This Day In Wrestling History – December 2nd

1974 – Blackjack Lanza defeats Fritz Von Erich, to win the NWA American Heavyweight Championship.  Elsewhere, Giant Baba defeats Jack Brisco, to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.

1976 – Ron Starr defeats Pat Barret, to win the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship.  Elsewhere, Bobby Jaggers defeats Ken Patera to win the NWA (Tri-State) Brass Knuckles Championship.

1978 – The Assassins (#1 & #2) defeat Terry Latham & Ricky Fields, to win the NWA Louisiana Tag Team Championship.

1983 – The Von Erichs (David, Kerry & Kevin) defeat The Fabulous Freebirds (Terry Gordy, Buddy Roberts, & Ric Flair), to win the WCCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championship.  Flair subbed for Michael Hayes, who lost a Loser Leaves Town Match to Kerry Von Erich, on November 24th.

1985 – Dave Peterson defeats The Grappler, to win the vacant WCCW Television Championship.  The title had been vacant since October, after champion Iceman Parsons was injured by Rick Rude, and could not defend the title.

1991 – Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler defeats Kamala, to win the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship for the 11th time.

1993 – Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuharu Misawa win the All Japan World’s Strongest Tag Team League, to win the vacant AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship;  some records indicate Kobaashi & Misawa won the tournament & the titles on December 3rd.

1996 – In the Monday Night Wars, WCW Monday Nitro (3.4 TV rating) beats WWF Monday Night RAW (2.3 rating).  In Dubai, Bret Hart defeats Stone Cold Steve Austin, to win the first (and only) WWF Middle East Cup tournament.  This did not air on this evening’s RAW, which was airing a taped episode from two weeks earlier.

1997 – Former European & British Heavyweight Champion Shirley ‘Big Daddy’ Crabtree passes away at the age of 67, after suffering a stroke.  One notable stat about ‘Big Daddy’ is that he had a 64-inch chest.

2000 – WWF Rebellion is held in Sheffield, England, in front of 11,077 fans.

– In an Elimination Tables Match, The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von) defeat Edge & Christian, and T&A (Test & Albert).
– Ivory (with Steven Richards) defeats Lita, to retain the WWF Women’s Championship.
– ‘The Lethal Weapon’ Steve Blackman defeats Perry Saturn, to retain the WWF Hardcore Championship.
– Crash Holly (with Molly Holly) defeats William Regal, to win the WWF European Championship.
– Billy Gunn & Chyna defeat Dean Malenko & Eddie Guerrero.
– Kane defeats Chris Jericho.
– Right to Censor (The Goodfather & Bull Buchanan) defeat The Hardy Boyz (Matt & Jeff), to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship.
– The Undertaker defeats Chris Benoit.
– In a Fatal 4-Way Match, Kurt Angle defeats The Rock, Rikishi, and Stone Cold Steve Austin, to retain the WWF Championship.

2003 – Kaz Hayashi & Satoshi Kojima defeat Justin Credible & Jamal, to win the AJPW World’s Strongest Tag Team League.

2006 – RO’Z & Suwama defeat Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan, to win the AJPW World’s Strongest Tag Team League.

2006 – Takeshi Morishima & Mohammed Yone defeat Takuma Sano & Yoshihiro Takayama, to win the vacant GHC Tag Team Championship.  The titles had been vacant since September, after previous tag champion Kenta Kobashi was diagnosed with kidney cancer.

2007 – TNA Turning Point is held at the Impact Zone in Orlando, in front of 900 fans.  Scott Hall no-showed the event, and Samoa Joe went on an on-screen rant against TNA, after he had been asked to cover for Hall and introduce Eric Young as Hall’s replacement, in the main event Six-Man Tag Team Match.  Turning Point ’07 also featured the first-ever Feast or Fired Match.

– In a Six-Man Tag Team Tables Match, Johnny Devine and Team 3D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon) defeat Jay Lethal and The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin).
– In a Knockouts Tag Team Match, Angelina Love & Velvet Sky defeat ODB & Roxxi Laveaux.
– Eric Young defeats James Storm (with Jackie Moore).
– Petey Williams, B.G. James, Senshi, and Scott Steiner win the Feast or Fired Battle Royal.  The unveiling of the briefcases aired on the December 13th Impact! episode.  Williams wins a World Heavyweight Title Match.  James wins a Tag Team Title Match.  Steiner wins an X Division Title Match.  And Christopher Daniels (who defeated Senshi for his briefcase on the December 6th Impact! episode), is fired.
– Gail Kim defeats Awesome Kong, via disqualification, to retain the Women’s Knockout Championship.
– Abyss & Raven defeat Rellik & Black Reign, in a Match on 10,000 Tacks.
– Kaz & Booker T (with Sharmell) defeat Christian Cage & Robert Roode.(with Ms. Brooks).
– In a Six-Man Tag Team Match, Samoa Joe, Eric Young, & Kevin Nash defeat The Angle Alliance (Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, & Tomko).

2012 – At AAA’s Guerra de Titanes event, Daga defeats Juventud Guerrera, Fenix, Jack Evans, Joe Lider, and Psicosis, in a Ladder Match, to win the AAA World Cruiserweight Championship.  The match aired on tape delay December 19th.  At the same event, El Texano, Jr. defeats El Mesias, to win the AAA Mega Championship;  this match aired on tape delay December 15th.

2012 – Hirooki Goto & Karl Anderson defeat Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith, Jr., to win the New Japan World Tag League.

2016 – Ring of Honor’s Final Battle event is held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC, in front of 1,800 fans.

Pre-Show Match:
– Cheeseburger & Will Ferrara defeat The Tempura Boyz (Sho & Yohey).
Final Battle PPV:
– In a Six-Man Tag Team Match, The Rebellion (Caprice Coleman, Rhett Titus, & Kenny King) defeat Donovan Dijak and The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin).
– Silas Young (with The Beer City Cruiser) defeats Jushin Thunder Liger.
– Dalton Castle defeats Colt Cabana.
– Cody (Rhodes) defeats Jay Lethal.  It was Cody’s ROH debut.
– The Kingdom (TK O’Ryan, Vinny, Marseliga, & Matt Taven) defeat Kushida, Lio Rush, & Jay White, to become the inaugural ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions.
– In a Three-Way Match, Marty Scurll defeats Dragon Lee and Will Ospreay, to win the ROH World Television Championship.
– The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) defeat The Briscoes (Jay & Mark), to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship.
– In a No Disqualification Match, Kyle O’Reilly defeats Adam Cole, to win the ROH World Championship.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:  former TNA wrestler Ricky ‘Machete’ Vega (41 years old);  3-time IWA Mid-South Tag Team Champion, & 3-time Juggalo Championship Wrestling Tag Team Champion, Sal Thomaselli (36 years old);  former WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion, Chris Angel (35 years old);  Impact Wrestling’s Mario Bokara (37 years old);  and former AJPW All Asia Tag Team Champion Jinsei Shinzaki, also known for his WWF run as Hakushi (51 years old).

Today would’ve been the 84th birthday for 2-time AWA Southern Tag Team Champion, Gypsy Joe.