Today In Pro Wrestling History: June 9th

While there are a couple of things and wrestlers involved that appeal beyond Japan, this is mostly a puroresu fans article. Hey, I don’t control the historical dates of events, I just go with what I’m given…and what actually has some level of significance. Now onto the article!

• EMLL Domingos Arena Mexico: Inaugural CMLL World Heavyweight Championship 2 out of 3 Falls Match: Cien Caras vs Konnan (1991)

So let’s clear up the initial confusion some people may be having, the company we know now as CMLL, was originally known as EMLL (Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre), in 1991 they were rebranding to CMLL and breaking away from the NWA and their titles. This match came about as the Finals of a 16 man tournament to crown the inaugural champion. Konnan was the young and popular babyface while Cien Caras was a grizzled veteran heel who was coming off assisting his brother Mascara Ano 2000 in defeating a beloved veteran Anibal and taking his mask. So it was considered an uphill battle for Konnan, proved true when Cien Caras won the first fall. But after that, Konnan rallied. After tying the match, he completed the comeback with his Northern Lights Suplex Hold, and became the first ever CMLL World Heavyweight Champion.

• AJPW Budokan Hall Show: AJPW Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Super Generation Army (c) vs Holy Demon Army (1995)

This was the first time the Four Pillars clashed in a such a way. Misawa and Kobashi were trying to stave Kawada and Taue. This was a major storytelling element for Toshiaki Kawada in particular. In a match that lasted more than 40 minutes, the final sequence involved Kawada hitting back to back Ganso Bombs on Misawa and finally getting his first ever official pinfall victory on Misawa. Even though he was a heel, the moment had him overcome with emotion, finally being able to get over that physical and mental hurdle.

• NJPW Dominion: IWGP Heavyweight Championship 2 out of 3 Falls: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Kenny Omega (2018)

The modern wrestling equivalent of Ricky Steamboat versus Ric Flair. While many won’t see it on that level, the storytelling was there for over a year, and this match alone had twists, turns and call backs. A 64 minute match, a dominant 720 day reign from Okada, breaking Tanahashi’s v11 record with 12 defenses before this match…all to fall, to the One Winged Angel. Great exhaustion spots and spots that built off their previous encounters, this was a beautiful match with a huge pop and payoff for Kenny Omega’s NJPW era.

• Impact Wrestling Against All Odds: TNA World Championship: Steve Maclin (c) vs Alex Shelley (2023)

After 20 years in TNA, multiple injuries and watching Chris Sabin win the World Title years ago…Shelley had something to prove during his Impact return. The previous year, Shelley got his very first World Title shot at Josh Alexander during the Emergence PLE. Shelley lost to Alexander, so he came in to this match with more desperation and aggression. Maclin was having a solid reign, but Shelley is considered a TNA original who is beloved. After a 20+ minute match, Shelley finally put things away with Shell Shock.

• NJPW Dominion (2024)

We have two reasons for this show to be on here. Firstly, EVIL decided to challenge Moxley to a match for the IWGP World Heavyweight title, a lumberjack match. This match basically became his staple House of Torture garbage stuff, but he thought he outsmarted Moxley since he didn’t have a faction. Moxley however turned the gimmick on EVIL, getting help from Togi Makabe, Tenzan, Yuji Nagata and Tiger Mask IV to neutralize the House of Torture advantage and retain his championship. But the main event was the BOSJ 31 Finals between Taiji Ishimori and El Depserado. This match became the culmination to Desperado’s ascent to relevance in the Junior Division. He stepped up when there were injuries and COVID, he won the Junior Heavyweight title multiple times, but he needed that extra accomplishment to be considered truly a main event pillar. His victory over Ishimori, solidified his status as a top guy in the division, gave him the rights to challenge SHO for the belt, and paid off a career where he was mostly seen as a serviceable talent who flourished more in the tag division. The rise of El Desperado was punctuated with this main event.

• NJPW vs. DDT: DDT Extreme Title: Toru Yano vs. Super Sasadango Machine (c) (2025)

This entire show, was essentially one match. The event is significant because it acts as an olive branch between NJPW and DDT, who had issues for a decade. Hiroshi Tanahashi, disrespected DDT after they had a cross promotional “battle of the Aces” match with Harashima. Tana called them third rate duelists with a fourth rate deck (I had to make the Kaiba joke, and while he didn’t say those words, the sentiment was the same). So Tanahashi was on this show as a mid match filler undercard…yup. Let me explain. Yano vs Sasadango last over 2 hours in a comedy brawl. They took timeouts, Sasadango set up a projector mid match to show his PowerPoint presentation “How Can I Defeat Toru Yano And Win The One-On-One Confrontation Match”. So while there were lulls in the STILL ACTIVE match, they had undercard matches in between. Sasadango’s PowerPoint detailed how to win, they must pin or submit the person on their respective company corner pad, because that would do irreparable psychological damage to know you’re dishonoring your company as well. This was pure shenanigans. To top off the ridiculousness, we saw Sasadango’s classic time freeze but, Yano also stole the time freeze later in the match. As the whole thing breaks down, both men roll out of the ring exhausted. Making no effort to get back up, the referee reluctantly starts the 20 count and it ends in Double Count Out. Possibly the most wholesome and inane show/match in the history of professional wrestling. But definitely historic!

A few historic 2 out of 3 falls matches, a few cathartic career defining moments, and some interesting history. While I know there may be some who groan or roll their eyes when there aren’t many Western events, wrestling has been around for 200 years in multiple countries, focusing on one or two does not encompass history.

How tight were the nostalgia goggles? Am I ignoring companies that you’re passionate about? Make your thoughts known and Always Use Your Head!