On this day in wrestling history 1/07

[Guest Sassquatch]

ON THIS DAY IN WRESTLING HISTORY FOR 1/07

 

1961 - Don Leo Jonathan beat the masked Dr. X (Big Bill Miller) to win the Omaha version of what would later be the AWA title

 

1966 - After holding American national and world recognized version of the world heavyweight title on and off for nearly three decades, it was Lou Thesz final night as NWA world heavyweight champion, dropping the belt to Gene Kiniski at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. Thesz and NWA President Sam Muchnick had their final split (although years later the two became best of friends again) over Thesz being uncooperative regarding a plan to unify the NWA and WWWF titles with Bruno Sammartino as champion. Ironically, Sammartino himself didn't want both belts either when he realized how taxing the road schedule would be.

 

1979 - A new tag team called the Fabulous Freebirds, consisting of 17-year-old Terry Gordy and 19-year-old Michael Hayes, captured the Mid American tag team titles in Chattanooga for the Nashville-based promotion run by Nick Gulas, from The Jet Set, consisting of Bobby Eaton, and the world's worst wrestler, George Gulas.

 

1990 - One of the greatest sports legends of the 20th century, Bronko Nagurski, passed away at the age of 81. Nagurski was a college and pro football star at the University of Minnesota and later with the Chicago Bears. Like a lot of pro football players of the era, he did a little bit of pro wrestling. When he realized that the top wrestlers of the era, like Lou Thesz, made more than double the money he made as the biggest star in the NFL (my how times have changed), he became the biggest name football player in history to quit the NFL at their peak to go full-time in wrestling. Because of his name from football, he immediately became the biggest star in the pro wrestling world, holding the world title on several occasions. He did several years later go back to football, but he was past his prime, and ended up back in wrestling. He was probably the top box office attraction in pro wrestling during the 40s, but when television ushered in new stars, Nagurski, who was not very charismatic on television, faded from the scene although he continued to wrestle until around 1960. Nagurski was also never fond of wrestling and while a tough guy, he was never considered a skilled performer but simply a superstar athlete who used his fame to draw fans to wrestling. Last year, he was voted as the No. 1 sports star of the century that came from Minnesota. He was also the hero of another football player who became a huge wrestling star, Leo Nomellini.

 

1992 - Jumbo Tsuruta, who passed away last year, completed a sweep of all the Japanese Wrestler of the Year awards with a major win in the 1991 Wrestler of the Year balloting. Tsuruta lost one of the closest races in history the previous year for the same award to Ric Flair, who finished second with Jushin Liger third, Keiji Muto fourth, followed by Bull Nakano, Mitsuharu Misawa, Atsushi Onita, Hulk Hogan, Cactus Jack and Lex Luger. . . After three years as the top executive in WCW, long-time friend Jack Petrik after a power play forced Jim Herd out. Petrik had, behind Herd's back, hired Dusty Rhodes from the WWF to take over as booker. Herd, who had problems with Rhodes, resulting in him leaving the company for the WWF, didn't want Rhodes back and told Petrik he refused to hire Rhodes as booker. To Herd's surprise, Petrik asked for Herd's resignation. Herd was replaced as top executive by Kip Allen Frey, 38, a TBS attorney who had virtually no wrestling background, and only lasted a few months in the position before it was given to Bill Watts. WCW lost a total of $19 million in the 37 months that Herd was in charge, and his stock as a leader plummeted when Ric Flair left the company after problems with Herd for the WWF, who at the end also had major problems with Rhodes, Jim Ross and Terry Allen. Herd did agree that losing Flair was the biggest mistake he made while in charge.

 

2000 - Gary Albright passed away of a heart attack suffered during a match on an independent show in Hazelton, PA performing for his father-in-law, Afa Anoai at the age of 36. Albright was a major star in Japan, where he once held the UWFI version of the world heavyweight championship in 1992 and was one of the top amateur wrestlers of the early 80s including 1982 freestyle national champion, and second place in the World teenage freestyle champion in 1983. He was also the Wrestling Observer's pro wrestling rookie of the year in 1988 while working for Stampede Wrestling.