Today In Wrestling History- May 16th

Trivia

1975 – Antonio Inoki wins the NJPW World League, defeating Killer Karl Krupp in the final

1977 – Giant Baba wins the AJPW Champion’s Carnival, defeating Jumbo Tsuruta in the final

2006 – Davey Boy Smith’s son, Harry, signed with the WWE.  He would eventually debut as David Hart Smith as one third of the Hart Dynasty

Events

In 1998, ECW A Matter of Respect was held at the ECW Arena, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With an attendance of 2,000:

– Justin Credible (with Chasity & Jason) defeated Jerry Lynn in a 2 out 3 Falls Match
– Chris Chetti defeated Jamie Dundee
– Mikey Whipwreck defeated Mike Lozansky
– Kronus defeated Danny Doring (with The Equalizer)
– The Blue Meanie & Super Nova fought The Full Blooded Italians (Little Guido & Tracy Smothers) (with Tommy Rich) to a no contest
– Bam Bam Bigelow defeated Al Snow
– Axl Rotten & Balls Mahoney defeated Tracey Smothers & Little Guido
– Rob Van Dam & Lance Storm defeated Chris Candido & Sabu (RVD’s ECW Television title, and Storm & Candido’s ECW Tag Team Titles were not on the line)
– The Sandman, Spike Dudley, & Tommy Dreamer defeated The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray, D-Von, & Big Dick Dudley) in a 6-way Stairway To Hell Ladder Match

In 1999, WWF No Mercy was a UK-exclusive PPV, held at the Manchester Evening News Arena, in Manchester, England. With an attendance of 18,107:

– Tiger Ali Singh defeated Gillberg
– The Ministry Of Darkness (Viscera, Faarooq & Bradshaw) defeated The Brood (Gangrel, Edge, & Christian) in a 6-man tag team match
– Steve Blackman defeated Droz
– Kane defeated Mideon
– Nicole Bass defeated Tori
– Shane McMahon defeated X-Pac to retain the WWF European Title
– Mr. Ass defeated Mankind
– Steve Austin defeated The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) & Triple H (with Chyna) in an Anything Goes Triangle Match to retain the WWF Title

Also in 1999, ECW Hardcore Heaven was held at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center, in Poughskeepie, New York. With an attendance of 2,800:

– Taz defeated Chris Candido (with Tammy Lynn Sytch) to retain the ECW World Title
– The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray & D-Von) defeated Balls Mahoney & Spike Dudley to retain the ECW Tag Team Titles
– Super Crazy defeated Taka Michinoku
– Yoshihiro Tajiri defeated Little Guido (with Sal E. Graziano)
– Lance Storm (with Dawn Marie) defeated Tommy Dreamer (with Francine)
– Sid Vicious (with Judge Jeff Jones) fought Justin Credible (Jason & Jazz) to a no contest
– Rob Van Dam (with Bill Alfonso) defeated Jerry Lynn in a No Time Limit Match to retain the ECW Television Title
– Taz defeated Buh Buh Ray Dudley (with Sign Guy Dudley) in a Falls Count Anywhere Match to retain the ECW World Title

In 2004, WWE Judgment Day was a Smackdown-exclusive PPV, held at the Staples Center, in Los Angeles, California. With an attendance of 18,722:

Sunday Night Heat:
– Mark Jindrak (with Teddy Long) defeated Funaki
PPV:
– Rob Van Dam & Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von)
– Torrie Wilson defeated Dawn Marie
– Mordecai defeated Scotty 2 Hotty
– Charlie Haas & Rico (with Miss Jackie) defeated Hardcore Holly & Billy Gunn to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles
– Chavo Guerrero Jr. (with Chavo Classic) defeated Jacqueline to win the WWE Cruiserweight Title
– John Cena defeated Rene Dupree to retain the WWE United States Title
– The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) defeated Booker T
– John Bradshaw Layfield defeated Eddie Guerrero via DQ (Guerrero retains the WWE Title)

In 2010, TNA Sacrifice was held at the Impact Zone, in Orlando, Florida. With an attendance of 1,100:

– The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) defeated Beer Money Inc. (James Storm & Robert Roode), & Team 3D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon) in a 3-way tag team match to become the #1 contenders for the TNA World Tag Team Titles
– Rob Terry defeated Orlando Jordan to retain the TNA Global Title
– Douglas Williams defeated Kazarian to win the TNA X-Division Title
– Madison Rayne defeated Tara in a Title vs Career Match to retain the TNA Knockouts Title. As a result, Tara is forced to retire
– The Band (Kevin Nash & Scott Hall) defeated Ink Inc. (Shannon Moore & Jesse Neal) to retain the TNA Tag Team Titles
– Abyss defeated Desmond Wolfe (with Chelsea) in a Chelsea vs. Ring Match to win the services of Wolfe’s manager Chelsea for 30 days. Had Wolfe won, he would have won Hulk Hogan’s Hall of Fame ring
– Jeff Hardy defeated Mr. Anderson
– Sting defeated Jeff Jarrett
– Rob Van Dam defeated AJ Styles (with Ric Flair) to retain the TNA World Title

Title Changes

1963 – Skull Murphy & Brute Bernard defeated Buddy Austin & Great Scott to win the WWWF United States Tag Team Titles

1963 – Bull Curry defeated Jack Dalton 1st to win the vacant Texas Brass Knuckles Title

1964 – Verne Gagne defeated Mad Dog Vachon to win the AWA World Title

1967 – Boris Malenko defeated Wahoo McDaniel to win the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title in Tampa, Florida.

1967 – Chati Yokouchi & Togo Shikuma defeated Gorgeous George Jr & Jack Brisco to win the TSW United States Tag Team Titles

1969 – Archie Gouldie defeated Angelo Mosca to win the Stampede North American Heavyweight Title in Calgary, Alberta

1972 – Paul Jones defeated Jack Brisco to win the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title in Tampa, Florida

1974 – Jean Antoine & Sandy Parker defeated Peggy Kuroda & Junko Sasaki to win the WWWA World Tag Team Title in Shizuoka, Japan

1981 – Eddie Gilbert & Ricky Morton defeated The Akbar Army (Jerry Brown & Ron McFarlane) to win the TSW Tag Team Titles

1983 – Bobby Eaton & Duke Myers defeated The Fabulous Ones (Steve Keirn & Stan Lane) to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Title. At the same event, Ken Patera defeated Jerry Lawler to win the CWA/AWA International Heavyweight Title. & Bill Dundee defeated Dutch Mantel to win the AWA Southern Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee

1987 – The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane) defeated Ronnie Garvin & Barry Windham in the final of a tournament to win the vacant NWA United States Tag Team Titles

1991 – Villano III defeated El Signo to win the UWA World Light Heavyweight Title. At the same event, Los Cowboys (Silver King & El Texano) won a tournament to become the 1st UWA World Tag Team Champions in Mexico City, Mexico

2000 – on Smackdown, Gerald Brisco defeated Crash Holly to win the WWF Hardcore Title

2007 – Megumi Grace Asano (a referee) defeated Coloco (a miniature Dachsund) to win the DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Title in Tokyo, Japan.

2011 – Abyss defeated Kazarian to win the TNA X-Division Title

Birthdays

Happy birthday to WWE Hall of Famer Johnny Rodz (76), former WWF Intercontinental Champion Charles ‘The Godfather’ Wright (53), former TNA wrestler Cody Deaner (33), Dragon Gate star Gamma (41), & one-time OVW Women’s Champion Mickie Knuckles (30)

Also happy birthday to the late former Fabulous Freebirds member Buddy “Jack” Roberts (69)

In Memoriam

Firstly in 1984, Andy Kaufman died of kidney failure due to large cell carcinoma in Los Angeles, California at the age of 35. Kaufman was best known in the wrestling world for his 1982 match with Jerry Lawler at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee, and subsequent expletive-laden appearance with Lawler on the Late Show with David Letterman.  Lawler would later play himself in a film about Kaufman’s life, “Man on the Moon.”

Secondly, in 2002, FMW President Shoichi Arai committed suicide by hanging himself in a park in Tokyo, Japan. Arai was 36 years old. He took the company over from Atsushi Onita in 1995 and ran FMW until it closed in 2002

Thirdly, on this day in 2002, the wrestling world lost former ECW wrestler and XPW World Champion Alex ‘Big Dick Dudley’ Rizzo aged just 34. Rizzo began wrestling for Johnny Rodz in the late 80′s, training alongside Taz & Damien Demento. His early career was spent wrestling in Puerto Rico and on the East Coast as ‘Alexander The Great’, before moving to ECW in 1994, shortly after they had seceded from the NWA. Here, he was given the ‘Big Dick Dudley’ persona, becoming the head of the famed Dudley wrestling ‘family’. As Buh Buh Ray, D-Von (and to a lesser extent Spike) Dudley rose to prominence, Rizzo was gradually phased out and left ECW in 1999 following creative disagreements with Paul Heyman. He initially returned to Puerto Rico before helping to form the XPW promotion, where he would go on to win his most prominent championship. However, over the following two years, Rizzo was involved in four auto accidents, one of which broke his neck, leaving him on the sidelines for over a year and (reportedly) a painkiller addiction. He never made another major wrestling appearance before being found dead in his apartment of apparent kidney failure. USA Pro Wrestling, who Rizzo had briefly worked for, held tribute shows in 2002 and 2003, featuring many top names from the indies alongside former ECW talent