This Day In Wrestling History – August 26th
1955 – Don McIntyre defeats Freddie Blassie, to win the Georgia NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship.
1955 – In Pacific Northwest Wrestling, Doug Donovan & Ivan Kameroff defeat Luigi Macera & Gory Guerrero, to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship.
1961 – Penny Banner wins a battle royal to become the new AWA World Women’s Champion. This comes after previous champion, June Byers, is no longer recognized as champion after no-showing a title defense.
1970 – Al Greene & Frank Martinez defeat Ron Wright & Frank Morrell, to win the NWA Mid-America United States Tag Team Championship.
1979 – Harley Race defeats Dusty Rhodes, to reclaim the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Rhodes had just defeated Race for the title five days earlier; ending Race’s 926-day reign.
1984 – Eddie Gilbert defeats Tommy Rich, to win the AWA International Heavyweight Championship.
1986 – The AWA America’s Championship is retired, after titleholder Sgt. Slaughter leaves the promotion.
1989 – In Pacific Northwest Wrestling, The Southern Rockers (Steve Doll & Rex King) defeat Scotty The Body & The Grappler, to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship.
1991 – WWF SummerSlam from Madison Square Garden in New York City; with 20,000 fans in attendance. The event featured the “wedding” of Macho Man Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth (the two had really been married for about seven years).
– In a dark match, Koko B. Ware defeats Kaito.
– In a six-man tag team match, The British Bulldog, The Dragon, & The Texas Tornado defeat The Warlord and Power and Glory (Paul Roma & Hercules) (with Slick).
– Bret Hart defeats Mr. Perfect (with “The Coach” John Tolos), via submission, to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
– In a tag team match, The Natural Disasters (Earthquake & Typhoon) defeat The Bushwhackers (Butch Miller & Luke Williams) (with Andre the Giant).
– Virgil defeats Ted DiBiase (with Sensational Sherri), to win the Million Dollar Championship. Virgil is the only person to win the title in an actual match.
– Big Boss Man defeats The Mountie in a Jailhouse Match. Per match stipulation, the loser spends 24 hours in a New York City jail.
– In a Street Fight, The Legion of Doom (Hawk & Animal) defeat The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags), to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.
– Irwin R Schyster defeats Greg Valentine in a singles match.
– In a 2-on-3 Handicap Match, The Ultimate Warrior & Hulk Hogan defeat Col. Mustafa, Sgt. Slaughter, & General Adnan. Special guest referee was Sid Justice. This is the final appearance of The Ultimate Warrior in the WWF until WrestleMania VIII; he would be suspended indefinitely following SummerSlam for holding out for more money.
1994 – In the Global Wrestling Federation, Osamu Nishimura defeats Alex Porteau, to win the GWF Light Heavyweight Championship. Nishimura would be the last titleholder; as the GWF would shut down less than a month later.
1999 – In Southern Championship Wrestling, Otto Schwanz defeats Toad, to win the SCW Heavyweight Championship. Also, Rick Link wins the vacant SCW North Carolina Championship.
1999 – WWF Smackdown! makes it’s debut on UPN. One title change occurs; The Big Boss Man defeats Al Snow to become the new Hardcore Champion. The main event is Triple H defending the WWF Championship vs. The Rock; with WWF owner Shane McMahon and Commissioner Shawn Michaels as special guest referees. The Rock goes for The People’s Elbow; only to be super-kicked by Michaels. Triple H regroups, hits the Pedigree, and retains the title.
In the head-to-head ratings, SmackDown! (4.2 TV rating) beats WCW Thunder (2.0 rating).
1999 – ECW tapes The Last Show at the Bunkhouse from Queens, New York. The show would air on television September 3rd.
– Taz defeats Yoshihiro Tajiri, to retain the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.
– Danny Doring defeats CW Anderson.
– Super Crazy defeats Rhino.
– The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray & Devon Dudley) defeat Balls Mahoney & Spike Dudley, to win the ECW World Tag Team Championship. This is the 8th and final time The Dudleys would be ECW Tag Team Champions.
– In a three-way dance, Nova defeats Little Guido and Simon Diamond.
– Uganda defeats Vito Lograsso.
– Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn ends in a no-contest, after The Impact Players attack both men. RVD retains the ECW World Television Championship.
– After winning the Tag Team Championship earlier in the night, The Dudley Boyz lose the titles to Tommy Dreamer & Raven.
2000 – The Full Blooded Italians defeat (Little Guido and Tony Mamaluke) defeat Yoshihiro Tajiri and Mikey Shipwreck, to win the ECW World Tag Team Championship. This would air on television on September 8th.
2000 – In All Pro Wrestling, The Honky Tonk Man defeats Frank Murdoch, to win the APW Universal Heavyweight Championship.
2001 – Spyder defeats Dark Rain, to win the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship.
2002 – In a title unification match on RAW, Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam defeats Hardcore Champion Tommy Dreamer. RVD becomes the final Hardcore Champion as the title is retired by WWE that night. In its 4-year history, the Hardcore Title changed hands 240 times. Raven holds the most title reigns with 27. Al Snow had the longest reign; holding the title for 91 days from April 25th to July 25th of 1999.
2006 – In World League Wrestling, Daniel Cross defeats Wade Chism, to win the WLW Heavyweight Championship.
2007 – WWE SummerSlam is held in East Rutherford, NJ, with 17,441 in attendance.
– In a tag team match, Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch defeat Brian Kendrick & Paul London (dark match before the PPV).
– Kane defeats Finlay.
– In a triple threat match, Umaga defeats Carlito and Mr. Kennedy, to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
– Rey Mysterio defeats Chavo Guerrero.
– Beth Phoenix wins an Interpromotional Divas Battle Royal, to become #1 contender for the Women’s Championship.
– John Morrison defeats CM Punk, to retain the ECW Championship.
– Batista defeats The Great Khali (with Ranjin Singh), via disqualification, to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. Khali intentionally disqualified himself after hitting Batista with a steel chair.
– Triple H defeats King Booker (with Queen Sharmell).
– John Cena defeats Randy Orton, to retain the WWE Championship.
2007 – AJPW Pro Wrestling Love in Ryogoku Vol. 3 was held in Tokyo, Japan.
– Katsuhiko Nakajima defeats Chris Sabin, to retain the AJPW Junior Heavyweight Title
– The Great Muta & Yoshihiro Tajiri defeat Suwama & Scott Steiner
– Satoshi Kojima & Taru defeat Toshiaki Kawada & Taiyo Kea to win the AJPW Tag Team Titles
– Kensuke Sasaki defeats Minoru Suzuki, to win the AJPW Triple Crown Championship.
2009 – IWA Mid-South announces that it would cease its operations after the Kings of the Crimson show on August 28th. However, on November 3, IWA Mid-South announced that it would return with smaller budget shows, starting with Chapter 2: In the Beginning, on November 20th.
2012 – Mineo Fujita & Takuya Sugawara defeat Jimmy Kagetora & Jimmy Susumu, to win the NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship.
2017 – At AAA’s Triplemania XXV, Monster Clown & Murder Clown defeat Dark Cuervo & Dark Scoria, Aerostar & Drago, and the GFW Team (DJ Z & Andrew Everett), to win the AAA World Tag Team Championship). The event is also notable for Reina de Reinas Champion Sexy Star being disqualified in a four-way match, with her championship on the line. Sexy Star had legitimately injured GFW’s Rosemary with an armbar, popping Rosemary’s arm out of place. Sexy Star would be stripped of the Reina de Reinas Championship on September 4th, and would lose future bookings, which included WrestleCade in Winston-Salem, NC.
2017 – Atsushi Kotege & Go Shiozaki defeat Maybach Taniguchi & Naomichi Marufuji, to win the GHC Tag Team Championship. Also, Hayata & Yo-Hey defeat Hi69 & Taiji Ishimori, to win the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: 2-time TNA/Impact Wrestling X Division Champion, Petey Williams (37 years old); and former WSU Champion & WSU Tag Team Champion, Angel ‘Riptide’ Orsini (49 years old).
Today would’ve been the 53rd birthday for former GWF Tag Team Champion, Bobby Duncum, Jr.
