This Day In Wrestling History – December 28th
Happy birthday to Taryn Terrell!! (photo credit: Lee South/Impact Wrestling)
1876 – James Owens defeats James McLaughlin, to win the American Collar-and-Elbow Championship.
1949 – Leroy McGuirk defeats Billy Goelz ,to unify the National Wrestling Association and National Wrestling Alliance Junior Heavyweight Championships.
1960 – Pancho Villa defeats Lee Fields, to win the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Championship.
1963 – John & Chris Tolos defeat Killer Kowalski & Gorilla Monsoon, to win the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship.
1968 – The Crusher & Dick the Bruiser defeat Mitsu Arakawa & Dr. Moto, to win the AWA World Tag Team Championship.
1972 – Rip Hawk defeats Jerry Brisco, to win the NWA Eastern States Heavyweight Championship.
1979 – Jose Lothario & El Hacon defeat Gino Hernandez & El Gran Markus, to win the NWA American Tag Team Championship.
1980 – Kerry Von Erich defeats Gino Hernandez, to win the vacant NWA American Heavyweight Championship.
1984 – The Cobra defeats Black Tiger, to win the vacant WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship.
1984 – Terry Taylor defeats Eddie Gilbert, to win the CWA International Heavyweight Championship.
1987 – Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler defeats Bill Dundee, to win the CWA Lord of the Ring Tournament.
1992 – Ron & Don Harris defeat The Moondogs (Spike & Spot) to win the USWA Southern Tag Team Championship.
1992 – WCW Starrcade: Battlebowl/The Lethal Lottery II is held in Atlanta in front of 8,000 fans. Only eight wrestlers would contest the Battlebowl, having qualified from four tag team matches.
– LETHAL LOTTERY TAG TEAM MATCHES: Van Hammer & Danny Spivey defeat Johnny B. Badd & Cactus Jack. Big Van Vader & Dustin Rhodes defeat Kensuke Sasaki & The Barbarian. The Great Muta & Barry Windham defeat Brian Pillman & 2 Cold Scorpio. And finally, Steve Williams & Sting defeat Erik Watts & Jushin Thunder Liger.
– Shane Douglas & Ricky Steamboat defeat Barry Windham & Brian Pillman, to retain the WCW & NWA World Tag Team Championships.
– Sting defeats Big Van Vader, to win the King of Cable Tournament.
– Ron Simmons defeats Steve Williams by disqualification, to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
– Masahiro Chono defeats The Great Muta via submission, to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
– The Great Muta wins the Battlebowl, defeating Van Hammer, Danny Spivey, Eric Watts, Big Van Vader, Dustin Rhodes, Barry Windham, Steve Williams, and Sting.
1997 – WCW Starrcade is held in Washington, D.C. in front of 17,500 fans.
– Scott Norton, Vincent, & Randy Savage defeat Ray Traylor and The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott).
– Goldberg defeats Steve McMichael.
– Perry Saturn defeats Chris Benoit, via submission, in a Raven’s Rules Match.
– Buff Bagwell defeats Lex Luger.
– Eddie Guerrero defeats Dean Malenko, to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.
– Diamond Dallas Page defeats Curt Hennig, to win the WCW United States Championship.
– Larry Zbyszko defeats Eric Bischoff via disqualification, with Bret Hart as special guest referee.
– Sting defeats Hollywood Hogan, via submission, to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Hogan had originally beaten Sting, however Bret Hart claimed that referee Nick Patrick had fast-counted the pin. The match restarted with Hart as referee, leading to Sting’s victory.
1998 – In the Monday Night Wars, WWF RAW is WAR defeats WCW Monday Nitro in the ratings 4.9 to a 4.6. On Nitro, Scott Steiner defeats Konnan, to win the WCW World Television Championship.
2008 – Naruki Doi defeats Shingo Takagi, to win the Dragon Gate ‘Open the Dream Gate’ Championship.
2009 – Vince McMahon officially announces on Monday Night RAW (guest hosted by Timbaland), that Bret Hart would be returning to the company as the Guest Host of RAW, on January 4th, 2010.
2014 – Masaaki Mochizuki, Dragon Kid, & Big R Shimizu defeat Ryo ‘Jimmy’ Saito, Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!! & Jimmy Susumu, to win the Dragon Gate ‘Open the Triangle Gate Championship. On the same card, Cyber Kong & Yamato defeat Eita & T-Hawk, to win the ‘Open the Twin Gate’ Championship.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: former WWF & WCW wrestler Lanny Poffo (64 years old); women’s indie regular Ariel (34 years old); 2-time Mae Young Classic participant Rachael Ellering (26 years old); former FCW Diva Courtney Taylor (34 years old); former OVW & FCW wrestler Aiden Frost (39 years old); former IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Champion Tarek the Great (49 years old); former TNA Knockouts Champion & ECW General Manager Taryn ‘Tiffany’ Terrell (33 years old); and WWE Hall of Famer Tatsumi Fujinami (65 years old)
