This Day In Wrestling History – August 15th

Happy birthday to indy wrestler Amanda Rodriguez!!

1973 – Jerry Lawler & Jim White defeat Tommy Gilbert & Eddie Marlin, to reclaim the Mid-Southern Tag Team Championship.

1977 – Norvell Austin & Pat Barrett defeat The Hollywood Blonds (Jerry Brown & Buddy Roberts), to win the Mid-Southern Tag Team Championship.

1982 – WCCW’s fourth Wrestling Star Wars event is held in Dallas in front of 18,000 fans.

– Jose Lothario defeats Frank Dusek.
– The Superfly defeats Brian Adias.
– Al Madril defeats Bill Irwin.
– Lola Gonzalez defeats La Pantera Surena.
– Bugsy McGraw defeats Gary Hart & Arman Hussein, in a Two-on-One Handicap Match.
– David & Kevin Von Erich defeat Magic Dragon & The Great Kabuki to win the WCCW All Asian Tag Team Championship.
– King Kong Bundy fought Harley Race to a double disqualification, to retain the NWA American Heavyweight Championship.
– In a Two-Out-of-Three Falls Match, Ric Flair defeats Kerry Von Erich 2-1, to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

1983 – In a title rematch from the week before, The Assassins (Don Bass & Roger Smith) defeat Austin Idol & Jerry Lawler, to reclaim the CWA World Tag Team Championship.  Elsewhere, Buddy Landel defeats Dutch Mantel, to win the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship.

1988 – The Rock ‘n’ Roll RPMs (Mike Davis & Tommy Lane) defeat Scott Steiner & Billy Travis, to win the CWA Tag Team Championship (not to be confused with the CWA World Tag Team Championship, which was abandoned in November 1983).

1994 – In a rematch from August 8th, Dante & The Great Mephisto defeat PG-13 (J.C. Ice & Wolfie D), to become the new USWA World Tag Team Champions.

1995 – Glenn Jacobs, as Isaac Yankem, DDS, makes his WWF in-ring debut, on a taping of WWF Superstars; losing to Bret Hart via count-out.  Jacobs had debuted in the WWF earlier in the year as Mike Unabomb.  Yankem would be better known later on as Kane.

1995 – Keiji Mutoh defeats Shinya Hashimoto, to win the NJPW G1 Climax Tournament.

1996 – WCW Clash of the Champions XXXIII is held in Denver, in front of 8,304 fans.

– Rey Misterio, Jr. defeats Dean Malenko, to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.
– V.K. Wallstreet defeats Jim Duggan.
– Konnan defeats Ultimo Dragon.
– Madusa defeats Bull Nakano.
– Eddie Guerrero defeats Diamond Dallas Page, to win the WCW BattleBowl Trophy.
– The Giant (with Jimmy Hart) defeats Chris Benoit (with Woman & Miss Elizabeth).
– In a Triangle Tag Team Match, Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) battle Sting & Lex Luger, and The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott), to a no contest.  Harlem Heat retain the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
– Ric Flair (with Miss Elizabeth & Woman) defeats Hollywood Hogan via disqualification.  Hogan retains the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.  Flair was the United States Champion but that title was not on the line.

1999 – Manabu Nakanishi defeats Keiji Mutoh, to win the NJPW G1 Climax Tournament.

2001 – Bolin Services (Rico Constantino and The Prototype) defeat The Disciples of Synn (B.J. Payne and Damian) to win the vacant OVW Southern Tag Team Championship.

2004 – Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeats Hiroshi Tanahashi, to win the NJPW G1 Climax Tournament.

2004 – WWE’s 17th annual SummerSlam is held in Toronto, in front of 17,640 fans.

Sunday Night Heat:
– Rob Van Dam defeats Rene Dupree.
SummerSlam:
– In a Six-Man Tag Team Match, The Dudley Boyz (Spike, D-Von, & Bubba Ray Dudley) defeat Paul London, Rey Mysterio, & Billy Kidman.
– Kane defeats Matt Hardy (with Lita), in a Till Death Do Us Part Match, forcing Lita to marry Kane.
– John Cena defeats Booker T in the first match of a Best-of-Five Series, for the WWE United States Championship.
– In a Triple Threat Match, Edge defeats Chris Jericho and Batista, to retain the Intercontinental Championship.
– Kurt Angle (with Luther Reigns) defeats Eddie Guerrero via submission.
– Triple H defeats Eugene.
– In a Divas Dodgeball Contest, Team Dream (Christy Hemme, Maria Kanellis, Michelle McCool, Amy Weber, Tracie Wright, & Joy Giovanni) defeat Team Diva (Victoria, Stacy Keibler, Gail Kim, Molly Holly, Nidia, & Jazz).
– John Bradshaw Layfield (with Orlando Jordan) defeats The Undertaker, via disqualification, to retain the WWE Championship.  The referee had caught Undertaker hitting JBL with the title belt, causing the DQ.  Afterwards, Undertaker chokeslammed JBL through the roof of JBL’s limousine.
– Randy Orton defeats Chris Benoit, to win the World Heavyweight Championship.  At age 24 Orton became the youngest World Champion in WWE history.  Benoit shook Orton’s hand after the match, for Orton’s showing the ability to “be a man.”

2005 – Ashley Massaro wins the 2005 WWE Diva Search.  Other notable participants include Kristal Marshall.

2009 – Mistico defeats Tiger Mask IV, to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

2010 – WWE’s 24th annual SummerSlam is held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, in front of 17,463 fans.  The event marked the WWE return of Daniel Bryan.  Bryan had been fired in June, after choking ring announcer Justin Roberts with his own tie, an action WWE deemed too violent for a TV-PG rating.

Dark Match:
– Evan Bourne defeats Zack Ryder.
SummerSlam:
– Dolph Ziggler (with Vickie Guerrero) fought Kofi Kingston to a no contest due to interference from The NEXUS.  Ziggler retains the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
– Melina defeats Alicia Fox, to win the WWE Divas Championship.
– Big Show defeats The Straight Edge Society (Luke Gallows, Joseph Mercury, & CM Punk) (with Serena), in a Three-on-One Handicap Match.
– Randy Orton defeats Sheamus via disqualification;  Sheamus retains the WWE Championship.
– Kane defeats Rey Mysterio, to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
– In a 7-on-7 Elimination Tag Team Match, Team WWE (John Cena, John Morrison, R-Truth, Bret Hart, Edge, Chris Jericho, & Daniel Bryan) defeat The NEXUS (Wade Barrett, David Otunga, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, Darren Young, Skip Sheffield, & Michael Tarver).  Team WWE won after Cena forced Barrett to submit to the STF.

2010 – Ring of Honor fires head booker Adam Pearce, and replaces him with Hunter Johnston (aka Delirious).

2011 – WWE announces that referee Mike Chioda has been suspended for 30 days, due to his first violation of the WWE Wellness Policy.  Tough Enough winner Andy ‘Silent Rage’ Leavine was also suspended for violating the policy.

2013 – TNA’s Hardcore Justice is held in Norfolk, Virginia in front of 3,200 fans.  This was a special of episode of the weekly Impact Wrestling on Spike TV, rather than a pay-per-view as in past years.

– In a Ladder Match, Kazarian defeats AJ Styles, Austin Aries, and Jeff Hardy, to earn 20 points in the Bound For Glory Series.
– ODB defeats Mickie James and Gail Kim in a 3-way Hardcore Match.
– In a Tables Match, Bobby Roode defeats Mr. Anderson, Samoa Joe, and Magnus, to earn 20 points in the Bound For Glory Series.
– In a Steel Cage Match, Bully Ray defeats Chris Sabin, to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:  CZW Hall of Famer Ruckus (39 years old);  retired wrestler Nikki the NY Knockout (37 years old);  SHINE wrestler Amanda Rodriguez (27 years old);  eleven-time Dragon Gate “Open the Triangle Gate” Champion Ryo Saito (38 years old);  and three-time IWGP Tag Team Champion Kazuo Yamazaki (55 years old).

Also born on this day was famed St Louis promoter Tom Packs (born in 1894).

And finally, to clear up any confusion, today is NOT Mike Tenay’s birthday.  His birthday is actually March 1st.

https://twitter.com/RealMikeTenay/status/572188426016960512