Today In Wrestling History – February 8th

Trivia

1992 – Kerry Von Erich was arrested for attempting to falsify two drug prescriptions. He was released on $6,000 bond in Richardson, Texas

2010 – WWE announces the 1st member of their 2010 Hall Of Fame class will be “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase

Events

In 2009, TNA Against All Odds was held in Orlando, Florida. This was the 1st TNA event to be broadcast in HD:

– Alex Shelley defeated Eric Young to retain the TNA X-Division Titles
– Scott Steiner defeated Petey Williams
– Awesome Kong defeated ODB to retain the TNA Knockouts Title
– Booker T (with Sharmell) defeated Shane Sewell to retain the TNA Legends Title
– Abyss defeated Matt Morgan
– Beer Money Inc (James Storm & Robert Roode) defeated Lethal Consequences (Jay Lethal & Consequences Creed) to retain the TNA Tag Team Titles
– Sting defeated Kurt Angle, Brother Ray & Brother Devon to retain the TNA World Title

In 1986, The WWF held an event at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

– George Skaaland defeated Ron Shaw
– Pedro Morales defeated Rene Goulet
– Hercules defeated Scott McGhee
– Corporal Kirchner defeated The Iron Sheik
– Adrian Adonis (with Jimmy Hart) defeated George Wells
– The Junkyard Dog defeated Terry Funk (with Jimmy Hart)
– WWF Tag Team Champions Brutus Beefcake & Greg Valentine (with Johnny V) defeated The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith & The Dynamite Kid)
– Dan Spivey defeated Iron Mike Sharpe
– WWF Champion Hulk Hogan defeated King Kong Bundy (with Bobby Heenan) via DQ

In 2003, Ring of Honor held its One-Year Anniversary Show at the Elk’s Lodge in Queens, New York:

– E.Z. Money defeated Colt Cabana & Chad Collyer and Michael Shane in a Four Corners Survival match
– The Texas Wrestling Academy (Don Juan, Fast Eddie & Hotstuff Hernandez) defeated The Carnage Crew (DeVito, Loc & Masada)
– Jay Briscoe defeated Mark Briscoe
– Steve Corino defeated Homicide
– CM Punk defeated C.W. Anderson
– Steve Corino defeated Homicide
– Paul London defeated Low Ki & ROH Tag Team Champion A.J. Styles in a three-way match to become #1 contender to the ROH Heavyweight Title
– ROH Heavyweight Champion Xavier defeated Paul London to retain the title
– Da Hit Squad (Mafia & Monsta Mack), Divine Storm (Chris Divine & Quiet Storm), The S.A.T. (Joel & Jose Maximo) & Mikey Whipwreck defeated Special K (Angel Dust, Brian XL, Deranged, Dixie, Jody Fleisch, Hydro, Izzy, Slim J, Slugger & Yeyo) in a Handicap Tag Team Scramble match

Title Changes

1917 – World Heavyweight Champion Earl Caddock defeated title claimant Wladek Zbyszko in Des Moines, Iowa

1954 – Fred Blassie defeated Don McIntyre to win the Florida NWA Southern Heavyweight Title in Birmingham, Alabama

1957 – Don & Mark Lewin defeated Chief Big Heart & Red McIntyre to win the Georgia NWA International Tag Team Title in Atlanta, Georgia

1963 – Eddie Graham defeated Fred Blassie to win Georgia’s version of the World Heavyweight Title in Atlanta, Georgia

1966 – The Destroyer (Dick Beyer) & The Golden Terror defeated Kanji (Antonio) Inoki & Duke Keomuka to win the Texas NWA World Tag Team Title in Dallas, Texas

1971 – Pedro Morales defeats Ivan Koloff to win the WWWF Title

1973 – Bob Kelly defeated The Mysterious Medic to win the NWA Mississippi Heavyweight Title in Hattiesburg, Mississippi

1975 – Ric Flair defeated Paul Jones to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Title in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (This was Flair’s 2nd ever title)

1978 – Mal Sanders defeated Mick McManus to win the European Middleweight Title in Huddersfield, England

1980 – Stan Hansen defeated Antonio Inoki to win the National Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Title in Tokyo, Japan

1983 – Victor Jovica defeats Ric Flair to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title in Couva, Trinidad. This title change is not recognized by the NWA

1985 – Chris Adams defeated Kerry von Erich to win the WCCW American Heavyweight Title

1986 – Randy Savage defeated Tito Santana to win the WWF Intercontinental Title

1988 – Max Pain (Daryl Peterson) defeated Jerry Lawler to win the Continental Wrestling Association Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee

1992 – Jushin Liger defeated Norio Honaga to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title and retain the WCW Light Heavyweight Title

1992 – Tom Prichard defeated Eric Embry to win the USWA Southern Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee

1997 – Tully Blanchard defeated Lady Killer to win the vacant NWA United States Heavyweight Title in a tournament final in Norfolk, Virginia. The title had been vacant since September 1993, when WCW, who had control of the title, left the NWA

1999 – Roddy Piper defeated Bret Hart to win the WCW United States Title

2000 – on Smackdown, Kurt Angle defeated Val Venis to win the WWF European Title

2002 – Ace Steel defeated Kurt Krueger to win the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Title in Indianapolis, Indiana

2003 – Haku defeated Superstar Steve to win the World League Wrestling Heavyweight Title in El Dorado Springs, Missouri

2004 – Low Ki defeated Justin Credible to win the Premier Wrestling Federation Universal Heavyweight Title in Fall River, Massachusetts

2004 – The Backseat Boyz (Trent Acid & Johnny Kashmere) defeated Derek Frazier & Greg Matthews to win the CZW World Tag Team Title in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2010 – on Raw, ShoMiz (Big Show & The Miz) defeated D-Generation X (Triple H & Shawn Michaels) & The Straight-Edge Society (CM Punk & Luke Gallows) to win the WWE Unified Tag Team Titles

Birthdays

Happy birthday to former WWF Tag Team Champion Jim Neidhart (59), current WWE superstar, former WWE, WCW  & ECW World Champion The Big Show (42), NWA Hall of Famer Misty Blue Simmes (52), & joshi regular Kaoru Maeda (45)

Also, today would have been the birthday of WWE Hall of Famers ‘Sensational’ Sherri Martel (56), & ‘Classy’ Freddie Blassie (96)