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THIS DAY IN HISTORY: TSURUTA WINS AWA TITLE, MEGA-MANIACS FORMED, SUPERBRAWL VIII AND MORE

February 22nd

On this day in history in ....

1937 - Bill Collins defeats Ben Jordan for the Georgia Southern Light Heavyweight Title in Atlanta, Georgia, ending Jordan's second reign.

1943 - Bobby Managoff earns a disputed win over National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Champion Bill Longson in Texas to become recognized as champion by promoter Tony Stecher in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1949 - Shei Lawrence wins the Jack Pfeffer-promoted World Heavyweight Title from The Demon (Jack O'Brien) in San Diego, California.

1952 - Ron Etchison and Sandor Szabo defeat Ben and Mike Sharpe to win the San Francisco NWA World Tag Team Title in Oakland, California. This ended the Sharpes' fourth reign.

1957 - Pepper Gomez defeats El Medico for the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title in Houston, Texas, ending Medico's second reign and beginning Gomez's sixth.

1958 - Boris and Nicoli Volkoff defeat Reggie and Stan Lisowski to win the Chicago NWA World Tag Team Title in Chicago, Illinois. This began the Volkoff's fifth reign.

1960 - Don and Luke Fields win their third Mid-America NWA Southern Tag Team Title by ending The Corsicans' (Jean and Joe) fourth and final reign in Memphis, Tennessee.

1961 - The Mysterious Medics are billed as Gulf Coast NWA Southern Tag Team Champions on arrival to the promotion.

1965 - The WWWF held an event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The results:
- Kenny Ackles defeated Steve Stanlee.
- Haystacks Calhoun defeated The Magnificent Maurice.
- Miguel Perez defeated Smasher Sloan.
- Don McClarity defeated Sweet Daddy Siki.
- Bobo Brazil and Gorilla Monsoon fought to a draw.
- Wahoo McDaniel defeated The Golden Terror.
- WWWF United States Tag Team Champions Gene Kiniski and Waldo Von Erich defeated Eddie and Dr. Jerry Graham to retain the title.
- Bill Watts defeated WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino by disqualification. Sammartino retained the title.

1966 - The Medics defeat Tito Carreón and José Lothario in a tournament final for the vacant Florida NWA World Tag Team Title in Tampa, Florida.

1967 - The Medics defeat Terry Funk and Dan Miller to win the Southwest NWA North American Tag Team Title in Lubbock, Texas.

1971 - Fritz Von Erich defeats Toru Tanaka in Fort Worth, Texas to win his ninth NWA American Heavyweight Title.

1973 - Killer Karl Krupp and Johnny Valentine defeat Kintaro Ohki and Seiji Sakaguchi to win the NWA International Tag Team Title in Osaka, Japan.

1974 - Harley Race defeats Archie Gouldie for the Stampede North American Heavyweight Title in Calgary, Alberta. This ended Gouldie's seventh reign.

1975 - Dick Dunn wins his fourth NWA Alabama Heavyweight Title in New Brockton, Alabama, defeating Randy Tyler.

1976 - Tommy Rich defeats Jerry Lawler in a No Disqualification match in Memphis, Tennessee to win the Mid-America NWA Southern Heavyweight Title, ending Lawler's sixth reign.

1977 - Mil Máscaras takes Alfonso Dantés' hair in Mexico City, Mexico.

1978 - Great Kojika and Motoshi Okuma defeat Animal Hamaguchi and Mighty Inoue in Gifu, Japan for the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Title, beginning Kojika and Okuma's third reign.

1978 - Dean Ho and Moondog Mayne defeat Black Gordman and Goliath in Sacramento, California to win the San Francisco NWA World Tag Team Title.

1978 - Ray Candy and Steven Little Bear defeat The Brute and Dr. X for the Tri-State NWA United States Tag Team Title in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

1978 - Gypsy Joe and Buzz Tyler become NWA Mid-America Tag Team Champions when Dutch Mantel gives up his half of the title, which he had held with Joe.

1979 - Bob Sweetan defeats Randy Alls (Randy Rose) to win the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title in Kansas City, Kansas, beginning his third reign.

1981 - Ivan Koloff and Ray Stevens defeat Paul Jones and The Masked Superstar for the NWA World Tag Team Title in Greensboro, North Carolina.

1983 - The Great Gama defeats The Dynamite Kid for the Stampede World Mid-Heavyweight Title in Regina, Saskatchewan. This began Gama's second reign and ended Dynamite's third.

1983 - Dick Slater defeats Mike Rotundo to win the NWA Television Title in Columbia, South Carolina.

1984 - Jumbo Tsuruta defeats Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA World Heavyweight Title in Tokyo, Japan. This ended Bockwinkel's fourth and final reign.

1986 - The Cuban Assassin defeats Kendall Windham to win the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title in Tampa, Florida.

1987 - Abdullah the Butcher defeats Hercules Ayala for the International Wrestling International Heavyweight Title in Montreal, Quebec. He was the last champion before International Wrestling closed later in the year.

1988 - The Midnight Rockers (Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels) defeat The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton) in Memphis, Tennessee to win the held-up AWA World Tag Team Title.

1988 - The first Madison Square Garden event featuring protective mats on the floor around the ring is held in New York City, New York. The results were:
- The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (Jacques and Raymond) defeated King Harley Race and Iron Mike Sharpe (subbing for Hercules).
- George Steele defeated Sika.
- Demolition Ax (with Mr. Fuji) defeated Ken Patera.
- The Junkyard Dog (subbing for Billy Jack Haynes) (with Ken Patera) defeated Demolition Smash (with Mr. Fuji and Demolition Smash).
- Dino Bravo and Jake Roberts fought to a 20-minute draw.
- Ted DiBiase (with Virgil) defeated Bam Bam Bigelow by countout.
- Ron Bass and Jim Duggan fought to a double-countout.
- Don Muraco and The Ultimate Warrior defeated King Kong Bundy (subbing for the One Man Gang) and Butch Reed (with Slick).

1993 - The WWF held a live Monday Night RAW at the Manhattan Center in New York City, New York. The show featured Hulk Hogan's first WWF appearance since WrestleMania VIII, announcing a new alliance with Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake. The new team was called The Mega-Maniacs, with Jimmy Hart as their manager. The results were:
Dark matches:
- Jim Powers defeated Gus Kanterakis.
- Damien Demento defeated Chris Kalpowski.
- Bob Backlund defeated ???.
- WWF Tag Team Champions Money, Inc. (Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster) defeated The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) to retain the title.
- Papa Shango and Tito Santana fought to a double countout.
RAW:
- Bam Bam Bigelow defeated Scott Taylor.
- The Nasty Boys and Tatanka defeated The Beverly Brothers (Beau and Blake) and WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels, when Tatanka pinned Michaels.
- Crush defeated Terry Taylor by submission.
- The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) defeated Skinner.

1993 - The Moondogs (Splat and Spot) defeat The Harris Brothers (Don and Ron) for the USWA Tag Team Title in Memphis, Tennessee. This began Splat and Spot's second reign and ended the Harris' third.

1994 - Javier Llanes defeats El Dandy in Mexico City, Mexico for the CMLL World Middleweight Title, ending Dandy's third reign.

1997 - El Nene defeats Carlos Colón in Ponce, Puerto Rico, to end Colón's 20th WWC Universal Heavyweight Title reign.

1997 - The East Coast Wrestling Association held its very first Super 8 Tournament in Wilmington, Delaware. The results were:
Quarterfinals:
- Billy Kidman defeated Reckless Youth.
- Cheetah Master defeated Devon Storm.
- Ace Darling defeated The Inferno Kid.
- Lance Diamond defeated Ronny Roberts.
Semifinals:
- Cheetah Master defeated Billy Kidman.
- Ace Darling defeated Lance Diamond.
Final:
- Ace Darling defeated Cheetah Master.

1997 - Dennis Gregory defeats Lou Marconi for his third PWX North American Heavyweight Title in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

1998 - WCW held its eighth-annual SuperBrawl pay-per-view event before 12,620 fans at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California. The show got a 1.1 buyrate, the highest ever for a SuperBrawl at that point, and the results were:
- In a dark match, Ultimo Dragon pinned Shiryu (Kaz Hayashi) (with Sonny Onoo).
- Booker T pinned WCW World Television Champion Rick Martel after the Harlem Sidekick to win the title, beginning his second reign.
- WCW World Television Champion Booker T pinned Saturn after the Harlem Sidekick to retain the title.
- Disco Inferno pinned La Parka after the Chart Buster.
- Goldberg pinned Brad Armstrong after the Jackhammer.
- WCW Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho defeated Juventud Guerrera by submission with the Liontamer to retain the title, and win Juventud's mask.
- The British Bulldog defeated Steve McMichael by submission with an armbar.
- WCW United States Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page pinned Chris Benoit after a Diamond Cutter to retain the title.
- Lex Luger defeated Randy Savage (with Elizabeth) by submission with the Torture Rack.
- The Outsiders (Scott Hall and Kevin Nash (with Dusty Rhodes)) defeated WCW World Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) with Ted DiBiase)) to win the title, when Hall pinned Rick after the Outsider's Edge. This took place after Scott Steiner turned on his brother, joining the nWo. This ended the Steiners' sixth and final reign and began the Outsiders' third.
- Sting pinned Hollywood Hulk Hogan after Randy Savage hit Hogan with a can of spray-paint to win the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Title. This began Sting's fourth reign. After the match, Sting spray-painted "WCW" on Hogan, and J.J. Dillon gave Sting the title belt. The WCW World Heavyweight Title had been held-up since January 8, following a controversial ending of Hogan and Sting's match at December's Starrcade.

1998 - Perro Aguayo, Sr. defeats Cibernético to win the Mexican National Heavyweight Title in Chihuahua, Mexico.

1999 - El Cobarde and El Cobarde, Jr. defeat Perro Aguayo, Sr. and Perro Aguayo, Jr. for the Mexican National Tag Team Title in Nuevo Laredo, Texas.

2000 - The WWF taped the February 24 SmackDown! and the February 26 Sunday Night Heat at the Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The results were:
Heat:
- Mosh (with Thrasher) defeated WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Essa Rios (with Lita) by disqualification when Lita gave Mosh a hurricanrana from the top.
- Ivory and Mideon defeated Funaki and WWF Women's Champion Jacqueline, when Ivory pinned Jacqueline while holding the ropes after she blocked a sunset flip over the top from the apron.
SmackDown!:
- Crash Holly pinned WWF Hardcore Champion Test to win the title after Hardcore Holly interfered. Hardcore was trying to hit Crash with the chair but Crash moved and Hardcore hit Test.
- Chris Benoit and Kane (with Paul Bearer) fought to a double-countout. Kane chased after his former girlfriend Tori, who had come ringside but ended up being shot in the face with a flamethrower by a waiting X-Pac.
- Steve Blackman, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Al Snow defeated Christian, Edge and The Hardy Boyz (Jeff and Matt), when Saturn pinned Jeff with a bridging double underhook suplex. Edge & Christian and The Hardy Boyz fought after the match.
- D-Generation X (WWF Tag Team Champion Road Dogg, WWF Champion Triple H (with Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley) and X-Pac (with Tori)) defeated Rikishi and Too Cool (Grandmaster Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty), when X-Pac pinned Sexay after the X-Factor.
- D'Lo Brown and The Godfather defeated Albert and The Big Boss Man after Tazz interfered, and Godfather pinned Albert after the Pimp Drop.
- WWF Tag Team Champion Billy Gunn defeated Bubba Ray Dudley (with D-Von Dudley) by disqualification when D-Von interfered. Billy fought off both Dudley Boyz, giving Bubba Ray the Fameasser through a table.
- WWF European Champion Kurt Angle and The Big Show defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho (with Chyna) and The Rock by disqualification after Chyna hit Big Show with a chair. The Rock and Big Show fought to the backstage area, with Show throwing Rock through a window.

2000 - Ryuji Yamakawa defeats Kintaro Kanemura for the WEW Hardcore Title in Tokyo, Japan.

2001 - Jeff Justice defeats David Taylor for the CWF Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

2002 - Robbie Brookside defeats Dave Taylor in Ventnor, England to win his third European Heavyweight Title.

2002 - The Blackbird Posse (Larry Green and Chris Young) defeat J.P. Black and Mike Thunder for the NWA Texas Tag Team Title in North Richland Hills, Texas. This began the Posse's third reign and ended Black and Thunder's second.

2003 - Mafia (Dan Maff) defeats Homicide for the JAPW Heavyweight Title in Woodbridge, New Jersey, to end Homicide's fifth reign.

2004 - Kaz Hayashi defeats Blue-K (Taka Michinoku) in Tokyo, Japan for the vacant AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Title. The title had been stripped from Kendo Kashin on February 12 due to a February 11 no-show.

2004 - Brodie Lee defeats Fusion and Marcos in a three-way match in Rochester, New York to win the vacant Rochester Pro Wrestling Television Title. Rochester Pro Wrestling is known as NWA Upstate.

2004 - Silas Young wins the NWA Midwest Heavyweight Title from Adam Evans in Wheaton, Illinois.

2005 - WWE held taped the February 24 SmackDown! and February 26 Velocity at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The results:
- In a dark match, Frankie Kazarian and Shannon Moore defeated The F.B.I. (Nunzio and Vito), when Kazarian pinned Vito.
Velocity:
- Paul London pinned Spike Dudley with a bridging dragon suplex.
- René Duprée pinned Scotty 2 Hotty after the Duprée Driver.
- Charlie Haas and Hardcore Holly defeated Mike Kruel and Fred Sampson, when Haas made Kruel submit with the Haas of Pain.
- Booker T pinned Kenzo Suzuki (with Hiroko) after a scissors kick.
SmackDown!:
- WWE Tag Team Champions Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio defeated The Basham Brothers (Danny and Doug Basham), when Mysterio pinned Doug after a 619, frog splash and springboard legdrop.
- Kurt Angle defeated Matt Martel (Matt Striker) by submission with the ankle lock in a Gold Medal Invitational.
- WWE Cruiserweight Champion Chavo Guerrero pinned Funaki after the Gory Bomb to retain the title.
- The Undertaker defeated Mark Jindrak and Luther Reigns in a Handicap match when Taker made Jindrak submit with a triangle choke.
- The Big Show and WWE United States Champion John Cena defeated Orlando Jordan and WWE Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield, when Cena pinned Jordan after the FU.

2007 - Bradley Jay defeats Vito in McDonough, Georgia to become the first two-time Deep South Heavyweight Champion.

2008 - ROH held "Eye of the Storm" at the Community Center in Deer Park, New York. The show featured an eight-man tournament for a future match for Nigel McGuinness' ROH World Title. The results were:
- In a tournament quarterfinal, Bryan Danielson defeated ROH World Tag Team Champion Rocky Romero.
- In a tournament quarterfinal, Kevin Steen defeated Delirious.
- In a tournament quarterfinal, El Generico defeated Austin Aries.
- In a tournament quarterfinal, Go Shiozaki defeated Necro Butcher.
- In a tournament semifinal, Kevin Steen defeated Bryan Danielson.
- In a tournament semifinal, Go Shiozaki defeated El Generico.
- Jason Blade defeated Mitch Frankin, Human Tornado and Pelle Primeau in a Four Corner Survival match.
- The Vulture Squad (Jigsaw and Ruckus) defeated Jimmy Jacobs and Zach Gowen.
- In the tournament final, Kevin Steen defeated Go Shiozaki to earn a future ROH World Title match.

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