1996 in professional wrestling

List of years in professional wrestling

1996 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.

Calendar of notable live events

January

Promotion(s) Event Date Venue Location Attendance
NJPW Wrestling World 1996 January 4 Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan 54,000
ECW House Party (1996) January 5 ECW Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1,150
WWF Royal Rumble (1996) January 21 Selland Arena Fresno, California 9,600[1]

February

Promotion(s) Event Date Venue Location Attendance
ECW Big Apple Blizzard Blast February 3 Lost Battalion Hall Queens, New York N/A
N/A First Annual Eddie Gilbert Memorial Show February 3 The Armory Cherry Hill, New Jersey N/A
WCW SuperBrawl VI February 11 Bayfront Arena Petersburg, Florida 7,200
ECW CyberSlam (1996) February 17 ECW Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1,300
WWF In Your House 6 February 18 Louisville Gardens Louisville, Kentucky 5,500[2]
CMLL La Copa Junior Tournament February 23-March 1 Arena México Mexico City, Mexico N/A[3]
ECW Just Another Night February 23 Briarcliffe Fieldhouse Glenolden, Pennsylvania N/A

March

Promotion(s) Event Date Venue Location Attendance
ECW Big Ass Extreme Bash March 8 Lost Battalion Hall Queens, New York N/A
CMLL Homenaje a Salvador Lutteroth March 22 Arena México Mexico City, Mexico N/A[4]
WCW Uncensored (1996) March 24 Tupelo Coliseum Tupelo, Mississippi 9,000
WWF WrestleMania XII March 31 Arrowhead Pond Anaheim, California 18,853[5]

April

Promotion(s) Event Date Venue Location Attendance
FMW Yamato Nadeshiko III April 4 Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium Osaka, Japan N/A
ECW Massacre On Queens Boulevard April 13 Lost Battalion Hall Queens, New York N/A
CMLL 40. Aniversario de Arena México April 19 Arena México Mexico City, Mexico N/A[6]
ECW Hostile City Showdown (1996) April 20 ECW Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1,075
WWF In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies April 28 Omaha Civic Auditorium Omaha, Nebraska 9,563[7]

May

Promotion(s) Event Date Venue Location Attendance
FMW FMW 7th Anniversary Show May 5 Kawasaki Stadium Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan 33,231
AAA Triplemanía IV-A May 11 International Amphitheatre Chicago, Illinois 2,676
ECW A Matter of Respect (1996) May 11 ECW Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1,075
WCW Slamboree (1996) May 19 Riverside Centroplex Baton Rouge, Louisiana 7,791
WWF In Your House 8: Beware of Dog May 26
May 28		 Florence Civic Center
North Charleston Coliseum		 Florence, South Carolina
North Charleston, South Carolina		 6,000[8]
4,500[9]

June

Promotion(s) Event Date Venue Location Attendance
ECW Fight the Power June 1 ECW Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1,000
N/A First Annual Ilio DiPaolo Memorial Show June 7 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Buffalo, New York N/A
CMLL Torneo Gran Alternativa June 7 Arena México Mexico City, Mexico N/A[10]
AAA Triplemanía IV-B June 15 Orizaba Bullring Orizaba, Veracruz 7,000
WCW The Great American Bash (1996) June 16 Baltimore Arena Baltimore, Maryland 9,000
ECW Hardcore Heaven (1996) June 22 ECW Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1,250[11]
WWF King of the Ring (1996) June 23 MECCA Arena Milwaukee, Wisconsin 8,762[12]
N/A Fourth Annual Rikidozan Memorial Show June 30 Yokohama Arena Yokohama, Japan N/A

July

Promotion(s) Event Date Venue Location Attendance
CMLL International Gran Prix July 5 Arena México Mexico City, Mexico N/A[13]
CWA Euro Catch Festival in Graz (1996) July 6 Eisstadion Liebenau Graz, Austria 4,000
WCW Bash at the Beach (1996) July 7 Ocean Center Daytona Beach, Florida 8,300[14]
ECW Heat Wave (1996) July 13 ECW Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1,500[11]
WWC WWC 23rd Aniversario July 14 N/A Caguas, Puerto Rico N/A
AAA Triplemanía IV-C July 15 Convention Center Madero, Tamaulipas, Mexico 12,000
WWF In Your House 9: International Incident July 21 General Motors Place Vancouver, British Columbia 14,804

August

Promotion(s) Event Date Venue Location Attendance
FMW Summer Spectacular (1996) August 1 Shiodome Tokyo, Japan 3,580
ECW The Doctor is In August 3 ECW Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania N/A
WCW WCW Hog Wild August 10 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Sturgis, South Dakota 5,000[15]
WWF SummerSlam (1996) August 18 Gund Arena Cleveland, Ohio 17,000
ECW Requiem for a Pitbull August 23 Bodyslams Arena Reading, Pennsylvania N/A
ECW Natural Born Killaz August 24 ECW Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania N/A
WWF Xperience August 24 Exhibition Stadium Toronto, Ontario 21,211[16]

September

Promotion(s) Event Date Venue Location Attendance
ECW Unlucky Lottery September 13 The Flagstaff Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania N/A
ECW When Worlds Collide (1996) September 14 ECW Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania N/A
WCW Fall Brawl (1996) September 15 Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum Winston-Salem, North Carolina 11,300
CMLL CMLL 63rd Anniversary Show September 20
September 27		 Arena México Mexico City, Mexico N/A[17][18]
WWF In Your House 10: Mind Games September 22 CoreStates Center Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 15,000[19]

October

Promotion(s) Event Date Venue Location Attendance
ECW Ultimate Jeopardy (1996) October 5 ECW Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania N/A
WWF In Your House 11: Buried Alive October 20 Market Square Arena Indianapolis, Indiana 9,649[20]
ECW High Incident October 26 ECW Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania N/A
WCW Halloween Havoc (1996) October 27 MGM Grand Garden Arena Paradise, Nevada 10,000

November

Promotion(s) Event Date Venue Location Attendance
CMLL Torneo Gran Alternativa November 15 Arena México Mexico City, Mexico N/A[21]
ECW November to Remember (1996) November 16 ECW Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1,500
WWF Survivor Series (1996) November 17 Madison Square Garden New York, New York 18,647
WCW World War 3 (1996) November 24 Norfolk Scope Norfolk, Virginia 10,314

December

Promotion(s) Event Date Venue Location Attendance
ECW Holiday Hell (1996) December 7 ECW Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1,150
FMW Year End Spectacular (1996) December 11 Komazawa Gymnasium Tokyo, Japan N/A
WWF In Your House 12: It's Time December 15 West Palm Beach Auditorium West Palm Beach, Florida 5,708[22]
CWA Euro Catch Festival in Bremen (1996) December 21 Marquee at the Bürgerweide Bremen, Germany 2,500
WCW Starrcade (1996) December 29 Nashville Municipal Auditorium Nashville, Tennessee 9,030

Notable incidents

Mass Transit Incident

The "Mass Transit incident" was an infamous event in professional wrestling that occurred at an Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) house show on November 23, 1996 at the Wonderland Ballroom in Revere, Massachusetts.[23][24][25] It involved Eric Kulas (1979 – May 12, 2002), an aspiring professional wrestler using the ring name "Mass Transit", being bladed too deeply by New Jack of The Gangstas during a tag-team match. Two of Kulas' arteries were severed; he bled profusely and passed out, and needed to be escorted out of the arena with medical attention. Further controversy arose when it came to light that Kulas had lied to ECW owner and booker Paul Heyman about his age and professional wrestling training. The incident led to a future ECW pay-per-view being cancelled (until Heyman negotiated otherwise), a lawsuit from Kulas' family, and went down as one of the most notorious moments of lore in professional wrestling history.[23][24][25]

Accomplishments and tournaments

WCW

Accomplishment Winner Date won Notes
Lord Of The Ring Tournament Diamond Dallas Page May 19
World War 3 The Giant November 24
WCW United States Championship Tournament Eddie Guerrero December 29
WCW Women's Championship Tournament Akira Hokuto December 29

WWF

Accomplishment Winner Date won Notes
Royal Rumble Shawn Michaels January 21
WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament The Bodydonnas March 31
Kuwait Cup Ahmed Johnson May 12
King of the Ring Stone Cold Steve Austin June 23
WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament Marc Mero September 23
Middle East Cup Bret Hart December 2

WWF Hall of Fame

Category Inductee Inducted by
Individual "Baron" Mikel Scicluna Gorilla Monsoon
"Captain" Lou Albano Joe Franklin
Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka Don Muraco
Johnny Rodz Arnold Skaaland
Killer Kowalski Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Pat Patterson Bret Hart
Vincent J. McMahon Shane McMahon
Group The Valiant Brothers Tony Garea

Slammy Awards

Poll Results
Best Buns Sunny[26]
Best Slammin' Jammin' Entrance Shawn Michaels[27][28][29]
"Put A Fork in Him, He's Done" (Best Finisher) Bret Hart – Sharpshooter[27][28][29]
Crime of the Century Vader's assault on WWF President Gorilla Monsoon[27][28][29]
New Sensation of the Squared Circle Ahmed Johnson[27][28][29]
I'm Talking and I Can't Shut Up for Biggest Mouth Jerry Lawler[27][28][29]
Best Threads Shawn Michaels[27][28][29]
Blue Light Special for Worst Dresser Jim Cornette[27][28][29]
WWF's Greatest Hit The Undertaker drags Diesel into the abyss[27][28][29]
Minds Behind the Mayhem for Manager of the Year Sunny[27][28][29]
Lifetime Achievement Award Freddie Blassie[27][28][29]
Most Embarrassing Moment Jerry Lawler kisses his own foot[27][28][29]
Squared Circle Shocker Shawn Michaels collapses (Owen Hart accepts the award for making Shawn collapse)[27][28][29][30]
Master of Mat Mechanics Shawn Michaels[27][28][29]
Best Music Video Bret Hart[27][28][29]
US West Match of the Year Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon in a ladder match from SummerSlam '95[27][28][29]
Which WWF World Heavyweight Champion, past or present, in attendance, is Hall of Fame bound? Bret Hart[27][28][29]
Leader of the New Generation Shawn Michaels[27][28][29]

Awards and honors

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Category Winner
PWI Wrestler of the Year The Giant
PWI Tag Team of the Year Harlem Heat
(Booker T and Stevie Ray)
PWI Match of the Year Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XII)
PWI Feud of the Year Eric Bischoff vs. Vince McMahon
PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year Shawn Michaels
PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year Hollywood Hogan
PWI Comeback of the Year Sycho Sid
PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year Ahmed Johnson
PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year Jake Roberts
PWI Rookie of the Year The Giant
PWI Lifetime Achievement Danny Hodge
PWI Editor's Award Sunny

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

Category Winner
Wrestler of the Year Kenta Kobashi
Most Outstanding Rey Misterio Jr.
Feud of the Year New World Order vs. World Championship Wrestling
Tag Team of the Year Mitsuharu Misawa and Jun Akiyama
Most Improved Diamond Dallas Page
Best on Interviews Stone Cold Steve Austin

Title changes

ECW

Incoming champion – The Sandman
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 27 Raven Live event
October 5 The Sandman Ultimate Jeopardy
December 7 Raven Holiday Hell
Incoming champion – Mikey Whipwreck
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 5 2 Cold Scorpio House Party
May 11 Shane Douglas A Matter of Respect
June 1 Pitbull #2 Fight the Power
June 22 Chris Jericho Hardcore Heaven
July 13 Shane Douglas Heat Wave
Incoming champions – Cactus Jack and Mikey Whipwreck
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
February 3 The Eliminators
(Kronus and Saturn)		 Big Apple Blizzard Blast
August 3 The Gangstas
(Mustapha Saed and New Jack)		 Doctor Is In
December 20 The Eliminators
(Kronus and Saturn)		 Hardcore TV #193

FMW

FMW Double Championship
Incoming champion – The Gladiator
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 5 Vacant FMW
February 23 Super Leather FMW
May 27 The Gladiator FMW
FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship
Incoming champions – Lethal Weapon (Hisakatsu Oya and Horace Boulder)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 5 The Faces of Dead
(Super Leather and Jason the Terrible)		 FMW
March 30 The Headhunters (A and B) FMW
FMW Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship
Incoming champion – Koji Nakagawa
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
May 5 Taka Michinoku 7th Anniversary Show
FMW Women's Championship
Incoming champion – Combat Toyoda
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
May 5 Megumi Kudo 7th Anniversary Show
FMW World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship
Incoming champions – N/A
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
May 5 Puerto Rican Army
(Super Leather, Headhunter A and Headhunter B)		 7th Anniversary Show
June 28 Masato Tanaka, Koji Nakagawa and Tetsuhiro Kuroda FMW
November 16 Funk Masters of Wrestling
(Hisakatsu Oya, Headhunter A and Headhunter B)		 FMW

NJPW

Incoming champion – Keiji Mutoh
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 4 Nobuhiko Takada Wrestling World 1996
April 29 Shinya Hashimoto Battle Formation
Incoming champions – Junji Hirata and Shinya Hashimoto)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
June 12 Kazuo Yamazaki and Takashi Iizuka Best of the Super Jr. III
July 16 Cho-Ten
(Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Masahiro Chono)		 Summer Struggle 1996
Incoming champion – Koji Kanemoto
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 4 Jushin Thunder Liger Wrestling World 1996
April 29 The Great Sasuke Battle Formation
October 11 Ultimo Dragon Live event

WCW

Incoming champion – Ric Flair
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 22 Randy Savage Nitro
February 11 Ric Flair SuperBrawl VI
April 22 The Giant Nitro
August 10 Hollywood Hogan Hog Wild
Incoming champion – N/A
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
March 20 Shinjiro Otani Hyper Battle 1996 Defeated Wild Pegasus in tournament final to determine the new WCW Cruiserweight Champion.
This was a New Japan Pro-Wrestling event.
May 2 Dean Malenko WorldWide
July 8 Rey Misterio, Jr. Nitro
October 27 Dean Malenko Halloween Havoc
December 29 Ultimate Dragon Starrcade
Incoming champion – One Man Gang
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 29 Konnan Nitro
July 7 Ric Flair Bash at the Beach
November 25 Vacant Nitro Vacated due to Ric Flair suffering a shoulder injury
December 29 Eddie Guerrero Starrcade Defeated Diamond Dallas Page in a tournament final
Incoming champion – N/A
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
December 29 Akira Hokuto Starrcade Defeated Madusa in a tournament final to become inaugural champion
Incoming champion – Johnny B. Badd
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
February 17 Lex Luger House show
February 18 Johnny B. Badd House show
March 6 Lex Luger Saturday Night
August 20 Lord Steven Regal Saturday Night
Incoming champions – Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 22 Sting and Lex Luger Nitro
June 24 Harlem Heat
(Booker T and Stevie Ray)		 Nitro
July 24 The Steiner Brothers
(Rick and Scott Steiner)		 House show
July 27 Harlem Heat
(Booker T and Stevie Ray)		 House show
September 23 The Public Enemy
(Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock)		 Nitro
October 1 Harlem Heat
(Booker T and Stevie Ray)		 Saturday Night Aired on tape delay on October 5.
October 27 The Outsiders
(Kevin Nash and Scott Hall)		 Halloween Havoc

WWF

Incoming champion – Bret Hart
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
March 31 Shawn Michaels WrestleMania XII It was a 60-minute Iron Man match that went into sudden death with the score 0-0.
November 17 Sycho Sid Survivor Series
Incoming champion – Razor Ramon
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 21 Goldust Royal Rumble
April 1 Vacant Raw Held up when a title defense against Savio Vega ended in a no contest
April 1 Goldust Raw Defeated Savio Vega in a rematch for the vacant title
June 23 Ahmed Johnson King of the Ring
August 12 Vacant Raw Ahmed Johnson forfeited the title after being attacked by the debuting Faarooq after winning an 11-man battle royal
September 23 Marc Mero Raw Defeated Faarooq in a tournament final
October 21 Hunter Hearst Helmsley Raw
Incoming champions – The Smoking Gunns (Billy and Bart Gunn)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
February 15 Vacated House show Vacated when Billy Gunn suffered a neck injury
March 31 The Bodydonnas
(Skip and Zip)		 WrestleMania XII Defeated The Godwinns in a tournament final
May 19 The Godwinns
(Henry O. and Phineas I. Godwinn)		 House show
May 26 The Smoking Gunns
(Billy and Bart Gunn)		 In Your House 8: Beware of Dog
September 22 Owen Hart and The British Bulldog In Your House 10: Mind Games
Incoming champion – The Ringmaster
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
May 28 Abandoned N/A

Debuts

  • Uncertain debut date

Retirements

Deaths

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1996 results". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  2. ↑ "Historical Cards: In Your House 6 (February 18, 1996. Louisville, Kentucky)". PWI Presents: 2007 Wrestling Almanach and book of facts. Kappa Publications. p. 150. 2007 Edition.
  3. ↑ "Copa Junior Tournament 1996". Pro Wrestling History. February 23 – March 31, 1996. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Los Lutteroth / the Lutteroths". Lucha Libre: Masked Superstars of Mexican Wrestling. Distributed Art Publishers, Inc. 2005. pp. 20–27. ISBN 968-6842-48-9.
  5. ↑ Powell, Jason. "Iron Man Match highlights WrestleMania 12". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  6. ↑ Lucha 2000 Staff (April 2006). "Arena México: 50 anos de Lucha Libre". Lucha 2000 (in Spanish). Especial 28.
  7. ↑ "Good Friends, Better Enemies info". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  8. ↑ "Beware of Dog info". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  9. ↑ "Beware of Dog 2 info". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  10. ↑ "CMLL Gran Alternativa #3". Pro Wrestling History. June 7, 1996. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  11. 1 2 Note that this was an internet pay-per-view event (iPPV)
  12. ↑ Martin, Finn (1996-09-15). "Power Slam Magazine, issue 26". International Incident (In Your House 9). SW Publishing. pp. 24–25.
  13. ↑ "Gran Prix Tournament 1996". ProWrestlingHistory.com. July 5, 1996. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  14. ↑ "Bash at the Beach 1996". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  15. ↑ "Hog Wild". Pro Wrestling History. August 10, 1996. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  16. ↑ Canoe – Slam! Wrestling – the Big Event 21 years later
  17. ↑ "63rd Anniversary Show". ProWrestlingHistory. September 20, 1996. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
  18. ↑ "1996 Especial!". Box y Lucha Magazine (in Spanish). January 10, 1997. pp. 2–28. issue 2280.
  19. ↑ "Historical Cards: In Your House 10 (September 22, 1996. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)". PWI Presents: 2007 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts. Kappa Publications. p. 151. 2007 Edition.
  20. ↑ "Historical Cards: In Your House 11 (October 20, 1996. Indianapolis, Indiana)". PWI Presents: 2007 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts. Kappa Publications. p. 151. 2007 Edition.
  21. ↑ "CMLL Gran Alternativa #4". Pro Wrestling History. November 15, 1996. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  22. ↑ "Historical Cards: In Your House 12 (December 15, 1996. West Palm Beach, Florida)". PWI Presents: 2007 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts. Kappa Publications. p. 151. 2007 Edition.
  23. 1 2 Williams, Scott (2006). Hardcore History. Sports Publishing LLC. pp. 106–111. ISBN 978-1-59670-021-5.
  24. 1 2 Loverro, Thom (2006). The Rise and Fall of ECW. Pocket Books. pp. 175–180. ISBN 978-1-4165-1058-1.
  25. 1 2 Assael, Shaun; Mooneyham, Mike (2002). Sex, Lies, and Headlocks. Crown Publishers. pp. 199–200. ISBN 978-0-609-60690-2.
  26. ↑ Bishop, Matt and Matt Mackinder (December 7, 2008). "Bringing back Slammy Awards – a good, bad idea". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Slammy Awards History". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on 2011-09-08. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "WWF Slammy Awards (1996)". TWNP News. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "WWF Slammy Awards (1996)". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  30. ↑ "A history of the Slammy Awards". thesun.co.uk. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  31. ↑ Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. Dorling Kindersley. p. 244. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
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