Wrestling History

May 3rd – On This Day In Wrestling History

May 3rd - On This Day In Wrestling History

1987 – In Dallas, Texas, WCWA held the 4th Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions. The event was held by WCCW promoter Fritz Von Erich in memory of his sons David and Mike. On the show:

  • Matt Borne and Scott Casey defeated Black Bart and Jack Victory.
  • Steve Doll defeated Killer Tim Brooks.
  • Cousin Junior defeated The Grappler.
  • Red River Jack and Spike Huber defeated Abdullah the Butcher and Eli the Eliminator, and as the match stipulation Red River Jack got an immediate match against manager Gary Hart, which Jack won by count-out.
  • Mil Máscaras defeated Al Madril.
  • Skip Young defeated Brian Adias in a Lumberjack match.
  • WCWA World Heavyweight Champion Kevin Von Erich fought Nord the Barbarian to a double count-out to retain the title.
  • The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers) and Steve Simpson defeated the Rock ‘n’ Roll RPMs (Mike Davis and Tommy Lane) and Eric Embry in a Six-man Scaffold match.
  • In the main event of the night Bruiser Brody defeated Jeep Swenson.

1993 – WWF Champion Hulk Hogan defeated IWGP Heavyweight Champion the Great Muta at NJPW Wrestling Dontaku in Japan, although neither title was at stake. In a pre-match interview Hogan said that the WWF Championship was just a toy, and that the IWGP heavyweight title was the one he really wanted, which got him in to a lot of bother with WWF officials when he got back to America.

1995 – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku was held in Fukuoka, Japan, in front of 48,000 fans. Two titles changed hands on the show, the first was when Sabu defeated Koji Kanemoto to take the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title, then in the main event Keiji Mutoh became the new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion when he pinned Shinya Hashimoto.

1997 – NJPW Strong Style Evolution was in the Osaka Dome, Japan, in front of 47,000 fans. Manabu Nakanishi and Satoshi Kojima became the new IWGP World Tag Team champions after defeating Kensuke Sasaki and Riki Choshu.

1998 – Dave The Rave and Rip Rogers defeated Nick Dinsmore and Rob Conway at the OVW Jeffersonville Show in Indiana to win the OVW Southern Tag Team Titles.

1998 – ECW Wrestlepalooza ’98: On Enemy Turf was held at the Cobb County Civic Center in Marietta, Georgia, in front of 3,401 fans. On the show:

  • The bWo (The Blue Meanie and Super Nova) defeated The F.B.I. (Little Guido and Tracy Smothers).
  • Justin Credible defeated Mikey Whipwreck.
  • Chris Candido and Lance Storm defeated The Hardcore Chair Swingin’ Freaks (Balls Mahoney and Axl Rotten) to retain the ECW World Tag Team Championship.
  • Bam Bam Bigelow defeated New Jack.
  • Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman defeated The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von).
  • Rob Van Dam retained the ECW World Television Championship against Sabu when they fought to a 30-minute time limit draw.
  • Shane Douglas defeated Al Snow by pinfall to retain the ECW World Heavyweight Championship. It was the final PPV appearance for Snow before returning to the WWF later in the year.

2002 – Night One of IWA-MS Locked and Loaded was in the Knights Of Columbus Hall, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Ace Steel won the IWA:MS Lightheavyweight Title in a 30 Minute Iron Man match against Vic Capri, then later in the show Cash Flo and Ian Rotten defeated Mitch Page and Rollin’ Hard to become the new IWA:MS Tag Team champions.

2006 – In the main event of the OVW TV taping in Louisville, Kentucky, C.M. Punk defeated Brent Albright in a Strap match to win the OVW Heavyweight title.

2006 – At the NJPW New Japan Cup show in Fukoka, Japan, Koji Kanemoto defeated Tiger Mask to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

2008 – Three titles changed hands at IWA-MS Night of Champions which was held in Joliet, Indiana.

  • Cheech and Cloudy defeated Devon Moore and Mickie Knuckles to win the IWA:MS Tag Team Titles.
  • Corporal Robinson took the IWA:MS Deathmatch title after beating Danny Havoc.
  • In the main event Chuck Taylor defeated Claudio Castagnoli to become the new IWA:MS Heavyweight champion.

2008 – 1PW The Underground: Graduation Day was held in Edligton, England. In the main event Martin Stone defeated both Darkside and Lionheart in a Three-Way match to become the new 1PW Openweight champion.

2009 – SHIMMER Volume 26 was in Berwyn, Illinois. The Canadian NINJAs (Nicole Matthews and Portia Perez) defeated Ashley Lane and Neveah to win the SHIMMER Tag Team belts and would hold them for the next 692 days.

2010 – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku was held at the Fukuoka International Center in Fukuoka, Japan, in front of 6’000 people. Jushin Thunder Liger became the new CMLL Middleweight champion after beating Negro Casas, and then in a Three-Way Tag Team match Wataru Inoue and Yuji Nagata outlasted Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro Takahashi, and Giant Bernard and Karl Anderson to become the new IWGP World Tag Team champions. The main event saw Togi Makabe defeat Shinsuke Nakamura for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

2012 – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku took place at the Fukuoka International Center in Fukuoka, Japan. Low Ki became the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight after defeating Prince Devitt (now known as Finn Bálor) and the later in the show Takashi Iizuka and Toru Yano beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima for the IWGP World Tag Team belts.

2013 – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku was held at the Fukuoka International Center in Fukuoka, Japan. The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship belts were won by Alex Koslov and Rocky Romero after they beat Alex Shelley and KUSHIDA, and then Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima won a Four-Way Tag Team match against the teams of Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer, Manabu Nakanishi and Strongman, and Takashi Iizuka and Toru Yano to claim the IWGP World Tag Team titles.

2013 – Day One of EWF 17th Anniversary Extravaganza was held in Covina, California. Marty Elias defeated Brandon Gatson in a Street Fight to win the EWF Heavyweight Championship, but didn’t have it for long as in the main event Mike Maze won a 44 Man Great Goliath Royal Rumble to take the EWF Heavyweight belt.

2014 – In the main event of the NJPW Wrestling Dontaku show in Japan, A.J. Styles defeated Kazuchika Okada to win the IWGP World Heavyweight championship.

2015 – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku was held at the Fukuoka International Center in Fukuoka, Japan. Matt and Nick Jackson became the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions after winning a Three-Way Tag match against Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly, and Beretta and Rocky Romero. In the main event Hirooki Goto defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to win the IWGP Intercontinental championship.

2016 – Matt Sydal and Ricochet defeated Beretta and Rocky Romero at NJPW Wrestling Dontaku to become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team champions. Later in the show Kenny Omega and Matt and Nick Jackson took the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Titles after beating Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin and Yoshitatsu.

2017 – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku was back in Fukuoka, Japan. Only one title changed hands on the show and that was when BUSHI, EVIL and SANADA defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ricochet and Ryusuke Taguchi for the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team belts.

2018 – John Wayne Murdoch defeated Calvin Tankman at IWA-MS Derby Madness in Indiana, to win the IWA:MS Heavyweight title.

2018 – Day One of NJPW Wrestling Dontaku was held in Fukuoka, Japan. Marty Scurll and Matt and Nick Jackson won the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team belts when they defeated Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa.

2019 – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku was in Fukuoka, Japan. Taichi defeated Jeff Cobb to win the NEVER Openweight Championship, then in the main event Dragon Lee retained the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title against Taiji Ishimori.

Notable Wrestling Birthdays:

  • Heather Monroe (1990)
  • Dana Lee (1980)
  • Monsta Mack (1979)
  • Stu Hart (1915)