July 1st – On This Day In Wrestling History

1991 – Ric Flair is stripped of the WCW Championship. Depending on who is telling the story, Flair either quit or was fired after he refused to take a drastic pay cut and wouldn’t sign a new contract. He was making $780,000 a year but WCW executive vice-president Jim Herd was offering $350,000 to Flair to stay with the company. Flair refused and is was made known that he was heading for the WWF and taking the title with him. As well as being the WCW Champion, Ric was the NWA Champion and it was the NWA ‘Big Gold Belt’ that he was keeping hold of. Anyone that won the NWA World Championship was required to put down a $25,000 deposit so that the NWA could be confident the champ wouldn’t suddenly take it to another company. In exchange, their deposit plus any interest accrued over their title reign would be returned to them when they lost the title. Therefore Flair said the belt technically belonged to him and so he mailed it to Vince McMahon and it began to be shown on WWF TV by Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan, teasing the arrival of the Nature Boy. Flair officially became a free agent on August 1st and made his WWF television debut in September.

1995 – ECW Hardcore Heaven took pace at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On the show:

• Snot Dudley and Dudley Dudley defeated The Pitbulls (#1 and #2).
• Dino Sendoff and Don E. Allen fought Chad Austin and The Broad Street Bully to a no contest.
• Hack Meyers defeated Big Malley.
• 2 Cold Scorpio defeated Taz.
• Raven and Stevie Richards defeated Tommy Dreamer and Luna Vachon to retain the ECW World Tag Team Championship belts.
• In a Taipei Deathmatch Axl Rotten defeated Ian Rotten.
• The Sandman retained the ECW World Heavyweight Championship against Cactus Jack.
• The Public Enemy (Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge) defeated The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustafa Saed).

1998 – At an OVW TV Taping in Jeffersonville, Indiana, Cousin Otter and Jebediah Blackhawk defeated Dave The Rave and Juan Hurtado by forfeit to win the OVW Southern Tag Team Titles, due to Dave The Rave not showing up for the match.

1999 – WWF announced on their website that they’ve signed Chris Jericho to a multi-year deal, and he would go on to make his debut the next month by interrupting a promo by The Rock.

2000 – IWA-MS Heroes, Hurt & Hot Wax took place in Charlestown, Indiana. In the main event of the show Rollin’ Hard defeated Ian Rotten in a Four Corners Of Pain match to win the IWA:MS Heavyweight Title.

2001 – Three titles changed hands at wXw Dead End in Essen, Germany. Firstly SigMasta Rappo and Thomas Blade defeated Ares and Double C. to become the wXw World Tag Team Champions. Crazy Sexy Mike beat German Kid for the wXw Highflying Trophy Title, and then later in the show Mad Cow defeated Chris The Bambikiller to win the wXw Heavyweight Title.

2002 – WWE Monday Night Raw was held in Manchester, New Hampshire. The min event of the show saw The Undertaker retain the WWE Undisputed Championship in a Ladder match against Jeff Hardy. The end of the match came about when the Undertaker Chokeslammed Hardy off of the top of the ladder and pulled down the title to get the win. After the match, Jeff wouldn’t stay down and so ‘Taker got back in the ring and hit him with the Last Ride Powerbomb. As The Undertaker rode his motorbike up the ramp, Hardy got on the mic and said ‘you haven’t broke me, I’m still standing.’ This prompted the Dead Man to get back to the ring once more but instead of beating Hardy again he raised his hand in a sign of respect. Ten years later in the lead up to Raw’s 1000th show, this match would be voted as the fifth best in the history of Monday Night Raw.

2003 – At a taping of WWE Smackdown! in Rochester, New York, The World’s Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas) defeated Eddie Guerrero and Tajiri to become the WWE Tag Team Champions.

2004 – DDT Audience was held in the Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan. The DDT Iron Man Heavy Metal Title changed hands when KENSHIN defeated Danshoku Dino, and in the main event of the show Ryuji Ito and Sanshiro Takagi beat GENTARO and Takashi Sasaki to win the KO-D Tag Team Titles.

2007 – Day Two of 1PW Know Your Enemy was held in Doncaster, England. On the show the 1PW Openweight Title was won by James Wallace when he defeated PAC.

2012 – At the AJPW/NJPW 40th Anniversary: Pro Wrestling Love in Ryogoku from the New Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan, Akebono and Ryota Hama defeated Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi to win the All Asia Tag Team Titles.

2012 – AIW Absolution VII was held at Turner’s Hall in Cleveland, Ohio. Three titles changed hands on the show which were:

• Kodama and Obariyon outlasted Flip Kendrick and Louis Lyndon, and Josh Prohibition and Matt Cross in a Three-Way Tag Team match to become the AIW Tag Team Champions.
• B.J. Whitmer beat Bobby Beverly to take the AIW Intense Championship.
• In the main event Tim Donst won a Four-Way match against Eric Ryan, Johnny Gargano, and Shiima Xion to become the AIW Absolute Champion.

2015 – In the main event of CZW Dojo Wars 34 in Blackwood, New Jersey, Frankie Pickard defeated Joe Gacy for the CZW Wired TV Title.

2017 – On Day One of NJPW G1 Special in USA in Long Beach, California, Hanson and Raymond Rowe won a No Disqualification Tag Team match against Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) to win the IWGP World Tag Team Titles.

2017 – In Cologne, Germany, David Starr won a Three-Way match against Angélico and Emil Sitoci to become the wXw Shotgun Champion.

2017 – HOG Never Trust a Snake was held at the Queensboro Elk’s Lodge in Elmhurst, New York. The New York Wrecking Krew (Smooth Blackmon and Chris Seaton) won the vacant HOG Tag Team Titles, and then in the main event HOG World Heavyweight Champion Anthony Gangone defeated HOG Crown Jewel Champion Lio Rush in a Title vs. Title match to win both belts.

2017 – Four titles changed hands at OVW Saturday Night Special: Anarchy in Louisville, Kentucky.

• David Lee Lorenze III outlasted both Jade Dawson and Reverend Stuart Miles in a Triple Threat match to win the OVW Television Title.
• In the very next match, David Lee Lorenze III lost the OVW Television Title to Big Zo.
• Mickie Knuckles defeated Cali in a Hardcore match to win the OVW Women’s Title.
• The main event saw Adam Revolver pin Big Jon to become the OVW Heavyweight Champion.

2018 – At IWA-MS We’re Still Breathing in Memphis, Indiana, Logan James defeated Jake Lander to win the IWA:MS Junior Heavyweight Title.

2018 – On Day Two of NJPW/RevPro Strong Style Evolved UK in Manchester, England, Minoru Suzuki beat Tomohiro Ishii to take the RevPro British Heavyweight Championship.

2020 – Night One of WWE NXT Great American Bash was held at the Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. On the show:

• Tegan Nox outlasted Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, and Mia Yim in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match to become the #1 contender for the NXT Women’s Championship.
• Timothy Thatcher defeated Oney Lorcan by submission.
• Rhea Ripley defeated Aliyah and Robert Stone by submission in an Intergender Handicap match, making them both tap out at the same time.
• Dexter Lumis defeated Roderick Strong with the Silence submission in a Strap match.
• Io Shirai defeated Sasha Banks by pinfall after hitting her with the Moonsault.

2020 – Night Two of WWE NXT Great American Bash was taped at the Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, and would air on July 8th. On the show:

• Tony Nese defeated Leon Ruff.
• Candice LeRae defeated Mia Yim in a Sreet Fight.
• Bronson Reed defeated Tony Nese after hitting him with a Superfly Splash to get the pin.
• Johnny Gargano defeated Isaiah “Swerve” Scott by pinfall.
• Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Raul Mendoza) defeated Drake Maverick and Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) in a Six-Man Tag Team match, with Escobar getting the pin on Maverick.
• Mercedes Martinez defeated Santana Garrett in less than three minutes.
• NXT North American Champion Keith Lee defeated NXT Champion Adam Cole in a Winner Takes All match to become a double champion and ending Cole’s reign at 403 days.

2020 – Night One of AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest was held at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. It was originally supposed to take place at Wembley Arena in London, England, but had to change locations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On the show:

• Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus) (with Marko Stunt) defeated MJF and Wardlow, with Luchasaurus getting the pinfall on Wardlow.
• Hikaru Shida defeated Penelope Ford to retain the AEW Women’s World Championship.
• Cody retained the AEW TNT Championship against Jake Hager.
• Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) defeated The Inner Circle (Santana and Ortiz) after hitting the Gin N Juice and getting the pin.
• Kenny Omega and Adam Page defeated Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent) to retain the AEW Tag Team Titles.

Notable Wrestling Birthdays:

• K. C. Spinelli (1985)
• Chessman (1975)
• Abismo Negro (1971)