This Day in Pro Wrestling History (June 20)

The WWE Intercontinental Championship changes hands three times on this day, Vince Russo returns to his former employer, and two bad ideas manifest themselves: a PPV with a fatal-four way gimmick is bad. Disqualifications for top rope maneuvers is even worse.

33 years ago today, Don Muraco defeats Pedro Morales to win the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship. Muraco would hold the championship until November 23 when Pedro Morales defeated Muraco to regain the title.

21 years ago today was WCW Beach Blast (WWE Network link) from the Mobile Civic Center in Mobile, Alabama. About 5,000 were in attendance, with just a 0.40 buyrate, making it the lowest of either major promotion that year.

• In a match not shown on the Pay-per-view broadcast, Junkyard Dog, Tom Zenk & Big Josh defeated Tracey Smothers, Richard Morton & Diamond Dallas Page.
• Scotty Flamingo (Raven) defeated Brian Pillman to win the WCW Light Heavyweight Title when Pillman missed a dive from the ring, crashing into the entrance ramp, and Flamingo rolled Pillman back into the ring and hit a second rope kneedrop for the win.
• Ron Simmons defeated Terry Taylor with a powerslam.
• Greg Valentine defeated Marcus Bagwell via submission with the figure four leglock.
• WCW World Champion Sting defeated Cactus Jack in a non-title Falls Count Anywhere match with a top rope clothesline from the ring to the entrance ramp. This was Cactus' favorite match during his WCW run.
• Ricky Steamboat defeated Rick Rude in a 30-minute Ironman Match 4-3.

1. First Fall: Rude pinned Steamboat after a knee to the face of a charging Steamboat.
2. Second Fall: Rude pinned Steamboat with a Rude Awakening neckbreaker.
3. Third Fall: Rude is disqualified for jumping off the top rope to hit a kneedrop (top rope moves were now a DQ in WCW).
4. Fourth Fall: Rude pinned Steamboat with a small package immediately after the top rope DQ.
5. Fifth Fall: Steamboat pinned Rude with a tombstone piledriver.
6. Sixth Fall: Steamboat pinned Rude with a backslide.
7. Seventh Fall: With thirty seconds remaining, Steamboat kicked off the turnbuckles as Rude applied a sleeper and rolled Rude into a pinning position.

• Dustin Rhodes, Barry Windham & Nikita Koloff defeated Arn Anderson, Steve Austin & Bobby Eaton via disqualification when Anderson was disqualified for hitting a top rope axhandle on Windham, who had just superplexed Austin (from the second rope).
• Missy Hyatt defeated Madusa in a bikini contest. Missy's bikini was missing when she went to change, so she took Jesse Ventura's scarves and "made" a new suit.
• WCW World Tag Team Champions Rick & Scott Steiner vs. Terry Gordy & Steve Williams ended in a 30-minute draw.

17 years ago today, The Dudley Boyz defeated John Kronus in a handicap match to win the ECW Tag Team Championship. Kronus' partner, Perry Saturn, could not compete due to injury. This was the Dudleys' second tag team title win.

14 years ago today, Rikishi defeated Chris Benoit to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship at a Smackdown taping in Memphis, Tennessee.

12 years ago today, Vince Russo returns to the WWE has their head writer, nearly three years after leaving the company for WCW with Ed Ferrara. Russo left three weeks later to join Ferrara in WCW's spiritual successor, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

10 years ago today, AAA held TripleMania XII from El Toreo in Naucalpan, Mexico.

- Oscar Sevilla, Pimpinella Escarlata, Cynthia Moreno and Mascarita Sagrada defeated Gran Apache, Polvo de Estrellas, Fabi Apache and Mini Abismo Negro.

- Octagon, Heavy Metal and Intocable defeated Pirata Morgan, MS1 and Espectro, Jr. by disqualification

- Mr. Aguila pinned Zorro to win the UWA World Light Heavyweight Title.

- Latin Lover, Hector Garza and Gronda defeated Abyss, Chessman and Abismo Negro, when Lover and Gronda pinned Abyss.

- Charly Manson pinned Electro Shock in a Retirement match.

- La Parka pinned Cibernetico in a Hair vs. Hair match.

9 years ago today, Carlito, fresh from being drafted to RAW from Smackdown, defeats Shelton Benjamin to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship. The show also featured an attempted wedding of Edge and Lita, but was interrupted by Kane, who tombstoned a priest.

7 years ago today, Konnan walks out on TNA when he skips a scheduled appearance at a TNA Impact taping and flies himself home from Orlando. Konnan had said stated both privately and publicly he was not happy with the company and he was done with TNA. He would file a lawsuit over working conditions, but it would ultimately be settled.

4 years ago today was WWE's Fatal Four Way (WWE Network link) PPV from the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY. About 10,000 were in attendance with about 143,000 homes purchasing the event, which was down from 178,000 at the previous year's event at this time, The Bash.

- Kofi Kingston defeats Drew McIntyre to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

- Alicia Fox defeats Eve, Gail Kim & Maryse in a Fatal Four Way Match to win the WWE Divas Championship.

- Rey Mysterio defeats Jack Swagger, CM Punk & The Big Show in a Fatal Four Way Match to win the World Heavyweight Championship.

- The Miz defeats R-Truth to retain the WWE United States Championship.

- Sheamus defeats John Cena, Randy Orton & Edge in a Fatal Four Way Match to win the WWE Championship.

3 years ago today, Kelly Kelly defeats Brie Bella to become the new WWE Divas Champion on RAW from Baltimore, Maryland. Kelly won the right to challenge for the title via a fan vote. Later on the show, CM Punk reveals that his contract with the company comes to an end at the Money in the Bank PPV on July 17 and vows to leave with the WWE Championship.

A very happy 57^th birthday to WWE Hall of Famer Koko B. Ware.

And a very happy 36^th birthday to former UFC light heavyweight and Pride middleweight champion (and one-time member of the Main Event Mafia) Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.