Three Unrecorded Title Victories in Pro Wrestling
In the history of pro wrestling, there have been many title changes that have gone down as the greatest title victories in the industries history, but what about the forgotten the title victories that were stricken from the record book? Today, we explore whether or not they should have been kept in the records book and if the justification was correct for not having them in the record book. In 1990, The Rockers and Hart Foundation where at the top of the food chain in the WWE Tag Team Division. On a taped episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event, the two teams met in a Two out of Three Falls Match. It didn’t take long into the match before part of the ropes broke off and they were forced to wrestle without part of the ropes working properly. The Rockers ultimate won the match and the titles, but Vince McMahon was not happy with what had happened so the match was scrapped from TV and their title win was never acknowledged. The Rockers should have kept the titles and they should have turned into a hot feud between the two teams. They could have faced off in a rematch against at a big pay-per-view and went with the story that The Rockers only won on a fluke. Even though they never were considered the WWE Tag Team Champions, The Rockers did win the AWA Tag Team Championships.
It’s not often that you see a title change hands at a non-televised show but it has happened. During Wrestlemania season in 1992, WWE Intercontinental Champion Roddy Piper faced off against WWE Champion Ric Flair in a Steel Cage Match. They both were fierce competitors and brought out the best each other in the ring and on the mic. The ironic thing is they both won their titles in the same night at the 1992 Royal Rumble, so the match was already special. Prior to this never before seen match, the only time the Intercontinental Championship and WWE Championship were on the line at the same time was Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 6. The unfortunate part about this match is that no one ever specified what title was on the line or if it was even a title match. Roddy Piper won the match and thought he won the WWE Championship, which would have made him only the second person to hold both championships at the same time. Shortly after Piper started celebrating, the announcer told the crowd that the match was a non-title match. Many people believe that Piper is one of the greatest of all time. I think he should have been the WWE Champion after winning this incredible steel cage match and could have lost the title at the next house show. A superstar of Roddy Piper’s magnitude should have been WWE Champion at least once.
In 1994, the rivalry of the year was Bret Hart versus his younger brother Owen Hart. They two classic matches at Wrestlemania 10 and Summerslam. The rivalry was so heated that other Hart family members even got involved. On an unseen of Superstars, Bret and Owen did battle for the WWE Championship in a Lumberjack Match. With some help from the outside, Owen Hart defeated his brother and won the WWE Championship. Not even a few minutes into his victory WWE officials came down and told the referee what happened. The referee decided that the decision wasn’t going to stand and the match was restarted. Ultimately, Bret won the match and kept the title. Owen holding the WWE Championship was never brought up on television or when people talk about his legacy. During that 1994 feud, Owen absolutely should have been WWE Champion. He gave his brother the two best matches he ever had. It should have been Owen defeating Bret at the 1994 Survivor Series. Instead, it was Bob Backlund who only kept the title for less than a week. Owen did manage to win European Championship, Intercontinental Championship and Tag Team Championship. Had the Lumberjack Match counted, he would have been considered a Grand Slam Champion. It’s shame that these three title victories never counted and never put in the record books. All three victories would have added to the legacies of everyone involved. These victories may not have a place in the record books, but they will always have a place in our hearts and minds.
