1996 in professional wrestling

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

List of notable promotions

These promotions held notable events in 1996.

Promotion Name Abbreviation Notes
Catch Wrestling Association CWA
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre CMLL
Extreme Championship Wrestling ECW
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling FMW
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide AAA The "AAA" abbreviation has been used since the mid-1990s and had previously stood for the promotion's original name Asistencia Asesoría y Administración.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling NJPW
World Championship Wrestling WCW
World Wrestling Council WWC
World Wrestling Federation WWF

Calendar of notable shows

January

Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
January 4 NJPW Wrestling World 1996 Tokyo, Japan Nobuhiko Takada defeated Keiji Mutoh (c) in a Singles match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship
January 5 ECW House Party Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States The Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock) defeated The Gangstas (Mustafa Saed and New Jack) in a tag team street fight
January 21 WWF Royal Rumble Fresno, California, United States The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) defeated Bret Hart (c) by disqualification in a Singles match for the WWF Championship[1]
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

February

Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
February 3 ECW Big Apple Blizzard Blast Queens, New York, United States 2 Cold Scorpio and the Sandman defeated the Gangstas (Mustafa and New Jack) by pinfall in a tag team match
February 3 N/A First Annual Eddie Gilbert Memorial Show Cherry Hill, New Jersey, United States Dan Severn (c) defeated Al Snow in a Singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
February 11 WCW SuperBrawl VI St. Petersburg, Florida, United States Hulk Hogan defeated The Giant (with Jimmy Hart and The Taskmaster) in a Steel Cage match
February 17 ECW CyberSlam Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Raven (c) (with Kimona Wanalaya, Stevie Richards and The Blue Meanie) defeated The Sandman (with Missy Hyatt) in a Singles match for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship
February 18 WWF In Your House 6 Louisville, Kentucky, United States Bret Hart (c) defeated Diesel by escaping the cage in a Steel Cage match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship[2]
February 23-March 1 CMLL La Copa Junior Tournament Mexico City, Mexico La Fiera defeated Scorpió Jr. in a 1996 La Copa Junior first round match[3]
February 23 ECW Just Another Night Glenolden, Pennsylvania, United States Raven (c) (with the Blue Meanie, Kimona Wanalaya, and Stevie Richards) defeated Shane Douglas by pinfall in a Singles match for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

March

Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
March 8 ECW Big Ass Extreme Bash Queens, New York, United States Night 1: Raven (c) (with the Blue Meanie, Kimona Wanalaya, and Stevie Richards) defeated The Sandman (with Missy Hyatt) by pinfall in a Singles match for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship
Night 2: The Gangstas (Mustafa and New Jack) defeated The Headhunters (Headhunter A and Headhunter B) (with Damian Kane and Lady Alexandra) and 2 Cold Scorpio and the Sandman (with Missy Hyatt) by pinfall in a three-way tag team elimination match
March 22 CMLL Homenaje a Salvador Lutteroth Mexico City, Mexico Rambo defeated El Brazo in a Best two-out-of-three falls Lucha de Apuestas, Hair vs. Hair match[4]
March 24 WCW Uncensored Tupelo, Mississippi, United States Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage defeated Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Meng, The Barbarian, Lex Luger, The Taskmaster, Z-Gangsta and The Ultimate Solution (with Woman, Miss Elizabeth and Jimmy Hart) via Pinfall in a Doomsday Cage match
March 31 WWF WrestleMania XII Anaheim, California, United States Shawn Michaels (with José Lothario) defeated Bret Hart (c) 1–0 in sudden death overtime in a 60-minute Iron Man match for the WWF Championship[5]
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

April

Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
April 4 FMW Yamato Nadeshiko III Osaka, Japan Chigusa Nagayo and Combat Toyoda defeated KAORU and Megumi Kudo in a tag team match
April 13 ECW Massacre On Queens Boulevard Queens, New York, United States The Gangstas (Mustafa and New Jack) defeated the Headhunters (Headhunter A and Headhunter B) (with Damien Kane and Lady Alexandra) and 2 Cold Scorpio and The Sandman (with Missy Hyatt) by pinfall in a Three-way tag team elimination match for the number one contendership to the ECW World Tag Team Championship
April 19 CMLL 40. Aniversario de Arena México Mexico City, Mexico Rayo de Jalisco Jr., Mil Máscaras and Tinieblas defeated Dr. Wagner Jr., Canek and Emilio Charles Jr. in a Six-man "Lucha Libre rules" tag team match[6]
April 20 ECW Hostile City Showdown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Raven (c) (with Stevie Richards and the Blue Meanie) defeated Shane Douglas (with Kimona Wanalaya) in a Singles match for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship
April 28 WWF In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies Omaha, Nebraska, United States Shawn Michaels (c) (with José Lothario) defeated Diesel in a No Holds Barred match for the WWF Championship[7]
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

May

Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
May 5 FMW FMW 7th Anniversary Show Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan Mr. Pogo and Terry Funk defeated Hayabusa and Masato Tanaka in a One Million Yen No Ropes Exploding Barbed Wire Double Hell Exploding Deathmatch
May 11 AAA Triplemanía IV-A Chicago, Illinois, United States Konnan and Perro Aguayo defeated Pierroth Jr. and Cien Caras in a Lumberjack match
May 11 ECW A Matter of Respect Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Tommy Dreamer and the Gangstas (Mustafa and New Jack) defeated Brian Lee and The Eliminators (John Kronus and Perry Saturn) by pinfall in a Six-man tag team match
May 19 WCW Slamboree Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States The Giant (c) (with Jimmy Hart) defeated Sting (with Lex Luger) in a Singles match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
May 26
May 28 		WWF In Your House 8: Beware of Dog Florence, South Carolina, United States
North Charleston, South Carolina, United States 		May 26: Shawn Michaels (c) (with José Lothario) vs. The British Bulldog (with Clarence Mason, Diana Smith, and Owen Hart) ended in a no contest in a Singles match for the WWF Championship
May 28: Goldust (c) (with Marlena) defeated The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) in a Casket match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship[8][9]
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

June

Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
June 1 NJPW
CMLL
NWA
WCW
Michinoku Pro
AAA
AJWW 		World Wrestling Peace Festival Los Angeles, California, United States Antonio Inoki (NJPW) and Dan Severn (NWA) defeated Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Oleg Taktarov in a tag team match
ECW Fight the Power Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States The Eliminators (John Kronus and Perry Saturn) (c) defeated the Gangstas (Mustafa and New Jack) by pinfall in a tag team match for the ECW World Tag Team Championship
June 7 N/A First Annual Ilio DiPaolo Memorial Show Buffalo, New York, United States The Giant (c) defeated Sting by disqualification in a Singles match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
June 7 CMLL Torneo Gran Alternativa Mexico City, Mexico Chicago Express and Bestia Salvaje defeated Atlantico and Atlantis in a tournament final match[10]
June 15 AAA Triplemanía IV-B Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico La Parka, Octagón, and Máscara Sagrada defeated Killer, Cien Caras, and Heavy Metal in a Lumberjack match
June 16 WCW The Great American Bash Baltimore, Maryland, United States The Giant (c) (with Jimmy Hart) defeated Lex Luger in a Singles match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
June 22 ECW Hardcore Heaven Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Sabu defeated Rob Van Dam in a Singles match[11]
June 23 WWF King of the Ring Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States Shawn Michaels (c) (with José Lothario) defeated The British Bulldog (with Diana Smith and Jim Cornette) in a Singles match for the WWF Championship with Mr. Perfect as special outside enforcer[12]
June 30 N/A First Annual Rikidozan Memorial Show Yokohama, Japan Genichiro Tenryu and Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Koki Kitihara and Riki Choshu when Tenryu pinned Kitihara in a tag team match
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

July

Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
July 5 CMLL International Gran Prix Mexico City, Mexico El Hijo del Santo defeated The Great Sasuke in a 1996 International Gran Prix final match[13]
July 6 CWA Euro Catch Festival in Graz Graz, Austria Ludvig Borga (c) defeated August Smisl in Round 6 in a Singles match for the CWA World Heavyweight Championship
July 7 WCW Bash at the Beach Daytona Beach, Florida, United States The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) and Hulk Hogan fought Randy Savage, Sting and Lex Luger to a no contest in a Six-man tag team match[14]
July 13 ECW Heat Wave Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States The Sandman, Terry Gordy and Tommy Dreamer defeated Raven (c), Brian Lee and Stevie Richards (with Lori and Tyler Fullington) in a Steel cage match for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship[11]
July 14 WWC WWC 23rd Aniversario Caguas, Puerto Rico Invader #2 and #3 defeated The Southern Posse (Rick Thames and Sonny Trout) by disqualification in a reverse decision in a tag team match
July 15 AAA Triplemanía IV-C Madero, Tamaulipas, Mexico Halcón Dorado Jr. lost to Karis la Momia
Also in the match: Los Payasos (Coco Rojo, Coco Verde and Coco Amarillo) and Los Junior Atómicos (Máscara Sagrada Jr., Tinieblas Jr. and Blue Demon Jr.)
July 21 WWF In Your House 9: International Incident Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Camp Cornette (The British Bulldog, Owen Hart and Vader) (with Jim Cornette) defeated The People's Posse (Ahmed Johnson, Shawn Michaels and Sycho Sid) (with José Lothario) in a Six-man tag team match
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

August

Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
August 1 FMW Summer Spectacular Tokyo, Japan Terry Funk (with Víctor Quiñones) defeated Mr. Pogo via knockout in a No Ropes Exploding Barbed Wire Glass Crush Spider Net Double Hell Deathmatch
August 3 ECW The Doctor Is In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Sabu defeated Rob Van Dam in a Stretcher match
August 6 NJPW G1 Climax Tokyo, Japan Riki Choshu defeated Masahiro Chono in the finals
August 10 WCW WCW Hog Wild Sturgis, South Dakota, United States Hollywood Hogan defeated The Giant (c) (with Jimmy Hart) in a Singles match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship[15]
August 18 WWF SummerSlam Cleveland, Ohio, United States Shawn Michaels (c) (with José Lothario) defeated Vader (with Jim Cornette) in a Singles match for the WWE Championship
August 23 ECW Requiem for a Pitbull Reading, Pennsylvania, United States Rob Van Dam defeated Tommy Dreamer (with Beulah McGillicutty and Pitbull #1) by pinfall in a Singles match
August 24 ECW Natural Born Killaz Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States The Gangstas (Mustafa and New Jack) (c) defeated the Eliminators (John Kronus and Perry Saturn) by pinfall in a Steel cage weapons match for the ECW World Tag Team Championship
August 24 WWF Xperience Toronto, Ontario, Canada Shawn Michaels (c) defeated Goldust (with Marlena) in a Ladder match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship[16]
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

September

Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
September 13 ECW Unlucky Lottery Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, United States Sabu defeated Rob Van Dam by pinfall in a Singles match
September 14 ECW When Worlds Collide Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Brian Lee and the Eliminators (John Kronus and Perry Saturn) defeated the Miracle Violence Connection (Steve Williams and Terry Gordy) and Tommy Dreamer (with Beulah McGillicutty) by pinfall in a Six-man tag team match
September 15 WCW Fall Brawl Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States nWo (Hollywood Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and nWo Sting) (with Ted DiBiase) defeated Team WCW (Lex Luger, Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and Sting) (with Miss Elizabeth) in a WarGames match
September 20
September 27 		CMLL CMLL 63rd Anniversary Show Mexico City, Mexico September 20: Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (c) defeated Gran Markus Jr. in a Best two-out-of-three falls match for the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship
September 27: Emilio Charles Jr. defeated Silver King in a Best two-out-of-three falls Lucha de Apuestas hair vs. hair match[17][18]
September 22 WWF In Your House 10: Mind Games Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Shawn Michaels (c) (with José Lothario) defeated Mankind (with Paul Bearer) by disqualification in a Singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship[19]
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

October

Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
October 5 ECW Ultimate Jeopardy Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer (with Beulah McGillicutty) defeated Stevie Richards and Brian Lee (with the Blue Meanie, Lori Fullington, and Super Nova) by pinfall in an "Ultimate Jeopardy" tag team match for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship
October 20 WWF In Your House 11: Buried Alive Indianapolis, Indiana, United States The Undertaker defeated Mankind (with Paul Bearer) in a Buried Alive match[20]
October 26 ECW High Incident Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Tommy Dreamer defeated Brian Lee in a Scaffold match
October 27 WCW Halloween Havoc Paradise, Nevada, United States Hollywood Hogan (c) defeated Randy Savage in a Singles match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

November

Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
November 15 CMLL Torneo Gran Alternativa Mexico City, Mexico Rey Bucanero and Emilio Charles Jr. defeated Héctor Garza and Mr. Niebla in a tournament final match[21]
November 16 ECW November to Remember Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Terry Funk and Tommy Dreamer defeated Shane Douglas and Brian Lee (with Francine) in a tag team match
November 17 WWF Survivor Series New York, New York, United States Sycho Sid defeated Shawn Michaels (c) (with José Lothario) in a Singles match for the WWF Championship
November 24 WCW World War 3 Norfolk, Virginia, United States The Giant won by last eliminating Lex Luger in 60-Man World War 3 battle royal for a future WCW World Heavyweight Championship match
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

December

Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
December 7 ECW Holiday Hell Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Raven defeated The Sandman (c) by pinfall in a Barbed wire match for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship
December 11 FMW Year End Spectacular Tokyo, Japan Atsushi Onita, Mr. Pogo, Masato Tanaka and Tetsuhiro Kuroda defeated Funk Masters of Wrestling (Terry Funk, Hisakatsu Oya, Headhunter A and Headhunter B) in a Texas Tornado Street Fight Deathmatch
December 15 WWF In Your House 12: It's Time West Palm Beach, Florida, United States Sycho Sid (c) defeated Bret Hart in a Singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship[22]
December 21 CWA Euro Catch Festival in Bremen Bremen, Germany Rambo defeated Ludvig Borga (c) in Round 12 in a Singles match for the CWA World Heavyweight Championship
December 29 WCW Starrcade Nashville, Tennessee, United States Roddy Piper defeated Hollywood Hogan (with Ted DiBiase and Miss Elizabeth) by submission in a Singles match
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

Notable events

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 in the United States.[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]

IWRG created

On January 1 – Mexican promoter Adolfo Moreno created the International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) which held its debut show on this date in Arena Naucalpan.[26]

Formation of the nWo

In the main event of World Championship Wrestling (WCW)'s Bash at the Beach pay-per-view on July 7, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash (both of whom had recently defected to WCW from the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and been presented on-screen as "outsiders") indicated that they would enlist a mystery partner against the team of Randy Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger.

Their partner ended up being Hulk Hogan, who surprisingly attacked long-time Mega Powers partner Savage to conclude the match, thus turning heel for the first time in nearly two decades. In his post-match promo, Hogan indicated his decision to lead the villainous stable which he christened as the New World Order (nWo).

The nWo would be the main focus of WCW programming for the better part of the next three years and led to WCW Monday Nitro defeating WWF Monday Night Raw in the Monday Night War ratings battle for eighty-three consecutive weeks. These developments in WCW are often credited with ultimately pushing the WWF toward producing the "edgier" content which would become the hallmark of the Attitude Era.

Accomplishments and tournaments

AJW

Accomplishment Winner Date won Notes
Japan Grand Prix 1996 Aja Kong August 30
Rookie of the Year Decision Tournament Momoe Nakanishi
Tag League The Best 1996 Manami Toyota and Rie Tamada December 1

AJPW

Accomplishment Winner Date won Notes
Asunaro Cup 1996 Tamon Honda January 28
Champion Carnival 1996 Akira Taue January 20
World's Strongest Determination League 1996 Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue December 6

Jd' Star

Accomplishment Winner Date won Notes
Rookies Tournament Yoko Takahashi December 29 [27]

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 (Skip and Zip) 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

Main article: 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

Main article: Slammy Award
Poll Results
Best Buns Sunny[28]
Best Slammin' Jammin' Entrance Shawn Michaels[29][30][31]
"Put A Fork in Him, He's Done" (Best Finisher) Bret Hart – Sharpshooter[29][30][31]
Crime of the Century Vader's assault on WWF President Gorilla Monsoon[29][30][31]
New Sensation of the Squared Circle Ahmed Johnson[29][30][31]
I'm Talking and I Can't Shut Up for Biggest Mouth Jerry Lawler[29][30][31]
Best Threads Shawn Michaels[29][30][31]
Blue Light Special for Worst Dresser Jim Cornette[29][30][31]
WWF's Greatest Hit The Undertaker drags Diesel into the abyss[29][30][31]
Minds Behind the Mayhem for Manager of the Year Sunny[29][30][31]
Lifetime Achievement Award Freddie Blassie[29][30][31]
Most Embarrassing Moment Jerry Lawler kisses his own foot[29][30][31]
Squared Circle Shocker Shawn Michaels collapses (Owen Hart accepts the award for making Shawn collapse)[29][30][31]
Master of Mat Mechanics Shawn Michaels[29][30][31]
Best Music Video Bret Hart[29][30][31]
US West Match of the Year Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon in a ladder match from SummerSlam '95[29][30][31]
Which WWF World Heavyweight Champion, past or present, in attendance, is Hall of Fame bound? Bret Hart[29][30][31]
Leader of the New Generation Shawn Michaels[29][30][31]

Awards and honors

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Main article: List of Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards
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

Main article: Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

Main article: List of 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

ECW World Heavyweight Championship
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
ECW World Television Championship
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
ECW World Tag Team Championship
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
(Mustafa and New Jack) 		The Doctor Is In
December 20 The Eliminators
(Kronus and Saturn) 		Hardcore TV

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
(Title created)
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

IWRG

Distrito Federal Trios Championship
Incoming champions – Los Oficiales (Maniac Cop, Oficial and Virgilante)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
Uncertain Los Super Payasos (Bruly, Circus and Rody) IWRG Show [32]
December 14 Judo Suwa, Shiima Nobunaga and Sumo Fuji IWRG Show [32]

NJPW

IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Incoming champion – Keiji Mutoh
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 4 Nobuhiko Takada Wrestling World 1996
April 29 Shinya Hashimoto Battle Formation
IWGP Tag Team Championship
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
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
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

WCW World Heavyweight Championship
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
WCW Cruiserweight Championship
(Title created)
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
WCW United States Heavyweight Championship
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
WCW Women's Championship
(Title created)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
December 29 Akira Hokuto Starrcade Defeated Madusa in a tournament final to become inaugural champion
WCW World Television Championship
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
WCW World Tag Team Championship
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

WWF World Heavyweight Championship
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
WWF Intercontinental Championship
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
WWF Tag Team Championship
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
Million Dollar Championship
Incoming champion – The Ringmaster
unsanctioned championship
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
May 28 Abandoned N/A

Debuts

The Rock

Births

Retirements

Deaths

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1996 in professional wrestling.

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.
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