This Week In Wrestling History (Season 3 Week 25: 6/18 – 6/24)

This Week In Wrestling History (Season 3 Week 25) covering the period of 6/18 thru 6/24. Running Time: 5 Hours 14 Minutes

This Week In Wrestling History hosted by Don Tony first aired in 2018 and spanned two seasons. After much demand, these retro episodes return REMASTERED and UPDATED FOR 2025. Wrestling history up to and including 2024 has been added!

Hundreds of hours of original wrestling clips & stories. Enjoy this deep dive into pro wrestling's awesome history.

RUNNING TIME: 5 Hours 14 Minutes
Hosted by Don Tony

SYNOPSIS: S3 E25 (06/18 - 06/24)

• National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is formed
• Pat Patterson def Ted Dibiase for WWF North American Title (which would later be renamed the Intercontinental Title).
• Ray Stevens & Jimmy Snuka def Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood to win NWA World Tag Team Titles.
• Dusty Rhodes def Harley Race for NWA Heavyweight Title.
• Looking back at the time Jimmy Hart def Jerry 'The King' Lawler to win the AWA Southern Heavyweight Title.
• Audio: Infamous Cyndi Lauper appearance on Pipers Pit airs nationwide.
• Audio: Cyndi Lauper makes an interesting wrestling challenge to Lou Albano, and The Captain accepts.
• Audio: Jimmy Snuka's wild promo vows revenge on Roddy Piper after Piper's Pit (coconut).
• Audio: 'Yucks for Bucks' as Magnificent Muraco and Mr Fuji attempt Stand-Up comedy.
• In the ring, a porta potty, even into the Cooper River: Terry Funk and Stan Hansen wild brawl at NJ Indy event.
• First ever ECW (Eastern Championship Wrestling) Tag Champs.
• Looking back at WCW Beach Blast PPV (1992).
• Audio: Cactus Jack vs Sting (From Beach Blast '92).
• Bastion Booger makes WWF debut.
• Memorable Raw match between 1-2-3 Kid vs Razor Ramon which involved a faceplant on the concrete floor, theft of $10,000 and more.
• Infamous Press Conference: Tonya Harding to manage Love Machine (Art Barr) and Eddie Guerrero in pro wrestling match.
• Looking back at WCW Clash Of The Champions XXVII (1994).
• Audio: 24 hours after retaining WCW Tag Team Titles at COC, Cactus Jack battles Sabu in ECW for the first ever.
• Looking back at ECW Hostile City Showdown ’94
• Audio: Flyboy Rocco Rock compares Dory Funk Jr to Ronald Goldman (murdered allegedly by OJ Simpson).
• Looking back at WWF/WWE King Of The Ring PPV (1994, 1996, 2001, 2002).
• Art Donovan: Worst WWF/WWE guest commentator of all time.
• Audio: Funny clip from Kayfabe Commentaries poking fun at Art Donovan's commentating at KOR 1994.
• Grand Wizard, Moolah, Ernie Ladd, Ivan Putski, Pedro Morales, George ‘The Animal’ Steele, and Antonio Rocca inducted into WWF Hall Of Fame (1995).
• Looking back at WCW Great American Bash (1995).
• The Giant (Big Show) appears for first time on WCW TV.
• Looking back at ECW Hardcore Heaven 1996.
• Austin 3:16 is born.
• Audio: NOD becomes an all black faction and Ahmed Johnson's controversial (but epic) racial promo explaining why he joined the Nation Of Domination.
• Disciples of Apocalypse (DOA) make WWE debut.
• Audio: ECW vs WWF feud continues, as Sabu w/ Bill Alfonso battles Flash Funk on Monday Night Raw.
• Edge’s not so memorable WWE in ring debut.
• Audio: Crash Holly vs Hardcore Holly KOR Qualifying match leads to Patterson and Brisco both winning WWF Hardcore Title.
• Audio: Diamond Dallas Page is revealed as the 'Stalker' of Undertaker's wife Sara.
• Booker T make his memorable WWF debut.
• KOR 2001 Street Fight: Kurt Angle vs Shane McMahon.
• WWF Tough Enough debuts on MTV.
• Looking back at the weekly PPV debut of NWATNA (2002).
• Vince Russo returns to WWE as head writer – for two days.
• Bret Hart suffers a stroke.
• Looking back at NWATNA's First Anniversary Show (2003).
• Kane forced to unmasked for the first time on WWE TV.
• Audio: Goldberg accepts Theodore Long's 5 Minute White Boy Challenge.
• WWE Hardcore Tribute to Mick Foley at MSG Raw ends with an Orton punt and a Foley falling down a flight of stairs. 
• Audio: Yo! Kurt Angle Raps.
• Looking back at TNA Slammiversary PPV (2005, 2006, 2009).
• Samoa Joe makes TNA debut.
• Looking back at ROH first ever Survival Of The Fittest Tournament (2004).
• Audio: After signing WWE contract, The Summer Of Punk in ROH begins at Death Before Dishonor III (2005).
• Audio: Another WWE Wedding gone featuring Edge and Lita.
• Audio: The Sandman battles Macho Libre on week two of ECW (WWE) on Sci-Fi.
• Less than two weeks after debuting on Sci-Fi, WWE attempts ECW House Show at ECW Arena with questionable results.
• DX throws Jonathan Coachman head first into a wall, and spray paint his bare ass.
• Looking back at WWE Vengeance: Night Of Champions PPV (2007).
• Chris Benoit double murder / suicide tragedy.
• Looking back at the very eerie DTKC episode (Minority Report) which aired live as news of the double murder / suicide broke.
• Ron Killings and Konnan quit TNA.
• Jim Ross almost quits WWE after being drafted to Smackdown during 2008 WWE Draft Lottery.
• McMahon's Million Dollar Mania comes to an abrupt halt after an 'accident' on Raw.
• Did the three weeks of McMahon's Million Dollar Mania give WWE the ratings bump they were expecting?
• Ultimate Warrior wrestles his last ever match (against Orlando Jordan for Nu-Wrestling Evolution in Barcelona, Spain).
• TNA films pilot episode of Spin Cycle.
• Audio: TNA Spin Cycle asks some Knockouts if they can make sounds with a body part.
• WWE releases Sim Snuka, Matt Striker, and Candice Michelle.
• Audio: Donald Trump ‘sells’ Raw back to Vince McMahon. But not before making an interesting announcement and 'firing' Santina Marella.
• Looking back at WWE Fatal 4-Way PPV, ROH Death Before Dishonor VIII, and NJPW Dominion 6.19 PPVs (2010).
• Audio: ‘President Barack Obama’ appears at WWE Capital Punishment PPV.
• Just weeks before his WWE contract is set to expire, CM Punk wins #1 Contenders match to face John Cena at MITB for WWE Championship.
• Disgruntled Chavo Guerrero Jr requests and is granted WWE release.
• Looking back at NJPW Dominion 6.18 and AAA TripleMania XIX events (2011).
• TNA sues Scott Steiner after making disparaging remarks against TNA, Hulk Hogan and more.
• Cyndi Lauper and Wendi Richter appear on Raw (2012) and a WWF/WWE ring for the first time since 1985.
• Ring Of Honor ceases live iPPV's due to repeated technical difficulties (aka due to live streaming on the cheap).
• Looking back at ROH Best In The Word iPPV (2013, 2015, 2017).
• Corey Graves wins his first and only NXT Championship.
• Vickie Guerrero's WWE retirement match: vs Stephanie McMahon in Chocolate Pudding.
• Audio: Same old sh**? 2015 Paul Heyman / Brock Lesnar promo on Seth Rollins could air today and not much would need to be changed.
• Tyson Kidd undergoes career ending neck and spinal surgery.
• Where's The Boom?! Jeff Jarrett returns to Impact Wrestling and attempts a Global Force Wrestling vs TNA feud.
• Matt and Reby Hardy become proud parents of their first child, son Maxel.
• Looking back at WWE Money In The Bank PPV (2016, 2017).
• Remembering when Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose all held the WWE Championship the same night. 
• Roman Reigns suspended 30 days for violating WWE Wellness Policy.
• Maria Kanellis returns to WWE and brings hubby Mike with her.
• Cody Rhodes def Christopher Daniels to become ROH World Champion
• WWE releases Willam Morrissey (Big Cass) due to behavioral issues involving alcoholism
• Looking back at Evolve 107 (2018)
• Audio: Adam Cole makes history defending NXT North American Championship at Evolve 107 against WALTER (Gunther)
• Looking back at WWE Stomping Grounds (2019) and the Twitter War that followed between Seth Rollins and Will Ospreay
• Vince McMahon makes a major change to all televised matches on RAW and SmackDown which fails miserably
• Elite media: Our minds would be blown how many wrestlers want to leave WWE for AEW. Some even considering intentionally failing the Wellness program so they could be released
• R-Truth wins WWE 24/7 Title during the wedding ceremony of Drake Maverick and Renee Michelle
• ESPN Espy Awards launch the first ever category dedicated to WWE Moments
• Looking back at The #SpeakingOut Movement which culminated with one awful audio clip involving Sammy Guevara and Sasha Banks
• WWE morphs Nikki Cross into Nikki A.S.H (Almost A Super Hero)
• WWE morphs Karrion Kross into a Gladiator complete with an oversized awkward looking helmet
• Audio: Looking back at the interesting WWE creative team hiring and almost immediate firing of Kenice Mobley 
• WWE releases 15 wrestlers including Tyler Breeze, Ariya Daivari, Chase Parker, Matt Martel, Singh Brothers, Marina Shafir, Tony Nese and Sonjay Dutt
• Audio: Vince McMahon doubles down on his response to WWE Board Of Directors investigation and Stephanie McMahon replacing him as Interim CEO
• Amidst Vince McMahon allegations, WWE replaces John Laurinaitis with Bruce Prichard as Interim Head Of Talent Relations
• Following her release, WWE attempts to censor Sasha Banks signs during WWE programming
• Hangman Page goes after Booker T for suggesting that Adam Cole work more on his physique
• Audio: Okada makes his memorable AEW Dynamite debut
• Looking back at Impact Wrestling: Slammiversary 2022
• Looking back at NXT Gold Rush and memorable match between Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker
• Audio: WWE Title Unification Match between Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler (WWE Women's Tag Team Champions) vs Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn (NXT Women's Tag Team Champions)
• Hulk Hogan Real American Beer launches
• Controversial photo surfaces involving Wyatt Sicks following their memorable WWE RAW debut
• Kayla Braxton announces her departure from WWE
• Audio: Jacob Fatu makes his memorable WWE debut
• Audio: Joe Hendry makes his surprising viral NXT debut
• And much more!

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