On this day in pro wrestling history (July 22): Vince McMahon found not guilty, WWE Invasion PPV, Danny Hodge wins NWA title, Bruno gets Monsooned

By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com

1942 – At Riverview Park in Des Moines, Iowa; NWA World Heavyweight Champion Bill Longson beat Orville Brown to capture Brown’s claim to the World Heavyweight Title in 2 out of 3 falls. Also, Gene Bowman beat Jack Kennedy, Babe Zaharias beat Don McIntyre and Cowboy Luttrall and Hans Schultz drew. 

1943 – Earl McCready defeated Whipper Billy Watson to win the Toronto British Empire Heavyweight Title in Toronto, Ontario.

1947 – Herb Welch defeated Tex Riley for the Tennessee World Junior Heavyweight Title in Nashville, Tennessee

1958 – Corsica Jean defeated Ray Stevens for the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title in Nashville, Tennessee

1960 – Danny Hodge won the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title by defeating Angelo Savoldi in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Don Leo Jonathan defeated Torbellino Blanco for the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title in Houston, Texas; Dick Steinborn defeated The Mighty Yankee to win the vacant Georgia NWA Southern Heavyweight Title in Atlanta, Georgia

1961 – Don Greene defeated Len Rossi to win the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

1963 – Ron Etchison and Dan Miller defeated Mitsu Arakawa and Kinji Shibuya for the Vancouver NWA Canadian Tag Team Title and the Stampede International Tag Team Title in Calgary, Alberta; Gene Kiniski defeated Whipper Billy Watson in Vancouver, British Columbia for the Vancouver British Empire Heavyweight Title

1964 – The Destroyer defeated Dick the Bruiser to win the WWA World Heavyweight Title in Los Angeles, California

1965 – In Davenport, Iowa; AWA Tag Team Champions Larry Hennig & Harley Race beat The Crusher & Verne Gagne by countout, Danny Hodge beat Pampero Firpo, Tex McKenzie beat Gene Anderson and Rene Goulet drew Chris Markoff; In Kansas City; Bob Geigel and Dr. X defeated Cowboy Bob Ellis and Mongolian Stomper, Jerry Miller and Bob Brown wrestled to a double disqualification, Sonny Myers beat Johnny Ramirez and Ronnie Etchison beat Frank Hickey

1967 – Johnny Kostas defeated Moondog Mayne to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title.

1968 – Paddy Barrett and Don Leo Jonathan defeated Abdullah the Butcher and Armand Hussein for the Vancouver NWA Canadian Tag Team Title in Vancouver, British Columbia.

1969 – Jack Brisco and Ciclón Negro defeated Hiro Matsuda and The Missouri Mauler for the NWA Florida Tag Team Title in Tampa, Florida.

1972 – Tommy Gilbert and Sputnik Monroe defeated Don and Ron Wright to win the NWA Tennessee Tag Team Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Opearl Anston and Masked Lee defeated Miyoko Hoshino and Jumbo Miyamoto to win the WWWA World Tag Team Title in Irima, Japan

1974 – Tex McKenzie and Ken Patera defeated The Blackjacks (Lanza and Mulligan) for the NWA American Tag Team Title in Fort Worth, Texas.

1975 – Mr. Wrestlings I and II defeated Don Green and Jerry Lawler to win the NWA Macon Tag Team Title in Macon, Georgia; In Omaha, Nebraska; Verne Gagne & Greg Gagne beat Nick Bockwinkel & Bobby Heenan, Baron Von Raschke beat Larry Hennig, Billy Robinson beat Paul Perschmann (Buddy Rose), Jimmy Valiant & Johnny Valiant drew Chris Taylor & Jim Brunzell and Buddy Wolff beat Bull Bullinski

1976 – Larry Lane won a tournament to win the vacant Amarillo NWA International Heavyweight Title in Amarillo, Texas; At Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas; Bob Geigel won a 6-man Battle Royal. Also, Bob Geigel & The Super Intern defeated Bob Brown & Tank Patton and Black Gordman & Great Goliath defeated Pat O’Connor & Harley Race

1977 – Keith Franks (Adrian Adonis) and Roddy Piper defeated Mando Guerrero and Tom Jones for the NWA Americas Tag Team Title; Mr. Wrestling II defeated Dick Slater to win the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title in Atlanta, Georgia.

1978 – The Valiant Brothers (Jimmy and Johnny) defeated Dominic DeNucci and Wilbur Snyder for the WWA World Tag Team Title in Indianapolis, Indiana; Jean and Pierre Martel defeated Carlos Colón and Chief Thundercloud to win the WWC North American Tag Team Title in San Juan, Puerto Rico. At the same event, Gorilla Monsoon won the WWC North American Heavyweight Title by defeating Bruno Sammartino; Dutch Mantel defeated Whipper Watson, Jr. for the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee

1979 – Mark Lewin defeated Bruiser Brody in Dallas, Texas to win the NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Title.

1981 – Bob Roop defeated The Super Destroyer for the Mid-South Louisiana Heavyweight Title in Shreveport, Louisiana. At the same event, Butch Reed won the Mid-South Television Title from Dutch Mantel.

1982 – In Oakland, California; AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Hulk Hogan by dq, Ken Patera & Bobby Duncum beat Baron Von Raschke & Otto Wanz, Greg Gagne beat Jerry Blackwell, Tommy Rich beat Bobby Heenan and Ray Stevens beat Moondog Moretti

1985 – Phil Hickerson defeated Terry Taylor to win the CWA/AWA International Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee

1986 – The Masked Superstar defeats Lex Luger for the Florida NWA Southern Heavyweight Title in Tampa, Florida, ending Luger’s second reign.

1988 – Scott Armstrong defeated Nelson Royal in Knoxville, Tennessee on a USA Wrestling card to win the World Junior Heavyweight Title; The Cuban Commandos (Cuban Assassin and Jerry Morrow) defeated Bad Company (Bruce Hart and Brian Pillman) for the Stampede International Tag Team Title in Calgary, Alberta

1989 – Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu defeated Stan Hansen and Genichiro Tenryu to win the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Title in Ishikawa, Japan

1994 – After 16 hours of deliberation, a jury finds WWF owner Vince McMahon not guilty of conspiracy to distribute steroids to wrestlers.

1998 – The Charlie and Russ Hass defeated The Nation of Immigration (Homicide & Kane D) and The Skinhead Express (Flash Wheeler & Lord Zieg) in a three-way match to win the vacant JAPW Tag Team Title in North Bergen, New Jersey.

1999 – Chris Candido defeated champion Ace Darling and 2 Cold Scorpio in three-way match in Wildwood, New Jersey to win the Independent Superstars of Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Title.

2001 – In Cleveland, Ohio at the WWF Invasion PPV; WWF Tag Team Champions The A.P.A. (Bradshaw and Faarooq) defeated WCW World Tag Team Champions Sean O’Haire and Chuck
Palumbo and Team WCW/ECW (Booker T, The Dudley Boyz, Diamond Dallas Page and Rhyno (with Paul Heyman, WCW owner Shane McMahon and ECW owner Stephanie McMahon Helmsley) defeated Team WWF (Kurt Angle, Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, Kane and The Undertaker (with WWF Chairman Vince McMahon)).

2002 – In Grand Rapids, Michigan; WWE Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam defeated
WWE European Champion Jeff Hardy in a Ladder match to unify the titles and WWE Undisputed Champion The Rock pinned Eddie Guerrero

2005 – Bobby Roode defeated A-1 to win the Border City Wrestling Can-Am Heavyweight Title
at “Wrestlefest” in Oldcastle, Ontario. Also, Phil Atlas and Jimmy Jacobs defeated Danny
Daniels and N8 Mattson for the BCW Can-Am Tag Team Title.

2007 – At the Great American Bash PPV in San Jose, California; WWE Intercontinental Champion Umaga pinned Jeff Hardy  to retain the title, ECW World Champion John Morrison
 pinned CM Punk to retain the title, Randy Orton pinned Dusty Rhodes in a Texas Bullrope match and WWE Champion John Cena pinned Bobby Lashley to retain the title. 

2010 – AJ Styles defeated Rob Terry to win the TNA Global Title.