This Week In Wrestling from WrestlingClassics.com
Mark Nulty
WrestlingClassics.com
To get to the complete feature and actual programs from Dallas, Florida and
Calgary, go to the WrestlingClassics.com home page. From there, go to the
Museum Section and click the This Week In Wrestling link.
12/12/77 - Fritz Von Erich beats "Killer" Ox Baker in Dallas to capture the
American heavyweight championship.
12/12/86 - "Dr. Death" Steve Williams beats Universal Wrestling Federation
champion One Man Gang, managed by General Sckandor Ackbar, to win the
$50,000 Pro Wrestling Illustrated Cup tournament in Houston.
12/12/90 - "Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko jumps ship from his father-in-law
Verne Gagne's AWA to sign with WCW. He is therefore stripped of the AWA
World heavyweight championship. Zbyszko remains with WCW to this day.
12/13/81 - "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka & Bruiser Brody down Terry & Dory Funk in
the finals of the annual All Japan tag tournament, marked by the first All
Japan appearance of Stan "The Lariat" Hansen, who had recently left the
rival New Japan Pro Wrestling.
12/13/88 - AWA World champion Jerry "The King" Lawler beats World Class
Wrestling Association kingpin Modern Day Warrior Kerry Von Erich (with Frank
Dusek) at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago to unify the titles at the Super Brawl
3 pay-per-view.
12/13/89 - Sting wins a four-man iron man tournament over NWA World champ
Ric Flair, Lex Luger, and The Great Muta at Starrcade '89 in Atlanta's
historic Omni. After pinning Flair in the final bout, Sting is invited into
the Four Horsemen fold, joining the Nature Boy and his cohorts, Ole & Arn
Anderson.
12/13/89 - The Colossal Connection (Andre the Giant & Haku), managed by
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, down Demolition (Bill Eadie & Barry Darsow) in
Huntsville, AL to win the WWF tag team championship. Today, Haku is known in
WCW as Meng.
12/14/63 - Verne Gagne recaptures the AWA World heavyweight championship in
Minneapolis, beating The Crusher.
12/14/83 - The unpredictable Dick Slater, who is the Mid-Atlantic champ at
the time, beats former tag partner Greg "The Hammer" Valentine to capture
the U.S. heavyweight crown (JCP version) during a taping of Mid-Atlantic
Championship Wrestling at the Recreation Center in Shelby, NC.
12/14/89 - Bryan Adams & The Grappler win the Pacific Northwest tag belts
from The Southern Rockers (Steve Doll & Rex King) in Salem, Oregon.
12/14/98 - "The World's Most Dangerous Man' Ken Shamrock teams with the Big
Boss Man to down The New Age Outlaws (Bad Ass Billy Gunn & Road Dog Jesse
Jammes) in Tacoma, WA to capture the WWF tag team title.
12/15/63 - "The Babe Ruth of Puroresu," Rikidozan, dies from stab wounds
suffered in an alleged mob hit one week earlier.
12/15/77 - Terry & Dory Funk Jr. beat Abdullah the Butcher & the Sheik to
win the first annual World Tag League tournament in Tokyo, Japan.
12/15/95 - The legendary Stampede promotion comes alive again to commemorate
Stu Hart's 80th birthday. Billed as A Night to Remember, the show features
wrestlers from both WCW and the WWF.
12/16/66 - As a special attraction in San Diego, Victor the Wrestling Bear
beats future WWF superstar Mae Young, 33 years before her shining
achievement as a Raw is War T & A act.
12/16/77 - Rowdy Roddy Piper, wrestling under a mask as "The Canadian,"
beats Armando Guerrero in Los Angeles to capture the "NWA" Americas
heavyweight championship.