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On this day in ....
1963 - The most important figure in the history of professional wrestling in Japan, Rikidozan, dies of complications from a stab wound suffered on December 8th at the age of 38. Rikidozan, who debuted in 1951, helped to popularize professional wrestling in post-WWII Japan, and would train Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba, who would become two of the most influential and powerful individuals in Japanese wrestling. While it was thought that Rikidozan, whose Japanese name was Mitsuhiro Momota, was born in Nagasaki, Japan, in truth he was Korean. Because Koreans were heavily discriminated against in Japan, his real background was kept secret, not being revealed until long after his death. Rikidozan's final match was on December 7th, teaming with Great Togo & Michiaki Yoshimura to battle The Destroyer, Buddy Austin & Illio DiPaolo to a draw. Stories of what happened the night Rikidozan was stabbed are cloudy, with legend and fact often getting mixed up. He was stabbed in a nightclub and allegedly it was by a member of the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia. However, stories have circulated for years that he beat up his attacker and partied into the night before going to the hospital, which is why the wound got infected and ended up killing him. Obviously, there are many that doubt that account of the stabbing.
1977 - In one of the most famous matches in Japanese wrestling history, Terry & Dory Funk Jr. defeat Abdullah The Butcher & The Sheik to win the first All Japan Pro Wrestling Real World Tag League tournament at Sumo Hall in Tokyo. For years, the Real World Tag League Final would be considered the biggest event of the year for All Japan. The Funks had become hugely popular in the country, breaking the unwritten rule that American wrestlers were always the heels in Japan. The tag tournament would go on to become the annual highlight and biggest money making tour of All Japan's year.
1979 - Abdullah The Butcher defeats Carlos Colon (father of WWE star Carlito) in Bayamon, Puerto Rico to win the WWC Puerto Rican Heavyweight Title, ending Colon's fourth reign as champion, and starting his own second run with the belt.
1995 - A tribute show to Stu Hart was held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada at the Calgary Corral, the site of many Stampede Wrestling shows. Here are the results of the show, which obviously had a heavy WWF involvement:
- The Cuban Assassin & Jerry Morrow defeated King Lau & Mike Anthony.
- Makhan Singh defeated Gothic Warrior.
- Rhonda Singh defeated KC Houston.
- Chris Benoit defeated Rad Radford (Louis Spicolli).
- 1-2-3 Kid defeated Keith Hart.
- Brian Pillman & Bruce Hart defeated Terry & Dory Funk Jr. via DQ.
- WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon defeated Owen Hart.
- WWF World Heavyweight Champion Bret Hart defeated Davey Boy Smith.
2002 - WWE held their Armageddon Pay-per-view in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at the Office Depot Center, featuring three title changes, including a Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels two out of three falls match where each fall had a different stipulation. In a pre-PPV Heat match, Jeff Hardy defeated D' Lo Brown. Here is Tim Whitehead's original report on the PPV:
WWE put in their usual strong showing on PPV with Armageddon (12/15 from Ft. Lauderdale). The key matches were all strong, as was the commentary. The crowd was great. The Torrie & Dawn Marie & Al Wilson angle was awful, though. There were three title changes, so they're still throwing stuff out there.
BOOKER T & GOLDUST defeated CHRIS JERICHO & CHRISTIAN and THE DUDLEYS and WILLIAM REGAL & LANCE STORM to capture the RAW World Tag Titles in an elimination match in 16:42. Bubba and Storm started things off, the result of a pre-match "random drawing". Bubba splashed Storm and then hauled Christian in. They did a lot of fast tags early, many of them blind tags where someone would tag himself in. Booker stayed out for most of the early going to build anticipation. Goldust got destroyed for a while, to further the storyline that he's been a weak link on his team. Bubba came back in and did his Dusty Rhodes routine, with Goldust doing the same spots. Christian took a wazzup. The Dudleys did the 3D on Christian but didn't realize that Regal had blind tagged him before the move. In the confusion, Regal rolled Bubba up using the tights for a pin at 5:16. Goldust immediately bodyslammed Regal and pinned him at 5:31. With two teams remaining, Goldust got destroyed yet again. He got really good heat making comebacks. Booker hot tagged and traded chops with Jericho. Jericho hooked the walls on Booker but Goldust made the save. Christian went up on top and was about to come off on Booker with one of the title belts but Goldust crotched him. Booker gave Jericho a missile kick. He laid Jericho out again and did the spinaroonie. Booker scored a near fall with a scissor kick to excellent heat. Jericho used the belt on Booker and hit the lionsault but only scored a two count. Booker then won with the bookend on Jericho for the title change. Afterward, Booker put over that Goldust proved he isn't a weak link. Great opener!
EDGE defeated A-TRAIN by DQ in 7:10. Footage aired of A-Train (formerly Albert) injuring Rey Mysterio Jr. and using a chair on Edge to try and put him over as a major threat. I'm afraid Albertrain is a permanent mid-carder, though. Train overpowered Edge until missing a charge and posting himself. Train thwarted Edge again and hooked he sleeper. Edge escaped and chopped the hell out of Train. Edge hit a flying forearm and scored a series of twos. Edge came off the top but Train kicked him out of the air. Train hit the powerbomb. Edge speared Train but only scored a two, which was another spot to put Train over. The match up to this point was okay, but Train used a chair in front of the ref for a cheap DQ ending. Edge got the chair afterward and mauled Train with it.
Paul Heyman argued with Big Show. Show wanted to barge into Stephanie's office and throw a fit over Brock Lesnar's suspension being lifted, but Heyman said that would only make her angry. He promised to talk to her in calm and logical tones and get her to change her mind.
CHRIS BENOIT beat EDDIE GUERRERO in 16:46. They did a lot of great mat stuff. Guerrero took a high backdrop. Guerrero battled back and tied Benoit up in an arm lock. Benoit finally escaped by lifting Guerrero and dropping him, which the announcers correctly described as an old Bob Backlund escape. Benoit took a bump out, and Guerrero destroyed him on the floor after doing a plancha on him. Guerrero tied Benoit up in a leg lock, but Benoit made the ropes. Guerrero pounded Benoit with elbows. Benoit did his multiple German suplexes. Guerrero escaped a powerbomb attempt and hit German suplexes of his own, followed by a frog splash, and scored a two count. Both wrestlers bumped out, where Chavo Guerrero Jr. walloped Benoit with one of the Smackdown tag belts. Guerrero hooked the lasso. Benoit escaped by making the ropes. Benoit hit a bunch of chops followed by a powerbomb. Benoit went up to the top, where Chavo grabbed him. Benoit sent Chavo to the floor and hit the flying headbutt. Guerrero hooked the lasso again, but Benoit reversed it into a crossface and, after a struggle, Guerrero tapped. Excellent match.
Heyman tried to talk to Stephanie about Lesnar's suspension, but she stood by her decision to reinstate him. Heyman wasn't pleased.
Dawn Marie and Al Wilson came out for one of the lamest segments ever. The whole idea was that Torrie had had lesbian sex with Dawn to try and stop her from marrying Al. Dawn showed the footage, with Torrie stripping to her undies in a desperate attempt to bribe Dawn into dumping Al. They did actually kiss. But then Al said he didn't want the video shown any further since it involved his daughter. So Dawn simply called off showing the rest of the video, after hyping it as the next hot lesbo action angle. Ultra-lame.
BATISTA beat KANE in 6:38. Lots of power moves and "big man" brawling. Kane bumped out at one point, where Ric Flair tried to attack him. Naturally, Kane killed him. Batista lost Kane on a powerbomb spot. Kane came back and twice had Batista pinned but Flair distracted the ref. Kane went after Flair, allowing Batista to blindside him and hit the sit-down powerbomb for the win. Not all that good.
John Cena came out doing a rap act. It was awful. They should call him Vanilla Ass. This gimmick has Disco Inferno or Maestro level written all over it.
VICTORIA beat TRISH STRATUS and JACQUELINE in 4:27 to retain the women's title. Jackie looked pretty good out there. It was the basic WWE female stuff. Victoria bumped a lot for both opponents. Trish took a big bump out but came back with a high crossbody on Jackie. The finish was kind of odd, as Trish hit Jackie with a forearm and went for the pin. Victoria hit Trish with the title belt, and then pinned Jackie. A forearm usually isn't a finisher.
Kurt Angle tried to talk Brock Lesnar into helping him beat Big Show. Lesnar acted sympathetic but gave no commitment.
KURT ANGLE defeated BIG SHOW in 12:35 to capture the WWE World Title. Show overpowered Angle to start. Show hurled Angle over and he landed on Heyman, which was a neat spot. Show continued to work on Angle, scoring a lot of twos. Angle bit Show's nose to escape a bearhug. Angle scored with a tornado DDT and a missile kick. The DDT didn't quite connect. Angle, who was over as a babyface, scored more twos with a moonsault and an Olympic slam. Angle tried for the ankle lock but Show kicked him off and the ref got bumped. Heyman threw a chair in. Angle got it and used it but only scored a two count. The ref got bumped again. A-Train ran in gave Angle a backbreaker. Show chokeslammed Angle. Lesnar then ran in to a huge ovation and gave the F5 to Show. He then chased Heyman out as Angle crawled on top of Show and got the pin as the ref revived. Angle carried it to a good match.
Rob Van Dam appeared at The World. Man, is he ever mired down.
TRIPLE H defeated SHAWN MICHAELS in a two-out-of-three falls match in 38:30 to capture the RAW World Title. Referee Earl Hebner ejected Flair from ringside. The first fall was under street fight rules. They brawled, with HHH bumping out. Heartbreak Kid tried to come over onto him with a plancha but hit a garbage can HHH had pulled from under the ring. They brawled around outside the ring with the can. HBK set up some tables and tried to suplex HHH out onto him, but HHH suplexed him into the ring instead. HHH went after HBK's bad back. HBK slammed HHH on a chair. HHH blocked the sweet chin music and went to work on HBK's knee. This included a figure four, which HBK reversed. HHH pounded HBK up the aisle, where he retrieved a 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire. HHH set the board on fire, but HBK ended up retrieving it and using it to bloody HHH up. Back in the ring, HHH recovered and gave HBK the drop toe hold spot on a chair. HHH hit a DDT but HBK used a low blow to block a pedigree. HBK did the kip up but HHH chop blocked him and hit the pedigree to win the first fall via a three count at 20:32. As the cage was lowring for fall #2 (cage match rules), HHH tossed a bunch of weapons into the ring, including a table. HHH methodically dominated, using the cage to bloody HBK up. HBK brawled back, and both climbed to the cage top where they continued to slug it out. Flair returned and set up some more tables outside. He then went in the cage. I guess Hebner's order expired or something. HBK used a chair on both HHH and Flair. He totally massacred Flair, who juiced a huge gusher. HBK gave them both the sweet chin music. He then came off the cage top, putting HHH through a table and scoring the pin to even things up at 31:06. The final fall was a ladder match. They only went about five minutes on this one, doing mostly standard ladder spots. HBK did try for a splash off the ladder but HHH rolled clear. HHH hit a pedigree and tried to climb (the belt was now hanging over the ring) but HBK pulled him down. HBK hit the sweet chin music and started up. He almost made it but HHH tipped the ladder over for the one spectacular ladder bump as HBK sailed out and through the tables set up on the floor. HBK sold it like it killed him, and HHH climbed up to seize the belt for the title change. Excellent main event!
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