On this day in wrestling history 12/25

[Guest Sassquatch]

From Dave Meltzer:

 

ON THIS DAY IN WRESTLING HISTORY 12/25

 

1902 - Dan McLeod wins the American heavyweight championship from Tom Jenkins in Worcester, MA when it is claimed Jenkins suffered from blood poisoning in his leg and forfeited the third fall. In the early part of the century, it was routine after a loss to claim some sort of an injury to the point newspapers often made jokes about injury claims. The American title six years later became the world heavyweight title when Frank Gotch beat George Hackenschmidt.

 

1905 - After losing two matches earlier in the year to Tom Jenkins in challenging for the American title, Frank Gotch wins a 50-man tournament in Montreal

 

1965 - Dick the Bruiser defeated Gene Kiniski to win the Indianapolis WWA version of the world heavyweight title

 

1976 - Ric Flair & Greg Valentine each captured their first NWA world tag team title with a win over Gene & Ole Anderson in Greensboro

 

1978 - Christmas becomes a major night around the country as Bill Watts promotes his first wrestling show ever at the Superdome headlined by Andre the Giant & Dusty Rhodes winning the vacant U.S. tag team title beating Stan Hansen & Ernie Ladd, while in Fort Worth, Kevin Von Erich won the American title for the first time over Bruiser Brody

 

1979 - At the Omni Christmas spectacular, Jack & Jerry Brisco defeated The Masked Superstar (Bill Eadie) & Austin Idol to win the Georgia tag team championship. In what was believed to have been the only wrestler ever to die from missing a tope, a masked 23-year-old wrestler named Sangre India died after a missed move in Mexico City at Arena Coliseo.

 

1982 - In the match which almost single-handedly made World Class Championship Wrestling from just another struggling regional promotion to one of the hottest promotions in the world, Ric Flair defeated Kerry Von Erich in a cage match before 12,000 fans paying a then-state record $105,000 gate in the famous Dallas Reunion Arena match with Michael Hayes as referee turning heel on the Von Erichs and Terry Gordy slamming the cage door shut on Kerry's head. While slamming the cage door has become a cliche of cage matches, this instance led to two straight years of huge business as it kicked off the Freebirds vs. Von Erichs feud.

 

1983 - With the company at this point on fire, Reunion Arena was overflowed with 18,500 fans paying a new state record of $200,000 as Ric Flair beat David Von Erich via DQ and Kevin & Mike Von Erich beat Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts in the losing team has to leave town match. . . Ricky Steamboat announced he was retiring from wrestling to open up a gym in Charlotte. He returned for a big match with Ric Flair about two months later.

 

1991 - Jushin Liger defeated Brian Pillman to win the WCW light heavyweight title at the Omni in Atlanta. Liger and Pillman went around the country doing Match of the Years nearly every night to establish the division, which was the in-ring highlight match of most PPV shows in 1992 before the division was downplayed when Bill Watts took over WCW and Pillman fell into his doghouse.