10 Best Wrestling Movies

R.I.P. Nick Bockwinkel

Nick Bockwinkel has passed away at the age of 81

One of the greatest of all time and with Ray Stevens they formed one of the best tag teams in the history of wrestling winning the AWA World Tag Team Titles on 3 occasions.
He was also one of the greatest World Heavyweight champions winning the AWA World Heavyweight Title 4 times.  He was so trusted and loved by AWA owner/promoter Verne Gagne when Stan Hansen refused to come back from Japan in 1986 to defend the title, he stripped him and handed it to Bockwinkel as a transition champion but left the title on him for 308 days.  Bockwinkel dropped the belt Curt Hennig on May 2nd 1987 at SuperClash 2 in San Francisco CA.

AWA World Tag Team Champions - The 1980s

The East-West Connection

(Jesse Ventura and Adrian Adonis)

AWA world tag team champions for 329 days 

(July 20th 1980 - June 14th 1981)

Won the belts by defeating Verne Gagne and Mad Dog Vachon in Winnipeg, Manitoba when Verne Gagne "no showed" the event and the belts were forfeited to Ventura and Adonis.

Lost the belts to The High Flyers (Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell) in Green Bay, WI.

Today In Wrestling History (August 31st)

Title Changes for August 31st

1945 – Ted Cox defeats Nature Boy Buddy Rogers to win the Texas Heavyweight Championship

1950 – Don Eagle defeated Gorgeous George to win the AWA (Ohio) World Heavyweight Championship

1951 – Art Neilson & Jack Steel defeated Farmer Jones & Al Massey to win the NWA Southern (Georgia) Tag Team Championship

1968 – Jose Lothario & Joe Scarpa defeated Professor Boris Malenko & Handsome Johnny Valentine to win the NWA Southern (Florida) Tag Team Championship

1968 – Verne Gagne defeated Dr. X (Dick Beyer) to win the AWA World Heavyweight Championship

1973 – Mr. Wrestling II defeated Cowboy Bill Watts to win the vacant NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship

1979 – Ole Anderson &"The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff defeat Stan "The Lariat" Hansen & "Wildfire" Tommy Rich to win the NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship

1983 – Jumbo Tsuruta defeated Bruiser Brody to win the NWA International (Japan) Heavyweight Championship

1986 – Eddie Gilbert & Sting defeated The Fantastics to win the vacant UWF World Tag Team Championship

1987 – Jerry "The King" Lawler defeated Don Bass in a Hair vs.Title Cage match to win the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship for the 51st time

1987 – Ted Arcidi won a Battle Royal to win the vacant WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship

1996 – Jamie Dundee defeated Wolfie D. to win the USWA Television Championship

1997 – PG-13 defeated Steven Dunn & Flash Flanagan to win the USWA World Tag Team Championship. This would be the final reign for the championship before the USWA closed in November 1997

1997 – Kensuke Sasaki defeated Shinya Hashimoto to win the NJPW IWGP Heavyweight Championship

2002 – El Dandy defeated Perro Aguayo, Jr. to win the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship

1981 Bockwinkel vs Gagne

July 18th 1981

Comiskey Park

Chicago IL

AWA World Heavyweight Title

Nick Bockwinkel

(Champion)

vs

Verne Gagne

Gagne wins the AWA World title for the 10th and final time

AWA World Tag Team Title

1983 -  its the AWA Tag Team Champions, The Sheiks (Jerry Blackwell and Ken Patera) managed by Sheik Adnan Al Kassie  defending against the team of Mad Dog Vachon and Dick the Bruiser.

Minneapolis Minnesota
(this is near the end but its still fun to watch to crazies like Bruiser and Vachon tag together.  What are the odds a match involving those 2 would end in a double DQ with them just beating the daylights out of Blackwell and Patera, such good stuff.

Superbrawl 1993 and 1994 - Legends Reunion

From the 1993/94/95 WCW PPV the "inductions" of wrestling legends into the "WCW Hall of Fame".  I dont know if they even have these plaques up anywhere anymore, if they ever did.  Its a shame because they were doing it right by getting "ALL" of the legends induction as soon as possible and giving them the respect they so deserved.

You cant really argue with any of the inductees of any of classes.  I was kind of surprised how nervous and sloppily Gordon Solie handled the first year...maybe he wasn't used to being live on tv in front of that size of crowd or maybe WCW just threw him out there and just wanted it fast and over.
1995 clip starts at about 3:50. This ended after 1995 when Gordon Solie resigned from WCW in protest over the induction of Angelo Poffo. Gordon felt he was unqualified for the Hall of Fame and was only inducted as a favor to one WCW top draws Randy Savage, since Angelo was his father.

The History of the AWA World Title

New Stan Hansen Book

This is for the fans that love Stan "The Lariat" Hansen and his unpredictable and crazy style.  I am one that misses the "dont know what is going to happen next" style that he made famous all over the world.


This  is his story in his own words about everything you wanted to know...from Japan, to King Kong Brody to Bruno's broken neck to the AWA Title and what happened between him and Verne Gagne....good looking stuff from the all the excerpts you can read at the link post below.

Highspots is selling it...click this link.

Today In Wrestling History April 12th

1958 - Verne Gagne defeats Dick the Bruiser in Chicago, Illinois to win the Chicago/Detroit NWA United States Heavyweight Title, beginning his second reign, which carried over into the AWA. Gagne held the title until August 1960 when he won the AWA World Title.


1968 - Mr. Wrestling defeats El Mongol in Atlanta, Georgia to win the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title, ending Mongol's fourth reign and beginning Mr. Wrestling's second


1980 - The Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika) defeat Ivan Putski and Tito Santana for the WWF World Tag Team Title in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.




1983 - Ron Bass and Stan Hansen defeat Giant Baba and Jumbo Tsuruta for the NWA International Tag Team Title in Matsuyama, Japan, ending Baba and Tsuruta's fourth reign.


1987 - The first of three untimely deaths by suicide in the Von Erich family occured when Mike Von Erich intentionally overdosed on Placidyl, a tranqulizer. The overdose occurred after Mike wrapped himself in a sleeping bag in the woods near his home. He was one-third of the World Class Six-Man Tag Team Champions at the time, along with Kevin and Lance Von Erich. Mike had replaced his brother Kerry in the team after he was injured in a motorcycle accident during the previous summer. Mike Von Erich was just 23 years old.


1987 - Rick Steiner and Sting defeat Chris Adams and Terry Taylor to win the UWF World Tag Team Title in Atlanta, Georgia.




2002 - The WWF Hardcore Title changes hands four times at a house show in Amarillo, Texas. William Regal, the original challenger for the title, became a brief double-champion (he also held the WWF European Title) when he won the title from Bubba Ray Dudley, ending Bubba Ray's third reign and beginning Regal's third. Spike Dudley began his second reign as Hardcore Champion by defeating Regal. Spike then lost the title to Goldust, his fourth title win. Bubba Ray Dudley left with the title though, beating Goldust, and beginning his fourth reign


2003 - All Japan Pro Wrestling held the 13th and final event of its annual Champion's Carnival tour at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan with 16,000 fans in attendance. The results were:
- Gran Hamada pinned Gran Naniwa.
- Gigantes and George Hines beat Hiroshi Hase and Masayuki Kono, when Gigantes pinned Kono.
- Ryuki Ueyama defeated Ryuji Hijikata by submission.
- Kaz Hayashi and Jimmy Yang beat Omega Griffon and NWA International Junior Heavyweight Champion Low Ki, when Hayashi pinned Griffon.
- AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Champion Kendo Kashin defeated Carl Contini by submission to retain the title.
- Shinjiro Otani and Masato Tanaka defeated Hideki Hosaka and Shigeo Okumura, when Otani pinned Hosaka.
- AJPW All Asia Tag Team Champion Nobutaka Araya, Nobukazu Hirai and Genichiro Tenryu defeated Tomohiko Hashimoto, Tomoaki Honma and Kazushi Miyamoto, when Araya pinned Hashimoto.
- Keiji Muto and AJPW Unified World Tag Team Champion Satoshi Kojima defeated Masa Fuchi and Toshiaki Kawada, when Kojima pinned Fuchi.
- AJPW Triple Crown Champion Shinya Hashimoto defeated AJPW All Asia Tag Team Champion Arashi by TKO to retain his title.

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.

Today in Wrestling History July 18th

1980 - Verne Gagne defeats Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA World Heavyweight Title for his tenth, and final, time in Chicago, Illinois. Gagne would retire ten months later, still the champion.



1989 - Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard defeat Demolition for the WWF World Tag Team Title in Worcester, Massachusetts, ending the first title reign for Ax & Smash. This win made Anderson & Blanchard the first duo to have held both the NWA and WWF World Tag Titles.

1993 - At Beach Blast, Ric Flair defeats Barry Windham for the NWA World Heavyweight Wrestling Title in Biloxi, Mississippi. This marked Flair's tenth and final run with the NWA World Title (this was actually the revived NWA World Title, which some title histories don't count as a "World" Title). WCW would withdraw from the NWA during Flair's reign, and the title would become known as the "WCW International World Title".
Here are the full results from the Pay-per-view, which was held at the Gulf Coast Coliseum:
- WCW Television Champion Paul Orndorff defeated Ron Simmons via disqualification when Simmons threw Orndorff over the top rope.
- 2 Cold Scorpio & Marcus Bagwell defeated Tex Slashinger & Shanghai Pierce when Scorpio pinned Pierce after a 450 splash.
- Steven Regal defeated Erik Watts when Bill Dundee hit Watts with an umbrella, allowing Regal to roll him up for the pin.
- Johnny B. Badd defeated Maxx Payne with a flying bodypress.
- WCW World Tag Team Champions Brian Pillman & Steve Austin defeated Paul Roma & Arn Anderson when Austin pinned Roma after Pillman ran in and reversed a rollup Roma had on Austin.

- Dustin Rhodes vs. Rick Rude in an Ironman match for the held-up U.S. Title ended in a 30-minute draw with each wrestler only having one fall. Rude pinned Rhodes at the 13 minute mark, then Rhodes pinned Rude to tie it up with three minutes left. Rude continuously kicked out of Rhodes' moves until the time ran out.
- Ric Flair defeated Barry Windham to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title when Windham was pinned in a figure four while reaching for the ropes.
- Sting & Davey Boy Smith defeated Big Van Vader & Sid Vicious when Smith pinned Vader with a crucifix. This match featured the "memorable" vignettes leading up to it that included Vader & Sid hiring a midget to blow up a boat that Sting & Smith were on. No, I'm not kidding.




1999 - Balls Mahoney & Spike Dudley defeat The Dudley Boyz for the ECW World Tag Team Championship in Dayton, Ohio, ending Buh-Buh Ray & D-Von's sixth title reign.