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May 20th
On this day in history in ....
1993 - Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue defeat Terry Gordy & Steven Williams for the All Japan World Tag Team Title in Sapporo, Japan. This would mark the end of the fifth, and final reign for Gordy & Williams, the most successful American tag team in the history of All Japan Pro Wrestling. Gordy & Williams held the tag belts five times, tying the record set by Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu. Ironically, Kawada & Taue, winning the belts for the first time here, would go on to break the record, and to date are the only duo to hold the All Japan tag straps on six separate occasions.
2001 - WWF held their Judgment Day Pay-per-view in Sacramento, California. Here are the results of matches that aired on Sunday Night Heat:
- Raven defeated Val Venis.
- Hardcore & Crash Holly defeated TAKA Michinoku & Sho Funaki.
Here is Tim Whitehead's original report on the PPV:
WWF desperately needed a good PPV as they entered Sacramento for Judgment Day. The last couple of weeks of TV have seen ratings deteriorate along with show quality. Much of this PPV looked to be the same old same old. But the bottom line is, it delivered. It wasn't spectacular as some of the shows were earlier this year. But it was a darn solid show even if some of the match-ups were hardly original. Commentary from Jim Ross & Paul Heyman was solid. Crowd heat was very good for most of the show, which helped a lot. The successful show should help WWF morale, and hopefully when the WCW feud starts up things will start to rebound overall.
WILLIAM REGAL beat RIKISHI in 3:56. They kept this one real short since Rikishi is injured. Rikishi went for the stink face early but Regal hit him with a low blow. Rikishi missed an ass drop but came back with a lariat and put Regal down in the corner for a successful stink face. Regal bailed out and acted like he was about to throw up. Rikishi rammed him into the stairs and he juiced. Back in the ring, Rikishi missed a charge and his injured shoulder hit the post, allowing Regal to score an abrupt pin with his neckbreaker move. Not much to the match, but nothing bad about it either.
Edge & Christian were discussing their upcoming Tag Team Turmoil match, noting that the winner earns a WWF Tag Title shot which would give them a chance to become eight time champions. Kurt Angle arrived, wanting pointers for how to handle a ladder match. The only advice they had was not to fall off the ladder without at least getting his medals first.
Vince McMahon greeted the arriving Hunter Hearst Helmsley & Stephanie. Vince was concerned that HHH & Steve Austin might have provoked Undertaker too much by involving his wife in that TV angle last week.
KURT ANGLE defeated CHRIS BENOIT in two-out-of-three falls to regain his Olympic gold medals in a total match time of 23:57. Each fall was under different rules. The first fall could only be won via pinfall. Angle attacked Benoit and tried Benoit's own moves on him. He hit the multiple German suplexes, but when he went for the diving headbutt Benoit rolled clear. Benoit then nailed Angle with Angle's own Olympic Slam for a surprise quick pin at 1:02. Fall two, which could only be won via submission, started immediately with Benoit going for the crossface but Angle escaped to the floor. Benoit pounded Angle on the outside. Returning to the ring, they did a great job trading submission attempts and escapes. The pace slowed a little for a while before they again began brawling. Benoit hooked a figure four. Angle made the ropes but Benoit kept working on the leg. Benoit hit a DDT and Angle got up a little too fast from it. Angle then surprised Benoit with the Angle (Olympic) Slam and hooked the ankle lock for the submission. Time of the second fall was 12:22. The third fall was the ladder match. Angle attacked Benoit as the medals were being hung above the ring. Angle got a ladder and tried to climb but was knocked off. Angle really isn't the type of wrestler for this style of match but he did fine. Benoit tried to climb but got pulled down. Angle tried to hit Benoit with the ladder but Benoit sidestepped and the ladder sailed into the aisle and Angle bumped over. Benoit used the ladder on Angle on the floor. They did a few standard ladder spots in the ring, including one that sort of got messed up when Angle tried to run up the ladder in the corner. Angle suplexed Benoit on the ladder. They did a great teeter-totter spot with the ladder striking Angle. Benoit pinned Angle under the ladder and tried to climb but Angle tipped the ladder over. Benoit rebounded and hooked the crossface, attempting to put Angle out so that he could then climb. But Edge & Christian attacked Benoit (this was legal since the ladder rules were no DQ). As Benoit fought Edge & Christian, Angle simply climbed up and got the medals to win the third fall in 10:33. Benoit tipped the ladder over but Angle had already won. The ending was lame but overall the match was very good.
Undertaker went to Commissioner Regal and demanded that his match against Austin be made into a no holds barred bout. Regal at first refused but changed his mind quickly when UT threatened to destroy him.
Jerry Lynn did a promo from WWF New York and complained that he should be defending the Light Heavyweight Title on the PPV. He was absolutely right.
RHYNO defeated TEST and BIG SHOW in a three-way match to retain the Hardcore Title in 9:13. Rhyno has been a really great addition to the WWF roster. But this match wasn't quite up to the level of his match against Raven on the last PPV. Mostly, Rhyno and Test kept joining forces to put Show down, and then would fight each other. They brawled through the crowd and to the back, without a whole lot of heat. They did the standard brawling with assorted weapons. Back in the ring, Rhyno and Test fought with the garbage cans and lids. Show chokeslammed the hell out of Rhyno. Test used a fire extinguisher on Show. Rhyno flattened Test with a can shot and then tossed the can at Show. Show caught it, and in a Van Daminator-type spot Rhyno gored the can into Show for the pin.
Eddie Guerrero offered to help Lita in her match against Chyna, but Lita preferred to do it on her own.
Regal nervously informed Austin that he had made the main event match a no holds barred bout. Luckily for Regal, Austin liked the new rules. Regal then acted tough and said he had only agreed to UT's demand because he knew Austin would also like those rules.
CHYNA beat LITA in 6:30 to retain the WWF Women's Title. Chyna has a new outfit with peacock feathers. It didn't quite fit her, as her boobs kept almost falling out throughout the match. Both worked hard but the match wasn't all that fluid. Lita really needs to go train with the Gaea Girls. I know it's rough, but it would really make her career. Chyna teased a heel turn, using clubbing blows that were technically legal. Once, when she had Lita down, she lifted her head up at the two count. Lita turned a powerbomb attempt into a huracanrana. Chyna blocked a Twist of Fate and won with a powerbomb that hit the mark. Afterwards, they hugged. Guerrero came out during the match and watched from the ramp top, not making his intentions clear.
Kurt Angle thanked Edge & Christian for coming out and "cheering him on to victory", though he denied they interfered.
KANE defeated HUNTER HEARST HELMSLEY in a chain match in 12:27 to capture the IC Title. HHH attacked before the bell and used a chair on Kane's bad arm. He then hooked the chain to Kane's bad wrist so it would hurt him throughout the match. Kane used the chain to whip HHH. On the floor, HHH sent Kane into the stairs and used the chain on the bad arm. HHH got a chair, but in a really cool spot Kane jerked the chain and HHH's face got smashed into the chair against the ring post. HHH juiced big. Kane went to work on HHH with the chain, including hanging him over the ropes by his neck. They brawled around the ring barrier and HHH got slammed off of it. Kane blocked a Pedigree and lariated HHH with the chain. The match had great heat. Kane chokeslammed HHH and was going for the pin when Austin ran in. Kane disposed of him but HHH got Kane with a low blow. HHH was setting Kane up when Austin tried to help with a chairshot. But Kane ducked and HHH took the blow and was pinned for the title change. The ending came suddenly enough that it really popped the crowd. The match was really hot!
Backstage, HHH was furious over Austin's screw-up and kept screaming at Vince about it, wondering why Vince hadn't been out there during the match.
CHRIS JERICHO & CHRIS BENOIT won a Tag Team Turmoil match series to earn a shot at the WWF World Tag Titles. This was a series of separate matches with participants determined by "random draw". The first match saw THE ACOLYTES defeat PERRY SATURN & DEAN MALENKO in 1:30. It went pretty quickly, with Faarooq pinning Saturn with a spinebuster to advance to the next challengers. THE ACOLYTES beat THE DUDLEYS in 4:56. The place went nuts for the Dudleys. There were lots of near falls and the match was non-stop. Faarooq took the wazzup. D-Von got a table but was attacked by the Holly Cousins, who put D-Von through it. This distracted Bubba, who was lariated for the pin by Bradshaw. Match three saw X-PAC & JUSTIN CREDIBLE down THE ACOLYTES in 3:43. Solid brawling with Albert constantly interfering. Bradshaw had X-Pac up for a slam but Albert tripped him and held his leg from outside as X-Pac fell on top for the pin. Match four was X-PAC & CREDIBLE over THE HARDYS in 3:10. Albert again interfered. X-Pac did the Bronco on Jeff Hardy. Jeff came back and did a swanton on X-Pac but Albert stopped the pin, being a one-man interference machine. Jeff did a high plancha over onto Albert. Credible superkicked Matt and X-Pac pinned him. Match five was JERICHO & BENOIT over X-PAC & CREDIBLE in 5:16. Benoit was Jericho's mystery partner. Albert did his thing again by attacking Jericho and dropping him on the security barrier. Jericho juiced from the mouth. X-Pac laid in some chops and kicks on Benoit but crotched himself attempting a Bronco. Jericho hit a great missile kick on X-Pac. The ref took a bump (a real good one, too) so a substitute ref went in. Albert attacked Benoit and X-Pac & Credible doubled on Jericho, but the babyface comeback took place and all three heels got laid out. Benoit hooked the crossface on Credible while Jericho put the walls on X-Pac for a double submission. The final match had JERICHO & BENOIT beating EDGE & CHRISTIAN in 7:09. E & C drew the coveted final entry position. The opened with some real good brawling. Jericho did a lionsault but landed on Edge's upturned knees. Benoit suplexed the hell out of Christian. Benoit dropkicked Christian off Jericho's shoulders. E & C got chairs but Jericho & Benoit did baseball slides and kicked them into their faces. They did several chair spots with each being blocked before finally Benoit forced Christian to tap out to the crossface. This whole six match series was non-stop action. Really good stuff!
STEVE AUSTIN defeated UNDERTAKER in 23:04 to retain the WWF World Title. Vince did color commentary. Undertaker immediately attacked Austin and pounded him on the floor. The crowd popped big and stayed hot through the entire match. UT continued to dominate until Austin surprised him with a neckbreaker. Austin went to work on UT's bad knee. Austin got a chair but UT blocked the shot. They did a terrific criss-cross sequence leading to Austin getting lariated. UT blocked a stunner and laid Austin out with a boot to the face. UT stalked Vince on the floor. Austin attacked UT from behind and agan went after the knee. There was actually an "Austin sucks" chant, if you can believe it. UT came back and hurled Austin from the ring. He then chokeslammed Austin through the announcers' desk. Austin juiced from a couple of cuts on his back, apparently hardway cuts from some sharp object on the desk. When Austin recovered he hit UT with a monitor and UT juiced big. Austin worked UT over and scored several near falls to huge heat. Austin used a chair on UT, who went down but defiantly flipped Austin off. Austin hit the stunner but only scored two, which drew an enormous pop. Austin hit UT with more chairshots but UT stopped him with a low blow. All this was legal, by the way, under the no holds barred rules. UT did the big comeback and chokeslammed Austin, mauling him with a chair afterward. HHH ran in with a sledgehammer, evidently having calmed down from his earlier anger at Austin, but UT met him with a chairshot. Vince went in and UT went after him. Austin recovered and swung a chair but accidentally hit Vince. UT made a move toward Austin but was nailed from behind with the hammer by HHH. Austin then got the pin as the blow KO'ed UT. Believe it or not, the camera missed the pin as it was focused on the ramp, since Kane had started in for the save. Is it not scary how many match finishes have been missed by WWF cameras since they bought WCW? It's like they inherited a curse or something. Anyway, it was a great main event! Kane kept Austin & HHH from inflicting more harm on UT as the show left the air.
2002 - During an edition of Raw from Memphis, Tennessee, Rob Van Dam apparently beat the Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Title, pinning him after hitting Rolling Thunder. However, Raw owner Ric Flair ordered the match to continue, since the referee had missed that Undertaker's foot was on the ropes during the cover. Van Dam hit Flair, only to be powerbombed and pinned by the Undertaker.
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