On This Day in Pro Wrestling History – April 21 | Giant Baba, Ricky Steamboat, Hulk Hogan’s Return & More

April 21

On This Day in Pro Wrestling History

Some days in wrestling history are built around one giant moment.

April 21 is more like a collection of very different chapters, all stacked on top of each other.

You have a major piece of Japanese wrestling history. You have one of the earliest truly meaningful Intercontinental Title wins. You have Ricky Steamboat adding another championship to his legacy. You have a bizarre real-life story involving Scott Steiner. And then, in 2002, you get Hulk Hogan reclaiming the WWF Championship in one of the more talked-about nostalgia-driven title wins of that era.

So this is one of those days where wrestling history feels like it is moving in several directions at once. Let’s dig into it.

Giant Baba Wins the First Champion Carnival

The first stop on the timeline is a very important one.

In 1973, Giant Baba defeated Mark Lewin in the finals of the very first All Japan Pro Wrestling Champion Carnival tournament.

That is a huge landmark, because the Champion Carnival would go on to become one of the most respected tournaments in Japanese wrestling. So whenever you see the first winner of something that lasts for decades, it matters.

And honestly, it also feels right that Giant Baba was the one standing there at the beginning of it. His name is tied so tightly to All Japan that seeing him win the first Champion Carnival feels less like trivia and more like a foundation stone.

The Intercontinental Championship Becomes Real in the Ring

Then we move to 1980, where one of the most important title changes of the day takes place.

Ken Patera defeats Pat Patterson for the WWF Intercontinental Title at Madison Square Garden.

Now that would already be notable on its own, but what really makes this stand out is the context. Patterson had originally become the first Intercontinental Champion by “winning” a fictitious tournament in Rio de Janeiro. So this Patera victory marks the first time the title was actually won in the ring.

That gives this match a little extra historical weight.

The Intercontinental Championship would go on to become one of the most important belts in wrestling history, and April 21, 1980 is a real part of that story.

Ricky Steamboat Adds Another U.S. Title Reign

In 1984, Ricky Steamboat defeated Dick Slater in Greensboro to win the United States Heavyweight Title, beginning his third reign.

And it is funny how some title wins look even bigger in hindsight.

Steamboat is remembered for so many things. The in-ring skill, the babyface fire, the all-time great matches, the natural connection with the fans. But seeing that he would not win this title again for over a decade gives this particular victory a little more meaning.

It was not just another notch on the belt. It became a rare chapter in a long and celebrated career.

Scott Steiner’s Name Lands in the News for All the Wrong Reasons

Then there is 1998, and this one is obviously very different from the rest of the day’s entries.

Scott Steiner was arrested after an incident involving a traffic worker in Cherokee County. It is one of those moments where wrestling history stops being about titles and tournaments and becomes about the strange, messy, sometimes troubling real-life stories that trail behind the industry.

Not every entry in wrestling history is glamorous. Some are just reminders that wrestlers, promotions, and personalities often lived in chaos both inside and outside the ring.

Backlash 2002 Brings Back Hulkamania

The biggest headline on April 21 probably comes from 2002, when WWF Backlash was held and Hulk Hogan won his sixth WWF World Championship.

And that alone is enough to make this date stand out.

There was something surreal about Hogan holding the WWF title again in 2002, more than nine years after his previous reign had ended. It was clearly fueled by the giant wave of nostalgia that came roaring back after WrestleMania X8. Fans were ready to ride Hulkamania one more time, and the company was more than happy to lean into it.

Now, was the match with Triple H considered a classic? Not really.

In fact, even people who enjoyed the result often felt the match itself dragged badly in the middle. But that almost does not matter when you are talking about the larger moment. Hogan winning the belt again was not really about workrate. It was about emotion, memory, reaction, and the company trying to bottle lightning one more time.

And for one night, it worked.

The Undercard Might Have Been the Better Story

One of the funny things about Backlash 2002 is that a lot of the undercard is arguably more interesting bell-to-bell than the main event.

You had:

Tajiri regaining the Cruiserweight Title from Billy Kidman

Brock Lesnar bulldozing Jeff Hardy in a statement-making performance

Kurt Angle vs. Edge, which many saw as the best match on the entire show

Eddie Guerrero defeating Rob Van Dam to capture the Intercontinental Title

That is a pretty loaded supporting cast.

The Lesnar match especially feels important in hindsight. WWF was very clearly telling the audience, “Pay attention to this guy.” And they were right to do it.

Angle vs. Edge also stands out because it feels like one of those matches from that era where you can see a performer leveling up in real time. Edge already had popularity, but performances like that helped make him feel more and more like a future singles main eventer.

Austin vs. Undertaker Had the Stakes, Not the Spark

Another major match on that Backlash card saw The Undertaker defeat Steve Austin to become the number one contender to the Undisputed WWF World Heavyweight Title.

On paper, that sounds huge. And in terms of star power, it absolutely was.

But not every long match between big names becomes magic.

This one had the stakes, the spectacle, and all the right ingredients, but many fans felt it went too long and lost steam before finally getting to the finish. That happens sometimes. Wrestling history is full of matches that sound incredible when you read them on paper but land a little flatter in the moment.

Still, it mattered. Undertaker leaving with that contender spot helped set up the next major direction for the title scene.

Chris Jericho Without a Match Was a Story in Itself

One detail from Backlash 2002 that still feels very “that era” is Chris Jericho bitterly complaining on-screen that he did not even have a match on the card despite headlining WrestleMania just a month earlier as Undisputed Champion.

And honestly, that is the kind of thing wrestling fans latch onto because it feels both storyline-driven and just a little too believable.

Jericho’s promo worked because it tapped into something real. Wrestling is always shifting, and sometimes even top stars can go from centerpiece to afterthought in a hurry. That happened a lot during that period, especially with the company suddenly trying to maximize Hogan’s revived momentum.

Why April 21 Matters

April 21 is one of those dates that does not belong to just one era.

It gives you:

Giant Baba helping define All Japan history

Ken Patera winning a version of the Intercontinental Title that truly mattered in-ring

Ricky Steamboat adding to his championship legacy

real-life controversy involving Scott Steiner

and Hulk Hogan pulling off one of the most nostalgia-fueled title wins in WWF history

That is a pretty wide spread.

And that is what makes these daily history posts fun. Some days are all about one giant match. Other days are about several important moments that each tell you something different about how wrestling evolved.

April 21 is definitely the second kind.

Support Wrestling History

At WFIA, we believe pro wrestling history deserves to be preserved, revisited, and shared with care.

The giant moments matter. The title changes matter. The context matters too.

Because when you put all of it together, you do not just get a list of results. You get the living history of professional wrestling.

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