This Day in Wrestling History (March 25)

36 years ago today in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, WWWF Champion Bob Backlund and AWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel fought to a double countout. This was the first ever singles meeting between the AWA and WWWF world champions.

13 years ago today, the WWF held its first ever Draft from the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pennsylvania. Though WWF named it a "brand extension draft", it was a roster split, dividing the WWF's supersized roster to separate shows. Half would stay on RAW, while the other half went to Smackdown. Between matches, the two co-owners, Vince McMahon, representing Smackdown, and Ric Flair, representing RAW would alternate draft picks. The first twenty (10 on each side) were selected live, with the rest of the roster via lottery following the show. Triple H and Jazz, the WWF men's and women's champions were ineligible to be drafted, as was Stone Cold Steve Austin, who declared himself a free agent prior to the draft (in reality, Austin was suspended for no-showing the previous week's RAW taping).

• Tazz defeated Mr. Perfect.
• Booker T & Christian defeated Diamond Dallas Page & Edge.
• Trish Stratus defeated Ivory.
• nWo (Kevin Nash, Scott Hall & X-Pac) defeated Hulk Hogan & The Rock by disqualification in a three-on-two handicap match.
• Jeff Hardy defeated Billy.
• Rikishi and William Regal fought to a no contest.
• Rob Van Dam defeated Kurt Angle by disqualification to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
• Triple H defeated Chris Jericho and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley in a triple threat match to retain the Undisputed WWF Championship. With the loss, Stephanie was banished from the WWF. It wouldn't stick, of course, as she was back about four months later as the general manager of Smackdown.

As for the Draft:

5 years ago today, The Ultimate Warrior addresses rumors that he was to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on his blog, saying publicily he did decline. From Warrior's blog:

"Well, after months of silly speculation and rumor-mongering regarding an appearance by me at this year's Hall of Fame, and with WM being this weekend, I suppose I should say something about it all. Actually, after first seeing how my decision to decline was reported, I had initially decided it wasn't worth wasting time to say anything. Always the rumors. The silliness. The lies. The bulls***. Simply telling the truth is a high spot the bottom-feeders of internet wrestling news always find too tough to pull off.

However, over the last couple of weeks I have received thousands of feverish emails from those of you who are absolutely convinced that my silence is absolute evidence that I will be making a surprise appearance at the Hall of Fame ceremony. So, I thought I should let you know the truth: I am not. I will NOT be at Wrestlemania in any capacity.

I did decline induction. Yes, I declined.

I did not "back out" of anything. There was never anything to "back out" of. I never agreed to appear at the Hall of Fame to begin with. The rumor that I did is a lie; an easy one that fits the kooky, fictional groundwork the liars have been laying down for years. It sounded good, made me look bad, so they added it on.

The issue of money never came up, either. I'm not even sure they pay inductees. I don't think they do. I could be wrong. Don't know. Don't care. I never considered asking for any and it was never brought up in any of the discussions I had. Discussions, mind you, I had only with Vince, nobody else...

Vince called me on December 23rd and left a voicemail saying, among other things, "let's get you in the Hall of Fame where you belong." After the holidays I returned his call, left a voicemail telling him to call me again when he found time. When we finally connected, I told him I would rather meet with him in person than talk over the phone. He said that would be great. He said he would find time on his calendar and call me back to set it up. When he called back a couple of weeks later he didn't even mention finding a time scheduled to meet, and throughout the remainder of the conversation, further decided not to find one. So, given only the option to say either yes or no, my answer was quick and clear, I declined Vince's invitation to headline this year's HOF event."

Warrior would eventually be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014, just days before his sudden passing.

4 years ago today, Kurt Angle was arrested in Grand Forks, North Dakota after failing a field sobriety test and allegedly driving while intoxicated. Angle was in the midst of a TNA house show loop at the time. The test was given after authorities smelled alcohol on his breath. Angle was arrested and charged with being in control of a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Since police did not see him drive the car, he couldn't be charged with a DUI. Angle would make a plea deal on the charges.

3 years ago today, legendary boxing writer and sports historian Bert Randolph Sugar died of cardiac arrest in Mount Kisco, New York. He was 74.

Born June 7, 1937 in Washington, DC, Sugar graduated from the University of Maryland, then earned a JD and MBA from the University of Michigan in 1961. After passing the bar exam, he worked in the advertising business for a decade, working in prominent agencies including J Walter Thompson, PKL, and McCann Erickson.

Sugar began covering boxing when he bought Boxing Illustrated magazine in 1969, and was its editor until 1973. He was the editor and publisher for The Ring from 1979 to 1983. He returned to Boxing Illustrated in 1988, and in 1998, Sugar founded Bert Sugar's Fight Game.

Sugar has authored over 80 books, mostly on boxing, including Great Fights, Bert Sugar on Boxing, 100 Years of Boxing, and Boxing's Greatest Fighters. He's penned books on other sports as well, including Bert Sugar's Baseball Hall of Fame: A Living History of America's Greatest Game and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Pro Wrestling with Captain Lou Albano. He also played himself in a few boxing movies, including Night at the City, The Great White Hype, and Rocky Balboa.

Sugar, known for his fedora and cigar (he also wrote a sports column for a cigar lifestyle magazine), was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005, and received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2011. Sugar, who had been battling lung cancer, died with his family by his bedside at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York.

2 years ago today, Matt Hardy and Rebecca Reyes (aka Reby Sky) announce they're getting married. The couple would get married in October. The couple is expecting their first child in June.