This Day in Wrestling History (September 17)

33 years ago today in Kansas City, Missouri, Ric Flair defeated Dusty Rhodes to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.

31 years ago today, World Wrestling Council held their 10^th anniversary show at Roberto Clemente Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In a champion vs. champion bout, WWC Universal Champion Carlos Colon and NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race fought to a one-hour draw. In the show's main event, Andre the Giant defeated Abdullah the Butcher by countout.

28 years ago today, the WWF pairs one of the most iconic commentary teams ever for the first time at a Wrestling Challenge taping in Salisbury, Maryland. That team: Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

19 years ago today, WCW held Fall Brawl: War Games (WWE Network link) from the Asheville Civic Center in Asheville, North Carolina. 6,600 were in attendance, with just 95,000 homes watching on PPV, continuing a downward trend of PPV buyrates for WCW (outside of Bash at the Beach from July that had 160,000 homes). Since Uncensored's 180,000 buys in March, the number of buys for WCW PPVs: 110,000; 100,000; 160,000. It would have a slight uptick for Halloween Havoc, but would bottom out for Starrcade at 75,000 buys in December.

• Johnny B. Badd defeated Brian Pillman to become the #1 contender for the WCW United States Championship.
• Sgt Craig Pittman defeated Cobra.
• Diamond Dallas Page defeated The Renegade to win the WCW World Television Championship.
• Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) defeated Bunkhouse Buck & Dick Slater to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
• Arn Anderson defeated Ric Flair.
• The Hulkamaniacs (Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger, Randy Savage & Sting) defeated The Dungeon of Doom (Kamala, Meng, Shark & Zodiac) in a War Games match.

14 years ago today, WCW held their final Fall Brawl event (WWE Network link) from the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. 8,634 were in attendance, with just 75,000 homes watching on PPV. That's down from 130,000 in 1999, and and an event high 275,000 in 1998.

• Elix Skipper defeated Kwee Wee to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.
• Misfits In Action (Corporal Cajun, Lt. Loco & Sgt. A-WOL) defeated 3-Count (Evan Karagias, Shane Helms & Shannon Moore).
• The Harris Brothers (Big Ron & Heavy D) defeated KroniK (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark) in a First Blood Chain Tag Team Match.
• Lance Storm defeated General Rection to retain the WCW United States Championship.
• Big Vito, Paul Orndorff & The Filthy Animals (Disco Inferno, Juventud Guerrera & Rey Mysterio Jr.) vs. The Natural Born Thrillers (Chuck Palumbo, Johnny The Bull, Mark Jindrak, Reno & Sean O'Haire) in a Ten Man Tag Team Elimination Match ended in a no contest.
• Shane Douglas & Torrie Wilson defeated Billy Kidman & Madusa in a Pittsburgh Plunge Scaffold Tag Team Match.
• Sting defeated The Great Muta and Vampiro in a Three Way Dance.
• Mike Awesome defeated Jeff Jarrett in a Bunkhouse Brawl.
• Scott Steiner defeated Goldberg via referee stoppage in a no disqualification match.
• Booker T defeated Kevin Nash in a Steel Cage match to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

9 years ago today in Long Island, New York, Bryan Danielson defeated James Gibson at Glory by Honor IV to win the ROH World Championship.

8 years ago today, WWE presented Unforgiven (WWE Network link) from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 16,305 were in attendance, with 289,000 homes watching on PPV. That's up 49,000 buys from the previous year. The show featured the first match to use a newer version of the Hell in a Cell (taller, more space) and the final match of Trish Stratus as an active competitor.

• In a preshow dark match, Super Crazy defeated Shelton Benjamin.
• Johnny Nitro defeated Jeff Hardy to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
• Kane and Umaga went to a double countout.
• The Spirit Squad (Mikey & Nicky defeated The Highlanders (Rory McAllister & Robbie McAllister) to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship.
• D-Generation X (Shawn Michaels & Triple H defeated Shane McMahon, Vince McMahon, and The Big Show in a handicap Hell in a Cell match.
• Trish Stratus defeated Lita to win the WWE Women's Championship. As this was her last match, the belt was vacated the next night.
• Randy Orton defeated Carlito.
• John Cena defeated Edge (c) in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match to win the WWE Championship.

3 years ago today, Ring of Honor presented Death Before Dishonor IX from the Manhattan Center in New York City.

• In a preshow match, Andy Ridge defeated Grizzly Redwood in a Survival of the Fittest 2011 Qualifying match.
• The Embassy (Rhino and Tommaso Ciampa) defeated Homicide and Jay Lethal.
• Shelton Benjamin defeated Mike Bennett.
• The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) defeated Future Shock (Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly) and The Bravado Brothers (Harlem and Lancelot) in a Three-Way Elimination Tag Team match.
• El Generico and Jimmy Jacobs fought to a no contest.
• Charlie Haas defeated Michael Elgin.
• Eddie Edwards defeated Roderick Strong two falls to one in a best of three falls match.
• The All Night Express (Kenny King and Rhett Titus) defeated The Briscoe Brothers (Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe) in a Ladder War III to determine the number one contenders for the ROH World Tag Team Championship at Glory By Honor X.