This Day In Wrestling History – January 30th

Happy birthday to “The Man!”

1980 – Curt Hennig begins his professional wrestling career in the American Wrestling Association (AWA). Hennig would leave AWA in 1982 to join the WWF.

1983 – Jacques Rougeau defeats Terry Taylor, to win the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship.

1984 – Chris Adams defeats Jimmy Garvin, to win the WCCW American Heavyweight Championship. Also, The Super Destroyers defeat Brian Adias & King Parsons, to win the WCCW American Tag Team Championship.

1991 – WCW Clash of the Champions XIV: Dixie Dynamite is held in Gainesville, Georgia in front of 2,200 fans; the event draws a 3.9 TV rating for TBS. It’s the first ‘Clash’ event solely produced by World Championship Wrestling. This marks the return of Dusty Rhodes to WCW, as a new booker and color commentator. Rhodes had worked for WCW’s former parent company, Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). from 1985 – 1989.
– Sting & Lex Luger defeat Doom (Ron Simmons & Butch Reed), via disqualification.
– Tom Zenk defeats Bobby Eaton, to retain the WCW World Television Championship.
– The Fabulous Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin & Michael Hayes) defeat Allen Iron Eagle & Tommy Rich.
– Sid Vicious defeats Joey Maggs.
– Terry Taylor defeats Ricky Morton.
– Ranger Ross defeats El Cubano.
– Arn Anderson & Barry Windham defeat The Renegade Warriors (Chris & Mark Youngblood).
– Brian Pillman defeats Buddy Lee Parker.
– Missy Hyatt defeats Paul E. Dangerously, in an Inter-gender Arm Wrestling Match. Johnny Walker served as special guest referee.
– WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair battles Scott Steiner to a draw, after TV time expires. Flair retains his title.

1993 – Terry Gordy & Steve Williams defeat Toshiaki Kawada & Mitsuharu Misawa, to win the AJPW World Tag Team Championship.

1993 – Miss Texas defeats Leslie Belander, to win the USWA Women’s Championship for the 5th time.

1993 – Steve Regal, having just recently moved to the United States, makes his WCW debut in a backstage segment, on this evening’s episode of WCW Saturday Night.

1994 – WWF commentator Jim Ross suffers his first attack of Bell’s Palsy.  Nearly two weeks later, on February 11th, J.R. would be fired by the WWF.

2000 – During halftime of Super Bowl XXXIV (Rams vs. Titans), Jim Ross interviews Stone Cold Steve Austin on Halftime Heat, on USA Network. The interview centers around the condition of Austin’s neck and the surgery completed two weeks earlier, and Stone Cold’s future in the WWF. The neck injury was said to have occurred after Austin was run down by a car at Survivor Series two months earlier; in reality the injury occurred after taking a pile driver at SummerSlam 1997. After the surgery mentioned above, Austin would be on a nine-month rehabilitation.

2005 – The 18th Annual WWE Royal Rumble is held in Fresno, CA in front of 12,000 fans.
Sunday Night Heat:
– Maven defeats Rhyno.
Royal Rumble PPV:
– Edge defeats Shawn Michaels
– The Undertaker defeats Heidenreich, in a Casket Match.
– In a Triple Threat Match, JBL defeats Kurt Angle and Big Show, to retain the WWE Championship.
– Triple H defeats Randy Orton, to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
– Batista wins the 30-man Royal Rumble match, to earn a World Championship match at WrestleMania XXI.

2008 – Impact Wrestling Knockout, Rosemary, makes her professional wrestling debut, in now defunct Prime Time Wrestling (PTW). Rosemary, wrestling under the name ‘Casey Maguire,’ loses in her first match, to Haley Rogers.

2009 – Princesa Blanca defeats Marcela, to win the Mexican National Women’s Championship.

2010 – Lady Apache defeats Alissa Flash, to become the inaugural Pro Wrestling Revolution Women’s Champion.

2011 – The 24th Annual WWE Royal Rumble is held in Boston in front of 15,113 fans.
Dark Match:
– R-Truth defeats Curt Hawkins.
Royal Rumble PPV:
– Edge defeats Dolph Ziggler, to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. Had Edge used the spear, he would’ve lost the title.
– The Miz (with Alex Riley) defeats Randy Orton, to retain the WWE Championship.
– In a Fatal 4-Way Match, Eve Torres defeats Natalya, Michelle McCool, and Layla, to win the Divas Championship.
– Alberto Del Rio wins the first-ever 40-man Royal Rumble match, to earn a World Championship match at WrestleMania XXVII.

2015 – Maximo defeats El Terrible, to win the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship. Maximo holds the title until he is fired by CMLL on May 22, 2017 – a span of 843 consecutive days as champion.

2018 – Drake Maverick is named the first-ever General Manager of 205 Live. Maverick was better known as ‘Rockstar Spud,’ a 2-time TNA/Impact X Division Champion.

2019 – At the taping for the February 20th episode of NXT, Velveteen Dream defeats Johnny Gargano, to win the NXT North American Championship.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Current RAW Women’s Champion, Becky Lynch (33 years old); 205 Live General Manager, Drake Maverick (37 years old); Tag Team & Heavyweight Champion in Top Rope Championship Wrestling (TRCW), Steven ‘Axe’ Hoel (44 years old); former AJPW & AAA World Tag Team Champion, Dark Ozz (45 years old); CMLL wrestler Dulce Gardenia (28 years old); and former AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champion, El Niño Hamburguesa (24 years old).