On this day in pro wrestling history (June 10): Harley Race beats Ric Flair for NWA title, Jerry Blackwell turns babyface
By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com
1934 – In Waterloo, Iowa; Bronko Nagurski beat Earl Wampler
1960 – In St. Joseph, Missouri, Ernie and Emil Dusek defeated George and Sandy Scott to win the Central States version of the NWA World Tag Team Title in 2 of 3 falls. Also on the card, Central States Heavyweight Champion Thor Hagen beat Bob Orton by a third fall DQ and Central States Women’s Champion Lorraine Johnson beat Laura Martinez; Ray Gunkel defeated Fred Blassie to win the Florida version of the NWA Southern Heavyweight Title
1961 – Luther Lindsay and Bing Ki Lee defeated Bill Savage and Tito Kopa for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title.
1965 – In Kansas City, Kansas; Bob Geigel and Dutch Savage beat Pat O’Connor and Mongolian Stomper 2 falls to 1, Jerry Miller beat Missouri Mauler on a 3rd fall DQ, Ronnie Etchison beat Toughie Williams and Sonny Myers beat Buddy Johnson
1967 – In Minneapolis, Minnesota; AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Danny Hodge, AWA Tag Team Champions Larry Hennig & Harley Race beat Dale Lewis & Wilbur Snyder and Johnny Valentine beat Doug Gilbert
1968 – In a No DQ match held in Davenport, Iowa; Bill Watts beat Harley Race. Also, Dr X beat Dutch Savage and Larry Hennig beat Rene Goulet
1970 – Sam Steamboat defeated Ripper Collins in Honolulu, Hawaii for the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title
1972 – At the Amphitheatre in Chicago, Blackjack Lanza & Blackjack Mulligan & Dusty Rhodes beat Dick the Bruiser & The Crusher & Billy Red Cloud. Also, Wahoo McDaniel beat Larry Hennig and Baron Von Raschke beat Bull Bullinski
1974 – Jerry Lawler defeated Ricky Gibson to win the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee
1975 – In Omaha, Nebraska; AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Ray Stevens in 2 straight falls. Also, Dusty Rhodes beat Ox Baker,
Billy Robinson & Jim Brunzell beat Legionairres Sgt Jacques Goulet & Soldier LeBeouf and Buddy Wolff drew Khosrow Vaziri (Iron Shiek)
1978 – Dutch Savage and Jimmy Snuka defeated Bull Ramos and The Iron Sheik to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title
1979 – In Asheville, North Carolina, Ricky Steamboat defeated Paul Jones to win the NWA Television Title; Bruiser Brody defeated Mark Lewin to win the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title in Dallas, Texas
1983 – Harley Race defeated Ric Flair in St. Louis, Missouri, to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title. As a result, Race vacated the NWA Missouri Heavyweight Title and the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title
1984 – Superstar Billy Graham defeated Billy Jack for the Florida State Heavyweight title in Orlando, Florida; Angelo Mosca, Jr. defeated Ivan Koloff to win the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Title in Toronto, Ontario; At the St. Paul Civic Center; Jerry Blackwell eliminated King Kong Brody to win a battle royal. (In an angle booked by Dusty Rhodes, Blackwell turned babyface by turning on partner Brody and manager Sheik Kassey). Also, Abdullah The Butcher & Jerry Blackwell beat Baron Von Raschke (sub Blackjack Mulligan) & Blackjack Lanza, King Kong Brody beat Steve O, The Crusher no contest Nick Bockwinkel, Fabulous Ones beat Roger Kirby & Chris Markoff, Dusty Rhodes beat Larry Zbyszko and Curt Hennig beat Steve Regal. Attendance 8,000.
1988 – At Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan PWF World Tag Team Champions Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu defeated NWA International Tag Team Champions The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) by disqualification, to retain the PWF title and win the NWA International title. The titles were unified, and became the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Title; Masa Saito and Riki Choshu defeated Tatsumi Fujinami and Kengo Kimura in Hiroshima, Japan to win the IWGP World Tag Team Title; Johnny Smith defeated Chris Benoit to win the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title in Calgary, Alberta; Atlantis defeated Kung Fu for the NWA World Middleweight Title in Mexico City, Mexico
1999 – In Syracuse, New York Perry Saturn and Chris Benoit defeated Diamond Dallas Page and Kanyon to win the WCW World Tag Team Title.
2012 – At the Slammiversary PPV show in Arlington, Texas; AJ Styles and Kurt Angle defeated Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian to win the TNA Tag Team Titles.