This Day in Wrestling History (May 7): Three Is The Magic Number

102 years ago today in Kansas City, Missouri, Stanislaus Zbyszko defeated Americus (Gus Schoenlein) to win the World Heavyweight Championship.

27 years ago today, NWA presented Wrestlewar '89: Music City Showdown (WWE Network link) from Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.  About 5,200 were in attendance, with 120,000 homes watching on PPV. The show featured a live performance by The Oak Ridge Boys.

• The Great Muta (with Gary Hart) defeated Doug Gilbert.
• Butch Reed defeated Ranger Ross.
• Dick Murdoch defeated Bob Orton, Jr. in a bullrope match.
• The Dynamic Dudes (Shane Douglas and Johnny Ace) defeated The Samoan Swat Team (Samu and Fatu).
• Michael Hayes defeated Lex Luger to win the NWA United States Championship.
• Sting defeated The Iron Sheik to retain the NWA World Television Championship.
• Ric Flair defeated Ricky Steamboat to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Post-match, Flair was attacked by Terry Funk and piledriven through a ringside table. Flair would miss the next two months due to injury.
• The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) defeated The Varsity Club (Mike Rotunda and Steve Williams) in a NWA World Tag Team Championship match. Nikita Koloff was the special referee. Shortly after the match, The Varsity Club were stripped of the tag team titles.
• Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner defeated The Varsity Club (Kevin Sullivan and Dan Spivey) to retain the NWA United States Tag Team Championship.

16 years ago today, WCW presented Slamboree (WWE Network link) from the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. 7,165 were in attendance, with just 65,000 homes watching on PPV. That's down from 115,000 for Spring Stampede a month earlier, and from 195,000 homes for the 1999 Slamboree event.

• Chris Candido defeated The Artist to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.
• Terry Funk defeated Norman Smiley and Ralphus in a handicap hardcore to retain the WCW Hardcore Championship.
• Shawn Stasiak defeated Curt Hennig.
• Scott Steiner defeated Captain Rection to retain the WCW United States Championship.
• Mike Awesome fought Kanyon to a no contest.
• The Total Package defeated Buff Bagwell.
• Shane Douglas defeated Ric Flair.
• Sting defeated Vampiro.
• Hulk Hogan defeated Billy Kidman. Eric Bischoff was the special referee.
• Jeff Jarrett defeated David Arquette and Diamond Dallas Page in a triple cage match to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Post-match, Mike Awesome attacked Page, with Kanyon looking to make the save. Kanyon was thrown off the stage by Awesome from the second cage to the entrance ramp below, breaking it. The image brought eerie memories of Owen Hart's death just about a year earlier in the very same building.

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15 years ago today following a WWF Jakked taping in Uniondale, New York, Perry Saturn was sent home following a match where he worked stiffer than usual against Mike Bell. After Bell botched a spot, Saturn beat on Bell brutally, including throwing him out of the ring and Bell landing on his head.

Possibly as punishment for going full potato on Bell, Saturn was saddled with a demeaning storyline in which he had a concussion and fell in love with a mop. Surprisingly, the gimmick got over with fans, but it was dropped after a few months. Saturn never got out of the doghouse, so to speak; he remained in the lower card until reinjuring his ACL in April 2002. Saturn was released before the injury fully healed.

14 years ago today, Scott Hall is released from WWE just one day after his involvement in the infamous "Plane Ride from Hell".

11 years ago today, Ring of Honor debuts in New York City with Manhattan Mayhem from the New Yorker Hotel.

• Lacey's Angels (Izzy & Deranged) defeated Dixie & Azrieal.
• Nigel McGuinness defeated Colt Cabana.
• James Gibson defeated Black Tiger.
• BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs defeated Generation Next (Roderick Strong & Jack Evans) to retain the ROH Tag Team Championship.
• Samoa Joe defeated Jay Lethal to win the ROH Pure Championship.
• Fast Eddie defeated Davey Andrews.
• Jimmy Rave defeated CM Punk in a dog collar match.
• Austin Aries defeated Alex Shelley to retain the ROH World Championship.
• The Rottweilers (Homicide & Low Ki) defeated Samoa Joe & Jay Lethal.

9 years ago today on RAW from State College, Pennsylvania, Edge defeated Mr. Kennedy in just eight seconds to win his Wrestlemania 23 Money in the Bank contract.

The reason for the case change (the first time--and to this day, only time-the contract changed hands in a match) was it was thought that Kennedy suffered a torn triceps injury, which could have had him sidelined for up to seven months. It turned out to be a massive hematoma, and Kennedy was back a month later. Despite that, Kennedy would never return to the level he was prior to his injury in WWE, especially after he is suspended after violating the WWE's Wellness Policy in September.

1 year ago today, PWInsider.com reported that Kenta Kobayashi, aka Hideo Itami, would miss six to eight months due to a shoulder injury. The news comes just two weeks before he was set to face Finn Balor and Tyler Breeze in a #1 contender's match for the NXT Championship at Takeover: Unstoppable.

Itami has yet to return to the ring.