This Day In Wrestling History – April 17th

1941 – Lee Wyckoff defeats Orville Brown, to win the Midwest Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Championship.

1952 – Golden Hawk & Johnny Kostas defeat Henry Harrell & Rex Mobley, to win the Mid-America NWA Southern Tag Team Championship.

1959 – Gene Kiniski defeats ‘Whipper’ Billy Watson, to win Toronto’s NWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship. On the same day, Dick Gunkel (Dick Steinborn) defeats Fred Blassie, to win Georgia’s NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship.

1965 – The Blond Bombers (Pat Patterson & Ray Stevens) defeat The Destroyer & Billy Red Lyons), to win the Big Time Wrestling World Tag Team Championship.

1969 – Boris Malenko defeats The Gladiator (Rick Hunter), to win the NWA (Florida Brass) Knuckles Championship.

1970 – Nick Bockwinkel defeats Assassin #2, to win the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship.

1976 – Jack Brisco defeats Pak Song, to win the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship.

1984 – In Tokyo, Japan, Gran Hamada defeats Perro Aguayo, to win the WWF World Light Heavyweight Championship.  The title was defended in the UWA and NJPW, through a business partnership with the WWF.

1984 – The North-South Connection (Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch) defeat The Soul Patrol (Tony Atlas & Rocky Johnson), to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.

1989 – Mexico wrestling regular Villano II dies at the age of 39, after hanging himself at his home.  He had been dealing with depression at the time of his death.

1992 – Stan Hansen defeats Mitsuharu Misawa, to win the AJPW Champion Carnival.

1992 – In Yokohama, Japan, The Natural Disasters (Earthquake & Typhoon) defeat George & Shunji Takano, to win the Super World of Sports Tag Team Championship.

1994 – WCW’s inaugural Spring Stampede pay-per-view is held at the Rosemont Horizon, outside Chicago, in front of 12,200 fans.

Dark Matches:
– Danny Bonaduce defeats Christopher Knight in a battle of the child actor stars.  Bonaduce was on ‘The Partridge Family,’ while Knight was Peter Brady on ‘The Brady Bunch.’
– Haito (Paul Diamond) & Pat Tanaka defeat Kevin & Dave Sullivan.
PPV:
– Johnny B. Badd defeats Diamond Dallas Page (with The Diamond Doll)
– Lord Steven Regal (with Sir William (Bill Dundee)) fought Brian Pillman to a time-limit draw, to retain the WCW World Television Championship.
– In a Chicago Street Fight, The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags) defeat Cactus Jack & Maxx Payne, to retain the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
– Steve Austin (with Col. Robert Parker) defeats The Great Muta via DQ, to retain the United States Championship.
– Sting defeats Rick Rude, to win the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship.
– Bunkhouse Buck (with Col. Robert Parker) defeats Dustin Rhodes, in a Bunkhouse Match.
– Vader (with Harley Race) defeats The Boss (Ray Traylor).  After the match Commissioner Nick Bockwinkel announced that Traylor could no longer use the name ‘The Boss ‘ (In reality the WWF threatened to sue WCW because ‘The Boss’ character was similar to Traylor’s ‘Big Boss Man’ character he used in the WWF).
– World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair fought Ricky Steamboat to a no-contest due to a double pinfall.  The WCW World Heavyweight Championship was originally handed back to Flair, but was later vacated by Nick Bockwinkel.

1995 – Brian Lee defeats Brian Christopher, to win the USWA Heavyweight Championship.

1999 – In a singles match, D-Von Dudley defeats Rob Van Dam to win the ECW Tag Team Titles for The Dudley Boyz (himself & Buh Buh Ray Dudley). This aired on TV 4/23/99.

2000 – In South Korea, Big Bubba Bain & L.A. Stephens defeat The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton), to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship.

2000 – Thanks to a fast count by Earl Hebner, Chris Jericho pins Triple H, to win the WWF Championship. Hebner had replaced Mike Chioda, who had been knocked out earlier in the match. After reversing his decision, on the grounds that nobody could put their hands on him again, Hebner makes Jericho relinquish the title. After Triple H makes Hebner put the WWF Championship around his waist, he tells Hebner he has been fired, and immediately attacks him. Jericho’s title win does not count in WWF/E records.

Later, Linda McMahon announces that The Rock will have Stone Cold Steve Austin in his corner, when he faces Triple H for the WWF Championship at the April 30th Backlash pay-per-view.

In another match where the title legitimately changed hands, Scotty 2 Hotty defeats Dean Malenko, to win the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship.

2002 – The Heavenly Bodies (Chris Nelson & Vito DeNucci) defeat Disturbing Behavior (Tim Renesto & Jeff Daniels), to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship.

2008 – Kaz & Super Eric (Eric Young) defeat AJ Styles & Tomko and The Latin American XChange (Hernandez & Homicide), to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship.  But Jim Cornette would strip Kaz and Eric Young of the titles, after Young refused to admit that he and ‘Super Eric’ were the same person.

In another title match, Petey Williams defeats Jay Lethal, to win the X Division Championship.

2011 – TNA Lockdown is held in Cincinnati, OH in front of 4,000 fans.  As usual with Lockdown events at that time, all matches were held inside a steel cage.

Pre-Show:
– Brother Devon defeats Anarquia.
PPV:
– In an 8-Man XScape Match, Max Buck defeats Suicide, Robbie E., Jay Lethal, Chris Sabin, Amazing Red, Jeremy Buck, and Brian Kendrick, to become the #1 contender for the X Division Championship.
– In a Four-Way Tornado Tag Team Match, Ink Inc. (Shannon Moore & Jesse Neal) defeat The British Invasion (Douglas Williams & Magnus), Crimson & Scott Steiner, and Orlando Jordan & Eric Young.
– In a Hair-vs-Title Steel Cage Match, Mickie James defeats Madison Rayne, to win the TNA Knockouts Championship. With the win, James becomes the first Triple Crown Champion of women’s wrestling, having held the TNA Knockouts Championship, the WWE Women’s Championship, and the WWE Divas Championship.
– In a Steel Cage Match, Samoa Joe defeats ‘The Pope’ D’Angelo Dinero via submission.
– In a Steel Cage Match, Matt Morgan defeats Hernandez (Sarita, Rosita, & Anarquia).
– Jeff Jarrett defeats Kurt Angle in an ‘Ultra Male Rules’ 2-out-of 3 Falls Match (Angle won the first fall (Submissions Only), with Jarrett winning the following two falls (Pinfall Only and Escaping the Cage).
– In a Three-Way Steel Cage Match, Sting defeats Rob Van Dam and Mr. Anderson, to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
– In the Lethal Lockdown Match, Fortune (James Storm, Robert Roode, Kazarian & Christopher Daniels) defeat Immortal (Ric Flair, Abyss, Bully Ray & Matt Hardy).

2015 – In an Ultimate X Match, The Hardys (Matt & Jeff) defeat The Beat Down Clan (Low Ki & Kenny King), Ethan Carter III & Bram, and the Dirty Heels (Bobby Roode & Austin Aries), to win the vacant TNA World Tag Team Championship.

Happy birthday to former WWF and AWA star Kevin ‘Nailz’ Wacholz (60 years old).

Today would’ve been the 64th birthday for WWE Hall of Famer, ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper.