This Day in Wrestling History (Mar. 25): Draft Day

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.

14 years ago today, the WWF held its first ever Draft from the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pennsylvania. (WWE Network link)

Though WWF named it a "brand extension draft", it was essentially a roster split, dividing the WWF's supersized roster to separate shows. Half of the roster 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 picks (10 on each side) were selected live, with the rest of the roster was assigned to either show via lottery. Triple H and Jazz, the WWF men's and women's champions at the time, were ineligible to be drafted (they would compete on both shows), 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).

The roster split would become effective on the April 1 episode of RAW

• 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 publicly 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.

3 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 have one child together, Maxel, who was born last June.

Yesterday would have been the 101^st birthday of George Raymond Wagner, best known to millions as the original Gorgeous George.

Born in Butte, Nebraska, he and his parents lived on a farm before moving to Iowa. When he was seven, his family moved to Houston, Texas and would hang around with the kids of the neighborhood. He dropped out of high school at age 14 and began working odd jobs to support his family. One of those jobs was competing in wrestling matches at carnivals. His days of training at the local YMCA began to play off, as by age 17, he was getting bookings from Morris Siegel, the top promoter in the Houston area at the time. Championships would eventually come as well, winning middleweight and light heavyweight championships by his 24th birthday.

That was kind of surprising considering that he was only 5'9", 215 pounds. Hardly imposing at first glance, but he had developed into a gifted wrestler. In 1939, he met and married Elizabeth Hanson in an in-ring ceremony in Eugene, Oregon. The wedding would be reenacted across the country; it is then Wagner got an ephiphany: there is a value to entertainment in wrestling, and he could take advantage of it. Inspired by an article in Vanity Magazine, Wagner began to construct a persona that would change wrestling forever.

In the early 1940s, George had a wrestling match at the Portland Armory. While walking down the aisle, one woman exclaimed, "Oh, isn't he gorgeous." The name would stick. Elsie Hanson, Betty's mother and George's mother-in-law, began making robes and capes for Wagner. In 1941, George began his "glamour boy" gimmick, wearing capes and robes and exhibit exaggerated effeminate behavior. Crowds didn't like it too much...not one bit. Yet, they would turn out in droves to see him.

Eventually, he would land in Los Angeles. With the encouragement of promoter Johnny Doyle, George turned up his wrestling personal to eleven. He would nickname himself "The Human Orchid". He grew his hair long, then dyed it platinum blonde. He would put gold-plated bobbing pins in his hair. His entrances to "Pomp and Circumstance" became events; often lasting longer than his matches. Always dressed to the nines, he would be accompanied by a valet, Jeffries, who would spread rose petals at his feet while walking a red carpet. He would spray the ring--€”and the referee--to "cleanse it of disinfectants". His cry of "get your filthy hands off me!" became famous.

Then he would cheat to win, using every underhanded trick in the book: gouging eyes, punching kidneys, headbutting, and low blows were all fair game in George's mind. It was his credo after all; "win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat". George became wrestling's first cowardly heel. And it came at a perfect time: when television started to become a thing.

Thanks to the advent of television, Gorgeous George became an overnight sensation not just for viewers and fans, but broadcast networks, who needed cheap programming to fill their air time. Wrestling often filled that void, and in some parts of the country, live wrestling aired seven days a week. George's television debut on November 11, 1947 was named by Entertainment Weekly as one of the 100 biggest televised acts of the 20th century. George would be as big a star in television's early days as comedians Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, and Milton Berle.

In February 1949, George would be in the main event of the first wrestling event in Madison Square Garden in 12 years. By the 1950s, George's star was so huge, he would command 50% of the gate for events he appeared in, often making over $100,000 a year (just under $1 million today). Early in the decade, he would win the Boston version of the AWA World Heavyweight Championship and faced NWA world champion Lou Thesz. In 1959, he would finally get his comeuppance when he is defeated by Whipper Billy Watson in a hair versus hair match.

In 1962, he was defeated by a young Bruno Sammartino; later in the year, he lost his hair again to The Destroyer in a mask versus hair match. It would turn out to be his final bout, as his hard living had caught up with his body (George was twice divorced and was diagnosed with liver disease from his excessive alcoholism; his doctor had ordered him to call it a career).

In his wrestling days, he owned a turkey ranch in Beaumont, California (he ultimately lost the ranch) and owned a cocktail lounge in Van Nuys. The stresses of alcoholism and wrestling, combined with failed investments took a toll on his finances and his health. On December 24, 1963, George had a heart attack in his apartment in Hollywood, California. He would die two days later. He was 48.

Many would credit George's showmanship as a part of their own careers, including Muhammad Ali, James Brown, Bob Dylan, Little Richard, Liberace, Elton John, and Morris Day. Of course, many wrestlers were inspired by George in some way, including Buddy Rogers, Adrian Street, Superstar Billy Graham, Ric Flair, and Goldust.

George would be a member of the inaugural classes of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and Professional Wrestling Halls of Fame (1996 and 2002, respectively), as well as a member of the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010. His first wife Betty, 97 at the time, would induct him. Betty died in 2011. George and Betty had two adopted children from his first marriage, and one son and three stepchildren from his second wife Cherie (who died in 2000). Bobbette, one of the stepchildren, had four sons. He also had one child from a longtime mistress, and one great-nephew, Robert Kellum, who wrestled as Gorgeous George III and briefly as the Maestro in WCW.