This Day In Wrestling History – December 27th

1967 – Johnny Valentine defeats Joe Scarpa, to win the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship.

1986 – Terry Taylor & Jim Duggan defeat Bill Irwin & Leroy Brown, to win the UWF Tag Team Championship.

1987 – Greg Gagne defeats Adrian Adonis in a tournament final, to become the inaugural AWA International Television Champion. On the same card, Madusa Miceli defeats Candi Devine, to win the AWA World Women’s Championship. The women’s title had been vacant since July 1987, when champion Sherri Martel jumped to the WWF.

1987 – Hiroshi Hase defeats Kuniaki Kobayashi, to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

1987 – Vader makes his debut in New Japan Pro Wrestling at the Sumo Hall in Tokyo.  Vader is victorious after knocking out Antonio Inoki with a powerslam.  The crowd rioted, resulting in New Japan being banned from running events at Sumo Hall for over a year.  Vader immediately skyrocketed to the top of New Japan, as it had been years since Inoki had lost a match via clean pinfall.

1989 – WWF No Holds Barred: The Movie/The Match airs on pay-per-view.  The PPV consisted of the ‘No Holds Barred’ movie starring Hulk Hogan in its entirety, followed by Hulk Hogan & Brutus Beefcake defeating Randy Savage & Zeus in a Cage Match.

1993 – WCW Starrcade: 10th Anniversary is held in Charlotte, NC in front of 8,200 fans.
– Pretty Wonderful (Paul Orndorff & Paul Roma) defeat Marcus Bagwell & 2 Cold Scorpio.
– The Shockmaster defeats King Kong.
– Cactus Jack & Maxx Payne defeat Tex Slazenger & Shanghai Pierce.
– Lord Steven Regal fought Ricky Steamboat to a time-limit draw, to retain the WCW World Television Championship.
– In a Two-Out-of-Three Falls Match, Steve Austin defeats Dustin Rhodes 2-0, to win the WCW United States Championship.
– Rick Rude defeats The Boss, to retain the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship.
– Sting & Road Warrior Hawk defeat The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags) via disqualification.  As a result, The Nasty Boys retain the WCW Tag Team Titles.
– In a Title vs. Career Match, Ric Flair defeats Vader, to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

1994 – WCW Starrcade: Triple Threat is held in Nashville in front of 8,200 fans.
– Vader (with Harley Race) defeats Jim Duggan, to win the WCW United States Championship.
– Alex Wright defeats Jean-Paul Levesque.
– Johnny B Badd defeats Arn Anderson, to retain the WCW World Television Championship.
– The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags) defeat Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) by disqualification.  As a result, Harlem Heat retain the WCW Tag Team Titles.

– Hulk Hogan (with Jimmy Hart) defeats The Butcher, to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

1995 – WCW Starrcade: World Cup of Wrestling is held in Nashville in front of 8,200 fans.  This event featured seven WCW vs. NJPW matches, with the overall winning promotion receiving the World Cup of Wrestling:
– Jushin Thunder Liger defeats Chris Benoit.
– Koji Kanemoto defeats Alex Wright.
– Lex Luger defeats Masa Chono.
– Johnny B. Badd defeats Masa Saito.
– Shinjiro Otani defeats Eddy Guerrero.
– Randy Savage defeats Hiroyoshi Tenzan.
– Sting defeats Kensuke Sasaki, to win the World Cup of Wrestling for WCW.
– Ric Flair defeats Lex Luger and Sting by countout, in a Triangle Match.
– Ric Flair defeats Randy Savage to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
– One Man Gang defeats Kensuke Sasaki, to win the WCW United States Championship.  The match was restarted after the event went off-air, with Sasaki the winner.  Neither title change was acknowledged by WCW.

1998 – WCW Starrcade is held in Washington, D.C. in front of 16,066 fans.
– In a Triple Threat Match, Billy Kidman defeats Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Juventud Guerrera, to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.  Kidman then has another immediate title defense against Eddie Guerrero and wins that match as well.
– Brian Adams & Scott Norton defeat Fit Finlay & Jerry Flynn.
– Konnan defeats Chris Jericho via submission, to retain the WCW World Television Championship.
– Norman Smiley defeats Prince Iaukea via submission.
– Perry Saturn defeats Ernest Miller
– Eric Bischoff defeats Ric Flair
– Diamond Dallas Page defeated The Giant
– In a No Disqualification Match, Kevin Nash defeats Goldberg, to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.  This was Goldberg’s first loss in WCW in 173 matches.  Nash gets an assist from Scott Hall, who shocked Goldberg with a stun gun, allowing Nash to perform a Jackknife Powerbomb to get the pinfall.

1999 – The Outsiders (Kevin Nash & Scott Hall) vacate the WCW World Tag Team Championship, due to an injury suffered by Hall.

2003 – Pirata Morgan defeats El Zorro, to win the Mexican National Heavyweight Championship.

2009 – CIMA & Gamma defeat YAMATO & Shingo Takagi, to win the Dragon Gate ‘Open the Twin Gate’ Championship.

2016 – In a Four-Way Elimination Match, American Alpha (Jason Jordan & Chad Gable) defeat Heath Slater & Rhyno, The Usos (Jimmy & Jey), and Randy Orton & Luke Harper, to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:  SmackDown’s Zelina Vega (28 years old);  3-time WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition Ax (71 years old), & Bart Gunn (55 years old);  WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg (52 years old); ‘Tough Enough; 2011 winner Andy Leavine (31 years old); and current SmackDown Tag Team Champion, Cesaro (38 years old).

Today would’ve been the 49th birthday for former WWF Intercontinental & Women’s Champion, Chyna, the 52nd birthday for former WCW wrestler Sgt. A.W.O.L. (aka The Wall), and the 42nd birthday for ‘The ECW Zombie,’ Tim Arson.