October 21st in the Time Tunnel:
Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
Crusher Verdu 1940
Jonathan Boyd 1944
Butch Miller 1944
Charles Norris 1963
Happy Birthday:
Horace Hogan (60)
RIP Memorial: We stop & remember those who have passed on this day and gave themselves to the business for us, the fans. We salute you and thank you.
Frenchy Martin 10-21-2016 at the age of 69
40 Year Flashback
10-21-1985: Ric Flair (ch) vs Rick Martel (ch) in a unification match for the NWA and AWA World Heavyweight Titles at the All-Japan Pro Wrestling Sumo hall Show at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo Japan ended in a DCO with no winner in thirty-four minutes and thirty-one seconds.
I have conducted a pretty extensive research deep dive and consulted some other historians, and this appears to be the only official match in wrestling history pitting the reigning NWA World Heavyweight Champion against the reigning AWA World Heavyweight Champion. While there were occasional interpromotional matches involving other titles or non-world championships between NWA and AWA affiliates, and some champion vs. champion bouts between NWA/WWWF or AWA/WWWF titleholders (e.g., Harley Race vs. Bob Backlund in 1979 or Superstar Billy Graham vs. Nick Bockwinkel in 1978), no other documented world title vs. world title match occurred between the two promotions’ top championships.
A 1963 unification involving Verne Gagne (AWA World Heavyweight Champion) and Fritz Von Erich (holder of the disputed Omaha/Nebraska version of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship) is sometimes referenced in historical contexts, but the Omaha title was a regional splinter not recognized as the official NWA World Heavyweight Championship (which Lou Thesz held at the time). In my estimation it does not qualify as a true NWA vs. AWA world title match in the same historical context as this match.
One Thing I Learned Today About Pro Wrestling History
I have been doing a lot of research into European Wrestling History to make sure I cast my votes as credibly as I can in the WON HOF Ballot in the Europe\Australia\New Zealand\Pacific Islands\Africa category.
I won’t have enough to time to properly dive into Mexico, so I will abstain on that and the Modern Category for this year.
I found some really interesting things about Billy Joyce. Here’s just one or two basic things to influence my vote in this category.
One: Joyce captured the British Heavyweight Championship and held an open purse of £1,000 for any challenger who could defeat him, cementing his status as an undefeated technical master. He also won the European Heavyweight Championship and the British Light Heavyweight title (reigning until 1976 at age 60). Karl Gotch (Karel Istaz) called him the “last great ‘ripper’”—a shoot wrestler capable of legitimately injuring opponents if he chose. Fellow wrestler Billy Robinson echoed this, naming Joyce the best of all time, while praising his skill but noting his “weakness” of being too nice to truly hurt foes.
Two: Around 1950, Joyce participated in what many consider the last genuine catch-as-catch-can shoot match for money—a private bout against Arthur Belshaw. In the 1960s, he faced rising stars like Billy Robinson, losing the European title to him on June 12, 1965, and the British title on January 18, 1967. Along with other research I have done and the research of others, I will be voting for Billy Joyce in the Europe\Australia\New Zealand\Pacific Islands\Africa category of the ballot.
Thank You for Reading
I’m Tony Richards, Pro Wrestling Historian, Author and Storyteller. I share pro wrestling historical items in each issue of the Time Tunnel Pro Wrestling History Newsletter. Thanks for reading! If you enjoy my information on select events, matches and insights, please share it with folks you think might like to be a subscriber!
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