Events

December 8, 1963, Tokyo, Japan Aside from being the country's top pro wrestler and an A-list celebrity in Japanese culture, the legendary Rikidozan (Mitsuhiro Momota) was also a very successful businessman who amassed a vast…

July 16, 1988, Bayamón, Puerto Rico In the most shocking wrestling-related news story of the 1980s, Frank "Bruiser Brody" Goodish is murdered in a Puerto Rican dressing room by fellow wrestler Jose González. The hulking,…

July 23, 1984, New York, New York Lou Albano & Cyndi Lauper Working in partnership, the World Wrestling Federation and MTV present "The Brawl To End It All," which airs in prime time on the…

November 23, 1972, Atlanta, Georgia Ray Gunkel When the National Wrestling Alliance formed in 1948, one of the primary benefits it offered its members was protection from (and support against) an "outlaw" promotion entering a…

June 30, 1961, Chicago, Illinois "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers In one of the most famous matches of wrestling's television era, "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers defeats reigning National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight champion Pat O'Connor,…

April 15, 1925, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Big Wayne Munn When Billy Sandow, Toots Mondt and Ed "Strangler" Lewis, collectively known as The Gold Dust Trio, first laid eyes on the hulking 6'6" former University of Nebraska…

May 23, 1999, Kansas City, Missouri Owen Hart was, in many ways, the perfect person to be a professional wrestler. He was a member of the famous Hart wrestling family, and thus he was an…

June 28, 1998, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania When Mick Foley met the Undertaker at the 1998 King of the Ring co-main event, fans were prepared to witness a cage match between two of the toughest performers in…

December 29, 1937, St. Louis, Missouri Just five short years after making his professional wrestling debut, Lou Thesz defeats Everette Marshall to capture the first World Heavyweight championship of his career, winning the title in…