# 2001 in professional wrestling

2001 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.

## List of notable promotions

These promotions held notable events in 2001.
| Promotion Name | Abbreviation | Notes |
| All Japan Pro Wrestling | AJPW | |
| Big Japan Pro Wrestling | BJW | |
| Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre | CMLL | |
| Extreme Championship Wrestling | ECW | ECW closed in April due to financial trouble, after which, former ECW stars began appearing on WWF programming, but still promoted as ECW stars for The Invasion storyline. The promotion's assets were later acquired by the WWF (which at that point had been renamed to WWE) in 2003. |
| 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 | The majority of WCW's assets were acquired by rival company WWF in March following the cancellation of its programming, after which, former WCW stars began appearing on WWF programming, but still promoted as WCW stars for The Invasion storyline. |
| World Wrestling All-Stars | WWA | |
| World Wrestling Council | WWC | |
| World Wrestling Federation | WWF | |
| World Xtreme Wrestling | WXW | |

## Calendar of notable shows
### January

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| January 4 | NJPW | Wrestling World | Tokyo, Japan | Kensuke Sasaki defeated Toshiaki Kawada in a Singles match: IWGP Heavyweight Championship tournament final |
| January 7 | FMW | New Year Generation 2001: Day 1 | Tokyo, Japan | Kodo Fuyuki and Tetsuhiro Kuroda vs. Masato Tanaka and Gedo in a tag team match |
| January 7 | ECW | Guilty as Charged | New York, New York | Rob Van Dam defeated Jerry Lynn in a Singles match |
| January 14 | WCW | Sin | Indianapolis, Indiana | Scott Steiner (c) defeated Jeff Jarrett, Sid Vicious and Road Warrior Animal in a Four corners match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship |
| January 16 | FMW | New Year Generation 2001: Day 6 | Tokyo, Japan | Kodo Fuyuki vs. Tetsuhiro Kuroda in a Singles match |
| January 21 | WWF | Royal Rumble | New Orleans, Louisiana | Stone Cold Steve Austin won by last eliminating Kane in a 30-man Royal Rumble match for a WWF Championship match at WrestleMania X-Seven |
| January 28 | AJPW NJPW | Giant Baba Memorial Spectacular | Tokyo, Japan | Kensuke Sasaki (c - IWGP Heavyweight Champion) and Toshiaki Kawada defeated Genichiro Tenryu (c - AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion) and Hiroshi Hase in a Non-Title Dream match |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### February

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| February 6 | FMW | New Year Generation 2001: Day 6 | Tokyo, Japan | Kodo Fuyuki, GOEMON and Onryo vs. Tetsuhiro Kuroda, Mammoth Sasaki and Kyoko Inoue in a tag team match |
| February 14 | WOW | WOW Unleashed | Los Angeles, California | Thug defeated Selina Majors in a Steel Cage Match |
| February 18 | WCW | SuperBrawl Revenge | Nashville, Tennessee | Scott Steiner (c) defeated Kevin Nash 2–1 in a Two-out-of-three falls "loser leaves WCW" match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship |
| February 25 | WWF | No Way Out | Las Vegas, Nevada | The Rock defeated Kurt Angle (c) in a Singles match for the WWF Championship |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### March

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| March 5 | FMW | Winning Road 2001: Tag 2 | Tokyo, Japan | The Great Sasuke vs. Tetsuhiro Kuroda in a Singles match |
| March 13 | FMW | Winning Road 2001: Tag 7 | Tokyo, Japan | Kintaro Kanemura vs. Tetsuhiro Kuroda in a Singles match |
| March 18 | WCW | Greed | Jacksonville, Florida | Scott Steiner (c) defeated Diamond Dallas Page by technical submission in a Falls Count Anywhere match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship |
| March 30 | AAA | Rey de Reyes | Ciudad Madero, Mexico | La Parka Jr. defeated Latin Lover, Abismo Negro and Heavy Metal in a Rey de Reyes 2001 Final elimination match |
| March 30 | CMLL | Juicio Final | Mexico City, Mexico | Universo 2000 defeated Perro Aguayo - Two falls to one in a Best two-out-of-three falls Lucha de Apuestas, mask vs. hair match |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### April

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| April 1 | FMW | Fighting Creation 2001: Tag 2 | Tokyo, Japan | Kodo Fuyuki vs. Tetsuhiro Kuroda in a Singles match |
| April 1 | WWF | WrestleMania X-Seven | Houston, Texas | Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The Rock (c) in a No Disqualification match for the WWF Championship |
| April 13 | CMLL | 45. Aniversario de Arena México | Mexico City, Mexico | Dr. Wagner Jr., El Satánico and Negro Casas defeated Hijo del Santo, Emilio Charles Jr. and Último Guerrero by disqualification |
| April 15 | FMW | Fighting Creation 2001: Tag 3 | Tokyo, Japan | Team Kuroda (Tetsuhiro Kuroda, Mr. Gannosuke and Mammoth Sasaki) vs. The Great Sasuke, GOEMON and Onryo in a Six-man tag team match |
| April 29 | WWF | Backlash | Rosemont, Illinois | The Two-Man Power Trip (Stone Cold Steve Austin (c - WWF) and Triple H (c - Intercontinental)) defeated The Brothers of Destruction (Kane and The Undertaker) (c - WWF Tag Team) in a Tag team match for the WWF Tag Team, WWF Intercontinental, and WWF Championships |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### May

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| May 5 | NJPW | Wrestling Dontaku | Fukuoka, Japan | Manabu Nakanishi and Riki Choshu defeated Kazunari Murakami and Naoya Ogawa in a tag team match |
| May 5 | FMW | FMW 12th Anniversary Show | Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan | Hayabusa and The Great Sasuke defeated Tetsuhiro Kuroda and Mr. Gannosuke in an Exploding 15000 Volt Thunderbolt Octagon Cage Bomb Deathmatch |
| May 5 | WWF | Insurrextion | London, England | The Undertaker defeated The Power Trip (Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) and Triple H) in a Handicap match for the WWF Championship |
| May 11 | FMW | Neo 2001: Day 1 | Tokyo, Japan | Hayabusa, Hisakatsu Oya and Ricky Fuji vs. Team Kuroda (Tetsuhiro Kuroda, Mr. Gannosuke and Mammoth Sasaki) in a Six-man tag team match |
| May 20 | WWF | Judgment Day | Sacramento, California | Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) defeated The Undertaker in a No Holds Barred match for the WWF Championship |
| May 26 | AAA | Triplemanía IX | Mexico City, Mexico | Pirata Morgan lost to Sangre Chicana, El Cobarde II was also in the match in a Dog collar match Lucha de Apuestas "Hair vs. Hair" match |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### June

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| June 8 | FMW | King of Fight 2001: Day 1 | Tokyo, Japan | Hayabusa and Tetsuhiro Kuroda vs. Mr. Gannosuke and Kintaro Kanemura in a Six-man tag team match |
| June 24 | WWF | King of the Ring | East Rutherford, New Jersey | Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) defeated Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho in a Triple threat match for the WWF Championship |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### July

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| July 20 | FMW | King of Fight II 2001: Day 9 | Tokyo, Japan | Kodo Fuyuki, Mr. Gannosuke, Kintaro Kanemura and Senmu Yoshida vs. Hayabusa, Tetsuhiro Kuroda, Azusa Kudo and Shoichi Arai in an eight-man tag team match |
| July 22 | WWF | Invasion | Cleveland, Ohio | The WCW-ECW Coalition (Booker T, Bubba Ray Dudley, Diamond Dallas Page, D-Von Dudley and Rhyno) (Alliance) defeated Team WWF (Chris Jericho, Kane, Kurt Angle, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker) (WWF) in a ten-man tag team match |
| July 24 | FMW | Rolling Thunder Riverside Death Match Series In Edogawa Kyotei | Tokyo, Japan | GOEMON and Hayabusa defeated Chocoball Mukai and Kodo Fuyuki in a tag team match |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### August

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| August 3 | FMW | Super Dynamism 2001: Day 4 | Tokyo, Japan | Mr. Gannosuke, Kintaro Kanemura and Mammoth Sasaki vs. Hayabusa, GOEMON and Onryo in a Six-man tag team match |
| August 9 | N/A | Fourth Annual Brian Pillman Memorial Show | Cincinnati, Ohio | The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy) (WWF) defeated Edge and Christian (WWF) and Diamond Dallas Page and Kanyon (WCW) in a Three-way match |
| August 4–12 | NJPW | G1 Climax | Tokyo | Yuji Nagata defeated Keiji Mutoh in a G1 Climax tournament final |
| August 11 | N/A | Terry Gordy Memorial Show | Birmingham, Alabama | P.S. Michael Hayes and Ray Gordy defeated Tony Anthony and "Nightmare" Ken Wayne in a tag team match |
| August 11 | FMW | Super Dynamism 2001: Day 6 | Tokyo, Japan | Hayabusa vs. Kintaro Kanemura in a Singles match |
| August 19 | WWF | SummerSlam | San Jose, California | The Rock (WWF) defeated Booker T (c) (Alliance) in a Singles match for the WCW Championship |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### September

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| September 8 | WWC | WWC 28th Aniversario | Bayamón, Puerto Rico | Abdullah the Butcher defeated Big Hail by disqualification in a Singles match |
| September 9 | FMW | Super Dynamism 2001: Day 14 | Tokyo, Japan | Kintaro Kanemura, Kodo Fuyuki and Mr. Gannosuke vs. Hayabusa, Tetsuhiro Kuroda and GOEMON in a Six-man tag team match |
| September 16 | AAA | Verano de Escándalo | Naucalpan, Mexico | Canek, Zorro, Latin Lover, and Heavy Metal defeated Cibernético, Headhunter I, Electroshock, and Abismo Negro in an Eight-man "Atómicos" tag team match |
| September 23 | WWF | Unforgiven | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Kurt Angle (WWF) defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) (Alliance) by submission in a Singles match for the WWF Championship |
| September 28 | CMLL | CMLL 68th Anniversary Show | Mexico City, Mexico | Máscara Mágica lost to El Satánico Also in the match: Último Guerrero, Rey Bucanero, Tarzan Boy, Mephisto and Averno in a Seven-man steel cage match elimination Lucha de Apuestas match |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### October

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| October 9 | FMW | Power Splash 2001: Day 4 | Tokyo, Japan | Mr. Gannosuke and Mammoth Sasaki vs. Hayabusa and Tetsuhiro Kuroda in a tag team match |
| October 21 | WWF | No Mercy | St. Louis, Missouri | Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) (Alliance) defeated Kurt Angle (WWF) and Rob Van Dam (Alliance) in a Triple threat match for the WWF Championship |
| October 22 | FMW | Power Splash 2001: Day 13 | Tokyo, Japan | Hayabusa vs. Mammoth Sasaki in a Singles match |
| October 26 | WWA | The Inception | Sydney, Australia | Jeff Jarrett defeated Road Dogg in a Steel Cage match tournament final for the vacant WWA World Heavyweight Championship |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

### November

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| November 3 | FMW | Iizuka Car Race Special I | Fukuoka, Japan | Onryo and Tetsuhiro Kuroda defeated Chocoball Mukai and Kodo Fuyuki in a tag team match |
| November 3 | WWF | Rebellion | Manchester, England | Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) (Alliance) defeated The Rock (WWF) in a Singles match for the WWF Championship |
| November 4 | FMW | Iizuka Car Race Special II | Fukuoka, Japan | Kintaro Kanemura, Kodo Fuyuki and Mr. Gannosuke vs. GOEMON, Onryo and Ricky Fuji in a tag team match |
| November 5 | FMW | Scramble Survivor 2001: Day 1 | Tokyo, Japan | Kodo Fuyuki, Arashi and Koki Kitahara vs. Tetsuhiro Kuroda, Hisakatsu Oya and Ricky Fuji in a Six-man tag team match |
| November 18 | WWF | Survivor Series | Greensboro, North Carolina | Team WWF (The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane and Big Show) defeated The Alliance (Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Booker T and Shane McMahon) in a Winner Takes All 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match |
| November 23 | AAA | Guerra de Titanes | Mexico City, Mexico | Heavy Metal lost to Perro Aguayo Jr., Héctor Garza and Latin Lover in a Luchas de Apuestas "loser loses his hair elimination" match |
| November 23 | FMW | Scramble Survivor 2001: Day 1 | Tokyo, Japan | Tetsuhiro Kuroda and Garuda vs. Kodo Fuyuki and Genichiro Tenryu in a tag team match |
| November 29 | WXW | Yokozuna Memorial Show | Allentown, Pennsylvania | The Headshrinkers (Rikishi and Samu) defeated Da Hit Squad (Monsta Mack and Mafia) in a tag team match |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) ||||||

### December

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| 2 | BJW | Ante Up | Yokohama, Japan | Daisuke Sekimoto and Men's Teioh (BJW) vs. Kintaro Kanemura and Ryuji Yamakawa (WEW) in a Winners Take All tag team match for the BJW Tag Team and WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championships |
| December 9 | FMW | FMW PPV | Tokyo, Japan | Team FMW (Tetsuhiro Kuroda, Kintaro Kanemura, Mr. Gannosuke and Mammoth Sasaki) vs. Team WAR (Genichiro Tenryu, Kodo Fuyuki, Arashi and Koki Kitahara) |
| December 9 | WWF | Vengeance | San Diego, California | Chris Jericho (World Champion) defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin (WWF Champion) in a Unification match for the World Championship and WWF Championship into the Undisputed WWF Championship |
| December 14 | CMLL | Sin Piedad | Mexico City, Mexico | Shocker defeated Emilio Charles Jr. in a Best two-out-of three falls Lucha de Apuesta, hair vs. hair match |
| December 21 | FMW | Year End Sensation 2001 | Tokyo, Japan | Tetsuhiro Kuroda and Mr. Gannosuke vs. Kintaro Kanemura and Mammoth Sasaki in a tag team match |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

## Accomplishments and tournaments
### AAA

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| Rey de Reyes | La Parka Jr. | March 30 | |

### AJW

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| Japan Grand Prix 2001 | Momoe Nakanishi | August 17 |
| Tag League The Best 2001 | Manami Toyota and Yumiko Hotta | December 2 | |

### WCW

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship Tournament | Elix Skipper and Kid Romeo | March 18 | |

### WWF

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes |
| Royal Rumble | Stone Cold Steve Austin | January 21 | Last eliminated Kane to win a WWF Championship match at WrestleMania X-Seven, which he subsequently won from The Rock in a no disqualification match. |
| King of the Ring | Edge | June 24 | Defeated Kurt Angle in the tournament final to win and be crowned King of the Ring. |
| Undisputed WWF Championship Tournament | Chris Jericho | December 9 | Defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin in the tournament final to unify the WWF Championship and World Championship and become the Undisputed WWF Champion. |

## Awards and honors
### Pro Wrestling Illustrated

| Category | Winner |
| PWI Wrestler of the Year | Stone Cold Steve Austin |
| PWI Tag Team of the Year | The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley) |
| PWI Match of the Year | The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian (WrestleMania X-Seven) |
| PWI Feud of the Year | Shane McMahon vs. Vince McMahon |
| PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year | Rob Van Dam |
| PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year | Stone Cold Steve Austin |
| PWI Comeback of the Year | Rob Van Dam |
| PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year | Edge |
| PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year | Kurt Angle |
| PWI Rookie of the Year | Randy Orton |
| PWI Woman of the Year | Lita |
| PWI Editor's Award | Johnny Valentine |

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

* Inductee
* Black Shadow
* Diablo Velasco
* Lizmark
* Bull Nakano
* El Satánico

#### Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

| Category | Winner |
| Wrestler of the Year | Keiji Mutoh |
| Most Outstanding | Kurt Angle |
| Tag Team of the Year | Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan |
| Most Improved | Keiji Mutoh |
| Best on Interviews | Stone Cold Steve Austin |

## Title changes
### ECW

ECW World Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Steve Corino |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 7 | The Sandman | Guilty as Charged | This was a Tables, Ladders, Chairs, and Canes match also involving Justin Credible. |
| January 7 | Rhino | Guilty as Charged | |
| April 11 | Deactivated | N/A | ECW closed on April 4, and World Wrestling Entertainment purchased its assets in 2003. |
ECW World Television Championship :
| Incoming champion – Rhino |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| April 11 | Deactivated | N/A | |
ECW World Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – Danny Doring and Roadkill |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| April 11 | Deactivated | N/A | |

### NJPW

IWGP Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Vacant |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 4 | Kensuke Sasaki | Wrestling World | |
| March 17 | Scott Norton | N/A | |
| April 9 | Kazuyuki Fujita | Strong Style | |
IWGP Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – Tencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima) |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| September 23 | Osamu Nishimura and Tatsumi Fujinami | G1 World | |
| October 28 | BATT (Keiji Mutoh and Taiyo Kea) | Survival 2001: Fighting Destination in Fukuoka | |
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Minoru Tanaka |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| July 20 | Masayuki Naruse | Dome Quake | |
| October 29 | Kendo Kashin | Indicate of Next | |
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – Koji Kanemoto and Minoru Tanaka |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| March 6 | El Samurai and Jushin Thunder Liger | Hyper Battle | |
| July 20 | Gedo and Jado | Dome Quake | |

### WCW

WCW World Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Scott Steiner |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| March 26 | Booker T | Nitro | This was the final episode of Nitro as WCW was purchased by the WWF on March 23. |
| After being acquired by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), the title was then defended on WWF programming where it was referred to as the WCW Championship. ||||
| July 24 (aired July 26) | Kurt Angle | SmackDown! | |
| July 30 | Booker T | Raw Is War | |
| August 19 | The Rock | SummerSlam | |
| October 21 | Chris Jericho | No Mercy | |
| November 5 | The Rock | Raw | |
| The title was renamed to World Championship on November 19 after the demise of The Alliance. ||||
| December 9 | Chris Jericho | Vengeance | After defeating The Rock for the World Championship, Chris Jericho defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin to unify the World Championship with the WWF Championship. |
| December 9 | Unified | Vengeance | After unification with the WWF Championship, the World Championship was retired and the WWF Championship became the Undisputed WWF Championship. |
WCW Cruiserweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Chavo Guerrero Jr. |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| March 18 | Shane Helms | Greed | |
| After being acquired by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) on March 23, the title was then defended on WWF programming. ||||
| July 3 (aired July 5) | Billy Kidman | SmackDown! | |
| July 30 | X-Pac | Raw Is War | |
| October 9 (aired October 11) | Billy Kidman | SmackDown! | |
| October 22 | Tajiri | Raw | |
| Title was renamed WWF Cruiserweight Championship on November 18 at Survivor Series. ||||
WCW United States Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – General Rection |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 14 | Shane Douglas | Sin | |
| February 5 | Rick Steiner | Nitro | |
| March 18 | Booker T | Greed | |
| After being acquired by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) on March 23, the title was then defended on WWF programming where it was referred to as the WCW United States Championship. ||||
| July 24 (aired July 26) | Kanyon | SmackDown! | Given the title by Booker T since Booker also held the WCW Championship. |
| September 10 | Tajiri | Raw is War | |
| September 23 | Rhyno | Unforgiven | |
| October 22 | Kurt Angle | Raw | |
| November 12 | Edge | Raw | |
| November 18 | Deactivated | Survivor Series | At the event, Edge defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion Test to unify the Intercontinental and United States championships. The United States Championship was deactivated in favor of continuing the Intercontinental Championship. |
WCW Hardcore Championship :
| Incoming champion – Terry Funk |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 14 | Meng | Sin | This was a triple threat hardcore match also involving Crowbar |
| January 21 | Deactivated | N/A | Meng left WCW for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) a week after winning the title to compete as Haku in the WWF's Royal Rumble and the title was abandoned |
WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship :
| (Title created) |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| March 18 | Kid Romeo and Elix Skipper | Greed | Defeated the Filthy Animals in a tournament final to become the inaugural champions |
| March 26 | The Filthy Animals (Billy Kidman and Rey Misterio Jr.) | Monday Nitro: Night of Champions | |
| March 26 | Abandoned | N/A | The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) purchased WCW and the Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship was abandoned. |
WCW World Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – The Insiders (Diamond Dallas Page and Kevin Nash) |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 14 | The Natural Born Thrillers (Chuck Palumbo and Sean O'Haire) | Sin | |
| After being acquired by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) on March 23, the title was then defended on WWF programming where it was referred to as the WCW Tag Team Championship. ||||
| August 7 (aired August 9) | The Brothers of Destruction (Kane and The Undertaker) | SmackDown! | |
| September 25 (aired September 27) | Booker T and Test | SmackDown! | |
| October 8 | The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy) | Raw | |
| October 23 (aired October 25) | The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley) | SmackDown! | |
| November 18 | Unified | Survivor Series | Unified with the WWF Tag Team Championship after The Dudley Boyz defeated WWF Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz in a title unification match. |

### WWF

WWF Championship :
| Incoming champion – Kurt Angle |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| February 25 | The Rock | No Way Out | After the WWF purchased World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in March, the WCW Championship became a second concurrently active world championship in the WWF. |
| April 1 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | WrestleMania X-Seven | This was a no disqualification match. |
| September 23 | Kurt Angle | Unforgiven | |
| October 8 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | Raw | |
| December 9 | Chris Jericho | Vengeance | Earlier the same night, Jericho defeated (WCW) World Champion The Rock for that title. By defeating Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship, Jericho unified both titles as the Undisputed WWF Championship. |
| Title was renamed Undisputed WWF Championship. ||||
WWF Intercontinental Championship :
| Incoming champion – Chris Benoit |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 21 | Chris Jericho | Royal Rumble | This was a ladder match. |
| April 3 (aired April 5) | Triple H | SmackDown! | |
| April 10 (aired April 12) | Jeff Hardy | SmackDown! | |
| April 16 | Triple H | Raw Is War | |
| May 20 | Kane | Judgment Day | This was a Chain match |
| June 26 (aired June 28) | Albert | SmackDown! | |
| July 23 | Lance Storm | Raw Is War | |
| August 19 | Edge | SummerSlam | |
| September 23 | Christian | Unforgiven | |
| October 21 | Edge | No Mercy | |
| November 5 | Test | Raw | |
| November 18 | Edge | Survivor Series | Title unification match, in which the WCW United States Championship, which Edge held, was unified with the WWF Intercontinental Championship. The United States Championship was deactivated in favor of continuing the Intercontinental Championship. |
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Dean Malenko |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| March 13 (aired March 18) | Crash Holly | Sunday Night Heat | |
| April 29 | Jerry Lynn | Sunday Night Heat | |
| June 5 (aired June 7) | Jeff Hardy | SmackDown! | |
| June 25 | X-Pac | Raw Is War | |
| August 6 | Tajiri | Raw Is War | |
| August 19 | X-Pac | SummerSlam | |
WWF Women's Championship :
| Incoming champion – Ivory |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| April 1 | Chyna | WrestleMania X-Seven | |
| November 1 | Vacated | N/A | |
| November 18 | Trish Stratus | Survivor Series | This was a six pack challenge for the vacant title also involving Ivory (Alliance), Jazz (Alliance), Jacqueline (WWF), Lita (WWF), and Mighty Molly (Alliance). |
WWF European Championship :
| Incoming champion – William Regal |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 22 | Test | Raw Is War | |
| April 1 | Eddie Guerrero | WrestleMania X-Seven | |
| April 24 (aired April 26) | Matt Hardy | SmackDown! | |
| August 27 | The Hurricane | Raw Is War | |
| October 22 | Bradshaw | Raw | |
| October 30 (aired November 1) | Christian | SmackDown! | |
WWF Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – Edge and Christian |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 21 | The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley) | Royal Rumble | |
| March 5 | The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy) | Raw Is War | |
| March 19 | Edge and Christian | Raw Is War | |
| March 19 | The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley) | Raw Is War | |
| April 1 | Edge and Christian | WrestleMania X-Seven | This was a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match also involving The Hardy Boyz. |
| April 17 (aired April 19) | The Brothers of Destruction (Kane and The Undertaker) | SmackDown! | |
| April 29 | The Two-Man Power Trip (Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H) | Backlash | |
| May 21 | Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho | Raw Is War | |
| June 19 (aired June 21) | The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley) | SmackDown! | |
| July 9 | The Acolytes Protection Agency (Bradshaw and Faarooq) | Raw Is War | |
| August 7 (aired August 9) | Diamond Dallas Page and Kanyon | SmackDown! | |
| August 19 | The Brothers of Destruction (Kane and The Undertaker) | SummerSlam | |
| September 17 | The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley) | Raw Is War | |
| October 22 | Chris Jericho and The Rock | Raw | |
| October 30 (aired November 1) | Booker T and Test | SmackDown! | |
| November 12 | The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy) | Raw | |
| November 18 | The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley) | Survivor Series | Title unification match, in which the WCW Tag Team Championship, which The Dudley Boyz held, was unified with the WWF Tag Team Championship. |
WWF Hardcore Championship :
| Incoming champion – Raven ||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 22 | Al Snow | Raw Is War | |
| January 22 | Raven | Raw Is War | |
| February 3 | K-Kwik | House show | |
| February 3 | Crash Holly | House show | |
| February 3 | Raven | House show | |
| February 4 | K-Kwik | House show | |
| February 4 | Crash Holly | House show | |
| February 4 | Raven | House show | |
| February 6 (aired February 8) | Hardcore Holly | SmackDown! | |
| February 6 (aired February 8) | Raven | SmackDown! | |
| February 10 | Hardcore Holly | House show | |
| February 10 | Raven | House show | |
| February 11 | Hardcore Holly | House show | |
| February 11 | Al Snow | House show | |
| February 11 | Raven | House show | |
| February 17 | Steve Blackman | House show | |
| February 17 | Raven | House show | |
| February 18 | Steve Blackman | House show | |
| February 18 | Raven | House show | |
| February 25 | Billy Gunn | No Way Out | Pinned Raven during a title defense against Big Show. |
| February 25 | Raven | No Way Out | |
| February 25 | Big Show | No Way Out | |
| March 19 | Raven | Raw Is War | |
| April 1 | Kane | WrestleMania X-Seven | This was a Triple Threat Hardcore match also involving Big Show. |
| April 17 (aired April 19) | Rhyno | SmackDown! | |
| May 21 | Big Show | Raw Is War | |
| May 28 | Chris Jericho | Raw Is War | |
| May 28 | Rhyno | Raw Is War | |
| June 12 (aired June 14) | Test | SmackDown! | |
| June 25 | Rhyno | Raw Is War | |
| June 25 | Mike Awesome | Raw Is War | |
| July 10 (aired July 12) | Jeff Hardy | SmackDown! | |
| July 22 | Rob Van Dam | Invasion | |
| August 13 | Jeff Hardy | Raw Is War | Pinned Rob Van Dam during a title defense against Kurt Angle. |
| August 19 | Rob Van Dam | SummerSlam | |
| September 10 | Kurt Angle | Raw Is War | |
| September 10 | Rob Van Dam | Raw Is War | |
| December 9 | The Undertaker | Vengeance | |
WWF Cruiserweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Tajiri |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| Title was renamed from WCW to WWF on November 18 at Survivor Series. ||||

## Debuts

* Uncertain debut date
   * Kris Pavone
   * Nidia Guenard
   * Sara Del Ray
   * Heidenreich
   * Brian Gamble
* February 15 – Harashima
* March 18 - Aaron Idol
* May – Beth Phoenix
* May 19 - Izanagi
* June 10 - Keiko Furuta (Jd' Star)
* June 23 – Damien Sandow
* September 23 - Mirai (All Japan Women's), Fumiko Yamane (All Japan Women's) and Tomoko Mori (All Japan Women's)
* October 2 – Maven
* October 6 – Daigoro Kashiwa
* October 28 - Saki Maemura (All Japan Women's)
* November 4 – Gorgeous Matsuno
* November 11 – Ayako Sato
* November 23 - Finn Balor
* December 7 - Jay Lethal
* December 20 – Ken Ohka

## Retirements

* Midnight (1999-March 2001)
* Tori (1988-September 2001)
* Al Green (1989–2001) (returned for a match in 2007)
* Bushwhacker Butch (1964-September 2001)
* Duke Droese (1990–2001, returned for a couple of matches in 2019)
* Hardbody Harrison (1995-March 2001)
* Dean Malenko (1979-December 2001, became a road agent for WWE)
* Nailz (1982–2001)
* One Man Gang (1977–2001) (returned to wrestle in 2007 until 2009)
* Fred Ottman (1984-April 2001, returned to wrestle a couple of matches in 2009)
* Miguel Pérez Sr. (October 17, 1954-April 7, 2001)
* Stan Hansen (1973- January 28, 2001, became commissioner for All Japan Pro Wrestling until 2007)

## Births

* January 14 – Cora Jade
* August 14 – Takeshi Masada
* August 21 – Brooks Jensen
* November 5 – Roxanne Perez
* November 8 – Julia Hart

## Deaths

* January 3 – Kung Fu, 49
* January 4 – Villano I, 50
* January 18 - Rito Romero, 73
* January 29 - Smasher Sloan, 65
* March 26 - Benny McGuire, 54
* April 24 - Johnny Valentine, 72
* May 31 - Tex McKenzie, 70
* July 16 – Terry Gordy, 40
* July 21 – Dennis Coralluzzo, 48
* July 27 – Rhonda Sing, 40
* October 7 – Chris Adams, 46
* November 4 - Helen Hart, 76
* December 4 - Ed Whalen, 74
* December 15 – Russ Haas, 27
* December 25 – Mike Davis, 45