Wrestling Matches the Day I was Born

My buddy Brandon was born on November 24, 1983 which is the same day as the inaugural Starrcade event.  I've known about this for a long time and I've wonder from time to time what wrestling shows, if any, were happening the day I was born, I mean there's no way it was as good as Starrcade 1983, but I was born on a Sunday and there had to be a show or two going on that day.

So I took to Cagematch and searched June 24, 1979 and found 7 shows across the US, 1 in Canada and 1 in Japan, let's take a look.

IWE Big Summer Series 1979, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan

Main event saw Alexis Smirnoff & Ox Baker defeat Great Kusatsu & Isamu Teranishi

Maple Leaf Wrestling, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario Canada

7 match card with a huge double main event, other matches featured Ernie Ladd, Ricky Steamboat, Paul Orndorff, Jim Brunzell, Jay Youngblood and more

NWA Canadian Heavyweight Champion: Dino Bravo defeat NWA United States Champion: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair by disqualification WWF Champion Bob Backlund defeated Greg "The Hammer" Valentine.  

AWA: American Wrestling AssociationTelevision Taping, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Matches featuring Jesse Ventura, Billy Robinson, The Blonde Bombers: Pat Patterson & Ray Stevens in tag team action, and Greg Gagne defeated AWA World Heavyweight Champion: Nick Bockwinkel

AWA: American Wrestling Association, Minneapolis Auditorium, Minnesota

select matches from the card that night include

Pat Patterson defeats Doug Gilbert

Jesse Ventura vs. Paul Elering - Draw

Greg Gagne defeats Ray Stevens by DQ

Billy Robinson & Verne Gagne defeat Bobby Duncum & AWA World Heavyweight Champion: Nick Bockwinkel

NWA Western States, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Dick Murdoch & Giant Baba defeat Blackjack Mulligan & James J. Dillon

NWA Big Time Wrestling, Sportatorium, Dallas, Texas

main event: Andre The Giant & Bruiser Brody defeated Gary Hart, Mark Lewin & The Spoiler

GCW: Georgia Championship Wrestling, Cobb County Civic Center, Marietta, Georgia

Genichiro Tenryu wrestled on the show and other matches included:

Wahoo McDaniel defeating The Masked Superstar

Ivan Koloff & Ole Anderson vs. Stan Hansen & Tommy Rich wrestled to a no contest

WWF: World Wrestling Federation, Civic Center, Wheeling, West Virginia

matches included 

Ted DiBiase defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna by DQ

WWF Tag Team Champions: The Valiant Brothers: Jerry Valiant & Johnny Valiant defeated Haystacks Calhoun & Ivan Putski by Count Out

Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling: Roanoke Civic Center, Roanoke, Virginia

this Jim Crockett Promotions card featured matches with Pedro Morales, Johnny Weaver, Len Denton, and title matches

Mid Atlantic Heavyweight Champion: Ken Patera defeated Rufus R. Jones

NWA World Tag Team Champions: Baron von Raschke & Paul Jones defeat Jimmy Snuka & Tony Atlas

Of all the shows that happened on my birthday that I found on my birthdate the Maple Leaf Gardens card is the show I would want to see the most.  We got both a Ric Flair match as well as Bob Backlund defending the WWF Championship and it was at the historic Maple Leaf Gardens. 

I remember when my daughter was born I was watching WWECW on Sci-Fi when her mother alerted my that her water had broken, however Addison was born the next day.  I looked up my 3 kids and the number of shows on one of them was shocking

Canaan January 18, 2006: 6 shows

Addison May 13, 2009: 6 shows

Wesley March 21, 2015:122 shows...122!!

Thank you for reading, please leave a comment, check out my other posts, and if you want like my blogs Facebook page.  You can also head over to Amazon and pick up a copy of my book the 2024 Limitless Wrestling Almanac, or any of my other books.

Until next time!

The Last Match: Memphis Wrestling Legends

 In this post we look at the Last Match of Memphis Wrestling Legends.

Jerry "The King" Lawler

January 21, 2023 Winston-Salem, North Carolina 
AML: Ac⁠ts Of War Games 2

defeated the Beer City Bruiser

The King is one of the most well known wrestlers in the world for not only his over 50 years in the ring but his near 30 years as a commentator in the WWE, 20 spent with partner Jim Ross.  There is no way i could summarize Lawler's career in a short paragraph, he's a former among his numerous championships that he held is is a former AWA World Heavyweight Champion.  He also held one championship 57 times that was known as the:

NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Mid-America version)

NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Memphis version)

Mid-Southern Heavyweight Championship

AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship

USWA Southern Heavyweight Championship

USWA Heavyweight Championship

MCW Southern Heavyweight Championship

Memphis Wrestling Southern Heavyweight Championship

Had it not been for health issues, I think Lawler would still be wrestling occasionally today.  In fact of I don't think we have actually seen the last match of Jerry "The King" Lawler, I think he has one more left in him.  The photo of us is from April 15, 2006 in Lynn, Massachusetts for Big Time Wrestling.  That night The King defeated Kamala the Ugandan Giant in a Lumberjack match. 

Sputnik Monroe

March 7, 1988 Memphis, Tennessee, Mid-South Coliseum

CWA: Continental Wrestling Association

defeated by Billy Wicks

One of the most controversial wrestlers of his area, Sputnik began wrestling in 1945 and is viewed as many as a civil rights activist for the support of his black fan base.  He captured numerous regional championships and was also inducted into the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame.  You should go watch the terrific documentary Memphis Heat where Sputnik's career is heavily covered.  He passed away in 2006 at the age of 77.

"Fabulous" Jackie Fargo

October 30, 2004 Memphis, Tennessee, Mid-South Coliseum

Memphis Wrestling Throwback Night III - "A Nightmare In Memphis" 

with Corey Maclin & Stan Lane defeat Jerry "The King" Lawler & The Rock 'n' Roll Express: Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson

The mentor of Jerry Lawler and one halve of the original Fabulous Ones, Jackie Fargo was the original King of Memphis wrestling.  He began his career in 1950 with his full time run winding down in the mid 1980's with a handful of matches before his final match in 2004.  I read he may have a had a match in 2006 but I cannot find the details of that match.  I met Jackie at the 2009 NWA Legends Fanfest where he signed this photo for me. He passed away on my birthday, June 24, 2013.

  

Jerry Jarrett

December 12, 1995 Memphis, Tennessee, Mid-South Coliseum

USWA: United States Wrestling Association

with Frank Morrell defeated Bob Armstrong & Gene Johnson

As Jerry's mother Teeny was a wrestling promoter, Jarrett first began in the wrestling business at the age of 7 selling programs.  At age 14 he began promoting his own shows and didn't set into the ring until 1965 at the age of 22 or 23.  His in ring career spanned 30 years, however he is better known today as the promoter and partial owner of numerous wrestling companies including Continental Wrestling Association, the USWA: United States Wrestling Association, and was a founder of NWA TNA.  Along the way he worked as a consultant for WCW and it was set to take over the WWF should Vince McMahon had been found guilty in the steroid trial.  He passed away in 2023 at the age of 80. 

, 

Until Next Time!

Thank you for reading, please leave a comment, check out my other posts, and if you want like my blogs Facebook page.  You can also head over to Amazon and pick up a copy of my book the 2024 Limitless Wrestling Almanac, or any of my other books.

Tully Blanchard's World Title Matches

Tully Blanchard is one of my all time favorite wrestlers.  He is also one of the the best wrestlers to have never held any version of the World's Heavyweight Championship. So I decided to check out to see how many World title matches I can find that he had.  These are all the ones that I could find searching Cagematch and reading The History of WWE.

It's interesting to me that the first two were in 1979 for the AWA World's Championship as Bockwinkel was touring Southwest Championship Wrestling Texas.  In 1984 he had several matches on house shows with Flair for the title.  He he also has numerous tag the matches teaming with Wahoo McDaniel or others against Flair and Dusty or others.  They had no singles matches on TV, but I did find some promo segments and one where Tully attacked Flair.

The two matches in 1985 seemed to be random one offs, especially since the formation of the Four Horsemen was not to long after their September 1985 match. 

August 29, 1979 

Southwest Championship Wrestling, Exhibit Hall, San Antonio, Texas

AWA World Heavyweight Champion: Nick Bockwinkel defeated Tully Blanchard

August 30, 1979 

Southwest Championship Wrestling, Memorial Coliseum, Corpus Christi, Texas

AWA World Heavyweight Champion: Nick Bockwinkel defeated Tully Blanchard

June 4, 1984

Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Memorial Auditorium, Greenville, South Carolina

NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Ric Flair defeated NWA World Television Champion: Tully Blanchard

From the June 16, 1984 episode or World Wide Wrestling

July 1, 1984

Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina

NWA World Television Champion: Tully Blanchard defeated NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Ric Flair by disqualification

Cagematch has this as Tully winning by DQ and The History of WWE JCP/WCW section has it as Ric Flair won by DQ. 

December 1, 1984

Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Conway, North Carolina

Tully Blanchard defeated NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Ric Flair by disqualification

This match is listed on Cagematch, but on The History of WWE shows that on December 1st Tully wrestled Dick Slater to a draw in the main event of a card in Morganton, North Carolina

I can't find when this happened other than 1984.

December 5, 1984

Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Dorton Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina

NWA World Television Champion: Tully Blanchard defeated NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Ric Flair by disqualification

December 8, 1984

Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina

NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Ric Flair defeated NWA World Television Champion: Tully Blanchard

December 9, 1984

Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina

NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Ric Flair defeated NWA World Television Champion: Tully Blanchard

December 9, 1984

Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, County Hall, Charleston, South Carolina

NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Ric Flair defeated NWA World Television Champion: Tully Blanchard

December 12, 1984

Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Dorton Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina

NO DQ Match: NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Ric Flair defeated NWA World Television Champion: Tully Blanchard

December 15, 1984

Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Dorton Arena, Hampton Roads Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia

NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Ric Flair defeated NWA World Television Champion: Tully Blanchard

May 29, 1985

Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Dorton Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina

NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Ric Flair defeated NWA World Television Champion: Tully Blanchard

September 9, 1985

Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling Memorial Auditorium, Charleston, South Carolina

NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Ric Flair defeated NWA United States Champion: Tully Blanchard

October 7, 1987

UWF: Universal Wrestling Federation CSU Convocation Center, Cleveland, Ohio

NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Ronnie Garvin defeated NWA World Tag Team Champion: Tully Blanchard with JJ Dillon by disqualification

This match was Tully only televised World Championship match, up until this point.  It was also during Ronnie's short lived NWA title run.  I wrote a blog about it Ronnie Garvin: His NWA World Championship Matches

January 7, 1995

Extreme Championship Wrestling, ECW Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

ECW World Heavyweight Champion: Shane Douglas wrestled Tully Blanchard to a time limit draw

This match was a few months after the infamous incident where Shane threw down the NWA World Title.  Tully was brought in for these series of matches by Paul Heyman to give credibility to the ECW Championship and Shane Douglas as a World Champion.

February 4, 1995

Extreme Championship Wrestling, ECW Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Double Table PPV: ECW World Heavyweight Champion: Shane Douglas pinned Tully Blanchard

March 3, 1995

Extreme Championship Wrestling, Northeastern Catholic High School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Hardcore TV: ECW World Heavyweight Champion: Shane Douglas pinned Tully Blanchard

January 29, 2005

Wrestle Reunion Double Tree Hotel, Tampa, Florida

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett pinned Tully Blanchard with JJ Dillon 

special guest referee Kevin Von Erich

What's a bit frustrating about this show is that it was recorded for release, however the person that owns the footage hasn't released it.  I messaged him about it a long time ago as this show and Wrestle Reunion 2 features Wendi Richter's last matches.

His first World title match in 1979, his last 26 years later in 2005, and while he held numerous singles and tag team championships it really is a shame that he was never the World Heavyweight Champion, even for a short time. 

Until Next Time,

Thank you for reading, please leave a comment, check out my other posts, and if you want like my blogs Facebook page.  You can also head over to Amazon and pick up a copy of my book the 2024 Limitless Wrestling Almanac, or any of my other books.