Magazine Cover of the Week

September 1981

WWF at MSG Madison Square Garden (2-18-83)

WWWF CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING May 3rd 1977

Pro Wrestling Illustrated Cover of the Week

December 1980

Pro Wrestling Illustrated Cover of the Week

November 1980

PWI Cover of the Week

January 1980

WE LOVE PRO WRESTLING!

1976

Terry Funk - NWA World Heavyweight Champion (left)

Bob Backlund - Missouri Heavyweight Champion (right)

Gigantic Royal Rumble Eliminations — WWE Top 10

Pro Wrestling Illustrated Cover of the Week

NOVEMBER 1980

NWA Florida Tag Team Champions (1976)

Steve Keirn and Bob Backlund

NWA Florida Tag Team Champions 

1976

Defeated Bob Orton Jr. and Bob Roop for the titles and then dropped the belts to The Hollywood Blondes (Buddy Roberts and Jerry Brown)

WWF Tag Team Champions - 1980

August 9th 1980

Bob Backlund and Pedro Morales defeated the The Wild Samoans at Shea Stadium in New York City to win the WWF Tag Team titles.  They won a best 2 out of 3 falls match by winning the first 2 falls.  However, Bob Backlund was the reigning WWF Heavyweight champion and thus is was ruled he could not hold 2 titles at the same time.  He and Pedro vacated the belts the day.   One month later the Wild Samoans would regain the belts by winning a tournament to fill the vacated belts.

1980 Match of the Year

1980 Wrestling Observer Match of Year

May 19th 1980

Madison Square Garden

Texas Death Match (No Holds Barred)

WWF Champion

Bob Backlund

vs

WWF Intercontinental Champion

Ken Patera

Wrestling Magazine Cover of the Day

July 1978

Wrestling Magazine Cover of the Day

February 1982

Today in Wrestling History - December 17th

1906 - Frank Gotch defeats Fred Beel in Kansas City, Missouri to win the American Heavyweight Title for the third time. Gotch would go on to defeat George Hackenschmidt two years later to unify the belt with the World Heavyweight Title.

1970 - Kim Il and Pak Song defeat Gorgeous George, Jr. and Rufus R. Jones to win the NWA Texas Tag Team Title.

1979 - The WWF ran at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, with a card airing live on the MSG Network in the New York area, but also in Japan, as this card was almost immediately following the Antonio Inoki-Bob Backlund WWF title controversy in Japan, as well as featuring many Japanese stars. This card also featured the Madison Square Garden debut of Hulk Hogan. The results were:
- Larry Zbyszko pinned Bulldog Brower.
- Riki Choshu and Seiji Sakaguchi defeated Bad News Allen and Jo Jo Andrews, when Sakaguchi made Andrews submit with a Boston crab, to retain the NWA North American Tag Team Title. This match was billed as being for the "Japanese Tag Team Title".
- Mike Graham defeated Johnny Rodz by submission with a figure-four leglock.
- Hulk Hogan defeated Ted DiBiase by knockout with a bearhug.
- Bob Backlund defeated Bobby Duncum in a Texas death match to win the vacant WWF World Heavyweight Title. WWF President Hisashi Shinma had possession of the title beltbefore the match, although the title vacancy was not mentioned to the United States television audience.
- Antonio Inoki pinned Hussein Arab after an enzuigiri to retain the NWF Heavyweight Title. This match was billed as being for the "Japanese Heavyweight Title".
- Harley Race defeated Dusty Rhodes by referee stoppage, due to Rhodes' excessive bleeding, to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Title.
- Pat Patterson pinned Dominic DeNucci, after reversing a monkey flip into a roll-up, to retain the WWF Intercontinental Title.
- Tatsumi Fujinami pinned Johnny Rivera with a back suplex to retain the WWF World Junior Heavyweight Title.
- Ivan Putski and Tito Santana defeated Victor Rivera and Swede Hansen to retain the WWF World Tag Team Title, when Santana pinned Hansen with a top rope crossbody.

1994 - ECW held their "Holiday Hell" show at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Here are the results:
- Stevie Richards defeated JT Smith.
- Dean Malenko defeated Ray Odyssey.
- Chris Benoit defeated Hack Myers.
- 911 defeated The Pitbulls in a Handicap match.
- Mikey Whipwreck defeated Don E. Allen.
- Tommy Dreamer & Cactus Jack defeated Tommy Cairo & The Sandman.
- ECW World Champion Shane Douglas defeated Ron Simmons.
- ECW World Tag Team Champions The Public Enemy defeated Sabu & Taz.

1995 - The WWF held the fifth In Your House pay-per-view, subtitled "Season's Beatings" at the Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pennsylania, before 7,289 fans. The results:
- Savio Vega pinned Bob Backlund in a dark match.
- Razor Ramon and Marty Jannetty defeated The 1-2-3 Kid and Sycho Sid when Ramon pinned Sid after a bulldog from the second rope.
- Ahmed Johnson pinned Buddy Landel (subbing for Dean Douglas) after the Pearl River Plunge. Prior to the match, Jerry Lawler presented Jeff Jarrett with a gold record for his country album, "Ain't I Great?". Jarrett was guest commentator for the match. After the match, Jarrett attacked Johnson with the gold record.
- Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Henry Godwinn in an Arkansas Hog Pen match. Hillbilly Jim was the guest referee.
- Owen Hart defeated Diesel when Diesel was disqualified for shoving the referee.
- The Undertaker defeated King Mabel in a Casket match.
- Bret Hart pinned The British Bulldog to retain the WWF Title.
In dark matches after the broadcast:
- Goldust pinned Duke Droese.
- WWF Tag Team Champions The Smokin' Gunns (Billy and Bart), Hakushi, and Barry Horowitz defeated The Bodydonnas (Skip and Zip), Yokozuna, and Isaac Yankem, DDS.

1995 - Dr. Wagner, Jr. defeats Atlantis in Mexico City, Mexico to win the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Title for the second time.

2000 - The 18th, and final, Starrcade event was held in Washington, DC at the MCI Center. Three months later, WCW would be purchased by the World Wrestling Federation, and thus ending the eighteen year streak of Starrcade events, going back to the days of Jim Crockett Promotions. 

#	Results	Stipulations	Times
1	3 Count (Shane Helms and Shannon Moore) defeated The Jung Dragons (Yun Yang and Kaz Hayashi) (with Leia Meow), and Jamie Knoble and Evan Karagias[12]	Ladder match	13:49
2	Lance Storm (with Major Gunns and Elix Skipper) defeated The Cat (with Ms. Jones)[12]	Singles match	07:25
3	Terry Funk defeated Crowbar (c) (with Daffney)[12]	Singles match for the WCW Hardcore Championship	10:21
4	KroniK (Brian Adams and Bryan Clark) fought Big Vito and Reno (with Marie) to a no contest[12]	Tag team match	08:18
5	Mike Awesome defeated Bam Bam Bigelow[12]	Ambulance match	07:56
6	General Rection (c) defeated Shane Douglas by disqualification[12]	Singles match for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship	09:46
7	Jeff Jarrett and The Harris Brothers (Ron and Don) defeated The Filthy Animals (Konnan, Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Billy Kidman) (with Tygress)[12]	Bunkhouse Street Fight	12:31
8	The Insiders (Diamond Dallas Page and Kevin Nash) defeated The Perfect Event (Chuck Palumbo and Shawn Stasiak) (c)[12]	Tag team match for the WCW World Tag Team Championship	12:04
9	Goldberg defeated Lex Luger[12]	No Holds Barred Match	07:17
10	Scott Steiner (c) (with Midajah) defeated Sid Vicious[12]	Singles match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship	10:12

Match of the Night (Backlund vs Patera)

WWF Heavyweight Title

May 19th 1980

Madison Square Garden

Texas Death Match

Ken Patera

WWF Intercontinental Champion

vs

Bob Backlund

WWF Heavyweight Champion

Match of the Night (Sgt. Slaughter vs Bob Backlund 1981)

March 21 1981

Madison Square Garden

WWF Heavyweight Title
Cage Match

Sgt Slaughter

vs

Bob Backlund

WWF Champion

WWE Hall of Fame 2013 (Bob Backlund)

Last night the WWE announced its second inductee for the 2013 Hall of Fame induction class.

Bob Backlund

WWF Heavyweight Champion

Feb 20th 1978 - December 26th 1983
November 23 1994 - November 26th 1994

Today in Wrestling History May 10th

1981 - Verne Gagne announced he was retiring as AWA World Heavyweight Champion. Verne vacated the title (it was his 9th or 10th reign, depending on what records you use), and it would later be awarded to number-one contender Nick Bockwinkel, who Gagne had defeated for the belt on July 18, 1980.

1981 - WWF champion Bob Backlund defeated George Steele in the main event of a Manchester, NH event at the JFK Coliseum.

1983 - Eddie Gilbert sustained major injuries, including a broken neck, in a car accident traveling from a WWF television taping in Allentown, PA.      

1983 - Roddy Piper fought NWA World Champion Ric Flair to a draw in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match; fall #3: the 60-minute time-limit expired in Portland, Oregon.



1985 - The very first WWF Saturday Night's Main Event was taped at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The matches would be shown the next night on NBC in the spot usually occupied by Saturday Night Live, earning an 8.8 rating.
Here are the matches that aired on the show:
- Barry Windham, Mike Rotundo & Ricky Steamboat defeated The Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff & George "The Animal" Steele when Windham pinned Steele.  After the match, Sheik and Volkoff turned on Steele, leading to a face turn for the "Animal" who was befriended by Captain Lou Albano.
- WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan defeated Cowboy Bob Orton via DQ when Roddy Piper interfered.
- WWF Women's Champion Wendi Richter defeated The Fabulous Moolah with a small package.
- Junkyard Dog defeated Pete Dougherty with a powerslam.
- Also on the show was an edition of Piper's Pit where Roddy Piper blamed Paul Orndorff for the Wrestlemania I loss, leading to Piper and Orton beating down Orndorff and Mr. T making the save.  They also filmed a "Mother's Day Party" backstage, hosted by Cyndi Lauper in one of her last WWF appearances.





1999 - Debra defeated Sable for the WWF Women's Title in a very unusual manner during a Raw broadcast from Orlando, Florida. Nicole Bass subbed for Sable in an evening gown match in Orlando, Florida, and easily ripped off Debra's gown to get the victory. However, then-WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels came to the ring and said that, in his opinion, the winner of the evening gown match should be the woman who loses her clothing first, so he gave the win, and the title, to Debra.  The main event of the broadcast saw WWF champion Steve Austin, the Rock, & Vince McMahon defeated The Undertaker, Triple H  & Shane McMahon at 4:38 when Austin pinned Shane with the   Stone Cold Stunner.  Moments earlier, Austin hit the Stunner on Shane and a dazed Vince made the cover, only for Austin to pull him off and hit a second Stunner on Shane before making the cover himself; Shawn Michaels was the guest referee for the bout.


2001 - Vince McMahon officially announces the end of the XFL. Although Vince had been telling potential advertisers that he was speaking with the WB about airing XFL, and that UPN was in the running to carry games, it was obvious he had been posturing. Variety reported that a WB spokesman said, "The WB is not interested in getting the rights to the XFL and neither are any of our affiliates." McMahon, even with his posturing, admitted that if they didn't get a weekly timeslot for the league to replace NBC (which had pulled out at the conclusion of the first season), they would have to shut it down, and it came to pass.

Match of the Day

From 1982 WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund defends against Cowboy Bob Orton. This is truly kicking it old school.