Today In Pro Wrestling History: May 5th

Well today has a bunch of more obscure shows for the general wrestling audience. A small sprinkle of western events, but most of the bigger moments were Japanese events. So while this may not be your cup of tea, you might find something that peaks your interest.

• WCCW 2nd Von Erich Parade of Champions II (1985)

This show helped to give WCCW the confidence to branch away from the NWA and become their own independent territory starting in 1986. But the show itself was something that many thought surpassed the previous year. A 2-ring NoDQ match for the NWA American Tag Titles, the car and cash trios match and a hair vs hair match, where Kerry von Erich defeated One Man Gang and shaved Gary Hart’s head. A pinnacle show at the height of the 80s arms race to survive WWF’s expansion.

• FMW 4th Anniversary Show (1993)

Most of us are aware of this show after the meme failure homage in AEW. This was the original No Ropes Exploding Barbed Wire Time Bomb Deathmatch. The combination of technical excellence on the undercard from Joshi legends Combat Toyoda & Megumi Kudo vs Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada, helped to establish FMW as a major player for both purists and entertainment enthusiast. Not to mention, Onita shielding Terry Funk as the ring explodes helped to make him a folk hero of sorts, since his compassion and deference for a Legend, even amidst a deathmatch, struck the right chord with Japanese audiences.

• Dragon Gate Dead or Alive (2014)

May 5th is synonymous with Dead or Alive (not the video game). This was the most significant of the series for two reasons. Ricochet was was double champion, both the Open the Freedom Gate from Dragon Gate USA and the Open the Dream Gate were in his possession. For clarity, those are the two respective highest belts in the promotions, Dragon Gate doesn’t use traditional terminology.  But the other reason, this show introduced a new gimmick to the Steel Cage 6-Way Survival Match, being the Scapegoat clause. The heels each had specific wrestlers who would take the punishment for them. So the price was hair in this match and since Naruki Doi failed, his scapegoat Kzy, was forced to have his shaved.

• WWE Monday Night Raw (2014)

Dean Ambrose came into this episode as the longest reigning US Champion since the title was absorbed by WWE, at 351 days. Since The Shield and Evolution had their issues, Trips used his stroke to force Dean into defending it in a 20 Person Battle Royal. While he nearly pulled it off, Sheamus eliminated Dean, ending the memorable reign. Also, Adam Rose’s Exotic Express debuted during this episode. While neither is overly historic, they’re both memorable and big highlights of that era of WWE.

• Big Japan Endless Survivor (2019)

We have another company that is well known for Deathmatch and another style, but this one is Strong Style. This is a pivotal show for the modern BJW era, and set a very high bar. Yuji Okabayashi defeated Daisuke Sekimoto have had a storied rivalry since 2012, and a mutual respect where they form a tag team called Strong BJ (get the giggles out now), in some external tournaments and freelancing. The deathmatch was also notable for being a 200 Fluorescent Lighttubes and Lighttube Tower Death Match. Isami Kodaka defeated Masaya Takashi, setting him back at the top of the division and adding more accolades to his legacy of being a death match legend.

• Dragon Gate Dead Or Alive (2025)

Not the most positive history, but since Dead or Alive is such a big Spring staple, as well as a staple of being on the 5th of May, I felt like it needed to be said. The home of Dead or Alive has been Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, since 2008. The venue was closed and demolished shortly after this event because it was an old deteriorating building and since the 2026 Asian Games were being hosted in Nagoya and Aichi, they built a new venue. As for the actual match, we had a Steel Cage 6-Way Survival Match with a babyface faction D’Courage. Madoka Kikuta turned on Yuki Yoshioka, causing Yoshioka to lose and get his hair shaved. Kikuta joined Z-Brats, and the turn was a harbinger for further shakeups when he eventually usurped Shun Skywalker.

A weird consistency with Deathmatch companies that have a solid secondary draw and Dragon Gate’s real stamp on these historical moments. While it wasn’t exactly a crazy day, the shows that made a lasting memory were fairly crazy. Gotta keep you on your tippy toes for whatever I find.

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!