This Day In Wrestling History – January 3rd
Happy birthday, JR!!
1986 – At a WCWA live event in Dallas, The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, & Buddy Roberts) defeat Brian Adias and The Von Erichs (Kerry & Kevin), to win the WCWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship.
1987 – On this evening’s episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event, Hulk Hogan defeats Paul Orndorff, in a Steel Cage Match, to retain the WWF Championship. Also, Randy Savage defeats George Steele, to retain the Intercontinental Championship. The show registers a 10.6 TV rating for NBC.
1987 – Masanobu Fuchi defeats Mighty Inoue, to win the AJPW Junior Heavyweight Championship.
2000 – In the Monday Night Wars, WWF RAW IS WAR (6.4 TV rating) beats WCW Monday Nitro (3.3 rating). On Nitro, David Flair & Crowbar defeat Kevin Nash & Scott Steiner, to win the vacant WCW World Tag Team Championship.
Over on RAW, Triple H defeats Big Show, to win the WWF Championship.
2008 – Joe Doering & Keiji Mutoh defeat The Voodoo Murders (Satoshi Kojima & TARU), to win the AJPW World Tag Team Championship.
2009 – Minoru Suzuki & Nosawa Rongai defeat Osamu Nishimura & Masanobu Fuchi, to win the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship.
2009 – Tyler Reks & Johnny Curtis defeat DH Smith & TJ Wilson, to win FCW Florida Tag Team Championship. Also, in a 4-Way Match, Eric Escobar defeats Drew McIntyre, Joe Hennig, and Sheamus O’Shaunessy, to win the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship.
2010 – Masakatsu Funaki & Keiji Mutoh defeat Minoru Suzuki & Taiyō Kea, to win the AJPW World Tag Team Championship.
2013 – Mike Knox, who had been in WWE from 2006-2010, makes his TNA debut as ‘Knux,’ on this evening’s Impact Wrestling.
2015 – Dapper Dan defeats Michael Hayes, to win the Ohio Valley Wrestling Television Championship.
2015 – Mitsuya Nagai & Takeshi Minamino defeat Xceed (Kotaro Suzuki & Kento Miyahara), to win the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship. At the same event, Go Shiozaki defeats Joe Doering, to win the AJPW Triple Crown Championship.
2017 – On SmackDown Live, Dean Ambrose defeats The Miz, to win the Intercontinental Championship.
2018 – Shuji Ishikawa & Suwama defeat Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori, to win the AJPW World Tag Team Championship.
HAPPY BIRTDHAY TO: WWE Hall of Famer ‘Good Ol’ JR,’ Jim Ross (67 years old); former All Pro Wrestling (APW) Heavyweight Champion & former WWF/ECW wrestler Vic Grimes (56 years old); former NWA Central States Tag Team & Television Champion, Art Crews (60 years old); CZW’s D.J. Hyde (41 years old); and 3-time ECW World Tag Team Champion New Jack (56 years old).
Today would’ve been the 90th birthday for famous midget wrestler, Lord Littlebrook.
