This Day In Wrestling History – November 8th
Happy birthday to Ted DiBiase, Jr. (Photo credit: World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.)
1957 – Crusher Duggan defeats Pepper Gomez, to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship.
1967 – In a tournament final, Billy Red Lyons defeats Duke Keomuka, by default, to win the vacant NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship. Keomuka was unable to compete due to injuries inflicted by The Spoiler, earlier in the tournament.
1971 – Bearcat Brown & Robert Fuller defeat Sputnik Monroe & Norvell Austin, to win the NWA Mid-Southern Tag Team Championship.
1975 – Nick Bockwinkel defeats Verne Gagne, to win the AWA World Heavyweight Championship. Bockwinkel holds the title until July 18, 1980 – a span of 1,714 consecutive days.
1975 – Louis Cerdan & Tony Parisi defeat The Blackjacks (Lanza & Mulligan), to win the WWWF World Tag Team Championship.
1979 – In Otaru, Japan, Seiji Sakaguchi defeats Pat Patterson, to win the WWF North American Heavyweight Championship. Sakaguchi is the last wrestler to hold this short-lived title, holding it for 532 consecutive days, until its retirement on April 23, 1981. The North American Championship had just become an official title in February 1979, and awarded to Ted DiBiase, Sr. after he signed with the WWF.
1980 – Tony Garea & Rick Martel defeat The Wild Samoans (Afa & Sika), to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.
1982 – Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler defeats Nick Bockwinkel, to win the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship for the 30th time.
1993 – Jeff Jarrett & Brian Christopher defeat Koko B. Ware & Rex Hargrove, to win the USWA World Tag Team Championship. Jarrett becomes a 14-time USWA Tag Champion, while Christopher becomes a 4-time Tag Champion.
1994 – Ultimo Dragon defeats Corazon de Leon, to win the NWA World Middleweight Championship.
1996 – Lady Apache defeats Chaparita Asari, to win the vacant CMLL World Women’s Championship.
1999 – In the Monday Night Wars, WWF RAW IS WAR (5.4 TV rating) beats WCW Monday Nitro (3.4 rating). On RAW, The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg & Billy Gunn) defeat Mankind & Al Snow, to win the WWF Tag Team Championship. The Outlaws become WWF’s first five-time Tag Team Champions.
1999 – In a Four-Way Ladder Match on over on Monday Nitro, Scott Hall defeats Bret Hart, Sid Vicious, and Goldberg, to win the WCW United States Championship.
2000 – On Thunder, Crowbar defeats Reno, to win the WCW Hardcore Championship.
2005 – In what would turn out to be his last-ever match, Eddie Guerrero defeats Mr. Kennedy, during a Friday Night SmackDown taping, set to air November 11th. Guerrero passes away on November 13th.
2008 – In Combat Zone Wrestling, Beef Wellington & Greg Excellent defeat BLK-OUT (Ruckus & Sabian), to win the CZW World Tag Team Championship.
2009 – Tiger Mask IV defeats Mistico, to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the 6th time.
2014 – At New Japan’s Power Struggle event, Jushin Thunder Liger defeats Chase Owens, to win the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. Also, reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) defeat The Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & Kushida), to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.
2014 – In a Six-Way Elimination Match, Adam Cole defeats Adam Page, Hanson, Matt Sydal, Roderick Strong, and Tommaso Ciampa, to win Ring of Honor’s Survival of the Fittest Tournament.
2014 – Takashi Sugiura defeats Daisuke Sekimoto, to win Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Global League Tournament.
2015 – Naomichi Marufuji defeats Shelton Benjamin, to win Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Global League Tournament.
2016 – WWE SmackDown Live airs its 900th episode.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: former ‘Million Dollar Champion’ & 2-time WWE World Tag Team Champion, Ted DiBiase, Jr. (35 years old); 3-time IWA Mid-South Tag Team Champion, & 3-time Juggalo Championship Wrestling Tag Team Champion, Vito Thomaselli (37 years old); 2-time AJPW All Asia Tag Team Champion & one-time AJPW World Tag Team Champion, Isao Takagi, aka Arashi (56 years old); current IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kazuchika Okada (30 years old); indie wrestler Chrissy Rivera (34years old); and WrestleMania III guest timekeeper & long-time Entertainment Tonight host, Mary Hart (67 years old).
Today would’ve been the 91st birthday for legendary wrestler Ilio DiPaolo.
