This Day In Wrestling History – January 9th

1959 – Pat O’Connor defeats Dick Hutton, to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

1969 – Danny Hodge & Wilbur Snyder defeat Giant Baba & Antonio Inoki, to win the NWA International Tag Team Championship.

1984 – In Fort Worth, Texas, Super Destroyer I defeats Brian Adias, to win the WCCW Television Championship.

1993 – At a matinee house show in Boston, Bret Hart defeats Ric Flair in a 60-minute Iron Man Match (three falls to two), to retain the WWF Championship.

1998 – Wolf Hawkfield & Johnny Smith defeat Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori, to win the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship.

1999 – After completing her training under various wrestlers, Lita makes her pro wrestling debut in Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre (EMLL).  After her return to the United States, Lita competed in Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW) and NWA Mid-Atlantic, before signing with ECW.

2000 – ECW Guilty As Charged is held in Birmingham, Alabama in front of 4,700 fans.

– C.W. Anderson (with Lou E. Dangerously & Billy Wiles) defeats Mikey Whipwreck.
– In a Six-Man Tag Team Match, Danny Doring, Roadkill, & Simon Diamond defeat Nova, Jazz, & Kid Kash.
– Yoshihiro Tajiri & Super Crazy defeat Little Guido & Jerry Lynn.
– Angel (with Vic Grimes & DeVito) defeats New Jack.
– Rob Van Dam defeats Sabu, to retain the ECW World Television Championship.
– The Impact Players (Lance Storm & Justin Credible) defeat Tommy Dreamer & Raven, to win the ECW World Tag Team Championship.
– Mike Awesome (with Judge Jeff Jones) defeats Spike Dudley, to retain the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.

2005 – WWE New Year’s Revolution is held in San Juan, Puerto Rico in front of 15,764 fans.  This was (and still is) the only WWF/E pay-per-view to be held in Puerto Rico.

– The Hurricane & Rosey defeat La Resistance (Robert Conway & Sylvain Grenier) (Dark Match).
PPV:
– William Regal & Eugene defeat Tyson Tomko & Christian, to retain the World Tag Team Championship.
– Trish Stratus defeats Lita, to win the WWE Women’s Championship for the 6th time.  Lita suffered a torn ACL during the match, after performing a Thesz press off the ring apron onto the floor.
– Shelton Benjamin defeats Maven, to retain the Intercontinental Championship.
– Muhammad Hassan (with Daivari) defeats Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler (with Jim Ross).
– Kane defeats Snitsky.
– In an Elimination Chamber Match, Triple H defeats Batista, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Edge, and Randy Orton, to win the vacant World Heavyweight Championship.  Shawn Michaels served as special guest referee.

2009 – WWE announces layoffs to their staff (wrestlers and other personnel). Among those released from their contracts were: producer & former referee Tim White, referee Jim Korderas, and wrestlers D’Lo Brown, Val Venis, and Bam Neely. Also let go were two of Vince McMahon’s limo drivers.

2009 – On the same day as the layoffs mentioned above, WWE leaks online that Stone Cold Steve Austin would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. WWE would quickly pull this info off their website and announce it officially, via press release, on January 13th.

2011 – TNA Genesis is held at the Impact Zone in Orlando, in front of 1,100 fans.

– Kazarian defeats Jay Lethal, to win the X Division Championship.
– Madison Rayne defeats Mickie James, to retain the Women’s Knockout Championship.
– Beer Money, Inc. (James Storm & Robert Roode) defeat The Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley), to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship.
– Bully Ray defeats Brother Devon by disqualification.
– Abyss defeats Douglas Williams, to win the TNA Television Championship.
– Matt Hardy, in his TNA debut, defeats Rob Van Dam.
– A ‘Double J Double M A’ Exhibition between Jeff Jarrett and Kurt Angle ends in a no-contest.
– Mr. Anderson defeats Matt Morgan, to become the #1 contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
– #1 contender Mr. Anderson defeats Jeff Hardy, to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

2012 – It is announced on this evening’s RAW, that Edge and The Four Horsemen would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame; The Four Horsmen being Ric Flair (his second time being inducted), along with Barry Windham, Arn Anderson, and Tully Blanchard.

2013 – On NXT, Big E. Langston defeats Seth Rollins, to win the WWE NXT Championship.

2017 – In a 2-on-1 Handicap Match on RAW, Chris Jericho (with Kevin Owens) defeats Roman Reigns, to win the WWE United States Championship for the first time in his career.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:  former WWE commentator Todd Grisham (43 years old); WWE’s Ruby Riott (28 years old); Japanese wrestler Keita Yano (31 years old); former Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) Women’s Champion Melody Medeiros (36 years old); former WWF & AJPW wrestler Luc Poirier (aka ‘Rambo’ and ‘Sniper’) (58 years old); Japanese wrestler Magnum TOKYO (46 years old); retired Japanese wrestler Akiya Anzawa (38 years old); indie wrestler Bolt Brady (36 years old); former CMLL World Heavyweight, Tag Team, & Trios Champion, Silver King (51 years old); and past guest host of WWE RAW & former NFL wide receiver, Chad Ochocinco (41 years old).