This Day in Wrestling History (July 20): Shine Wrestling is Born

54 years ago today in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Verne Gagne defeated The Crusher to win the AWA World Heavyweight Championship.

44 years ago today in Houston, Texas, Jack Brisco defeated Harley Race to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

At the time of his defeat, Race's first run as NWA world champion, lasting all of 57 days, was the shortest official world title reign in NWA history (including all the non-recognized reigns).

That record would stand for only a year and a half; Giant Baba would have just a seven-day reign as NWA world champion when Jack Brisco would defeat him for his second NWA world title.

25 years ago today in Worcester, Massachusetts, The Natural Disasters (Earthquake & Typhoon) defeated Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase & Irwin R. Schyster) to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.

This is the second straight time the tag titles have changed hands at a house show. It would change hands three times over a five-day period in June 1993 all at house shows. It happened again in early 1994 when three consecutive tag title changes happened at house shows.

19 years ago today on Nitro from Salt Lake City, Utah (WWE Network link), Scott Hall & The Giant defeated Sting & Kevin Nash to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship.

In the show's main event, Bret Hart defeated Diamond Dallas Page via knockout to win the vacated WCW United States Championship. The title was vacated when Goldberg won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship earlier in the month.

17 years ago today in Sapporo, Japan, Tatsuhito Takaiwa defeated Jushin Thunder Liger to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

The win ends Liger's eleventh and final junior heavyweight title reign. That's as many as the next two most reigns, Tiger Mask IV (6) and Koji Kanemoto (5) combined. Liger's combined total reigns lasted 2,245 days, also longer than the next two (Minoru Tanaka at 1,010 and Prince Devitt's 998) combined.

9 years ago today, WWE presented The Great American Bash (WWE Network link) from the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. 12,454 were in attendance, with 273,000 homes watching on PPV, up from 230,000 for 2007's edition.

The event, which introduced the WWE Divas Championship (it was contested for the first time at this event), was the final WWE PPV to have a TV-14 rating, as the company would transition to a PG rating a few days later.

In a side note, two people were arrested for burglary (one of the two was also charged with assault) when they attempted to steal commemorative chairs from the show. One of the assailants hit a WWE employee with a bottle and bit him trying to stop the theft.

• In a preshow dark match, Umaga defeated Mr. Kennedy.
• Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder defeated John Morrison and The Miz, Jesse and Festus, and Finlay and Hornswoggle in a Fatal Four-Way match to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.
• Shelton Benjamin defeated Matt Hardy to win the WWE United States Championship.
• Mark Henry defeated Tommy Dreamer to retain the ECW Championship.
• Chris Jericho defeated Shawn Michaels.
• Michelle McCool defeated Natalya to become the first WWE Divas Champion.
• CM Punk and Batista went to a double disqualification for the World Heavyweight Championship.
• John "Bradshaw" Layfield defeated John Cena in a New York City Parking Lot Brawl.
• Triple H defeated Edge to retain the WWE Championship.

5 years ago today, Shine Wrestling was born.

Created by longtime manager and commentator Dave Prazak, Shine Wrestling is actually the second all-women’s promotion he’s birthed (the first being sister promotion SHIMMER Women Athletes in 2005). The promotion was originally co-booked by Sal Hamaoui, Shannon Spruill (best known as Daffney), and Mary Bentley (aka Lexie Fyfe, who is a co-owner of the promotion).

Like its sister promotion SHIMMER, because of the infrequency of events (about once a month on average), the roster is largely fluid. Also like SHIMMER, it boasts a pretty impressive list of alumni, including former TNA Knockouts Champions Cherry Bomb, Jessicka Havok, and Courtney Rush.

Shine Wrestling is a part of the WWNLive Network, which presents all of its events through their streaming service and FloSlam.

The debut event (and all of its shows since) was presented from the Orpheum in Ybor City, Florida, a suburb of Tampa.

• Veda Scott defeated Kimberly.
• Santana defeated Tina San Antonio.
• Made In Sin (Taylor Made & Allysin Kay) defeated The West Coast Connection (Tracy Taylor & Su Yung).
• Christina Von Eerie defeated Cherry Bomb.
• Reby Sky defeated Jayme Jameson.
• Mercedes Martinez defeated Leva Bates.
• Rain defeated Nikki Roxx.
• Jazz defeated Sara Del Rey.

3 years ago today, WWE presented Battleground (WWE Network link) from the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida. About 12,000 were in attendance, with 99,000 homes watching via PPV. That's down from 114,000 homes for the 2013 event, which took place in October that year. It's also 100,000 homes less from the July 2013 event, Money in the Bank.

The show was a runaway winner for Worst Major Wrestling Show of 2014, joining The Great American Bash in 2004 and 2005 and WCW's Uncensored from 1995 and 1996 as the only PPVs to earn the honor in consecutive years (the 2013 Battleground was voted Worst Major Wrestling Show of that year).

• In a preshow match, Adam Rose defeated Fandango in just 81 seconds.
• In a preshow match, Cameron defeated Naomi.
• The Usos (Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso) defeated The Wyatt Family (Erick Rowan & Luke Harper) 2-1 in a best of three falls match to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship.
• AJ Lee defeated Paige to retain the WWE Divas Championship.
• Rusev defeated Jack Swagger by countout.
• Seth Rollins defeated Dean Ambrose by forfeit.
• Chris Jericho defeated Bray Wyatt.
• The Miz last eliminated Dolph Ziggler to win a 20-man over the top rope battle royal for the vacant WWE Intercontinental Championship. Other participants were Alberto Del Rio, Big E, Bo Dallas, Cesaro. Curtis Axel, Damien Sandow, Diego, Heath Slater, Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, Ryback, Sheamus, Sin Cara, The Great Khali, Titus O'Neil, Xavier Woods, and Zack Ryder. The title was vacated back on June 30 when Wade Barrett suffered a shoulder injury.
• John Cena defeated Randy Orton, Kane, and Roman Reigns in a fatal four-way match to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

2 years ago today, PWInsider reports that TNA is restructuring the contracts of most of its roster.

In place of contracts with monthly downside guarantees, most of its roster will be paid on a per-appearance deal going forward.

It was another case of downsizing for TNA with its financial future uncertain, especially after its then-TV partner Destination America decided to cancel all of their programming effective at the end of the summer.

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The best of cSs on this day:

2016: Cesaro ‘shoots’ on the draft, McMahon-centric stories in his post-show promo (Cesaro not happy with being drafted to “the bad guy” show)

2015: Machiavellian forces within WWE want Kevin Owens to fail (Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio says Kevin Owens is being set up to fail)

2014: Report: Spike TV hates Vince Russo, were kept in the dark by TNA about his rehiring (Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio says Spike TV none too happy about Vince Russo working for TNA under the table)

2013: Haters Wanted: Miz to host SummerSlam (The Miz will host Summerslam in Los Angeles)

2012: Kharma released from WWE 'sometime last week' (Former TNA Knockouts champion released from WWE)

2011: Sin Cara update: WWE star denies steroid use, reason for delay reported (Sin Cara goes into damage control mode after being suspended for violating WWE’s Wellness Policy)

2010: John Cena should let the fans see more of the real him (As it turns out, John Cena is a good egg behind the scenes. Like a really good egg)

2009: Jarrett caught with his fist in Angle's cookie jar. (Anonymous TNA employee claims Jeff Jarrett and Kurt Angle’s wife Karen are having an affair; Jarrett to take leave of absence)