This Day in Wrestling History (January 14)

24 years ago today at a WCW Worldwide taping in Marietta, Georgia, Arn Anderson defeated The Z-Man to win the WCW World Television Championship.

14 years ago today, WCW presented Sin (WWE Network link) from the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. 6,617 were in attendance, with 80,000 homes watching on PPV. It's the most-bought WCW event since Bash at the Beach the previous summer. It's also down 35,000 homes from the event that it replaced, Souled Out in 2000.

• Chavo Guerrero, Jr. defeated Shane Helms to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.
• Reno defeated Big Vito.
• The Jung Dragons (Yun Yang and Kaz Hayashi) defeated Evan Karagias and Jamie Noble.
• Ernest Miller defeated Mike Sanders.
• Team Canada (Lance Storm, Mike Awesome and Elix Skipper) defeated The Filthy Animals (Konnan, Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Billy Kidman) in a Six-Man Penalty Box match. Hacksaw Jim Duggan was the special referee.
• Meng defeated Terry Funk and Crowbar in a three-way match to win the WCW Hardcore Championship.
• The Natural Born Thrillers (Sean O'Haire and Chuck Palumbo) defeated The Insiders (Kevin Nash and Diamond Dallas Page) to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
• Shane Douglas defeated General Rection in a First Blood Chain match to win the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.
• Totally Buffed (Lex Luger and Buff Bagwell) defeated Goldberg and DeWayne Bruce in a no disqualification match. The loss forced Goldberg to leave WCW.
• Scott Steiner defeated Jeff Jarrett, Sid Vicious and Animal in a Four Corners match to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. The bout went to a quick finish when Sid went off the second rope and broke his leg in two places. The injury was not shown live, as they were cut to a backstage segment where the mystery man entered the bout (that man being Animal). It was one of the most gruesome injures ever seen in a pro wrestling event, and the video as you can probably imagine, is not suitable for all viewers.

9 years ago today in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Bryan Danielson defeated Homicide and Roderick Strong in a three-way match to win the FIP Championship. The same night, he defeated Chris Hero to retain the Ring of Honor Championship.

8 years ago today, TNA presented Final Resolution from the Impact Zone at Universal Orlando.

• In a preshow dark match, Jason Riggs and Johnny Riggs defeated Serotonin (Kazarian and Havok).
• In a preshow dark match, Lance Hoyt defeated Chase Stevens.
• Rhino defeated AJ Styles in a last man standing match.
• Chris Sabin defeated Christopher Daniels and Jerry Lynn in a three-way match to win the NWA X Division Championship.
• Alex Shelley defeated Austin Starr to win the Paparazzi Championship Series.
• James Storm defeated Petey Williams.
• The Latin American Exchange (Homicide & Hernandez) defeated Team 3D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon) by disqualification to retain the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
• Kurt Angle defeated Samoa Joe 3-2 in a 30-minute Ironman match. The first three falls all came by submission, with Samoa Joe getting the lead, then Angle scoring consecutive falls. Joe tied it up with 7:41 left, then Angle took the lead again with 5:19 and held on for the win.
• Christian Cage defeated Abyss and Sting in a three-way elimination match to win the NWA Heavyweight Championship. Cage would be the last NWA world champion under the TNA banner as the NWA cut ties with TNA that summer.
  • Sting defeated Abyss.
  • Christian Cage defeated Sting.

6 years ago today, WWE releases a few notable names including referee Mickie Henson, Tough Enough III winner Matt Cappotelli, and Hade Vansen. Cappotelli was diagnosed with a Grade 2/3 astrocytoma (brain cancer) less than a month after he won the OVW Heavyweight Championship. Cappotelli was among those on deck to be called to the main roster at the time. The tumor was fully removed in 2007. Cappotelli is now a trainer for Ohio Valley Wrestling.

Hade Vansen made a single appearance for the WWE, cutting a vignette promo on the Undertaker. The angle was abruptly ended when Vince McMahon decided to not trust a new talent with such a major angle. Kevin Fertig, who was Mordecai and Kevin Thorn, was to be associated with the angle. He was released a few days earlier.

3 years ago today, the ECW Arena in South Philadelphia holds what was originally its final wrestling event after it was taken over by new management. A boxing card was the final event held in the building. Originally pegged for renovations, the venue would reopen in 2013 when the proposed renovations never happened. The 2300 Arena as it is now known will host an ROH event later this month.

2 years ago today, RAW presented its 20^th Anniversary Special from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

• Wade Barrett defeated Randy Orton.
• Kane defeated Damien Sandow.
• Kaitlyn defeated Eve to win the WWE Divas Championship. The bout would be the last for the 2007 Diva Search winner. Eve Torres cited burnout and wanting to spend more time with her fiancée and work on her own self-defense program.
• CM Punk defeated Brodus Clay.
• 3MB (Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre, and Jinder Mahal) defeated Sheamus in a Handicap Over the Top Rope Challenge.
• Daniel Bryan defeated Cody Rhodes.
• John Cena defeated Dolph Ziggler in a Steel Cage match.

1 year ago today, Johnnie Mae Young died in Columbia, South Carolina just days after her death was initially erroneously reported. She was 90 years old.