Today In Pro Wrestling History: October 4th

Odd history today. A combination of tones, events, and actual wrestling moments, not just unique footnotes! Let’s find out what happened!

• Infamous Plane Crash (1975)

The October 4, 1975 plane crash in Wilmington, North Carolina, completely altered the trajectory of professional wrestling by forcing the industry to adapt both its talent and its culture. The tragic accident killed the pilot and paralyzed legendary powerhouse Johnny Valentine. A 26-year-old Ric Flair survived the wreckage with a broken back, and because his injuries prevented him from returning to his original, hard-hitting powerhouse style, he shifted to a more technical and theatrical approach. This adaptation ultimately gave birth to his iconic “Nature Boy” persona, setting him on the path to becoming a multi-time world champion. Additionally, the crash became a legendary moment in wrestling folklore due to the actions of babyface star Tim Woods, who wrestled as Mr. Wrestling. To protect the industry secret of kayfabe, a severely injured Woods used a fake name at the hospital and rushed back to the ring just two weeks later to convince fans he had not been traveling with his on-screen rivals, saving the territory’s financial credibility.

• NJPW Ganryujima Island Deathmatch (1987)

This was the original precursor to the cinematic event. Antonio Inoki and Masa Saito staged this experimental event on the uninhabited island, and shot it like a documentary. The island was chosen because it held historical weight in Japan, since in 1612 is was the location of the iconic duel between Sasaki Kojiro and Miyamoto Musashi. The filming was done purposefully to pay homage and frame the duel akin to the lore of the samurai, with Inoki even staying in his tent for the first 30 minutes as a deliberate reference to Musashi arriving hours late to psychologically break Kojiro. The match started in the light of the afternoon and ended in darkness, only illuminated by a bonfire and burning torches. The match lasted over 2 hours, they brawled and bled across the entire island, ending with Inoki securing the victory via Sleeper Hold.

• WCW Nitro: Bret Hart vs Chris Benoit (1999)

What may go down as the best match in WCW history, this match was a tribute to Owen Hart after he tragically passed away earlier in the year. After struggling with grief and his own thoughts of retirement, Bret returned to WCW in September. Once he learned that WCW booked the Kemper Arena, the Arena where Owen passed away, he wanted to do a tribute match. While WCW Upper Management initially pushed back, they relented and we got the 32 minute classic. Given the circumstances, this was the correct call and a wonderful tribute.

• TNA Bound for Glory: TNA World Heavyweight Championship: Ethan Carter III (c) vs Drew Galloway vs Matt Hardy (2015)

This is a normal kind of wrestling history. While many of us know that 2014-2018ish were the dark period of TNA with rumors of them dying or being bought cropped up every two weeks. Hell PWI even stripped TNA of “World Championship” status from 2015-2021, because the promotion sank so far down. However, due to the resurgence of TNA and it’s refusal to die, it’s considered a major world championship again. Thusly, it makes the history more important, because Matt Hardy won this match, which not only was the first time he won the TNA World title, it would be the first and so far only “World” title attributed to his name since even WWE downgraded the ECW title pretty quickly. So even though the TNA title lost prestige when Matt won it, it’s made a comeback, so is now looked at as more legit.

• WWE SmackDown: WWE Championship: Kofi Kingston (c) vs Brock Lesnar (2019)

Well the last event was kind of a feel good moment for a veteran getting an official world title, this is the opposite. This moment goes down in infamy as peak WWE trash booking. Kofi Kingston was on a emotional high, holding the title for 180 days after being pushed aside for 13 years. Fans loved the fact Kofi had the title, but because this was the debut of SmackDown on FOX, the powers that be decided they needed flashy. Flashy like Brock just showing up few weeks prior, issuing a direct challenge and then winning in 8 seconds. Kofi got squashed effectively after a great reign that had fans excited.

So a plane crash that changed pro wrestling as we know it, a samurai homage on an deserted island between two NJPW legends, Bret and Benoit paying tribute to Owen’s memory and two title moments with distinctly different feelings once the matches played out.