie D.), to win the USWA World Tag Team Championship.

1995 – On WCW Saturday Night, Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) defeat The American Males (Marcus Bagwell & Scotty Riggs), to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship for the 4th time.

1995 – In a Ladder Match, Mikey Whipwreck defeats The Sandman, to win the ECW World Heavyweight Championship (aired on TV on October 31st).  Also, 2 Cold Scorpio & The Sandman defeat The Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge & Rocco Rock), to win the ECW World Tag Team Championship (aired on TV November 7th).

1996 – In the Monday Night Wars, WCW Monday Nitro (3.6 TV rating) beats WWF Monday Night RAW (2.0 rating).

1998 – The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray & D-Von) defeat Rob Van Dam & Sabu, to win the ECW World Tag Team Championship for the 4th time.

1999 – On SmackDown, The British Bulldog defeats D’Lo Brown, to win the WWF European Championship.

1999 – Logan Caine is stripped of the NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship, after no-showing a title defense against Vince Kaplack.  Kaplack would face Chris Hero, and would pin Hero to win the vacant title.

2000 – Gen’ichiro Tenryu defeats Toshiaki Kawada, to win the vacant AJPW Triple Crown Championship.

2001 – In a Title vs Title Match, Keiji Mutoh & Taiyo Kea defeat Osamu Nishimura & Tatsumi Fujinami, to retain the AJPW World Tag Team Championship, AND win the IWGP Tag Team Championship.

2005 – In a Fatal 4-Way Match on SmackDown, MNM (Joey Mercury & Johnny Nitro) defeat The Legion of Doom (Heidenreich & Animal), The Mexicools, and Paul Burchill & William Regal, to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.

2007 – WWE Cyber Sunday is held in Washington, DC in front of 10,094 fans.  This was WWE’s 4th interactive pay-per-view.  Fans voted on certain aspects of the matches, with the results announced live on the show.  During the event, WWE Divas were shown in Halloween costumes in a contest, where the winner would be selected by the fans.  The winner of the contest was Mickie James.

Dark Match:
– Jesse & Festus defeat Deuce ‘n’ Domino.
Cyber Sunday PPV:
– Rey Mysterio defeats Finlay, in a fan-voted Stretcher Match.
– CM Punk defeats The Miz (fan-voted opponent), to retain the ECW Championship.
– Mr. Kennedy defeats Jeff Hardy, in a match between the two losers in the vote for who would face Randy Orton, for the WWE Championship (Shawn Michaels won the vote).
– Kane (fan voted opponent) defeats United States Champion MVP, via count-out.  MVP retains the title.
– Shawn Michaels (fan-voted opponent) defeats WWE Champion Randy Orton by disqualification;  Orton retains the WWE Championship.
– Triple H defeats Umaga, in a fan-voted Street Fight.
– Batista defeats The Undertaker, to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.  Fans voted for Stone Cold Steve Austin to be the special guest referee

2011 – In the finals of a 15-man tournament, StarBuck defeats Tajiri, to become the inaugural Smash Champion.

2012 – WWE Hell In A Cell is held in Atlanta, in front of 10,000 fans.

– Randy Orton defeats Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez).
– Team Rhodes Scholars (Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow) defeat Tag Team Champions Team Hell No (Kane & Daniel Bryan), via disqualification.  Kane & Bryan retain the WWE Tag Team Championship.
– Kofi Kingston defeats The Miz, to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
– Antonio Cesaro defeats Justin Gabriel, to retain the United States Championship.
– Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara defeat The Prime Time Players (Titus O’Neil & Darren Young).
– Big Show defeats Sheamus, to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
– In a Triple Threat Match, Eve Torres defeats Layla & Kaitlyn, to retain the Divas Championship.
– In the lone Hell in a Cell Match of the night, CM Punk (with Paul Heyman) defeats Ryback, to retain the WWE Championship.

2014 – Angel de Oro defeats Rey Escorpion, to win the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship.

2016 – Valiente defeats Volador Jr., to win the CMLL Universal Championship tournament.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:  Heartland Wrestling Association founder Les Thatcher (77 years old);  former ROH, CZW, & JAPW Tag Team Champion Dan Maff (44 years old);  3-time ROH Tag Team Champion & 8-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Rocky Romero (35 years old);  3-time JWP Tag Team Champion Mayumi Ozaki (48 years old); former WWE United States Champion & World Tag Team Champion, MVP (44 years old);  and 2004 WWE Diva Search Winner & 2006 TNA Knockout of the Year, Christy Hemme (37 years old).

Today would’ve been the 66th birthday for 2-time Mid-South Louisiana & 2-time Mid-South Mississippi Champion, ‘Iron’ Mike Sharpe.  Today also would’ve been the 52nd birthday for former AJPW All Asia Tag Team Champion Jun Izumida.