This Day In Wrestling History – January 14th
Photo credit: World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
1985 – The New Interns (Don Bass & Roger Smith) defeat The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton), to win the vacant AWA Southern Tag Team Championship.
1991 – Jeff Jarrett defeats Brian Lee, to win the vacant USWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. Elsewhere, Arn Anderson defeats The Z-Man, to win the WCW World Television Championship.
1995 – On WCW Saturday Night, Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) defeat Stars & Stripes (The Patriot & Marcus Alexander Bagwell), to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship for the first time.
2001 – WCW holds its first and only Sin pay-per-view in Indianapolis, in front of 6,617 fans.
– Chavo Guerrero, Jr. defeats Shane Helms, to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.
– Reno defeats Big Vito.
– The Jung Dragons (Kaz Hayashi & Yun Yang) defeat Evan Karagias & Jamie Noble.
– Ernest Miller (with Ms. Jones) defeats Mike Sanders.
– In a Penalty Box Match, Team Canada (Elix Skipper, Lance Storm, & Mike Awesome) defeat Billy Kidman, Rey Mysterio, Jr., & Konnan).
– In a Triple Threat Match, Meng defeats Crowbar (with Daffney), and Terry Funk, to win the WCW Hardcore Championship. Meng would be the final Hardcore Champion, before the title is deactivated the following week.
– The Natural Born Thrillers (Sean O’Haire & Chuck Palumbo) defeat The Insiders (Diamond Dallas Page & Kevin Nash), to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
– In a First Blood Chain Match, Shane Douglas defeats Gen. Rection, to win the WCW United States Championship.
– Totally Buffed (Lex Luger & Buff Bagwell) defeat Goldberg & DeWayne Bruce, in a No Disqualification Tag Team Match. Per match stipulation, since Goldberg was pinned, he is forced to leave WCW for being unable to duplicate his infamous 173-match unbeaten streak, only reaching 35 in a row before this loss. This match would prove to be Goldberg’s last WCW appearance.
– In a Four Corners Match, Scott Steiner (with Midajah) defeats Road Warrior Animal, Sid Vicious, and Jeff Jarrett, to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
2002 – Despite losing a non-title match to Yoji Anjo & Genichiro Tenryu, AJPW All Asia Tag Team Champions Arashi & Koki Kitahara still have to relinquish their titles. The titles would be vacant until the Grand Champion Carnival event in April.
2007 – TNA Final Resolution is held at the Impact! Zone in Orlando, in front of 900 fans.
Dark Match:
– The Riggs (Jason & Johnny) defeat Serotonin (Kazarian & Havok).
Pre-Show Match:
– Lance Hoyt defeats Chase Stevens. Hoyt was heckled by baseball star A.J. Pierzynski, along with baseball trainer Dale Torborg, after the match.
PPV:
– Rhino defeats AJ Styles in a Last Man Standing Match.
– In a Three-Way Match, Chris Sabin defeats Christopher Daniels and Jerry Lynn, to win the X Division Championship.
– Alex Shelley defeats Austin Starr, in the finals of the Paparazzi Championship Series.
– James Storm (with Gail Kim) defeats Petey Williams.
– The Latin American Exchange (Homicide & Hernandez) defeat Team 3D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon) by disqualification, to retain the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
– In an Iron Man Match, Kurt Angle defeats Samoa Joe, to become #1 contender for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
– In a Three-Way Elimination Match, Christian Cage defeats Abyss and Sting, to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
2012 – In Ohio Valley Wrestling, The Mascagni Family (Jesse Godderz & Marcus Anthony) defeat OMFG! (Johnny Spade & Shiloh Jonze), to win the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship.
2013 – On the Monday Night RAW 20th Anniversary Special, Mick Foley is announced as the first inductee for the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2013. As for in-ring action Kaitlyn defeats Eve Torres, to become the new Divas Champion. Immediately after the loss, Eve opts to quit WWE. Also Jim Ross returned as RAW‘s lead announcer for the main event (John Cena defeating Dolph Ziggler in a Steel Cage Match). The night ends with The Rock performing a concert in the middle of the ring, which turns into a brawl between he and WWE Champion CM Punk, to end the show.
2014 – WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young passes away at age 90.
2016 – After losing the WWE United States Championship to Kalisto, three nights earlier on Monday Night RAW, Alberto Del Rio invokes his rematch clause on this evening’s SmackDown. With an assist from King Barrett, Del Rio defeats Kalisto, to reclaim the U.S. Title.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: 3-time NWA Pacific Northwest SuperGirls Champion, Veronika Vice (35 years old); former EVOLVE World Champion Matt Riddle (33 years old); 5-time (and current) PWA Tag Team Champion Michael Stevens (30 years old); 3-time NECW World Women’s Champion, Mistress Belmont (37 years old); former AAA Reina de Reinas Champion Miss Janeth (46 years old); former WCW Commissioner Ernest ‘The Cat’ Miller (55 years old); 5-time AJPW World Tag Team Champion & 2-time AJPW All Asia Tag Team Champion, Masanobu Fuchi (65 years old); former WWE & TNA wrestler Gene Snitsky (49 years old); NXT wrestler Kacy Catanzaro (29 years old); and WWE Hall of Famer ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan (65 years old).
