1986 in professional wrestling

1986 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.

List of years in professional wrestling
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List of notable promotions

These promotions held notable shows in 1986.

Promotion Name	Abbreviation
American Wrestling Association	AWA
Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre	EMLL
Jim Crockett Promotions	JCP
Pacific Northwest Wrestling	PNW
World Class Championship Wrestling	WCCW
World Wrestling Council	WWC
World Wrestling Federation	WWF

Calendar of notable shows

Date	Promotion(s)	Event	Location	Main Event
January 21	PNW	Superstar Extravaganza	Portland, Oregon	Ric Flair (c) defeated Dusty Rhodes by disqualification in a singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
February 7	JCP	Superstars on the Superstation	Atlanta, Georgia	Ric Flair (c) defeated Ron Garvin in a singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship[1]
April 7	WWF	WrestleMania 2	Uniondale, New York Rosemont, Illinois Los Angeles, California	Hulk Hogan (c) defeated King Kong Bundy in a steel Cage match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship[2][3][4]
April 19	JCP	1st Annual Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament	Louisiana Superdome	The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) defeated Ron Garvin and Magnum T.A. in a tournament final[5]
April 20	AWA	WrestleRock 86	Minneapolis, Minnesota	Nick Bockwinkel defeated Stan Hansen (c) by disqualification in a singles match for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship
May 4	WCCW	3rd Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions	Irving, Texas	Steve Simpson, Kerry Von Erich and Lance Von Erich defeated the Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts) (c) in a Lumberjack elimination match for the WCWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship[6]
July 1 – August 2	JCP	The Great American Bash (1986)	Multiple	Various[7]
July 14	WWF	King of the Ring (1986)	Foxborough, Massachusetts	British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) (c) defeated The Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) in a steel cage match for the WWF World Tag Team Championship[8]
August 28		The Big Event	Toronto, Ontario	Hulk Hogan (c) defeated Paul Orndorff via disqualification in a singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship[9]
August 29		Sam Muchnick Memorial Tournament	St. Louis, Missouri	Hulk Hogan (c) and Paul Orndorff fought to a double-disqualification in a singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship[10][11]
September 19	EMLL	EMLL 53rd Anniversary Show	Mexico City, Mexico	Américo Rocca, Tony Salazar and Ringo Mendoza defeated Los Misioneros de la Muerte (El Signo, Negro Navarro and El Texano) in a Lucha de Apuestas triple hair vs. triple hair match[12]
	WWC	WWC 13th Aniversario	Ponce, Puerto Rico	Tony Atlas vs. Hiroshi Wajima in a singles match (result unknown)
September 20			Mayagüez, Puerto Rico	Ric Flair (c) defeated Miguel Perez, Jr. in a singles match for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship
October 12	WCCW	3rd Cotton Bowl Extravaganza	Dallas, Texas	Bruiser Brody defeated Abdullah the Butcher in a steel cage match with guest referee Fritz Von Erich[13][14]
November 27	JCP	Starrcade	Greensboro, North Carolina Atlanta, Georgia	Ric Flair (c) wrestled Nikita Koloff to a double disqualification in a singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship[7]
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

Notable events

• Benjamin Mora Jr. creates the World Wrestling Association (WWA) based out of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.

Tournaments and accomplishments

JCP

Accomplishment	Winner	Date won	Notes
Bunkhouse Stampede	Dusty Rhodes[15][7]
NWA World Television Championship Tournament	Wahoo McDaniel	January 4
Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament	Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal)	April 19

WWF

Accomplishment	Winner	Date won	Notes
King of the Ring	Harley Race	July 14
Sam Muchnick Memorial Tournament	Harley Race	August 29

Slammy Awards

Poll	Winner
Best Personality in Land of a Thousand Dances	"Rowdy" Roddy Piper[16][17][18]
Best Producer	Mona Flambe aka Cyndi Lauper[16][17][18]
Best Commentator	Gene Okerlund[16][17][18]
Most Ignominious	Nikolai Volkoff[16][17][18]
Best Single Performer	Junkyard Dog[16][17][18]

Awards and honors

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Category	Winner
PWI Wrestler of the Year	Ric Flair
PWI Tag Team of the Year	The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson)
PWI Match of the Year	Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes (The Great American Bash)
PWI Feud of the Year	Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff
PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year	Roddy Piper
PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year	Paul Orndorff
PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year	Terry Gordy
PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year	Chris Adams
PWI Rookie of the Year	Lex Luger
PWI Lifetime Achievement	Verne Gagne
PWI Editor's Award	Lou Albano

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Category	Winner
Wrestler of the Year	Ric Flair
Most Outstanding	Ric Flair
Feud of the Year	Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff
Tag Team of the Year	The Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey and Bobby Eaton)
Most Improved	Steve Williams
Best on Interviews	Jim Cornette

Title changes

WWF

WWF World Heavyweight Championship
Incoming champion – Hulk Hogan
Date	Winner	Event/Show	Note(s)
No title changes

WWF Intercontinental Championship
Incoming champion – Tito Santana
Date	Winner	Event/Show	Note(s)
February 8	Randy Savage	House show

WWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship
Incoming champion – Antonio Inoki
Date	Winner	Event/Show	Note(s)
No title changes

WWF Canadian Championship
Incoming champion – Dino Bravo
Date	Winner	Event/Show	Note(s)
January 22	Vacant	N/A

WWF Women's Tag Team Championship
Incoming champions – The Glamour Girls (Leilani Kai and Judy Martin)
Date	Winner	Event/Show	Note(s)
No title changes

WWF Women's Championship
Incoming champion – The Masked Spider Lady (Fabulous Moolah)
Date	Winner	Event/Show	Note(s)
July 3	Velvet McIntyre	Live event
July 9	The Fabulous Moolah	Live event

WWF Tag Team Championship
Incoming champions – The Dream Team (Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine)
Date	Winner	Event/Show	Note(s)
April 7	The British Bulldogs (The British Bulldog and Dynamite Kid)	WrestleMania 2

Births

Seth Rollins

• January 7 - Melanie Cruise
• February 5 – Madison Rayne
• March 1 - Big E Langston
• March 8 - Chad Gable[19]
• March 16 - Kenny Dykstra
• March 28 - Mustafa Ali[20]
• April 5 – Charlotte Flair[21]
• April 23 – Jessie Godderz
• May 28 – Seth Rollins
• May 29 – Hornswoggle
• June 15 - Cezar Bononi
• June 20 - Shadia Bseiso
• June 29
  • Serena
  • Súper Nova
• June 30 – Alicia Fox[22]
• July 17 - Mojo Rawley[23]
• July 19 – Jinder Mahal[24]
• August 16 - Big Cass[25][26][27]
• August 22 - Neville[28]
• September 4 - Xavier Woods
• September 7 – Colin Delaney
• October 7 – Kaitlyn
• November 5 – Alexander Wolfe
• November 6 – Magnus
• November 13 – Act Yasukawa
• November 14 - Kalisto[29]
• November 25 - Karsten Beck (died in 2020)
• December 3 - Wolfgang
• December 8 - Enzo Amore[30]

Debuts

Unknown date

• John Laurinaitis
• Norman Smiley
• Cody Michaels
• Brian Adams
• Doug Gilbert
• Paul Heyman
• Scott Steiner
• Four Horsemen
• The Warlord
• Charles Robinson
• Luna Vachon
• Emily Dole

• February 16 - Kensuke Sasaki
• February 26 - Hiroshi Hase
• April - Jeff Jarrett
• May 24 - Super Parka
• May 30 - Owen Hart
• August 8 - Kaoru Maeda
• August 17
  • Mayumi Ozaki
  • Dynamite Kansai
• September 16 - Aja Kong
• September 18 - Cutie Suzuki
• October - Ron Simmons

Retirements

• Bobby Duncum Sr. (1967 - 1986)
• Don Kent (1956 - 1986)
• Dr. Wagner (July 16, 1961 - April 27, 1986)
• Dick the Bruiser (1954 - 1986)
• Ernie Ladd (1961 - 1986)
• Hubert Gallant (May 2, 1975 - 1986)
• Jacques Rougeau, Sr. (1956 - 1986)
• Kurt Von Hess (September 1968 - 1986)
• Lars Anderson (1965 - 1986)
• Mad Maxine (1984 - 1986)
• Mario Milano (1953 - 1986)
• Maurice Vachon (1950 - 1986)
• Pampero Firpo (1953 - 1986)
• Swede Hanson (1957 - 1986)
• Vivian St. John (August 6, 1974 - 1986)
• Vivian Vachon (1969 - 1986)
• Don Fargo (1952 - 1986)

Deaths

• February 2 – Gino Hernandez,[31] 28
• April 6 – El Solitario,[32] 39
• April 26 – Ángel Blanco,[33][34] 47

See also

• List of WCW pay-per-view events
• List of WWF pay-per-view events

References

1. "411MANIA". The Name on the Marquee: NWA Superstars on the Superstation (2.7.1986). Retrieved 2019-08-21.
2. "WrestleMania II results". Wrestling Supercards and Tournaments. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
3. "WrestleMania II Facts/Stats". WWE. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
4. "WrestleMania 2 review". Gerweck.net. Archived from the original on 2008-06-23. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
5. "1st Annual Crockett Cup". Wrestling Supercards & Tournaments. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
6. "3rd Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions". Pro Wrestling History. May 4, 1986. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
7. Cawthon, Graham; Cornette, Jim (2013-12-25). Sawyer, Grant (ed.). The History of Professional Wrestling: Jim Crockett Promotions & the NWA World Title 1983-1988 (1 ed.). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 9781494803476.
8. WWF King Of The Ring 1986
9. Canoe – Slam! Wrestling – the Big Event 21 years later
10. Matysik, Larry. Wrestling at the Chase: The Inside Story of Sam Muchnick and the Legends of Professional Wrestling. Toronto: ECW Press, 2005. (pg. 213) ISBN 1-55022-684-3
11. "Sam Muchnik Tournament". Misc. Tournaments. ProWrestlingHistory.com.
12. "53rd Anniversary Show". Pro Wrestling History. September 19, 1986. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
13. "3rd Cotton Bowl Extravaganza". Pro Wrestling History. October 12, 1986. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
14. "Historical Cards: 3rd Cotton Bowl Extravaganza (October 12, 1986. Dallas, Texas)". PWI Presents: 2007 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts. Kappa Publications. p. 172. 2007 Edition.
15. "Bunkhouse Stampedes". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
16. "Slammy Awards History". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on 2011-09-08. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
17. "WWF Slammy Awards (1986)". TWNP News. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
18. "WWF Slammy Awards (1986)". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
19. "Chad Gable: Profile & Match Listing". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
20. "Mustafa Ali". Cagematch. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
21. "Charlotte". NXT Wrestling. Archived from the original on August 30, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
22. "Alicia Fox". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
23. "Mojo Rawley: Profile & Match Listing". profightdb.
24. "ラジャ・シン". Inoki Genome Federation (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2015-06-21. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
25. "Colin Cassady: Profile & Match Listing". profightdb. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
26. "Interview on From the Top Rope Ep20". Barstool Sports.
27. "Colin Cassady – old NXT profile". NXT Wrestling. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
28. "OWOW profile". Archived from the original on 2009-08-20. Retrieved 2017-12-26.
29. Hoekstra, Dave (May 2, 2012). "Viva Vavoom! Extravaganza blends Mexican masked wrestling, comedy". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
30. "Enzo Amore: Profile & Match Listing". profightdb. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
31. Kristian Pope & Ray Whebbe (2003). The Encyclopedia of Professional Wrestling: 100 Years of History, Headlines & Hitmakers (2nd ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0-87349-625-4.
32. "History of El Solitario". Archived from the original on 2008-12-07. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
33. Madigan, Dan (2007). "Ángel Blanco". Mondo Lucha a Go-Go: the bizarre and honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling. HarperColins Publisher. pp. 102–105. ISBN 978-0-06-085583-3.
34. Centinela, Teddy (April 27, 2015). "En un día como hoy… 1986: Fallece El Ángel Blanco en trágico accidente — Rudy Reyna triunfa en Pachuca". SuperLuchas Magazine (in Spanish). Retrieved July 1, 2015.