Ric Flair makes his pro debut, Kenta Kobashi announces his retirement, and Scott Steiner drops a lawsuit, all on This Day In Wrestling History!

December 10th brings us some more interesting tidbits from history. Today is the day that Ric Flair had his debut match! 2012 being the year of lawsuits, the clouded retirement of Kenta Kobashi and RAW’s 15th Anniversary special are highlighted in today’s edition of TDIWH.

Born On This Day

• 1975 – Steven Richard Bisson (Steve Bradley)
• 1977 – Jesus Guadalupe Delgado Saldana (Essa Rios)
• 1979 – Matthew James Bentley
• 1984 – Jayson Paul (JTG)

This Day In Wresting History

1957 – The Atomic Blonds (Johnny Valentine & Chet Wallich) defeated Joe & Guy Brunetti for the AWA World Tag Team Title in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1968 – The Medics (Billy Garrett & Jim Starr) defeat Wahoo McDaniel & Jose Lothario in the finals of a tournament to become the first NWA Florida Tag Team Champions.

1972 – Ric Flair makes his professional wrestling debut, going to a ten minute draw with George “Scrap Iron” Gadaski, during an AWA show.

1973 – Antonio Inoki defeats Johnny Powers for the NWF World Heavyweight Title in Tokyo, Japan, ending Powers’ second title reign.

1973 – Bruno Sammartino defeated Stan Stasiak to win the WWWF Championship. The win made Sammartino the first man to win the WWWF title more than once.

1975 – Terry Funk defeats Jack Brisco to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title in Miami, Florida. This match ended Brisco’s second reign with the belt, and also made Terry and Dory Funk, Jr. the only brothers to both hold the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

1977 – Don Kent defeats Lanny Poffo in Chattanooga, Tennessee to win the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Title for the fourth time.

1980 – Antonio Inoki & Bob Backlund defeat Hulk Hogan & Stan Hansen in the finals of a tournament to win New Japan’s first annual MSG Tag League.

1981 – Andre The Giant & Rene Goulet defeat Antonio Inoki & Tatsumi Fujinami in the finals of a tournament to win New Japan’s second annual MSG Tag League.

1982 – Antonio Inoki & Hulk Hogan defeat Killer Khan & Tiger Toguchi in the finals of a tournament to win New Japan’s third annual MSG Tag League.

1995 – Combat Toyoda defeats Shark Tsuchiya in Tokyo, Japan to win the FMW Independent World Women’s Title for the second time.

1999 – Genichiro Tenryu defeats Keiji Mutoh in Osaka, Japan to win New Japan’s IWGP Title. This marked the end of Mutoh’s third and final reign.

2000 – Super Crazy defeats Sean Hill to win the IWA Junior Heavyweight Title in Moca, Puerto Rico.

2000 – WWF held their Armageddon event at the Jefferson Civic Center in Birmingham, Alabama, headlined by the first  six-person Hell In A Cell match.

• In a preshow Sunday Night Heatmatch, Scotty 2 Hotty defeated D’Lo Brown.
• The Radicalz (Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn, and Eddie Guerrero) defeated The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff) and Lita 3-2 in a six-person intergender elimination match.
• William Regal defeated Hardcore Holly to retain the WWF European Championship.
• Val Venis defeated Chyna.
• Chris Jericho defeated Kane in a Last Man Standing match.
• Edge and Christian defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von), Right to Censor (Bull Buchanan and The Goodfather), and Road Dogg and K-Kwik in a Fatal Four-Way match to win WWF Tag Team Championship.
• Chris Benoit defeated Billy Gunn to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
• Ivory defeated Trish Stratus and Molly Holly in a triple threat match to retain the WWF Womens Championship.
• Kurt Angle defeated Stone Cold teve Austin, Triple H, The Undertaker, Rikishi, and The Rock in a six-man Hell in a Cell to retain the WWF Championship.

2006 – TNA presented Turning Point from the Impact Zone at Universal Orlando.

• In a preshow match, Lance Hoyt and Ron Killings defeated Serotonin (Martyr, Kazarian and Havok).
• Senshi defeated Alex Shelley, Sonjay Dutt, Austin Starr, and Jay Lethal in a five-man elimination Paparazzi Championship Series match.
• Eric Young defeated Ms. Brooks in a bikini contest.
• Christopher Daniels (c) defeated Chris Sabin to retain the TNA X Division Championship. Jerry Lynn was the special referee.
• AJ Styles defeated Rhino.
• Latin American Exchange (Hernandez & Homicide) defeated America’s Most Wanted (Chris Harris & James Storm) in a tag team flag match.
• Abyss defeated Christian Cage and Sting in a three-way match to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
• Samoa Joe defeated Kurt Angle.

2007 – WWE presented the RAW 15^th Anniversary special  from the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The show was filled with cameos: Big Dick Johnson, Howard Finkel, Bastion Booger, Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco, Stephanie McMahon, Sunny, Eric Bischoff, Lita, Trish Stratus, and Stone Cold Steve Austin all made appearances on the show.

• In a dark match, DH Smith defeated Steve Corino.
• Jeff Hardy defeated Carlito in a ladder match to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
• Rob Van Dam defeated Santino Marella in just 44 seconds. This was Van Dam’s first match since leaving the company the previous year to tend to his wife who had cancer at the time.
• Evolution (Batista, Triple H, and Ric Flair) defeated Rated RKO (Randy Orton & Edge) and Umaga by disqualification.
• Hornswoggle versus The Great Khali ended in a no contest.
• “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase defeated Al Snow, Bart Gunn, Bob Backlund, Doink, Flash Funk, Gangrel, Gillberg, Irwin R. Schyster, Jim Neidhart, Pete Gas, Repo Man, Scotty 2 Hotty, Sgt Slaughter, Skinner, Steve Blackman and The Goon in a RAW 15th Anniversary 15-Man Battle Royal.
• Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly defeated Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch to win the World Tag Team Championship.
• Mr. Kennedy defeated Marty Jannetty.

2010 – Christopher Daniels defeated Eddie Edwards to win the ROH World Television Championship.

2012 – The Supreme Court ruled it would not hear an appeal regarding the Nancy Benoit case. Benoit’s family was attempting to have a dismissed judgment against Hustler Magazine reinstated. Hustler published nude photos of Benoit a year after she and her son Daniel were murdered by her husband, who then committed suicide. Benoit’s family had received a judgment of nearly $20 million, which was reduced and later thrown out during an appeal of the ruling. Hustler had argued that the photos were newsworthy and protected under the freedom of the press.

2012 – Kenta Kobashi announced he was set to retire next year. The announcement was the second concerning him in less than a week. The promotion issued a press release saying that Kobashi has been released from his contract. This came  just months after Kobashi resigned from his post as executive vice-president. In response, Atsushi Aoki, Go Shiozaki, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru all announced their intentions to become free agents when their contracts expired in January out of loyalty to Kobashi.

2012 – Scott Steiner dropped his counter-suit against TNA alleging non-payment of royalties and a lack of accounting for said royalties on Monday 12/10 via a letter to the court in Nashville.   TNA’s lawsuit against Steiner for his Twitter outbursts as well as a second lawsuit filed by Steiner alleging injury at the hands of an allegedly “in no condition to perform” Jeff Hardy at a Michigan TNA house show remain ongoing.

2013 – WWE announces that WrestleMania 31 would take place at the new Levi’s Stadium. Some WWE superstars were on hand for the announcement as well as 49ers tight end Vernon Davis.

Died On This Day

• None found