The Battle of the Titans

35 years ago today, one of the WWWF's biggest successes was held. It was at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York in front of 20,000 fans. It was the biggest battle of babyfaces to date. It was WWWF World Champion Pedro Morales against the pride of many, Bruno Sammartino. The match would go on endlessly with the two on the mat then on their feet. It seemed as if the grueling pace of the match wasn't wearing them down, even the failed interference of George Steele couldn't make them stop. After 75 minutes the bell rang, the fans were astonished, the match had gone the limit. There was only one thing left to do, the two wrestling legends met in the middle of the ring and shook hands. A pure sign of sportsmanship. The crowd left Flushing that night with their jaws dropped because they knew they had witnessed on of the determining moments in WWWF history, they knew that that match would pave the way for the 35 years plus success of today's WWE.
Also today, two of Japan's biggest spectacles ever made their ring debuts. 47 years ago, Shohei "Giant" Baba, the future All Japan founder, and Antonio Inoki , the future New Japan founder, would lace up their boots for the first time. In Toyko, Baba would score a victory while Inoki would come out short. The two, along with Rikidozan, would go on to give Japan the credibility it deserved in the wrestling field. Baba would sadly pass away in 1999 of cancer after making a comeback to wrestling. Today, Inoki owns the new Inoki Genome Federation that graces some of Japan and the U.S.'s greatest stars. This day in history, September 30th, marks some of the most important matches in the careers of four of pro wrestling's greatest influences.