Today In Pro Wrestling History: May 31st

Well at least we end the month strong when it comes down to not having to really dig for things that kind of apply. There’s honestly a nice spread of dates, different promotions and different reasons to be on the list. Glad the month ended easier than some of these previous days!

• NJPW Crush The Super Heavy II (1991)

This event is on here for two reasons. First being the real birth of Scott Norton as a gaijin babyface. His match against Vader was a showcase of power and stiff striking hoss style. Since Vader was the monster foreign heel, when Norton hung with him easily and even won the match via countout, the crowd responded with support and this solidified him as one of the beloved gaijins of the 90s era. The second reason, is the Steiner Brothers. This show saw a Starrcade rematch, where Hiroshi Hase and Kensuke Sasaki were trying to regain the IWGP Tag Team titles they lost two months prior. The reign would last 229 days, with Hiroshi Hase changing tag members before eventually finding the right combination to reclaim the titles for New Japan.

• WWF Over the Edge: World Heavyweight Championship: Steve Austin (c) vs Dude Love (1998)

We got a pivotal moment in the Austin vs McMahon Attitude Era feud in this match! Vince McMahon was the special guest referee and Undertaker was the special enforcer. Vince kept adapting the rules to try and screw Austin, first it became NoDQ, then it became Falls Count Anywhere, so as Austin and Dude Love brawled, the deck was being stacked against Austin. When Vince was knocked out, the Stooges came out to try and fast count the screw job, but Undertaker put a stop to them. After on final Stunner on Dude Love, Vince was still knocked out, so Austin grabbed Vince’s arm and counted the three count manually. Overbooked chaos, but it was 22+ minutes of entertaining memories.

• ROH Do Or Die (2003)

This birthed the concept of Do or Die, proving grounds style of shows. But it wasn’t for fun, it was out of necessity because they had a depleted roster at the time. The event saw the debut of some future major players for the organization in Frankie Kazarian, Jimmy Rave and John Walters. Samoa Joe also had a great match against Homicide as the main event, which was an early feather in the cap for his lengthy 645 day reign.

• JCW Happy Daze Tour: Four Corners of Pain JCW Heavyweight Title: Mad Man Pondo (c) vs Corporal Robinson (2010)

We get a championship rematch 10 days after Pondo ended up breaking Robinson’s 1164 day reign as the JCW champion. While Pondo won previously thanks to his Ultraviolent style, Robinson met it head on with a Four Corners of Pain match. As you can assume, it was a different weapon in each corner. So another violent affair, but this time, Robinson won his title back. He held the title for another 324 days. Crazy to think he held the title for nearly 1500 days with only a week and half blip because of Pondo.

• CMLL Juicio Final (2019)

Another show with two very big moments. Firstly we can discuss the main event, Lucha de Apuestas Hair vs Hair, Ultimo Guerrero vs Mascara Ano 2000. In a classic feud of heel versus babyface stables, Ultimo was taking up the mantle and pride of Los Guerreros against the heel faction New Generation Dinamitas. After the Dinamitas left him laying and embarrassed, Ultimo wanted his pound of flesh. So in an intense generational classic, even filled with both wrestlers using closed fist punches to get across the hatred, Ultimo ended up winning and shaving Ano 2000 bald. The other match was Career vs Career, Metalico vs Virus. Metalico was a beloved mid carder, but always seen as an underperformer and Virus was a technical master heel. Virus was cold and calculated, dismantling Metalico and eventually making him submit to his Scorpion Cross Lock (Bull Nakano‘s Angelito). Thusly, forcing Metalico to retire in the ring he started in.

• AAA Alianzas: Mega Championship: Alberto el Patron (c) vs El Hijo del Vikingo (2025)

This is memorable for different reasons than just the match. Yes, Vikingo is the golden boy of AAA and the luchador with the most international hype over the years, but there’s more here. About a month prior, WWE announced the acquisition of AAA and we all know that WWE and Alberto don’t have a good relationship. So this match was on everyone’s radar to see if AAA would have Alberto drop it because he wasn’t welcomed in the WWE ecosystem. And look at that, Vikingo defeated Alberto to start his second reign as Mega champion, and Alberto was gone baby gone. The history here is that it’s one of the first big wrinkles felt from the WWE acquisition.

Well, with all of the Lucha love thanks to the El Grandes, it feels fitting to have two Lucha Promotions end this article. I’m just glad there was finally stuff that wasn’t a crazy stretch today.

Did I miss anything? How far did I stretch the events today? Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments. And if you don’t do anything else today, remember, Always Use Your Head!