1990-1999
1992
January 20: Dino Bravo wrestles his last match before retiring, defeating The Barbarian at The Forum in Montreal.
February 8: Kerry Von Erich is arrested in Richardson, Texas, for attempting to falsify two drug prescriptions. Shortly after he is released on $6,000 bond, his father, Fritz Von Erich, says that Kerry would be entering a drug rehabilitation program.
March 2: Two top-ranking WWF officials—Pat Patterson and Terry Garvin—resign their positions on the heels of allegations of sexual misconduct leveled by former WWF employees, wrestler Barry Orton, a former front office worker, and two former ring attendants.
March 6: Former WWF star Paul Roma’s pro boxing debut results in a fourth-round loss to Jerry Arentzen in Callicoon, New York, when Roma’s manager, Kevin Rooney, throws in the towel.
March 13: WWF head Vince McMahon appears on CNN’s Larry King Live to address allegations of sexual misconduct and steroid abuse in the WWF. McMahon says the allegations of sexual misconduct are “a bunch of bunk.”
March 16: The WWF denies allegations of sexual misconduct within its organization and promises to conduct its own investigation into the charges. “We do not believe the charges in these stories to be true,” the statement says, in part, “and we are so outraged that we have asked our attorneys to determine what legal action might be appropriate.”
April 1: Former WWF star Paul Roma scores his first win as a pro boxer, a 47-second TKO victory over Norman Fortini in Randolph, Massachusetts.
April 4: The USA Network debuts WBF Body Stars, TitanSports’ new weekly bodybuilding program. The show, featurings former WCW World champion Lex Luger, is a ratings failure.
May 30: After 68 years in the wrestling promoting business, Don Owen relinquishes control of Pacific Northwest Wrestling and says goodbye to the fans.
July 31: WWF World champion Randy Savage appears on The Arsenio Hall Show and admits that he experimented with steroids, pointing out that the muscle-enhancing drugs were legal when he did so.
September 2: WCW’s Clash of the Champions XX celebrates 20 years of wrestling on TBS. It also marks the last U.S. appearance of Andre the Giant.
October 1: Kerry Von Erich is sentenced on six felony counts of prescription forgery. He receives a 10-year suspended sentence, 10 years of supervised probation, and a $6,000 fine.
October 30: Eric Embry suffers a badly bruised liver and severe ligament and cartilage damage to his left knee when his car is run off the road in Beaver Dam, KY.
December 14: The Hellraisers—Road Warrior Hawk and Power Warrior (Kensuke Sasaki)—beat Scott Norton and Tony Halme in Tokyo to win the IWGP tag team title. For Hawk, the win marks a unique accomplishment: winning the top tag team titles of the five major promotions in the U.S. and Japan. He previously had held (with Animal) the AWA, NWA, and WWF World tag titles along with All-Japan’s International tag title.
1993
January 4: In a rematch of a feud started in All-Japan in 1985, WAR’s Genichiro Tenryu pins New Japan’s Riki Choshu in the main event of New Japan’s annual Tokyo Dome card. In the semifinal, IWGP champion The Great Muta (Keiji Muto) pins NWA champion Masahiro Chono in a title vs. title match.
January 29: The WWF donates $100,000 to relief efforts in Somalia during a ceremony at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
February 21: Ric Flair returns to WCW, at SuperBrawl III in Asheville, North Carolina, after approximately 18 months of competing in the WWF.
April 2: The All-Japan Women’s promotion holds a multipromotional card at Yokohama Arena to celebrate the promotion’s 25th anniversary. The show draws a sellout crowd of 16,500 and shatters the all-time women’s gate record with $1.2-million in receipts. The top matches see AJW’s Akira Hokuto beat LLPW’s Shinobu Kandori in the women’s singles match of the year, while AJW’s Manami Toyota and Toshiyo Yamada beat FMW’s Megumi Kudo and Combat Toyoda.
April 30: AAA draws 48,000 fans to Plaza de Toros in Mexico City for Triple Mania. In the main event, Cien Caras wins a retirement match over Konnan due to the interference of Jake Roberts.
May 28: Riki Choshu suffers a broken bone around the rim of his right eye as the result of a Kengo Kimura elbowdrop during a match in Tokyo.
June 12: Jushin Liger suffers a broken left leg in a match against 2 Cold Scorpio in Chigasaki, Japan.
July 4: Lex Luger bodyslams Yokozuna on the deck of the U.S.S. Intrepid in New York City.
August 28: The Mexico-based AAA organization runs a card at the Los Angeles Sports Arena that draws a sellout of 16,742 fans paying $243,000—and turns away nearly 8,000 fans at the door. In the main event, Konnan beats Cien Caras and Jake Roberts in a triangle match.
October 28: An early-morning brawl at the Moat House Hotel in Blackburn, England, takes place between Sid Vicious and Arn Anderson. Both men are rushed to a local hospital. Anderson receives approximately 20 stab wounds from a pair of scissors, while Vicious suffers four puncture wounds.
November 18: WWF head Vince McMahon is indicted on charges of possession of anabolic steroids and conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids, facing up to eight years in prison and a $500,000 fine if convicted on both counts.
December 5: UWFI champion Nobuhiko Takada forces WCW World champion Big Van Vader to submit to the cross armbreaker in a non-title match at Tokyo’s Jingu Baseball Stadium. The matchup of two major champions draws a sellout crowd of 46,168.
1994
February 28: Promoter Jim Crockett holds a taping in New York for a new venture entitled World Wrestling Network. Stars appearing at the taping include Sabu, Terry Funk, Road Warrior Hawk, Public Enemy, Jake Roberts, and Missy Hyatt.
March 16: Two-thirds of Cactus Jack’s right ear is severed when he becomes entangled in the ropes during a match in Germany against Big Van Vader.
April 13: Jesse Ventura is awarded $809,958 by a federal jury in St. Paul, MN, as the result of a lawsuit against TitanSports, parent company of the WWF. All but $8,625 was for royalties on videotapes on which Ventura did color commentary. Ventura originally sought $2-million in the case.
April 16: New Japan’s “Wild Pegasus” Chris Benoit wins the seven-promotion “Super J Cup” junior heavyweight tournament at a sold-out Sumo Hall in Tokyo. In the finals, Benoit beats Michinoku Pro’s Great Sasuke in the junior heavyweight match of the decade, sparking comparisons to the revolutionary Tiger Mask vs. Dynamite Kid matches of the early-1980s. It’s Sasuke, though, who’s the show’s true revelation, beating New Japan’s El Samurai and then current IWGP junior heavyweight kingpin Jushin Liger on the way to the finals.
April 16: Across town at Tokyo’s Budokan Hall, Toshiaki Kawada pins Steve Williams with a power bomb in a thrilling 25: 49 match to win All-Japan’s annual Champions Carnival singles tournament.
April 29: Charles Austin, a preliminary wrestler left paralyzed after a 1990 WWF tag team match in Tampa, Florida, against The Rockers, is awarded $26.7-million in a lawsuit against the federation.
June 3: For the third year running, Triple Crown champion Mitsuharu Misawa turns back the challenge of former tag team partner and now bitter rival Toshiaki Kawada at Budokan Hall in Tokyo. This one was the hardest-fought bout yet, as Kawada pushes Misawa for an epic 35:50 before Misawa knocks him out with his most lethal finisher, the dangerous and rarely used Tiger Driver ‘91.
June 9: Fred Blassie, Bobo Brazil, James Dudley, Gorilla Monsoon, Buddy Rogers, Arnold Skaaland, and Chief Jay Strongbow are inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame during ceremonies at the Omni Inner Harbor Hotel in Baltimore.
June 11: Hulk Hogan signs with WCW.
July 5: The trial of WWF head Vince McMahon on steroid distribution charges gets underway in Uniondale, New York.
July 22: WWF head Vince McMahon is acquitted of conspiracy to distribute steroids to wrestlers following 16 hours of jury deliberations. The announcement of the decision, at a federal courtroom in Uniondale, New York, saw spectators applaud.
August 7: “Mr. August” Masahiro Chono beats Kensuke Sasaki in Tokyo to win his third New Japan G1 tournament championship in four years.
August 27: Eastern Championship Wrestling renames itself Extreme Championship Wrestling.
September 24: IWGP junior heavyweight champion Jushin Liger breaks his leg in a tag team match. The injury forces him to vacate the title, and puts him out of action for nearly 11 months.
November 20: All-Japan Women’s draw 42,500 fans to the Tokyo Dome for the biggest show in the history of women’s wrestling. The 10-hour, 23-match card is headlined by the V-Top tournament of champions. In the finals, EMLL champion Akira Hokuto beats WWWA champion Aja Kong. Also on the card, Bull Nakano beats Madusa for the WWF Women’s title.
December 3: After more than a decade of competing in the WWF, “Macho Man” Randy Savage makes his WCW debut on a live broadcast of WCW Saturday Night.
1995
January 7: Tully Blanchard comes out of retirement to wrestle ECW champion Shane Douglas to a 60-minute draw at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia.
January 24: Former NWA World champion Harley Race suffers a broken hip and two broken hands in a car accident in Kansas City, Missouri.
February 18: Eddie Gilbert dies of a heart attack in his apartment in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico; he was 33.
February 18: Roddy Piper makes a rare appearance at a wrestling card to present longtime Portland promoter Don Owen with a plaque commemorating Owen’s decades-long career in the sport.
February 22: The New York Post publishes a scathing article regarding the deaths of Eddie Gilbert and several other wrestlers who tragically died young. Two-time former WWF World champion Bruno Sammartino is quoted as saying, “It’s time to clean up this business or abolish it, because it’s nothing like it used to be. Right now, it’s filled with human junk.”
February 26: Smoky Mountain Wrestling shows signs of financial trouble when its supercard, Sunday Bloody Sunday II, draws only 1,100 fans—less than a third of the 4,000 in attendance just a year earlier.
March 13: Crush is arrested at his home in Kona, Hawaii, after narcotics officers search his home and discover 500 units of anabolic steroids and several unregistered semi-automatic guns. He is released on $10,275 bail.
March 28: Lawrence Taylor receives major mainstream publicity when he has a public workout in New York’s Times Square in preparation for his WrestleMania XI bout against Bam Bam Bigelow.
April 2: The 13-promotion Weekly Pro card draws a sellout crowd of 60,000 fans to the Tokyo Dome. Each promotion sends what it believes is its best matchup, sparking a competition among the promotions for the best match on the card. The card reaches its emotional climax as All-Japan’s wrestlers appear at the Tokyo Dome for the first time in five years. The “Best Six” match, featuring Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi, and Stan Hansen vs. Toshiaki Kawada, Akira Taue, and Johnny Ace electrifies the crowd and goes to a 30-minute draw.
April 7: NWA champion Dan Severn wins the Ultimate Fighting Championship V in Charlotte, North Carolina.
April 28: Fred Blassie suffers a heart attack that results in triple-bypass heart surgery on May 3. The former wrestler and manager makes a full recovery.
April 28: Approximately 150,000 fans attend a New Japan Pro Wrestling event in Korea, setting an attendance record that stands for one day, as nearly 190,000 fans attend the second day of wrestling at the Korean cultural festival.
April 28 & 29: New Japan draws 320,000 fans over two nights to shatter the wrestling attendance record.
April 30: In an incident that launches the hottest Mexican feud of the year, Mascara Ano Dos Mil breaks a beer bottle over the head of Perro Aguayo in Guadalajara, allowing Dos Mil’s brother Cien Caras to win a triangle match over Aguayo and Konnan.
May 5: In Japan, FMW’s top star, Atsushi Onita, retires after beating Hayabusa at Kawasaki Baseball Stadium in front of 48,000 fans.
May 6: The Sheik, still semi-active at age 70, suffers a heart attack while getting into a taxi in Tokyo. He makes makes a full recovery.
May 13: The Boston Garden hosts its last pro wrestling show ever, the WWF’s “A Night To Remember.”
June 9: Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue beat Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi to win All-Japan’s Unified tag team title. Kawada pins Misawa for the first time ever to end the 42:37 match that is the consensus Japanese Tag Team Match of the Year.
June 13: Chris Benoit wins New Japan’s annual Super Juniors round-robin tournament for the second time by beating Shinjiro Otani in Hiroshima.
June 24: The Grand Wizard, Fabulous Moolah, Antonino Rocca, Ivan Putski, George “The Animal” Steele, Pedro Morales, and Ernie Ladd are inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame.
July 12: WWF President Jack Tunney resigns.
July 22: The Ultimate Warrior wrestles his first match in more than two years before 2,000 fans in Las Vegas, Nevada; he defeats the Honky Tonk Man.
July 23: Pro wrestler Hiroshi Hase is elected to the Japanese House of Councilors.
August: WWF preliminary wrestler Chuck Austin, to whom a federal jury awarded $26.7-million in an April 1994 lawsuit against the WWF, settles his dispute with the federation out of court. According to the settlement, Austin will receive approximately $7-million, while his legal team will receive approximately $3-million.
August 15: Keiji Muto beats Shinya Hashimoto to win New Japan’s annual G1 tournament. It marks the first time in the tourney’s five-year history that the “sitting” IWGP champion wins the G1.
August 20: Cactus Jack beats Terry Funk to win the IWA King of Death Matches tournament at Kawasaki Stadium in Japan.
August 29: Big Van Vader and Paul Orndorff are involved in a locker room brawl at Atlanta’s Center Stage Theater that results in Vader’s suspension and eventual dismissal from the organization.
August 30: JWP’s Dynamite Kansai beats Aja Kong to win All-Japan Women’s WWWA Women’s title. Kansai is the first “outsider” ever to win AJW’s top prize.
September 4: WCW debuts Monday Nitro, live from The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. Top WWF star Lex Luger shocks the wrestling world by appearing on the show, speaking derisively about the WWF and its stars, and claiming he wants a shot at Hulk Hogan and the WCW World title; Hogan gives him that title shot a week later, and the match ends in disqualification when members of The Dungeon of Doom enter the ring.
September 11: WCW wins the first head-to-head meeting of Monday Nitro vs. Monday Night Raw, posting a 2.5 rating to Raw’s 2.2.
September 11: Jesse Ventura scores a major victory when the U.S. Court of Appeals Eighth Circuit Court in St. Paul, Minnesota, affirms an April 3, 1994, verdict awarding Ventura $809,958 in a lawsuit against the WWF over his participation in wrestling videotapes.
September 25: Ted Turner agrees to sell TBS and all its holdings, including WCW, to Time Warner Inc., which would take control in 1996.
October 9: In the biggest singles match in Japanese wresting history, New Japan’s IWGP heavyweight champion beats UWFI’s Nobuhiko Takada with the figure-four in 16: 16. The match draws 67,000 fans, paying $6.1-million, the largest live gate in pro wrestling history.
October 14: A sleeping Shawn Michaels is pulled out of a car in front of Club 37 in Syracuse, New York, and beaten by several men (reports range from four to 10), who flee the scene before police arrive.
October 28: Crush is sentenced to five years probation after pleading no-contest to 11 counts of drug and weapons charges.
October 28: A near-riot occurs at ECW Arena in Philadelphia when Cactus Jack brings a chair wrapped in a flaming towel that ignites part of Terry Funk’s clothing. Funk flings the towel into the crowd, the lights go out, fire entinguishers are squirted toward the crowd, and panic ensues.
October 29: Hulk Hogan pushes The Giant off the roof of Cobo Hall in Detroit following a monster truck battle between the two men.
October 29: Jimmy Hart, manager and confidante to Hulk Hogan for years, turns against the “Hulkster.”
November 20: Shawn Michaels collapses in the ring in Richmond, Virginia, during a match with Owen Hart.
November 22: The New York Post reports that federal prosecutors and the FBI are investigating the possibility of witness tampering prior to last year’s Vince McMahon steroid trial.
November 26: Smoky Mountain Wrestling announces in Cookeville, TN, that it is closing down operations.
December 4: Manami Toyota brings the WWWA World title back to the All-Japan Women’s promotion by beating JWP’s Dynamite Kansai at the Sumo Hall in Tokyo.
December 9: Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi beat top rivals Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue to become the first team to three-peat in All-Japan’s annual tag tournament.
December 13: At Tokyo’s Sumo Hall, Jushin Liger firmly states that he’s “back” by winning the second Super J Cup one-night, multipromotional juniors tournament. After defeating Ultimo Dragon in the semis, Liger beats Gedo in the finals.
1996
January 4: Hulk Hogan files a lawsuit against a Minneapolis woman and her attorney, charging them both with extortion relating to their allegations of sexual assault.
January 5: No longer “The Dean,” Shane Douglas makes a triumphant return to ECW in Philadelphia and makes some derogatory comments about the WWF.
January 22: Big Van Vader’s second night in the WWF results in a suspension after he attacks WWF President Gorilla Monsoon. Roddy Piper is named acting president while Monsoon recuperates.
January 23: The long-awaited reunion of The Road Warriors finally occurs at WCW’s Clash of the Champions event in Las Vegas. Elizabeth also returns at the side of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage (temporarily).
February 3: The NWA holds the inaugural Eddie Gilbert Memorial Brawl in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
February 19: Days after announcing the signing of a Razor Ramon-Goldust streetfight for WrestleMania XII, the WWF suspends Ramon for six weeks due to “unprofessional conduct.”
March 5: The WWF issues a statement that “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel (Kevin Nash) will be leaving for WCW. His last day with the federation is to be June 6.
March 11: Rick and Scott Steiner make a surprise return to WCW ring wars to face The Road Warriors on WCW Monday Nitro.
March 17: Diesel officially turns rulebreaker when he attacks his best friend, Shawn Michaels, in front of a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden.
March 24: “Diamond” Dallas Page’s wrestling career apparently ends when he is pinned by The Booty Man at WCW Uncensored. According to a prematch stipulation, Page has to retire. He would be reinstated several months later when a legal loophole in the match contract is found.
March 31: The ongoing “Billionaire Ted” saga finally ends at WrestleMania XII when referee “Billionaire Ted,” “The Huckster” and “The Nacho Man” expire during their match. The event also features the return of The Ultimate Warrior to active competition, the return of Gorilla Monsoon to the office of WWF president, and the WWF debut of Marc Mero (Johnny B. Badd in WCW).
April 13: Jerry Jarrett Promotions holds its 1,000th live card at Memphis’ WMC-TV studios.
April 15: Brian Pillman suffers numerous injuries in a serious automobile accident in Kentucky. He has yet to return to active competition.
May 18: After several years of wrestling as a rulebreaker in the WWF and a fan favorite in the USWA, Jerry Lawler finally turns rulebreaker in the USWA.
May 19: “Diamond” Dallas Page becomes the WCW Lord of the Ring by winning the Battlebowl battle royal at Slamboree. He earned a World title shot but never received it because officials determined that he had cheated during the battle royal.
May 27: During the first two-hour Monday Nitro broadcast, Scott Hall (a.k.a. Razor Ramon) emerges from the audience to declare war on WCW.
May 28: Ted DiBiase is forced to leave the WWF due to a prematch stipulation after his charge, “Stone-Cold” Steve Austin, loses a Caribbean strap match to Savio Vega.
June 1: The first World Peace Festival, organized by Antonio Inoki, is held at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles; it features wrestlers from promotions such as WCW, EMLL, AAA, and New Japan. The WWF chooses not to send any of its wrestlers
June 1: Brian Pillman, restricted to a wheelchair because of an ankle injury, makes his first appearance in a wrestling arena since his April automobile accident when he shows up at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia.
June 10: Brian Pillman signs with the WWF in an eventful and, thanks to Pillman, chaotic press conference at Titan Towers.
June 10: Kevin Nash (formerly Diesel) returns to WCW at the side of Scott Hall and reveals himself to the be the second of three “Outsiders.”
June 16: Scott Hall and Kevin Nash attack Eric Bischoff at The Great American Bash. Nash power-bombs the WCW senior vice president through an interview stage when Bischoff claims he can’t tell them whom he has selected to answer their challenge.
June 16: The Four Horsemen return to full-force when former Nitro commentator Steve McMichael attacks his tag team partner, current NFL great Kevin Greene, and joins the quartet.
June 29: Sid Vicious ends his retirement and returns to the WWF (as a substitute for The Ultimate Warrior) and defeats Owen Hart in Detroit.
July 7: Hulk Hogan reveals himself to be the third “Outsider” when he joins Scott Hall and Kevin Nash in their main event match at Bash at the Beach against Randy Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger. After the match, the group formally christens itself the New World Order.
July 8: WWF President Gorilla Monsoon suspends The Ultimate Warrior for his failure to appear at several WWF arena cards. The suspension was to be lifted only if the Warrior agreed to post an appearance bond. He never did.
July 13: Pit Bull I’s neck is broken in a match by Shane Douglas in Philadelphia.
July 22: Ahmed Johnson suffers a ruptured kidney after WWF newcomer Faarooq (a.k.a. Ron Simmons), with manager Sunny, sneak-attacks him on a live edition of WWF Monday Night Raw.
August 7: Jushin Liger holds a press conference to announce that doctors have discovered a tumor on his brain. Test results later reveal the tumor to be benign and, after surgery to remove it, Liger is able to return to action.
August 18: Paul Bearer turns against his long-time charge, The Undertaker, at SummerSlam in Cleveland. Bearer’s betrayal allows Mankind to defeat Undertaker in a “Boiler Room Brawl.”
August 19: The tournament for the WWF Intercontinental title begins after Ahmed Johnson is stripped of the belt due to injuries. Marc Mero would go on to win the title.
Ausust 19: Ted DiBiase makes his first Nitro appearance when he sits at ringside to observe the matches. He would later reveal himself to be the “money man” of the NWO.
September 2: The Giant shocks WCW by joining the NWO just 23 days after losing the WCW World title to Hulk Hogan.
September 6: Jim Ross confuses everyone when he announces on a special Friday edition of Raw that Razor Ramon and Diesel have been negotiating to return to the WWF. Kevin Nash and Scott Hall vehemently deny the claim.
September 9: Millions of Nitro viewers witness what appears to be Sting attacking Lex Luger and driving off in a limousine with the New World Order. Later, it would be revealed that it was an NWO replica of the popular WCW star.
September 16: Syxx (formerly The 1-2-3 Kid in the WWF) joins the NWO
September 16: Sting declares himself a “free agent” with no loyatly to WCW or the NWO.
September 22: ECW makes its presence known at a WWF In Your House pay-per-view when The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, and Paul E. Dangerously buy ringside tickets. The three are escorted out of the building after Sandman spits beer on Savio Vega during a match.
September 23: For a second straight night, ECW wrestlers upset a televised WWF event, as Taz and Bill Alfonso break through security barriers and further taunt WWF wrestlers. The same night, Jim Ross lashes out at WWF head Vince McMahon for firing him twice. He also introduces The New Razor Ramon and The New Diesel.
September 30: WCW U.S. champion Ric Flair is attacked by the New World Order and aggravates a shoulder injury he suffered in Japan several weeks earlier. Flair opts for surgery and is expected to be out until spring.
October 7: Amidst speculation that he will join the NWO, Jeff Jarrett makes his Nitro debut and aligns himself with WCW.
October 21: Bret Hart ends months of speculation and announces that he has turned down a generous offer from WCW to return to the WWF. A match with “Stone-Cold” Steve Austin, whom Hart and McMahon both call the best wrestler in the WWF, is immediately signed for Survivor Series.
October 22: Three-time former WWF World tag team champions The Smokin’ Gunns officially break up when Billy attacks Bart in Cincinnati.
October 27: “Rowdy” Roddy Piper confronts WCW World champion Hulk Hogan after his title match at Halloween Havoc in Las Vegas. Their old WWF feud is rekindled as the two men argue over who is the bigger wrestling icon.
November 4: After nearly four years in the same timeslot, WWF Monday Night Raw moves to one hour earlier in an effort to boost ratings. That night features the infamous gun confrontation between Brian Pillman and Steve Austin.
November 16: The WWF inducts Capt. Lou Albano, Killer Kowalski, Vince McMahon Sr., Pat Patterson, Johnny Rodz, Baron Mikel Scicluna, Jimmy Snuka, and Jimmy and Johnny Valiant into its Hall of Fame
November 18: WCW Senior Vice President Eric Bischoff reveals his allegiance to the NWO, embracing Hulk Hogan on a live Nitro and watching the NWO attack Roddy Piper
November 25: Eric Bischoff announces on Nitro that all WCW wrestlers have 30 days to convert their WCW contracts to NWO contracts or risk becoming targets of the NWO. Long-time WCW fan favorite Marcus Bagwell is the first to sign up.
December 9: Ric Flair and Roddy Piper appear side by side on Nitro as Flair offers assistance to his long-time rival in his feud with Hulk Hogan. Piper respectfully declines the offer.
December 29: Roddy Piper deals Hulk Hogan his first clean loss since WrestleMania VI (1990) when he beats him in a non-title match with a sleeperhold at Starrcade. After the match, Hogan, Hall, and Nash exchange angry words with The Giant, who failed in his attempt to choke-slam Piper during the bout.
December 30: The Giant is officially booted out of the NWO as the rest of the group attacks him under orders from Hogan.
1997
January 4: Shotgun Saturday Night debuts at the Mirage Nightclub in New York. The Sisters of Love make their first and last WWF appearance and Marlena reveals her “assets” to The Sultan.
January 19: “Stone-Cold” Steve Austin wins the Royal Rumble after eliminating Bret Hart. Austin was eliminated previously by Hart, but WWF officials did not see it.
January 20: Randy Savage returns to WCW as a free agent. He stages a sit-in on Nitro.
January 24: Goldust wrestles two matches in one day. He loses to Hunter Hearst Helmsley in the WWF and goes on to defeat Lance Diamond in Pennsylvania Championship Wrestling.
January 25: The New World Order promotes Souled Out, its first pay-per-view. Even though the NWO was largely successful, the show itself was a critical failure … Savio Vega turns against tag team partner Ahmed Johnson and joins The Nation of Domination at Madison Square Garden during a match against the NOD’s Faarooq and Crush.
January 27: Referee Randy Anderson is fired by Eric Bischoff after having declared the Steiners winners and new WCW World champions in a match against The Outsiders at Souled Out. Anderson had come out of the stands to make a three-count when original referee Nick Patrick was knocked out. He would be reinstated several weeks later.
February 13: Weeks after winning the WWF World title, Shawn Michaels relinquishes the belt on a live Thursday Raw Thursday, citing a knee injury and the loss of his “smile.”
February 17: After Bret Hart’s WWF World title loss to “Psycho” Sid Vicious, the “Hitman” physically and verbally attacks Vince McMahon.
February 23: Randy Savage officially joins the New World Order after attacking Roddy Piper and causing the “Rowdy Scot” to lose his SuperBrawl World title match to Hulk Hogan.
February 24: ECW wrestlers debut on Raw one week after Jerry Lawler’s diatribe criticizing the independent federation. Paul E. Dangerously serves as color commentator and heavily plugs Barely Legal, ECW’s first PPV … The Road Warriors return to the WWF, beating The Headbangers.
March 16: Sting makes his intentions and loyalties clear when he attacks his so-called “comrades” in the New World Order at Uncensored.
March 25: Two nights after WrestleMania XIII, Bret Hart turns rulebreaker in a speech filled with hatred and bitterness toward American wrestling fans. He then reunites with his brother Owen and brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith to form The New Hart Foundation.
April 6: Scott Steiner is arrested at Spring Stampede after he accidentally hits a police officer during a locker room scuffle with Kevin Nash … Ken Shamrock debuts in the WWF by defeating Vernon White.
April 11: Big Van Vader is detained by authorities in Kuwait after he attacks Bassam Al Otham, host of Good Morning Kuwait, after taking offense to Otham’s questions … Hulk Hogan is pinned by Jacques Rougeau in a non-title match at the Molson Centre in Montreal.
April 13: ECW finally debuts on pay-per-view with Barely Legal. The event garners an impressive .26 buy rate.
April 20: The Undertaker throws fire in the face of Paul Bearer in Rochester, New York, at In Your House.
April 21: Acting under the authority of Turner Sports President Dr. Harvey Schiller, recently named WCW Executive Committee Chairman J.J. Dillon announces that Eric Bischoff no longer has any official authority within WCW.
May 2: The new Triple Threat is formed when Bam Bam Bigelow returns to ECW and, along with Shane Douglas and Chris Candido, attacks B. Mahoney.
May 5: The WWF airs an up-close and personal interview with Goldust in which he reveals his true identity to be Dustin Rhodes and speaks of his estranged relationship with father Dusty.
May 10: PG-13 ventures out of Memphis to face ECW tag team champions The Eliminators at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia.
May 11: Ken Shamrock makes his pay-per-view debut at the WWF’s In Your House by forcing Big Van Vader to submit.
May 12: Rob Van Dam officially becomes “Mr. Monday Night” when he debuts alongside Jerry Lawler on Raw Is War. He defeats Matt Hardy in his first WWF outing, although he does not sign a formal contract.
May 17: Terry Funk drops a guardrail on Stevie Richards’ neck, temporarily paralyzing him. Richards is told to stay out of the ring for four to six weeks. He doesn’t heed the warning.
May 18: Ric Flair returns to active competition at Slamboree in Charlotte, North Carolina, after being sidelined eight months with a torn left rotator cuff. He, Kevin Greene, and Roddy Piper defeat Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Syxx … On the same card, NFL great Reggie White makes his wrestling debut, losing to Steve McMichael.
May 30: Stevie Richards suffers a broken vertebra during a tag team match that pitted him and Raven against The Eliminators. It would be his last bout before jumping to WCW.
June 6: Retired NFL star Jim Kelly helps “Diamond” Dallas Page beat Randy Savage in Buffalo with a pair of elbowdrops.
June 7: Raven loses a “loser-leaves-ECW” match to Tommy Dreamer at the ECW Arena … On the same card, Jerry Lawler enters enemy territory when he, Sabu, Rob Van Dam, and Bill Alfonso attack Tommy Dreamer and nearly every ECW wrestler.
June 9: Ahmed Johnson shocks the wrestling world by joining former foe Faarooq in The Nation of Domination … Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels brawl backstage before a Raw broadcast. Michaels would temporarily leave the federation, vowing never to return.
June 15: Madusa loses a retirement match to WCW Women’s champion Akira Hokuto at The Great American Bash.
June 16: Steve McMichael piledrives tag team partner Jeff Jarrett, thus ending their tempestuous relationship.
June 23: The long friendship of Ric Flair and Roddy Piper is shelved when the “Nature Boy” and his Horsemen attack the “Rowdy Scot.”
June 30: Jeff Jarrett is officially fired from The Four Horsemen, surprisingly without incident.
July 1: PG-13 becomes a trio when Wolfie D and J.C. Ice sign Aldo Montoya (P.J. Walker).
July 11: King Kong Bundy attempts a kneedrop on Primo Carnera III at an independent show in Schenectady, New York. Bundy’s weight causes two wooden support beams to snap and the ring sags. The match continues with Bundy winning.
July 13: Curt Hennig wrestles his first match in nearly four years; he would turn against partner Dallas Page during their Bash at the Beach match with the NWO’s Scott Hall and Randy Savage … On the same card, Dennis Rodman makes his wrestling debut when he and “Hollywood” Hogan lose the main event to Lex Luger and The Giant.
July 14: “Mr. Monday Night” Rob Van Dam is seen backstage at Nitro. Pictures are taken of him talking to the NWO’s Vincent … Mankind’s alter ego, Dude Love, makes his debut in the WWF and helps Steve Austin win the WWF World tag team title.
July 19: The recently unretired George “The Animal” Steele (under the guidance of Capt. Lou Albano) defeats Mr. Ooh La La on an ECWA card in Wilmington, Delaware.
July 22: Raven returns to WCW … Fritz Von Erich suffers a mild stroke. Upon further examination, doctors discover that he has lung cancer.
August 3: Steve Austin suffers spinal shock syndrome at SummerSlam, a result of a “tombstone” piledriver from Owen Hart. Austin would go on to win the Intercontinental title, but his career is put in jeopardy.
August 4: Shawn Michaels turns rulebreaker again after inadvertently helping Bret Hart to win the WWF World title a day earlier at SummerSlam … Sgt. Slaughter is named commissioner of the WWF by President Gorilla Monsoon … Ted DiBiase returns to WCW to manage the Steiners in their battles with the NWO … Sting is offered the first of what would be many opponents by J.J. Dillon, who tried to get Sting to return to competition in WCW.
August 11: Rick Rude returns to the WWF to serve as Shawn Michaels “insurance man” … Stevie Richards makes his WCW debut.
August 16: Japanese woman wrestler Plum Mariko, 29, dies as the result of head injuries suffered in a tag team match the previous day.
August 17: ECW returns to pay-per-view with Hardcore Heaven. The show is marred by technical problems and is considered a setback for the promotion.
August 25: In an emotional speech, Arn Anderson publicly retires and turns over the Horsemen’s “Enforcer” mantle to Curt Hennig.
September 5: Tod Gordon and ECW sever ties amid allegations that Gordon acted as a “mole” within the federation he founded to help supply talent to WCW.
September 10: Fritz Von Erich dies of cancer at age 68.
September 14: Curt Hennig turns against The Four Horsemen and joins the New World Order at Fall Brawl.
September 19: “Wildman” Marc Mero makes his return to the WWF seven months after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his left knee. His attitude is reflected in his new nickname, “Marvelous.”
September 29: Ric Flair officially disbands The Four Horsemen.
October 5: Brian Pillman is found dead in his hotel room in Bloomington, Minnesota. He wrestled his last match the night before in St. Paul, where he lost to Goldust … Kane, the Undertaker’s purported brother, attacks his sibling at In Your House: Badd Blood.
October 20: Jeff Jarrett returns to the WWF on a live Raw.
October 26: Steve Austin returns to action with a victory over Hunter Hearst Helmsley … Jacquelyn upends WCW TV champion Disco Inferno in a non-title bout at Halloween Havoc.
November 9: Bret Hart attacks Vince McMahon following his controversial WWF World title loss at Survivor Series to Shawn Michaels. Hart had just signed a three-year contract with rival WCW and was convinced that McMahon had colluded with referee Earl Hebner to cause his defeat.
November 17: Rick Rude shocks the wrestling world when he shows up with Hulk Hogan on Nitro 24 hours after appearing at a WWF show. On the same night, Rude would appear on a Raw episode taped the week before … Vince McMahon appears in an interview on Raw and defends his decision that resulted in the Survivor Series controversy by concluding, “Bret screwed Bret.”
November 19: The Hennepin County Coroner releases a report that reveals Brian Pillman’s death was a result of arteriosclerotic heart disease.
November 23: Scott Hall wins the 60-man battle royal in the main event of World War III.
November 30: Weeks after announcing his retirement from wrestling and his intentions to start a video game business, Stevie Richards returns to ECW at November to Remember, ECW’s third pay-per-view.
December 8: The Road Warriors suffer their most humiliating moment as all the members of DeGeneration X, along with Jesse James and Billy Gunn, attack them and shave Hawk’s mohawk.
December 14/15: The main events of WWF cards in Memphis, Tennessee, and Little Rock, Arkansas, are canceled when it is determined that the fans had become too unruly. The cancellations spur “fan riots,” according to published reports.
December 15: Bret Hart makes his first WCW appearance when he accepts J.J. Dillon’s invitation to referee the match between Eric Bischoff and Larry Zbyszko at Starrcade.
1998
January 4: Riki Choshu wrestles his final card at the Tokyo Dome, competing in five matches. Choshu defeats Kauyuki Fujita, pins Yutaka Yoshie, forces Tatsutoshi Takaiwa to submit, loses to Takashi Iizuka, then pins Jushin Liger in his final bout.
January 8: WCW Thunder debuts at 8 p.m. on TBS, giving WCW two weekly live shows on prime-time cable. Thunder later changes its format to live broadcasts on alternate weeks.
January 10: Former heavyweight fighter Mike Tyson and the WWF agree on a deal that allows Tyson to serve as special “enforcer” for the Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels World title match at WrestleMania XIV in Boston.
January 13: Eric Bischoff is promoted to president of WCW while Nick Lambros is promoted to executive vice president. (Lambros would later resign his post to accept an executive position with Turner Sports) … Former Road Warriors’ manager Paul Ellering finishes 10th at the John Beargrease Dog Sled Marathon in Northern, Minnesota. Ellering was in second place with one day left in the race, but slowed near the end.
January 20: Bobo Brazil, one of professional wrestling’s most influential black athletes and a WWF Hall of Famer, dies from complications due to a stroke in St. Joseph, Michigan, at age 74.
January 24: Dusty Rhodes becomes a member of the New World Order after blindsiding Larry Zbyszko during his match against Scott Hall. Rhodes then opens his shirt to reveal an NWO shirt underneath.
January 26: Use of the power bomb is banned from use in all WCW competition by the WCW Executive Committee Chairman J.J. Dillon after The Giant suffers a concussion when being power-bombed by Kevin Nash at Souled Out on January 24.
January 27: Japan’s WAR promotion announces it will be shutting down at the end of February. WAR President Masato Motakei blames poor ticket sales.
January 31: WCW attempts to do a live pay-per-listen from a Boston show, but technical difficulties cause the PPL to be canceled. The $7.95 cost was refunded to all who paid for it.
February 13: Independent wrestler Gary Dean Mabe, who wrestles as “Handsome” Bill Armstrong, is charged with two counts of statutory rape, two counts of statutory sex offenses, and two counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor, in connection with an incident with a 10-year-old girl. The case was still pending at press time.
February 15: Louie Spicolli (Muciollo), 27, is found dead at his home in San Pedro, California. The official cause of death, as determined by the Los Angles Coroner’s office on April 21, was arherosclerotic heart disease caused by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy syndrome (enlarged heart).
February 16: Nitro draws a 5.1 Nielsen rating, setting its all-time record high. The show aired unopposed since Raw was preempted for the Westminster Dog Show on the USA Network.
February 17: “Macho Man” Randy Savage receives the prestigious Harvard Lampoon’s 1998 Real Man of the Year award on the steps of the Lampoon Castle in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The award, along with honorary Lampoon membership, is given each year to the male who best exemplifies universal manliness.
February 18: Arison, a women’s wrestling promotion owned by Aja Kong, holds its first card at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. It is the first women’s show ever broadcast on pay-per-view in Japan, but draws sparse ratings.
February 22: Scott Steiner turns against his brother, Rick, during a match against Kevin Nash and Scott Hall at SuperBrawl in San Francisco, then joins the NWO. Scott’s attack cost the Steiners their WCW tag titles. Also, on the show, Juventud Guerrera loses his mask after being defeated by TV champion Chris Jericho.
February 27: A near-riot takes place at a WCW show in Lincoln, Nebraska, when rowdy fans object to Chris Jericho’s negative remarks about the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Ringside fans are pelted with garbage until 30 cops are called in to stop the incident. Another disturbance occurs later in the card after Curt Hennig makes a remark about ‘Huskers coach Tom Osbourne.
March 3: Pit Bulls I and II are placed on three years probation for admittedly selling steroids and marijuana in 1995. Gary Wolf, 30, and Anthony Durante, 29, are fined $2,000 each and ordered to return the $7,600 they grossed from the drug sales.
March 15: Former wrestling announcer Dan Coates, 88, dies at his Box Canyon Ranch in Weatherford, Texas. For 25 years, Coates announced for KTVT-Channel 11’s Saturday Night Wrestling shows from Fort Worth’s North Side Coliseum.
April 13: For the first time in 83 head-to-head meetings, dating back to June 10, 1996, Raw beats Nitro in the Nielsen ratings, 4.6-4.3
April 21: WCW begins legal action against Ric Flair for breech of contract. Flair failed to appear at several shows, prompting WCW to file a $2-million suit with the Fulton County Superior Court. Flair later countersues.
April 22: Buff Bagwell sustains spinal shock syndrome after receiving a top rope bulldog from Rick Steiner on Thunder. Bagwell is paralyzed in the ring for four minutes but regains mobility. He later undergoes successful surgery to repair damage done to his C3 and C5 vertebrae.
April 27: Both Raw and Nitro are broadcast from the Norfolk, Virginia, area. Raw sets an all-time record rating with a 5.7 overall rating as DeGeneration X stages a mock invasion of the the Scope, where Nitro is being held.
April 28: William G. Kinney II, who wrestles as Tiny, is arrested after leading police on an eight-mile chase in Pennsylvania. He is charged with reckless endangerment, simple assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and a traffic violation.
May 19: A 34-year-old woman is critically injured when a fire erupts in a restroom at the Nashville Arena during a WWF show. The woman reportedly flushed the toilet and then caught on fire. Fire marshall John Petty said it was not clear where or how the fire started.
June 2: Junkyard Dog, 45, one of wrestling’s most beloved figures, dies in a car crash near Forest, Mississippi after falling asleep at the wheel. JYD was coming home from his daughter’s graduation.
June 8: Dennis Rodman appears on Nitro instead of reporting to practice for the Chicago Bulls’ NBA final series. Rodman calls the appearance “preparation” for his match with Hollywood Hogan vs. Dallas Page and Karl Malone at Bash at the Beach.
June 11: THQ Inc., in partnership with JAKKS Pacific, a premier manufacturer and marketer of children’s toys, signs a 10-year exclusive agreement with TitanSports to produce WWF electronic games. The first games are scheduled to be released at the end of 1999.
June 20/21: The WWF cancels shows in Oklahoma City and Tulsa to give its main stars, including Steve Austin, Kane, and The Undertaker, a chance to recover from various illnesses and injuries.
June 22: Joey Styles begins legal action against the WWF, seeking damages for the unauthorized use of footage of him and Steve Austin from a 1995 ECW show.
July 6: Marcus Bagwell appears on Nitro for the first time since his accident. Bagwell, in a wheelchair, is escorted to the runway by his doctor for an interview with Gene Okerlund … ECWA announcer “Big” Al Napier commits suicide by hanging in his Wilmington, Delaware, home. Napier had been battling personal problems and was recently fired from his day job.
July 20: USA Network announces the addition of Sunday Night Heat, a one-hour WWF wrestling show to be aired from 7 to 8 p.m. … Former woman wrestler June Byers dies at age 76 at her home in Houston.
July 30: Scott Hall is served two summons by Baton Rouge Police Department for allegedly fondling an unidentified 56-year-old woman in the parking lot of a Radisson Hotel. Hall was also charged with disturbing the peace by public intoxication.
August 11: Shane McMahon, 28, is named president of New Media at TitanSports, parent company of the World Wrestling Federation. In his new capacity, McMahon would be responsible for exploring, developing, and managing the WWF’s interactive network.
August 17: Maryland Championship Wrestling light heavyweight champ Shane Shamrock, 23, is shot and killed in Glen Burnie, Maryland, by Ann Arundel police officer Pete Scarpetta after pulling a knife during a domestic dispute with his former girlfriend, Laura Hamlet … Former wrestler and WWF promoter Terry Garvin dies of stomach cancer at age 60 in New England. Garvin often competed in six-man tag teams with brothers, Ronnie and Jimmy.
September 8: WCW competitor Hacksaw Jim Duggan declares that he has been diagnosed with cancer and will retire from professional wrestling. Two days later, Duggan undergoes successful surgery to remove a cancerous kidney … The Sandman, arguably the most popular wrestler in ECW history, shocks the wrestling world when he signs a three-year deal with WCW.
September 9: The Giant surrenders to Nassau County authorities almost three months after allegedly breaking the jaw of Robert Sawyer Jr., a 29-year-old Levittown, New York, man during a fight in the dining room of a Uniondale Marriott.
September 12: Former ECW TV champion Taz is arrested outside the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh and charged with indecent exposure and contributing to the corruption of a minor after a tanning salon attendant claims Taz exposed himself to her.
September 14: Although Ric Flair and WCW remained deadlocked in their legal battle, “The Nature Boy” makes an emotional return to Nitro when he joins Dean Malenko, Steve McMichael, and Chris Benoit for a Four Horsemen reunion in Greenville, South Carolina.
October 2: Scott Hall is arrested and charged with felonious criminal mischief for using a key to scratch the side of a white limousine outside of an Orlando, Florida, nightclub.
October 26: New York magazine’s cover subjects are Vince McMahon and The Undertaker. Inside is an eight-page feature on McMahon.
November 3: Capturing 37 percent of the votes, Reform Party candidate Jesse Ventura wins the 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election.
November 6: Sky Low Low, considered by many to be the greatest midget wrestler ever, dies at age 70. Sky, whose real name was Marcel Gauthier, wrestled from 1948 until 1982.
November 16: Bam Bam Bigelow crashes Nitro and challenges World champion Bill Goldberg to a match the same night. Goldberg accepts, but is attacked by Bigelow on the runway prior to their match. WCW Executive Committee Chairman J.J. Dillon is fired by Eric Bischoff after the confrontation.
November 26: Hollywood “Hulk” Hogan announces his retirement on The Tonight Show, and indicates that he will run for the presidency of the United States in 2000.
November 27: Dennis Rodman files suit against WCW in Orange County (Los Angeles) Superior Court for failure to pay him the full amount of money he was entitled to for wrestling at the Bash at the Beach … Scott Hall falls asleep at the wheel in Orlando, Florida, smashing his car but sustaining only minor injuries. Hall passes a breathalyzer test issued by police immediately after the crash.
November 28: Scott Steiner is arraigned on charges of aggravated assault and terroristic threats stemming from an April incident in which he allegedly threatened to run over Paul Kaspareen in south Cherokee County, Georgia. Police said Steiner struck Kaspareen twice with his truck, but the Department of Transportation worker was not seriously injured.
November 30: THQ Inc. releases WCW Nitro, the first wrestling game for personal computers.
November 30: TV Guide features the WWF vs. WCW war in its cover story. The issue is distributed with one of four collector’s covers: Steve Austin, Bill Goldberg, The Undertaker, or Hollywood Hogan. The issue sells 65 percent of its newsstand copies, the best sales percentage since the Princess Diana special.
December 6: The WWF runs its second U.K.-only pay-per-view from the London Arena before a sellout crowd of 10,441 … WWF Vice President and announcer Jim Ross suffers a bout of Bell’s palsy while calling a match, temporarily forcing him from an on-air role with the WWF.
December 14: Rolling Stone and People Weekly magazines get on the wrestling bandwagon, running articles on Steve Austin and Bill Goldberg, respectively … Ric Flair suffers what was believed at the time to be a heart attack in the ring at the Ice Palace in Tampa during an interview with Gene Okerlund. Tests proved, however, that he did not.
1999
January 1: Eddy Guerrero is involved in a serious car crash in Florida. He suffers a broken hip and a punctured liver. The injuries aren’t considered career-threatening, and he returns to action several months later.
January 4: Ric Flair gains the WCW presidency by defeating Eric Bischoff. According to a prematch stipulation, Flair would have been forced to retire if he lost … Kevin Nash allows Hollywood Hogan to pin him for his fifth WCW World title, setting up the short-lived reunion of the New World Order.
January 10: Taz effectively ends the Shane Douglas era in ECW by defeating “The Franchise” for the heavyweight title at Guilty as Charged in Kissimmee, Florida. Douglas had briefly escaped Taz’ katahajimi, but Taz gained hold again and choked him out … Yoshihiro Tajiri beats Super Crazy with a dragon suplex in their first high-profile encounter.
January 12: Three-time former WWF World champ Shawn Michaels undergoes surgery to repair several herniated discs in his back. Acting upon his doctor’s advice, Michaels later announces his retirement.
January 13: The A&E Network’s Biography of Andre the Giant draws the highest ratings in the program’s 12-year history, with 3.5 million viewers. The documentary includes interviews of Andre’s childhood friends, wrestling colleagues, and acquaintances in later years.
January 16: Public Enemy, once hardcore icons, receive a cool reception upon their return to the ECW Arena in Philadelphia. Buh Buh Ray Dudley criticizes PE’s lackluster, three-year stint in WCW. Public Enemy later jumps to the WWF, but are no more successful.
January 17: David Flair shocks the wrestling world by pinning Curt Hennig at Souled Out. The match features David and his father, Ric, against Hennig and Barry Windham. After the Flairs’ victory, Hollywood Hogan whips David with a weight-lifting belt and spray-paints the letters “E-Z-E,” an obvious reference to Eric Bischoff … Perry Saturn is forced to wear a dress for 90 days following a loss to Chris Jericho. Strangely enough, Saturn wears the dress well beyond the stipulated period.
January 18: David Flair embarrasses Eric Bischoff by defeating him in a hair vs. hair match. The tape replay shows referee Randy Anderson handing Flair a roll of quarters. David’s father, Ric, takes pleasure in shaving Bischoff’s hair, revealing ugly gray roots underneath.
January 19: Former Japanese star Yoshino Sato dies of heart failure. He was 70.
January 22: Toshiaki Kawada breaks his right arm, but rallies to win the All-Japan Triple Crown from Mitsuharu Misawa in Osaka. Kawada later relinquishes the Triple Crown due to his injury.
January 24: The Rock defeats Mankind in an “I quit” match for his second WWF World title at the Royal Rumble. Later, it is discovered that the words “I quit” were dubbed into the sound system from a prematch Mankind interview … Vince McMahon earns a WWF World title shot by eliminating Steve Austin in the Royal Rumble event. McMahon survives 28 other competitors, including Chyna.
January 26: Mankind ends The Rock’s two-day reign as WWF champ by defeating him in the empty Tucson Convention Center. The combatants fight along the steps, in and out of several offices, through the cafeteria, and in the arena’s loading area. There, Mankind regains the belt by using a forklift to lower a pallet of beer kegs onto The Rock. The match, dubbed Halftime Heat, airs during halftime of Super Bowl XXXIII.
January 31: All-Japan Pro Wrestling President Shohei “Giant” Baba dies of bowel cancer in Tokyo. Baba, one of the most famous Japanese wrestlers ever, won three NWA World titles and numerous championships in the Orient during his 38-year career. He was 61.
February 5: Three-time former WWF champ Bob Backlund announces he will run for the First District Congressional seat of Connecticut in 2000.
February 8: With the help of Mad TV comedian Will Sasso, Roddy Piper wins the U.S. title again—15 years after his previous reign.
February 13: Paul Wight, who competed in WCW as The Giant, makes his WWF debut at the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre pay-per-view, when he cuts through the mat during the Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon steel cage match.
February 14: Steve Austin brutalizes and bloodies WWF owner Vince McMahon by throwing him down 15 feet through the Spanish announcers’ table and pummeling him inside a steel cage. Former WCW World champion Paul Wight makes his WWF debut by cutting through the mat canvas and slinging Austin through the cage and onto the floor, inadvertently giving Austin the victory. McMahon suffers a broken tailbone, among other injuries … Masa Saito ends his 34-year career with a match in Tokyo. Saito won the WWF tag team title twice with Mr. Fuji in the early-1980s and was AWA World champion for two months in 1990.
February 19: During an appearance on The Tonight Show, Bill Goldberg offers to put up $100,000 to secure a bout against Steve Austin. He also offers to meet Austin in an alley. Three days later, while on Howard Stern’s radio show, Austin says that they can have a match “when Goldberg makes it to the big leagues.”
February 20: All-Japan star Tomomi “Jumbo” Tsuruta announces his retirement after a 27-year career. He defeated Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA World title in 1984.
February 21: David Flair shocks his father with a taser at SuperBrawl IX, giving WCW champ Hollywood Hogan a chance to recover and pin Ric Flair … Rey Misterio Jr. loses his mask in a stipulation match pitting he and Konnan against Kevin Nash and Scott Hall (subbing for Lex Luger). At stake for Hall and Nash was Elizabeth’s hair.
February 22: Ronald C. Williams, better known as The Renegade, commits suicide in Marietta, Georgia, by shooting himself with a .380 handgun. Those close to Williams say he was despondent over being fired from WCW four months before his death. He was 33.
February 26: Steve Austin guest stars on CBS’ Nash Bridges. The program beats the second hour of The Daytime Soap Opera Awards on NBC and ABC’s 20/20 in the ratings.
February 27: The East Coast Wrestling Association’s Third Annual Super 8 Tournament climaxes with a bout between Steve Bradley and Christopher Daniels in Wilmington, Delaware. Bradley reverses the momentum of a Daniels bodypress for the victory.
February 27: After competing for years as a masked wrestler, Rey Misterio Jr. loses his mask at SuperBrawl IX. Misterio agreed to put his mask up vs. Miss Elizabeth’s hair in a tag team match with Konnan vs. Kvin Nash and Scott Hall, who subbed for an injured Lex Luger.
March 6: Less than six months after being released by the WWF, Vader defeats Akira Taue in 12:51 for the vacant All-Japan Triple Crown in Tokyo. Former champ Toshiaki Kawada was forced to vacate the titles due to a broken arm he suffered during his Triple Crown victory over Mitsuharu Misawa on January 22.
March 13: Dan Severn’s four year NWA World title reign comes to an end when he submits to Naoya Ogawa’s SOS hold in Tokyo Japan. The match was threatened when Ogawa ripped up the contract at a March 12 press conference, but special envoy Dory Funk Jr. restored negotiations.
March 14: Ric Flair becomes a 14-time world champion and “permanent president” of WCW by virtue of his win over Hollywood Hogan at Uncensored. It becomes apparent early in the match that referee Charles Robinson’s is cheating for Flair when he refuses to call for the bell when the “Nature Boy” is bleeding profusely in the first-blood, barbed-wire cage match. He also refuses to count a Hogan pin over Flair at 7:40. Arn Anderson’s tire iron assists Flair in his victory … Anderson’s tire iron also helps Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko beat Curt Hennig and Barry Windham for the World tag team title, giving The Four Horsemen a monopoly over WCW’s World championships … In a match with former NWA champ Dory Funk Jr. serving as special referee, Naoya Ogawa ends Dan Severn’s four-year NWA championship reign when Severn taps out to his SOS finisher at the Yokohama Arena in Japan.
March 21: ECW champion Taz chokes out long-time rival Sabu with the katahajimi at Living Dangerously in Asbury Park, New Jersey, at the 18:27 mark … Jerry Lynn turns down the ECW TV title after referee John Finnegan awards him a decision victory over champion Rob Van Dam after the 20-minute time-limit elapses. The match resumes and Van Dam wins with a frog splash in overtime.
March 28: Steve Austin wins his third WWF World title by defeating The Rock in 16:50 at WrestleMania XV in Philadelphia. Austin overcomes two Rock bottoms en route to victory … At the same PPV, Triple-H costs DX pal X-Pac his match against European champion Shane McMahon. HHH later announces his affiliation with The Corporation … Butterbean scores a devastating knockout of Bart Gunn in 35 seconds in a Brawl for All.
March 28: “Triple-H” and Chyna shock DeGeneration X and the wrestling world at WrestleMania XV when they attack X-Pac during his match with European champ Shane McMahon and later join The Corporation. Earlier on the card, Paul Wight left The Corporation after a physical confrontation with Vince McMahon.
March 29: Bret Hart challenges Bill Goldberg in Toronto, Ontario. Goldberg rushes into the ring and spears Hart. Hart feigns injury and then gets up and reveals a metal plate under his hockey jersey. He then stuns the world with this announcement: “Hey, WCW, Eric Bischoff, I quit!” … WCW matchmaker Kevin Sullivan collapses at the same Nitro card and goes into convulsions. Paramedics note that Sullivan’s heart stopped several times although he didn’t suffer a heart attack. The cause of the seizure is unknown, but EMTs suspect Sullivan may have had a negative reaction to prescription drug interactions.
April 9: Japanese woman wrestler Emiko Kado, 23, dies from head injuries suffered in a tag team match on March 31 in Fukuoka. Kado never regained consciousness after being suplexed on her head by Mariko Yoshida.
April 10: The Tokyo Dome—packed with 63,000 fans—is the scene for an electrified explosive barbed-wire match between Masa Chono and Atsushi Onita. Chono, who enters the arena in a U.S. Army tank, is the first to touch the dynamite- and barbed-wire-laden ropes, but makes sure Onita does the same. At one point, the two wrestlers and referee Mr. Unno become tangled in the exploding ropes and are knocked unconscious. The contest is later ruled a draw.
April 11: “Diamond” Dallas Page pins Ric Flair in a four-way match also including Hollywood Hogan and Sting to win the WCW World title at Spring Stampede. A top-rope elbowdrop from special referee Randy Savage sets up Flair for the pin. Hogan is elimianted early and sidelined with a knee injury after Page locks him in a figure-four leglock around the ringpost … Scott Steiner strikes Booker T in the face with a foreign object to win the U.S. championship in a tournament final on the same card.
April 20: Former WCW U.S. and WWF International champ Rick Rude dies at age 40 after suffering a heart attack at his home in Alpharetta, Georgia. Police said two empty prescription bottles were found near his bed.
April 25: WWF World champion Steve Austin defeats The Rock at Backlash in Providence, Rhode Island. Vince McMahon kayos his son, Shane, who, as special referee, is cheating for The Rock. Vince also returns Austin’s customized smoking-skulls title belt, which had been stolen by the McMahons several months earlier.
April 26: Sting beats Dallas Page for his sixth NWA/WCW World title on Nitro, airing from Fargo, North Dakota. Page regains the belt in a four-way match, which also involves Bill Goldberg and Kevin Nash, 90 minutes later … On Raw, Shane McMahon fires The Rock from The Corporation.
April 29: The WWF airs a special, titled Smackdown, on UPN. The program scores a 5.8 rating, beating out ABC and WB programming for the 8 p.m. time slot.
May 2: Mitsuharu Misawa beats Vader for his fifth All-Japan Triple Crown at the Giant Baba Memorial Show held at the Tokyo Dome … Bruno Sammartino, Gene Kiniski, The Destroyer, and Lord James Blears eulogize Baba on the same card. Fans stand for the entire ceremony.
May 4: Jos LeDuc, who suffered for years from diabetes, succumbs to a lung infection in Fayetteville, Georgia. He was 55.
May 9: Kevin Nash defeats Dallas Page for his second WCW World title at Slamboree in St. Louis. Randy Savage interfers on Page’s behalf, but Eric Bischoff orders the match to continue. Nash uses a power bomb to gain the victory.
May 10: Although WWF women’s champion Sable strips Debra first in their evening gown match, Commissioner Shawn Michaels rules that the woman who got stripped should be the winner. He awards Debra the title. Events surrounding that incident are noted in Rena Mero’s future lawsuit against the WWF … Jerry Brisco and Pat Patterson come out of retirement to beat Pete Gas and Rodney of The Mean Street Posse in a loser-leaves-the-federation match. The Posse’s exile is short-lived.
May 15: At the Break the Barrier independent card held in Philadelphia, Shane Douglas signals his departure from ECW with these comments: “Since the fans pay to see the wrestlers, it’s the wrestlers who should see the money. Paul Heyman can’t accuse Shane Douglas of no-showing Hardcore Heaven (the ECW PPV scheduled for the next evening), because I’m not contractually bound to be there.” Rumors indicate Douglas is being courted by the WWF, but he winds up in WCW.
May 16: ECW champion Taz pulls a double at Hardcore Heaven by defeating Chris Candido in less than a minute and then Buh Buh Ray Dudley later in the night … Sid Vicious returns to ECW and beats Justin Credible by disqualification when Lance Storm interferes. Vicious power-bombs Credible, Storm, and Judge Jeff Jones, then fends off an attack from Sabu … WWF World champion Steve Austin beats The Undertaker and Triple-H in a three-way match at Rebellion, held at England’s Manchester MEN Arena.
May 17: Charles Robinson suffers a collapsed lung when Randy Savage hits him with a top-rope elbowdrop. Robinson and Ric Flair were involved in a mixed tag team match against Savage and Madusa.
May 23: Owen Hart plummets 72 feet to his death when his decent into the ring as The Blue Blazer goes awry at the Over The Edge pay-per-view from the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. The show is delayed for 20 minutes, but later resumes, promting harsh criticism from Owen’s fans and family.
May 28: NWA champion Naoya Ogawa defends against Dan Severn at the Texas Indoor Speedway in North Richland Hills. Both men are counted out at the 13-minute mark. Fans demand an extra five minutes, but the time limit expires.
June 4: Former women’s champion, Sable, files a $110-million sexual harrassment lawsuit against the WWF claiming that the federation “controls its performers through a carefully designed program of intimidation and humiliation,icluding scriptes sexual provocation and staged stunts that are inherently dangerous.”
June 6: Chyna becomes the first female to qualify for the annual King of the Ring tournament by defeating Val Venis. It is announced that Chyna will face former DX comrade Jesse James in the first round.
June 7: Rena Mero (Sable) files a $110-million lawsuit against the WWF, claiming negligence, breach of contract, unfair trade practices, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Mero states she was stripped of the women’s title for refusing to expose her breasts on cable-TV. “Professional wrestling has become increasingly obscene, titillating, vulgar, and unsafe,” the lawsuit charges. “[The WWF] controls its performers through a carefully designed program of intimidation and humiliation—included scripted sexual provocation.”
June 8: Linda and Stephanie McMahon, angered at being duped by Vince and Shane in their “greater power” conspiracy, help elect Steve Austin the new chief executive officer of the WWF.
June 10: Billy Black and Vic Roze attack NWA Georgia promoter Bill Behrens and wrestler T.J. Gray in Loganville. Upon entering the Georgia Belle Flea Market, Black hits Behrens from behind in the ring, knocking him out. Black and Roze order everyone to leave the ring, but Gray—who owns the ring—refuses. Black and Roze go after Gray until wrestlers run to the rescue. Black and Roze speed away in separate vehicles. They are apprehended and charged with simple battery. Behrens later says Black had been upset with him over a perceived slight.
June 11: Kenta Kobashi suffers a broken nose during his match against All-Japan Triple Crown champion Mitsuharu Misawa in Tokyo, Japan. It is announced Kobashi will be out for at least a month.
June 13: Sid Vicious makes a surprise return to WCW by interrupting a match between World champion Kevin Nash and Randy Savage at the Great American Bash in Baltimore. He power-bombs Nash and aligns himself with Savage. Nash wins by disqualification … On the same card, Rick and Scott Steiner hit new lows by sicking Doberman pinschers on Sting.
June 14: The Kansas City Police Department begins a criminal investigation into Owen Hart’s death at Kemper Arena. Major Gregory Mills says the investigation isn’t centered on a particular suspect, but rather the circumstances of the tragedy … WCW President Ric Flair appoints Roddy Piper as his vice president. Flair and Arn Anderson helped Piper in a three-on-one attack on Buff Bagwell the night before.
June 15: Bassam Al Othman, a Kuwaiti talk show host, files a $1-million lawsuit against the WWF for using a video clip of an April 1997 incident in which he was attacked by Vader. The suit alleges that “the defendents use of the video clip constitutes a false and defamatory statement which exposed Othman to publc scorn, hatred, contempt, and ridicule.”
June 21: Two more high-profile lawsuits are filed against the WWF. Martha Hart, Owen Hart’s widow, files a wrongful death claim on behalf of herself, the two Hart children, and Owen’s parents against Vince and Linda McMahon, Titan Sports, Amspec Inc., Lewmar Ltd., Lewmar Marine Ltd., Lift-All Ltd. (the manufacturers and installers of the harness system used to lower Owen into the ring), various harness operators, and the city of Kansas City, Missouri (which owns Kemper Arena). Bassam Al Othman, the Kuwaiti talk show host attacked by Vader in April 1997, files a $1-million lawsuit against the WWF for its unauthorized use of the video detailing the incident. The WWF had used the clip in promotional packages about Vader and during the “Mastadon’s” ring entrances … Vince McMahon fires Big Bossman from the Corporate Ministry when he fails to beat Steve Austin in Memphis.
June 27: Vince and Shane McMahon retain ownership of the WWF by defeating Steve Austin in a ladder match at the King of the Ring in Greensboro, North Carolina. In accordance with prematch stipulations, Austin loses his position as chief executive officer of the WWF. The object of the match was to climb a ladder and grab a briefcase dangling from the ceiling. Whenever Austin reached for the briefcase, it was mysteriously raised … Billy Gunn defeats X-Pac to become the King of the Ring. Gunn’s only legitimate victory in the entire tourney is over X-Pac, who was hindered by a stinger he suffered against Bob Holly in the first round.
June 28: Former WWF junior heavyweight champ Tatsumi Fujinami is named president of New Japan Pro Wrestling. The previous president, Seiji Sakaguchi, assumes the vacant chairman post. Sakaguchi and long-time matchmaker Riki Choshu thought it was time to give control to a younger leader. Fujinami announces his desire to organize a joint card among New Japan, All-Japan, and the Universal Fighting Arts Organization … Steve Austin regains the WWF World title from The Undertaker in Charlotte, North Carolina.
July 1: Chris Jericho signs a multiyear deal with the WWF and is expected to make his debut after his WCW contract expires on July 27. “Jericho’s debut has not been finalized, but Chris’ creative game plan has been discussed, in the advent that he would sign, for months,” says Jim Ross, the WWF’s vice president of talent relations. Jericho turned down a lucrative deal with WCW in exchange for more creative control in the WWF.
July 5: Bret Hart returns to WCW for the first time since the death of his younger brother Owen. He speaks frankly to the Nitro audience about Owen and the future of his own career. Hart says he’s still uncertain whether to become an active wrestler again.
July 6: PWI grants world title status to ECW following the promotion’s deal with The Nashville Network to begin airing weekly programs on August 27. The one-hour program is scheduled to air Friday nights at 8 p.m., between Motor Madness and Rollerjam, with TNN getting a share in the revenue of all ECW ventures. “In terms of match quality, pay-per-views, competition, and longevity, ECW had already earned world title status,” comments PWI Publisher Stu Saks. “We were just waiting for them to establish a national presence, and with the TNN deal, they have” … The WWF confirms that Vince McMahon suffered a cracked tailbone during the Fourth of July holiday weekend in Greenwich, Connecticut. A motorist backed out of a driveway and into McMahon, who was riding his motorcycle. McMahon landed flat on his back 30 feet from the scene.
July 11: Randy Savage pins Kevin Nash in a tag team match to win his fourth WCW World title at Bash at the Beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. According to a prematch stipulation, Savage’s partner, Sid Vicious, and even Nash’s partner, Sting, were eligible to pin “Big Sexy” during the contest.
July 12: WWF commentator and former AWA World champion Jerry Lawler announces his candidacy for the mayor’s office in Memphis. “I’m running because I think [the people of Memphis] are looking at me as someone who’s certainly not a politician, but a lifelong resident of Memphis and as someone who has a love of this city,” Lawler explains to the Commercial Appeal. “The King” intends to continue his announcing duties with the WWF while pursuing his political career … Hollywood Hogan defeats Randy Savage for his sixth WCW World title during a Nitro broadcast. Sid Vicious on Savage’s behalf as Hogan pins Savage, but Kevin Nash power-bombs Savage, handing Hogan the WCW belt a second time. Nash demands a shot at Hogan’s newly won title.
July 18: ECW World champion Taz defeats Yoshihiro Tajiri at Heatwave in Dayton, Ohio … Spike Dudley and Mahoney beat Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley for the ECW World tag team title on the same card. The Dudleys have the last laugh, however, as they slam Spike and Mahoney through two flaming tables. New Jack chases the Dudleys away.
July 19: Shane Douglas, after a falling-out with ECW, ends months of speculation by appearing in WCW rather than the WWF. He immediately forms The Revolution, with Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn as members. Douglas claims WCW has held these men down long enough and that his group is going to change the pecking order in the federation … Sting defeats Ric Flair to gain control of the WCW presidency, due to a prematch stipulation. Sting refuses to become president himself, but quietly searches for a successor. Eventually, WCW takes the “presidential title” out of circulation.
July 24: Rick Justice defends the Tri-Star title four times in one card. He beats Tank Norton, Jimmy Sharpe, and Bobby Hayes. He loses the belt to Hayes in a rematch later in the evening.
July 25: WWF World champion Steve Austin defeats The Undertaker in a first-blood “End Of An Era” match at Fully Loaded in Buffalo, New York. Due to a prematch stipulation, Vince McMahon is banned from appearing on WWF television. If Austin had lost, he would have lost the championship and surrendered all future title shots.
July 25: WCW hardcore champion Dave Finlay is sidelined for several months after fragments from a smashed table sever a nerve below his left knee in a defense against Brian Knobs.
July 26: During an impromptu brawl with Triple-H, WWF World champion Steve Austin suffers a twisted knee and strained ligaments. When Triple-H attacked announcer Jim Ross, who had questioned Helmsley’s ability to beat Austin at SummerSlam, “Stone-Cold” ran to J.R.’s rescue. Austin didn’t return to action until SummerSlam, one month later … WCW World champion Hollywood Hogan hyperextends his knee when Sid Vicious executes a fall-away slam in a match pitting Hogan and Sting vs. Vicious and Kevin Nash. Hogan says he’ll be ready to defend the title against Kevin Nash three weeks later at Road Wild.
July 29: Mankind returns to action, following six weeks recovering from knee surgery, as part of a six-man tag team match at the Baltimore Arena. Substituting for Steve Austin, Mankind helps Kane and X-Pac defeat The Undertaker, Triple-H, and Paul Wight.
July 30: The “Curtis Comes Home” benefit show takes place at the Ice Gardens in Rostraver, Pennsylvania, in honor of Mark Curtis (Brian Hildebrand), who is fighting stomach cancer. When special referee Mankind tries to maintain control by applying mandible claws to both Al Snow and D-Lo Brown, Curtis enters the ring and makes a three-count, declaring Mankind the winner.
July 31: Florida independent wrestler Yuel Lovett dies … Kamala, in his debut at ECW Arena, defeats David Cash with a bodysplash.
August 7: Lord Jonathan Boyd, a former member of The Royal Kangaroos and The Sheepherders, dies of a heart attack at age 56.
August 9: The WWF files with the Securities & Exchange Commission for an initial public offering of stock. Titan Sports’ name is changed to World Wrestling Federation Entertainment Inc. … Chris Jericho debuts in the WWF, revealing himself as the force behind the millennium countdown clock promos airing during recent weeks. He refers to his new nickname, Y2J.
August 14: Kevin Nash loses a retirement match to WCW World champion Hollywood Hogan at Road Wild in Sturgis, South Dakota. Nash almost wins with a power bomb, but Hogan rallies with a boot to the face and legdrop for the pin … Randy Savage beats Dennis Rodman after Gorgeous George drops the “Worm” with a low blow. At one point, Savage forces Rodman into a Port-O-Pot and pushes it over. Five referees and one ringside photographer are injured during the contest.
August 19: Ann Laverne, a popular woman wrestler during the 1940s and ’50s, does at age 76. She was married to wrestler Pancho Villa and mother to two wrestlers, Bobby Lane and Marie Laverne.
August 20: Bret Hart returns to action for the first time since the death of his brother, Owen. He wrestles WCW World champion Hulk Hogan to a no-contest at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.
August 22: Mankind uses a double-arm DDT to pin Steve Austin for his third WWF World title in a three-way match at SummerSlam in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Earlier, referee Jesse Ventura refuses to count a pin of Mankind by the third participant, Triple-H, because of Chyna’s interference … On the same PPV, Jeff Jarrett beats D-Lo Brown for the Intercontinental and European championships.
August 23: Triple-H wins the WWF World title in Ames, Iowa, ending Mankind’s one-day reign … Jeff Jarrett gives his newly won European title to Mark Henry, whose interference enabled Jarrett to beat D-Lo Brown for the Intercontinental and European titles the previous night.
August 26: Raven returns to ECW by rescuing Tommy Dreamer and beating Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley for the World tag team title. The victory by Raven and Dreamer prevents the Dudleys from taking the ECW tag belts to the WWF.
August 27: ECW’s one-hour show premieres on The Nashville Network. The program features TV champion Rob Van Dam’s win over Jerry Lynn at Hardcore Heaven, a summary of ECW history, and clips of superstars who previously passed through the federation. The show’s Nielsen rating is 0.94.
August 28: IWGP champion The Great Muta (Keiji Muto) defeats The Great Nita (Atsushi Onita’s mocking alter-ego) in a no-rope barbed-wire barricade-mat electric-mine double-hell death match at Jinju Stadium in Tokyo. The two combatants fought for a large knife, in addition to throwing each other onto barbed wire and deadly electric mines in front of 48,000 fans. Muta injured Nita and pinned him after 13 minutes of action.
August 30: Raw defeats Nitro, 4.2 to 4.0, in the Monday night ratings—despite the fact Nitro airs at 11 p.m. EDT instead of its usual 9 p.m. time slot. Raw had been pre-empted by USA’s coverage of the U.S. Open.
September 8: Brian Hildebrand, known by his ring name Mark Curtis, dies after a two-year battle with stomach cancer. Hildebrand was primarily a referee, but also managed and wrestled on occasion. He was 37.
September 10: Time Warner executives remove WCW President Eric Bischoff from office and promote Bill Busch to executive vice president. TV ratings, PPV buy rates, and arena attendance had been dropping.
September 12: Sting ends 13 years of goodwill with his fans by walloping Hulk Hogan with a bat to win his seventh NWA/WCW World title at Fall Brawl in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Lex Luger had brought the bat to ringside.
September 13: ECW World champion Taz agrees to a contract with the WWF.
September 14: WWF Chairman Vince McMahon becomes WWF World champion by defeating Triple-H in Las Vegas, Nevada. Steve Austin assisted McMahon, his former nemesis, in the victory. McMahon, at 54 years old, is the oldest man to hold the championship.
September 17: Nicole Bass files a $120-million lawsuit against the WWF in a federal court in Brooklyn. She seeks $20-million in compensation for alleged sexual harassment and $100-million in punitive damages. Bass claims a long-time WWF executive and wrestler grabbed her breast during a plane flight and warned her against reporting the incident. She also mentions being struck with an unusually rigid guitar during one in-ring scuffle, which she feels was direct intimidation by management.
September 19: Mike Awesome defeats previous champ Taz and Masato Tanaka to win the ECW World title in a three-way match at Anarchy Rulz in Rosemont, Illinois. The bout had been scheduled to be a singles match between Taz and Tanaka, but Awesome prompted Taz to make a it a three-way by doing a lot of trash-talking at ringside. Awesome and Tanaka eliminated Taz with a double-cover, then Awesome used a top-rope Awesome bomb to pin Tanaka … On the same PPV, Chris Chetti slips on Tony DeVito’s shirt and injures his neck during a tag team match pitting Chetti and Nova vs. DeVito and Simon Diamond.
September 20: Vince McMahon relinquishes the WWF World championship because his title-winning effort against Triple-H violated the “End Of An Era” agreement that prevented him from appearing on WWF television.
September 24: Chris Candido and Tammy Lynn Sytch return to ECW for a TNN taping at the Compuserve Sports Arena in Plymouth, Michigan. Candido and Sytch had taken time off to work out personal problems dealing with alcohol and drug abuse. Candido’s homecoming is spoiled by a loss to former partner Lance Storm.
September 25: Gary Steele defeats previous champ Naoya Ogawa and Brian Anthony for the NWA title in a three-way bout at the NWA 51st Anniversary show in Charlotte, North Carolina … On the same card, former NWA champion Ronnie Garvin beat Stan Lane in a legends match.
September 26: Triple-H outlasts five other contenders at Unforgiven, held at the Charlotte Coliseum in North Carolina, to win his second WWF World title. He executes a pedigree on The Rock for the victory. The other participants were Mankind, Davey Boy Smith, Kane, and Paul Wight.
September 27: Psicosis loses his mask in a hair vs. mask bout with Billy Kidman. Juventud Guerrera and Chavo Guerrero Jr. interfere on behalf of Psicosis, but Kidman is able to use the seated power bomb and shooting star press for the win.
October 2: Naoya Ogawa regains the NWA title from Gary Steele in Thomaston, Connecticut. Tony Rumble, Steele’s manager for the evening, hits his own charge in the head with a batter’s helmet, allowing Ogawa to clamp Steele in the STF for the victory … The fourth annual Eddie Gilbert Memorial Show takes place in Vineland, New Jersey. Tommy Gilbert, Eddie’s father, teams with John Kronus to defeat Public Enemy in the main event. King Kong Bundy and George Steele also appear.
October 3: Television writer Vince Russo, whose provocative storylines helped Raw dominate the ratings war with WCW over the past year, resigns from the WWF to become the creative director of WCW. “I’m not doing this to destroy Vince McMahon or prove anything to Vince McMahon,” Russo tells PWI. “I’m looking at this simply as a business decision.” Russo warns it may take six months to a year before WCW “gets it right.”
October 4: Bret Hart defeats Chris Benoit in a half-hour match at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, in a bout was dedicated to Owen Hart. Hart family friend and Kansas City legend Harley Race is the guest ring announcer.
October 5: Jerry Lawler places third in a 15-candidate race for Memphis mayor, with 12 percent of the vote. Mayor Willie Hereton, the incumbent, wins his third term … Darren Drosdov is left paralyzed from the waist down following a match against D-Lo Brown at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. Brown was attempting a running power bomb when Drosdov fell awkwardly on his neck. Droz underwent surgery to remove two discs causing pressure on his neck. Surgeons extracted a piece of Drosdov’s pelvis to replace the discs and his neck was stabilized by inserting a plate and screws.
October 6: WWF legend Gorilla Monsoon dies three weeks after suffering a heart attack at his home in Mooresville, New Jersey, at age 62. Monsoon, whose real name was Robert Marella, was a two-time holder of the WWF tag team title and a top challenger to World champion Bruno Sammartino. Later, he served as an announcer and WWF president.
October 10: Heroes of Wrestling, a PPV featuring many WWF stars of the 1980s, emanates from Casino Magic in St. Louis, Missouri. King Kong Bundy and Jim Neidhart defeat Jake Roberts and Yokozuna in the main event. The card, which is believed to have lost money, gains notoriety because of Roberts’ lewd gestures.
October 17: Chyna becomes the first female Intercontinental champion by defeating Jeff Jarrett in a “Good Housekeeping” match at No Mercy in Cleveland, Ohio. Various kitchen utensils and appliances are used as weapons … Also at No Mercy, septuagenarian Fabulous Moolah becomes the oldest person to hold the women’s title by pinning Ivory. The presence of Mae Young, Moolah’s friend, distracts Ivory enough to make her lose the title … On the same PPV, WWF World champion Triple-H beats Steve Austin in a no-disqualification bout. The Rock, who attacked by Helmsley earlier, tries to hit Triple-H with a sledgehammer, but the champ ducks, causing Austin to take the blow in the abdomen. Triple-H gains an easy pinfall … In yet another match from the same PPV, The Hardy Boyz win $100,000 and Terri’s services in a scintillating ladder match, which quickly becomes a PWI Match of the Year candidate.
October 18: WWF chairman Vince McMahon’s WWFE stock has a paper value of $963.9-million following the WWF’s initial public offering, which raises $170-million for the company.
October 20: Ultimo Dragon announces his retirement at a press conference in Tokyo. Ultimo’s career was cut short by elbow surgery that made his right arm ineffective in the ring … Bert Prentice and Bill Behrens sell NWA Worldwide/Music City to Memphis-based Lone Ranger Lending Service. Prentice and Behrens plan on remaining with the promotion.
October 23: The Sandman (Hak) and Mikey Whipwreck return to the ECW Arena after being released from WCW. While Whipwreck is defeated easily by World champion Mike Awesome, The Sandman’s reappearance—and his intimidation of The Impact Players—is more noteworthy.
October 24: Bill Goldberg dominates Halloween Havoc by grabbing the U.S. title and by defeating WCW World champ Sting at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Goldberg gained the U.S. belt when the ex-champ, Sid Vicious, is too bloody and battered to continue. When World champion Hulk Hogan lays down for Sting, Goldberg answered the “Stinger’s” challenge to be his opponent. Goldberg appears to win the World belt, but it is only a non-title bout … Rey Misterio Jr. reinjures his ACL injury prior to a World tag team title defense at the same PPV. He and Konnan forfeit the belts. Harlem Heat win the championship in a three-way match over the First Family (Brian Knobs and Hugh Morrus) and the Filthy Animals (Konnan and Billy Kidman).
October 25: WCW official J.J. Dillon strips Sting of the World championship for using the Scorpion deathdrop on referee Charles Robinson following his non-title loss to Bill Goldberg the previous night. A 32-man world title tournament begins that evening … Bret Hart, despite a hairline fracture in his shin, wins the U.S. title and advances past Goldberg in the first-round of the tournament. Hart later claims he didn’t know Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Sid Vicious attacked Goldberg during that match. “The Hitman” seemed to be nearly unconscious outside the ring as the interference took place.
October 30: Vader regains the All-Japan Triple Crown from Mitsuharu Misawa at Budokan Hall in Tokyo. The “Mastadon” survived backdrops, missile kicks, and a Tiger driver, then launched a power bomb to pin Misawa. The American contingent of wrestlers—Johnny Ace, Mike Burton (Bart Gunn), and Maunukea Mossman—congratulated Vader. Motoka Baba, wife of the late Shohei “Giant” Baba, was in attendance to celebrate All-Japan’s 27th anniversary.
November 1: Steve Williams is cleared in a paternity suit brought forth by a California woman, who claimed Williams was the father of her daughter. “Dr. Death” had been indicted in 1998 for failing to pay $64,000 in back child support. DNA tests proved he was not the father.
November 2: Turner Broadcasting System, a division of Time Warner, announced that TBS Entertainment President Brad Siegel would assume responsibility for overseeing WCW operations. The move comes after Dr. Harvey Schiller leaves the company to take a position with George Steinbrenner’s Yankees-Nets corporation.
November 8: Terry Taylor joins the growing list of WWF front office defectors by joining the creative team of Vince Russo, Ed Ferrara, and Bill Banks in WCW. According to friends, Taylor was frustrated because of his failure to become the federation’s top creative writer and a contractual demand from Vince McMahon that would have restricted him from working in WCW for one year if he parted company with the WWF for any reason. Taylor had joined the WWF several months earlier after a parting of the ways with Eric Bischoff.
November 13: Tony Rumble (Anthony Magliaro), a veteran wrestler and New England promoter, dies of a heart attack at age 43.
November 14: The Big Show becomes the sixth man to hold both the WWF and NWA/WCW World titles when he defeats Triple-H for the WWF World title at Survivor Series in Detroit.
November 15: A documentary on Steve Austin, the first of a week-long series of wrestler profiles on the program Biography, airs on A&E. The show also examines the lives of Owen Hart and Mick Foley and re-runs its Jesse Ventura and Andre the Giant segments.
November 21: Bret Hart wins the WCW World title at Mayhem in Toronto, beating Sting and Chris Benoit in the final two rounds of a 32-man championship tournament. Hart becomes the seventh man to hold both the NWA/WCW and WWF World titles … Curt Hennig loses a retirement match to Buff Bagwell on the same PPV.
November 22: A federal judge rules that the October 1999 edition of Playboy magazine containing nude photos of Rena Mero infringed on the WWF’s copyright of the “Sable” trademark with a cover headline that read “The Woman You Loved As Sable In The Raw.” Playboy has to reprint 500,000 issues containing that headline … NWA Georgia owner Bill Behrens confirms Music City Wrestling (where Behrens is an official) will end its two-year association with the NWA. The decision to abandon Nashville operations is a result of Music City promoter Bert Prentice’s impending retirement on December 18 … Curt Hennig double-crosses the fans again. Instead of retiring quietly as a result of his loss to Buff Bagwell the previous night, Hennig aligns himself with the Powers-That-Be.
November 27: Two-time former NWA junior heavyweight champion Hiro Matsuda dies of colon cancer at age 62. Matsuda helped train some of today’s top stars, including Lex Luger, Keiji Muto, and Hulk Hogan.
November 29: WWF Vice President Jim Ross confirms Steve Austin’s career is in jeopardy when it is determined that numbness in Austin’s hands, arms, and legs are caused by a bone spur touching his spinal cord.
December 2: The WWF responds to an advertiser exodus by changing Smackdown’s TV-14 rating to a more family-friendly TV-PG. The Parents Television Council, headed by L. Brent Bozell III, launched a letter-writing campaign for sponsors to pull their ads from WWF programs and publications. Coca-Cola, AT&T, Mars, the Coast Guard, and the Army were among the advertisers that complied. “I just hope that both organizations, or all organizations, including ECW, for that matter, will be able to find a way to capture the public’s interest without having to do things that alienate advertisers,” former WCW President Eric Bischoff comments in an interview with PWI Weekly … Dusty Rhodes, soon after parting ways with WCW, appears in ECW during an Atlanta TV taping. Steve Corino goads Rhodes, who is visiting the locker room, to enter the ring where the “King Of Old School” blames Rhodes for “ruining” the current generation. He slaps Rhodes, who retaliates with bionic elbows to Corino and his associate, Jack Victory.
December 3: Jerry Monte, who wrestled in the NWA, AWA, and WWF dies of liver cancer at age 57.
December 6: Larry Zbyszko loses his job as Thunder commentator as a result of his disqualification loss to Curt Hennig in a special match orchestrated by the Powers-That-Be. Officials cite Arn Anderson’s interference to help Zbyszko gain the pin over Hennig as the reason for Zbyszko’s disqualification.
December 10: Genichiro Tenyru, less than two months before his 50th birthday, uses two Northern Lights power bombs to defeat Keiji Muto for the IWGP title in Osaka, Japan. He becomes the second man to hold both the IWGP championship and the All-Japan Triple Crown.
December 12: Triple-H beats Vince McMahon in a no-holds-barred contest at Armageddon in Sunrise, Florida. Stephanie McMahon shocks the world by celebrating with Triple-H while her father lays unconscious in the ring. At one point, Helmsley tries to run over McMahon with a car, but the WWF chairman hops on a rail to escape … Miss Kitty causes headlines at Armageddon by removing her top following her women’s title victory over previous champ Ivory, Jacquelyn, and B.B. in an evening gown match held in a pool.
December 17: Masato Tanaka defeats Mike Awesome for the ECW World title in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a rebound for Tanaka, who lost their last high-profile match at November to Remember.
December 19: Bret Hart beats Bill Goldberg at Starrcade in Washington, D.C. Roddy Piper, subbing for the injured referee for the match, “screwed” Goldberg out of the title by ringing the bell prematurely. It is Goldberg’s third defeat … Kevin Sullivan reunites the Varsity Club with charges Mike Rotundo and Rick Steiner. In typical fashion, they double-cross Hacksaw Duggan in a match against The Revolution.
December 20: On Nitro, Roddy Piper admitss he screwed Bill Goldberg at Starrcade because the Powers-That-Be forced him to do so. An irritated Goldberg forgives Piper as Bret Hart vacates the title and maintains his innocence … Later, the conspiracy is revealed as Hart gains a tainted win over Goldberg, then joins Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Jeff Jarrett to re-form the New World Order. They spray-paint “N-W-O” on Goldberg and Piper … Triple-H orders Matt Hardy and Edge to face Jeff Hardy and Christian. Although all four are reluctant to participate, they wrestle a brilliant match. Jeff breaks his brother’s nose when he finishes off Matt with a 450 splash.
December 21: Bill Goldberg requires emergency reconstructive surgery on a tendon in his right arm following a parking lot tirade in Salisbury, Maryland. Goldberg had chased the members of the reformed New World Order out of the arena and in to the parking lot, where he shattered the glass of the NWO’s limousine with his bare hands. He is forced to cancel a match against Rick Steiner, scheduled for January 4 at the Tokyo Dome. Randy Savage is chosen as a substitute.
December 23: Mike Awesome regains the ECW World title from Masato Tanaka in White Plains, New York. Tanaka is less than 100 percent for the bout, having injured his elbow in his championship victory over Awesome on December 17 and lost a tooth during a match against Wing Kanemura the following night.
December 27: Mankind loses a pink slip-on-a-pole match to The Rock. The match had been set by the McMahon-Helmsley era in order to split the WWF’s most popular tandem. Although Mankind is forced into retirement, he vows revenge … WCW official J.J. Dillon confiscates the World tag team belts from The Outsiders because a knee injury prevented Scott Hall from making a scheduled defense at Starrcade … After declaring his retirment in a tear-filled speech earlier in the night, Scott Steiner stuns the world by joining the New World Order.
1992
January 20: Dino Bravo wrestles his last match before retiring, defeating The Barbarian at The Forum in Montreal.
February 8: Kerry Von Erich is arrested in Richardson, Texas, for attempting to falsify two drug prescriptions. Shortly after he is released on $6,000 bond, his father, Fritz Von Erich, says that Kerry would be entering a drug rehabilitation program.
March 2: Two top-ranking WWF officials—Pat Patterson and Terry Garvin—resign their positions on the heels of allegations of sexual misconduct leveled by former WWF employees, wrestler Barry Orton, a former front office worker, and two former ring attendants.
March 6: Former WWF star Paul Roma’s pro boxing debut results in a fourth-round loss to Jerry Arentzen in Callicoon, New York, when Roma’s manager, Kevin Rooney, throws in the towel.
March 13: WWF head Vince McMahon appears on CNN’s Larry King Live to address allegations of sexual misconduct and steroid abuse in the WWF. McMahon says the allegations of sexual misconduct are “a bunch of bunk.”
March 16: The WWF denies allegations of sexual misconduct within its organization and promises to conduct its own investigation into the charges. “We do not believe the charges in these stories to be true,” the statement says, in part, “and we are so outraged that we have asked our attorneys to determine what legal action might be appropriate.”
April 1: Former WWF star Paul Roma scores his first win as a pro boxer, a 47-second TKO victory over Norman Fortini in Randolph, Massachusetts.
April 4: The USA Network debuts WBF Body Stars, TitanSports’ new weekly bodybuilding program. The show, featurings former WCW World champion Lex Luger, is a ratings failure.
May 30: After 68 years in the wrestling promoting business, Don Owen relinquishes control of Pacific Northwest Wrestling and says goodbye to the fans.
July 31: WWF World champion Randy Savage appears on The Arsenio Hall Show and admits that he experimented with steroids, pointing out that the muscle-enhancing drugs were legal when he did so.
September 2: WCW’s Clash of the Champions XX celebrates 20 years of wrestling on TBS. It also marks the last U.S. appearance of Andre the Giant.
October 1: Kerry Von Erich is sentenced on six felony counts of prescription forgery. He receives a 10-year suspended sentence, 10 years of supervised probation, and a $6,000 fine.
October 30: Eric Embry suffers a badly bruised liver and severe ligament and cartilage damage to his left knee when his car is run off the road in Beaver Dam, KY.
December 14: The Hellraisers—Road Warrior Hawk and Power Warrior (Kensuke Sasaki)—beat Scott Norton and Tony Halme in Tokyo to win the IWGP tag team title. For Hawk, the win marks a unique accomplishment: winning the top tag team titles of the five major promotions in the U.S. and Japan. He previously had held (with Animal) the AWA, NWA, and WWF World tag titles along with All-Japan’s International tag title.
1993
January 4: In a rematch of a feud started in All-Japan in 1985, WAR’s Genichiro Tenryu pins New Japan’s Riki Choshu in the main event of New Japan’s annual Tokyo Dome card. In the semifinal, IWGP champion The Great Muta (Keiji Muto) pins NWA champion Masahiro Chono in a title vs. title match.
January 29: The WWF donates $100,000 to relief efforts in Somalia during a ceremony at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
February 21: Ric Flair returns to WCW, at SuperBrawl III in Asheville, North Carolina, after approximately 18 months of competing in the WWF.
April 2: The All-Japan Women’s promotion holds a multipromotional card at Yokohama Arena to celebrate the promotion’s 25th anniversary. The show draws a sellout crowd of 16,500 and shatters the all-time women’s gate record with $1.2-million in receipts. The top matches see AJW’s Akira Hokuto beat LLPW’s Shinobu Kandori in the women’s singles match of the year, while AJW’s Manami Toyota and Toshiyo Yamada beat FMW’s Megumi Kudo and Combat Toyoda.
April 30: AAA draws 48,000 fans to Plaza de Toros in Mexico City for Triple Mania. In the main event, Cien Caras wins a retirement match over Konnan due to the interference of Jake Roberts.
May 28: Riki Choshu suffers a broken bone around the rim of his right eye as the result of a Kengo Kimura elbowdrop during a match in Tokyo.
June 12: Jushin Liger suffers a broken left leg in a match against 2 Cold Scorpio in Chigasaki, Japan.
July 4: Lex Luger bodyslams Yokozuna on the deck of the U.S.S. Intrepid in New York City.
August 28: The Mexico-based AAA organization runs a card at the Los Angeles Sports Arena that draws a sellout of 16,742 fans paying $243,000—and turns away nearly 8,000 fans at the door. In the main event, Konnan beats Cien Caras and Jake Roberts in a triangle match.
October 28: An early-morning brawl at the Moat House Hotel in Blackburn, England, takes place between Sid Vicious and Arn Anderson. Both men are rushed to a local hospital. Anderson receives approximately 20 stab wounds from a pair of scissors, while Vicious suffers four puncture wounds.
November 18: WWF head Vince McMahon is indicted on charges of possession of anabolic steroids and conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids, facing up to eight years in prison and a $500,000 fine if convicted on both counts.
December 5: UWFI champion Nobuhiko Takada forces WCW World champion Big Van Vader to submit to the cross armbreaker in a non-title match at Tokyo’s Jingu Baseball Stadium. The matchup of two major champions draws a sellout crowd of 46,168.
1994
February 28: Promoter Jim Crockett holds a taping in New York for a new venture entitled World Wrestling Network. Stars appearing at the taping include Sabu, Terry Funk, Road Warrior Hawk, Public Enemy, Jake Roberts, and Missy Hyatt.
March 16: Two-thirds of Cactus Jack’s right ear is severed when he becomes entangled in the ropes during a match in Germany against Big Van Vader.
April 13: Jesse Ventura is awarded $809,958 by a federal jury in St. Paul, MN, as the result of a lawsuit against TitanSports, parent company of the WWF. All but $8,625 was for royalties on videotapes on which Ventura did color commentary. Ventura originally sought $2-million in the case.
April 16: New Japan’s “Wild Pegasus” Chris Benoit wins the seven-promotion “Super J Cup” junior heavyweight tournament at a sold-out Sumo Hall in Tokyo. In the finals, Benoit beats Michinoku Pro’s Great Sasuke in the junior heavyweight match of the decade, sparking comparisons to the revolutionary Tiger Mask vs. Dynamite Kid matches of the early-1980s. It’s Sasuke, though, who’s the show’s true revelation, beating New Japan’s El Samurai and then current IWGP junior heavyweight kingpin Jushin Liger on the way to the finals.
April 16: Across town at Tokyo’s Budokan Hall, Toshiaki Kawada pins Steve Williams with a power bomb in a thrilling 25: 49 match to win All-Japan’s annual Champions Carnival singles tournament.
April 29: Charles Austin, a preliminary wrestler left paralyzed after a 1990 WWF tag team match in Tampa, Florida, against The Rockers, is awarded $26.7-million in a lawsuit against the federation.
June 3: For the third year running, Triple Crown champion Mitsuharu Misawa turns back the challenge of former tag team partner and now bitter rival Toshiaki Kawada at Budokan Hall in Tokyo. This one was the hardest-fought bout yet, as Kawada pushes Misawa for an epic 35:50 before Misawa knocks him out with his most lethal finisher, the dangerous and rarely used Tiger Driver ‘91.
June 9: Fred Blassie, Bobo Brazil, James Dudley, Gorilla Monsoon, Buddy Rogers, Arnold Skaaland, and Chief Jay Strongbow are inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame during ceremonies at the Omni Inner Harbor Hotel in Baltimore.
June 11: Hulk Hogan signs with WCW.
July 5: The trial of WWF head Vince McMahon on steroid distribution charges gets underway in Uniondale, New York.
July 22: WWF head Vince McMahon is acquitted of conspiracy to distribute steroids to wrestlers following 16 hours of jury deliberations. The announcement of the decision, at a federal courtroom in Uniondale, New York, saw spectators applaud.
August 7: “Mr. August” Masahiro Chono beats Kensuke Sasaki in Tokyo to win his third New Japan G1 tournament championship in four years.
August 27: Eastern Championship Wrestling renames itself Extreme Championship Wrestling.
September 24: IWGP junior heavyweight champion Jushin Liger breaks his leg in a tag team match. The injury forces him to vacate the title, and puts him out of action for nearly 11 months.
November 20: All-Japan Women’s draw 42,500 fans to the Tokyo Dome for the biggest show in the history of women’s wrestling. The 10-hour, 23-match card is headlined by the V-Top tournament of champions. In the finals, EMLL champion Akira Hokuto beats WWWA champion Aja Kong. Also on the card, Bull Nakano beats Madusa for the WWF Women’s title.
December 3: After more than a decade of competing in the WWF, “Macho Man” Randy Savage makes his WCW debut on a live broadcast of WCW Saturday Night.
1995
January 7: Tully Blanchard comes out of retirement to wrestle ECW champion Shane Douglas to a 60-minute draw at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia.
January 24: Former NWA World champion Harley Race suffers a broken hip and two broken hands in a car accident in Kansas City, Missouri.
February 18: Eddie Gilbert dies of a heart attack in his apartment in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico; he was 33.
February 18: Roddy Piper makes a rare appearance at a wrestling card to present longtime Portland promoter Don Owen with a plaque commemorating Owen’s decades-long career in the sport.
February 22: The New York Post publishes a scathing article regarding the deaths of Eddie Gilbert and several other wrestlers who tragically died young. Two-time former WWF World champion Bruno Sammartino is quoted as saying, “It’s time to clean up this business or abolish it, because it’s nothing like it used to be. Right now, it’s filled with human junk.”
February 26: Smoky Mountain Wrestling shows signs of financial trouble when its supercard, Sunday Bloody Sunday II, draws only 1,100 fans—less than a third of the 4,000 in attendance just a year earlier.
March 13: Crush is arrested at his home in Kona, Hawaii, after narcotics officers search his home and discover 500 units of anabolic steroids and several unregistered semi-automatic guns. He is released on $10,275 bail.
March 28: Lawrence Taylor receives major mainstream publicity when he has a public workout in New York’s Times Square in preparation for his WrestleMania XI bout against Bam Bam Bigelow.
April 2: The 13-promotion Weekly Pro card draws a sellout crowd of 60,000 fans to the Tokyo Dome. Each promotion sends what it believes is its best matchup, sparking a competition among the promotions for the best match on the card. The card reaches its emotional climax as All-Japan’s wrestlers appear at the Tokyo Dome for the first time in five years. The “Best Six” match, featuring Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi, and Stan Hansen vs. Toshiaki Kawada, Akira Taue, and Johnny Ace electrifies the crowd and goes to a 30-minute draw.
April 7: NWA champion Dan Severn wins the Ultimate Fighting Championship V in Charlotte, North Carolina.
April 28: Fred Blassie suffers a heart attack that results in triple-bypass heart surgery on May 3. The former wrestler and manager makes a full recovery.
April 28: Approximately 150,000 fans attend a New Japan Pro Wrestling event in Korea, setting an attendance record that stands for one day, as nearly 190,000 fans attend the second day of wrestling at the Korean cultural festival.
April 28 & 29: New Japan draws 320,000 fans over two nights to shatter the wrestling attendance record.
April 30: In an incident that launches the hottest Mexican feud of the year, Mascara Ano Dos Mil breaks a beer bottle over the head of Perro Aguayo in Guadalajara, allowing Dos Mil’s brother Cien Caras to win a triangle match over Aguayo and Konnan.
May 5: In Japan, FMW’s top star, Atsushi Onita, retires after beating Hayabusa at Kawasaki Baseball Stadium in front of 48,000 fans.
May 6: The Sheik, still semi-active at age 70, suffers a heart attack while getting into a taxi in Tokyo. He makes makes a full recovery.
May 13: The Boston Garden hosts its last pro wrestling show ever, the WWF’s “A Night To Remember.”
June 9: Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue beat Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi to win All-Japan’s Unified tag team title. Kawada pins Misawa for the first time ever to end the 42:37 match that is the consensus Japanese Tag Team Match of the Year.
June 13: Chris Benoit wins New Japan’s annual Super Juniors round-robin tournament for the second time by beating Shinjiro Otani in Hiroshima.
June 24: The Grand Wizard, Fabulous Moolah, Antonino Rocca, Ivan Putski, George “The Animal” Steele, Pedro Morales, and Ernie Ladd are inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame.
July 12: WWF President Jack Tunney resigns.
July 22: The Ultimate Warrior wrestles his first match in more than two years before 2,000 fans in Las Vegas, Nevada; he defeats the Honky Tonk Man.
July 23: Pro wrestler Hiroshi Hase is elected to the Japanese House of Councilors.
August: WWF preliminary wrestler Chuck Austin, to whom a federal jury awarded $26.7-million in an April 1994 lawsuit against the WWF, settles his dispute with the federation out of court. According to the settlement, Austin will receive approximately $7-million, while his legal team will receive approximately $3-million.
August 15: Keiji Muto beats Shinya Hashimoto to win New Japan’s annual G1 tournament. It marks the first time in the tourney’s five-year history that the “sitting” IWGP champion wins the G1.
August 20: Cactus Jack beats Terry Funk to win the IWA King of Death Matches tournament at Kawasaki Stadium in Japan.
August 29: Big Van Vader and Paul Orndorff are involved in a locker room brawl at Atlanta’s Center Stage Theater that results in Vader’s suspension and eventual dismissal from the organization.
August 30: JWP’s Dynamite Kansai beats Aja Kong to win All-Japan Women’s WWWA Women’s title. Kansai is the first “outsider” ever to win AJW’s top prize.
September 4: WCW debuts Monday Nitro, live from The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. Top WWF star Lex Luger shocks the wrestling world by appearing on the show, speaking derisively about the WWF and its stars, and claiming he wants a shot at Hulk Hogan and the WCW World title; Hogan gives him that title shot a week later, and the match ends in disqualification when members of The Dungeon of Doom enter the ring.
September 11: WCW wins the first head-to-head meeting of Monday Nitro vs. Monday Night Raw, posting a 2.5 rating to Raw’s 2.2.
September 11: Jesse Ventura scores a major victory when the U.S. Court of Appeals Eighth Circuit Court in St. Paul, Minnesota, affirms an April 3, 1994, verdict awarding Ventura $809,958 in a lawsuit against the WWF over his participation in wrestling videotapes.
September 25: Ted Turner agrees to sell TBS and all its holdings, including WCW, to Time Warner Inc., which would take control in 1996.
October 9: In the biggest singles match in Japanese wresting history, New Japan’s IWGP heavyweight champion beats UWFI’s Nobuhiko Takada with the figure-four in 16: 16. The match draws 67,000 fans, paying $6.1-million, the largest live gate in pro wrestling history.
October 14: A sleeping Shawn Michaels is pulled out of a car in front of Club 37 in Syracuse, New York, and beaten by several men (reports range from four to 10), who flee the scene before police arrive.
October 28: Crush is sentenced to five years probation after pleading no-contest to 11 counts of drug and weapons charges.
October 28: A near-riot occurs at ECW Arena in Philadelphia when Cactus Jack brings a chair wrapped in a flaming towel that ignites part of Terry Funk’s clothing. Funk flings the towel into the crowd, the lights go out, fire entinguishers are squirted toward the crowd, and panic ensues.
October 29: Hulk Hogan pushes The Giant off the roof of Cobo Hall in Detroit following a monster truck battle between the two men.
October 29: Jimmy Hart, manager and confidante to Hulk Hogan for years, turns against the “Hulkster.”
November 20: Shawn Michaels collapses in the ring in Richmond, Virginia, during a match with Owen Hart.
November 22: The New York Post reports that federal prosecutors and the FBI are investigating the possibility of witness tampering prior to last year’s Vince McMahon steroid trial.
November 26: Smoky Mountain Wrestling announces in Cookeville, TN, that it is closing down operations.
December 4: Manami Toyota brings the WWWA World title back to the All-Japan Women’s promotion by beating JWP’s Dynamite Kansai at the Sumo Hall in Tokyo.
December 9: Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi beat top rivals Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue to become the first team to three-peat in All-Japan’s annual tag tournament.
December 13: At Tokyo’s Sumo Hall, Jushin Liger firmly states that he’s “back” by winning the second Super J Cup one-night, multipromotional juniors tournament. After defeating Ultimo Dragon in the semis, Liger beats Gedo in the finals.
1996
January 4: Hulk Hogan files a lawsuit against a Minneapolis woman and her attorney, charging them both with extortion relating to their allegations of sexual assault.
January 5: No longer “The Dean,” Shane Douglas makes a triumphant return to ECW in Philadelphia and makes some derogatory comments about the WWF.
January 22: Big Van Vader’s second night in the WWF results in a suspension after he attacks WWF President Gorilla Monsoon. Roddy Piper is named acting president while Monsoon recuperates.
January 23: The long-awaited reunion of The Road Warriors finally occurs at WCW’s Clash of the Champions event in Las Vegas. Elizabeth also returns at the side of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage (temporarily).
February 3: The NWA holds the inaugural Eddie Gilbert Memorial Brawl in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
February 19: Days after announcing the signing of a Razor Ramon-Goldust streetfight for WrestleMania XII, the WWF suspends Ramon for six weeks due to “unprofessional conduct.”
March 5: The WWF issues a statement that “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel (Kevin Nash) will be leaving for WCW. His last day with the federation is to be June 6.
March 11: Rick and Scott Steiner make a surprise return to WCW ring wars to face The Road Warriors on WCW Monday Nitro.
March 17: Diesel officially turns rulebreaker when he attacks his best friend, Shawn Michaels, in front of a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden.
March 24: “Diamond” Dallas Page’s wrestling career apparently ends when he is pinned by The Booty Man at WCW Uncensored. According to a prematch stipulation, Page has to retire. He would be reinstated several months later when a legal loophole in the match contract is found.
March 31: The ongoing “Billionaire Ted” saga finally ends at WrestleMania XII when referee “Billionaire Ted,” “The Huckster” and “The Nacho Man” expire during their match. The event also features the return of The Ultimate Warrior to active competition, the return of Gorilla Monsoon to the office of WWF president, and the WWF debut of Marc Mero (Johnny B. Badd in WCW).
April 13: Jerry Jarrett Promotions holds its 1,000th live card at Memphis’ WMC-TV studios.
April 15: Brian Pillman suffers numerous injuries in a serious automobile accident in Kentucky. He has yet to return to active competition.
May 18: After several years of wrestling as a rulebreaker in the WWF and a fan favorite in the USWA, Jerry Lawler finally turns rulebreaker in the USWA.
May 19: “Diamond” Dallas Page becomes the WCW Lord of the Ring by winning the Battlebowl battle royal at Slamboree. He earned a World title shot but never received it because officials determined that he had cheated during the battle royal.
May 27: During the first two-hour Monday Nitro broadcast, Scott Hall (a.k.a. Razor Ramon) emerges from the audience to declare war on WCW.
May 28: Ted DiBiase is forced to leave the WWF due to a prematch stipulation after his charge, “Stone-Cold” Steve Austin, loses a Caribbean strap match to Savio Vega.
June 1: The first World Peace Festival, organized by Antonio Inoki, is held at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles; it features wrestlers from promotions such as WCW, EMLL, AAA, and New Japan. The WWF chooses not to send any of its wrestlers
June 1: Brian Pillman, restricted to a wheelchair because of an ankle injury, makes his first appearance in a wrestling arena since his April automobile accident when he shows up at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia.
June 10: Brian Pillman signs with the WWF in an eventful and, thanks to Pillman, chaotic press conference at Titan Towers.
June 10: Kevin Nash (formerly Diesel) returns to WCW at the side of Scott Hall and reveals himself to the be the second of three “Outsiders.”
June 16: Scott Hall and Kevin Nash attack Eric Bischoff at The Great American Bash. Nash power-bombs the WCW senior vice president through an interview stage when Bischoff claims he can’t tell them whom he has selected to answer their challenge.
June 16: The Four Horsemen return to full-force when former Nitro commentator Steve McMichael attacks his tag team partner, current NFL great Kevin Greene, and joins the quartet.
June 29: Sid Vicious ends his retirement and returns to the WWF (as a substitute for The Ultimate Warrior) and defeats Owen Hart in Detroit.
July 7: Hulk Hogan reveals himself to be the third “Outsider” when he joins Scott Hall and Kevin Nash in their main event match at Bash at the Beach against Randy Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger. After the match, the group formally christens itself the New World Order.
July 8: WWF President Gorilla Monsoon suspends The Ultimate Warrior for his failure to appear at several WWF arena cards. The suspension was to be lifted only if the Warrior agreed to post an appearance bond. He never did.
July 13: Pit Bull I’s neck is broken in a match by Shane Douglas in Philadelphia.
July 22: Ahmed Johnson suffers a ruptured kidney after WWF newcomer Faarooq (a.k.a. Ron Simmons), with manager Sunny, sneak-attacks him on a live edition of WWF Monday Night Raw.
August 7: Jushin Liger holds a press conference to announce that doctors have discovered a tumor on his brain. Test results later reveal the tumor to be benign and, after surgery to remove it, Liger is able to return to action.
August 18: Paul Bearer turns against his long-time charge, The Undertaker, at SummerSlam in Cleveland. Bearer’s betrayal allows Mankind to defeat Undertaker in a “Boiler Room Brawl.”
August 19: The tournament for the WWF Intercontinental title begins after Ahmed Johnson is stripped of the belt due to injuries. Marc Mero would go on to win the title.
Ausust 19: Ted DiBiase makes his first Nitro appearance when he sits at ringside to observe the matches. He would later reveal himself to be the “money man” of the NWO.
September 2: The Giant shocks WCW by joining the NWO just 23 days after losing the WCW World title to Hulk Hogan.
September 6: Jim Ross confuses everyone when he announces on a special Friday edition of Raw that Razor Ramon and Diesel have been negotiating to return to the WWF. Kevin Nash and Scott Hall vehemently deny the claim.
September 9: Millions of Nitro viewers witness what appears to be Sting attacking Lex Luger and driving off in a limousine with the New World Order. Later, it would be revealed that it was an NWO replica of the popular WCW star.
September 16: Syxx (formerly The 1-2-3 Kid in the WWF) joins the NWO
September 16: Sting declares himself a “free agent” with no loyatly to WCW or the NWO.
September 22: ECW makes its presence known at a WWF In Your House pay-per-view when The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, and Paul E. Dangerously buy ringside tickets. The three are escorted out of the building after Sandman spits beer on Savio Vega during a match.
September 23: For a second straight night, ECW wrestlers upset a televised WWF event, as Taz and Bill Alfonso break through security barriers and further taunt WWF wrestlers. The same night, Jim Ross lashes out at WWF head Vince McMahon for firing him twice. He also introduces The New Razor Ramon and The New Diesel.
September 30: WCW U.S. champion Ric Flair is attacked by the New World Order and aggravates a shoulder injury he suffered in Japan several weeks earlier. Flair opts for surgery and is expected to be out until spring.
October 7: Amidst speculation that he will join the NWO, Jeff Jarrett makes his Nitro debut and aligns himself with WCW.
October 21: Bret Hart ends months of speculation and announces that he has turned down a generous offer from WCW to return to the WWF. A match with “Stone-Cold” Steve Austin, whom Hart and McMahon both call the best wrestler in the WWF, is immediately signed for Survivor Series.
October 22: Three-time former WWF World tag team champions The Smokin’ Gunns officially break up when Billy attacks Bart in Cincinnati.
October 27: “Rowdy” Roddy Piper confronts WCW World champion Hulk Hogan after his title match at Halloween Havoc in Las Vegas. Their old WWF feud is rekindled as the two men argue over who is the bigger wrestling icon.
November 4: After nearly four years in the same timeslot, WWF Monday Night Raw moves to one hour earlier in an effort to boost ratings. That night features the infamous gun confrontation between Brian Pillman and Steve Austin.
November 16: The WWF inducts Capt. Lou Albano, Killer Kowalski, Vince McMahon Sr., Pat Patterson, Johnny Rodz, Baron Mikel Scicluna, Jimmy Snuka, and Jimmy and Johnny Valiant into its Hall of Fame
November 18: WCW Senior Vice President Eric Bischoff reveals his allegiance to the NWO, embracing Hulk Hogan on a live Nitro and watching the NWO attack Roddy Piper
November 25: Eric Bischoff announces on Nitro that all WCW wrestlers have 30 days to convert their WCW contracts to NWO contracts or risk becoming targets of the NWO. Long-time WCW fan favorite Marcus Bagwell is the first to sign up.
December 9: Ric Flair and Roddy Piper appear side by side on Nitro as Flair offers assistance to his long-time rival in his feud with Hulk Hogan. Piper respectfully declines the offer.
December 29: Roddy Piper deals Hulk Hogan his first clean loss since WrestleMania VI (1990) when he beats him in a non-title match with a sleeperhold at Starrcade. After the match, Hogan, Hall, and Nash exchange angry words with The Giant, who failed in his attempt to choke-slam Piper during the bout.
December 30: The Giant is officially booted out of the NWO as the rest of the group attacks him under orders from Hogan.
1997
January 4: Shotgun Saturday Night debuts at the Mirage Nightclub in New York. The Sisters of Love make their first and last WWF appearance and Marlena reveals her “assets” to The Sultan.
January 19: “Stone-Cold” Steve Austin wins the Royal Rumble after eliminating Bret Hart. Austin was eliminated previously by Hart, but WWF officials did not see it.
January 20: Randy Savage returns to WCW as a free agent. He stages a sit-in on Nitro.
January 24: Goldust wrestles two matches in one day. He loses to Hunter Hearst Helmsley in the WWF and goes on to defeat Lance Diamond in Pennsylvania Championship Wrestling.
January 25: The New World Order promotes Souled Out, its first pay-per-view. Even though the NWO was largely successful, the show itself was a critical failure … Savio Vega turns against tag team partner Ahmed Johnson and joins The Nation of Domination at Madison Square Garden during a match against the NOD’s Faarooq and Crush.
January 27: Referee Randy Anderson is fired by Eric Bischoff after having declared the Steiners winners and new WCW World champions in a match against The Outsiders at Souled Out. Anderson had come out of the stands to make a three-count when original referee Nick Patrick was knocked out. He would be reinstated several weeks later.
February 13: Weeks after winning the WWF World title, Shawn Michaels relinquishes the belt on a live Thursday Raw Thursday, citing a knee injury and the loss of his “smile.”
February 17: After Bret Hart’s WWF World title loss to “Psycho” Sid Vicious, the “Hitman” physically and verbally attacks Vince McMahon.
February 23: Randy Savage officially joins the New World Order after attacking Roddy Piper and causing the “Rowdy Scot” to lose his SuperBrawl World title match to Hulk Hogan.
February 24: ECW wrestlers debut on Raw one week after Jerry Lawler’s diatribe criticizing the independent federation. Paul E. Dangerously serves as color commentator and heavily plugs Barely Legal, ECW’s first PPV … The Road Warriors return to the WWF, beating The Headbangers.
March 16: Sting makes his intentions and loyalties clear when he attacks his so-called “comrades” in the New World Order at Uncensored.
March 25: Two nights after WrestleMania XIII, Bret Hart turns rulebreaker in a speech filled with hatred and bitterness toward American wrestling fans. He then reunites with his brother Owen and brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith to form The New Hart Foundation.
April 6: Scott Steiner is arrested at Spring Stampede after he accidentally hits a police officer during a locker room scuffle with Kevin Nash … Ken Shamrock debuts in the WWF by defeating Vernon White.
April 11: Big Van Vader is detained by authorities in Kuwait after he attacks Bassam Al Otham, host of Good Morning Kuwait, after taking offense to Otham’s questions … Hulk Hogan is pinned by Jacques Rougeau in a non-title match at the Molson Centre in Montreal.
April 13: ECW finally debuts on pay-per-view with Barely Legal. The event garners an impressive .26 buy rate.
April 20: The Undertaker throws fire in the face of Paul Bearer in Rochester, New York, at In Your House.
April 21: Acting under the authority of Turner Sports President Dr. Harvey Schiller, recently named WCW Executive Committee Chairman J.J. Dillon announces that Eric Bischoff no longer has any official authority within WCW.
May 2: The new Triple Threat is formed when Bam Bam Bigelow returns to ECW and, along with Shane Douglas and Chris Candido, attacks B. Mahoney.
May 5: The WWF airs an up-close and personal interview with Goldust in which he reveals his true identity to be Dustin Rhodes and speaks of his estranged relationship with father Dusty.
May 10: PG-13 ventures out of Memphis to face ECW tag team champions The Eliminators at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia.
May 11: Ken Shamrock makes his pay-per-view debut at the WWF’s In Your House by forcing Big Van Vader to submit.
May 12: Rob Van Dam officially becomes “Mr. Monday Night” when he debuts alongside Jerry Lawler on Raw Is War. He defeats Matt Hardy in his first WWF outing, although he does not sign a formal contract.
May 17: Terry Funk drops a guardrail on Stevie Richards’ neck, temporarily paralyzing him. Richards is told to stay out of the ring for four to six weeks. He doesn’t heed the warning.
May 18: Ric Flair returns to active competition at Slamboree in Charlotte, North Carolina, after being sidelined eight months with a torn left rotator cuff. He, Kevin Greene, and Roddy Piper defeat Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Syxx … On the same card, NFL great Reggie White makes his wrestling debut, losing to Steve McMichael.
May 30: Stevie Richards suffers a broken vertebra during a tag team match that pitted him and Raven against The Eliminators. It would be his last bout before jumping to WCW.
June 6: Retired NFL star Jim Kelly helps “Diamond” Dallas Page beat Randy Savage in Buffalo with a pair of elbowdrops.
June 7: Raven loses a “loser-leaves-ECW” match to Tommy Dreamer at the ECW Arena … On the same card, Jerry Lawler enters enemy territory when he, Sabu, Rob Van Dam, and Bill Alfonso attack Tommy Dreamer and nearly every ECW wrestler.
June 9: Ahmed Johnson shocks the wrestling world by joining former foe Faarooq in The Nation of Domination … Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels brawl backstage before a Raw broadcast. Michaels would temporarily leave the federation, vowing never to return.
June 15: Madusa loses a retirement match to WCW Women’s champion Akira Hokuto at The Great American Bash.
June 16: Steve McMichael piledrives tag team partner Jeff Jarrett, thus ending their tempestuous relationship.
June 23: The long friendship of Ric Flair and Roddy Piper is shelved when the “Nature Boy” and his Horsemen attack the “Rowdy Scot.”
June 30: Jeff Jarrett is officially fired from The Four Horsemen, surprisingly without incident.
July 1: PG-13 becomes a trio when Wolfie D and J.C. Ice sign Aldo Montoya (P.J. Walker).
July 11: King Kong Bundy attempts a kneedrop on Primo Carnera III at an independent show in Schenectady, New York. Bundy’s weight causes two wooden support beams to snap and the ring sags. The match continues with Bundy winning.
July 13: Curt Hennig wrestles his first match in nearly four years; he would turn against partner Dallas Page during their Bash at the Beach match with the NWO’s Scott Hall and Randy Savage … On the same card, Dennis Rodman makes his wrestling debut when he and “Hollywood” Hogan lose the main event to Lex Luger and The Giant.
July 14: “Mr. Monday Night” Rob Van Dam is seen backstage at Nitro. Pictures are taken of him talking to the NWO’s Vincent … Mankind’s alter ego, Dude Love, makes his debut in the WWF and helps Steve Austin win the WWF World tag team title.
July 19: The recently unretired George “The Animal” Steele (under the guidance of Capt. Lou Albano) defeats Mr. Ooh La La on an ECWA card in Wilmington, Delaware.
July 22: Raven returns to WCW … Fritz Von Erich suffers a mild stroke. Upon further examination, doctors discover that he has lung cancer.
August 3: Steve Austin suffers spinal shock syndrome at SummerSlam, a result of a “tombstone” piledriver from Owen Hart. Austin would go on to win the Intercontinental title, but his career is put in jeopardy.
August 4: Shawn Michaels turns rulebreaker again after inadvertently helping Bret Hart to win the WWF World title a day earlier at SummerSlam … Sgt. Slaughter is named commissioner of the WWF by President Gorilla Monsoon … Ted DiBiase returns to WCW to manage the Steiners in their battles with the NWO … Sting is offered the first of what would be many opponents by J.J. Dillon, who tried to get Sting to return to competition in WCW.
August 11: Rick Rude returns to the WWF to serve as Shawn Michaels “insurance man” … Stevie Richards makes his WCW debut.
August 16: Japanese woman wrestler Plum Mariko, 29, dies as the result of head injuries suffered in a tag team match the previous day.
August 17: ECW returns to pay-per-view with Hardcore Heaven. The show is marred by technical problems and is considered a setback for the promotion.
August 25: In an emotional speech, Arn Anderson publicly retires and turns over the Horsemen’s “Enforcer” mantle to Curt Hennig.
September 5: Tod Gordon and ECW sever ties amid allegations that Gordon acted as a “mole” within the federation he founded to help supply talent to WCW.
September 10: Fritz Von Erich dies of cancer at age 68.
September 14: Curt Hennig turns against The Four Horsemen and joins the New World Order at Fall Brawl.
September 19: “Wildman” Marc Mero makes his return to the WWF seven months after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his left knee. His attitude is reflected in his new nickname, “Marvelous.”
September 29: Ric Flair officially disbands The Four Horsemen.
October 5: Brian Pillman is found dead in his hotel room in Bloomington, Minnesota. He wrestled his last match the night before in St. Paul, where he lost to Goldust … Kane, the Undertaker’s purported brother, attacks his sibling at In Your House: Badd Blood.
October 20: Jeff Jarrett returns to the WWF on a live Raw.
October 26: Steve Austin returns to action with a victory over Hunter Hearst Helmsley … Jacquelyn upends WCW TV champion Disco Inferno in a non-title bout at Halloween Havoc.
November 9: Bret Hart attacks Vince McMahon following his controversial WWF World title loss at Survivor Series to Shawn Michaels. Hart had just signed a three-year contract with rival WCW and was convinced that McMahon had colluded with referee Earl Hebner to cause his defeat.
November 17: Rick Rude shocks the wrestling world when he shows up with Hulk Hogan on Nitro 24 hours after appearing at a WWF show. On the same night, Rude would appear on a Raw episode taped the week before … Vince McMahon appears in an interview on Raw and defends his decision that resulted in the Survivor Series controversy by concluding, “Bret screwed Bret.”
November 19: The Hennepin County Coroner releases a report that reveals Brian Pillman’s death was a result of arteriosclerotic heart disease.
November 23: Scott Hall wins the 60-man battle royal in the main event of World War III.
November 30: Weeks after announcing his retirement from wrestling and his intentions to start a video game business, Stevie Richards returns to ECW at November to Remember, ECW’s third pay-per-view.
December 8: The Road Warriors suffer their most humiliating moment as all the members of DeGeneration X, along with Jesse James and Billy Gunn, attack them and shave Hawk’s mohawk.
December 14/15: The main events of WWF cards in Memphis, Tennessee, and Little Rock, Arkansas, are canceled when it is determined that the fans had become too unruly. The cancellations spur “fan riots,” according to published reports.
December 15: Bret Hart makes his first WCW appearance when he accepts J.J. Dillon’s invitation to referee the match between Eric Bischoff and Larry Zbyszko at Starrcade.
1998
January 4: Riki Choshu wrestles his final card at the Tokyo Dome, competing in five matches. Choshu defeats Kauyuki Fujita, pins Yutaka Yoshie, forces Tatsutoshi Takaiwa to submit, loses to Takashi Iizuka, then pins Jushin Liger in his final bout.
January 8: WCW Thunder debuts at 8 p.m. on TBS, giving WCW two weekly live shows on prime-time cable. Thunder later changes its format to live broadcasts on alternate weeks.
January 10: Former heavyweight fighter Mike Tyson and the WWF agree on a deal that allows Tyson to serve as special “enforcer” for the Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels World title match at WrestleMania XIV in Boston.
January 13: Eric Bischoff is promoted to president of WCW while Nick Lambros is promoted to executive vice president. (Lambros would later resign his post to accept an executive position with Turner Sports) … Former Road Warriors’ manager Paul Ellering finishes 10th at the John Beargrease Dog Sled Marathon in Northern, Minnesota. Ellering was in second place with one day left in the race, but slowed near the end.
January 20: Bobo Brazil, one of professional wrestling’s most influential black athletes and a WWF Hall of Famer, dies from complications due to a stroke in St. Joseph, Michigan, at age 74.
January 24: Dusty Rhodes becomes a member of the New World Order after blindsiding Larry Zbyszko during his match against Scott Hall. Rhodes then opens his shirt to reveal an NWO shirt underneath.
January 26: Use of the power bomb is banned from use in all WCW competition by the WCW Executive Committee Chairman J.J. Dillon after The Giant suffers a concussion when being power-bombed by Kevin Nash at Souled Out on January 24.
January 27: Japan’s WAR promotion announces it will be shutting down at the end of February. WAR President Masato Motakei blames poor ticket sales.
January 31: WCW attempts to do a live pay-per-listen from a Boston show, but technical difficulties cause the PPL to be canceled. The $7.95 cost was refunded to all who paid for it.
February 13: Independent wrestler Gary Dean Mabe, who wrestles as “Handsome” Bill Armstrong, is charged with two counts of statutory rape, two counts of statutory sex offenses, and two counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor, in connection with an incident with a 10-year-old girl. The case was still pending at press time.
February 15: Louie Spicolli (Muciollo), 27, is found dead at his home in San Pedro, California. The official cause of death, as determined by the Los Angles Coroner’s office on April 21, was arherosclerotic heart disease caused by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy syndrome (enlarged heart).
February 16: Nitro draws a 5.1 Nielsen rating, setting its all-time record high. The show aired unopposed since Raw was preempted for the Westminster Dog Show on the USA Network.
February 17: “Macho Man” Randy Savage receives the prestigious Harvard Lampoon’s 1998 Real Man of the Year award on the steps of the Lampoon Castle in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The award, along with honorary Lampoon membership, is given each year to the male who best exemplifies universal manliness.
February 18: Arison, a women’s wrestling promotion owned by Aja Kong, holds its first card at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. It is the first women’s show ever broadcast on pay-per-view in Japan, but draws sparse ratings.
February 22: Scott Steiner turns against his brother, Rick, during a match against Kevin Nash and Scott Hall at SuperBrawl in San Francisco, then joins the NWO. Scott’s attack cost the Steiners their WCW tag titles. Also, on the show, Juventud Guerrera loses his mask after being defeated by TV champion Chris Jericho.
February 27: A near-riot takes place at a WCW show in Lincoln, Nebraska, when rowdy fans object to Chris Jericho’s negative remarks about the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Ringside fans are pelted with garbage until 30 cops are called in to stop the incident. Another disturbance occurs later in the card after Curt Hennig makes a remark about ‘Huskers coach Tom Osbourne.
March 3: Pit Bulls I and II are placed on three years probation for admittedly selling steroids and marijuana in 1995. Gary Wolf, 30, and Anthony Durante, 29, are fined $2,000 each and ordered to return the $7,600 they grossed from the drug sales.
March 15: Former wrestling announcer Dan Coates, 88, dies at his Box Canyon Ranch in Weatherford, Texas. For 25 years, Coates announced for KTVT-Channel 11’s Saturday Night Wrestling shows from Fort Worth’s North Side Coliseum.
April 13: For the first time in 83 head-to-head meetings, dating back to June 10, 1996, Raw beats Nitro in the Nielsen ratings, 4.6-4.3
April 21: WCW begins legal action against Ric Flair for breech of contract. Flair failed to appear at several shows, prompting WCW to file a $2-million suit with the Fulton County Superior Court. Flair later countersues.
April 22: Buff Bagwell sustains spinal shock syndrome after receiving a top rope bulldog from Rick Steiner on Thunder. Bagwell is paralyzed in the ring for four minutes but regains mobility. He later undergoes successful surgery to repair damage done to his C3 and C5 vertebrae.
April 27: Both Raw and Nitro are broadcast from the Norfolk, Virginia, area. Raw sets an all-time record rating with a 5.7 overall rating as DeGeneration X stages a mock invasion of the the Scope, where Nitro is being held.
April 28: William G. Kinney II, who wrestles as Tiny, is arrested after leading police on an eight-mile chase in Pennsylvania. He is charged with reckless endangerment, simple assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and a traffic violation.
May 19: A 34-year-old woman is critically injured when a fire erupts in a restroom at the Nashville Arena during a WWF show. The woman reportedly flushed the toilet and then caught on fire. Fire marshall John Petty said it was not clear where or how the fire started.
June 2: Junkyard Dog, 45, one of wrestling’s most beloved figures, dies in a car crash near Forest, Mississippi after falling asleep at the wheel. JYD was coming home from his daughter’s graduation.
June 8: Dennis Rodman appears on Nitro instead of reporting to practice for the Chicago Bulls’ NBA final series. Rodman calls the appearance “preparation” for his match with Hollywood Hogan vs. Dallas Page and Karl Malone at Bash at the Beach.
June 11: THQ Inc., in partnership with JAKKS Pacific, a premier manufacturer and marketer of children’s toys, signs a 10-year exclusive agreement with TitanSports to produce WWF electronic games. The first games are scheduled to be released at the end of 1999.
June 20/21: The WWF cancels shows in Oklahoma City and Tulsa to give its main stars, including Steve Austin, Kane, and The Undertaker, a chance to recover from various illnesses and injuries.
June 22: Joey Styles begins legal action against the WWF, seeking damages for the unauthorized use of footage of him and Steve Austin from a 1995 ECW show.
July 6: Marcus Bagwell appears on Nitro for the first time since his accident. Bagwell, in a wheelchair, is escorted to the runway by his doctor for an interview with Gene Okerlund … ECWA announcer “Big” Al Napier commits suicide by hanging in his Wilmington, Delaware, home. Napier had been battling personal problems and was recently fired from his day job.
July 20: USA Network announces the addition of Sunday Night Heat, a one-hour WWF wrestling show to be aired from 7 to 8 p.m. … Former woman wrestler June Byers dies at age 76 at her home in Houston.
July 30: Scott Hall is served two summons by Baton Rouge Police Department for allegedly fondling an unidentified 56-year-old woman in the parking lot of a Radisson Hotel. Hall was also charged with disturbing the peace by public intoxication.
August 11: Shane McMahon, 28, is named president of New Media at TitanSports, parent company of the World Wrestling Federation. In his new capacity, McMahon would be responsible for exploring, developing, and managing the WWF’s interactive network.
August 17: Maryland Championship Wrestling light heavyweight champ Shane Shamrock, 23, is shot and killed in Glen Burnie, Maryland, by Ann Arundel police officer Pete Scarpetta after pulling a knife during a domestic dispute with his former girlfriend, Laura Hamlet … Former wrestler and WWF promoter Terry Garvin dies of stomach cancer at age 60 in New England. Garvin often competed in six-man tag teams with brothers, Ronnie and Jimmy.
September 8: WCW competitor Hacksaw Jim Duggan declares that he has been diagnosed with cancer and will retire from professional wrestling. Two days later, Duggan undergoes successful surgery to remove a cancerous kidney … The Sandman, arguably the most popular wrestler in ECW history, shocks the wrestling world when he signs a three-year deal with WCW.
September 9: The Giant surrenders to Nassau County authorities almost three months after allegedly breaking the jaw of Robert Sawyer Jr., a 29-year-old Levittown, New York, man during a fight in the dining room of a Uniondale Marriott.
September 12: Former ECW TV champion Taz is arrested outside the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh and charged with indecent exposure and contributing to the corruption of a minor after a tanning salon attendant claims Taz exposed himself to her.
September 14: Although Ric Flair and WCW remained deadlocked in their legal battle, “The Nature Boy” makes an emotional return to Nitro when he joins Dean Malenko, Steve McMichael, and Chris Benoit for a Four Horsemen reunion in Greenville, South Carolina.
October 2: Scott Hall is arrested and charged with felonious criminal mischief for using a key to scratch the side of a white limousine outside of an Orlando, Florida, nightclub.
October 26: New York magazine’s cover subjects are Vince McMahon and The Undertaker. Inside is an eight-page feature on McMahon.
November 3: Capturing 37 percent of the votes, Reform Party candidate Jesse Ventura wins the 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election.
November 6: Sky Low Low, considered by many to be the greatest midget wrestler ever, dies at age 70. Sky, whose real name was Marcel Gauthier, wrestled from 1948 until 1982.
November 16: Bam Bam Bigelow crashes Nitro and challenges World champion Bill Goldberg to a match the same night. Goldberg accepts, but is attacked by Bigelow on the runway prior to their match. WCW Executive Committee Chairman J.J. Dillon is fired by Eric Bischoff after the confrontation.
November 26: Hollywood “Hulk” Hogan announces his retirement on The Tonight Show, and indicates that he will run for the presidency of the United States in 2000.
November 27: Dennis Rodman files suit against WCW in Orange County (Los Angeles) Superior Court for failure to pay him the full amount of money he was entitled to for wrestling at the Bash at the Beach … Scott Hall falls asleep at the wheel in Orlando, Florida, smashing his car but sustaining only minor injuries. Hall passes a breathalyzer test issued by police immediately after the crash.
November 28: Scott Steiner is arraigned on charges of aggravated assault and terroristic threats stemming from an April incident in which he allegedly threatened to run over Paul Kaspareen in south Cherokee County, Georgia. Police said Steiner struck Kaspareen twice with his truck, but the Department of Transportation worker was not seriously injured.
November 30: THQ Inc. releases WCW Nitro, the first wrestling game for personal computers.
November 30: TV Guide features the WWF vs. WCW war in its cover story. The issue is distributed with one of four collector’s covers: Steve Austin, Bill Goldberg, The Undertaker, or Hollywood Hogan. The issue sells 65 percent of its newsstand copies, the best sales percentage since the Princess Diana special.
December 6: The WWF runs its second U.K.-only pay-per-view from the London Arena before a sellout crowd of 10,441 … WWF Vice President and announcer Jim Ross suffers a bout of Bell’s palsy while calling a match, temporarily forcing him from an on-air role with the WWF.
December 14: Rolling Stone and People Weekly magazines get on the wrestling bandwagon, running articles on Steve Austin and Bill Goldberg, respectively … Ric Flair suffers what was believed at the time to be a heart attack in the ring at the Ice Palace in Tampa during an interview with Gene Okerlund. Tests proved, however, that he did not.
1999
January 1: Eddy Guerrero is involved in a serious car crash in Florida. He suffers a broken hip and a punctured liver. The injuries aren’t considered career-threatening, and he returns to action several months later.
January 4: Ric Flair gains the WCW presidency by defeating Eric Bischoff. According to a prematch stipulation, Flair would have been forced to retire if he lost … Kevin Nash allows Hollywood Hogan to pin him for his fifth WCW World title, setting up the short-lived reunion of the New World Order.
January 10: Taz effectively ends the Shane Douglas era in ECW by defeating “The Franchise” for the heavyweight title at Guilty as Charged in Kissimmee, Florida. Douglas had briefly escaped Taz’ katahajimi, but Taz gained hold again and choked him out … Yoshihiro Tajiri beats Super Crazy with a dragon suplex in their first high-profile encounter.
January 12: Three-time former WWF World champ Shawn Michaels undergoes surgery to repair several herniated discs in his back. Acting upon his doctor’s advice, Michaels later announces his retirement.
January 13: The A&E Network’s Biography of Andre the Giant draws the highest ratings in the program’s 12-year history, with 3.5 million viewers. The documentary includes interviews of Andre’s childhood friends, wrestling colleagues, and acquaintances in later years.
January 16: Public Enemy, once hardcore icons, receive a cool reception upon their return to the ECW Arena in Philadelphia. Buh Buh Ray Dudley criticizes PE’s lackluster, three-year stint in WCW. Public Enemy later jumps to the WWF, but are no more successful.
January 17: David Flair shocks the wrestling world by pinning Curt Hennig at Souled Out. The match features David and his father, Ric, against Hennig and Barry Windham. After the Flairs’ victory, Hollywood Hogan whips David with a weight-lifting belt and spray-paints the letters “E-Z-E,” an obvious reference to Eric Bischoff … Perry Saturn is forced to wear a dress for 90 days following a loss to Chris Jericho. Strangely enough, Saturn wears the dress well beyond the stipulated period.
January 18: David Flair embarrasses Eric Bischoff by defeating him in a hair vs. hair match. The tape replay shows referee Randy Anderson handing Flair a roll of quarters. David’s father, Ric, takes pleasure in shaving Bischoff’s hair, revealing ugly gray roots underneath.
January 19: Former Japanese star Yoshino Sato dies of heart failure. He was 70.
January 22: Toshiaki Kawada breaks his right arm, but rallies to win the All-Japan Triple Crown from Mitsuharu Misawa in Osaka. Kawada later relinquishes the Triple Crown due to his injury.
January 24: The Rock defeats Mankind in an “I quit” match for his second WWF World title at the Royal Rumble. Later, it is discovered that the words “I quit” were dubbed into the sound system from a prematch Mankind interview … Vince McMahon earns a WWF World title shot by eliminating Steve Austin in the Royal Rumble event. McMahon survives 28 other competitors, including Chyna.
January 26: Mankind ends The Rock’s two-day reign as WWF champ by defeating him in the empty Tucson Convention Center. The combatants fight along the steps, in and out of several offices, through the cafeteria, and in the arena’s loading area. There, Mankind regains the belt by using a forklift to lower a pallet of beer kegs onto The Rock. The match, dubbed Halftime Heat, airs during halftime of Super Bowl XXXIII.
January 31: All-Japan Pro Wrestling President Shohei “Giant” Baba dies of bowel cancer in Tokyo. Baba, one of the most famous Japanese wrestlers ever, won three NWA World titles and numerous championships in the Orient during his 38-year career. He was 61.
February 5: Three-time former WWF champ Bob Backlund announces he will run for the First District Congressional seat of Connecticut in 2000.
February 8: With the help of Mad TV comedian Will Sasso, Roddy Piper wins the U.S. title again—15 years after his previous reign.
February 13: Paul Wight, who competed in WCW as The Giant, makes his WWF debut at the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre pay-per-view, when he cuts through the mat during the Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon steel cage match.
February 14: Steve Austin brutalizes and bloodies WWF owner Vince McMahon by throwing him down 15 feet through the Spanish announcers’ table and pummeling him inside a steel cage. Former WCW World champion Paul Wight makes his WWF debut by cutting through the mat canvas and slinging Austin through the cage and onto the floor, inadvertently giving Austin the victory. McMahon suffers a broken tailbone, among other injuries … Masa Saito ends his 34-year career with a match in Tokyo. Saito won the WWF tag team title twice with Mr. Fuji in the early-1980s and was AWA World champion for two months in 1990.
February 19: During an appearance on The Tonight Show, Bill Goldberg offers to put up $100,000 to secure a bout against Steve Austin. He also offers to meet Austin in an alley. Three days later, while on Howard Stern’s radio show, Austin says that they can have a match “when Goldberg makes it to the big leagues.”
February 20: All-Japan star Tomomi “Jumbo” Tsuruta announces his retirement after a 27-year career. He defeated Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA World title in 1984.
February 21: David Flair shocks his father with a taser at SuperBrawl IX, giving WCW champ Hollywood Hogan a chance to recover and pin Ric Flair … Rey Misterio Jr. loses his mask in a stipulation match pitting he and Konnan against Kevin Nash and Scott Hall (subbing for Lex Luger). At stake for Hall and Nash was Elizabeth’s hair.
February 22: Ronald C. Williams, better known as The Renegade, commits suicide in Marietta, Georgia, by shooting himself with a .380 handgun. Those close to Williams say he was despondent over being fired from WCW four months before his death. He was 33.
February 26: Steve Austin guest stars on CBS’ Nash Bridges. The program beats the second hour of The Daytime Soap Opera Awards on NBC and ABC’s 20/20 in the ratings.
February 27: The East Coast Wrestling Association’s Third Annual Super 8 Tournament climaxes with a bout between Steve Bradley and Christopher Daniels in Wilmington, Delaware. Bradley reverses the momentum of a Daniels bodypress for the victory.
February 27: After competing for years as a masked wrestler, Rey Misterio Jr. loses his mask at SuperBrawl IX. Misterio agreed to put his mask up vs. Miss Elizabeth’s hair in a tag team match with Konnan vs. Kvin Nash and Scott Hall, who subbed for an injured Lex Luger.
March 6: Less than six months after being released by the WWF, Vader defeats Akira Taue in 12:51 for the vacant All-Japan Triple Crown in Tokyo. Former champ Toshiaki Kawada was forced to vacate the titles due to a broken arm he suffered during his Triple Crown victory over Mitsuharu Misawa on January 22.
March 13: Dan Severn’s four year NWA World title reign comes to an end when he submits to Naoya Ogawa’s SOS hold in Tokyo Japan. The match was threatened when Ogawa ripped up the contract at a March 12 press conference, but special envoy Dory Funk Jr. restored negotiations.
March 14: Ric Flair becomes a 14-time world champion and “permanent president” of WCW by virtue of his win over Hollywood Hogan at Uncensored. It becomes apparent early in the match that referee Charles Robinson’s is cheating for Flair when he refuses to call for the bell when the “Nature Boy” is bleeding profusely in the first-blood, barbed-wire cage match. He also refuses to count a Hogan pin over Flair at 7:40. Arn Anderson’s tire iron assists Flair in his victory … Anderson’s tire iron also helps Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko beat Curt Hennig and Barry Windham for the World tag team title, giving The Four Horsemen a monopoly over WCW’s World championships … In a match with former NWA champ Dory Funk Jr. serving as special referee, Naoya Ogawa ends Dan Severn’s four-year NWA championship reign when Severn taps out to his SOS finisher at the Yokohama Arena in Japan.
March 21: ECW champion Taz chokes out long-time rival Sabu with the katahajimi at Living Dangerously in Asbury Park, New Jersey, at the 18:27 mark … Jerry Lynn turns down the ECW TV title after referee John Finnegan awards him a decision victory over champion Rob Van Dam after the 20-minute time-limit elapses. The match resumes and Van Dam wins with a frog splash in overtime.
March 28: Steve Austin wins his third WWF World title by defeating The Rock in 16:50 at WrestleMania XV in Philadelphia. Austin overcomes two Rock bottoms en route to victory … At the same PPV, Triple-H costs DX pal X-Pac his match against European champion Shane McMahon. HHH later announces his affiliation with The Corporation … Butterbean scores a devastating knockout of Bart Gunn in 35 seconds in a Brawl for All.
March 28: “Triple-H” and Chyna shock DeGeneration X and the wrestling world at WrestleMania XV when they attack X-Pac during his match with European champ Shane McMahon and later join The Corporation. Earlier on the card, Paul Wight left The Corporation after a physical confrontation with Vince McMahon.
March 29: Bret Hart challenges Bill Goldberg in Toronto, Ontario. Goldberg rushes into the ring and spears Hart. Hart feigns injury and then gets up and reveals a metal plate under his hockey jersey. He then stuns the world with this announcement: “Hey, WCW, Eric Bischoff, I quit!” … WCW matchmaker Kevin Sullivan collapses at the same Nitro card and goes into convulsions. Paramedics note that Sullivan’s heart stopped several times although he didn’t suffer a heart attack. The cause of the seizure is unknown, but EMTs suspect Sullivan may have had a negative reaction to prescription drug interactions.
April 9: Japanese woman wrestler Emiko Kado, 23, dies from head injuries suffered in a tag team match on March 31 in Fukuoka. Kado never regained consciousness after being suplexed on her head by Mariko Yoshida.
April 10: The Tokyo Dome—packed with 63,000 fans—is the scene for an electrified explosive barbed-wire match between Masa Chono and Atsushi Onita. Chono, who enters the arena in a U.S. Army tank, is the first to touch the dynamite- and barbed-wire-laden ropes, but makes sure Onita does the same. At one point, the two wrestlers and referee Mr. Unno become tangled in the exploding ropes and are knocked unconscious. The contest is later ruled a draw.
April 11: “Diamond” Dallas Page pins Ric Flair in a four-way match also including Hollywood Hogan and Sting to win the WCW World title at Spring Stampede. A top-rope elbowdrop from special referee Randy Savage sets up Flair for the pin. Hogan is elimianted early and sidelined with a knee injury after Page locks him in a figure-four leglock around the ringpost … Scott Steiner strikes Booker T in the face with a foreign object to win the U.S. championship in a tournament final on the same card.
April 20: Former WCW U.S. and WWF International champ Rick Rude dies at age 40 after suffering a heart attack at his home in Alpharetta, Georgia. Police said two empty prescription bottles were found near his bed.
April 25: WWF World champion Steve Austin defeats The Rock at Backlash in Providence, Rhode Island. Vince McMahon kayos his son, Shane, who, as special referee, is cheating for The Rock. Vince also returns Austin’s customized smoking-skulls title belt, which had been stolen by the McMahons several months earlier.
April 26: Sting beats Dallas Page for his sixth NWA/WCW World title on Nitro, airing from Fargo, North Dakota. Page regains the belt in a four-way match, which also involves Bill Goldberg and Kevin Nash, 90 minutes later … On Raw, Shane McMahon fires The Rock from The Corporation.
April 29: The WWF airs a special, titled Smackdown, on UPN. The program scores a 5.8 rating, beating out ABC and WB programming for the 8 p.m. time slot.
May 2: Mitsuharu Misawa beats Vader for his fifth All-Japan Triple Crown at the Giant Baba Memorial Show held at the Tokyo Dome … Bruno Sammartino, Gene Kiniski, The Destroyer, and Lord James Blears eulogize Baba on the same card. Fans stand for the entire ceremony.
May 4: Jos LeDuc, who suffered for years from diabetes, succumbs to a lung infection in Fayetteville, Georgia. He was 55.
May 9: Kevin Nash defeats Dallas Page for his second WCW World title at Slamboree in St. Louis. Randy Savage interfers on Page’s behalf, but Eric Bischoff orders the match to continue. Nash uses a power bomb to gain the victory.
May 10: Although WWF women’s champion Sable strips Debra first in their evening gown match, Commissioner Shawn Michaels rules that the woman who got stripped should be the winner. He awards Debra the title. Events surrounding that incident are noted in Rena Mero’s future lawsuit against the WWF … Jerry Brisco and Pat Patterson come out of retirement to beat Pete Gas and Rodney of The Mean Street Posse in a loser-leaves-the-federation match. The Posse’s exile is short-lived.
May 15: At the Break the Barrier independent card held in Philadelphia, Shane Douglas signals his departure from ECW with these comments: “Since the fans pay to see the wrestlers, it’s the wrestlers who should see the money. Paul Heyman can’t accuse Shane Douglas of no-showing Hardcore Heaven (the ECW PPV scheduled for the next evening), because I’m not contractually bound to be there.” Rumors indicate Douglas is being courted by the WWF, but he winds up in WCW.
May 16: ECW champion Taz pulls a double at Hardcore Heaven by defeating Chris Candido in less than a minute and then Buh Buh Ray Dudley later in the night … Sid Vicious returns to ECW and beats Justin Credible by disqualification when Lance Storm interferes. Vicious power-bombs Credible, Storm, and Judge Jeff Jones, then fends off an attack from Sabu … WWF World champion Steve Austin beats The Undertaker and Triple-H in a three-way match at Rebellion, held at England’s Manchester MEN Arena.
May 17: Charles Robinson suffers a collapsed lung when Randy Savage hits him with a top-rope elbowdrop. Robinson and Ric Flair were involved in a mixed tag team match against Savage and Madusa.
May 23: Owen Hart plummets 72 feet to his death when his decent into the ring as The Blue Blazer goes awry at the Over The Edge pay-per-view from the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. The show is delayed for 20 minutes, but later resumes, promting harsh criticism from Owen’s fans and family.
May 28: NWA champion Naoya Ogawa defends against Dan Severn at the Texas Indoor Speedway in North Richland Hills. Both men are counted out at the 13-minute mark. Fans demand an extra five minutes, but the time limit expires.
June 4: Former women’s champion, Sable, files a $110-million sexual harrassment lawsuit against the WWF claiming that the federation “controls its performers through a carefully designed program of intimidation and humiliation,icluding scriptes sexual provocation and staged stunts that are inherently dangerous.”
June 6: Chyna becomes the first female to qualify for the annual King of the Ring tournament by defeating Val Venis. It is announced that Chyna will face former DX comrade Jesse James in the first round.
June 7: Rena Mero (Sable) files a $110-million lawsuit against the WWF, claiming negligence, breach of contract, unfair trade practices, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Mero states she was stripped of the women’s title for refusing to expose her breasts on cable-TV. “Professional wrestling has become increasingly obscene, titillating, vulgar, and unsafe,” the lawsuit charges. “[The WWF] controls its performers through a carefully designed program of intimidation and humiliation—included scripted sexual provocation.”
June 8: Linda and Stephanie McMahon, angered at being duped by Vince and Shane in their “greater power” conspiracy, help elect Steve Austin the new chief executive officer of the WWF.
June 10: Billy Black and Vic Roze attack NWA Georgia promoter Bill Behrens and wrestler T.J. Gray in Loganville. Upon entering the Georgia Belle Flea Market, Black hits Behrens from behind in the ring, knocking him out. Black and Roze order everyone to leave the ring, but Gray—who owns the ring—refuses. Black and Roze go after Gray until wrestlers run to the rescue. Black and Roze speed away in separate vehicles. They are apprehended and charged with simple battery. Behrens later says Black had been upset with him over a perceived slight.
June 11: Kenta Kobashi suffers a broken nose during his match against All-Japan Triple Crown champion Mitsuharu Misawa in Tokyo, Japan. It is announced Kobashi will be out for at least a month.
June 13: Sid Vicious makes a surprise return to WCW by interrupting a match between World champion Kevin Nash and Randy Savage at the Great American Bash in Baltimore. He power-bombs Nash and aligns himself with Savage. Nash wins by disqualification … On the same card, Rick and Scott Steiner hit new lows by sicking Doberman pinschers on Sting.
June 14: The Kansas City Police Department begins a criminal investigation into Owen Hart’s death at Kemper Arena. Major Gregory Mills says the investigation isn’t centered on a particular suspect, but rather the circumstances of the tragedy … WCW President Ric Flair appoints Roddy Piper as his vice president. Flair and Arn Anderson helped Piper in a three-on-one attack on Buff Bagwell the night before.
June 15: Bassam Al Othman, a Kuwaiti talk show host, files a $1-million lawsuit against the WWF for using a video clip of an April 1997 incident in which he was attacked by Vader. The suit alleges that “the defendents use of the video clip constitutes a false and defamatory statement which exposed Othman to publc scorn, hatred, contempt, and ridicule.”
June 21: Two more high-profile lawsuits are filed against the WWF. Martha Hart, Owen Hart’s widow, files a wrongful death claim on behalf of herself, the two Hart children, and Owen’s parents against Vince and Linda McMahon, Titan Sports, Amspec Inc., Lewmar Ltd., Lewmar Marine Ltd., Lift-All Ltd. (the manufacturers and installers of the harness system used to lower Owen into the ring), various harness operators, and the city of Kansas City, Missouri (which owns Kemper Arena). Bassam Al Othman, the Kuwaiti talk show host attacked by Vader in April 1997, files a $1-million lawsuit against the WWF for its unauthorized use of the video detailing the incident. The WWF had used the clip in promotional packages about Vader and during the “Mastadon’s” ring entrances … Vince McMahon fires Big Bossman from the Corporate Ministry when he fails to beat Steve Austin in Memphis.
June 27: Vince and Shane McMahon retain ownership of the WWF by defeating Steve Austin in a ladder match at the King of the Ring in Greensboro, North Carolina. In accordance with prematch stipulations, Austin loses his position as chief executive officer of the WWF. The object of the match was to climb a ladder and grab a briefcase dangling from the ceiling. Whenever Austin reached for the briefcase, it was mysteriously raised … Billy Gunn defeats X-Pac to become the King of the Ring. Gunn’s only legitimate victory in the entire tourney is over X-Pac, who was hindered by a stinger he suffered against Bob Holly in the first round.
June 28: Former WWF junior heavyweight champ Tatsumi Fujinami is named president of New Japan Pro Wrestling. The previous president, Seiji Sakaguchi, assumes the vacant chairman post. Sakaguchi and long-time matchmaker Riki Choshu thought it was time to give control to a younger leader. Fujinami announces his desire to organize a joint card among New Japan, All-Japan, and the Universal Fighting Arts Organization … Steve Austin regains the WWF World title from The Undertaker in Charlotte, North Carolina.
July 1: Chris Jericho signs a multiyear deal with the WWF and is expected to make his debut after his WCW contract expires on July 27. “Jericho’s debut has not been finalized, but Chris’ creative game plan has been discussed, in the advent that he would sign, for months,” says Jim Ross, the WWF’s vice president of talent relations. Jericho turned down a lucrative deal with WCW in exchange for more creative control in the WWF.
July 5: Bret Hart returns to WCW for the first time since the death of his younger brother Owen. He speaks frankly to the Nitro audience about Owen and the future of his own career. Hart says he’s still uncertain whether to become an active wrestler again.
July 6: PWI grants world title status to ECW following the promotion’s deal with The Nashville Network to begin airing weekly programs on August 27. The one-hour program is scheduled to air Friday nights at 8 p.m., between Motor Madness and Rollerjam, with TNN getting a share in the revenue of all ECW ventures. “In terms of match quality, pay-per-views, competition, and longevity, ECW had already earned world title status,” comments PWI Publisher Stu Saks. “We were just waiting for them to establish a national presence, and with the TNN deal, they have” … The WWF confirms that Vince McMahon suffered a cracked tailbone during the Fourth of July holiday weekend in Greenwich, Connecticut. A motorist backed out of a driveway and into McMahon, who was riding his motorcycle. McMahon landed flat on his back 30 feet from the scene.
July 11: Randy Savage pins Kevin Nash in a tag team match to win his fourth WCW World title at Bash at the Beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. According to a prematch stipulation, Savage’s partner, Sid Vicious, and even Nash’s partner, Sting, were eligible to pin “Big Sexy” during the contest.
July 12: WWF commentator and former AWA World champion Jerry Lawler announces his candidacy for the mayor’s office in Memphis. “I’m running because I think [the people of Memphis] are looking at me as someone who’s certainly not a politician, but a lifelong resident of Memphis and as someone who has a love of this city,” Lawler explains to the Commercial Appeal. “The King” intends to continue his announcing duties with the WWF while pursuing his political career … Hollywood Hogan defeats Randy Savage for his sixth WCW World title during a Nitro broadcast. Sid Vicious on Savage’s behalf as Hogan pins Savage, but Kevin Nash power-bombs Savage, handing Hogan the WCW belt a second time. Nash demands a shot at Hogan’s newly won title.
July 18: ECW World champion Taz defeats Yoshihiro Tajiri at Heatwave in Dayton, Ohio … Spike Dudley and Mahoney beat Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley for the ECW World tag team title on the same card. The Dudleys have the last laugh, however, as they slam Spike and Mahoney through two flaming tables. New Jack chases the Dudleys away.
July 19: Shane Douglas, after a falling-out with ECW, ends months of speculation by appearing in WCW rather than the WWF. He immediately forms The Revolution, with Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn as members. Douglas claims WCW has held these men down long enough and that his group is going to change the pecking order in the federation … Sting defeats Ric Flair to gain control of the WCW presidency, due to a prematch stipulation. Sting refuses to become president himself, but quietly searches for a successor. Eventually, WCW takes the “presidential title” out of circulation.
July 24: Rick Justice defends the Tri-Star title four times in one card. He beats Tank Norton, Jimmy Sharpe, and Bobby Hayes. He loses the belt to Hayes in a rematch later in the evening.
July 25: WWF World champion Steve Austin defeats The Undertaker in a first-blood “End Of An Era” match at Fully Loaded in Buffalo, New York. Due to a prematch stipulation, Vince McMahon is banned from appearing on WWF television. If Austin had lost, he would have lost the championship and surrendered all future title shots.
July 25: WCW hardcore champion Dave Finlay is sidelined for several months after fragments from a smashed table sever a nerve below his left knee in a defense against Brian Knobs.
July 26: During an impromptu brawl with Triple-H, WWF World champion Steve Austin suffers a twisted knee and strained ligaments. When Triple-H attacked announcer Jim Ross, who had questioned Helmsley’s ability to beat Austin at SummerSlam, “Stone-Cold” ran to J.R.’s rescue. Austin didn’t return to action until SummerSlam, one month later … WCW World champion Hollywood Hogan hyperextends his knee when Sid Vicious executes a fall-away slam in a match pitting Hogan and Sting vs. Vicious and Kevin Nash. Hogan says he’ll be ready to defend the title against Kevin Nash three weeks later at Road Wild.
July 29: Mankind returns to action, following six weeks recovering from knee surgery, as part of a six-man tag team match at the Baltimore Arena. Substituting for Steve Austin, Mankind helps Kane and X-Pac defeat The Undertaker, Triple-H, and Paul Wight.
July 30: The “Curtis Comes Home” benefit show takes place at the Ice Gardens in Rostraver, Pennsylvania, in honor of Mark Curtis (Brian Hildebrand), who is fighting stomach cancer. When special referee Mankind tries to maintain control by applying mandible claws to both Al Snow and D-Lo Brown, Curtis enters the ring and makes a three-count, declaring Mankind the winner.
July 31: Florida independent wrestler Yuel Lovett dies … Kamala, in his debut at ECW Arena, defeats David Cash with a bodysplash.
August 7: Lord Jonathan Boyd, a former member of The Royal Kangaroos and The Sheepherders, dies of a heart attack at age 56.
August 9: The WWF files with the Securities & Exchange Commission for an initial public offering of stock. Titan Sports’ name is changed to World Wrestling Federation Entertainment Inc. … Chris Jericho debuts in the WWF, revealing himself as the force behind the millennium countdown clock promos airing during recent weeks. He refers to his new nickname, Y2J.
August 14: Kevin Nash loses a retirement match to WCW World champion Hollywood Hogan at Road Wild in Sturgis, South Dakota. Nash almost wins with a power bomb, but Hogan rallies with a boot to the face and legdrop for the pin … Randy Savage beats Dennis Rodman after Gorgeous George drops the “Worm” with a low blow. At one point, Savage forces Rodman into a Port-O-Pot and pushes it over. Five referees and one ringside photographer are injured during the contest.
August 19: Ann Laverne, a popular woman wrestler during the 1940s and ’50s, does at age 76. She was married to wrestler Pancho Villa and mother to two wrestlers, Bobby Lane and Marie Laverne.
August 20: Bret Hart returns to action for the first time since the death of his brother, Owen. He wrestles WCW World champion Hulk Hogan to a no-contest at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.
August 22: Mankind uses a double-arm DDT to pin Steve Austin for his third WWF World title in a three-way match at SummerSlam in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Earlier, referee Jesse Ventura refuses to count a pin of Mankind by the third participant, Triple-H, because of Chyna’s interference … On the same PPV, Jeff Jarrett beats D-Lo Brown for the Intercontinental and European championships.
August 23: Triple-H wins the WWF World title in Ames, Iowa, ending Mankind’s one-day reign … Jeff Jarrett gives his newly won European title to Mark Henry, whose interference enabled Jarrett to beat D-Lo Brown for the Intercontinental and European titles the previous night.
August 26: Raven returns to ECW by rescuing Tommy Dreamer and beating Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley for the World tag team title. The victory by Raven and Dreamer prevents the Dudleys from taking the ECW tag belts to the WWF.
August 27: ECW’s one-hour show premieres on The Nashville Network. The program features TV champion Rob Van Dam’s win over Jerry Lynn at Hardcore Heaven, a summary of ECW history, and clips of superstars who previously passed through the federation. The show’s Nielsen rating is 0.94.
August 28: IWGP champion The Great Muta (Keiji Muto) defeats The Great Nita (Atsushi Onita’s mocking alter-ego) in a no-rope barbed-wire barricade-mat electric-mine double-hell death match at Jinju Stadium in Tokyo. The two combatants fought for a large knife, in addition to throwing each other onto barbed wire and deadly electric mines in front of 48,000 fans. Muta injured Nita and pinned him after 13 minutes of action.
August 30: Raw defeats Nitro, 4.2 to 4.0, in the Monday night ratings—despite the fact Nitro airs at 11 p.m. EDT instead of its usual 9 p.m. time slot. Raw had been pre-empted by USA’s coverage of the U.S. Open.
September 8: Brian Hildebrand, known by his ring name Mark Curtis, dies after a two-year battle with stomach cancer. Hildebrand was primarily a referee, but also managed and wrestled on occasion. He was 37.
September 10: Time Warner executives remove WCW President Eric Bischoff from office and promote Bill Busch to executive vice president. TV ratings, PPV buy rates, and arena attendance had been dropping.
September 12: Sting ends 13 years of goodwill with his fans by walloping Hulk Hogan with a bat to win his seventh NWA/WCW World title at Fall Brawl in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Lex Luger had brought the bat to ringside.
September 13: ECW World champion Taz agrees to a contract with the WWF.
September 14: WWF Chairman Vince McMahon becomes WWF World champion by defeating Triple-H in Las Vegas, Nevada. Steve Austin assisted McMahon, his former nemesis, in the victory. McMahon, at 54 years old, is the oldest man to hold the championship.
September 17: Nicole Bass files a $120-million lawsuit against the WWF in a federal court in Brooklyn. She seeks $20-million in compensation for alleged sexual harassment and $100-million in punitive damages. Bass claims a long-time WWF executive and wrestler grabbed her breast during a plane flight and warned her against reporting the incident. She also mentions being struck with an unusually rigid guitar during one in-ring scuffle, which she feels was direct intimidation by management.
September 19: Mike Awesome defeats previous champ Taz and Masato Tanaka to win the ECW World title in a three-way match at Anarchy Rulz in Rosemont, Illinois. The bout had been scheduled to be a singles match between Taz and Tanaka, but Awesome prompted Taz to make a it a three-way by doing a lot of trash-talking at ringside. Awesome and Tanaka eliminated Taz with a double-cover, then Awesome used a top-rope Awesome bomb to pin Tanaka … On the same PPV, Chris Chetti slips on Tony DeVito’s shirt and injures his neck during a tag team match pitting Chetti and Nova vs. DeVito and Simon Diamond.
September 20: Vince McMahon relinquishes the WWF World championship because his title-winning effort against Triple-H violated the “End Of An Era” agreement that prevented him from appearing on WWF television.
September 24: Chris Candido and Tammy Lynn Sytch return to ECW for a TNN taping at the Compuserve Sports Arena in Plymouth, Michigan. Candido and Sytch had taken time off to work out personal problems dealing with alcohol and drug abuse. Candido’s homecoming is spoiled by a loss to former partner Lance Storm.
September 25: Gary Steele defeats previous champ Naoya Ogawa and Brian Anthony for the NWA title in a three-way bout at the NWA 51st Anniversary show in Charlotte, North Carolina … On the same card, former NWA champion Ronnie Garvin beat Stan Lane in a legends match.
September 26: Triple-H outlasts five other contenders at Unforgiven, held at the Charlotte Coliseum in North Carolina, to win his second WWF World title. He executes a pedigree on The Rock for the victory. The other participants were Mankind, Davey Boy Smith, Kane, and Paul Wight.
September 27: Psicosis loses his mask in a hair vs. mask bout with Billy Kidman. Juventud Guerrera and Chavo Guerrero Jr. interfere on behalf of Psicosis, but Kidman is able to use the seated power bomb and shooting star press for the win.
October 2: Naoya Ogawa regains the NWA title from Gary Steele in Thomaston, Connecticut. Tony Rumble, Steele’s manager for the evening, hits his own charge in the head with a batter’s helmet, allowing Ogawa to clamp Steele in the STF for the victory … The fourth annual Eddie Gilbert Memorial Show takes place in Vineland, New Jersey. Tommy Gilbert, Eddie’s father, teams with John Kronus to defeat Public Enemy in the main event. King Kong Bundy and George Steele also appear.
October 3: Television writer Vince Russo, whose provocative storylines helped Raw dominate the ratings war with WCW over the past year, resigns from the WWF to become the creative director of WCW. “I’m not doing this to destroy Vince McMahon or prove anything to Vince McMahon,” Russo tells PWI. “I’m looking at this simply as a business decision.” Russo warns it may take six months to a year before WCW “gets it right.”
October 4: Bret Hart defeats Chris Benoit in a half-hour match at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, in a bout was dedicated to Owen Hart. Hart family friend and Kansas City legend Harley Race is the guest ring announcer.
October 5: Jerry Lawler places third in a 15-candidate race for Memphis mayor, with 12 percent of the vote. Mayor Willie Hereton, the incumbent, wins his third term … Darren Drosdov is left paralyzed from the waist down following a match against D-Lo Brown at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. Brown was attempting a running power bomb when Drosdov fell awkwardly on his neck. Droz underwent surgery to remove two discs causing pressure on his neck. Surgeons extracted a piece of Drosdov’s pelvis to replace the discs and his neck was stabilized by inserting a plate and screws.
October 6: WWF legend Gorilla Monsoon dies three weeks after suffering a heart attack at his home in Mooresville, New Jersey, at age 62. Monsoon, whose real name was Robert Marella, was a two-time holder of the WWF tag team title and a top challenger to World champion Bruno Sammartino. Later, he served as an announcer and WWF president.
October 10: Heroes of Wrestling, a PPV featuring many WWF stars of the 1980s, emanates from Casino Magic in St. Louis, Missouri. King Kong Bundy and Jim Neidhart defeat Jake Roberts and Yokozuna in the main event. The card, which is believed to have lost money, gains notoriety because of Roberts’ lewd gestures.
October 17: Chyna becomes the first female Intercontinental champion by defeating Jeff Jarrett in a “Good Housekeeping” match at No Mercy in Cleveland, Ohio. Various kitchen utensils and appliances are used as weapons … Also at No Mercy, septuagenarian Fabulous Moolah becomes the oldest person to hold the women’s title by pinning Ivory. The presence of Mae Young, Moolah’s friend, distracts Ivory enough to make her lose the title … On the same PPV, WWF World champion Triple-H beats Steve Austin in a no-disqualification bout. The Rock, who attacked by Helmsley earlier, tries to hit Triple-H with a sledgehammer, but the champ ducks, causing Austin to take the blow in the abdomen. Triple-H gains an easy pinfall … In yet another match from the same PPV, The Hardy Boyz win $100,000 and Terri’s services in a scintillating ladder match, which quickly becomes a PWI Match of the Year candidate.
October 18: WWF chairman Vince McMahon’s WWFE stock has a paper value of $963.9-million following the WWF’s initial public offering, which raises $170-million for the company.
October 20: Ultimo Dragon announces his retirement at a press conference in Tokyo. Ultimo’s career was cut short by elbow surgery that made his right arm ineffective in the ring … Bert Prentice and Bill Behrens sell NWA Worldwide/Music City to Memphis-based Lone Ranger Lending Service. Prentice and Behrens plan on remaining with the promotion.
October 23: The Sandman (Hak) and Mikey Whipwreck return to the ECW Arena after being released from WCW. While Whipwreck is defeated easily by World champion Mike Awesome, The Sandman’s reappearance—and his intimidation of The Impact Players—is more noteworthy.
October 24: Bill Goldberg dominates Halloween Havoc by grabbing the U.S. title and by defeating WCW World champ Sting at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Goldberg gained the U.S. belt when the ex-champ, Sid Vicious, is too bloody and battered to continue. When World champion Hulk Hogan lays down for Sting, Goldberg answered the “Stinger’s” challenge to be his opponent. Goldberg appears to win the World belt, but it is only a non-title bout … Rey Misterio Jr. reinjures his ACL injury prior to a World tag team title defense at the same PPV. He and Konnan forfeit the belts. Harlem Heat win the championship in a three-way match over the First Family (Brian Knobs and Hugh Morrus) and the Filthy Animals (Konnan and Billy Kidman).
October 25: WCW official J.J. Dillon strips Sting of the World championship for using the Scorpion deathdrop on referee Charles Robinson following his non-title loss to Bill Goldberg the previous night. A 32-man world title tournament begins that evening … Bret Hart, despite a hairline fracture in his shin, wins the U.S. title and advances past Goldberg in the first-round of the tournament. Hart later claims he didn’t know Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Sid Vicious attacked Goldberg during that match. “The Hitman” seemed to be nearly unconscious outside the ring as the interference took place.
October 30: Vader regains the All-Japan Triple Crown from Mitsuharu Misawa at Budokan Hall in Tokyo. The “Mastadon” survived backdrops, missile kicks, and a Tiger driver, then launched a power bomb to pin Misawa. The American contingent of wrestlers—Johnny Ace, Mike Burton (Bart Gunn), and Maunukea Mossman—congratulated Vader. Motoka Baba, wife of the late Shohei “Giant” Baba, was in attendance to celebrate All-Japan’s 27th anniversary.
November 1: Steve Williams is cleared in a paternity suit brought forth by a California woman, who claimed Williams was the father of her daughter. “Dr. Death” had been indicted in 1998 for failing to pay $64,000 in back child support. DNA tests proved he was not the father.
November 2: Turner Broadcasting System, a division of Time Warner, announced that TBS Entertainment President Brad Siegel would assume responsibility for overseeing WCW operations. The move comes after Dr. Harvey Schiller leaves the company to take a position with George Steinbrenner’s Yankees-Nets corporation.
November 8: Terry Taylor joins the growing list of WWF front office defectors by joining the creative team of Vince Russo, Ed Ferrara, and Bill Banks in WCW. According to friends, Taylor was frustrated because of his failure to become the federation’s top creative writer and a contractual demand from Vince McMahon that would have restricted him from working in WCW for one year if he parted company with the WWF for any reason. Taylor had joined the WWF several months earlier after a parting of the ways with Eric Bischoff.
November 13: Tony Rumble (Anthony Magliaro), a veteran wrestler and New England promoter, dies of a heart attack at age 43.
November 14: The Big Show becomes the sixth man to hold both the WWF and NWA/WCW World titles when he defeats Triple-H for the WWF World title at Survivor Series in Detroit.
November 15: A documentary on Steve Austin, the first of a week-long series of wrestler profiles on the program Biography, airs on A&E. The show also examines the lives of Owen Hart and Mick Foley and re-runs its Jesse Ventura and Andre the Giant segments.
November 21: Bret Hart wins the WCW World title at Mayhem in Toronto, beating Sting and Chris Benoit in the final two rounds of a 32-man championship tournament. Hart becomes the seventh man to hold both the NWA/WCW and WWF World titles … Curt Hennig loses a retirement match to Buff Bagwell on the same PPV.
November 22: A federal judge rules that the October 1999 edition of Playboy magazine containing nude photos of Rena Mero infringed on the WWF’s copyright of the “Sable” trademark with a cover headline that read “The Woman You Loved As Sable In The Raw.” Playboy has to reprint 500,000 issues containing that headline … NWA Georgia owner Bill Behrens confirms Music City Wrestling (where Behrens is an official) will end its two-year association with the NWA. The decision to abandon Nashville operations is a result of Music City promoter Bert Prentice’s impending retirement on December 18 … Curt Hennig double-crosses the fans again. Instead of retiring quietly as a result of his loss to Buff Bagwell the previous night, Hennig aligns himself with the Powers-That-Be.
November 27: Two-time former NWA junior heavyweight champion Hiro Matsuda dies of colon cancer at age 62. Matsuda helped train some of today’s top stars, including Lex Luger, Keiji Muto, and Hulk Hogan.
November 29: WWF Vice President Jim Ross confirms Steve Austin’s career is in jeopardy when it is determined that numbness in Austin’s hands, arms, and legs are caused by a bone spur touching his spinal cord.
December 2: The WWF responds to an advertiser exodus by changing Smackdown’s TV-14 rating to a more family-friendly TV-PG. The Parents Television Council, headed by L. Brent Bozell III, launched a letter-writing campaign for sponsors to pull their ads from WWF programs and publications. Coca-Cola, AT&T, Mars, the Coast Guard, and the Army were among the advertisers that complied. “I just hope that both organizations, or all organizations, including ECW, for that matter, will be able to find a way to capture the public’s interest without having to do things that alienate advertisers,” former WCW President Eric Bischoff comments in an interview with PWI Weekly … Dusty Rhodes, soon after parting ways with WCW, appears in ECW during an Atlanta TV taping. Steve Corino goads Rhodes, who is visiting the locker room, to enter the ring where the “King Of Old School” blames Rhodes for “ruining” the current generation. He slaps Rhodes, who retaliates with bionic elbows to Corino and his associate, Jack Victory.
December 3: Jerry Monte, who wrestled in the NWA, AWA, and WWF dies of liver cancer at age 57.
December 6: Larry Zbyszko loses his job as Thunder commentator as a result of his disqualification loss to Curt Hennig in a special match orchestrated by the Powers-That-Be. Officials cite Arn Anderson’s interference to help Zbyszko gain the pin over Hennig as the reason for Zbyszko’s disqualification.
December 10: Genichiro Tenyru, less than two months before his 50th birthday, uses two Northern Lights power bombs to defeat Keiji Muto for the IWGP title in Osaka, Japan. He becomes the second man to hold both the IWGP championship and the All-Japan Triple Crown.
December 12: Triple-H beats Vince McMahon in a no-holds-barred contest at Armageddon in Sunrise, Florida. Stephanie McMahon shocks the world by celebrating with Triple-H while her father lays unconscious in the ring. At one point, Helmsley tries to run over McMahon with a car, but the WWF chairman hops on a rail to escape … Miss Kitty causes headlines at Armageddon by removing her top following her women’s title victory over previous champ Ivory, Jacquelyn, and B.B. in an evening gown match held in a pool.
December 17: Masato Tanaka defeats Mike Awesome for the ECW World title in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a rebound for Tanaka, who lost their last high-profile match at November to Remember.
December 19: Bret Hart beats Bill Goldberg at Starrcade in Washington, D.C. Roddy Piper, subbing for the injured referee for the match, “screwed” Goldberg out of the title by ringing the bell prematurely. It is Goldberg’s third defeat … Kevin Sullivan reunites the Varsity Club with charges Mike Rotundo and Rick Steiner. In typical fashion, they double-cross Hacksaw Duggan in a match against The Revolution.
December 20: On Nitro, Roddy Piper admitss he screwed Bill Goldberg at Starrcade because the Powers-That-Be forced him to do so. An irritated Goldberg forgives Piper as Bret Hart vacates the title and maintains his innocence … Later, the conspiracy is revealed as Hart gains a tainted win over Goldberg, then joins Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Jeff Jarrett to re-form the New World Order. They spray-paint “N-W-O” on Goldberg and Piper … Triple-H orders Matt Hardy and Edge to face Jeff Hardy and Christian. Although all four are reluctant to participate, they wrestle a brilliant match. Jeff breaks his brother’s nose when he finishes off Matt with a 450 splash.
December 21: Bill Goldberg requires emergency reconstructive surgery on a tendon in his right arm following a parking lot tirade in Salisbury, Maryland. Goldberg had chased the members of the reformed New World Order out of the arena and in to the parking lot, where he shattered the glass of the NWO’s limousine with his bare hands. He is forced to cancel a match against Rick Steiner, scheduled for January 4 at the Tokyo Dome. Randy Savage is chosen as a substitute.
December 23: Mike Awesome regains the ECW World title from Masato Tanaka in White Plains, New York. Tanaka is less than 100 percent for the bout, having injured his elbow in his championship victory over Awesome on December 17 and lost a tooth during a match against Wing Kanemura the following night.
December 27: Mankind loses a pink slip-on-a-pole match to The Rock. The match had been set by the McMahon-Helmsley era in order to split the WWF’s most popular tandem. Although Mankind is forced into retirement, he vows revenge … WCW official J.J. Dillon confiscates the World tag team belts from The Outsiders because a knee injury prevented Scott Hall from making a scheduled defense at Starrcade … After declaring his retirment in a tear-filled speech earlier in the night, Scott Steiner stuns the world by joining the New World Order.
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