May 26 in Wrestling History: Bruno Sammartino, Beware of Dog Chaos, and Shawn Michaels & Steve Austin Win Gold

May 26 in Professional Wrestling History

May 26 feels like wrestling history fired out of a cannon.

The day includes Bruno Sammartino ruling the WWWF, Bob Backlund battling Antonio Inoki in Japan, Superstar Billy Graham towering over the territory era, one of the most infamous technical disasters in Pay-per-view history, and the bizarre real-life arrest of Hacksaw Jim Duggan and The Iron Sheik while they were actively feuding on WWF television.

This is wrestling history at full volume. Loud, chaotic, legendary, and occasionally powered by thunderstorms and bad decisions.

Bruno Sammartino Continues His Reign Over the WWWF

On May 26, 1963, Bruno Sammartino teamed with Apollo to defeat The Kangaroos in Commack, New York.

A year later, Bruno headlined a WWWF television taping in Bridgeport, Connecticut, defeating both Hans Mortier and Klondike Bill. The card also featured Ernie Ladd defeating Boris Malenko, Killer Kowalski beating Matt Gillmore, and Arnold Skaaland battling Lou Albano.

By 1966, Bruno was once again carrying the WWWF banner, defeating The Beast during a television taping in Washington, D.C. while Johnny Valentine and Antonio Pugliese fought Bill Miller and Curtis Iaukea to a draw for the WWWF United States Tag Team Titles.

Then in 1975, Spiros Arion shocked fans by defeating Bruno Sammartino via count-out in Landover, Maryland.

That was the magic of the old WWWF. Bruno usually stood tall, but even a count-out loss felt seismic because champions losing in any form still mattered.

Pedro Morales, Chief Jay Strongbow, and the Territory Years

The early 1970s on May 26 are loaded with classic WWWF territory flavor.

In 1972, Chief Jay Strongbow defeated King Curtis in an Indian Strap Match in North Attleboro, Massachusetts.

In 1973, Pedro Morales successfully defended the WWWF Championship against Moondog Mayne in Trenton, New Jersey. That same day at Sunnyside Gardens in Queens, Strongbow and Haystacks Calhoun defeated Fred Blassie and Moondog Mayne in tag team action.

The names alone sound like pro wrestling carved into granite: Strongbow. Blassie. Calhoun. Morales. Tanaka. Fuji.

Every card looked like it belonged on a smoke-stained arena poster hanging outside a civic center.

Bob Backlund Battles Antonio Inoki in Japan

On May 26, 1978, New Japan Pro Wrestling presented an incredible international main event.

WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund teamed with Tony Garea to defeat Antonio Inoki and Osamu Kido in a Best 2 out of 3 Falls match in Takamatsu, Japan.

The card also featured Andre the Giant, Tatsumi Fujinami, Riki Choshu, Bad News Allen, and Chief Jay Strongbow.

This was the era when the WWWF title was becoming globally recognized, and Backlund’s trips to Japan helped cement him as an international champion rather than simply a regional American star.

Superstar Billy Graham Towers Over the Late 1970s WWF

Also on May 26, 1978, Superstar Billy Graham defeated Haystacks Calhoun via count-out in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Graham felt like wrestling from another dimension. Tie-dye arrogance, bodybuilder charisma, endless interviews, and enough confidence to power a small city.

The DNA of future megastars can be traced directly through him. Hulk Hogan borrowed from him. Jesse Ventura borrowed from him. Scott Steiner practically built a laboratory out of him.

Without Superstar Billy Graham, wrestling’s promo style changes dramatically.

Bob Backlund, Roddy Piper, and the Expanding 1980s WWF

The 1980s cards from May 26 read like the WWF evolving in real time.

In 1984:

Roddy Piper defeated Rocky Johnson in Baltimore.

Tito Santana defended the Intercontinental Championship.

The Iron Sheik defeated Bob Backlund by count-out.

Sgt. Slaughter battled David Schultz in Cincinnati.

In 1985:

Bret Hart defeated Rick McGraw in Miami.

Tito Santana battled Greg Valentine in a taped fist match.

Ricky Steamboat defeated Brutus Beefcake in Toronto.

Wendi Richter defeated The Fabulous Moolah.

Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo battled the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff.

Meanwhile, Jim Crockett Promotions featured Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Magnum TA, Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, and the Rock ‘N’ Roll Express all on the same cards.

The mid-1980s wrestling boom was no longer coming. It had arrived like a runaway freight train covered in neon.

The Duggan and Iron Sheik Arrest

One of wrestling’s strangest real-life stories happened on May 26, 1987.

“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and The Iron Sheik, despite feuding on WWF television, were arrested together on the New Jersey Turnpike while traveling to a WWF event.

Police pulled them over after Duggan was reportedly seen drinking beer while driving. Duggan was charged with marijuana possession and drinking alcohol while driving. Sheik was charged with possession of cocaine and marijuana.

The real shock was not just the arrest. It was the public realizing that two bitter enemies on television were casually riding to the show together.

The illusion cracked wide open.

The WWF fired both men after the story became public, though Duggan returned a few months later. Sheik would remain gone for years.

In one final twist worthy of wrestling itself, Sheik later tried to maintain kayfabe by claiming the WWF forced him to ride with Duggan because he did not have a U.S. driver’s license.

Professional wrestling: where even the police report gets a promo.

The Phantom NWA Tag Team Title Change

Also in 1987, the NWA quietly pulled off one of the more creative sleights of hand in wrestling history.

The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express were announced as the new NWA World Tag Team Champions after supposedly defeating Rick Rude and Manny Fernandez in Spokane, Washington.

There was just one problem.

The match never happened.

Rude had already left for the WWF, Fernandez was leaving as well, and the NWA simply used footage from an older match and presented it as a championship victory on television.

Territory wrestling could sometimes feel like a traveling carnival crossed with a magic act. If the footage looked convincing enough, promoters trusted fans would accept the story and move on.

Usually, they did.

Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and the Early 1990s WWF

May 26 became a recurring date for Bret Hart classics throughout the 1990s.

In 1992, Bret Hart defended the WWF Intercontinental Championship against Shawn Michaels in Tucson, Arizona.

In 1993, Bret defeated Lex Luger by disqualification in Ontario while Mr. Perfect battled Shawn Michaels on the same tour loop.

In 1995, Bret Hart defeated Psycho Sid in Calgary while Great Muta defeated Steve Austin in Japan with the moonsault.

You can almost see wrestling changing shape in real time here. The larger-than-life giants were still around, but the technical wrestlers and athletic workers were beginning to take center stage.

WWF Beware of Dog Becomes a Technical Nightmare

On May 26, 1996, the WWF presented In Your House VIII: Beware of Dog from Florence, South Carolina.

After Marc Mero defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley in the opening match, a massive thunderstorm knocked out power to the building.

Fans watching on Pay-per-view were left staring at a blue screen while Vince McMahon briefly appeared via emergency generator to explain the situation.

The outage forced the WWF to hold a second “make-up” Pay-per-view days later at enormous expense.

Some matches, including Savio Vega vs. Steve Austin in a Strap Match and Goldust vs. The Undertaker, were only seen live inside the arena during the blackout.

It remains one of the most infamous production disasters in wrestling history.

Yet somehow, it also feels very wrestling: lightning strikes, chaos erupts, Shawn Michaels gets visibly furious in the ring, and Vince McMahon keeps trying to steer the ship through the storm.

Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels Win the WWF Tag Team Titles

On May 26, 1997, Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin defeated Owen Hart and The British Bulldog to win the WWF Tag Team Championships on Raw Is War.

The match was filled with tension, not only because of the Hart Foundation rivalry, but because Michaels and Austin themselves could barely coexist.

Austin pinned Bulldog after Michaels superkicked him behind the referee’s back. Moments later, Austin stormed off to attack Bret Hart while the Hart Foundation beat down Michaels in the ring.

This was peak 1997 WWF chaos: everyone hated everyone, alliances shifted by the minute, and the Attitude Era was beginning to boil over.

That same night:

Rocky Maivia defeated Flash Funk.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Rockabilly.

Ahmed Johnson defeated Vader.

The Legion of Doom battled Brian Pillman and Jim Neidhart.

The company was transforming from cartoon spectacle into violent, unpredictable television.

WCW Nitro and the nWo Machine

Also on May 26, 1997, WCW Nitro featured The Great Muta revealing he had joined the nWo after spraying mist into Sonny Onoo’s face.

The card also included Harlem Heat, Konnan, Juventud Guerrera, Hector Garza, Psychosis, and The Giant.

By this point, Nitro felt less like a wrestling show and more like organized television anarchy. The nWo storyline had turned WCW into the hottest promotion in the world, and every week carried the feeling that something unpredictable might happen.