:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/38523888/This_Date-in-History-Timeline.0.png)
77 years ago today, John Pesek was awarded the NWA World Heavyweight Championship after the champion at the time Everett Marshall refused at their annual meeting to post a $1,000 bond ($16,545 in today's dollars) that would be required by the champion going forward. Pesek was the only contender willing to post the bond, so he was awarded the title. Three months later, Lou Thesz was awarded the NWA title when he defeated Marshall for the Midwest Association heavyweight championship. The bond issue would come up most famously more than a half century later when Ric Flair would not return the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt (the Big Gold Belt) without getting his $25,000 bond back with interest first.
34 years ago today in Landover, Maryland, Andre the Giant defeated Hulk Hogan after a failed bodyslam attempt. The failed bodyslam attempt would come up again six and a half years later at Wrestlemania III, this time with Hogan kicking out barely.
28 years ago today, WWF tapes the seventh episode of Saturday Night's Main Event (WWE Network link) from the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio. The show would air October 4.
- Hulk Hogan defeated Paul Orndorff by disqualification to retain the WWF Championship.
- Ricky Steamboat defeated Jake Roberts in a Snake Pit match.
- Roddy Piper defeated The Iron Sheik.
- The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith & The Dynamite Kid) defeated The Dream Team (Brutus Beefcake & Greg Valentine) (w/ Johnny Valiant) in a two out of three falls match to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship.
- Kamala the Ugandan Giant defeated Lanny Poffo.
17 years ago today, WCW presented Fall Brawl: War Games (WWE Network link) from the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 11,939 were in attendance, with just 195,000 homes watching on PPV. It was the least bought PPV of a very successful year for WCW. Compared to 1996, it was down from 230,000 buys.
- Eddie Guerrero defeated Chris Jericho to win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship .
- The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner) defeated Harlem Heat.
- Alex Wright defeated Ultimo Dragon to retain the WCW Television Championship.
- Jeff Jarrett defeated Dean Malenko.
- Wrath & Mortis defeats The Faces of Fear (Meng & The Barbarian).
- The Giant defeated Scott Norton.
- Lex Luger & Diamond Dallas Page defeated Scott Hall & "Macho Man" Randy Savage in a no disqualification match.
- The nWo (Buff Bagwell, Kevin Nash, Syxx & Konnan) defeated The Four Horsemen (Chris Benoit, Steve McMichael, Ric Flair & Curt Hennig) in a WarGames Match. Near the end of the match, Hennig turned on the Horsemen and sided with the nWo. Post-match, Ric Flair's head was crushed as a cage was slammed against his head.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/tb-XiNfostg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
15 years ago today at a Smackdown taping in Las Vegas, Nevada (WWE Network link), WWF Chairman Vince McMahon defeats Triple H to win the WWF Championship. At 54 years old at the time of his win, McMahon is the oldest WWF Champion in company history. Vince would vacate the title the following Monday on RAW is WAR, and Triple H would regain the title soon after.
6 years ago today in Japan, Bryan Danielson defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru to win the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship. The title change took place during ROH's last trip to Japan until War of the Worlds earlier this year.
6 years ago today, TNA presented No Surrender (pay link) from the General Motors Centre in Oshwa, Ontario, Canada. This was TNA's first PPV outside of the United States.
- Prince Justice Brotherhood (Super Eric, Shark Boy, and Curry Man) defeated The Rock N' Rave Infection (Lance Rock, Jimmy Rave, and Christy Hemme).
- Awesome Kong defeated O.D.B. in a Falls Count Anywhere match.
- Abyss and Matt Morgan defeated Team 3D (Brother Ray and Brother Devon).
- Sheik Abdul Bashir defeated Petey Williams and Consequences Creed in a 3-Way Dance to win the TNA X Division Championship.
- Taylor Wilde defeated Angelina Loveto retain the TNA Knockouts Championship.
- Sonjay Dutt defeated Jay Lethal in a Ladder of Love Match.
- Beer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode and James Storm) defeated The Latin American Xchange (Homicide and Hernandez) to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship.
- A.J. Styles fought Frank Trigg to a no contest in a Mixed Martial Arts match.
- Samoa Joe defeated Kurt Angle and Christian Cage in a 3-Way Dance to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.