1993 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.
List of notable promotions
These promotions held notable events in 1993.
Calendar of notable shows
January
February
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Accomplishments and tournaments
AJW
AJPW
ECW
JWP
WCW
WCW Hall of Fame
WWF
WWF Hall of Fame
Awards and honors
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Notable events
- January 9 - WWF Mania aired its first episode on the USA Network with host Todd Pettengill who's making his WWF TV Debut.
- January 11 - WWF Monday Night Raw premiered on the USA Network, its first episode was from the Manhattan Center in New York City
- February 10 - Bill Watts resigned as Executive Vice President of Wrestling Operations for WCW.
- February 12 â Eric Bischoff becomes Executive Producer of all World Championship Wrestling television and Ole Anderson was announced as new Vice President of Wrestling Operations for WCW.
- February 21 â Ric Flair makes his WCW return and Davey Boy Smith makes his WCW debut at WCW SuperBrawl III in Asheville, North Carolina
- February 22 â Hulk Hogan makes his WWF return live on Monday Night Raw.
- February 25 - Jim Ross resigned from WCW.
- April 2 - All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling holds their All-Star Dreamslam event. The event featured multiple inter-promotional matches between AJW, FMW, Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling and JWP Joshi Puroresu.
- April 4 â Jim Ross makes his WWF TV debut at WrestleMania IX
- April 6 - ECW Hardcore TV debuts on SportsChannel Philadelphia.
- April 11 - All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling holds their All-Star Dreamslam 2 event. The event featured multiple inter-promotional matches between AJW, FMW, Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling and JWP Joshi Puroresu and the return of Chigusa Nagayo from retirement.
- April 13 - WCW makes its New York City debut running a live event at the Paramount Theater in New York, NY headlined with Vader defending the WCW World Heavyweight title vs Sting in the main event drawing 3,000.
- July 7 â WCW Worldwide begins taping at Disney/MGM Studios from Orlando, Florida. This taping schedule ran from July 7âÂÂ10 taping matches and footage for airing starting the weekend of August 28âÂÂ29, 1993 which included Ric Flair and Rick Rude wearing the NWA World title, Ricky Steamboat and Lord Steven Regal wearing the WCW TV title and an interview with Paul Roma & Arn Anderson wearing the NWA & WCW world tag team titles and The Nasty Boys managed by Missy Hyatt carrying the NWA World Tag Team titles in the ring.
- September 1 â WCW leaves the National Wrestling Alliance
- September 3 - The NWA Convention was held in Las Vegas, NV, also that same day the ECW joined the NWA becoming NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling.
- October 6 - Mean Gene Okerlund made his WCW debut at a WCW Saturday Night taping in Atlanta, GA (air date November 5)
- October 27 - Both Sid Vicious and Arn Anderson was both hospitalized following a hotel room brawl which saw both wrestlers stabbing each other with a pair of Scissors after an argument at a hotel bar on WCW's tour of Europe.
- November 24 â For the first time ever a non - WWF title changed hands at a WWF pay-per-view when The Heavenly Bodies defeating SMW Tag Team Champions The Rock 'n' Roll Express in a title match at the Survivor Series in Boston, Massachusetts.
- November 30 - The Boss returns to WCW on a WCW Saturday Night taping in Atlanta, GA.
- December 4 â Bobby Heenan was given an on-air farewell on WWF Monday Night Raw when Gorilla Monsoon picked him up and threw him and his belongings out of the arena and onto the street.
Title changes
ECW
NJPW
FMW
WCW
WWF
Births
- January 7 â Darby Allin
- January 31 â Emersyn Jayne
- February 17 â Magnus, Mexican luchador
- February 19 â Mayu Iwatani
- March 4:
- James Drake
- Teoman
- March 5 â Josh Briggs
- March 9 â So Daimonji
- March 26 â Nico Angelo
- March 29 â Stephanie Vaquer
- April 29 â Myla Grace
- May 5 â Saki Kashima
- May 7 â Will Ospreay
- May 20 â Akam, Canadian wrestler
- May 27 â Charles Mason
- June 14 â Esfinge, Mexican luchador
- July 2 â Kamille Brickhouse
- July 13 â Mahiro Kiryu
- July 28:
- Noam Dar, Israeli wrestler
- Sammy Guevara
- August 4 â Henare, New Zealand wrestler
- August 12 â El Soberano, Mexican luchador
- September 8 â Yota Tsuji, Japanese wrestler
- September 9 â Sarah Logan, American female wrestler
- September 23 â U-T Japanese wrestler
- September 24 â Sonya Deville, American female wrestler
- September 30 â Trevor Lee, American wrestler
- October 9 â La Estrella, Japanese wrestler
- October 10 â Ilja Dragunov
- October 23 â 1 Called Manders
- November 6 â Bárbaro Cavernario, Mexican luchador
- November 9 â Pete Dunne
- December 11 â Sonny Kiss
- Unknown
- Gran Guerrero, Mexican luchador
- David Benoit, Canadian-American wrestler and son of Chris Benoit
Debuts
Debut date
Uncertain debut date
*Jeff Bradley
*Tom Howard
*Nelson Frazier, Jr.
*Joey Styles
*Doug Basham
*Tammy Sytch
*Sgt. Craig Pittman
*Johnny Swinger
*Carl Malenko
* The Spellbinder
Retirements
Deaths
- January 27 - André the Giant, French wrestler (b. 1946)
- January 31 - Joe McHugh, WWWF announcer (b. 1904)
- February 18 - Kerry Von Erich, American wrestler (b. 1960)
- March 10 - Dino Bravo, Canadian wrestler (b. 1948)
- March 25 - Wally Karbo, American wrestling promoter (b. 1915)
- April 18 - Masahiko Kimura, Japanese wrestler (b. 1917)
- April 22 - Chief Big Heart, American wrestler (b. 1927)
- May 25 - D.J. Peterson, American wrestler (b. 1959)
- June 7 - Don Kent, American wrestler (b. 1933)
- July 19 - Bruno Elrington, British wrestler (b. 1929)
- October 13 - Espectro, Mexican luchador (b. 1934)
- October 26 - Oro, Mexican luchador (b. 1971)
- November 1 - Pinkie George (b. 1905)
- November 13 - Rufus R. Jones, American wrestler (b. 1933)
- December 8 - Frank Hickey, American wrestler (b. 1915)
- December 10 - Hurcan Castillo, Puerto Rican wrestler (b. unknown)
- December 13 - Larry Cameron, American wrestler (b. 1952)
See also
References