Today in Wrestling History (July 18th)

July 18th 1989:

Demolition lost the WWF Tag Team titles to The Brain Busters on Saturday Night's Main Event.

Ending the longest reign in history to that point at 478 days.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated Cover of the Week

Wrestling Magazine Cover of the Week

November 1989

This was my favorite magazine when it was first published because of the "Phantom of the Ring" column.  That column was the magazine version of "The Wrestling Observer" and gave us tidbits on the real lives of wrestlers.  This was something I never seen before and was in love with it from the start.

10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 1989 Facts

WE LOVE PRO WRESTLING!

1989 Pro Wrestling Illustrated Tag Team of the Year

The Brain Busters

(Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson)

Magazine Cover of the Week

August 1989

WWF Magazine Cover of the Week

WWF Magazine

June 1989

10 Fascinating WWE Facts About WrestleMania 5

1989 - Michael Hayes Wins US Title

May 7th 1989

WrestleWar - Music City Showdown

Michael Hayes (with a little help from Freebird brother Terry Gordy) wins the NWA United States Heavyweight Title by pinning Lex Luger in 16mins 6secs.  

Hayes would hold the belt for 15 days then lose the belt back to Luger in a rematch at a house show in Bluefield, West Virginia.

Wrestle War 1989 (NWA World Title Match)

PWI Achievment Awards 1989

1989

Pro Wrestling Illustrated 

Rookie of the Year

The Destruction Crew

(Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom)

PWI Achievement Award - 1989

1989 - PWI Manager of the Year

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

Watch every SummerSlam in 60 seconds!

The Brain Busters

July 18th 1989

The Brain Busters, Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson
 (with Bobby Heenan) defeated 

Demolition to win the WWF Tag Team Titles 
during a taping of Saturday Nights Main Event

in Worcester, MA.

WE LOVE PRO WRESTLING

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

NWA World Heavyweight Champion

Feb 20th 1989 - May 7th 1989

Clash of the Champions IX - New York Knockout

Clash of the Champions IX took place on November 15, 1989 at the Houston Field House in Troy, New York. There were 4,000 fans in attendance and the show drew a 4.9 rating on TBS. This show mainly dealt with fallout from Halloween Havoc PPV and set up the Iron Man / Iron Team tournaments at Starrcade 1989.^[11]

• The Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes) defeated The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) by disqualification (5:18)
  • The Road Warriors were disqualified when Hawk hit the referee.
  • The Freebirds had actually lost the NWA World Tag Team titles on November 1, but the match had not aired yet, so the Freebirds were introduced as the NWA World Tag Team champions.
• Doom (Ron Simmons and Butch Reed) (with Woman and Nitron) defeated Eddie Gilbert and Tommy Rich (5:15)
  • Doom #1 pins Rich after a double team Clothesline
• The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) defeated The Dynamic Dudes (Johnny Ace and Shane Douglas) (9:22)
  • Eaton pinned Douglas after Jim Cornette hits Douglas with his tennis racket.
  • Jim Cornette was in a neutral corner at the start of the match before deciding to side with the Midnight Express
• Steve Williams defeated The Super Destroyer (1:41)
  • Williams pinned the Super Destroyer with the Oklahoma Stampede
  • This is Jack Victory's 4th “Masked Mystery Man” appearance at a Clash (“Russian Assassin #2”, “The Blackmailer” and “The Terrorist”)
• The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner) defeated The Skyscrapers (Dan Spivey and Sid Vicious) by disqualification (6:08)
  • The Steiner Brothers had actually won the NWA World Tag Team titles on November 1, but the match had not aired yet, so The Steiners were not announced as the champions.
  • The Skyscrapers were disqualified when Doom ran in and attacked the Steiner Brothers.
  • During the match Sid Vicious punctures a lung and is replaced by ”Mean” Mark Callous soon after.
  • Woman's bodyguard Nitron makes his debut during the post match brawl between the Steiners, the Skyscrapers, Doom and the Road Warriors.
• Lex Luger defeated Brian Pillman to retain the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (12:38)
  • Luger pinned Pillman after hitting him with a chair while the referee was down.
  • Sting saved Pillman from further attacks by Luger.
• NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair defeated Terry Funk (with Gary Hart) in an "I Quit" match (18:33)
  • Flair forced Funk to say “I Quit” on the microphone due to the pain of the Figure Four Leglock
  • Gary Hart attacked Funk after the match and was quickly joined by The Great Muta.
  • Sting saved Flair from the attack only to be attacked by Lex Luger.
  • This match received a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer.
  • Flair's NWA World Heavyweight Championship was not on the line, making it a non-title match.

Pro Wrestling Magazine Cover of the Day

July 1989

Clash of the Champions VI

Clash of the Champions VI

Rajun' Cajun'

Superdome

New Orleans, LA

April 2nd 1989

• The Samoan Swat Team (Samu and Fatu) defeated The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) (20:32)
  • Fatu hits Bobby Eaton with Paul E. Dangerously's phone without the referee seeing it.
  • This is the continuation of the Jim Cornette / Paul E. Dangerously feud that started when Dangerously brought the “Original Midnight Express” to the NWA.
• The Great Muta defeated Steven Casey (8:11)
  • Muta pinned Casey after a Moonsault
  • Muta's manager Gary Hart was at ringside and tossed Steven Casey back in the ring for the finish
• The Junkyard Dog defeated Butch Reed (9:56)
  • Reed is pinned with a roll up after colliding with manager Hiro Matsuda on the apron.
• Bob Orton defeated Dick Murdoch (9:45)
  • Orton pins Murdoch when manager Gary Hart reaches in and pulls Murdoch's leg out from under him during a suplex.
• The Varsity Club (Mike Rotunda and Steve Williams) defeated The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship (11:40)
  • Steve Williams cradles Hawk for the pinfall
  • Referee Teddy Long refused to count a pinfall for the Road Warriors only moments before.
  • The count on Hawk was super fast, so fast that Teddy Long was fired as a referee over it, Long became a manager shortly after this.
• Ranger Ross defeated The Iron Sheik by DQ (1:56)
  • Rip Morgan ran and attacked Ross in to cause the DQ
  • Junkyard Dog ran in to make the save only seconds later.
• Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner defeated Dan Spivey and Kevin Sullivan to retain the NWA United States Tag Team Championship (3:51)
  • Gilbert got the pinfall on Sullivan after hitting him with Missy Hyatt's loaded purse.
• Ricky Steamboat defeated Ric Flair in a 60-minute time limit two out of three falls match to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship(55:49)
  • Flair pinned Steamboat after reversing an inside cradle in the first fall (19:33)
  • Steamboat forced Flair to submit with a double chickenwing in the second fall (15:21)
  • Steamboat pinned Flair after a failed double chickenwing attempt. Flair fell on top of Steamboat, both men's shoulders were down, but Steamboat got his left shoulder up before the three count in the third fall (21:35).
  • The replay would show that Flair's foot was on the bottom rope, thus allowing him to get one last rematch at WrestleWar 1989.

SummerSlam in 60 Seconds: SummerSlam 1989

Today in Pro Wrestling History (June 14th)

June 14th 1989
 WCW held the Clash Of The Champions VII in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Nicknamed "Guts and Glory", the show was aired live on TBS, drawing a 3.8 rating.
Here are the results of the show:
- The Freebirds (Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin) defeated The Dynamic Dudes (Shane Douglas and Johnny Ace) in the semifinals of a tournament for the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
- Ranger Ross defeated The Terrorist (Jack Victory) in under two minutes.
- The Ding Dongs (masked wrestlers who came to the ring with bells on their outfits, ringing larger bells as they came to the ring) defeated Cougar Jay  and George South.
- The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) defeated The Samoan Swat Team in the semifinals of a tournament for the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
- Terry Gordy vs. Steve Williams ended in a double DQ.
- Norman The Lunatic defeated Mike Justice in under a minute.
- Mike Rotunda and Kevin Sullivan defeated Rick and Scott Steiner.
- NWA Television Champion Sting defeated Bill Irwin.
- The Freebirds defeated The Midnight Express in a tournament final for the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
(below)
- Ricky Steamboat defeated Terry Funk via disqualification. After the match, Lex Luger, who had come out to help Steamboat, turned on him and laid him out.
(below 2)

June 14th 1993
The Steiner Brothers defeated Money Inc. for the WWF World Tag Team Title in Columbus, Ohio, ending Ted DiBiase and IRS' first tag title run, and beginning Rick and Scott's own first reign with the gold.