This Day In Wrestling History – September 4th

Happy birthday to Xavier Woods!

1902 – In Liverpool, England, George Hackenschmidt defeats Tom Cannon, to win the European Greco-Roman Heavyweight Championship.

1941 – George Wagner defeats Billy McEuin, to win the Pacific Coast Junior Heavyweight Championship.

1964 – Wilbur Snyder & Dick the Bruiser defeat Nikolai Volkoff & Angelo Poffo, to win the World Wrestling Association Tag Team Championship.

1976 – Dusty Rhodes pins Ric Flair, to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship.  However, the title change was nullified because Rhodes had his feet on the ropes, during the pin.

1978 – Kevin & David Von Erich defeat Gino Hernandez & Bruiser Brody, to win the NWA Texas Tag Team Championship.  Elsewhere, Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler defeats Jos DeLuc, to win the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship for the 19th time.

1980 – Giant Baba defeats Harley Race, to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.  Elsewhere, Roddy Piper defeats Buddy Rose, to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship.

1987 – WWF’s King of the Ring Tournament is held in Providence, RI.

First Round Matches:
– Haku (with Tama) defeats Brutus Beefcake.
– Rick Martel defeats Dan Spivey.
– King Kong Bundy defeats One Man Gang, via countout.
– SD Jones defeats Sika.
– Danny Davis (with Jimmy Hart) defeats Tito Santana.                                                                                                             – The Junkyard Dog defeats Tama.
– Jim Brunzell defeats Ron Bass.
– Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) defeats Nikolai Volkoff.
Quarterfinal Matches:
– Rick Martel fought Haku to a 15–minute time limit draw.
– King Kong Bundy defeats SD Jones.
– Danny Davis (with Jimmy Hart) defeats The Junkyard Dog, via countout.
– Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) defeats Jim Brunzell.
Semifinal Match:
– Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) defeats Danny Davis.
– In a non-tournament match for the Intercontinental Championship, Jake Roberts defeats The Honky Tonk Man (with Jimmy Hart), via disqualification.  Honky Tonk Man retains the title.
King of the Ring Tournament Finals:
– Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) defeats King Kong Bundy.

1989 – Texas Dirt (Dutch Mantel) defeats Black Bart, to win the CWA Heavyweight Championship.

1992 – Bestia Salvaje defeats El Dandy, to win the CMLL World Middleweight Championship.

1995 – The first episode of WCW Monday Nitro airs on TNT.  The show features the WCW return of Lex Luger;  Luger’s WWF contract expired one day earlier.  Nitro’s first episode runs unopposed, as Monday Night RAW is preempted for U.S. Open Tennis.

1999 – The first episode of WWF Metal airs in syndication.

2000 – On the night of the Monday Night Wars’ 5th anniversary, WWF RAW IS WAR (4.2 TV rating) beats WCW Monday Nitro (3.6 rating).   In a Triple Threat Match on RAW, Eddie Guerrero defeats Chyna and Kurt Angle, to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship.

2007 – On ECW on Sci-Fi, CM Punk defeats John Morrison, to win the ECW Championship.

2009 – On Friday Night SmackDown, John Morrison defeats Rey Mysterio, to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

2009 – Bryan Danielson defeats Chris Hero, to win the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship.  Danielson then vacates the title.  Ring Of Honor Wrestling announces that Danielson and Nigel McGuiness would join WWE, after agreeing in principle to contracts.  McGuiness, however fails a pre-screening physical test with WWE, and would sign with TNA Wrestling a month later.  He would finally sign with WWE in December 2016, as an announcer.  Danielson would make his WWE debut in January 2010.

2012 – Akebono & Ryota Hama vacate the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship, after Akebono is sidelined with pneumonia.

2017 – After injuring the arm of GFW’s Rosemary in a title match at Triplemania a week earlier, Sexy Star is officially stripped of the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:  Current SmackDown Tag Team Champion Xavier Woods (32 years old);  famed promoter Jerry Jarrett (76 years old);  2-time TNA Knockouts Champion Awesome Kong (41 years old);  one-time WWWF World Tag Team Champion Pat Barrett (77 years old);  New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Famer Maverick Wild (48 years old);  4-time IWGP Tag Team Champion Kengo Kimura (65 years old);  former NXT Tag Team Champion Wesley Blake (31 years old);  former WWE Swerved host, Jeff Tremaine (52 years old);  and 2017 WWE Warrior Award recipient, Eric LeGrand (28 years old).