Today In Pro Wrestling History: July 17th

A mixed bag of an article, but I’m fairly positive it’s still friendly to the American television fans and not some really obscure list of hardcore bit torrent old school tape trading nostalgia. So let’s get to the history!

• WCW Bash at the Beach: WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Ric Flair (c) vs Hulk Hogan (1994)

This match and show served as Hogan’s in-ring debut in WCW. Coming down to the ring with Shaquille O’Neil and Mr. T, the star power was in full effect, plus Hogan had a way to stop Sherri Martel from interfering on Flair’s behalf. The dream match of the 80s came to a peak in this match. With Hogan’s victory, and the image of Shaq, Muhammad Ali, Hogan and Mr. T celebrating the victory, it was the real warning shot to WWF that WCW was positioning itself as a legit threat.

• NJPW Turbulence Circuit: Vacant IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Giant Bernard (2006)

So for those unaware, the reason the title was vacated at this time, was because Brock Lesnar refused to do the booking because there was a financial dispute. Lesnar had the title in his possession and refused to show up, so NJPW stripped him and held a one day tournament to crown a new champion. Since they didn’t have the belt, they went back to using the old Version 2 belt that Shinya Hashimoto introduced in 1997 and was used until 2005. Tanahashi ended up winning the the title, which would be his first ever reign with the IWGP Heavyweight title and the birth place of his Aishimasu “I love you all” catch phrase, and propel him to being the Ace that leads NJPW out of the turbulence and darkness.

• WWE Money in the Bank: WWE Championship: John Cena (c) vs CM Punk (2011)

The post-pipebomb title match, and the jumping off point for the Summer of Punk. Holding the show in Chicago, at the height of Punk’s momentum, the energy was electric. Cena’s interception of John Laurinaitis to stop from the Screw Job bell ring, and ultimately losing because he was being a “good guy”, played an interesting wrinkle in the overall story of the match. CM Punk won though, the disgruntled employee had the biggest prize and was looking to just walk with it. It was a crazy moment that definitely qualifies as memorable and historic.

• CMLL Sin Salida: Hair vs Hair 2 out of 3 Falls: Rey Escorpion vs Ultimo Guerrero (2015)

Well this was a feud built from jealousy and ego. Ultimo and Rey were both in Los Guerreros Laguneros (heel stable) from 2011-2012, because Ultimo brought him in, seeing potential in him. But in 2012 Escorpion had issues with the entire group, thinking he was better than them and that got him kicked out. Over the years the resentment built and when Ultimo lost his mask to Atlantis in 2014, Rey saw the chance as Ultimo on the downward spiral. For 10 months Rey attacked Ultimo both verbally and physically until this match happened. Due to his resilience and rejuvenated sense of pride, the crowd got behind Ultimo. Ultimo won this encounter, and officially began the chapter many of us are aware of now with his more babyface and jovial countenance. So Ultimo lost his mask, but gained the support of the fans in the course of about a year.

• AEW Dynamite: AEW International Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs MJF (2024)

AEW doesn’t show up often, but when it does, it’s usually undeniable… like the LA Knight kavorka. In a typical 60 minute time limit championship match, this match nearly went to a draw. So the match length alone is historic for AEW since it’s the longest televised match in AEW history at 59 minutes and 58 seconds. With MJF’s basically last second victory, he became the second person (after Moxley) to have held the International and World title. Ospreay was protected in the finish since MJF had to cheat and use his diamond ring cheap shot to knock out Will. So this was a large pivot point for both men, where no one really suffered any story or psychology setbacks.

Now anyone who has read anything I’ve done, knows I wrote off AEW after like…Revolution 2020. But I like to try to be more objective with history, and if things really have staying power, they get mentioned, regardless of the company. It’s a little amusing how there could be a legitimate argument over which moment is bigger depending on what kind of fan you talk to (the Ultimo match being the probably the weakest contender), and they all surprisingly overlap. Weird when that happens.