This Day In Wrestling History – July 12th
Happy birthday to Sami Zayn!
1933 – Thor Jenson defeats Harold Heibert, to win the Pacific Coast Middleweight Championship in Eugene, Oregon.
1946 – Tex Riley won a tournament to win the vacant Tennessee World Junior Heavyweight Championship in Nashville, TN
1946 – Joe Savoldi defeats Everett Marshall to win the Rocky Mountain Heavyweight Championship in Colorado Springs.
1951 – Eduardo Perez & Red Roberts defeat Ray Piret & Herb Welch, to win the Mid-America NWA Southern Tag Team Championship in Chattanooga, TN.
1957 – Herb Freeman defeats Bill Savage, to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship.
1966 – Louie Tillet defeats Bull Curry, to win the Texas Brass Knuckles Championship.
1974 – Carlos Colon & Jose Miguel Perez defeat Jim Dalton & Bruce Swayze, to win the WWC North American Tag Team Championship in Ponce, Puerto Rico
1974 – Ernie Ladd defeats Porkchop Cash, to win the NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship.
1976 – John Tolos defeats Kinji Shibuya, to win the Vancouver NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship.
1978 – Whipper Watson, Jr. defeats Dutch Mantel, to win the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship.
1981 – Mr. Fuji defeats Angelo Mosca, to win the Toronto NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship.
1989 – Riki Choshu defeats Salman Hashimikov, to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
1992 – On WCW’s Main Event program, The Barbarian & Dick Slater defeat The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin), to win the NWA/WCW United States Tag Team Championship. Ole Anderson served as special guest referee. Slater and The Barbarian would be the final titleholders before the U.S. Tag Team Titles are deactivated on July 31, 1992.
1992 – WCW’s Great American Bash is held in Albany, GA in front of 8,000 fans. This was the last Bash until 1995. The event featured a one-night, 7-team tournament to crown new NWA World Tag Team Champions.
Dark Match:
– The Super Invader (Hercules) (with Harley Race) defeats Marcus Bagwell.
PPV:
– Nikita Koloff & Ricky Steamboat defeat Brian Pillman & Jushin Liger in a NWA Tag Team Title Tournament Quarterfinals Match.
– Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham defeat Steve Austin & Rick Rude (with Madusa) in a NWA Tag Team Title Tournament Quarterfinals Match.
– Hiroshi Hase & Shinya Hashimoto defeat The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin) in a NWA Tag Team Title Tournament Quarterfinals Match
– WCW World Tag Team Champions Terry Gordy & Steve Williams defeat Nikita Koloff & Ricky Steamboat, in a NWA Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinal Match (Gordy & Williams’ titles were not on the line).
– Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham defeat Hiroshi Hase & Shinya Hashimoto (subbing for the injured Akira Nogami) in a NWA Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinal Match.
– Big Van Vader (with Harley Race) defeats Sting, to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
– WCW World Tag Team Champions Terry Gordy & Steve Williams defeat Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham, to win the vacant NWA World Tag Team Championship. The NWA & WCW tag team titles were deemed unified, and defended as so until WCW withdrew from the NWA in 1993.
1994 – Dan Kroffat defeats Masanobu Fuchi, to win the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship.
1995 – Jack Tunney resigns as President of the WWF. Tunney had served as President since September 1984.
1998 – WCW Bash at the Beach is held in San Diego, in front of 10,095 fans.
Dark Match:
– Villano IV & V defeat Damien & Ciclope.
PPV:
– Raven (with Lodi & Riggs) defeats Perry Saturn, in a Raven’s Rules Match.
– Juventud Guerrera defeats Billy Kidman.
– Stevie Ray defeats Chavo Guerrero, Jr.
– Eddie Guerrero defeats Chavo Guerrero, Jr. in a Hair vs Hair Match. After the match Chavo shaved his own head.
– Konnan (with Lex Luger & Kevin Nash) defeats Disco Inferno (with Alex Wright).
– The Giant defeats NFL linebacker, Kevin Greene.
– Rey Misterio, Jr. defeats Chris Jericho, to win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. The belt was returned to Jericho the following night, as Dean Malenko had interfered in the match.
– Booker T defeats Bret Hart via disqualification, to retain the WCW World Television Championship.
– Goldberg defeats Curt Hennig, to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
– Hollywood Hogan & Dennis Rodman (with The Disciple) defeat Diamond Dallas Page & Karl Malone.
1999 – In the Monday Night Wars, WWF RAW IS WAR (6.0 TV rating) beats WCW Monday Nitro (3.4 rating). On Nitro, Hollywood Hogan defeats Randy Savage, to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
2001 – On SmackDown’s 100th episode, Jeff Hardy defeats Mike Awesome, to win the WWF Hardcore Championship.
2002 – The WWE Hardcore Title’s 24/7 Rule sees the belt pass from Bradshaw to Justin Credible, to Spike Dudley, to The Big Show, and back to Bradshaw.
2002 – Chris Hero defeats Colt Cabana, to win the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship in Clarksville, Indiana.
2007 – World Wrestling Entertainment signed former TNA star Nick Cvjetkovich, who wrestles as Original Sinn, to a developmental deal. . He would debut on the main roster as Kizarny, being featured in a number of vignettes to debut the character, but would be dropped after just a few appearances.
2010 – Actress Florence Henderson guest stars on this evening’s Monday Night RAW from Lexington, KY.
2012 – Kharma, aka Awesome Kong, confirms publicly that she has been released by WWE.
2013 – At SHINE 11, Rain defeats Mia Yim, to win the vacant SHINE Championship.
2014 – David Starr & JT Dunn defeat Kimber Lee & Annie Social, to win the Women Superstars Uncensored Tag Team Championship. Starr & Dunn are the first and only males to hold the titles.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Famed trainer Ric Drasin (74 years old); former WWE & WCW Cruiserweight Champion Gregory ‘Hurricane’ Helms (44 years old); WWE Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar (41 years old), one-time WWWF Tag Team Champion Rene Goulet (86 years old); former NXT Champion, Sami Zayn (34 years old); and former Mexican National Light Heavyweight & Trios Champion, El Alebrije aka ‘Kraneo’ (46 years old).
Today would have been the 93rd birthday for NWA tag team star, Roy Heffernan.
