June 10 - June 16

Special Edition!

Here is some extra coverage of some major events:

Harley Race defends against Ted DiBiase
in St. Louis Checkerdome

Main Event NWA World Heavyweight Championship  Harley Race vs Ted DiBiase Ric Flair & Ken Patera vs Dusty Rhodes & Dick the Bruiser St. Louis, Mo. Checkerdome June 12, 1981

It was the beginning of the end of the glory days for St. Louis wrestling.

About a year before venerable St. Louis promoter Sam Muchnick retired, he put together a masterpiece for a packed house at the St. Louis Checkerdome.

Missouri state heavyweight champion Ted DiBiase culminated a year long chase of Harley Race and the NWA World heavyweight championship with a final showdown in St. Louis' biggest venue.

The quest to get this title match was nearly as difficult as winning the title itself.

DiBiase actually pinned Race in a title match in St. Louis earlier in the year, only to have the decision reversed and see Race be declared the winner by disqualification.

DiBiase then saw Nature Boy Ric Flair make a St. Louis assault on Race in a match that ended in a time limit draw.

DiBiase claimed to be the number one contender for the World title because he was the Missouri state champion and had actually pinned Race in a title match.

Flair disputed DiBiase's claim. Flair said that DiBiase's pin didn't count and that DiBiase had actually lost to Race because the official decision in the record book had Race winning by disqualification. Flair furthered his claim by stating that he was the one that Race couldn't beat, since Flair and Race had gone to an hour draw..

To get this title match, DiBiase had to successfully defend his state title against Flair a few weeks earlier in a match.

A lot of experts considered DiBiase the man that would win the World title from Race and thought this would be his ascension to the throne. 

Instead, Race turned back DiBiase and kept the belt.

But Race's days were numbered as champion.

Ironically, it would be the semifinal event that would produce the men that would unseat Race.

Dusty Rhodes and Flair were on opposite sides of the tag team semifinal. Flair teamed with Ken Patera while Rhodes sided with St. Louis legend Dick the Bruiser.

Only 9 days later, Rhodes would beat Race to capture his second NWA World heavyweight championship. About three months later in Kansas City, Flair would beat Rhodes and begin his domination of the World title. 

Other future champions on the bill were Jack Brisco and Kerry Von Erich.

Ironically, DiBiase, while being considered one of the greatest wrestlers of his era, never held the World title.

6/10/79 - Ricky Steamboat suckers  Paul Jones with a fake knee injury to reverse the Indian death lock for the pin at the Civic Center in Asheville, NC. This ends Jones' 368-day reign as “NWA” television champion, making him the longest-reigning TV champ in the combined history of Jim Crockett Promotions/World Championship Wrestling (a record which stands to this day).

6/10/83 - Harley Race pins Ric Flair in St. Louis to regain the NWA World title, setting up a classic bounty feud which leads to the very first Starrcade closed-circuit spectacular.

You can now witness this historic match when you order Wrestling Classics’ NWA World heavyweight championship series.

6/10/84 - Superstar Billy Graham (Wayne Coleman) downs Billy Jack Haynes in Orlando to win the “NWA” Florida state heavyweight title as recognized by the NWA group in Florida.

See these two powerhouses on display at Wrestling Classics in sizzling action from the Sunshine State.

6/10/88 – The late Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu beat the Road Warriors (Mike "Hawk" Hegstrand & Joe "Animal" Laurindas) in Tokyo to retain their Pacific Wrestling Federation tag straps and capture the “NWA” International tag belts. This creates the All Japan Double (World) tag-team championship.

See the globe-trotting LOD as they battle Jerry “The King” Lawler & “The Universal Hearthrob” Austin Idol (Dennis McCord) in Memphis and The Sheepherders in San Antonio.

6/10/88 - Riki Choshu & Masa Saito beat Tatsumi "Dragon" Fujinami & Kengo Kimura in Hiroshima to win the tag-team IWGP (International Wrestling Grand Prix).

6/11/60 - Dick the Bruiser (Dick Afflis) beats Cowboy Bob Ellis in Detroit, MI to capture the “NWA” U.S. title.

Check out the Bruiser in Wrestling Classics’ Indianapolis collection, available now in our video store.

Ellis is featured in action from the International Wrestling Association.

6/11/77 - Greg "The Hammer" Valentine beats Chief Wahoo McDaniel at WRAL studios in Raleigh, NC during a taping of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling to win the Mid-Atlantic heavyweight title. In the process, Valentine sets off one of the most legendary feuds in the history of Jim Crockett Promotions (The "No More Wahoo" feud) by breaking McDaniel's leg.

Both men are featured in matches promoted by Jim Crockett Promotions and on sale now in the Wrestling Classics video store.

6/11/95 - Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue beat Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi in Tokyo to win the All Japan Double (World) tag belts.

6/12/61 - Fred Blassie (Fred Blassman) beats Edouard Carpentier to capture the WWA World title at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles after the doctor stops the match due to an injury to Carpentier.

6/12/68 - Jim Hady beats Ray Stevens for the Honolulu version of the NWA U.S. championship.

Check out the legendary Stevens in six-man action along with the likes of Blackjack Mulligan, Baron Von Raschke, Dick the Bruiser, Sailor Art Thomas, and The Crusher. It’s available in the Indianapolis collection at Wrestling Classics.