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.

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.

Saturday Night's Main Event - November 2nd 1985

The 3rd episode of the WWF Saturday Night's Main Event.

Taped October 31st in Hershey Park, PA and aired November 2nd 1985 on NBC.

Terry Funk vs The Junkyard Dog

Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant vs King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd

Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs Tito Santana

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat  vs  Mr. Fuji (w/Don Muraco) in a Kung Fu challenge.

Match of the Night

WWF Tag Team Title Match

05/02/1987

Best 2 out of 3 falls Match

The Hart Foundation (Champions)

vs

The British Bulldogs

Today in Wrestling History

Today in Wrestling History for September 14th

1937 - John Pesek was awarded the NWA (National Wrestling Association) World Heavyweight Title when the NWA decided that a $1000 bond would have to be posted by the champion for the title belt. Everett Marshall had been the recognized champion until the meeting where this decision was made, however, when the NWA announced this decision, Pesek was the only contender willing to post the bond (Marshall refused), so he was made the champion! The NWA later reconsidered their decision, and awarded the title to Lou Thesz when he defeated Marshall for the Midwest Association Heavyweight Title three months late

1977 - Peter Miavia (grandfather of The Rock) defeats WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham via pinfall in a non-title match in Portland, Maine. The two would feud for several months, trading wins via countout, before Graham would pin Miavia in a title match in December in Bangor, Maine.

1980 - Andre The Giant defeated Hulk Hogan in Landover, Maryland when Hogan attempted to slam Andre and fell back with Andre landing on top of him for the pin. The same sequence would become a memorable moment in the opening seconds of their famous Wrestlemania 3 encounter (except in that case, the referee would rule that Hogan kicked out before the three count). 

1986 - WWF tapes the seventh edition of Saturday Night's Main Event at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio. The show would air on NBC on October 4th, earning a 9.4 rating. Here are the results of the show: 
Aired on SNME:
.
- Ricky Steamboat defeated Jake Roberts with a cradle. After the match, Jake Roberts went for his snake, but Steamboat pulled out a kimono dragon and scared off Roberts.
-  

 Roddy Piper defeated The Iron Sheik with a small package in under a minute.  Pedro Morales was going to substitute for the injured Piper, but Piper threatened to hit Morales with his crutch if he didn't leave the ring. 

-  

World Champion Hulk Hogan defeated Paul Orndorff via DQ when Adrian Adonis attacked Hogan. Roddy Piper, who had an injured leg, made the save, attacking Adonis with his crutch, then leaving the ring after a stare down with Hogan.

 

1993 - The Quebecers defeat the Steiner Brothers for the WWF Tag Team Title in New York City, ending the Steiners second, and final WWF Tag Title run, at a Monday Night Raw taping at the Manhattan Center. The match was held under "Providence Of Quebec Rules", which allowed the belt to change hands on a DQ. Other results from that show: Mr. Perfect pinned Tony DeVito, Razor Ramon pinned the Executioner, Doink (Matt Borne) pinned Rich Myers. In other matches held, with some airing the following week, Mr. Perfect pinned Mike Bell, PJ Walker (a rookie Justin Credible) pinned Irwin R. Shyster after Razor Ramon distracted IRS, Scott Steiner pinned Quebecer Pierre Oulette, Bret Hart & Randy Savage defeated WWF champion Yokozuna & Bam Bam Bigelow via DQ.

Saturday Night's Main Event - The Greatest Hits (WWF Coliseum Video)

Great Memories!!!

Saturday Night's Main Event Battle Royal

The big Battle Royal from Saturday Night's Main Event on March 14th 1987


and somehow "The Genius" Lanny Poffo manages to blade and bleed like a stuck hog...why? we will never know.

Match of the Day

Your Match of the Day comes from Saturday Night's Main Event from November of 1989


A 2 out of 3 falls match
The Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty) vs The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard)

Match of the Day - Randy Savage

Still celebrating the career of the late "Macho Man" Randy Savage with our Match of the Day.


Today's match features the "Macho Man" defending his WWF Title against the equally legendary Andre the Giant on Saturday Night's Main Event.


November 26th 1988

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.

Saturday Night's Main Event #25

1990 - The WWF's 25th edition of Saturday Night's Main Event airs on NBC, earning an 11.1 rating. The show was taped January 3 in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the UTC Arena. The results:

- Randy Savage (with Sensational Sherri) pinned Jim Duggan, after Sensational Sherri grabbed Duggan's leg during a suplex into the ring.
- WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and WWF Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior defeated The Genius and Mr. Perfect, when Hogan pinned Genius after the Legdrop, following Warrior's press slam. After the match, the Warrior accidentally clotheslined Hogan after Hogan grabbed him from behind as Warrior was fighting off Perfect and The Genius, with them having a shoving match as a result.

- Jake Roberts defeated Greg Valentine by disqualification after Ted DiBiase interfered.
- Dusty Rhodes (with Sapphire) and Rick Rude (Bobby Heenan) fought to a double-countout. Both managers had been ejected from ringside during the match, with Sapphire returning to a ringside seat after buying a ticket.
- Dino Bravo (with Earthquake) pinned Ronnie Garvin, when Bravo reversed a top-rope crossbody into a pin. Earthquake attacked Garvin after the match, with Garvin being taken from the ring on a stretcher.

Saturday Night's Main Event #14

Airing on this day in 1988 was the 14th edition of the WWF's "Saturday Night's Main Event.
Taped on December 7 in Landover, Maryland at Capital Centre aired on NBC.


The results:
- WWF Tag Team Champions Strike Force (Rick Martel and Tito Santana) defeats The Bolsheviks (Nikolai Volkoff and Boris Zhukov) in a Two out of Three Falls match in two straight falls to retain the titles. Martel made Zhukov submit with the Boston Crab to win the first fall, and Santana pinned Zhukov to win the second.


- Jake Roberts pinned Sika with a roll-up.
- WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan pinned King Kong Bundy with the legdrop.
- Greg Valentine defeated Koko B. Ware by submission with the figure-four leglock.

Today in Wrestling History September 23rd

1968 - WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeats Rocky Fitzpatrick with a backbreaker in the main event of a card at Madison Square Garden. Fitzpatrick is also known as Bob Orton Sr., grandfather of current WWE star Randy Orton.

1987 - WWF taped their twelfth Saturday Night's Main Event show at the Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The show would air on October 3rd, earning a 9.7 rating for NBC.
Here are the results from the televised portion of the show:

- Randy Savage defeated Intercontinental Champion Honky Tonk Man via disqualification.
As the Hart Foundation worked over Savage, Miss Elizabeth brought Hulk Hogan out to help Savage, starting the storyline that would eventually lead to Hogan and Savage teaming as the Megapowers.


- WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan defeated Samoan Sika.

- King Kong Bundy defeated Paul Orndorff.



2001 - WWE holds their Unforgiven Pay-per-view in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, highlighted by hometown hero Kurt Angle defeating Steve Austin for the WWF World Heavyweight Title, Angle's second World Title win.
The show also saw Christian defeat Edge for the Intercontinental Title and Rhyno defeat Yoshihiro Tajiri for the United States Title.

Today in Wrestling History September 13th

1986 - WWF tapes the seventh edition of Saturday Night's Main Event at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio. The show would air on NBC on October 4th, earning a 9.4 rating.

Here are the results of the show:

Aired on SNME:
- World Champion Hulk Hogan defeated Paul Orndorff via DQ when Adrian Adonis attacked Hogan. Roddy Piper, who had an injured leg, made the save, attacking Adonis with his crutch, then leaving the ring after a stare down with Hogan.
- Ricky Steamboat defeated Jake Roberts with a cradle. After the match, Jake Roberts went for his snake, but Steamboat pulled out a kimono dragon and scared off Roberts.


- Roddy Piper defeated The Iron Sheik with a small package in under a minute. Pedro Morales was going to substitute for the injured Piper, but Piper threatened to hit Morales with his crutch if he didn't leave the ring.
- World Tag Team Champions The British Bulldogs defeated Brutus Beefcake & Greg Valentine in a three falls match.
- Kamala defeated Lanny Poffo with a splash.
Matches not aired on television:
- Hercules Hernandez defeated Cousin Luke.
- Koko B. Ware defeated Mr. X.
- The Killer Bees defeated Jimmy Jack Funk & Jose Luis Rivera.
- Dick Slater defeated Steve Lombardi.

Saturday Night's Main Event

Here is the opening from WWF Saturday Night's Main Event October 29th 1988...A true classic opening.



Here is your Match of the Day, from that SNME, Jake The Snake Roberts vs Ravishing Rick Rude.

Saturday Night's Main Event 11/16/1988

This edition of SNME featured the WWF Champion "Macho Man" Randy Savage facing off against the 8th Wonder of the World, Andre the Giant.
In a switch Andre was the heel this time and it was for the WWF Heavyweight Title.
From Arco Arena in Sacramento California its Saturday Night's Main Event: