# 2005 in professional wrestling

2005 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.

## List of notable promotions

These promotions held notable events in 2005.
| Promotion Name | Abbreviation | Notes |
| Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre | CMLL | |
| Georgia Championship Wrestling | GCW | |
| 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 Breed Wrestling Association | NBWA | |
| New Japan Pro-Wrestling | NJPW | |
| Pro Wrestling Guerrilla | PWG | |
| Ring of Honor | ROH | |
| Total Nonstop Action Wrestling | TNA | |
| World Wrestling Council | WWC | |
| World Wrestling Entertainment | WWE | WWE divided its roster into two storyline divisions, Raw and SmackDown!, referred to as brands, where wrestlers exclusively performed on their respective weekly television programs. |

## Calendar of notable shows
### January

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | Notes |
| 4 | NJPW | Toukon Festival: Wrestling World | Tokyo, Japan | Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) in a Singles match to win the IWGP U-30 Openweight Championship | |
| 9 | WWE: Raw | New Year's Revolution | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Triple H defeated Edge, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Batista, and Randy Orton in an Elimination Chamber match to win the vacant World Heavyweight Championship with Shawn Michaels as special guest referee | |
| 16 | TNA | Final Resolution | Orlando | Jeff Jarrett (c) defeated Monty Brown in a Singles match to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | |
| 30 | WWE: Raw SmackDown! | Royal Rumble | Fresno, California | Batista won the 30-man Royal Rumble match by last eliminating John Cena to earn a world championship match at WrestleMania 21 | Batista chose to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship. |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) ||||||

### February

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| 13 | TNA | Against All Odds | Orlando | Jeff Jarrett (c) defeated Kevin Nash in a Singles match to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship |
| 19 | ROH | Third Anniversary Celebration: Part 1 | Elizabeth, New Jersey | The Carnage Crew (H. C. Loc & Tony DeVito) vs. Generation Next (Roderick Strong & Jack Evans) vs. The Ring Crew Express (Dunn & Marcos) vs. Special K (Azrieal & Dixie) vs. Special K (Izzy & Deranged) in a Scramble Cage Match |
| 20 | WWE: SmackDown! | No Way Out | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | John "Bradshaw" Layfield (c) defeated Big Show in a Barbed Wired Steel Cage match to retain the WWE Championship |
| 25 | ROH | Third Anniversary Celebration: Part 2 | Dayton, Ohio | Jimmy Rave defeated A.J. Styles in a Singles match |
| 26 | ROH | Third Anniversary Celebration: Part 3 | Chicago Ridge, Illinois | Austin Aries (c) defeated Samoa Joe in a Singles match to retain the ROH World Championship |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### March

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| 11 | AAA | Rey de Reyes | Ciudad Madero, Mexico | Elimination match: finals of the 2005 Rey de Reyes tournament. |
| 13 | TNA | Destination X | Orlando | Jeff Jarrett (c) defeated Diamond Dallas Page in a Singles match to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship |
| 18 | NBWA | Mike Lockwood Memorial Tournament | South Bend, Indiana | B. J. Whitmer defeated Nigel McGuiness (c) in a Singles match for the NBWA Heavyweight Championship |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### April

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | Notes |
| 3 | WWE: Raw SmackDown! | WrestleMania 21 | Los Angeles, California | Batista defeated Triple H (c) in a Singles match to win the World Heavyweight Championship | The event also featured the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin who started his part-time appearances with WWE at this event. First event to feature the Money in the Bank ladder match |
| 8 | CMLL | 49. Aniversario de Arena México | Mexico City, Mexico | Los Perros del Mal (Damián 666, Halloween and Pierroth) defeated Dr. Wagner Jr., Místico and Negro Casas by disqualification | |
| 24 | TNA | Lockdown | Orlando | A.J. Styles defeated Abyss in Six Sides of Steel match for an NWA World Heavyweight Championship match at Hard Justice | |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) ||||||

### May

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| 1 | WWE: Raw | Backlash | Manchester, New Hampshire | Batista (c) defeated Triple H in a Singles match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship |
| 5 | N/A | Mark Curtis Memorial Reunion | Johnson City, Tennessee | Mick Foley and Shane Douglas defeated Al Snow and D'Lo Brown |
| 15 | AAA | Triplemanía XIII | Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico | Latin Lover, La Parka and Octagón defeated Los Hell Brothers (Chessman and Cibernético) and Fuerza Guerrera |
| 15 | TNA | Hard Justice | Orlando | A.J. Styles defeated Jeff Jarrett (c) in a Singles match to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship with Tito Ortiz as Special Guest Referee |
| 22 | WWE: SmackDown! | Judgment Day | Minneapolis, Minnesota | John Cena (c) defeated John "Bradshaw" Layfield in a "I Quit" match to retain the WWE Championship |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### June

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | Notes |
| 12 | WWE | ECW One Night Stand | New York City | The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley) defeated Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman in a Tag team match | This event was The Dudley Boyz and Rhyno's last appearance in WWE until 2015 Last PPV appearance for many wrestlers including Mike Awesome First event produced by WWE to promote the former Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion. This would be the genesis of the launch of the ECW brand the following year. |
| 18 | ROH | Death Before Dishonor III | Morristown, New Jersey | CM Punk defeated Austin Aries (c) in a Singles match to win the ROH World Championship | |
| 19 | TNA | Slammiversary | Orlando | Raven defeated A.J. Styles (c), Abyss, Monty Brown and Sean Waltman in the King of the Mountain match to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | This event was Samoa Joe's debut in TNA |
| 26 | WWE: Raw | Vengeance | Las Vegas, Nevada | Batista (c) defeated Triple H in a Hell in a Cell match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship | |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) ||||||

### July

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | Notes |
| 17 | TNA | No Surrender | Orlando | Raven (c) defeated Abyss in a Dog Collar match to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | This event was Rhyno's debut in TNA |
| 24 | WWE: SmackDown! | The Great American Bash | Buffalo, New York | John "Bradshaw" Layfield defeated Batista (c) by disqualification in a Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship | |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) ||||||

### August

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | Notes |
| 4-14 | NJPW | G1 Climax final | Tokyo | Masahiro Chono defeated Kazuyuki Fujita in a G1 Climax tournament | |
| 6 | GCW | Second Annual Fred Ward Memorial Show | Columbus, Georgia | David Young and Chris Stevens defeated Erik Watts and Sonny Siaki | |
| 14 | TNA | Sacrifice | Orlando | Jeff Jarrett and Rhino defeated Raven and Sabu in a Tag team match | |
| 21 | WWE: Raw SmackDown! | SummerSlam | Washington, D.C. | Hulk Hogan defeated Shawn Michaels in a Singles match | Last PPV appearance of Chris Jericho in WWE until late 2007, he lost to John Cena on the following night's Raw in a Loser Leaves WWE match as his contract expired after. |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) ||||||

### September

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| 3–4 | PWG | Battle of Los Angeles | Los Angeles, California | Chris Bosh defeated A.J. Styles in a Battle of Los Angeles tournament |
| 11 | TNA | Unbreakable | Orlando | A.J. Styles defeated Christopher Daniels (c) and Samoa Joe in a Triple threat match to win the TNA X Division Championship |
| 16 | CMLL | CMLL 72nd Anniversary Show | Mexico City, Mexico | Héctor Garza lost to Perro Aguayo Jr. and Universo 2000 in a Lucha de Apuestas hair vs. hair vs. hair elimination match |
| 17 | ROH | Glory By Honor IV | Lake Grove, New York | A.J. Styles defeated Jimmy Rave in a Finishers match |
| 18 | AAA | Verano de Escándalo | Veracruz, Mexico | Electrified steel cage match "Loser has his head shaved" match. |
| 18 | WWE: Raw | Unforgiven | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Kurt Angle defeated John Cena (c) by disqualification in a Singles match for the WWE Championship |
| 23 | CMLL | International Gran Prix | Mexico City, Mexico | Místico defeated Último Guerrero by disqualification in a Best two-out-of-three falls match |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### October

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | Notes |
| 9 | WWE: SmackDown! | No Mercy | Houston, Texas | Batista (c) defeated Eddie Guerrero in a Singles match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship | Last PPV appearance for Eddie Guerrero before his death in November |
| 23 | TNA | Bound for Glory | Orlando | Rhino defeated Jeff Jarrett (c) in a Singles match to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship with Tito Ortiz as special guest referee | The show was promoted as TNA's premiere PPV event and their equivalent to the rival WWE's WrestleMania. |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) ||||||

### November

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | Notes |
| 1 | WWE: Raw | Taboo Tuesday | San Diego, California | John Cena (c) defeated Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels in a Triple threat match to retain the WWE Championship | Last PPV appearance of Christian in WWE until 2009. This event was also involved the SmackDown! roster. |
| 5 | WWC | 32nd WWC Aniversario | Bayamón, Puerto Rico | Carlito defeated Shane | |
| 13 | TNA | Genesis | Orlando | Team 3D (Brother Ray and Brother Devon) and Rhino defeated America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm) and Jeff Jarrett in a Six-man tag team match | This event was Christian (under new ring name Christian Cage)'s debut in TNA It was also dedicated to WWE wrestler Eddie Guerrero, who died the day of the show. It was Team 3D's first PPV match in TNA |
| 27 | WWE: Raw SmackDown! | Survivor Series | Detroit, Michigan | Team SmackDown! (Batista, Rey Mysterio, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Bobby Lashley, and Randy Orton) defeated Team Raw (Shawn Michaels, Kane, Big Show, Carlito, and Chris Masters) in a 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match | Eddie Guerrero was booked to be the captain of Team SmackDown! before his death, after his death he was replaced by Batista |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) ||||||

### December

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| 2 | CMLL | Juicio Final | Mexico City, Mexico | Universo 2000 defeated Halloween in a Best two-out-of-three falls Lucha de Apuestas, hair vs. hair match |
| 10 | AAA | Guerra de Titanes | Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico | Abismo Negro, Latin Lover and La Parka, defeated La Secta Cibernetica (Cibernético, Dark Cuervo, and Dark Escoria) |
| 11 | TNA | Turning Point | Orlando | Jeff Jarrett (c) defeated Rhino in a Singles match to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship |
| 17 | ROH | Final Battle 2005 | Edison, New Jersey | Kenta (c) defeated Low Ki to retain the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship |
| 18 | WWE: SmackDown! | Armageddon | Providence, Rhode Island | The Undertaker defeated Randy Orton in Hell in a Cell match |
| 19 | WWE: Raw SmackDown! | Tribute to the Troops | Bagram, Afghanistan. | Shawn Michaels defeated Triple H in a Boot Camp match |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

## Accomplishments and tournaments
### AAA

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| Rey de Reyes | La Parka | March 11 | |

### Ring of Honor

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| Best of the American Super Juniors Tournament | Dragon Soldier B | April 2 | |

### TNA

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| 2005 TNA Super X Cup Tournament | Samoa Joe | August 14 | |
| Chris Candido Memorial Tag Team Tournament | Alex Shelley and Sean Waltman | August 16 | |

#### TNA Year End Awards

| Poll | Winner(s) |
| Tag Team of the Year | Team 3D (Brother Devon and Brother Ray) |
| Knockout of the Year | Jackie Gayda |
| Finisher of the Year | The Canadian Destroyer |
| Who To Watch in 2006 | Christian Cage |
| Memorable Moment of the Year | Christian Cage debuts at Genesis |
| X Division Star of the Year | A.J. Styles |
| Feud of the Year | A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels |
| Match of the Year | Barbed Wire Massacre: Abyss vs. Sabu at Turning Point |
| Mr. TNA | A.J. Styles |

### WWE

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| Royal Rumble | Batista | January 30 | Winner received their choice of a championship match for either Raw's World Heavyweight Championship or SmackDown's WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21. Batista last eliminated John Cena to win and chose to challenge for his own brand's World Heavyweight Championship, which he subsequently won from Triple H. |
| Money in the Bank ladder match | Edge | April 3 | This was the inaugural match. Edge defeated Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Christian, Kane, and Shelton Benjamin to win a world championship match contract. Edge cashed in the contract and won the WWE Championship from John Cena at the following year's New Year's Revolution after Cena had just retained the title in an Elimination Chamber match. |
| WWE Championship #1 Contender's Tournament | John Cena | February 20 | Defeated Kurt Angle in the tournament final to win a WWE Championship match against John "Bradshaw" Layfield at WrestleMania 21, which Cena subsequently won. |
| WWE Championship #1 Contender's Tournament | John "Bradshaw" Layfield | April 26 | Defeated Kurt Angle, Booker T, and Big Show in the tournament final to win a WWE Championship match against John Cena at Judgment Day. JBL, however, was unsuccessful in winning the title. |
| Gold Rush Tournament | Edge | May 16 | Defeated Kane in the tournament final to win a World Heavyweight Championship match against Batista on the May 23 episode of Raw, but was unsuccessful in winning the title. |

#### WWE Hall of Fame

| Category | Inductee | Inducted by |
| Individual | Hulk Hogan | Sylvester Stallone |
| Individual | "Rowdy" Roddy Piper | Ric Flair |
| Individual | "Cowboy" Bob Orton Jr. | Randy Orton |
| Individual | Jimmy Hart | Jerry Lawler |
| Individual | "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff | Bobby Heenan |
| Individual | Nikolai Volkoff | Jim Ross |
| Individual | Iron Sheik | Sgt. Slaughter |

## Awards and honors
### Pro Wrestling Illustrated

| Category | Winner |
| PWI Wrestler of the Year | Batista |
| PWI Tag Team of the Year | MNM (Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro) |
| PWI Match of the Year | Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle (WrestleMania 21) |
| PWI Feud of the Year | Matt Hardy vs. Edge and Lita |
| PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year | John Cena |
| PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year | Triple H |
| PWI Comeback of the Year | Road Warrior Animal |
| PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year | Batista |
| PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year | Chris Candido |
| PWI Rookie of the Year | Bobby Lashley |
| PWI Woman of the Year | Trish Stratus |
| PWI Lifetime Achievement | Eddie Guerrero |

### Wrestling Observer Newsletter
#### Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame

| Category | Inductee |
| Individual | Paul Heyman |
| Individual | Triple H |
| Group | The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, and Buddy Roberts) |

#### Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

| Category | Winner |
| Wrestler of the Year | Kenta Kobashi |
| Most Outstanding | Samoa Joe |
| Best Box Office Draw | Místico |
| Feud of the Year | Batista vs. Triple H |
| Tag Team of the Year | America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm) |
| Most Improved | Roderick Strong |
| Best on Interviews | Eddie Guerrero |

## Title changes
### NJPW

IWGP Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Hiroyoshi Tenzan |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| February 20 | Satoshi Kojima | New Year Gold Series | |
| May 14 | Hiroyoshi Tenzan | Nexess VI | |
| July 18 | Kazuyuki Fujita | Summer Fight Series | |
| October 8 | Brock Lesnar | Toukon Souzou New Chapter | |
IWGP Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| October 30 | Cho-Ten (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Masahiro Chono) | Toukon Series | |
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Heat |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 4 | Tiger Mask IV | Toukon Festival: Wrestling World | |
| October 8 | Black Tiger | Toukon Souzou New Chapter | |
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – Gedo and Jado |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| March 4 | American Dragon and Curry Man | Big Fight Series | |
| May 14 | Hirooki Goto and Minoru | Nexess VI | |

### TNA

TNA X Division Championship :
| Incoming champion – Petey Williams |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 16 | A.J. Styles | Final Resolution | |
| March 13 | Christopher Daniels | Destination X | |
| September 11 | A.J. Styles | Unbreakable | |
| December 11 | Samoa Joe | Turning Point | |

### WWE

    – Raw
    – SmackDown
Raw and SmackDown each had a world championship, a secondary championship, and a tag team championship for male wrestlers. SmackDown also had a title for their cruiserweight wrestlers. There was only one women's championship and it was exclusive to Raw.
World Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Vacant |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 9 | Triple H | New Year's Revolution | Elimination Chamber match for the vacant title, also involving Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Batista, and Edge. Shawn Michaels was the special guest referee. |
| April 3 | Batista | WrestleMania 21 | |
| The title became exclusive to the SmackDown! brand following the 2005 WWE draft lottery when Batista was drafted to SmackDown. |||||
WWE Championship :
| Incoming champion – John "Bradshaw" Layfield |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| April 3 | John Cena | WrestleMania 21 | |
| The title became exclusive to the Raw brand following the 2005 WWE draft lottery when John Cena was drafted to Raw. |||||
WWE Intercontinental Championship :
| Incoming champion – Shelton Benjamin |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| June 20 | Carlito | Monday Night Raw | |
| September 18 | Ric Flair | Unforgiven | |
WWE United States Championship :
| Incoming champion – John Cena |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| March 1 (aired March 3) | Orlando Jordan | SmackDown! | |
| August 21 | Chris Benoit | SummerSlam | |
| October 18 (aired October 21) | Booker T | SmackDown! | |
| November 22 (aired November 25) | Vacated | SmackDown! | Vacated when Booker T's title defense against Chris Benoit ended in a double pinfall. |
WWE Women's Championship :
| Incoming champion – Lita |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 9 | Trish Stratus | New Year's Revolution | |
World Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – Eugene and William Regal |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 16 | La Résistance (Robért Conway and Sylvain Grenier) | House show | Jonathan Coachman replaced Eugene in this match due to injury. |
| February 4 (aired February 7) | William Regal and Tajiri | Monday Night Raw | |
| May 1 | The Hurricane and Rosey | Backlash | Tag team turmoil match, also involving The Heart Throbs, Simon Dean and Maven, and La Résistance. |
| September 18 | Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch | Unforgiven | |
| November 1 | Kane and Big Show | Taboo Tuesday | Kane and Big Show were voted into this match as a result of neither winning the WWE Championship voting. |
WWE Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 11 (aired January 13) | The Basham Brothers (Doug and Danny Basham) | SmackDown! | Fatal four-way tag team elimination match, also involving the teams of Mark Jindrak and Luther Reigns, and Booker T and Eddie Guerrero. |
| February 20 | Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio | No Way Out | |
| April 18 (aired April 21) | MNM (Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro) | SmackDown! | |
| July 24 | The Legion of Doom (Animal and Heidenreich) | The Great American Bash | |
| October 25 (aired October 28) | MNM (Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro) | SmackDown! | Fatal four-way tag team match, also involving The Mexicools, and the team of Paul Burchill and William Regal. |
| December 13 (aired December 16) | Batista and Rey Mysterio | SmackDown! | |
| December 27 (aired December 30) | MNM (Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro) | SmackDown! | |
WWE Cruiserweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Funaki |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| February 20 | Chavo Guerrero Jr. | No Way Out | Six-way Cruiserweight Open, also involving Paul London, Akio, Shannon Moore, and Spike Dudley. |
| March 29 (aired March 31) | Paul London | SmackDown! | Seven-man battle royal. |
| August 2 | Nunzio | Velocity | |
| October 9 | Juventud | No Mercy | |
| November 15 | Nunzio | House show | |
| November 22 (aired November 25) | Juventud | SmackDown! | |
| December 18 | Kid Kash | Armageddon | |

## Births

* February 1 – Yuzuki

## Debuts

* Uncertain debut date
   * Ashley Massaro
   * Epico Colón
   * Fenix
   * Killian Dain/Big Damo
   * Paige
   * Xavier Woods
* January 4 – Antonio Honda
* March 5 - Jonathan Gresham
* March 6 – Ram Kaicho
* March 31 - Akebono Tarō
* April 3 - Kamui
* April 16 - Drew Gulak
* May 1 – Aoi Kizuki
* May 15 – Violento Jack
* July 8 - Johnny Gargano
* July 15 - Brian Cage
* August 14 – Guanchulo
* September 20 – Dark Sheik
* September 23 - Tony Nese
* October 5 - Yūki Ōno
* October 30 - El Phantasmo
* November 4 – Serena
* November 6 - The Beast Mortos
* December 3 – Takoyakida
* December 23 – Kankuro Hoshino
* December 25 - Akihiko Ito (Noah)

## Retirements

* Wendi Richter (1979–2005)
* Joy Giovanni (2004–2005)
* Metal Maniac (November 1991 – 2005)
* Ron Reis (1994-2005)
* Rochelle Loewen (2003-2005)
* Lauren Jones (2004-2005)
* Nathan Jones (11 October 1997 – 2005)
* Nidia (2001–2005)
* Tony Anthony (1980-2005)
* Psycho Sam Cody (1980-2005)
* Colonel DeBeers (1972-January 29, 2005)
* Amy Weber (November 18, 2004 – February 2005)
* Molly Holly (August 2, 1997 – April 14, 2005) (since then has made occasional appearances)
* Rico Constantino (1998 – July 2005) (although he had been fully inactive from in-ring competition since 2005, he briefly returned to have his full retirement match in 2012)
* Muhammad Hassan (2002 – September 21, 2005)

## Deaths

* January 18 – Pez Whatley, 54
* January 20 - Tony Lanza, 84
* April 21 – Black Angus Campbell, 70
* April 28 – Chris Candido, 33
* May 12 – The Matador, 76
* May 28 – Daniel Quirk, 22
* July 11 – Shinya Hashimoto, 40
* July 16 – Miguel Perez Sr., 68
* July 16 – Rod Trongard, 72
* July 21 – Lord Alfred Hayes, 76
* August 8 – Dean Rockwell, 93
* August 13 – Chris Tolos, 75
* August 15 – Peter Smit, 43
* August 18 – Chri$ Ca$h, 23
* August 26 – Sailor White, 56
* September 9 – Tarzan Taborda, 70
* September 23 – Gene Stanlee, 88
* October 22 – The Crusher, 79
* October 22 – Franky Gee, 43
* November 13 – Eddie Guerrero, 38