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1981 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.
List of notable promotions
These promotions held notable shows in 1981.
| Promotion Name | Abbreviation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Big Time Wrestling | BTW | Renamed to World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) the following year. |
| Joint Promotions | — | |
| Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre | EMLL | |
| Universal Wrestling Association | UWA |
Calendar of notable shows
Notable events
- June 20 - At the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Don Muraco pinned Pedro Morales to become the new WWF Intercontinental Champion.
- July 21 - On WWF Championship Wrestling, Rick Martel and Tony Garea regain the WWF Tag Team Championship by defeating The Moondogs.
- October 13 - On WWF Championship Wrestling, Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito defeated Tony Garea and Rick Martel to become the new WWF Tag Team Champions, Garea would never again wear any WWF Title in his career.
- November 23 - At New York's Madison Square Garden in a Texas Death Match, Pedro Morales regained the WWF Intercontinental Championship by pinning Don Muraco.
Accomplishments and tournaments
AJW
| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rookie of the Year Decision Tournament | Chigusa Nagayo |
AJPW
| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champion's Carnival | Giant Baba | April 23 |
JCP
| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NWA United States Championship Tournament | Sgt. Slaughter | October 4 |
NJPW
| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| G1 Climax | Antonio Inoki | June 4 | defeated Stan Hansen in the finals |
Awards and honors
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Main article: List of Pro Wrestling Illustrated awardsWrestling Observer Newsletter
Main article: List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awardsTournaments
IWE
| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lou Thesz Cup | No winner | The league was scheduled to go three rounds but never finished due to the closure of IWE |
Births
- January 11 - King Mo
- January 12:
- January 13 – Shad Gaspard (died in 2020)
- January 17 - Adam Windsor (died in 2022)
- January 26 – Volador Jr.
- February 9 - Daisuke Sekimoto
- February 14 - Ayako Hamada
- February 15 - Jenna Morasca
- February 18 - Larry Sweeney (died in 2011)
- February 19 – Tye Dillinger
- February 26 - Kaori Yoneyama
- March 2 – Lance Cade (died in 2010)
- March 3 – Justin Gabriel
- March 12 – Hideo Itami
- April 4 – Tigre Uno
- April 28 - Alex Riley
- April 29 - Neil Faith
- May 8 – Stephen Amell
- May 13 – Jimmy Yang
- May 22 – Daniel Bryan
- June 2 – Velvet Sky
- July 8 - Luke Hawx
- July 22
- July 25 – Finn Bálor
- August 14 – Kofi Kingston
- August 19 – Percy Watson
- August 20 – Byron Saxton
- August 21 – Trent Seven
- August 26 - Petey Williams
- September 6 - Chris the Bambi Killer
- September 10 - Rain
- September 13 – Angelina Love
- September 26 – Asuka
- October 7 - Thunder (died in 2016)
- October 9 - Daniel Puder
- October 11 - Arturo Ruas
- November 1 - Hallowicked
- November 3 – Jackie Gayda
- November 10 – Ryback
- November 28 – Erick Rowan
- December 7 - Luster the Legend
- December 11 - Fuego
- December 14 - Johnny Jeter
- December 17 - Tim Wiese
- December 18 - Eddie Kingston
- December 23 - Arik Cannon
- December 25 - Rhaka Khan
- December 31 – Martin Stone
Debuts
- Uncertain debut date
- January 10-Fumihiro Niikura
- February 19 - Tarzan Goto
- April 25 - Nobukazu Hirai
- July 12 - Noriyo Tateno
- December 8 - Shunji Takano
Retirements
- Black Shadow (1942–1981)
- Tony Borne (1952–1981)
- Verne Gagne (1949–1981)
- Dutch Savage (1962–1981)
- The Missouri Mauler (1950–1981)
Deaths
- January 24 - Orville Brown, 72
- February 6 - Goga Pehlwan, 43
- April 9 - Wee Willie Davis, 74
- April 12 - Joe Louis, 66
- August 12 – Buddy Austin, 52
- August 24 - Mike Marino, 59
- November 16 - Ali Baba (wrestler), 80
References
- Centinela, Teddy (February 7, 2015). "En un día como hoy… 1981: Aniversario independiente, Solitario vs. Villano III por el Campeonato Mundial de Peso Semicompleto UWA". Súper Luchas (in Spanish). Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2006). "Mexico: EMLL NWA World Light Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 389. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- "Wrestling Star Wars". Pro Wrestling History. June 1981.
- "Historia de Los Aniversarios del CMLL". The Gladiatores Magazine (in Spanish). September 2, 2010. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- Lister, John. "1981". ITV Wrestling Listings. JohnListerWriting.com. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
- "Wrestling Star Wars". Pro Wrestling History. October 25, 1981.
- "EMLL Super Viernes". Wrestling Data. December 4, 1981. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- "Christmas Star Wars". Pro Wrestling History. December 25, 1981.
- "OWOW profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
- "Kenta". Pro Wrestling Noah (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
- "Kenta". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on 2009-07-24. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- Milner, John M.; Clevett, Jason. "Bryan Danielson". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
- "Johnny Curtis - Online World of Wrestling". Archived from the original on April 6, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
- "Fergal Devitt profile". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
- "NFL Player Profile". NFL. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
- "Byron Kelly Profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
- 浦井. AtoZ (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 22, 2005. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- "Kana-kana.jp" プロフィール. Kana Net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 10, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- "Erick Rowan Profile". WrestlingData.
- "Wrestlers born in 1968: 1 - 50 of 125". Wrestling Data. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
| Years in professional wrestling | |
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