This Day in Wrestling History (April 21)

42 years ago today, Giant Baba defeated Mark Lewin to win the first ever All Japan Pro Wrestling Champion Carnival.

35 years ago today in New York City, Ken Patera defeated Pat Patterson to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship. This is actually the first time the WWF Intercontinental Championship was defended, as Patterson was awarded the title as the North American Champion at the time won a tournament in Rio De Janeiro.

31 years ago today in Greensboro, North Carolina, Ricky Steamboat defeated Dick Slater to win the NWA United States Championship.

17 years ago today, Scott Steiner was arrested for threatening an Atlanta Department of Transportation worker, then hitting him twice with his Ford pickup truck when the worker, who was directing traffic at the time, wouldn't let Steiner drive down a lane that was being worked on in Cherokee County. The worker, Paul Kaspereen, was not seriously injured. The following March, Steiner pled guilty to aggravated assault and making terroristic threats on a city official. The felonies carry a maximum 30-year jail sentence, but Steiner as a first time offender, was sentenced to 10 days in prison, placed on seven years probation, ordered to pay $25,000 in fines, restitution, and legal costs, and ordered to perform 200 hours community service.

13 years ago today, WWF presented Backlash from the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. 12,489 were in attendance, with 400,000 homes watching on PPV. That's up from 375,000 for the 2001 event. This was the first WWF PPV at the Kemper Arena since Owen Hart's tragic death at Over The Edge in May 1999. This was also the last domestic PPV under the WWF name, as a British court decides a few weeks later they could no longer use the WWF name.

• In a Sunday Night Heat preshow match, The Big Show defeated Justin Credible and Steven Richards in a 2-on-1 handicap mathc.
• Tajiri defeated Billy Kidman to win the WWF Cruiserweight Championship.
• Scott Hall defeated Bradshaw.
• Jazz defeated Trish Stratus to retain the WWF Women's Championship.
• Brock Lesnar defeated Jeff Hardy.
• Kurt Angle defeated Edge.
• Eddie Guerrero defeated Rob Van Dam to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship .
• The Undertaker defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin to become the #1 contender for the Undisputed WWF Championship. Ric Flair was the special referee.
• Billy and Chuck defeated Maven and Al Snow to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship.
• Hulk Hogan defeated Triple H to win the Undisputed WWF Championship. This was Hogan's first WWF Championship since 1993, at the time, the second longest drought between championship reigns in WWF history.

11 years ago today at an NWA-TNA weekly PPV taping in Nashville, Tennessee, AJ Styles defeated Jeff Jarrett to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

7 years ago today, WWE presented King of the Ring on a special edition of RAW from Greenville, South Carolina.

• In a dark match, Ron Killings defeated Trevor Murdoch.

• Quarterfinals:
  • Chris Jericho defeated MVP by submission.
  • CM Punk defeated Matt Hardy.
  • Finlay defeated The Great Khali by disqualification.
  • William Regal defeated Hornswoggle by submission in just 18 seconds.

• Semifinals:
  • CM Punk defeated Chris Jericho .
  • William Regal defeated Finlay by knockout.

• Final:
  • William Regal defeated CM Punk to win the King of the Ring tournament.

• Non-tournament bouts:
  • Carlito defeated Hardcore Holly.
  • "Barack Obama" fought "Hillary Clinton" to a no contest when Umaga took out both competitors.
  • Randy Orton, Edge, Chavo Guerrero and John "Bradshaw" Layfield defeated The Undertaker, Kane, Triple H and John Cena.

6 years ago today, TNA announces via press release a campaign to "cross the line" and change the future of professional wrestling.

TNA Wrestling Launches 'Cross the Line' Campaign to Challenge Fans Across the World to Change the Future of Professional Wrestling

NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 21  -- Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling today officially announced its launch of "Cross The Line," a worldwide marketing campaign to brand TNA as a call to action for fans of professional wrestling.

"Cross The Line" will encourage fans who have never watched TNA to try it, current TNA fans to recruit others, wrestling stars from around the world to cross the line and join TNA, and it's the official launch of TNA's revolution to call out the competition. The "Cross The Line" will be supported by a multi-layer advertising and marketing campaign including electronic and print placements and a variety of interactive initiatives.

During its first-ever live telecast of "TNA iMPACT!" March 27 on Spike TV, TNA premiered "Cross The Line" with a 30-second commercial, a new opening ID tag, and new graphics. Wrestling fans who attended from around the globe became the first to symbolically "Cross The Line" over yellow TNA "caution tape" as they entered into the "iMPACT Zone" at Universal Studios Orlando. "iMPACT" drew capacity crowds for both the live event and two additional shows throughout the weekend, with thousands more fans being turned away.

"TNA iMPACT!" has grown viewership of its original weekly episode airing to 1.5 million viewers on average per week, which more than doubles the original total average viewership from its debut shows on Spike TV in October 2005.

"We have been overwhelmed by the support and passion of TNA fans. Their demand for TNA can't be silenced, and that energy is what 'Cross The Line' is all about. Nothing challenges the establishment of professional wrestling more than the sound of millions of wrestling fans chanting 'TNA,'" said TNA President Dixie Carter.