This Day In Wrestling History – February 17th

1989 – Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden defeat Kevin & Kerry Von Erich, to win the WCWA World Tag Team Championship.

1991 – The team of Junkyard Dog, Ricky Morton, & Tommy Rich defeat Buddy Landel, Dutch Mantel, & Dr. X, to become the inaugural WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Champions.

1996 – PG-13 (J.C. Ice & Wolfie D) defeat Tracy Smothers & Jesse James Armstrong, to win the USWA World Tag Team Championship for the 11th time.

1996 – At a house show in Baltimore, Lex Luger defeats Johnny B. Badd, to win the WCW World Television Championship.

1997 – In the Monday Night Wars, WCW Monday Nitro (2.9 TV rating) beats WWF Monday Night RAW (2.1 rating). On Nitro, Prince Iaukea defeats Steven Regal, to win the WCW World Television Championship.  Over on RAW, Sycho Sid defeats Bret Hart, to win the WWF Championship.  Stone Cold Steve Austin had interfered and hit Bret with a steel chair, while Hart had the sharpshooter applied on Sid. Hart had just won the title the night before, at the In Your House: Final Four pay-per-view.

1998 – Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage receives Harvard Lampoon’s “Real Man” of the Year Award. The humor magazine gives out the award every year to “that male specimen of the human species who best exemplifies universal manliness.”

2001 – Lady Apache defeats Tiffany, Miss Janeth, and Alda Moreno in a Four-Way Match, to win the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship.

2001 – At a house show in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Steve Blackman defeats Raven, to win the WWF Hardcore Championship. With the 24/7 rule in effect, Raven later pins Blackman, to reclaim the title.

2002 – WWF No Way Out is held in Milwaukee in front of 15,291 fans.  The event is notable for the original nWo trio of Hollywood Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall making their return to the WWF.  Hogan had left in 1993 while Hall & Nash left in 1996. The three address the crowd in the ring, to open the show. They tell the crowd they want a clean slate, didn’t want any trouble, and were grateful to Vince McMahon for allowing the them to return to the WWF.

Sunday Night Heat:
– Diamond Dallas Page defeats Big Boss Man, via disqualification, to retain the WWF European Championship.
PPV:
– The APA (Faarooq & Bradshaw) last eliminate Billy & Chuck, to win a tag team turmoil match.
– Rob Van Dam defeats Goldust.
– Spike Dudley & Tazz defeat Test & Booker T, to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship.
– In a Brass Knuckles on a Pole Match, William Regal defeats Edge, to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
– The Rock defeats The Undertaker.
– Kurt Angle defeats Triple H, to become #1 contender for the Undisputed WWF Championship. Stephanie McMahon served as special guest referee.
– Chris Jericho defeats Stone Cold Steve Austin, to retain the Undisputed WWF Championship.

2002 – Takeshi Morishima & Takeshi Rikio defeat Takao Omori & Yoshihiro Takayama, to win the GHC Tag Team Championship.

2007 – Toshiaki Kawada & Taiyo Kea defeat RO’Z & Suwama, to win the AJPW World Tag Team Championship.  Also Katsuhiko Nakajima defeats Shuji Kondo, to win the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship.

2007 – Kishin Kawabata & Kentaro Shiga defeat Go Shiozaki & Shuhei Taniguchi, to win the GHC Hardcore Tag Team Championship.

2007 – At Ring of Honor’s Fifth Year Festival in Philadelphia, Takeshi Morishima defeats Homicide, to win the ROH World Championship.

2007 – Mike Awesome, a two-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, an ECW World Tag Team Champion, and WWF Hardcore Champion, commits suicide by hanging himself inside his home in Tampa.  He was 42 years old.

2008 – Togi Makabe & Toru Yano defeat Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko, to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship. Also, Jushin Thunder Liger & Akira defeat Prince Devitt & Minoru, to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.

2008 – WWE No Way Out is held in Las Vegas in front of 13,306 fans.

Dark Match:
– Kane defeats Shelton Benjamin.
PPV:
– Chavo Guerrero defeats CM Punk, to retain the ECW Championship.
– In the first Elimination Chamber match of the night, The Undertaker defeats Finlay, Batista, MVP, Big Daddy V, and The Great Khali, for a World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania XXIV.
– Ric Flair defeats Mr. Kennedy. Had Flair lost, he would’ve had to retire.
– Edge defeats Rey Mysterio, to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
– John Cena defeats WWE Champion Randy Orton via disqualification; Orton retains the title.
– In the evening’s second Elimination Chamber match, Triple H defeats Jeff Hardy, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Umaga, and JBL, for a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania XXIV.

2009 – Sarah Stock, aka Sarita, signs a contract with TNA Wrestling.

2013 – WWE Elimination Chamber is held in New Orleans in front of 13,000 fans.

Pre-Show:
– Brodus Clay & Tensai defeat Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow.
PPV:
– Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez) defeats Big Show, via submission, to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
– Antonio Cesaro defeats The Miz, via disqualification, to retain the United States Championship.
– In the lone Elimination Chamber match of the night, Jack Swagger defeats Kane, Mark Henry, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, and Daniel Bryan, for a World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 29.
– In a six-man tag team match, The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, & Seth Rollins) defeat John Cena, Ryback, & Sheamus.
– Dolph Ziggler (with Big E Langston & AJ Lee) defeats Kofi Kingston.
– Kaitlyn defeats Tamina Snuka, to retain the Divas Championship.
– The Rock defeats CM Punk (with Paul Heyman), to retain the WWE Championship. Had The Rock been counted out or disqualified, he would’ve lost the title.  This was also the final night that the ‘spinner belt’ was used as the WWE Championship.

2017 – Former pro wrestler, wrestling valet, and body builder Nicole Bass dies at the age of 52, after suffering a stroke.

2018 – WWE Hall of Famer George ‘The Animal’ Steele dies at the age of 79, due to kidney failure.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: former WWE manager Ricardo Rodriguez (33 years old); CMLL luchador Magnus (26 years old); and 5-time ROH World Tag Team Champion, Jimmy Jacobs (35 years old).