This Day in Wrestling History (January 10)

32 years ago today in Memphis, Tennessee, Nick Bockwinkel defeated Jerry Lawler to win the vacated AWA World Heavyweight Championship. The title was vacated following a bout back on December 27 involving Lawler and Bockwinkel.

21 years ago today, WWE presented the RAW first anniversary special (WWE Network link) from the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. In one of the bouts, The 1-2-3 Kid & Marty Jannetty defeated The Quebecers (Jacques & Pierre) to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.

17 years ago today, the WWF and Mike Tyson agree on a deal that would bring the former world heavyweight boxing champion to appear at Wrestlemania XIV. Tyson was more or less considered toxic following his biting of Evander Holyfield's ear during a title bout the previous summer that virtually banned him from the sport. Tyson's involvement with the WWF would be credited as part of the resurgence that the WWF had in 1998.

17 years ago today, ECW presented House Party '98 from the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

• Tommy Dreamer, Balls Mahoney and Axl Rotten defeated The Full Blooded Italians (Little Guido, Tommy Rich and Tracy Smothers).
• Jerry Lynn defeated Chris Candido by submission.
• Gran Hamada defeated Gran Naniwa.
• Al Snow defeated Roadkill.
• Justin Credible defeated The Great Sasuke.
• Rob Van Dam defeated Bam Bam Bigelow.
• Taz defeated 2 Cold Scorpio by submission to retain the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.
• The Dudleys (Big Dick, Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley) defeated New Jack, Kronus and Spike Dudley.
• The Sandman defeated Sabu in a Stairway to Hell match. Sabu suffered a broken jaw in the match, but had it taped by Bill Alfonso just moments before the conclusion.

16 years ago today, ECW presented Guilty as Charged (WWE Network link) from the Millennium Theatre in Kissimmee, Florida.

• Axl Rotten & Balls Mahoney defeated Danny Doring & Roadkill and The FBI (Little Guido & Tracy Smothers) (w/ Big Guido, Sal E. Graziano & Tommy Rich) in a three-team elimination match.
• The FBI (Little Guido & Tracy Smothers) beat Danny Doring & Roadkill (4:30)
• Axl Rotten & Balls Mahoney beat The FBI (Little Guido & Tracy Smothers) (6:54)
• Yoshihiro Tajiri defeated Super Crazy
• Sid defeated John Kronus
• The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley) defeated New Jack & Spike Dudley.
• Rob Van Damdefeated Lance Storm to retain the ECW Television Championship (18:50)
• Justin Credible defeated Tommy Dreamer in a Stairway To Hell match.
• Taz defeated Shane Douglas by submission to win the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.

15 years ago today on Nitro from Uniondale, New York, WCW World Heavyweight Champion Bret Hart and Kevin Nash fought to a no contest. It would turn out to be Hart's final match in WCW, as mounting injuries, specifically the concussion he suffered at Starrcade a few weeks earlier, forced him to retire. He would make rare appearances for the rest of his time in WCW, and not return to the ring until 2010 when he defeated Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania XXVI.

(Raw 10.01.00) DX vs RockNsock Connection & The... by Raubenheimer

15 years ago today on RAW is WAR, Mankind was reinstated to the WWF after being kayfabe fired a few weeks earlier following The Rock and the rest of the WWF roster threatened to walk out on the company. In the show's main event, D-Generation X (Triple H, The New Age Outlaws, and X-Pac) defeated The Rock, Mankind, and the Acolytes. It would be the final match Mick Foley wrestled in the Mankind persona before his first retirement a few months later.

Kurt Angle Wins World Championship (Part 2) by Giuliano1310

9 years ago today at a Smackdown taping in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, two championships change hands. In one bout, Randy Orton defeated Chris Benoit to give Booker T a 4-3 series win and the vacated WWE United States Championship. In the main event, Kurt Angle (who was a member of the RAW roster at the time) wins a 20-man battle royal to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Batista vacated the title earlier in the show just two days after suffering a torn triceps muscle injury in a match with Mark Henry. The title change was reported on WWE.com just moments after the event, a rare case of WWE themselves reporting show spoilers.

4 years ago today, Shawn Michaels, just nine months removed from retirement, is announced as the headliner for the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2011.