This Day In Wrestling History – January 11th
1962 – Johnny Valentine & Bob Ellis defeat The Fabulous Kangaroos (Al Costello & Roy Heffernan), to win the NWA (Northeast) United States Tag Team Championship.
1980 – Mr. Hito & Mr. Sakurada defeat El Halcon & Jose Lothario, to win the NWA American Tag Team Championship.
1981 – Bruiser Brody & Kerry Von Erich defeat Gino Hernandez & Gary Young, to win the NWA American Tag Team Championship.
1985 – The Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey & Bobby Eaton) defeat The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton & Tommy Rogers), to win the WCCW American Tag Team Championship.
1991 – Ric Flair defeats Sting, to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for the 7th time. With this victory, Flair is also recognized as the inaugural WCW World Heavyweight Champion. As WCW did not have it’s own Heavyweight Title belt at the time, it continued to use the NWA Title belt (the ‘Big Gold Belt’) as its championship.
1993 – WWF debuts Monday Night RAW on the USA Network.
1997 – ECW’s House Party ’97 is held at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, with 1,400 fans in attendance.
– Chris Candido defeats Louie Spicolli.
– Mikey Whipwreck defeats Spike Dudley.
– The Eliminators (John Kronus & Perry Saturn) defeat Axl Rotten & D-Von Dudley, to win the ECW World Tag Team Championship.
– The Gangstas (New Jack & Mustafa Saed) defeat Tommy Rich & Ricky Morton.
– Tommy Rich and Ricky Morton end up fighting each other after losing to The Gangstas, which led to an immediate match between the two. Rich defeats Morton with a roll-up.
– Mike Awesome defeats Balls Mahoney.
– Buh Buh Ray Dudley and Pitbull #2 fight to a no-contest.
– Brian Lee defeats Terry Funk.
– Pitbull #1 defeats Shane Douglas via countout, to retain the ECW World Television Championship.
1999 – In the Monday Night Wars, WWF RAW IS WAR (5.53 TV rating) beats WCW Monday Nitro (5.0 rating).
2009 – TNA Genesis is held in Charlotte, NC in front of 2,700 fans.
– In a Six-Man Elimination Tag Team Match, Eric Young and The Latin American XChange (Hernandez & Homicide) defeat Jimmy Rave, Kiyoshi, & Sonjay Dutt.
– Alex Shelley defeats Chris Sabin, to win the vacant X Division Championship.
– In a Three-Way Tag Team Match, Beer Money, Inc. (James Storm & Robert Roode) defeat Lethal Consequences (Jay Lethal & Consequences Creed) and Abyss & Matt Morgan, to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship.
– ODB, Roxxi, & Taylor Wilde defeat The Kongtourage (Raisha Saeed, Rhaka Khan, & Sojournor Bolt). ODB, who scored the pinfall, receives a future title shot for the Women’s Knockout Championship.
– Kurt Angle defeats Jeff Jarrett in a No Disqualification Match.
– Sting defeats Rhino, to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
– In a Six-Man Tag Team Hardcore Match, Mick Foley and The TNA Front Line (AJ Styles & Brother Devon) defeat Cute Kip and The Main Event Mafia (Booker T & Scott Steiner.
2010 – Mike Tyson guest-hosts Monday Night RAW from Minneapolis. Tyson even participates in a tag team match with Chris Jericho to face D-Generation X (Shawn Michaels & Triple H). DX wins the match when Tyson turns on Jericho.
2013 – On the 700th episode of WWE SmackDown, Alberto Del Rio defeats Big Show in a Last Man Standing Match, to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
2014 – At Combat Zone Wrestling’s Answering the Challenge event, Devon Moore defeats Alex Colon, to win the CZW Wired Television Championship. Also, The Beaver Boys (Alex Reynolds & John Silver) defeat The BLKOUT (Ruckus & BLK Jeez), to win the CZW World Tag Team Championship.
2016 – On Monday Night RAW, Kalisto defeats Alberto Del Rio, to win the WWE United States Championship. It’s Kalisto’s first singles title in his WWE career.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: WWE Hall of Famer Abdullah the Butcher (78 years old); former CMLL Mexican Trios Champion Hooligan (47 years old, now performing under the name Luciferno); Japan wrestler JUN (40 years old); Mexico indie wrestler Groon XXX (39 years old); former TNA wrestler King Mo (38 years old); indie wrestler Anthony Stone (35 years old); and former AJPW & IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Kuniaki Kobayashi (63 years old).
Today would’ve been the 98th birthday for EMLL legend Gory Guerrero, and the 62nd birthday for WrestleMania II guest judge, for the Mr. T vs Roddy Piper boxing match, former NBA player Darryl Dawkins.
Some records show today as the 42nd birthday for CMLL’s El Cancerbero; other records indicate he was born June 11th.
