This Day In Wrestling History – April 16th

Happy birthday to Candy Cartwright!!

1960 – Jerry & Eddie Graham defeat Red & Lou Bastien, to win the NWA (Northeast) United States Tag Team Championship.

1982 – Giant Baba wins his 7th and final AJPW Champion Carnival.  The tournament wasn’t held again until 1991.

1983 – Roddy Piper defeats Greg Valentine, to win the NWA United States Championship.  Elsewhere, Junkyard Dog defeats Mr. Olympia, to win the Mid-South North American Heavyweight Championship.

1989 – Shinichi Nakano defeats Masanobu Fuchi, to win the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship.

1991 – This year’s AJPW Champion Carnival introduced the modern ‘dual-block’ system.  Stan Hansen won Group A while Jumbo Tsuruta won Group B.   Tsuruta defeats Hansen to win the tournament.

1994 – Toshiaki Kawada wins the AJPW Champion Carnival, defeating Steve Williams in the tournament final after both men tied on 19 points.

1994 – Wild Pegasus (Chris Benoit) defeats Great Sasuke, to win the inaugural Super J-Cup.

1999 – Vader defeats Kenta Kobashi, to win the AJPW Champion Carnival.

2000 – WCW’s Spring Stampede is held in Chicago in front of 12,556 fans.  It was the first pay-per-view since Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff’s “reboot” the previous Monday.

– In a Triple Threat Match, Team Package (Lex Luger & Ric Flair) defeat The Harris Brothers (Ron & Don Harris), and The Mamalukes (Big Vito & Johnny The Bull), in a WCW Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinal Match.
– Mancow – yes the radio shock jock, defeats Jimmy Hart.
– Scott Steiner defeats The Wall via DQ, in a United States Championship Quarterfinal Match.
– Mike Awesome defeats Ernest Miller in another United States Championship Quarterfinal Match.
– Shane Douglas & Buff Bagwell defeat Harlem Heat 2000 (Stevie Ray & Big T) in a Tag Team Title Semifinal Match.
– Sting defeats Booker in a United States Championship Quarterfinal Match.
– Vampiro defeats Billy Kidman (with Torrie Wilson) in the last United States Championship Quarterfinal Match.
– Terry Funk defeats Norman Smiley, to win the vacant WCW Hardcore Championship.
– Scott Steiner defeats Mike Awesome in a United States Championship Semifinal Match.
– Sting defeats Vampiro in the other United States Championship Semifinal Match.
– In a Six-Way Match, Chris Candido defeats The Artist, Juventud Guerrera, Shannon Moore, Lash LeRoux, and Crowbar, to win the vacant WCW Cruiserweight Championship.
– In the tournament final, Shane Douglas & Buff Bagwell (with Vince Russo) defeat Ric Flair & Lex Luger (with Miss Elizabeth), to win the vacant WCW World Tag Team Championship.
– In another tournament final, Scott Steiner defeats Sting, to win the vacant WCW United States Championship.
– In yet another tournament final, Jeff Jarrett defeats Diamond Dallas Page (with Kimberly Page), to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

2001 – On RAW, Triple H defeats Jeff Hardy, to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship.

2003 – Ray Mendoza, a 5-time NWA World Light Heavyweight Champion, dies at the age of 73 after suffering kidney failure.

2004 – WWE parts ways with Stone Cold Steve Austin, when the two sides are unable to come to terms on a new contract.

2006 – Chris Jericho announces that he will be writing an autobiography, “A Lion’s Tale,” detailing his early days in pro wrestling, culminating with his WWF debut in August 1999.  The book was published on October 25, 2007, after Jericho was given permission from Grand Central Publishing, to make some alterations to the final publication, in order to reflect on the Chris Benoit double-murder/suicide from a few months prior.

2007 – In a No Holds Barred Match on RAW from Milan, Italy, Santino Marella defeats Umaga, to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship. This was also Santino’s debut on the main roster, as he was picked out of the crowd by Vince McMahon to face Umaga.

2009 – ‘WWE Superstars’ debuts on WGN America.  It would air on the cable network for two years.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:  former ECW wrestler Damien Kane (58 years old);  former WWE Tag Team & Cruiserweight Champion, Paul London (38 years old);  4-time AJPW Unified Tag Champion & 3-time Triple Crown Champion, Joe Doering (36 years old);  former RAW & SmackDown General Manager, Vickie Guerrero (50 years old);  former SHINE Champion & TNA Knockouts Champion, Mia Yim aka ‘Jade’ (29 years old);  and current SHINE NOVA Champion, Candy Cartwright (26 years old).

Today would’ve been the 81st birthday for WWE Hall of Famer, George ‘The Animal Steele,‘ and the 59th birthday for former AAA Trios Champion & 2-time AAA Mixed Tag Team Champion, Gran Apache.