This Day In Wrestling History– July 20th

Trivia

1998 – The Monday Night War continued: WWF Monday Night Raw defeated WCW Monday Nitro: 5.0 to 4.7 in the ratings

2008 – Former WWF champion Ultimate Warrior made a signing appearance prior to the WWE’s Great American Bash PPV at the Marriott in Uniondale, Long Island right next to the Nassau Coliseum.  The signing drew in the area of 100-150 fans paying, at minimum, $55 per autograph

2008 – There were also 2 arrests at the PPV. Newsday reported that two men made their way backstage and attempted to make off with several WWE chairs (likely the commemorative ones that the company gives to those who purchase ringside seating at PPVs).  When a WWE employee attempted to stop the theft after they reached the parking lot, he was hit over the head with a bottle and bit on the back.  Keith Powell & Timothy Vandewater were charged with burglary while Vandewater was also charged with assault

2009 – ZZ Top guest hosted WWE Monday Night Raw

Events

In 2008, the final WWE Great American Bash was held at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, in Uniondale, New York. With an attendance of 12,454. The event would be renamed The Bash for 2009. It was also the final PPV before the company moved to a PG rating. The Great American Bash name was revived for a TV special in 2012, but has yet to return to the PPV lineup:

Dark Match:
– Umaga defeated Mr. Kennedy
PPV:
– Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder defeated John Morrison & The Miz, Jesse & Festus, & Finlay & Hornswoggle in a Fatal Four Way Match to win the WWE Tag Team Titles
– Shelton Benjamin defeated Matt Hardy to win the WWE United States Title
– Mark Henry (with Tony Atlas) defeated Tommy Dreamer (with Colin Delaney) to retain the ECW World Title
– Chris Jericho defeated Shawn Michaels
– Michelle McCool defeated Natalya to become the 1st WWE Diva’s Champion
– CM Punk fought Batista to a double-DQ after Kane attacked both men. As a result, Punk retains the World Heavyweight Title
– JBL defeated John Cena in a New York City Parking Lot Brawl
– Triple H defeated Edge to retain the WWE Title

In 2012, SHINE held is inaugural event live on iPPV. At the Orpheum, in Ybor, Florida:

– Veda Scott defeated Kimberly
– Santana defeated Tina San Antonio
– Made In Sin (Allysin Kay & Taylor Made) defeated Su Yung & Tracy Taylor
– Christina Von Eerie defeated Cherry Bomb
– Reby Sky defeated Jayme Jameson
– Mercedes Martinez defeated Leva Bates
– Rain defeated Nikki Roxx
– Jazz defeated Sara Del Rey

In 2014, WWE Battleground was held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, in Tampa, Florida:

Pre-Show:
– Adam Rose (with Summer Rae & Layla) defeated Fandango
– Cameron defeated Naomi
Battleground:
– The Usos (Jey & Jimmy) defeated The Wyatt Family (Luke Harper & Erick Rowan) to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match
– AJ Lee defeated Paige to retain the WWE Divas Title
– Rusev (with Lana) defeated Jack Swagger (with Zeb Colter) via countout
– Seth Rollins defeated Dean Ambrose via Forfeit (Ambrose attacked Rollins backstage during an interview, & was thrown out of the building by Triple H)
– Chris Jericho defeated Bray Wyatt
– The Miz won a 19-man Battle Royal to win the vacant WWE Intercontinental Title. (Also in the match was: The Great Khali, Dolph Ziggler, Titus O’Neil, Alberto Del Rio, Ryback, Curtis Axel, Big E, Sheamus, Zack Ryder, Damien Sandow, Heath Slater, Sin Cara, Kofi Kingston, Diego, Xavier Woods, R-Truth, Cesaro, & Bo Dallas)
– John Cena defeated Roman Reigns, Kane, & Randy Orton to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Title in a Fatal 4-way Match

Title Changes

1963 – Verne Gagne defeated The Crusher to win the AWA World Title

1973 – Jack Brisco defeated Harley Race to win the NWA World Title

1979 – Gino Hernandez & El Gran Markus defeated Jose Lothario & El Halcon to win the WCCW American Tag Team Titles

1986 – Eddie Gilbert & Sting defeated The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton & Tommy Rogers) to win the UWF Tag Team Titles

1992 – The Natural Disasters (Earthquake & Typhoon) defeated Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase & Irwin R Schyster) to win the WWF Tag Team Titles

1992 – Eddie Gilbert defeated Ricky Morton to win the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Title

1998 – on Nitro, Scott Hall & The Giant defeated Sting & Kevin Nash to win the WCW Tag Team Titles. Also, Bret Hart defeated Diamond Dallas Page to win the WCW United States Title

1999 – The Suicide Blondes (Rip Rogers & Jason Lee) defeated Flash Flannagan & Trailer Park Trash to win the OVW Southern Tag Team Title in Louisville, Kentucky

2000 – Tatsuhito Takaiwa defeated Jushin Liger to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. Also, Ten-Koji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Koji Kanemoto) defeated Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata to win the IWGP Tag Team Titles

2001 – Masayuki Narase defeated Minoru Tanaka to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. Also, Gedo & Jado defeated El Samurai & Jushin Liger to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles

2007 – Negro Casas & Mistico defeated Ultimo Guerrero & Dr. Wagner Jr. to win the CMLL Tag Team Titles

Birthdays

Happy birthday to one-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion ‘Above Average’ Mike Sanders (45), & WWE star Adam Rose (35)

Also, today would have been the birthday of the first World Heavyweight Champion Georg Hackenschmidt (137)

In Memoriam

On this day in 1998, the wrestling world lost former AWA & NWA Women’s Champion June Byers at the age of 76. Byers grew up in a wrestling family and often played in the ring as a small child. As she grew up, she got to know some of the wrestlers, who taught her a few moves. Eventually, she was spotted by famed women’s promoter Billy Wolfe, who gave her formal training and arranged for her debut in 1944. After a few years competing as a jobber to the likes of Mildred Burke and Mae Young, Byers began teaming with Millie Stafford, and the pair won two regional NWA Tag Team Titles. In 1953, then-champion Mildred Burke had a bitter falling out with Wolfe and left his promotion, leaving the championship vacant. Byers won a 13-woman tournament to clinch the title and shot to mainstream fame, appearing on several game shows, including What’s My Line. Burke was eventually coaxed into returning for a match with Byers; Byers won the first fall, with the second called a draw after over an hour of stalemate. Despite the non-result, the Atlanta Athletic Commission (and most media outlets) declared Byers as the undisputed champion. Byers became the face of womens wrestling across the next decade, only retiring after a car crash caused her serious leg injuries and permanently blurred her vision. He relinquishing of the NWA Womens Title allowed The Fabulous Moolah to begin her rise to prominence. Byers moved to Houston in retirement and became a real-estate agent. She died at her home of pneumonia