This Day In Wrestling History – October 31
Happy Halloween!
1967 – Antonio Inoki & Giant Baba defeat Tarzan Tyler & Bill Watts, to win the NWA International Tag Team Championship.
1969 – Tarzan Baxter defeats Chuck Karbo, to win the NWA (Tri-State) North American Heavyweight Championship.
1979 – Giant Baba defeats Harley Race, to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
1983 – Johnny Mantell defeats Jimmy Garvin, to win the WCCW Television Championship.
1985 – Mighty Inoue & Takashi Ishikawa defeat Norio Honaga & Isamu Teranishi, to win the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship.
1985 – New Japan Pro Wrestling ends its partnership with the World Wrestling Federation. As a result, the following titles were deactivated: the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship, the WWF International Heavyweight Championship, and the WWF International Tag Team Championship.
1994 – ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage makes his final television appearance in the WWF, doing commentary on Monday Night RAW.
1998 – Mitsuharu Misawa defeats Kenta Kobashi, to win the AJPW Triple Crown Championship.
2008 – On a Halloween edition of SmackDown, The Undertaker defeats Chavo Guerrero in a Casket Match.
2009 – In the finals of the Junior Heavyweight League, Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeats Jushin Thunder Liger, to win the vacant GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship.
2011 – On a Halloween edition of Monday Night RAW, Eve Torres wins an 11-Diva Halloween Costume Battle Royal, to become the #1 contender for the WWE Divas Championship.
2013 – Impact Wrestling begins a tournament to crown a new TNA World Heavyweight Champion. AJ Styles had been stripped of the title by President Dixie Carter, following a contract dispute. Magnus wins a 7-man Battle Royal, to advance in the tournament.
2014 – On SmackDown, Nikki Bella wins a Halloween Costume Battle Royal, to become #1 contender for the WWE Divas Championship. Also, Dean Ambrose defeats Cesaro in a Trick or Street Fight.
2016 – On a Halloween edition of Monday Night RAW, Enzo Amore defeats Luke Gallows, in a Trick or Street Fight.
2019 – WWE Crown Jewel is held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in front of 70,000 fans. Drama ensued after the event as WWE’s chartered plane was reportedly prevented from leaving Saudi Arabia for the United States, leaving 175 wrestlers and other talent stranded for nearly a whole day after Crown Jewel. The original reason given was mechanical issues. However it was later reported that the WWE talent were prevented from leaving the country by the order of Saudi Crown Prince, after Vince McMahon cut the TV feed of the Crown Jewel event from being broadcast into Saudi Arabia. The country reportedly still owed WWE millions of dollars for previous shows.
While several individuals were able to leave on private jets (Vince McMahon, Paul Heyman, and Brock Lesnar among others), those stranded were unable to make it to Friday Night SmackDown in Buffalo the next night.
Pre-Show Match:
– Humberto Carrillo wins a 20-man Battle Royal, for the right to face AJ Styles for the United States Championship. During the match, R-Truth and Sunil Singh were eliminated. Truth took advantage and pinned Singh with a roll up on the entrance ramp, to win the 24/7 Championship.
Crown Jewel Results:
– Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) defeats Cain Velasquez (with Rey Mysterio), to retain the WWE Championship. The match only lasted a minute and a half.
– The O.C. (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson) win a tag team turmoil match for the WWE Tag Team World Cup.
– Mansoor defeats Cesaro.
– Tyson Fury defeats Braun Strowman by countout.
– Backstage, Samir Singh pins R-Truth, to win the 24/7 Championship.
– AJ Styles (with Gallows & Anderson) defeats Humerto Carrillo, to retain the United States Championship.
– Natalya defeats Lacey Evans via submission.
– In a ten-man tag team match, Team Hogan (Roman Reigns, Rusev, Ricochet, Shorty G & Ali) defeat Team Flair (Randy Orton, King Corbin, Bobby Lashley, Shinsuke Nakamura, & Drew McIntyre).
– In a Falls Count Anywhere match, ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt defeats Seth Rollins, to win the Universal Championship.
2020 – Jonathan Gresham defeats Tracy Williams, to win the revived ROH Pure Championship. The title had been unified with the ROH World Championship by Bryan Danielson in 2006.
2021 – At SHMMER 119, Nevaeh defeats Hyan, to win the Heart of SHIMMER Championship. Later in the day at SHIMMER 120, Zoey Skye defeats Kimber Lee, to win the SHIMMER Championship.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: 5-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Koji Kanemoto (55 years old); 2-time AJPW All Asia & 2-time World Tag Team Champion Yuji Okabayashi (39 years old); former WOW World Champion Erica ‘Jungle Grrrl’ Porter (47 years old); Mexico indie wrestler Core (33 years old); former Occidente Light Heavyweight Champion Neutron (45 years old); former Big Japan Wrestling Heavyweight & Tag Team Champion Shinya Ishikawa (39 years old); former WWE developmental talent Jillian Beyor (36 years old); and SHIMMER’s Skylar (25 years old).
