On May 17th, several notable events unfolded throughout wrestling history, showcasing memorable matches, championship victories, and the unfortunate passing of a beloved wrestler. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit these significant moments:
1963: Bruno Sammartino Claims WWWF World Heavyweight Title In Madison Square Garden, New York City, Bruno Sammartino defeated the “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers by submission to capture the WWWF World Heavyweight Title. This marked the first-ever title change, and Sammartino would go on to hold the championship for an impressive reign of nearly eight years.
1992: WCW Wrestle War Concludes with Thrilling Matches WCW Wrestle War, the fourth and final pay-per-view event under this name, took place in Jacksonville, Florida. The main event featured a WarGames match, with Sting’s Squadron emerging victorious over The Dangerous Alliance. Additionally, The Steiner Brothers secured a victory against Tatsumi Fujinami & Takayuki Iizuka, becoming the number one contenders for the IWGP Tag Team Championship.
1993: Marty Jannetty Shocks Shawn Michaels on WWF Raw During a live edition of WWF Monday Night Raw from the Manhattan Center in New York, Marty Jannetty defeated Shawn Michaels to capture the Intercontinental Championship in the main event. This evening also witnessed a notable upset as enhancement talent The Kid, later known as Sean Waltman, pinned Razor Ramon, leading to a significant storyline and Ramon’s subsequent babyface turn.
1997: The Undertaker Overcomes Mankind in a Lumberjack Match At a WWF house show in Madison Square Garden, The Undertaker successfully defended the WWF Championship against Mankind in a Lumberjack match. The Legion of Doom & ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin also triumphed over Hart Foundation members Brian Pillman, Owen Hart & The British Bulldog in a thrilling six-person tag match.
1998: Sting & The Giant Capture WCW World Tag Team Championship WCW Slamboree in Worcester, Massachusetts witnessed Sting & The Giant defeating The Outsiders (Scott Hall & Kevin Nash) to claim the WCW World Tag Team Championship in the main event. The event also featured notable matches such as Diamond Dallas Page’s victory over Raven in a Bowery Death Match and Dean Malenko becoming the new WCW Cruiserweight Champion by defeating Chris Jericho.
2020: Remembering Shad Gaspard’s Tragic Passing Tragedy struck the wrestling world as Shad Gaspard, known for his time in WWE as part of Cryme Tyme, tragically passed away at the age of 39 in a drowning accident at Venice Beach, California. Gaspard’s heroic act of instructing rescuers to save his son first garnered widespread attention and admiration. He had a promising wrestling career, starting in WWE’s developmental territory, OVW, before venturing into acting in movies and TV series.
These significant events on May 17th have left lasting impressions on wrestling history, showcasing remarkable triumphs, unexpected outcomes, and the profound impact of those we’ve lost.
Photo Credit: WWE
One Stop Wrestling 