This Day in Wrestling History – July 25
Happy birthday to Finn Balor!
1953 – Blue Demon defeats El Santo to win the NWA World Welterweight Championship.
1955 – Frank Jares defeats Sonny Myers to win the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship.
1977 – Captain USA (a masked Big John Studd) defeats Bruiser Brody to win the WCCW American Heavyweight Championship.
1983 – Jimmy Garvin defeats Kevin von Erich to win the vacant WCCW American Heavyweight Championship.
1983 – Jerry Lawler defeats Ken Patera to win the AWA International Heavyweight Championship.
1988 – Steve & Shaun Simpson defeat John Tatum & Jack Victory to win the WCCW Texas Tag Team Championship.
1997 – Gary Albright & Steve Williams defeat Johnny Ace & Kenta Kobashi to win the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship.
1999 – WWF Fully Loaded is held in Buffalo, New York in front of 16,605 fans.
Sunday Night Heat:
– Val Venis defeats Joey Abs.
– The Godfather defeats Meat.
– Christian defeats Viscera.
PPV:
– Jeff Jarrett (with Debra) defeats Edge to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Jarrett becomes the first five-time Intercontinental Champion
– The Acolytes (Bradshaw & Faarooq) defeat The Hardy Boyz (Matt & Jeff) & Michael Hayes in a Handicap Tag Team Match to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.
– D’Lo Brown defeats Mideon to win the WWF European Championship.
– The Big Boss Man defeats Al Snow to win the WWF Hardcore Championship.
– The Big Show defeats Kane (with Hardcore Holly as the guest referee).
– Ken Shamrock defeats Steve Blackman in an Iron Circle Match.
– Road Dogg & X-Pac defeat Mr. Ass & Chyna to win the rights to the ‘D-Generation X’ name.
– Triple H (with Chyna) defeats The Rock in a Strap Match.
– Stone Cold Steve Austin defeats The Undertaker in a First Blood Match, to win the WWF Championship. As a result, Vince McMahon is no longer permitted to appear on WWF television.
2004 – Atlantis & Blue Panther defeat Los Guerreros del Infierno (Rey Bucanero & Ultimo Guerrero) to win the CMLL Tag Team Championship.
2011 – On Monday Night RAW, Rey Mysterio defeats The Miz in the final of a tournament, to win the ‘vacant’ WWE Title, but loses the title to John Cena later on in the show. Throughout all this, CM Punk is also champion, as he ‘left the company’ with the title around one week earlier.
2016 – On Monday Night RAW, Sasha Banks defeats Charlotte Flair by submission, to win the WWE Women’s Championship.
2017 – In a triple threat match on SmackDown Live, AJ Styles defeats Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho, to win the WWE United States Championship.
2020 – Koji Iwamoto defeats Susumu Yokosuka, to win the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Title.
2021 – There are three title changes at NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam. Chase Owens wins a Handcuffed Battle Royal to win the King of Pro Wrestling Title. Robbie Eagles defeats El Desperado to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. And The Dragon Tekkers (Taichi & Zach Sabre Jr.) defeat SANADA & Tetsuya Naito to win the IWGP Tag Team Titles.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to the inaugural WWE Universal Champion, Finn Balor (41), Japanese female legend Jaguar Yokota (61), former AAA World Champion El Zorro (47), and former WWE & AJPW Tag Team Champion Kenzo Suzuki (48).
Also, today would have been the birthday of one-time NWA World Champion Whipper Billy Watson.
