This Day in Wrestling History (January 4)

23 years ago today in Tokyo, Japan, Riki Choshu defeated Tatsumi Fujinami to unify the Greatest 18 and IWGP World Heavyweight Championships. On the same show, Lex Luger defeated Masahiro Chono to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

22 years ago today in Tokyo, Japan, The Great Muta defeated Masahiro Chono to unify the IWGP and NWA Heavyweight Championships.

19 years ago today in Tokyo, Japan, Nobuhiko Takada defeated Keiji Mutoh to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. On the same show, Jushin Liger defeated Koji Kanemoto to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

17 years ago today in Tokyo, Japan, puroresu legend Riki Choshu wrestles his final bouts before retirement. He wrestles five times-back to back. He defeated Kazuyuki Fujita, Yuktaka Yoshie, Tatsuhito Takaiwa, and Jushin Liger, but loses to Takashi Iizuka.

16 years ago today in Atlanta, Georgia, Hollywood Hogan defeated Kevin Nash in less than two minutes to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. The incident is forever etched in wrestling lore as "The Fingerpoke of Doom". The shady world title change capped off perhaps the most pivotal hour in the history of the Monday Night Wars.

It began with Hollywood Hogan returning to WCW for the first time since Thanksgiving when he announced he was running for President of the United States. Following the segment, Tony Schiavone, on orders of Eric Bischoff, gives away the results of the RAW is WAR main event taped about a week earlier:

"Fans, if you're even thinking about changing the channel to our competition, fans, do not. We understand that Mick Foley, who wrestled here one time as Cactus Jack, is going to win their world title. Ha! That's gonna put some butts in the seats, heh."

In that moment, more than a half million people called WCW's bluff, waited about a half hour, and watched longtime fan favorite Mick Foley (aka Mankind) win the WWF Championship for the first time, defeating The Rock with the help from D-Generation X and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Monday Nitro was still on the air after RAW is WAR called it a night. The leaders of the two nWo factions circled and gestured for a moment, then Hogan, feigning that he was going to throw a punch, instead pokes Nash in the chest and the champion takes a pratfall. One three count later, and Hogan, who had not been on WCW television in months, had just regained the world title and the two warring factions unite as one, shutting out Goldberg of his guaranteed world title rematch.

WCW, on the verge of its first ratings victory since the night after Halloween Havoc, not only lost to the taped RAW (5.7 to 5.0), but would never catch the WWF in the ratings again.

11 years ago today in Tokyo, Japan, Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Yoshihiro Takayama to unify the IWGP and NWF Heavyweight Championships. The NWF Heavyweight Championship is retired following the match.

9 years ago today in Tokyo, Japan, Brock Lesnar defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

9 years ago today in Louisville, Kentucky, Aaron Stevens defeated CM Punk to win the OVW Television Championship.

8 years ago today, WWE signs Nattie Neidhart. Nattie would eventually debut as Natalya. She is the first (and still the only) third-generation woman to compete in the WWE.

7 years ago today in Tokyo, Japan, Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Hirorishi Tanahashi to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (New Japan version). On the same show, Kurt Angle defeated Yuji Nagata to retain the IGF version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Also, Giant Bernard and Travis Tomko defeated the Steiner Brothers to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship.

6 years ago today in Tokyo, Japan, Team 3D (Brother Ray and Brother Devon) defeated The MVPs (Togi Makabe & Toru Yano) to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship. In the show's main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Keiji Mutoh to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Tanahashi's reign would be the 50^th in the history of New Japan Pro Wrestling. Also, Tiger Mask IV defeated Low Ki to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

5 years ago today on RAW from Dayton, Ohio, Bret Hart made his first appearance on the show since the infamous Montreal Screwjob in November 1997. Though he was able to patch things up with Shawn Michaels, he wasn't so lucky with Vince McMahon, who kicked Bret in the groin. The kick sets up one of the big Wrestlemania angles, where Hart would face (and ultimately) defeat McMahon.

5 years ago today on a live Impact from Orlando, Florida, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Jeff Hardy, Eric Bischoff, Sean Morley, Orlando Jordan, Shannon Moore, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman all either debuted or returned to TNA. Oh, and there were two title changes on the show. Hamada and Awesome Kong defeated Sarita and Taylor Wilde to win the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championships. Also, ODB defeated Tara to become the new TNA Knockouts Champion.

4 years ago today at a Smackdown taping in Tuscon, Arizona, Kofi Kingston defeated Dolph Ziggler to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada - NJPW... by Uppgreyedd

2 years ago today in Tokyo, Japan, Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Kazuchika Okada to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - NJPW... by Uppgreyedd

1 year ago today in Tokyo, Japan, Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship