Trivia
2010 – WWE officially announced Antonio Inoki would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2010
2010 – WWE released developmental diva Jenny Quinn, who worked in Florida Championship Wrestling as Penny Cash
2010 – TNA announced they would be moving Impact to Mondays opposite Monday Night Raw, a move that would only last several months before returning to its traditional Thursday timeslot
Events
In 1989, Clash of the Champions V was held in Cleveland, OH at the CSU Convocation Center and was nicknamed “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre”. Which was aired live on TBS:
– The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane) defeated The Russian Assassins
– Butch Reed defeated Steven Casey
– Ric Flair & Ricky Steamboat had an in-ring confrontation, with Flair making fun of Steamboat’s family & home life, while bragging about his wild party life & women. Steamboat ended up ripping off Flair’s clothes & running him out of the ring.
– Lex Luger defeated The Blackmailer (Jack Victory) (with Hiro Matsuda)
– United States Tag Team Champions Mike Rotunda & Steve Williams defeated The Fantastics
– Ricky Steamboat defeated Bob Bradley
– Rick Steiner defeated Rip Morgan
– NWA World Six Man Tag Team Champions The Road Warriors & Genichiro Tenryu vs. Mike Rotunda, Kevin Sullivan & Steve Williams ended in a double disqualification. The original match was scheduled to have Sting, Michael Hayes & Junkyard Dog challenging the Warriors & Tenryu for the belts. However, a backstage angle was done where Sullivan locked a gate over a stairwell, keeping Sting, Hayes, & JYD from being able to get to the ring
In 1998, WWF No Way Out of Texas: In Your House was held in Houston, Texas:
– The Headbangers (Mosh & Thrasher) defeated The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust & Marc Mero (with Luna Vachon)
– Taka Michinoku defeated Pantera to retain the WWF Light Heavyweight Title
– The Godwinns (Henry & Phineas) defeated The Quebecers (
– Justin Bradshaw defeated Jeff Jarrett (with Jim Cornette) by DQ (Jarrett retains the NWA North American Title)
– Ken Shamrock, Ahmed Johnson, & DOA (Chainz, Skull, & 8-Ball) defeated The Nation of Domination (The Rock, Farooq, Mark Henry, & Kama Mustafa)
– Kane defeats Vader
– Steve Austin, Owen Hart, Cactus Jack, & Chainsaw Charlie defeated Triple H, Savio Vega, Billy Gunn, & Road Dogg (with Chyna) in a Non-Sanctioned Match
In 2004, WWE No Way Out was a Smackdown-exclusive event held in Daly City, California:
Sunday Night Heat:
– Tajiri, Akio, & Sakoda defeated Billy Kidman, Ultimo Dragon, & Paul London
PPV:
– Rikishi & Scotty 2 Hotty defeated The Basham Brothers (Doug & Danny) & Shaniqua in a Intergender Handicap Match to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles
– Jamie Noble defeated Nidia in a Blindfold Match
– The World’s Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin) defeated The APA (Bradshaw & Farooq)
– Hardcore Holly defeated Rhyno
– Chavo Guerrero Jr. (with Chavo Sr.) defeated Rey Mysterio to win the WWE Cruiserweight Title
– Kurt Angle defeated John Cena & The Big Show in a Triple Threat Match
– Eddie Guerrero defeated Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Title
Also in 2004, New Japan Pro Wrestling held an untitled PPV in Tokyo, Japan:
– Curry Man, American Dragon & Koji Kanemoto defeated Tiger Mask IV, Masayuki Naruse & Heat
– Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Yuji Nagata
– Genichiro Tenryu defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi
– Jushin Liger defeated Mitsuo Momota to retain the GHC Junior Heavyweight Title
– Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Genichiro Tenryu to win the vacant IWGP Heavyweight Title
In 2009, the final WWE No Way Out was held in Seattle, Washington, after an 11-year run. Fittingly, it was held on the same day as the first had been:
Dark Match:
– Women’s Champion Melina defeated Beth Phoenix to retain the title
PPV:
– Triple H defeated Edge, The Undertaker, The Big Show, Jeff Hardy & Vladimir Kozlov in an Elimination Chamber Match to win the WWE Title
– Randy Orton defeated Shane McMahon in a No Holds Barred Match
– Jack Swagger defeated Finlay (with Hornswoggle) to retain the ECW Title
– Shawn Michaels defeated John Bradshaw Layfield
– Edge defeated John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Mike Knox, & Kane in an Elimination Chamber Match to win the World Heavyweight Title. Kofi Kingston had been scheduled to compete, but Edge attacked him prior to the match and took his spot
Also in 2009, New Japan Pro Wrestling held an untitled PPV in Tokyo, Japan:
– Beer Money Inc (James Storm & Robert Roode) defeated Masahiro Chono & Akira
– Tiger Mask IV defeated Jushin Liger to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title
– Mistico defeated Mephisto to retain the CMLL Welterweight Title
– Team 3D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon) defeated Togi Makabe & Toru Yano in a Hardcore Match to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Title
Title Changes
1962 – Rikidozan & Toyonobori defeated Luther Lindsay & Ricky Waldo to win the JWA All Asia Tag Team Titles in Tokyo, Japan
1971 – Bobo Brazil is awarded the vacant WWWF United States Title. This was the final reign, as the belt was abandoned in March 1976, though it had not been defended for quite some time before that
1977 – Rufus R Jones defeated Greg Valentine to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Title. The title becomes the NWA Television Title during this reign
1989 – Ted DiBiase awards himself the Million Dollar Championship
1993 – Ron & Don Harris defeated The Moondogs (Spot & Splat) for the USWA Tag Team Title in Memphis, Tennessee
1999 – on Raw, The Rock defeated Mankind in a Ladder Match to win the WWF Title. Also, Shane McMahon & Kane defeat Triple H & X-Pac (McMahon pins X-Pac to win the WWF European Title)
2003 – Cody Hawk & Chet Jablonski defeated Rory Fox & Matt Stryker to win the Heartland Wrestling Association Tag Team Title
2011 – Edge is stripped of the World Heavyweight Title after using the storyline-banned Spear in a title defense. The vacant title is awarded to Dolph Ziggler by Vickie Guerrero. However, returning General Manager Theodore Long then made a match between Ziggler & Edge, which Edge won to regain the title. Some sources cite Edge’s reign as unbroken
Birthdays
Happy birthday to indy regular LuFisto (35), 2-time ChickFight winner Mariko Yoshida (45), & former WWE announcer Hugo Savinovich (56)
Also, today would have been the birthday of former ROH regular Larry Sweeney (33), occasional ECW performer Gran Naniwa (38), & pioneer-era icon Martin ‘Farmer’ Burns (154)
In Memoriam
The wrestling world has lost three personalities on this date:
Firstly, in 1998, former WWF, WCW, & ECW wrestler Louie Spicolli at the age of just 27. Spicolli began his career in Los Angeles, & soon began working as a jobber for the WWF. In 1989, he began a three-year stint in Mexico, wrestling as 1 of ‘Los Mercenarios Americanos’, feuding with the Villano family. It wasn’t until 1995 that he received his first major exposure in the business; he re-signed with the WWF, this time as the grunge character Rad Radford. However, a promising angle with The Bodydonnas was cut short when Spicolli suffered a drug-induced seizure in 1996. Still smarting from the steroid trial, the WWF released him, on the condition that he would not work for WCW. This led to a brief stint in ECW under the Spicolli name, but he once again left under a cloud, having continued to struggle with drug abuse & had been secretly negotiating a move away from the company. Spicolli surfaced in WCW in 1997, appearing both as an announcer (for which he was widely praised), & as a lackey to Scott Hall. He & Hall engaged in a feud with Larry Zbyszko which was supposed to culminate with a match at SuperBrawl VIII, but Spicolli would not live to work it. He had actually stopped taking drugs in 1997, but relapsed upon learning that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer. He died of an overdose of Soma & wine. Several tributes were paid to him by the wrestling world, most notably from WCW & Steven Richards.
Ten years later, one-time NWA Television Champion Johnny Weaver died aged 72. Weaver debuted in 1957, but it wasn’t until the 1960′s that his career began to flourish. He won his 1st title in 1963, the NWA Mid-Atlantic Southern Tag Team Titles, alongside Bob Ellis, before establishing a regular tag team with George Becker in the middle part of the decade. The duo won the championships five times over the next five years before leaving the territory for Florida. After more success alongside Becker, Weaver went on to singles success, winning the NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Title from The Missouri Mauler. He spent the 1970′s flitting between the 2 territories, adding further championship gold to his resume. By the late 1970′s, Weaver was winding his career down in favor of a backstage role. He assisted with the booking of Mid-Atlantic throughout the 1970′s & into the early 80′s whilst also routinely working as an announcer for the promotion. He returned to the ring in 1987 to aid an angle between Dusty Rhodes, Lex Luger, & Hiro Matsuda, but largely kept away from wrestling after leaving the promotion the following year. In retirement, Weaver worked for the Mecklenburg County sheriff’s office, where his knowledge of the ‘back roads’ were put to good use in the transfer of prisoners. Weaver eventually passed of natural causes at his home in Charlotte. He is credited with the popularization of the Sleeper Hold
In 2014, Former NOAH exec Ryu Nakata, who handled business affairs and worked on dealings with Americans for years with Pro Wrestling NOAH, passed away from a heart attack at the age of 51. After the death of Mitsuharu Misawa, Nakata was the man running the company as General Manager, through 2012. He had started as Shohei Baba’s personal driver, & was also a ring announcer for All Japan Pro Wrestling, who in 2000 left the promotion with the formation of Pro Wresting NOAH