This Week In Pro Wrestling History (August 31 – September 6): A New WWE Title Belt Is Introduced, Debut Of WCW Monday Nitro
Birthdays
Image Credit: WWE
Jeff Hardy – August 31, 1977
The “Extreme Enigma” has had a long and storied career to date, and he’s only just this week turning 32! Hopefully he will return to WWE after his hiatus even better than when he left.
Image Credit: WWE
Mickie James – August 31, 1979
This Diva’s birthday lands on a Monday, but will WWE hold any sort of on air celebration like they did for Vince McMahon last week? I highly doubt it, but maybe she’ll get a decent match for once?
Image Credit: WWE
Sim Snuka – September 1, 1971
The son of “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka was with WWE for only a short time. He’s most notable for botching a spot in the epic Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels match at Wrestlemania 25 where he was dressed as a camera man that was supposed to catch The Deadman.
Image Credit: TNA
Jerry Jarrett – September 4, 1942
The co-founder of TNA, along with his son Jeff, isn’t seen very often on television nowadays, but the guys in the back have a tremendous amount of respect for him.
Image Credit: TNA, SHIMMER
Awesome Kong – September 4, 1977
The biggest Knockout on the TNA roster, and I do mean the BIGGEST, is a force to be reckoned with, and at just 32 years old, she’ll be making big strides in the business for years to come.
Image Credit: TNA
Consequences Creed – September 4, 1986
The Apollo Creed rip-off has only been in TNA for a short time, but he’s already had a run with gold in the form of the TNA Tag Team Championships with Jay Lethal. His star is on the rise, and I think big things are in this young man’s future.
Image Credit: WWE
Low Ki – September 6, 1979
Low Ki, or Kaval as he’s now known in FCW, has recently been nursing a serious knee injury, but he’s scheduled to make his in ring return shortly. Hopefully WWE don’t drop the ball with a talent like this man, as they have done with so many other wrestlers over the past few years.
Image Credit: WWE
Jillian Hall – September 6, 1980
I think we’ve just found the perfect replacement for Lillian Garcia’s announcing job on Monday Night RAW! Wouldn’t you just love to hear her introducing all of the matches from now on! It would be a great birthday present for the diva, but I don’t think anybody else would like it too much.
Image Credit: WWE
Bam Bam Bigelow
September 1 would have been Bam Bam’s 48th birthday. Drugs, diabetes, and a heart problem are not a good mix, and Bigelow was no exception. He was a rare talent in wrestling, and if he was still around these days then maybe he could teach the current super-heavyweights a thing or two.
WCW Monday Nitro
WCW’s first ever episode of Monday Nitro took place on September 4, 1995, from the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Featured on the show was one of the best cruiserweight matches to this day, Brian Pillman vs. Jushin Liger, as well as Ric Flair vs. US Champion Sting, WCW World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs. Big Bubba Rodgers, and the return of Lex Luger after making an appearance for WWF, without a contract, just the night before.
TNA Super X Cup
It was this week in 2003 when TNA first ever Super X Cup aired on television. The winner of the tournament was awarded with a shot at the X Division title, but first they would have to make it through multiple rounds and outlast the other combatants.
Superstars from all around the world converged on TNA to take part in the revolutionary eight man tournament, which included four wrestlers from USA, and one from each of Canada, Great Britain, Mexico, and Japan.
In the first round, each competitor from the United States was matched up with an international talent, and by the final it was down to Chris Sabin from USA and Juventud Guerrera from Mexico. Ultimately it was Sabin that walked away the victor of the tournament, but he wasn’t able to capture the X Division title when he got his shot at it.
All seven matches from the tournament are featured on the TNA DVD “The Ultimate X Collection.”
Clash Of The Champions
Image Credit: NWA
Clash Of The Champions XII (September 5, 1990), XVI (September 5, 1991), and XX (September 2, 1992) all took place this week in history. There were some absolute classic matches to come out of those events, such as the main event from the 12th anniversary show where after weeks of taunting, The Black Scorpion made his in ring debut, wrestling Sting for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Another noteworthy match to come out of the event was for the NWA United States Championship, and it was a 15 minute clinic between then-champion Lex Luger and Ric Flair.
Clash Of The Champions XVI was host to a battle royal that included several future legends and big name wrestlers such as a young Giant Gonzalez, Steve Austin, Kevin Nash as “Oz”, Dustin Rhodes a.k.a. Goldust, Bobby Eaton from the Midnight Express, Barry Windham, Tommy Rich, and many more. On the same night, Sting defended his WCW United States Championship, and Ron Simmons defeated Scott Hall.
WCW really pulled out all of the stops for the 20th anniversary of the event. Not only was the opening match between Ricky Steamboat and Steve Austin for the WCW World Television title, but also featured on the card was a WCW World Heavyweight title match between Ron Simmons and Cactus Jack, as well as an eight man elimination tag match between the team of Rick Rude, Jake Roberts, Super Invader, and Big Van Vader taking on the foursome of Sting, Nikita Koloff, and the Steiner Brothers.
Other superstars in action included Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton, Greg Valentine, Dustin Rhodes, and Barry Windham. The event was also the last U.S. television appearance of Andre The Giant before his untimely death early the following year.
Title Changes
Verne Gagne defeated Dr. X on August 31 in 1968. This would turn out to be Gagne’s second last run as the AWA champion, but it was also his longest as he was champion for a record 2625 days!
This week in 1980, Giant Baba defeated Harley Race for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. This was his third and final reign as the champion of the title, and it only lasted five days, taking his combined reign to 18 days. He makes Jeff Hardy look like Bruno Sammartino!
After a long fought rivalry between the NWA Television Champion Sting and The Great Muta in 1989, the two fought over the belt once more on September 3, this time with The Great Muta proving he was the better man on the day.
September 1, 1992, was the date when Ric Flair beat Randy Savage for the WWF Heavyweight Championship (as it was then called) at a live event in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Flair went on to hold the title for 41 days before losing it to Bret Hart. This was also Flair’s last reign as the champion of that title.
In an episode of Monday Night RAW from Knoxville on September 4, 2000, Eddie Guerrero, Chyna, and Kurt Angle competed in a triple threat match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Chyna was the champion going into the match, but it was Guerrero that walked away holding the belt above his head.
On the September 1, 2007 taping of ECW, CM Punk defeated the ECW Champion at the time, Johnny Nitro, to win his first, and so far only, ECW Championship. The match aired on television on September 4.
On the same day, Adam Pearce defeated Brent Albright in the final of the Reclaiming the Glory Tournament in Puerto Rico to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Pearce had been defeated in the semi-final of the tournament by Bryan Danielson, but Danielson had to withdraw from the tournament after suffering from a detached retina. Pearce substituted for him, and the rest as they say is history.
It was on Monday Night RAW on September 3 two years ago that Jeff Hardy won his fourth and most recent Intercontinental Championship by defeating Umaga and ending his 62 day reign. Jeff held the title for 190 days before violating WWE’s wellness policy for the second time and relinquishing the title to Chris Jericho shortly before Wrestlemania 24.
Other Significant Events
WCW’s Monday Nitro on September 6, 1999, featured a main event match of monumental proportions. It was a six man tag team match pitting the teams of Hulk Hogan, Sting, and Goldberg against Diamond Dallas Page, Sid Vicious, and Rick Steiner, inside a structure strikingly similar to WWE’s Hell In A Cell. If you’re interested, you can watch the match here.
After Brock Lesnar had won the WWE Undisputed Championship by defeating The Rock at SummerSlam in 2002, he was contracted to Smackdown the next week on September 2 by Stephanie McMahon where the title would be exclusive to his new brand. In retaliation, the then General Manager of RAW, Eric Bischoff, awarded Triple H with the new World Heavyweight Championship, making him the inaugural champion.
CM Punk this week becomes the fifth longest reigning combined World Heavyweight Champion since the belt’s creation seven years ago. Only Batista, Edge, and Triple H have held the title on more occasions than Punk, and Triple H has held it the longest with 616 days as champion.
Great stuff throughout history here, Scott.
Triple H held it the longest you say? What a shocker.