Wrestling History

May 31st – On This Day In Wrestling History

May 31st - On This Day In Wrestling History

1944 – At a live event in Mexico City, El Santo defeated Tuffy Truesdale to win the vacant Mexican National Middleweight Championship, he would hold the title for a full year and a day.

1956 – At a live event in Mexico City, El Santo won the vacant Mexican National Middleweight Championship and would hold the title for the better part of the next five years, losing it in March 1961.

1988 – At a taping of WWF Wrestling Challenge in Fresno, California, The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) made their re-debut and defeated the team of Steve Lombardi and Terry Gibbs. Michaels and Jannetty (as the Midnight Rockers) had been signed the previous year but then let go within weeks due to ‘partying too much.’

1998 – WWF Over the Edge: In Your House was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in front of 9,822 fans. On the show:

  • L.O.D. 2000 (Hawk and Animal) defeated D.O.A. (8-Ball and Skull) following interference by Droz on behalf of L.O.D.
  • Jeff Jarrett defeated Steve Blackman after Tennessee Lee interferred on Jarrett’s behalf.
  • Marc Mero defeated Sable in an Intergender Match with a Roll-Up pin, meaning that Sable had to leave the WWF.
  • Kaientai (Dick Togo, Men’s Teioh, and Sho Funaki) defeated Taka Michinoku and Justin Bradshaw in a hanicap match.
  • The Rock defeated Faarooq by pinfall to retain the WWF Intercontinental Title.
  • Kane defeated Vader in a Mask vs. Mask Match.
  • The Nation (Owen Hart, Kama Mustafa, and D’Lo Brown) defeated D-Generation X (Triple H, Billy Gunn, and Road Dogg). The match ended with Hart hitting Triple H with a Pedigree and getting the pin.
  • Steve Austin defeated Dude Love in a Falls Count Anywhere Match to retain the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Vince McMahon was the special guest referee, and The Undertaker was at ringside as the match enforcer. Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco tried to interfere but it caused Vince McMahon to get knocked out by a chair shot. The match ended with Austin counting the pin with an unconscious McMahon’s hand, followed by the Undertaker ordering the bell to ring.

1999 – On an episode of WCW Nitro in Houston, Texas, Bam Bam Bigelow and Diamond Dallas Page defeated Kanyon and Perry Saturn to win the WCW Tag Team Titles.

1999 – On WWF Monday Night RAW in Moline, Illinois, Jeff Jarrett defeated The Godfather to win the WWF Intercontinental Title. On the same show The Acolytes (Bradshaw and Faarooq) became WWF Tag Team Champions for the first time, after beating Kane and X-Pac.

2002 – OVW Summer Sizzler Series was held in Louisville, Kentucky. Flash and Trailer Park Trash defeated Nick Dinsmore and Rob Conway to become the OVW Southern Tag Team Title holders.

2002 – In Mexico City, Rey Bucanero and Ultimo Guerrero won a 2 Out Of 3 Falls Tag match against El Hijo Del Santo and Negro Casas to win the CMLL Tag Team Titles.

2003 – J. C. Bailey won the IWA:MS Lightheavyweight Title in Clarksville, Indiana, when he defeated Michael Todd Stratton.

2003 – Kaiju Big Battel Philly Factory Fighto was held at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. IN the main event of the show Hell Monkey beat Silver Potato to become the Kaiju Grand Champion.

2004 – WWE Monday Night RAW was in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In the opening match La Resistance (Robert Conway and Sylvain Grenier) defeated Chris Benoit and Edge to win the World Tag Team Championship belts.

2009 – At JAPW Full F’N Force in Rahway, New Jersey, Angel Orsini defeated Nikki Roxx to win the WSU Championship Title.

2010 – Day 10 of the JCW Happy Daze Tour was held in Denver, Colorado. The JCW Heavyweight Title was won by Corporal Robinson in a Four Corners Of Pain match after he beat Mad Man Pondo.

2013 – At the CMLL Super Viernes show in Mexico City, La Sombra defeated Shinsuke Nakamura in a 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match to become the IWGP Intercontinental Champion.

2014 – Day Four of NOAH Navigation with Breeze was in Tokyo, Japan. In the main event of the night Masato Tanaka and Takashi Sugiura became new GHC Tag Team Champions when they defeated MAYBACH Taniguchi and Takeshi Morishima.

2015 – IWA-MS Bad Intentions was in New Albany, Indiana. Kongo Kong retained the IWA:MS Heavyweight Title against Shane Mercer, then retained it again in the next match against Dewey Barnes, before losing the belt in his third defence of the night to Hy-Zaya.

2015 – WWE Elimination Chamber was held at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, in front of 7,000 fans. On the show:

  • On the kickoff show Stardust defeated Zack Ryder.
  • The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods) defeated Los Matadores (Diego and Fernando), The Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O’Neil), The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor), The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara), and Cesaro and Tyson Kidd in an Elimination Chamber Match to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship. The match ended with all three members of the New Day getting the pin on O’Neil.
  • Nikki Bella defeated Paige and Naomi in a triple threat match to retain the WWE Divas Championship.
  • In his main roster debut, NXT Champion Kevin Owens defeated WWE United States Champion John Cena by pinfall, but neither title was on the line.
  • Neville defeated Bo Dallas following a Red Arrow to get the pin.
  • Ryback outlasted King Barrett, R-Truth, Sheamus, Mark Henry, and Dolph Ziggler in an Elimination Chamber Match to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
  • In the main event WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins defended the title against Dean Ambrose. Towards the end of the match Rollins used the referee as a shield, knocking him out. Ambrose then hit Rollins with Dirty Deeds and a new ref counted the pin, giving Ambrose the win and the title. However, the decision was reversed after the original referee declared Rollins was disqualified for pulling him in front of Ambrose, meaning Rollins still lost the match but retained the belt.

2019 – CMLL Juicio Final was in Mexico City. Euforia and Gran Guerrero defeated Diamante Azul and Valiente in a 2 Out Of 3 Falls match to win the CMLL Tag Team Titles.

Notable Wrestling Birthdays:

  • Cody Hall (1991)
  • Montez Ford (1990)
  • Ross Von Erich (1988)
  • Marcela (1971)
  • Takashi Sugiura (1970)
  • Vampiro (1967)