This Day in Wrestling History (February 11)

46 years ago today in Tampa, Florida, Dory Funk, Jr. defeated Gene Kinski to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The win ended Kinski's three-year run as world champion and would begin another long run. Dory would hold the NWA world title for over four years before being defeatd by Harley Race in 1973.

Harley Race vs Giant Baba by frenchdeeker

32 years ago today in St. Louis, Missouri, Giant Baba defeated Harley Race to win the Pacific Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship. Today, the championship is a part of the All Japan Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, along with the NWA's United National and International Heavyweight Championships.

32 years ago today in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Bob Backlund defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion "The Magnificent" Don Muraco in a Texas deathmatch to retain the WWF Championship. Only Backlund's WWF title was on the line in the match.

31 years ago today in Boston, Massachusetts, Tito Santana defeated "The Magnificent" Don Muraco to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship.

19 years ago today, WCW presented SuperBrawl VI from the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, Florida. About 7,200 were in attendance, with 210,000 homes watching on PPV. That's more than WCW's previous two PPVs (World War 3 and Starrcade 1995) combined (165,000 buys).

• The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags) defeated The Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge & Rocco Rock) in a falls count anywhere tag team match.
• Johnny B. Badd defeated Diamond Dallas Page to retain the WCW World Television Championship.
• Lex Luger & Sting defeated Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) to retain the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
• Konnan defeated The One Man Gang to retain the WCW United States Championship.
• Kevin Sullivan defeated Brian Pillman in an "I Respect You" strap match in just 59 seconds. After nearly a minute, Pillman suddenly stopped, took the mic, and said "I respect you, bookerman!" and walked out, alluding to Sullivan's role as the head booker of WCW. This was to establish Pillman as a "loose cannon". Pillman was supposed to leave WCW for a period of time and hone his character in ECW. Funny thing happened though: Pillman actually never returned to WCW, and signed with the WWF four months later. Translation: this one minute bout was Brian Pillman's last WCW appearance and match.
• Arn Anderson and Kevin Sullivan fought to a no contest in an "I Respect You" strap match when Ric Flair convinced the two to stop fighting.
• Lex Luger & Sting and The Road Warriors (Road Warrior Animal & Road Warrior Hawk) fought to a double disqualification for the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
• Ric Flair defeated Randy Savage in a steel cage match to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
• Hulk Hogan defeated The Giant in a steel cage match.

5 years ago today, Vince McMahon announces during an investor conference call that WWE would abandon the Survivor Series PPV name. The PPV was the only one to suffer a drop in buyrates during the latter part of 2009. From the conference call:

"We think that Survivor Series is obsolete, as far as that title is concerned.  It was something that worked many, many years ago, in terms of a creative standpoint, various teams competing.  That really is not advantageous as the consumer now looks as what actually they are buying.  And it's such a broad ... Survivor Series yes, many years ago, was one of the original four pay-per-views, but it's outlasted its usage and it is one of the things in terms of rebranding, this year and going forward, that will be rebranded.  No longer will we have that title, Survivor Series."

McMahon reversed the decision and Survivor Series went on as planned that November, and every November since. In a bit of irony, the Survivor Series buyrate for 2010 was up from the 2009 edition, the only one to see such an increase during the latter part of that year.