1983 in professional wrestling
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1983 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.
List of notable promotions
These promotions held notable shows in 1983.
| Promotion Name | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| American Wrestling Association | AWA |
| Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre | EMLL |
| Jim Crockett Promotions | JCP |
| World Wrestling Council | WWC |
Calendar of notable shows
| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 22 | EMLL
|
27. Aniversario de Arena México | Mexico City, Mexico | Super Halcón (c) defeated Pirata Morgan in a best two-out-of-three falls match for the Mexican National Heavyweight Championship[1] |
| April 24 | AWA | AWA Super Sunday | St. Paul, Minnesota
|
special guest referee
|
| June 2 | NJPW | IWGP League | Tokyo, Japan
|
Hulk Hogan defeated Antonio Inoki |
| June 10 | MLW | Night of the Champions | Toronto, Ontario
|
NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race by disqualification
|
| July 4 | JCP | NWA/WWF World Title Unification | Atlanta, Georgia
|
WWF World Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund to a double count-out
|
| July 24 | MLW | Return of the Champions | Toronto, Ontario
|
special guest referee
|
| September 17 | WWC | WWC 10th Aniversario | San Juan, Puerto Rico | André the Giant defeated Abdullah the Butcher via countout |
| September 23 | EMLL
|
EMLL 50th Anniversary Show | Mexico City, Mexico
|
Lucha de Apuestas Hair vs. Hair match[2]
|
| October 23 | JCP | The Last Battle of Atlanta | Atlanta, Georgia
|
Tommy Rich defeated Buzz Sawyer in a Steel Cage Match with Paul Ellering suspended above the cage |
| November 24 | JCP | Starrcade
|
Greensboro, North Carolina | NWA World Heavyweight Championship with Gene Kiniski as special guest referee[3]
|
| December 8 | NJPW
|
MSG Tag League | Tokyo, Japan
|
Antonio Inoki and Hulk Hogan defeated Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch |
| December 9 | EMLL
|
Juicio Final | Mexico City, Mexico
|
Lucha de Apuestas, mask vs. mask match[4]
|
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) | ||||
Notable events
- January 22: The Don Muraco-Pedro Morales rivalry reached its peak at Madison Square Garden in New York City when Muraco pinned Morales to become the new WWF Intercontinental champion.
- March 8: The Wild Samoans defeated Jules Strongbow and Chief Jay Strongbow to win their 3rd WWF Tag Team Championship on WWF Championship Wrestling.
- March 10–11: The WWF holds its first ever live events outside the Northeast in San Diego and Los Angeles, California
- The WWF now fully owned by Vince McMahon seceded from the National Wrestling Alliance at the annual NWA Convention.
- September 4: WWF All-American Wrestling debut on the USA Network
- November 15: The Wild Samoanson WWE Championship Wrestling.
- December 26: New York, NY
Accomplishments and tournaments
AJW
| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rookie of the Year Decision Tournament | Keiko Nakano |
AJPW
| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lou Thesz Cup 1983 | Shiro Koshinaka | April 22 |
NJPW
| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| IWGP League | Hulk Hogan | June 4 | defeated Antonio Inoki in the finals |
Awards and honors
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
PWI Wrestler of the Year
|
Harley Race |
PWI Tag Team of the Year
|
) |
PWI Match of the Year
|
Ric Flair vs. Harley Race |
PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year
|
Jimmy Snuka |
PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year
|
Greg Valentine |
PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year
|
Brett Wayne Sawyer
|
PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year
|
Hulk Hogan |
PWI Rookie of the Year
|
Angelo Mosca Jr. |
PWI Manager of the Year
|
J. J. Dillon |
PWI Editor's Award
|
The Grand Wizard |
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Wrestler of the Year | Ric Flair |
| Feud of the Year | The Von Erichs
|
| Tag Team of the Year | Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood |
| Most Improved | Curt Hennig |
| Best on Interviews | Roddy Piper |
Births
- Date of birth uncertain:
- January 8 – Chris Masters
- January 18 - Adam Thornstowe
- January 21 – Maryse Ouellet[5]
- January 30 – Rockstar Spud[6]
- February 10:
- February 21 – Wes Brisco
- February 25 - Steven Lewington
- March 1 - Davey Richards
- March 17 - Timothy Thatcher
- March 18 – Ethan Carter III
- March 19 – Evan Bourne
- March 26 - Mike Mondo
- March 30 – Zach Gowen
- April 2 - Scorpio Sky
- April 5:
- April 9 - Hade Vansen
- April 27 - Lacey
- May 1 - Human Tornado
- May 7 - Tanga Loa
- May 11 - Daizee Haze
- May 15 - Tom Lawlor
- May 18 - Matt Riviera
- May 19 - Chris Van Vliet
- May 21 – Leva Bates
- May 23 – Alex Shelley
- June 23 - Brandi Rhodes
- July 11 - Marcus Louis
- July 15 – Heath Slater[7]
- July 24 - Joey Kovar (died in 2012)
- July 26 – Roderick Strong[8]
- August 3 - Ladybeard
- August 8 - Rampage Brown
- August 23 – J.C. Bailey(died in 2010)
- August 24 – Tino Sabbatelli
- September 6:
- September 16 – Jennifer Blake
- September 22 - Absolute Andy (died in 2023)
- September 30 - Pacman Jones
- October 1 – Robbie E
- October 8 – Hiro Tonai
- October 16 – Kenny Omega
- October 19 – Robert Evans[10]
- October 22 – Taya Valkyrie
- November 2 – Darren Young
- November 8 - Lucky Cannon
- November 11 – Kristal Marshall
- November 21:
- November 25 - Kirby Mack
- November 28 – Summer Rae
- November 28 - Gota Ihashi
- November 29 - Rosemary
- December 15 – Rene Dupree
- December 16 :
- Kris Travis (died in 2016)
- Jigsaw
- December 22 – Luke Gallows[12]
- December 29 - El Desperado (wrestler)
- December 30 - Eddie Edwards
Debuts
- Uncertain debut date
- Scott Armstrong
- Desiree Petersen
- William Regal
- Rick Steiner
- Ben Bassarab
- Ramón Álvarez (wrestler)
- Bull Nakano
- Dan Spivey
- Yumi Ogura (All Japan Women)
- March 5 - Cueball Carmichael
- June 6 - Road Warrior Hawk
- June 12 - Bestia Salvaje
- June 24 - Mick Foley and Kanako Nagatomo (All Japan Women's)
- September 23 - Tommy Ran (All Japan Women's) and Mika Komatsu (All Japan Women's)
Retirements
- Dean Ho (1962 - 1983)
- Mikel Scicluna (1953 - 1983)
Deaths
- February 7 - Miguel Ángel Delgado, 35
- March 6 - Mayes McLain, 77
- May 10 - Frank Tunney, 70
- May 25 - Johnny Rougeau, 53
- May 31 - Jack Dempsey, 87
- October 12 - The Grand Wizard,[13] 57
- December 9 - Earl McCready, 78
See also
- List of WCW pay-per-view events
References
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "50th Anniversary Show". Pro Wrestling History. September 23, 1983. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
- ^ "Flair defeats Race for wrestling title". Greensboro Daily News. 1983-11-25. p. D3. Archived from the original on 2012-02-13. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
A sellout crowd of 15,447 was on hand for the night's competition.
- ^ "EMLL Super Viernes – Juicio Final 1983". Wrestling Data. December 9, 1983. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the originalon June 30, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
- ^ "Spud". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on 2011-10-27. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
- ^ "Heath Slater". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
- ^ "Roderick Strong". Retrieved May 30, 2007.
- ^ "Braun Strowman". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ^ ""The Essence of Excellence" Robert Evans". Anarchy Championship Wrestling. Blogger. July 1, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
- ^ a b "The Bella Twins". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved March 31, 2009.
- ^ 『ワールドタッグ』出場チーム決定!! 内藤＆ソンブラ! コンウェイ＆ダンも参戦! アンダーソンは"新顔"ドク・ギャローズとタッグ結成!! (in Japanese). New Japan Pro-Wrestling. November 11, 2013. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
- ^ Slagle, Steve. "The Grand Wizard". Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on January 25, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2017.