This Day in Pro Wrestling History (June 13)

A lot of stuff happened in pro wrestling history on June 13, so let's dive right on in.

-24 years ago today was NWA Clash of the Champions XI: Coastal Crush (WWE Network link) from McAllister Field House on the campus of the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. Attendance was about 4,100.

The Southern Boys (Steve Armstrong & Tracy Smothers) defeated The Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin)

Tommy Rich defeated Bam Bam Bigelow (with Sir Oliver Humperdink) via DQ

Tom Zenk & Mike Rotunda & Fatu & The Samoan Savage (Tama)

"Mean" Mark Callous (The Undertaker) defeated Brian Pillman

The Rock n Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) defeated The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane) via DQ (The Midnight Express retain the NWAUnited States Tag Team Titles)

Barry Windham defeated Doug Furnas

Lex Luger defeated Sid Vicious

Doom (Ron Simmons & Butch Reed) defeated The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott) to retain the NWA World Tag Team Titles

Paul Orndorff defeated NWA World Television Champion Arn Anderson in a non title match

The Junkyard Dog defeated Ric Flair via DQ (Flair retains the NWA World Title)

-21 years ago today was the WWF's seventh King of the Ring tournament (WWE Network link) from the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. This is actually the first King of the Ring tournament on PPV. Attendance was about 6,500. This would also mark Hulk Hogan's first television appearance in front of a live crowd since winning the WWF Championship two months earlier at Wrestlemania IX, and Hogan's last WWF TV appearance until February 2002.

Bret Hart defeated Razor Ramon in a King of the Ring Quarter-Final match

Mr. Perfect defeated Mr. Hughes (with Harvey Wippleman) via DQ in a King of the Ring Quarter-Final match

Bam Bam Bigelow defeated Jim Duggan in a King of the Ring Quarter-Final match

Tatanka fought Lex Luger to a time-limit draw in a King of the Ring Quarter-Final match (as a result Bigelow receives a semi-finals bye)

Bret Hart defeated Mr. Perfect in a King of the Ring Semi-Final match

Yokozuna (with Mr. Fuji) defeated Hulk Hogan (with Jimmy Hart) to win the WWF Title

The Smoking Gunns (Billy & Bart) & The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott) defeated The Headshrinkers (Samu & Fatu) (with Afa) & Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase & Irwin R Schyster) in a 8-man tag team match

Shawn Michaels (with Diesel) defeated Crush to retain the WWF Intercontinental Title

Bret Hart won the King of the Ring Tournament, defeating Bam Bam Bigelow in the final

-15 years ago today was the WCW Great American Bash (WWE Network link) from the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, MD. Attendance was 11,672, with about 185,000 buys, which is more than 100,000 less than the previous year.

Hak (The Sandman) (with Chastity) defeated Brian Knobbs (with Jimmy Hart) in a Hardcore Match

Van Hammer defeated Mikey Whipwreck

Buff Bagwell defeated Disco Inferno

The No Limit Soldiers (Rey Mysterio Jr. & Konnan) defeated The West Texas Rednecks (Bobby Duncum Jr. & Curt Hennig)

Ernest Miller (with Sonny Onoo) defeated Horace Hogan

Ric Flair (with The Head Nurse & Arn Anderson) defeated Roddy Piper via DQ to become president of WCW

Rick Steiner defeated Sting in a Falls Count Anywhere Match

The Jersey Triad (Chris Kanyon & Diamond Dallas Page) (with Bam Bam Bigelow) defeated Chris Benoit & Perry Saturn to win the WCW World Tag Team Titles

Kevin Nash defeated Randy Savage (with Gorgeous George, Madusa, & Miss Madness (Molly Holly) via DQ to retain the WCW World Title

-Today marks the tenth anniversary of WWE Bad Blood 2004 (WWE Network link) from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Attendance was about 9,000, without 290,000 buys, which was 90,000 less than 2003's event.

Chris Benoit & Edge defeated La Resistance (Sylvan Grenier & Robert Conway) via DQ (La Resistance retain the World Tag Team Titles)

Chris Jericho defeated Tyson Tomko (with Trish Stratus)

Randy Orton defeated Shelton Benjamin to retain the WWE Intercontinental Title

Trish Stratus (with Tyson Tomko) defeated Victoria, Lita, & Gail Kim in a Fatal Four Way Match to win the WWE Women’s Title

Eugene defeated Jonathan Coachman

Chris Benoit defeated Kane to retain the World Heavyweight Title

Triple H defeated Shawn Michaels in a Hell In A Cell Match

via www.wwe.com

-8 years ago today was the reboot of Extreme Championship Wrestling. In the opening segment, Rob Van Dam, who won the WWE Championship two nights earlier at One Night Stand, was awarded the one championship he never won in the original ECW, the ECW World Heavyweight Championship by owner Paul Heyman. This made him the first (and only) man to hold two world championships at once in the brand extension era. Also on the show, 19-year old Barbie Blank debuts as exhibitionist Kelly Kelly in "Kelly's Expose".

-6 years ago today was AAA's TripleMania XVI from Mexico City (for the unfamiliar, TripleMania is AAA's Wrestlemania, the signature event in Mexican wrestling).

The Black Family (Dark Cuervo, Dark Escoria, Dark Ozz & Dark Espiritu) defeated Real Fuerza Aerea (Aero Star, El Angel & Super Fly) in a Handicap Tag Team Match

The Mexican Powers (Crazy Boy, Ultimo Gladiator & Ricky Marvin) defeated La Legion Extranjera (Bryan Danielson, Jack Evans & Teddy Hart) & La Familia de Tijuana (Extreme Tiger, Halloween & TJ Extreme) in a 3-Way Elimination Tag Team Match

Faby Apache defeated Mari Apache in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Hair vs Hair Match. Mari Apache was supposed to have her head shaved, but her father Gran Apache sacrificed his own hair instead

Vampiro fought El Mesias to a draw in a Hardcore Match

La Legion Extranjera (Bobby Lashley, Electroshock, & Kenzo Suzuki) defeated Chessman, La Parka, & Silver King

Cibernetico defeats El Zorro to retain the AAA World Title

-5 years ago today was AAA's TripleMania XVII also from Mexico City.

X-Pac, Charly Manson & Rocky Romero defeated El Zorro, Dark Ozz & Dark Scoria. As a result, El Zorro gets 10 strikes with a Singapore cane

Extreme Tiger defeated Alex Koslov, Crazy Boy & Alan Stone in a Four Way Elimination Hardcore Match to win the AAA Cruiserweight Title

La Hermandad 187 (Nicho El Millionario & Joe Lider) defeated Latin Lover & Marco Corleone to retain the AAA Tag Team Titles

Dr. Wagner Jr. defeated El Mesias to win the AAA World Title

Team AAA (El Hijo Del Santo, La Parka, Vampiro, Octagon & Jack Evans) defeated La Legion Extranjera (Silver King, Chessman, Kenzo Suzuki, Electroshock & Teddy Hart) in a Six Sides of Steel Match to take control of AAA

-Also five years ago today, Austin Aries defeated Tyler Black and Jerry Lynn in a three-way to win the ROH World Heavyweight Championship. The win makes Aries the first (and to this day, only) two-time ROH world champion.

via www.examiner.com

-And also five years ago today was the sudden passing of puroresu wrestling legend Mitsuharu Misawa (link is of his tribute video played at the Misawa memorial show in September 2009) at age 46. He became a protegé of Giant Baba, who gave him his professional debut in 1981. In the early part of his career, he competed as Tiger Mask II, succeeding Satoru Sayama. There was more than an element of luck in Misawa's rise to stardom; after the sudden departure of Genichiro Tenryu from All Japan, Giant Baba needed a new face for the promotion and took the decision to push a young talent. Some would say that Misawa was simply in the right place at the right time. He dropped the mask in 1990 and began ascending the ranks, winning his first AJPW Triple Crown Title two years later. Misawa dominated All Japan in the 1990′s until the death of Giant Baba saw him inherit the position of AJPW President, but would last barely a year before a series of fallouts with Motoko Baba led to his removal from the position and subsequently, his leaving the promotion to set up Pro Wrestling NOAH. NOAH quickly became renowned for showcasing some of the best wrestling in the world, regularly putting on 5-star rated matches. Misawa suffered a fatal injury in the ring; teaming with Go Shiozaki to take on Akitoshi Saito & Bison Smith, Misawa took a regulation belly-to-back suplex from Saito, but lost consciousness on impact and never woke up, having suffered a rumoured spinal cord injury (in accordance with Japanese law, the cause of death has not been made public). Misawa is widely considered to be one of the best wrestlers ever to have lived & is held in high esteem all over the world. Misawa has the most five-star matches as rated by Wrestling Observer Newsletter with 24.

-Four years ago today was TNA Slammiversary VIII (pay link) from the Impact Zone in Orlando. This is the first Slammiversary held in the Impact Zone since 2006, and the first without its staple match, the King of the Mountain.

Kurt Angle defeated Kazarian

Douglas Williams defeated Brian Kendrick to retain the TNA X-Division Title

Madison Rayne defeated Roxxi to retain the TNA Knockout’s Title in a Title vs. Career Match

Jesse Neal defeated Brother Ray

Matt Morgan defeated Hernandez via DQ

Abyss defeated Desmond Wolfe (with Chelsea) in a Monster’s Ball Match

Jay Lethal defeated AJ Styles (with Ric Flair)

The Enigmatic Assholes (Mr. Anderson & Jeff Hardy) defeated Beer Money Inc. (James Storm & Robert Roode)

Rob Van Dam defeated Sting to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Title