# 1990 in professional wrestling

1990 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.

## List of notable promotions

These promotions held notable events in 1990.
| Promotion Name | Abbreviation | Notes |
| All Japan Pro Wrestling | AJPW | |
| All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling | AJW | |
| American Wrestling Association | AWA | AWA became inactive during the fall and filed for bankruptcy the following year. |
| Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre | EMLL | |
| Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling | FMW | |
| National Wrestling Alliance | NWA | |
| New Japan Pro-Wrestling | NJPW | |
| World Championship Wrestling | WCW | |
| World Wrestling Council | WWC | |
| World Wrestling Federation | WWF | |

## Calendar of notable shows

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| Jan 3 | WWF | Saturday Night's Main Event | Chattanooga, Tennessee | Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior vs. Mr. Perfect and The Genius in a tag team match |
| Jan 7 | FMW | Battle Resistance – 1st Open Tournament | Tokyo, Japan | Masanobu Kurisi defeated Tarzan Goto by referee's decision in an Open Tournament final match |
| Jan 21 | WWF | Royal Rumble | Orlando, Florida, U.S. | Hulk Hogan won by last eliminating Mr. Perfect in the 30-man Royal Rumble match |
| Feb 6 | NWA WCW | Clash of the Champions X | Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S. | The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Ole Anderson, and Arn Anderson) defeated Gary Hart International (The Dragonmaster, Buzz Sawyer, and The Great Muta) in a Steel Cage match |
| Feb 10 | NJPW | Super Fight in Tokyo Dome | Tokyo, Japan | Antonio Inoki and Seiji Sakaguchi defeated Masahiro Chono and Shinya Hashimoto in a tag team match with Lou Thesz as special guest referee |
| Feb 12 | FMW | Battle Brave in Korakuen | Tokyo, Japan | Atsushi Onita defeated Masanobu Kurisu in a Barbed Wire Barricades Death Match |
| Feb 25 | WCW | WrestleWar | Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. | Ric Flair (c) defeated Lex Luger by countout in a Singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship |
| Apr 1 | FMW | Texas Street Fight | Tokyo, Japan | Atsushi Onita and Tarzan Goto defeated Dragon Master and Masanobu Kurisu in a Tag Team Texas Street Fight |
| Apr 1 | WWF | WrestleMania VI | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | The Ultimate Warrior (IC Champion) defeated Hulk Hogan (WWF Champion) in a Singles match for the WWF Intercontinental and WWF Championships |
| Apr 8 | AWA | SuperClash IV | St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. | The Trooper and Paul Diamond defeated The Destruction Crew (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom) in a Steel Cage match |
| Apr 13 | WWF AJPW NJPW | Wrestling Summit | Tokyo, Japan | Hulk Hogan defeated Stan Hansen in a Singles match |
| Apr 23 | WWF | Saturday Night's Main Event | Austin, Texas | The Ultimate Warrior (c) defeated Haku in a singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship |
| Apr 29 | AJW | W.W.W.A. Champions Legend | Tokyo, Japan | Bull Nakano defeats Monster Ripper in a WWWA World Title match |
| May 19 | NWA WCW | Capital Combat | Washington D.C., U.S. | Lex Luger defeated Ric Flair (c) by disqualification in a Steel Cage match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship |
| Jun 13 | NWA WCW | Clash of the Champions XI | Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. | Junkyard Dog defeated Ric Flair (c) by disqualification in a Singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship |
| Jul 7 | WWC | WWC 17th Aniversario | Bayamón, Puerto Rico | Carlos Colón (WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion) and TNT went to a draw in a Singles match |
| Jul 7 | NWA | The Great American Bash | Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | Sting defeated Ric Flair (c) in a Singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship |
| Jul 16 | WWF | Saturday Night's Main Event | Omaha, Nebraska | The Ultimate Warrior (c) defeated Rick Rude in a singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship |
| Aug 4 | FMW | Summer Spectacular in Shiodome | Tokyo, Japan | Atsushi Onita (c) defeated Tarzan Goto via knockout in a No Ropes Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch for the WWA Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship |
| Sep 5 | NWA WCW | Clash of the Champions XII | Asheville, North Carolina, U.S. | Sting (c) defeated The Black Scorpion in a Singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship |
| Sep 18 | WWF | Saturday Night's Main Event | Toledo, Ohio | The Ultimate Warrior and The Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) defeated Demolition (Ax, Smash, and Crush) in a six man tag team match |
| Sep 30 | NJPW | Inoki's 30th Wrestling Anniversary | Yokohama, Japan | Antonio Inoki and Tiger Jeet Singh defeated Animal Hamaguchi and Big Van Vader in a tag team match with Nick Bockwinkel as special guest referee |
| Oct 21 | EMLL | EMLL 57th Anniversary Show | Mexico City, Mexico | Rayo de Jalisco Jr. defeated Cien Caras in a Best two-out-of-three falls Lucha de Apuestas mask vs. mask match |
| Oct 27 | NWA | Halloween Havoc | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Sting (c) defeated Sid Vicious in a Singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship |
| Nov 1 | NJPW | AJPW Budokan Hall Show | Tokyo, Japan | Atsushi Onita (c) defeated Mr. Pogo via knockout in a Texas Deathmatch for the WWA Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship |
| Nov 5 | FMW | FMW 1st Anniversary Show | Tokyo, Japan | Atsushi Onita (c) defeated Mr. Pogo via knockout in a Texas Deathmatch for the WWA Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship |
| Nov 14 | AJW | Wrestlemarinepiad '90 | Yokohama, Japan | Bull Nakano defeats Aja Kong in a steel cage match for the WWWA World Title |
| Nov 20 | NWA WCW | Clash of the Champions XIII | Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. | Ric Flair defeated Butch Reed in a Singles match |
| Nov 22 | WWF | Survivor Series | Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. | Hulk Hogan, Tito Santana, and The Ultimate Warrior defeated Hercules, Paul Roma, Rick Martel, Ted DiBiase, and The Warlord in a 3-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match |
| Dec 14 | EMLL | Juicio Final | Mexico City, Mexico | Octagón defeated Huracán Ramírez II in a Best two-out-of-three falls Lucha de Apuesta, mask vs. mask match |
| Dec 16 | WCW | Starrcade | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | Sting (c) defeated The Black Scorpion in a Steel Cage match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship with Dick the Bruiser as special guest referee |
| Dec 26 | NJPW | NJPW Legends Show | Hamamatsu, Japan | Tony Halme defeated Shinya Hashimoto by knockout in a Boxer vs. Wrestler match |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

## Notable events

* January 1 – The CWA merges with the United States Wrestling Association
* May 5 – Two World title matches was held at a AWA Twin Wars '90 live event where Larry Zbyszko defeated Nikita Koloff to retain the AWA World Heavyweight title and NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair defeated Brian Pillman
* July 16- The Road Warriors and "The Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich made their WWF debuts at a WWF Wrestling Challenge TV taping.
* August 12 – The AWA hosts their Team Challenge Series final and two title changes were taped with Buck Zumhoff defeating Jonnie Stewart for the reactivated AWA Light Heavyweight title and The Trooper and D.J. Peterson defeating the Destruction Crew for the AWA World Tag Team titles at their final TV taping in Rochester, MN
* August 26 – The Herb Abrams version of the Universal Wrestling Federation (Herb Abrams) was launched at a Wrestling fans convention in New York, NY
* November 22 – The Undertaker and The Gobbledy Gooker (Héctor Guerrero) debut at WWF Survivor Series
* November 23 – World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) held its final show.
* December 1 – WCW drops the NWA brand from their TV shows and championships.

## Accomplishments and tournaments
### AJW

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| Japan Grand Prix 1990 | Manami Toyota | June 17 | |
| Rookie of the Year Decision Tournament | Shiho Tsubaki | | |

### AJPW

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| World's Strongest Determination League 1990 | Terry Gordy and Steve Williams | December 7 | |

### WCW

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| NWA United States Tag Team Championship Tournament | "Flyin' Brian" Pillman and "Z-Man" Tom Zenk | February 12 | |
| Pat O'Connor Memorial International Tag Team Tournament | The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) | December 16 | |

### WWF

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| Royal Rumble | Hulk Hogan | January 21 | |
| WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Tournament | Mr. Perfect | April 1 | |

## Awards and honors
### Pro Wrestling Illustrated

| Category | Winner |
| Wrestler of the Year | Sting |
| Tag Team of the Year | The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner) |
| Match of the Year | Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior (WrestleMania VI) |
| Feud of the Year | Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger |
| Most Popular Wrestler of the Year | Hulk Hogan |
| Most Hated Wrestler of the Year | Earthquake |
| Most Improved Wrestler of the Year | Paul Roma |
| Inspirational Wrestler of the Year | Sting |
| Rookie of the Year | Steve Austin |
| Manager of the Year | Teddy Long |
| Editor's Award (Lifetime Achievement) | Buddy Rogers |

### Wrestling Observer Newsletter

| Category | Winner |
| Wrestler of the Year | Ric Flair |
| Most Outstanding | Jushin Thunder Liger |
| Feud of the Year | Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Jumbo Tsuruta |
| Tag Team of the Year | The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) |
| Most Improved | Kenta Kobashi |
| Best on Interviews | Arn Anderson |

## Title changes
### WWF

WWF World Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Hulk Hogan |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| April 1 | The Ultimate Warrior | WrestleMania VI | This was a title vs. title match, with Warrior's Intercontinental Championship also on the line. |
WWF Intercontinental Championship :
| Incoming champion – The Ultimate Warrior |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| April 1 | Vacated | WrestleMania VI | Warrior vacated the title after defeating Hulk Hogan in a title vs. title match to win the WWF Championship. |
| April 23 | Mr. Perfect | Superstars | Defeated Tito Santana in a tournament final to win the vacant title. Aired on tape delay on May 19. |
| August 27 | The Texas Tornado | SummerSlam | |
| November 19 | Mr. Perfect | Superstars | Aired on tape delay on December 15, 1990. |
WWF Women's Championship :
| Incoming champion – Rockin' Robin |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| February 21 | Deactivated | N/A | |
WWF Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – The Colossal Connection (Andre the Giant and Haku) |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| April 1 | Demolition (Ax, Smash and Crush) | WrestleMania VI | |
| August 27 | The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) | SummerSlam | |
| October 30 | The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) | The Main Event IV | |
Million Dollar Championship :
| Incoming champion – Ted DiBiase |||||
| unsanctioned championship |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| No title changes ||||

## Debuts
### Debut date

* January 17 - Yukihide Ueno and Ryo Miyake
* January 13 – Tatanka
* February 12 - Lee Gak Soo(이각수) (FMW)
* February 22 - Masao Orihara
* March 10 - Kim Hyun Hwan (FMW)
* March 15 - Ultraman Robin
* March 27 - Hiroaki Hatanaka
* May 12 - Flying Kid Ichihara
* May 19 – El Gigante
* June 9 - J.T. Smith
* July 21 - Akemi Torisu (All Japan Women's)
* July 22 - Shooter Niiyama
* August 13 - Takaku Fuke
* September 21 – Tomoko Watanabe
* October 2 – Chris Jericho
* October 10 - Numacchi (All Japan Women's)
* November 1 – Mikiko Futagami (JWP) and Sumiko Saito (JWP)
* December 20 - Kintaro Kanemura
* December 22 - Bad Nurse Nakamura

### Uncertain debut date

* Bill DeMott
* Sweet Saraya
* Debbie Malenko
* Ray González
* Marc Mero
* The Gambler
* Big Vito
* Buff Bagwell
* Vladimir Koloff
* Shiho Tsubaki (All Japan Women)

## Retirements

* Otto Wanz (1968–1990)
* Frenchy Martin (1971–1990)
* Ann Casey (1962–1990)
* Nick Kiniski (1985–1990)
* Ole Anderson (1967–1990)
* Ray Candy (1973–1990)
* Raymond Rougeau (1971–1990)
* Ron Hutchison (1983–1990)
* Scott Casey (1970–1990)
* Seiji Sakaguchi (August 5, 1967 – March 15, 1990)
* Soldat Ustinov (1985-October 25, 1990)
* Uncle Elmer (1960–1990)
* Lou Thesz (1932–December 26, 1990)
* Les Thornton (1957–1990)

## Births

* January 7 - Jack Gallagher
* January 14 – Kacy Catanzaro, American female wrestler
* January 23 - Alex Silva, Canadian wrestler
* March 6 – Demitrius Bronson, American wrestler
* March 7 – Chase Owens, American wrestler
* March 15 - Jordan Devlin
* March 24 – Lacey Evans, American female wrestler
* April 2 – Sawyer Fulton, American wrestler
* April 6 – Hektor Invictus, German wrestler
* April 30 – Tomahawk T.T., Japanese wrestler
* May 1 - Ace Romero
* May 2 - Mahabali Shera
* May 25 – Bo Dallas
* June 27 – Kimber Lee
* July 6 –
** Puma, Mexican luchador
** Musashi
* July 8 – Axel Dieter Jr.
* July 18
** Golden Magic, Mexican luchador
** Mandy Rose, American female wrestler
* July 21 – Fabian Aichner, Italian wrestler
* July 24 – Angelo Dawkins, American wrestler
* July 24 – Tucker Knight
* August 8 - Zack Gibson, English wrestler
* August 15 – Diamante, American female wrestler
* August 17 - Danhausen
* September 15 – Titán, Mexican luchador
* September 18 – Herodes Jr., Mexican luchador
* September 26 – Eterno, Mexican luchador
* September 30
** Isaiah Swerve Scott
** Toru Sugiura
* October 2 - Barbi Hayden
* October 14 – Raquel Diaz, American retired professional wrestler
* October 17 – Mahabali Shera, Indian wrestler
* November 9 – Robin, Mexican luchador
* December 27 – Zelina Vega, American female wrestler
* December 30 – Fenix, Mexican luchador enmascarado

## Deaths

* January 7 – Bronko Nagurski, American football player and wrestler (born 1908)
* February 4 – Whipper Billy Watson, Canadian wrestler (born 1915)
* February 15 - Mark Tendler (born 1932)
* February - Frank Sexton (born 1914)
* March 2 – Ivan Gomes (born 1939)
* April 18 – Gory Guerrero, American wrestler (born 1921)
* July 7 - Chief Little Eagle, American wrestler (born 1935)
* August 15 – Pat O'Connor, New Zealand wrestler (born 1924)
* August 31 – Bert Assirati, British wrestler (born 1908)
* September 30 - Al Lolotai, Western Samoan football player and wrestler (born 1920)
* November 21 – Dean Hart, Canadian music promoter and wrestling referee (born 1954)
* December 9 – Mike Mazurki, American actor and wrestler (born 1907)
* December 31 – Ed Gantner, American wrestler (born 1959)