1991 in professional wrestling

1991 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.

List of years in professional wrestling

List of notable promotions

These promotions held notable shows in 1991.

Promotion Name Abbreviation Notes
Catch Wrestling Association CWA
Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre/Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre EMLL/CMLL During the fall, EMLL was renamed to CMLL.
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling FMW
New Japan Pro-Wrestling NJPW
Universal Wrestling Association UWA
Universal Wrestling Federation UWF
World Championship Wrestling WCW
World Wrestling Council WWC
World Wrestling Federation WWF

Calendar of notable shows
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
January 19 WWF Royal Rumble Miami, Florida
January 27 UWA UWA 16th Anniversary Show Naucalpan, Mexico
February 24 WCW WrestleWar Phoenix, Arizona [1]
March 21 WCW
NJPW		 WCW/New Japan Supershow I Tokyo, Japan
March 24 WWF WrestleMania VII Los Angeles, California
April 24 WWF UK Rampage London, England
May 19 WCW SuperBrawl I St. Petersburg, Florida [2][3]
June 9 UWF Beach Brawl Palmetto, Florida
July 6 WWC WWC 18th Aniversario Bayamón, Puerto Rico
July 14 WCW The Great American Bash Baltimore, Maryland
August 26 WWF SummerSlam New York City, New York
September 7 King of the Ring Providence, Rhode Island
September 8 EMLL EMLL 58th Anniversary Show Mexico City, Mexico [4]
September 23 FMW FMW 2nd Anniversary Show Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
October 3 WWF Battle Royal at the Albert Hall London, England
October 27 WCW Halloween Havoc Chattanooga, Tennessee
November 27 WWF Survivor Series Detroit, Michigan
December 3 This Tuesday in Texas San Antonio, Texas [5]
December 13 CMLL Juicio Final Mexico City, Mexico [6]
December 21 CWA Euro Catch Festival Bremen, Germany
December 29 WCW Starrcade Norfolk, Virginia [7]
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

Accomplishments and tournaments

WCW
Accomplishment Winner Date won Notes
WCW United States Championship Tournament Sting August 25
WCW World Tag Team Championship Tournament The Enforcers (Arn Anderson and Larry Zbyszko) September 5
WCW Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament Brian Pillman October 27

WWF
Accomplishment Winner Date won Notes
Royal Rumble Hulk Hogan January 19
King of the Ring Bret Hart September 7

Awards and honors

Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Main article: List of Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards
Category Winner
PWI Wrestler of the Year Hulk Hogan
PWI Tag Team of the Year The Enforcers
(Arn Anderson and Larry Zbyszko)
PWI Match of the Year The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) vs. Sting and Lex Luger (SuperBrawl I)
PWI Feud of the Year The Ultimate Warrior vs. The Undertaker
PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year Sting
PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year Sgt. Slaughter
PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year Dustin Rhodes
PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year The Patriot
PWI Rookie of the Year Johnny B. Badd
PWI Lifetime Achievement The Fabulous Moolah
PWI Editor's Award Bobby Heenan

Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Main article: List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
Category Winner
Wrestler of the Year Jumbo Tsuruta
Most Outstanding Jushin Thunder Liger
Feud of the Year Mitsuharu Misawa and company vs. Jumbo Tsuruta and company
Tag Team of the Year Mitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada
Most Improved Dustin Rhodes
Best on Interviews Ric Flair

Title changes

WWF
WWF World Heavyweight Championship
Incoming champion – The Ultimate Warrior
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 19 Sgt. Slaughter Royal Rumble
March 24 Hulk Hogan WrestleMania VII
November 27 The Undertaker Survivor Series
December 3 Hulk Hogan This Tuesday in Texas
December 4 Vacant Superstars of Wrestling Hogan was stripped of the title by WWF President Jack Tunney due to the controversy surrounding both of the previous title changes. It aired on tape delay on December 7, 1991.
WWF Intercontinental Championship
Incoming champion – Mr. Perfect
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
August 26 Bret Hart SummerSlam
WWF Intercontinental Tag Team Championship
(Title created)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 7 Perro Aguayo and Gran Hamada N/A Later abandoned in 1991.
WWF Tag Team Championship
Incoming champions – The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
March 24 The Nasty Boys
(Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags)		 WrestleMania VII
August 26 The Legion of Doom
(Animal and Hawk)		 SummerSlam
Million Dollar Championship
Incoming champion – Ted DiBiase
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
August 26 Virgil SummerSlam
November 11 Ted DiBiase Survivor Series Showdown This program aired on tape delay on November 24, 1991.

WCW
WCW World Heavyweight Championship
(Title created)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 11 Ric Flair House show Defeated Sting for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. WCW began recognizing Flair as WCW World Heavyweight Champion while still using the NWA belt (i.e. the Big Gold Belt)
WWE recognizes this reign as an NWA world title reign (and not a WCW one)
July 1 Vacant Ric Flair left for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was stripped of the title. When Flair left, he took the Big Gold Belt, which represented the NWA and WCW world titles, with him.
July 14 Lex Luger The Great American Bash
WCW United States Heavyweight Championship
Incoming champion – Lex Luger
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
July 14 Vacant The Great American Bash Vacated when Lex Luger won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
August 25 Sting House show Defeated Steve Austin in a tournament final
November 19 Rick Rude Clash of the Champions XVII
WCW United States Tag Team Championship
Incoming champions – The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
April 6 Vacant World Wide Wrestling
May 19 The Fabulous Freebirds
(Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes)		 SuperBrawl Defeated The Young Pistols for the vacant title
August 12 The Patriots
(Todd Champion and Firebreaker Chip)		 World Championship Wrestling
November 5 The Young Pistols
(Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers)		 Main Event
WCW World Television Championship
Incoming champion – The Z-Man
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 7 Arn Anderson World Wide Wrestling
May 19 Bobby Eaton SuperBrawl
June 3 Steve Austin World Wide Wrestling
WCW Light Heavyweight Championship
(Title created)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
October 27 Brian Pillman Halloween Havoc Defeated Richard Morton in the finals of a tournament to decide the inaugural champion.
December 25 Jushin Thunder Liger House show
WCW World Tag Team Championship
Incoming champions – Doom (Ron Simmons and Butch Reed)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
February 24 The Fabulous Freebirds
(Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes)		 WrestleWar
February 18 The Steiner Brothers
(Rick and Scott Steiner)		 Pro
July 20 Vacant WCW
September 5 The Enforcers
(Arn Anderson and Larry Zbyszko)		 Clash of the Champions XVI: Fall Brawl
November 19 Ricky Steamboat and Dustin Rhodes Clash of the Champions XVII
WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championship
(Title created)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
February 17 Junkyard Dog, Ricky Morton and Tommy Rich House show
June 3 The Fabulous Freebirds
(Brad Armstrong, Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes)		 WCW Main Event Aired on June 30
August 5 Big Josh, Dustin Rhodes and Tom Zenk WCW Worldwide Aired on August 24
October 8 The York Foundation
(Richard Morton, Thomas Rich and Terrance Taylor)		 WCW Main Event Aired on November 10
December 1 Deactivated N/A

Births

Debuts
  • Uncertain debut date
  • May 5 - Hayabusa
  • November 20 - Disco Inferno

Retirements

Deaths
  • January 21 – Nick Gulas, American wrestling promoter (b. 1914)
  • June 30 – Hisao Tanaka, Japanese wrestler (b. 1921)
  • August 25 – Vivian Vachon, Canadian wrestler (b. 1951)
  • September 12 – Chris Von Erich, American wrestler (b. 1969)
  • October 31 – Gene Anderson, American wrestler (b. 1939)
  • November 10 – Dick the Bruiser, American wrestler (b. 1929)
  • November 12 – Ripper Collins, American wrestler (b. 1933)
  • December 25 – Wilbur Snyder, American wrestler (b. 1929)

See also

References
  1. "WrestlWar 1991". Pro Wrestling History. February 24, 1991. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  2. "Historical Cards: SuperBrawl I (May 19, 1991. St. Petersburg, Florida)". PWI Presents: 2007 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts. Kappa Publications. p. 156. 2007 Edition.
  3. "SuperBrawl "Return of the Rising Sun"". Pro Wrestling History. May 19, 1991. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  4. "58th Anniversary Show". Pro Wrestling History. September 8, 1991. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
  5. "WWF This Tuesday in Texas results/info". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
  6. "Juicio Final con Aníbal". Box y Lucha Magazine (in Spanish) (#1970): 3–4. December 20, 1991.
  7. Adamson, Matt (2008-02-18). "Going Old School: Starrcade '91". 411mania. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  8. "Internet Wrestling Database". Retrieved 2012-07-11.
  9. "Nikola Bogojevic". teamusa.org. Retrieved 2016-09-03.
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