This Day In Wrestling History – May 5th

May 5, 2017 - by Bill Fenbers

Happy birthday to Brooke Hogan!

1965Alfonso Dantes defeats Raul Reyes, to win the EMLL Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship.

1976Dino Bravo & Mr. Wrestling defeat The Minnesota Wrecking Crew (Gene & Ole Anderson), to win the NWA (Mid-Atlantic) World Tag Team Championship.

1978Bruno Sammartino defeats Gorilla Monsoon, to win the WWC North American Heavyweight Championship.

1982King Kong Bundy defeats Kerry Von Erich, to win the NWA/WCCW American Heavyweight Championship.  Elsewhere, Mr. Olympia & Junkyard Dog defeat The Samoans (Afa & Sika), to win the Mid-South Wrestling Tag Team Championship.

1984Wahoo McDaniel & Mark Youngblood defeat Jack & Jerry Brisco, to win the NWA (Mid-Atlantic) World Tag Team Championship.

1985 – WCCW’s second annual Parade of Champions is held at Texas Stadium outside Dallas, in front of 26,153 fans.  This is almost a fifty percent drop in attendance from the inaugural 1984 event (50,123).

Johnny Mantell & Skip Young wrestle to a draw.

Brian Adias & Scott Casey defeat Kelly & Nick Kiniski.

Terry Gordy defeats Kamala, via disqualification.

Mike Von Erich defeats Rip Oliver.

– In a 12-man, Two-Ring, Three-Out-Of-Five Falls Match, the team of The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, & Buddy Roberts) and The Von Erichs (Kerry, Kevin, & Mike) defeat the team of Chris Adams, Gino Hernandez, Rip Oliver, One Man Gang, Kamala, & “Dr. Death.” Steve Williams.

The Fantasics (Bobby Fulton & Tommy Rogers) defeat The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Dennis Condrey), to win the vacant WCCW American Tag Team Championship.

– In a Hair vs Hair Match, Kerry Von Erich defeats One Man Gang.

– In a match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, Ric Flair (the champion) and Kevin Von Erich wrestle to a double countout.  Flair retains the title.

1986Rick Rude defeats Lance Von Erich, to win the WCWA Television Championship.

1990Jerry Lawler defeats Jimmy Valiant, to win the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, for the 6th time.

1997 – In the Monday Night Wars, WCW Monday Nitro (3.2 TV rating) beats WWF RAW IS WAR (2.8 rating).

2000 – New Japan’s Wrestling Dontaku is held at the Fukuoka Dome, in front of 25,000 fans.

Kenzo Suzuki defeats Shinya Makabe, to win the 2000 Young Lion Cup.

– In a Six Man Tag Team Match, Junji Hirata, Shiro Koshinaka, & Tadao Yasuda defeat Hiro Saito, Michiyoshi Ohara, & Tatsutoshi Goto.

– In an Eight Man Tag Team Match, the team of Kendo Kashin, Koji Kanemoto, Shinjiro Otani, & Tatsuhito Takaiwa defeat the team of Cima, Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru Tanaka, & Sumo Dandy Fuji.

Genichiro Tenryu defeats Takashi Iizuka.

Yutaka Yoshie defeats Satoshi Kojima.

Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata defeat Kazunari Murakami & Naoya Ogawa, to retain the IWGP Tag Team Championship.

Power Warrior defeats The Great Muta, to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

2001 – NJPW’s annual Wrestling Dontaku is held at the Fukuoka Dome, in front of 25,000 fans.

Katsuyori Shibata & Shinya Makabe defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi & Wataru Inoue.

– In a Six Man Tag Team Match, Osamu Nishimura, Shiro Koshinaka, & Yutaka Yoshie defeat Hiro Saito, Michiyoshi Ohara, & Tatsutoshi Goto.

Minoru Tanaka defeats Kendo Kashin.

El Samurai & Jushin Thunder Liger defeat Dr. Wagner, Jr. & Silver King, to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.

Don Frye defeats Scott Norton.

Tadao Yasuda defeats Takashi Iizuka.

Yuji Nagata defeats Rainy Martinez.

– In a Six Man Tag Team Match, Hiroshi Hase, Keiji Mutoh, & Taiyo Kea defeat Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Masahiro Chono, & Satoshi Kojima.

Manabu Nakanishi & Riki Choshu defeat Kazunari Murakami & Naoya Ogawa.

2001Randy Orton defeats Flash Flanagan, to win the OVW Hardcore Championship.  Orton was the final champion, as the title is retired later in the year.

2001 – WWF Insurrextion is held in London, England, in front of 15,794 fans.

Eddie Guerrero defeats Grand Master Sexay.

Perry Saturn & Dean Malenko (with Terri Runnels) defeat Crash Holly & Hardcore Holly (with Molly Holly)

Bradshaw defeats The Big Show

– In a Fatal Four-Way Elimination Match, Edge & Christian defeat X-Factor (X-Pac & Justin Credible) (with Albert), The Hardy Boyz (Matt & Jeff) & The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von).

Chris Benoit defeats Kurt Angle, in a Two-Out-Of-Three Falls Match.

Chris Jericho defeats William Regal, to win the Queens Cup.

– In a match for the WWF Championship, The Undertaker defeats The Power Trip (Stone Cold Steve Austin & Triple H), in a Handicap Match.  Undertaker could only win the title if he pinned WWF Champion Stone Cold, but he pinned Triple H instead.

2002Lady Apache defeats Tiffany (Xochitl Levya Sanchez), to win the AAA Mexican National Women’s Championship.

2002 – After losing a court case against the World Wide Fund for Nature, for violations of a 1994 agreement to minimize the written and spoken use of the acronym ‘WWF,’  the wrestling promotion formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) officially changes its name to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).  It was also on this day that WWE launched its “Get the ‘F’ Out” marketing campaign.

2008 – At Dragon Gate’s DEAD or ALIVE 2008, Ryo Saito & Susumu Yokosuka defeat Taku Iwasa & Ken’ichiro Arai, to win the Open the Twin Gate Championship.

2009 – In a 3-Way Match at Dragon Gate’s DEAD or ALIVE 2009, Ryo Saito & Genki Horiguchi defeat Susumu Yokosuka & Gamma, and Yasushi Kanda & Ken’ichiro Arai, to win the Open the Twin Gate Championship. 2010 – At Dragon Gate’s DEAD or ALIVE 2010, Takuya Sugawara, Yasushi Kanda, & Kzy defeat Akebono, Masaki Mochizuki, & Don Fuji, to win the Open the Triangle Gate Championship.

2013 – At Dragon Gate’s DEAD or ALIVE 2013, Masato Yoshino defeats Dragon Kid, to win the Open the Brave Gate Championship.  Also, YAMATO & Shingo Takagi defeat BxB Hulk & Uhaa Nation, to win the Open the Twin Gate Championship.

2014 – At Dragon Gate’s DEAD or ALIVE 2014, YAMATO defeats Ricochet, to win the Open the Dream Gate Championship.

2014 – On Monday Night RAW, Sheamus wins a 20-man Battle Royal, last eliminating Dean Ambrose, and becomes the new WWE United States Champion.

HAPPY BIRTHAY TO:  Hulk Hogan’s daughter Brooke (29 years old);  indy wrestler Miss Diss Lexia (32 years old);  WWE referee Chad Patton (41 years old);  4-time NWA United States Tag Team Champion Harley Lewis (43 years old);  2-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion & 4-time IWGP Champion Hiroshi Hase (56 years old);  and WWE Hall of Famer Bill Watts (78 years old).

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