On this day in pro wrestling history (July 12): Gagne, Bruiser & Crusher, Ladd wins Americas title, 1992 Bash with Sting vs. Vader
By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com
1933 – Thor Jenson defeated Harold Heibert for the Pacific Coast Middleweight Title in Eugene, Oregon.
1946 – Tex Riley won a tournament in Nashville, Tennessee to win the vacant Tennessee World Junior Heavyweight Title; Joe Savoldi defeated Everett Marshall for the Rocky Mountain Heavyweight Title in Colorado Springs, Colorado
1951 – Eduardo Perez and Red Roberts defeated Ray Piret and Herb Welch to win the Mid-America NWA Southern Tag Team Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
1957 – Herb Freeman defeated Bill Savage to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title.
1962 – In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; In a Non title Cage match; Verne Gagne beat AWA Champion Mr. M who was unmasked as Bill Miller, Ilio DiPaolo drew Bob Geigel, Doug Gilbert beat Jack Daniels, Joe Scarpello beat Bill Wright and Jackie Nichols drew Thor Hagen. Attendance was 5,500.
1963 – Johnny Valentine defeated Moose Cholak to win the International Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title in Chicago, Illinois.
1966 – Louie Tillet won the NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Title in Dallas, Texas; Don Carson defeated Bobby Fields for the NWA Louisiana Heavyweight Title in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
1967 – The Beast and Bob Sweetan defeated Bobby and Jerry Christy to win the Stampede International Tag Team Title in Calgary, Alberta.
1968 – In Milwaukee; Dick the Bruiser won a 9 man battle royal, Dr X no contest Wilbur Snyder, Bill Watts beat Harley Race, Dick the Bruiser beat Big K and Man Mountain Mike beat Blackjack Daniels. Attendance was 4,480.
1969 – Bob Ellis and Stan Pulaski defeated Bob Geigel and The Viking for the AWA Midwest Tag Team Title; In Milwaukee, Wisconsin; AWA Tag Team Champions Dick the Bruiser & the Crusher beat Mad Dog Vachon & Butcher Vachon, Bill Watts beat Lars Anderson, Blackjack Lanza beat Pampero Firpo and Wilbur Snyder beat Big K. Attendance was 9,512
1972 – Bob Kelly defeated Gorgeous George, Jr. in Mobile, Alabama to win the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title.
1973 – At Memorial Hall in Kansas City; Jim Brunzell defeated Percy Pringle, Lord Alfred Hayes & Roger Kirby defeated Steve Bolus & Mike George, Jack Brisco defeated Jim Dalton, Bobo Brazil & Rufus R. Jones defeated Togo the Great & Tokyo Joe in three falls and Bob Brown defeated Danny Little Bear in three falls.
1974 – Ernie Ladd defeated Porkchop Cash to win the NWA Americas Heavyweight Title in Los Angeles, California; In Denver; Ivan Putski beat Billy Graham via dq, The Crusher beat Ray Stevens dq, Billy Robinson beat Baron Von Raschke dq and Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Larry Hennig & Paul Perschmann in 2 out of 3 falls; Carlos Colón and José Miguel Pérez defeated Jim Dalton and Bruce Swayze for the WWC North American Tag Team Title in Ponce, Puerto Rico
1976 – John Tolos defeated Kinji Shibuya for the Vancouver NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Title in Vancouver, British Columbia.
1978 – Whipper Watson, Jr. defeated Dutch Mantel to win the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Title in Nashville, Tennessee
1979 – Central States Wrestling held an eight-team tournament for the vacant NWA Central States Tag Team Title in Kansas City, Kansas. Jerry Brown and The Turk defeated Bob Brown and Gama Singh to win the vacant NWA Central States Tag Team Title.
1981 – Mr. Fuji defeated Angelo Mosca to win the Toronto NWA Canadian Heavyweight Title in Toronto, Ontario
1982 – In Hobbema, Alberta, Canada; AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Keith Hart, Duke Myers beat Jim Neidhart, Bruce Hart & Davey Boy Smith beat Danny Davis & Ken Wayne and Bad News Allen beat Duke Kono; Bobby Eaton defeated NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Champion Dutch Mantel to win the title in Memphis, Tennessee.
1983 – In Las Vegas, Nevada in a Death Match; Mad Dog Vachon beat Jerry Blackwell, Jim Brunzell beat Mr. Saito dq, Rick Martel & Wahoo McDaniel beat Bobby Heenan & Blackjack Lanza, Greg Gagne beat David Shults and Bobby Heenan beat Buck Zumhofe
1986 – The Fabulous Ones (Steve Keirn and Stan Lane) defeated The Sheepherders (Butch Miller and Luke Williams) in a fictitious tournament final in Portland, Oregon for the vacant Florida NWA United States Tag Team Title; In Milwaukee; Midnight Rockers beat AWA Tag Team Champions Buddy Rose & Doug Somers on a reverse decision, Jimmy Snuka (sub Greg Gagne) beat Larry Zbyszko dq, In a Non Title match; Nord the Barbarian beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel, Jimmy Snuka beat Colonel DeBeers by countout, Jerry Blackwell beat Ali Khan, Sherri Martel beat Joyce Grable (sub Princess Jasmine) and Curt Hennig drew Boris Zhukov (sub Earthquake Ferris).
1989 – Riki Choshu defeated Salman Hashimikov for the IWGP Heavyweight Title in Osaka, Japan.
1992 – At the Great American Bash PPV in Albany, Georgia; Big Van Vader (with Harley Race) pinned WCW World Heavyweight Champion Sting to win the title. Also, WCW World Tag Team Champions Terry Gordy and Steve Williams defeated Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham to win the NWA World Tag Team Title.
1994 – Dan Kroffat defeated Masanobu Fuchi for the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Title in Kagoshima, Japan.
1997 – Spellbinder defeated Billy Travis for the USWA Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee.
1999 – In Jacksonville, Florida; Hollywood Hulk Hogan defeated WCW World Heavyweight Champion Randy Savage to win the title.
2002 – Chris Hero defeated Colt Cabana to win the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title in Clarksville, Indiana.