Good morning, everyone!
Another 1985 Flashback today as it seems like one shot after another is being fired in this struggle for national dominance and the breakdown of the territory system.
We should be getting back to some of the other decades again tomorrow, but things are heating up in the 80s!
Let’s get to today’s Daily Chronicle:
July 7th in the Time Tunnel:
Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
Ed Whalen 1927
Gentleman Jerry Valiant 1941
Happy Birthday:
Thunderbolt Patterson (84)
Luke Hawx (44)
Shanna (43)
Addy Starr (37)
Ludwig Kaiser (35)
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.
(none)
Select Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Match and Event Flashbacks
40-Year Flashback:
7-8-1985: "The Magnificent Don Muraco" defeated The Iron Sheik in the final match of the first ever King of the Ring Tournament in Foxborough, Massachusetts
40 years ago, pro wrestling tournaments were not nearly as prevalent as they are today. They were mostly held at house shows around special events or holidays, like Georgia used to have the annual Thanksgiving tag team tournament.
Otherwise they were put together if a booker booked himself into a situation with a championship they couldn’t get out of or if there was an unexpected title vacancy where they would need a tournament to fill the title in a logical way and the best wrestler or tag team in the territory that had momentum or needed some would win the tournament and the title or titles.
This may provide some context and background for some fans who might be wondering why this event wasn't televised.
It was actually booked to try to give some momentum to making house shows special.
The first King of the Ring was a single elimination tournament, not for a championship but rather for what they called the "King of the Ring."
The plan for this to be an annual event and to be continued in 1986, the following year, as a house show event.
The 1985 King of the Ring Tournament Results:
The First Round Matches:
Jim Brunzell defeated The Spoiler
Tito Santana defeated Terry Funk
The Iron Sheik defeated B. Brian Blair
Ricky Steamboat defeated Greg Valentine
Les Thornton defeated Steve Lombardi
Don Muraco defeated Junkyard Dog
Pedro Moracles defeated Johnny Valiant
Paul Orndorff vs Bob Orton, Jr ended in a DDQ (this resulted in Pedro Morales getting a BYE to the Semi-Finals)
The Quarterfinal Matches:
Jim Brunzell defeated Tito Santana
The Iron Sheik defeated Ricky Steamboat
Don Muraco defeated Les Thornton
The Semi-Final Matches
The Iron Sheik defeated Jim Brunzell
Don Muraco defeated Pedro Morales
The Final Match:
Don Muraco defeated The Iron Sheik
In a rare heel vs heel match for the WWF, both guys were super hot as heels at this time. Muraco bladed quite a bit, which was also not something really very common in the WWF, Mr. Fuji threw salt in the eyes of the Iron Sheik and Muraco pinned him.
Hulk Hogan (CH) defeated Nikolai Volkoff in a match for the WWF World Heavyweight Title
One Thing I Learned Today About Pro Wrestling History
At the point Don Muraco won the King of the Ring in 1985, he had defeated Pedro Morales for the WWF Intercontinental Title in January of 1983 and held it until losing it to Tito Santana in February of 1984.
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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