Today’s TDIPWH is presented in two parts. The second part will focus on the career and life of Dusty Rhodes, who would have turned 71 today.
30 years ago today in Dallas, Texas, Kevin Von Erich defeated Black Bart to win the WCCW World Heavyweight Championship.
27 years ago today, James "Koko B." Ware and WWF executive Jim Troy are involved in a physical altercation while on their European tour. Ware was fired immediately following the altercation, which saw him tackle Troy through a plate glass window.
An investigation following the incident revealed that Troy was the instigator after he used racial slurs during an argument. Troy would eventually resign from the company, and James rehired.
Ware's most notable for being the first man to lose to Mr. Perfect, the first man to be Tombstoned by The Undertaker, and the first man to lose on Monday Night RAW, to Yokozuna in 1993.
24 years ago today in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Bret Hart defeated Ric Flair to win the WWF Championship.
Hart is the first man to win the WWF's top prize at an untelevised event since Hulk Hogan in 1984—and would be the last until Diesel did it in 1994.
18 years ago today on Nitro in Chicago, Illinois (WWE Network link), Sting and The Warrior defeated Bret Hart and Hollywood Hogan via disqualification.
This would be Warrior's last free televised match ever; he would wrestle just once more for WCW, the infamous Hogan-Warrior rematch at Halloween Havoc a couple weeks later.
18 years ago today on RAW is WAR from Uniondale, New York (WWE Network link), Ken Shamrock defeated X-Pac to win the vacated WWF Intercontinental Championship.
The title was vacated three days earlier when Triple H suffered a knee injury during a house show.
16 years ago today at a Smackdown taping in Birmingham, Alabama (WWE Network link), The Rock ‘n Sock Connection (The Rock & Mankind) defeated The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg & Billy Gunn) to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.
It’s the fifth time the tag titles have changed hands since Summerslam, and the eleventh title change since Wrestlemania XV.
On the same taping, Big Bossman defeated Al Snow and The Big Show in a triple threat match to win the WWF Hardcore Championship.
12 years ago today at a TNA Impact taping at Universal Orlando, Team Canada's Bobby Roode and Eric Young defeated Christopher Daniels and James Storm to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
8 years ago today, The Wrestler makes its United States premiere at the New York Film Festival.
The film directed by Darren Aronofsky chronicles aging wrestler Robin Ramzinski, aka Randy "The Ram" Robinson, trying to recapture the fame of his 1980s heyday while maintaining a relationship with his estranged daughter and his stripper girlfriend.
The film would get a wide release in late 2008. Though it made just $44 million at the box office, it would gain many critical honors, including the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, an Academy Award nomination for Mickey Rourke, and an Oscar for Marisa Tomei.
8 years ago today, TNA presented Bound for Glory IV from the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
In a preshow dark match, Eric Young & Sojourner Bolt defeated Lance Rock & Christy Hemme.
Jay Lethal won a Steel Asylum Match. Other participants included Sonjay Dutt, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, Curry Man, Jimmy Rave, Petey Williams, Johnny Devine, Shark Boy, and Super Eric.
ODB, Rhaka Khan, and Rhino defeated The Beautiful People (Angelina Love, Velvet Sky, and Cute Kip) in a six-person intergender tag team Bimbo Brawl. Traci Brooks was the special referee.
Sheik Abdul Bashir defeated Consequences Creed to retain the TNA X Division Championship.
Taylor Wilde defeated Awesome Kong and Roxxi in a three-way match to retain TNA Women's Knockout Championship.
Beer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode and James Storm) defeated Abyss and Matt Morgan, Team 3D (Brother Ray and Brother Devon) and The Latin American Xchange (Homicide and Hernandez) in a four-team Monsters Ball match to retain TNA World Tag Team Championship. Steve "Mongo" McMichael was the special referee.
Booker T defeated Christian Cage and A.J. Styles in a three-way match.
Jeff Jarrett defeated Kurt Angle. Mick Foley was the special enforcer.
Sting defeated Samoa Joe to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. This was the third straight year that Sting ended TNA's signature show with the world title.
7 years ago today on RAW from Indianapolis, Indiana (WWE Network link), Jillian Hall defeated Mickie James in just 76 seconds to win the WWE Divas Championship.
She would lose the title less than five minutes later when guest host Nancy O'Dell orders a match against the returning Melina. Melina would defeat Jillian in just 26 seconds to win the Divas Championship.
6 years ago today, Brittany Beede, who worked for WWE as Jamie Keyes, is released from the company just a week after her elimination from NXT.
2 years ago today, TNA and Wrestle-1 co-present Bound for Glory X from Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
A traditional four-sided ring was used for the event (TNA had recently returned to using the six-sided ring). Also, the event aired on tape delay in the United States.
This was the first time that the company's world champion was not used at TNA's signature event.
Minoru Tanaka defeated Manik.
Ethan Carter III defeated Ryota Hama.
MVP defeated Kazma Sakamoto.
Samoa Joe defeated Low Ki and Kaz Hayashi in a three-way match to retain the TNA X Division Championship.
Andy Wu and El Hijo del Pantera defeated Novus (Jiro Kuroshio and Yusuke Kodama).
Team 3D (Bully Ray and Devon) defeated Abyss and Tommy Dreamer.
Havok defeated Velvet Sky to retain the TNA Knockouts Championship.
The Great Muta & Tajiri defeated James Storm & The Great Sanada.
1 year ago today, New Japan Pro Wrestling presented King of Pro-Wrestling fom Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. The event, held on the country’s National Sports Day, was the first to be presented on NJPW World with English commentary.
Jushin Thunder Liger, Kushida, Máscara Dorada, Ryusuke Taguchi and Tiger Mask defeated David Finlay, Jay White, Juice Robinson, Sho Tanaka and Yohei Komatsu.
Tomoaki Honma defeated Yoshi-Hashi.
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Manabu Nakanishi, Satoshi Kojima and Yuji Nagata defeated Captain New Japan, Hirooki Goto, Katsuyori Shibata and Kota Ibushi.
reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly) defeated Roppongi Vice (Beretta and Rocky Romero) to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.
Kenny Omega defeated Matt Sydal to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Kazushi Sakuruba, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Toru Yano defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Doc Gallows, and Karl Anderson).
Tomohiro Ishii defeated Togi Makabe to win the NEVER Openweight Championship.
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Tetsuya Naito to retain his right to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 10.
Kazuchika Okada defeated AJ Styles to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.