# 1998 in professional wrestling

1998 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.

## List of notable promotions

These promotions held notable events in 1998.
| Promotion Name | Abbreviation | Notes |
| All Japan Pro Wrestling | AJPW | |
| Catch Wrestling Association | CWA | |
| Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre | CMLL | |
| Extreme Championship Wrestling | ECW | |
| Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling | FMW | |
| International Wrestling Revolution Group | IWRG | |
| 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 | Final Power Hall in Tokyo Dome | Tokyo, Japan | Kensuke Sasaki (c) defeated Keiji Mutoh in a singles match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship |
| January 10 | ECW | House Party | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | The Sandman defeated Sabu in a Stairway to Hell match |
| January 18 | WWF | Royal Rumble | San Jose, California, United States | Shawn Michaels (c) defeated The Undertaker in a Casket match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship |
| January 24 | WCW: WCW nWo | Souled Out | Trotwood, Ohio, United States | Lex Luger defeated Randy Savage by submission in a singles match |
| January 31 | ECW | Hostile City Showdown | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | Rob Van Dam and Sabu vs. The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley) vs. The Gangstanators (John Kronus and New Jack) vs. The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer in a Four-Way Dance |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### February

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| February 15 | WWF | No Way Out of Texas: In Your House | Houston, Texas, United States | Cactus Jack, Chainsaw Charlie, Owen Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn and Road Dogg), Savio Vega and Triple H in a Non-sanctioned eight-man tag team match |
| February 21 | ECW | Cyberslam | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | Shane Douglas and Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Rob Van Dam and Sabu in a tag team match |
| February 22 | WCW: WCW nWo | SuperBrawl VIII | San Francisco, California, United States | Sting vs. Hollywood Hogan in a singles match for the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Championship |
| February 28 | NWA | Third Annual Eddie Gilbert Memorial Show | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | Doug and Tommy Gilbert vs. Buddy Landell and Dory Funk Jr. in a tag team match |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### March

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| March 1 | AAA | Rey de Reyes | Naucalpan, Mexico | Perro Aguayo defeated Latin Lover, Cibernético and Octagón in a 1998 Rey de Reyes final |
| March 1 | ECW | Living Dangerously | Asbury Park, New Jersey, United States | Al Snow and Lance Storm defeated Shane Douglas and Chris Candido in a tag team match |
| March 15 | WCW: WCW nWo | Uncensored | Mobile, Alabama, United States | Hollywood Hogan fought Randy Savage to a no-contest in a Steel cage match |
| March 20 | CMLL | Homenaje a Salvador Lutteroth | Mexico City, Mexico | Emilio Charles Jr. defeated El Satánico in a Lucha de Apuesta, Hair vs. Hair match |
| March 29 | WWF | WrestleMania XIV | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Shawn Michaels (c) in a Singles match for the WWF Championship with Mike Tyson as special outside enforcer |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### April

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| April 4 | WWF | Mayhem in Manchester | Manchester, England, United Kingdom | Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) defeated Triple H in a Singles match for the WWF Championship The Undertaker defeated Kane in a Singles match |
| April 19 | WCW: WCW nWo | Spring Stampede | Denver, Colorado, United States | Randy Savage defeated Sting (c) in a No Disqualification match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship |
| April 24 | CMLL | 42. Aniversario de Arena México | Mexico City, Mexico | Gran Markus Jr. defeated Brazo de Oro in a Best two-out-of-three falls Lucha de Apuestas hair vs. hair match |
| April 26 | WWF | Unforgiven: In Your House | Greensboro, North Carolina, United States | Dude Love defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) by disqualification in a Singles match for the WWF Championship |
| April 29 | N/A | First Annual Brian Pillman Memorial Show | Norwood, Ohio, United States | Chris Benoit defeated Chris Jericho in a Singles match |
| April 30 | FMW | FMW 9th Anniversary Show | Tokyo, Japan | Hayabusa defeated Mr. Gannosuke (c) in a Singles match for the FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship and the FMW Independent Heavyweight Championship |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### May

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| May 1 | AJPW | AJPW 25th Anniversary | Tokyo, Japan | Toshiaki Kawada defeated Mitsuharu Misawa in a Triple Crown title match |
| May 3 | ECW | Wrestlepalooza | Marietta, Georgia, United States | Shane Douglas (c) defeated Al Snow in a Singles match for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship |
| May 14 | ECW | It Ain't Seinfeld | Queens, New York, United States | The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley and Big Dick Dudley) defeated the Sandman, Spike Dudley and Tommy Dreamer by pinfall in a Six-man tag team match |
| May 16 | ECW | A Matter of Respect | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | Spike Dudley, The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer defeated The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley and Big Dick Dudley) in a Stairway to Hell match |
| May 17 | WCW: WCW nWo | Slamboree | Worcester, Massachusetts, United States | Sting and The Giant defeated The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) (c) in a Tag team match for the WCW World Tag Team Championship |
| May 19 | FMW | Neo 1998: Day 1 | Tokyo, Japan | Hayabusa vs. Masato Tanaka in a Singles match |
| May 31 | WWF | Over the Edge: In Your House | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States | Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) defeated Dude Love in a Falls Count Anywhere match for the WWF Championship with Mr. McMahon as special guest referee |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### June

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| June 7 | AAA | Triplemanía VI | Chihuahua City, Chihuahua, Mexico | Kick Boxer defeated Heavy Metal in a Steel cage match, Lucha de Apuestas, "Hair of Pepe Casas vs. Hair of El Tirantes" match |
| June 11 | N/A | Third Annual Ilio DiPaolo Memorial Show | Buffalo, New York, United States | Kevin Nash and Diamond Dallas Page defeated Hollywood Hogan and Bret Hart in a tag team |
| June 14 | WCW: WCW nWo | The Great American Bash | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | Sting defeated The Giant in a Singles match for control of the WCW World Tag Team Championship |
| June 19 | FMW | King of Fight 1998: Day 2 | Tokyo, Japan | Hayabusa, Hisakatsu Oya, Ricky Fuji and Daisuke Ikeda vs. Team No Respect (Kodo Fuyuki, Koji Nakagawa, Gedo and Yukihiro Kanemura) in four-man tag team match |
| June 28 | WWF | King of the Ring | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States | Kane defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) in a First Blood match for the WWF Championship |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### July

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| July 10 | FMW | King of Fight II 1998: Day 2 | Tokyo, Japan | Hayabusa, Hisakatsu Oya, Ricky Fuji and Daisuke Ikeda vs. Team No Respect (Kodo Fuyuki, Koji Nakagawa, Jado and Gedo) in an eight-man tag team match |
| July 12 | WCW: WCW nWo | Bash at the Beach | San Diego, California, United States | Hollywood Hogan and Dennis Rodman defeated Diamond Dallas Page and Karl Malone in a tag team match |
| July 18 | CMLL | Ruleta de la Muerte | Mexico City, Mexico | El Hijo del Santo defeated Guerrero del Futuro in Lucha de Apuesta, mask vs. hair match |
| July 26 | WWF | Fully Loaded: In Your House | Fresno, California, United States | Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker defeated Kane and Mankind (c) in a tag team match for the WWF Tag Team Championship |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### August

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| August 1 | WWC | WWC 25th Aniversario | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Ricky Santana defeated El Texano in a hair vs. hair match |
| August 2 | ECW | Heat Wave | Dayton, Ohio, United States | Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman and Spike Dudley defeated The Dudleys (Buh Buh Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley and Big Dick Dudley) in a Street Fight |
| August 8 | WCW: WCW nWo | Road Wild | Sturgis, South Dakota, United States | Diamond Dallas Page and Jay Leno defeated Hollywood Hogan and Eric Bischoff in a tag team match |
| August 11 | FMW | Atsushi Onita Presents Liar, Liar | Tokyo, Japan | Atsushi Onita, Mr. Pogo, Shoichi Arai and Yoshinori Sasaki defeated Go Ito and Team No Respect (Kodo Fuyuki, Koji Nakagawa and Yukihiro Kanemura) in a Shoichi Arai Presidency vs. Hosakas and Kurodas Freedom Weapons Death Match |
| August 13 | N/A | Second Annual Plum Mariko Memorial Show | Tokyo, Japan | Mayumi Ozaki and Devil Masami defeated Cutie Suzuki and Dynamite Kansai in a tag team match |
| August 14 | CMLL | International Gran Prix | Mexico City, Mexico | Apolo Dantés defeated Rayo de Jalisco Jr. in a 1998 International Gran Prix final match |
| August 22 | FMW | Welcome to the Darkside | Tokyo, Japan | Koji Nakagawa defeated Darkside Hayabusa in a Singles match |
| August 30 | WWF | SummerSlam | New York City, New York, United States | Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) defeated The Undertaker in a Singles match for the WWE Championship |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### September

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| September 8 | FMW | Super Dynamism 1998: Day 11 | Tokyo, Japan | Hayabusa and Daisuke Ikeda vs. Kodo Fuyuki and Yukihiro Kanemura in a tag team match |
| September 13 | WCW: WCW nWo | Fall Brawl | Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States | Team WCW (Diamond Dallas Page, Roddy Piper and The Warrior) defeated nWo Hollywood (Hollywood Hogan, Bret Hart and Stevie Ray) and nWo Wolfpac (Kevin Nash, Sting and Lex Luger) in a WarGames match |
| September 18 | AAA | Verano de Escándalo | Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas, Mexico | Heavy Metal and Blue Demon Jr. defeated Kick Boxer and Abismo Negro in a Steel cage match |
| September 18 | CMLL | CMLL 65th Anniversary Show | Mexico City, Mexico | Los Hermanos Dinamita (Cien Caras and Máscara Año 2000) and Emilio Charles Jr. defeated Los Boricuas (Kevin Quinn, La Boricua and Miguel Perez, Jr.) in a Best two out of three falls tag team match |
| September 19 | ECW | UltraClash | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | Rob Van Dam and Sabu and Masato Tanaka fought the Triple Threat (Bam Bam Bigelow, Chris Candido, and Shane Douglas) to a no contest |
| September 27 | WWF | Breakdown: In Your House | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | Kane and The Undertaker defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) in a Triple threat match for the WWF Championship |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### October

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| October 6 | FMW | Flashover 1998: Day 10 | Tokyo, Japan | Hayabusa vs. Koji Nakagawa in a Singles match |
| October 18 | WWF | Judgment Day: In Your House | Rosemont, Illinois, United States | Kane vs. The Undertaker ended in a double pinfall in a Singles match for the vacant WWF Championship with Stone Cold Steve Austin as special guest referee |
| October 25 | WCW: WCW nWo | Halloween Havoc | Paradise, Nevada, United States | Goldberg (c) defeated Diamond Dallas Page in a Singles match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### November

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| November 1 | ECW | November to Remember | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | New Triple Threat (Sabu, Rob Van Dam and Taz) defeated The Triple Threat (Shane Douglas, Bam Bam Bigelow and Chris Candido) |
| November 15 | WWF | Survivor Series | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | The Rock defeated Mankind by submission in a Tournament final match for the vacant WWF Championship |
| November 20 | FMW | Scramble Survivor 1998: Day 6 | Yokohama, Japan | Hayabusa vs. Kodo Fuyuki in a Singles match |
| November 22 | WCW: WCW nWo | World War 3 | Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States | Diamond Dallas Page (c) defeated Bret Hart in a Singles match for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### December

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| December 6 | WWF | WWF Capital Carnage | London, England, United Kingdom | Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Kane, Mankind and The Undertaker in a Fatal 4-Way match with Gerald Brisco as special guest referee |
| December 12 | ECW FMW | ECW/FMW Supershow I | Tokyo, Japan | Rob Van Dam and Sabu defeated Hayabusa and Tommy Dreamer by pinfall in a tag team match |
| December 13 | ECW FMW | ECW/FMW Supershow II | Tokyo, Japan | Rob Van Dam and Sabu defeated The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley) (c) by pinfall in a Tag team match for the ECW World Tag Team Championship |
| December 13 | AAA | Guerra de Titanes | Chihuahua City, Chihuahua, Mexico | Octagón and Heavy Metal defeated Pentagón and Kick Boxer in a Steel Cage match |
| December 13 | WWF | Rock Bottom: In Your House | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match for the right to compete in the 1999 Royal Rumble match |
| December 19 | CWA | Euro Catch Festival | Bremen, Germany | Rambo defeated Big Titan in Round 6 in a Singles match for the vacant CWA World Heavyweight Championship |
| December 20 | IWRG | Arena Naucalpan 21st Anniversary Show | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | Mega defeated Judo Suwa in a Ruleta de la Muerte final, Lucha de Apuestas, mask vs. hair match |
| December 26 | various | Jaguar Yokota Retirement Show | Tokyo | Devil Masami defeated Jaguar Yokota |
| December 27 | WCW: WCW nWo | Starrcade | Washington, D.C., United States | Kevin Nash defeated Goldberg (c) in a No Disqualification match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

## Accomplishments and tournaments
### AAA

| Tournaments | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| Rey de Reyes | Perro Aguayo | March 1 | |

### AJW

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| Japan Grand Prix 1998 | Manami Toyota | August 9 |
| Tag League The Best 1998 | Momoe Nakanishi and Nanae Takahashi | November 22 | |

### AJPW

| Tournaments | Winner | Date won |
| Asunaro Cup 1998 | Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori | January 23 |
| Champion Carnival | Mitsuharu Misawa | April 18 |
| World Junior Heavyweight Title League | Yoshinari Ogawa | July 19 |
| Real World Tag League | Jun Akiyama & Kenta Kobashi | December 5 |

### JWP

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| Blue Star Cup 1998 | Kayoko Haruyama | | |
| All Generation Tournament | Carlos Amano | May 17 | |

### NJPW

| Tournaments | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| Final Inoki Tournament | Don Frye | April 4 | |
| Best of the Super Juniors V | Koji Kanemoto | June 3 | |
| IWGP Tag Team Title Tournament | Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Masahiro Chono | June 5 | |
| IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Title League | Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa | August 8 | This tournament was to crown the inaugural IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions |
| G1 Climax 8 | Shinya Hashimoto | August 2 | |
| WCW World Tag Title Contenders League | Kensuke Sasaki & Yuji Nagata | September 21 | Sasaki & Nagata never actually received their title shot |
| Super Grade Tag League VIII | Keiji Muto & Satoshi Kojima | December 6 | |

### WCW

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| World War 3 | Kevin Nash | November 22 | |

### WWF

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| Royal Rumble | Stone Cold Steve Austin | January 18 | |
| King of the Ring | Ken Shamrock | June 28 | |
| WWF Brawl for All | Bart Gunn | August 24 | This was a shoot fighting tournament, rather than traditional wrestling matches |
| WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament | Ken Shamrock | October 12 | |
| Deadly Games WWF Championship Tournament | The Rock | November 15 | |

## Awards and honors
### Pro Wrestling Illustrated

| Category | Winner |
| PWI Wrestler of the Year | Stone Cold Steve Austin |
| PWI Tag Team of the Year | The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn) |
| PWI Match of the Year | The Undertaker vs. Mankind (King of the Ring) |
| PWI Feud of the Year | Vince McMahon vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin |
| PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year | Stone Cold Steve Austin |
| PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year | Hollywood Hogan |
| PWI Comeback of the Year | X-Pac |
| PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year | Booker T |
| PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year | Goldberg |
| PWI Rookie of the Year | Bill Goldberg |
| PWI Lifetime Achievement | Bobo Brazil |
| PWI Editor's Award | Paul Bearer |

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

* Inductee
* Dos Caras

#### Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

| Category | Winner |
| Wrestler of the Year | Stone Cold Steve Austin |
| Most Outstanding | Koji Kanemoto |
| Best Box Office Draw | Stone Cold Steve Austin |
| Feud of the Year | Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon |
| Tag Team of the Year | Shinjiro Otani and Tatsuhito Takaiwa |
| Most Improved | The Rock |
| Best on Interviews | Stone Cold Steve Austin |

## Title changes
### ECW

ECW World Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Shane Douglas |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| No title changes ||||
ECW FTW Heavyweight Championship :
| (Title created) |||||
| Unsanctioned championship |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| May 14 | Taz | It Ain't Seinfeld | Taz introduced the championship during a storyline. |
| December 19 | Sabu | Hardcore TV #296 | |
ECW World Television Championship :
| Incoming champion – Taz |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| March 1 | Bam Bam Bigelow | Living Dangerously | |
| April 4 | Rob Van Dam | Hardcore TV #259 | |
ECW World Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – Chris Candido and Lance Storm |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| June 27 | Rob Van Dam and Sabu | Hardcore TV #271 | |
| October 24 | The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley) | Hardcore TV #288 | |
| November 1 | Balls Mahoney and Masato Tanaka | November to Remember | |
| November 6 | The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley) | Hardcore TV #290 | |
| December 13 | Sabu and Rob Van Dam | ECW/FMW Supershow II | |

### FMW

FMW Double Championship :
| Incoming champion – Masato Tanaka |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 6 | Mr. Gannosuke | New Year Generation Tour | |
| April 30 | Hayabusa | 9th Anniversary Show | |
| November 20 | Kodo Fuyuki | Scramble Survivor Tour | |
FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – ZEN/Team No Respect (Mr. Gannosuke and Yukihiro Kanemura) |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| March 29 | Team No Respect (Kodo Fuyuki and Hido) | Winning Road tour | |
| April 17 | Hayabusa and Masato Tanaka | Fuyuki Army | |
| May 27 | Team No Respect (Kodo Fuyuki and Yukihiro Kanemura) | Neo FMW | |
| October 26 | Hayabusa and Daisuke Ikeda | Fuyuki Army | |
FMW World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – Hayabusa, Masato Tanaka and Hisakatsu Oya |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 16 | Team No Respect (Mr. Gannosuke, Yukihiro Kanemura and Jado) | FMW | |
| February 13 | ZEN (Atsushi Onita, Koji Nakagawa and Tetsuhiro Kuroda) | FMW | |
| May 5 | Team No Respect (Kodo Fuyuki, Yukihiro Kanemura and Hido) | Neo FMW tour | |
| June 1 | Vacant | Neo FMW Tour | |
| June 1 | Team No Respect (Atsushi Onita, Tetsuhiro Kuroda and Hido) | Neo FMW tour | |
| November 20 | Vacant | N/A | |

### NJPW

IWGP Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Kensuke Sasaki |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| April 4 | Tatsumi Fujinami | Antonio Inoki Retirement Show | |
| August 8 | Masahiro Chono | Rising the Next Generation in Osaka Dome | |
| September 21 | Vacant | N/A | |
| September 23 | Scott Norton | Big Wednesday | |
IWGP Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – Keiji Mutoh and Masahiro Chono |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| April 21 | Vacant | N/A | |
| June 5 | Cho-Ten (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Masahiro Chono) | Live event | |
| July 15 | Genichiro Tenryu and Shiro Koshinaka | Summer Struggle 1998 | |
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Shinjiro Otani |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| February 7 | Jushin Thunder Liger | Live event | |
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship :
| (Title created) |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| August 8 | Shinjiro Otani and Tatsuhito Takaiwa | Rising the Next Generations in Osaka Dome | |

### WCW

WCW World Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Sting |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 8 | Vacated | Thunder | Vacated due to the controversial ending of Starrcade 1997 |
| February 22 | Sting | SuperBrawl VIII | |
| April 19 | Randy Savage | Spring Stampede | This was a No disqualification match |
| April 20 | Hollywood Hogan | Nitro | |
| July 6 | Goldberg | Nitro | |
| December 27 | Kevin Nash | Starrcade | |
WCW Cruiserweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Ultimate Dragon |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 8 | Juventud Guerrera | Thunder | |
| January 15 | Rey Misterio, Jr. | Thunder | |
| January 24 | Chris Jericho | Souled Out | |
| May 17 | Dean Malenko | Slamboree | Malenko won a battle royal earlier in the night, wearing a mask as Ciclope, to earn a title shot |
| June 11 | Vacant | Thunder | Vacated due to Malenko not winning the title shot as himself |
| June 14 | Chris Jericho | The Great American Bash | |
| August 8 | Juventud Guerrera | Road Wild | Dean Malenko was the special guest referee |
| September 14 | Billy Kidman | Nitro | |
| November 16 | Juventud Guerrera | Nitro | |
| November 22 | Billy Kidman | World War 3 | |
WCW United States Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Diamond Dallas Page |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| April 19 | Raven | Spring Stampede | |
| April 20 | Goldberg | Nitro | |
| July 6 | Vacant | Nitro | Vacated due to Goldberg winning the WCW World Heavyweight Championship |
| July 20 | Bret Hart | Nitro | |
| August 10 | Lex Luger | Nitro | |
| August 11 | Bret Hart | Thunder | Aired on tape delay on August 13. |
| October 26 | Diamond Dallas Page | Nitro | |
| November 30 | Bret Hart | Nitro | |
WCW Women's Cruiserweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Sugar Sato |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| April 3 | Retired | GAEA Full Bloom | |
WCW World Television Championship :
| Incoming champion – Booker T |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| February 16 | Rick Martel | Nitro | |
| February 22 | Booker T | SuperBrawl VIII | |
| April 30 | Chris Benoit | House show | |
| May 1 | Booker T | House show | |
| May 2 | Chris Benoit | House show | |
| May 3 | Booker T | House show | |
| May 4 | Fit Finlay | Nitro | |
| June 14 | Booker T | The Great American Bash | |
| July 14 | Stevie Ray | House show | |
| August 10 | Chris Jericho | Nitro | |
| November 30 | Konnan | Nitro | |
| December 28 | Scott Steiner | Nitro | |
WCW World Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner) |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 12 | The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) | Nitro | |
| February 9 | The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner) | Nitro | |
| February 22 | The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) | SuperBrawl VIII | |
| May 17 | Sting and The Giant | Slamboree | |
| June 2 | Vacant | Thunder | Aired on tape delay on June 4. Vacated due to Sting joining the NWO Wolfpac. |
| June 14 | Sting and Kevin Nash | The Great American Bash | |
| July 20 | Scott Hall and The Giant | Nitro | |
| October 25 | Rick Steiner and Kenny Kaos | Halloween Havoc | |

### WWF

WWF World Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Shawn Michaels |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| March 29 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | WrestleMania XIV | Mike Tyson was the special outside enforcer. |
| June 28 | Kane | King of the Ring | This was a First Blood match |
| June 29 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | Raw Is War | The title was renamed to WWF Championship |
| September 27 | Vacant | Breakdown: In Your House | This was a triple threat match also involving The Undertaker and Kane |
| November 15 | The Rock | Survivor Series | Defeated Mankind in a tournament final |
| December 29 | Mankind | Raw Is War | Aired on tape delay on January 4. |
WWF Intercontinental Championship :
| Incoming champion – The Rock |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| August 30 | Triple H | SummerSlam | This was a ladder match |
| October 9 | Vacant | N/A | Vacated due to injury. |
| October 12 | Ken Shamrock | Raw Is War | Defeated X-Pac in a tournament final |
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Taka Michinoku |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| October 18 | Christian | Judgment Day: In Your House | |
| November 17 | Gillberg | Raw Is War | Aired on tape delay on November 23. |
WWF Women's Championship :
| (Title reactivated) |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| September 15 | Jacqueline | Raw Is War | Aired on tape delay on September 21. |
| November 15 | Sable | Survivor Series | Shane McMahon was the special guest referee |
WWF European Championship :
| Incoming champion – Triple H |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 20 | Owen Hart | Raw Is War | Aired on tape delay on January 26. |
| March 16 | Triple H | Raw Is War | |
| July 14 | D'Lo Brown | Raw Is War | Aired on tape delay on July 20. |
| September 15 | X-Pac | Raw Is War | Aired on tape delay on September 21. |
| September 29 | D'Lo Brown | Raw Is War | Aired on tape delay on October 5. |
| October 18 | X-Pac | Judgment Day: In Your House | |
WWF Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn and Road Dogg) |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| March 29 | Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie | WrestleMania XIV | |
| March 30 | The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn and Road Dogg) | Raw Is War | Aired on tape delay on April 6. |
| July 13 | Kane and Mankind | Raw Is War | |
| July 26 | Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker | Fully Loaded: In Your House | |
| August 10 | Kane and Mankind | Raw Is War | This was a four-way match also involving The New Age Outlaws and D'Lo Brown & The Rock. |
| August 30 | The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn and Road Dogg) | SummerSlam | |
| December 14 | The Corporation (Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock) | Raw Is War | |
WWF Hardcore Championship :
| (Title created) |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| November 2 | Mankind | Raw Is War | Mankind was awarded the title by Vince McMahon |
| November 30 | Big Boss Man | Raw Is War | This was a ladder march |
| December 15 | Road Dogg | Raw Is War | Aired on tape delay on December 21. |

## Births

* January 2 – Takuho Kato
* April 27 – Arisu Endo
* May 17 – Ancham
* June 1 – Megan Bayne
* June 18 – Masha Slamovich
* July 15 – Anna Jay
* July 19 – Lola Vice
* September 17 – Towa Iwasaki
* November 8 – Soma Watanabe
* November 23 – Rina Shingaki
* November 27 – Suzume

## Debuts

* A.J. Styles
* Amazing Red
* Chuck Palumbo
* Rodney Mack
* Sal E. Graziano
* Cliff Compton
* Tony Mamaluke
* Kazunari Murakami
* Tomoka Isozaki (All Japan Women's)
* January 23 - Tomiko Sai and Kayoko Haruyama
* January 28 - Kenji Fukimoto and Akira Raijin
* January 31 – Thanomsak Toba
* February 5 - MAX Miyazawa
* February 7 - Ryuji Hijikata
* March 1 - Kengo Takai
* April 13 - Vince McMahon
* April 30 - Místico
* May 15 - Frankie Kazarian
* June 19 - Bobby Roode
* August 9 - Ayako Hamada
* August 16 - Junko Yagi
* August 21 – Kurt Angle
* August 28 - Naomichi Marufuji
* September 6 – Quiet Storm
* September 13 - Tigre Uno
* September 15 - Mika Harigai (All Japan Women's)
* September 25 - Low Ki
* October - Kongo Kong
* October 25 - Genkai
* November 29 - Takashi Uwano
* December 14 – Faby Apache
* December 16 - Daisaku Shimada

## Retirements

* Austin Idol (1972–1998)
* Antonio Inoki (September 30, 1960–April 4, 1998) (returned to wrestling in 2000 and retired on December 30, 2001)
* Marcus Laurinaitis (1987–1998)
* Joey Maggs (1987–1998)
* Rick Martel (1973–1998)
* Shawn Michaels (1984-March 28, 1998) (returned to wrestling in 2002 and retired in 2010)
* John Nord (1984-1998)
* The Patriot (wrestler) (1988-1998)
* Sgt. Craig Pittman (1993-1998) (returned to wrestling for two matches in 2011)
* Paul Roma (1984–1998) (returned to wrestling in 2006)
* The Sheik (wrestler) (1947-1998)
* Mark Starr (1986–1998)
* Pez Whatley (1973-1998)

## Deaths

* January 20 – Bobo Brazil, 73
* February 15 – Louie Spicolli, 27
* April 6 - Stanley Radwan, 89
* June 2 – Junkyard Dog, 45
* July 1 - Toyonobori, 67
* July 20 - June Byers, 76
* August 17 – Terry Garvin, 61
* August 18 – Shane Shamrock, 23
* November 6 – Sky Low Low, 70
* November 29 – Giant Haystacks, 51
* December 9 - Archie Moore, 84
* December 15 – Brady Boone, 40
* December 30 - Sam Muchnick, 93
* December 31 - Frank Valois, 77