Today In Wrestling History– July 24th

Trivia

2000 – The Monday Night War continued: WWF Monday Night Raw defeated WCW Monday Nitro: 6.9 to 2.8 in the ratings

2006 – Aurora Rose Levesque, daughter of Triple H & Stephanie McMahon, was born

2007 – World Wrestling Entertainment signs Ted DiBiase Jr. to a developmental deal and sends him to Florida Championship Wrestling in Tampa, Florida

2008 – The FOX affiliate in New York City opened their 10pm newscast with video footage of an incident that saw former ECW World champion The Sandman arrested during a birthday celebration for Captain Lou Albano.  In the video, an obviously inebriated Sandman is seen trying to give a speech for Lou Albano and even stepping atop a banquet table.   The video then shows footage of Sandman charging at someone as several others wrestlers, including Philadelphia indy wrestler Annhilation & someone believed to be Pitbull Gary Wolfe attempt to hold Sandman back.  One of the videos show someone brandishing a beer bottle, looking as if they were preparing to throw it.  Another clip shows a handcuffed Sandman on the floor surrounded by police officers.  Sandman’s bail was set at $10,000 after several days of incarceration

Events

In 2004, CZW Tournament of Death III: Banned My Ass was held in Smyrna, Delaware:

1st Round Tournament Matches:
– Arsenal defeated Evil Ninja #2 in a 2/3 Light Tube Log Cabins Match
– Nick Gage defeated Ruckus in a Barbed Wire Boards Match
– Wifebeater defeated Mad Man Pondo in a Fans Bring the Weapons Match
– Sexxxy Eddy defeated Ian Knoxx in a Thumbtacks, Carpet Strips & Carpet Strip Board Match
– Necro Butcher defeated The Green Phantom in a Fans Bring the Weapons Match
– JC Bailey defeated Chri$ Ca$h in a Light Tubes & Ladders Match
Semi-Final Round Matches:
– Sexxxy Eddy defeated Arsenal in a Light Tube Ropes & Light Tube Corners Match (immediately following the match, Sexxxy Eddy was rushed to the local hospital due to a wound he suffered to his arm, & would have to miss the finals)
– Wifebeater defeated JC Bailey in a Fans Bring the Weapons Match
– Necro Butcher defeated Nick Gage in a Panes of Glass Match
Tournament of Death Finals:
– Wifebeater defeated Necro Butcher to win the CZW Tournament of Death III in a Anything Goes 200 Light Tubes Double Hell Death Match, Barbed Wire Ropes, Fans Bring The Weapons, Light Tube Cage Part, & Barbed Wire Cage Parts (Basically anything & everything hardcore)

In 2005, WWE’s The Great American Bash was a Smackdown-exclusive PPV held at the HSBC Arena, in Buffalo, New York. With an attendance of 8,000:

Sunday Night Heat:
– Paul London defeated Nunzio to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Title
PPV:
– The Legion of Doom (Animal & Heidenreich) defeated MNM (Joey Mercury & Johnny Nitro) (with Melina) to win the WWE Tag Team Titles
– Booker T (with Sharmell) defeated Christian
– Orlando Jordan defeated Chris Benoit to retain the WWE United States Title
– The Undertaker defeated Mohammad Hassan (with Daivari) to become the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Title
– The MexiCools (Juventud, Super Crazy, & Psicosis) defeated The Blue World Order (The Blue Meanie, Big Stevie Cool, & Hollywood Nova)
– Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated Eddie Guerrero
– Melina defeated Torrie Wilson in a Bra & Panties Match (with Candice Michelle as the guest referee)
– JBL (with Orlando Jordan) defeated Batista via DQ (Batista retains the World Heavyweight Title)

Title Changes

1956 – Jesse James defeated Frank Jares to win the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title in Nashville, Tennessee

1967 – Bruno Sammartino & Spiros Arion defeated The Sicilians (Lou Albano & Tony Altimore) to win the WWWF Tag Team Titles

1970 – Nick Bockwinkel defeated Paul DeMarco to win the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title in Atlanta, Georgia

1980 – Les Thornton entered WWC, & is billed as the WWC World Junior Heavyweight Champion, reactivating a title that had not been used since Dick Steinborn held it in 1960

1982 – Carlos Colon defeated Abdullah The Butcher to win the WWC World Heavyweight Title (later to become the WWC Universal Title) in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This was the 1st time the title ever changed hands, as Abdullah had been recognized as the champion since entering the company. On the same show, The Moondogs (Rex & Spot) defeating Invader I & Pierre Martel for the WWC World Tag Team Title

1983 – Magnum TA & Jim Duggan defeated Ted DiBiase & Mr Olympia to win the MSW Tag Team Titles

1987 – Sensational Sherri defeated The Fabulous Moolah to win the WWF Women’s Title

1991 – Toshiaki Kawada & Mitsuharu Misawa defeated The Miracle Violence Connection (Steve Williams & Terry Gordy) to win the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Titles

1996 – Kenta Kobashi defeated Akira Taue to win the AJPW Triple Crown Title. Also, Tsuyoshi Kikuchi defeated Masanobu Fuchi to win the AJPW Junior Heavyweight Title

1996 – Jerry Lawler defeated Jeff Jarrett to win the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Title

1996 – The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott) defeated Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) to win the WCW Tag Team Titles

1999 – Kurt Angle defeated J.R. Smooth to win the Memphis Power Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee (this was Angle’s 1st ever Pro Wrestling Title)

1999 – Edge defeated Jeff Jarrett to win the WWF Intercontinental Title

2000 – Lance Storm defeated Big Vito to win the WCW Hardcore Title. On the same show, Goldberg defeated Booker T to win the WCW World Title, but Booker T won the title back later in the night

2001 – Chris Kanyon was awarded the WCW United States Title by Booker T & Stephanie McMahon. Later in the show, Kurt Angle defeated Booker T to win the WCW World Title

Birthdays

Happy birthday to one-time NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion Lex Lovett (39), UK star Zack Sabre Jr. (27), & former WWE Diva Torrie Wilson (39)

In Memoriam

In 2007, Ronald Paul Gossett, known to the wrestling world as Ronnie P. Gosett, passed away in a Nashville, TN, hospital. It is believed that Gossett had been at Metro General Hospital since April 2007, when he was rushed to the hospital & diagnosed with colon cancer.  Gossett was a great heel manager for the Memphis-based USWA in the 1990s. Gossett also appeared for a lot of Georgia-area independent companies that had TV throughout the ’90s, most particularly Ben Masters’ Peach State Wrestling based in Cordele, GA, Jerry Blackwell’s Southern Championship Wrestling (& later Joe Pedicino’s Georgia All-Star) in Alpharetta, & Ron Fuller’s promotion, which ran just across the border into Chattanooga, TN. I don’t recall him working in the Northeast outside of that region except the short-lived AWF promoted by Gordon Scozzari, where he managed the team of Bob Orton, & Barry Horowitz. He, like other USWA regulars of that era, also made a cameo appearance during the early “Double J” Jeff Jarrett vignettes the WWF produced to introduce Jarrett to the company