# 1988 in professional wrestling

1988 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.

## List of notable promotions

These promotions held notable events in 1988.
| Promotion Name | Abbreviation | Notes |
| All Japan Pro Wrestling | AJPW | |
| American Wrestling Association | AWA | |
| Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre | EMLL | |
| Jim Crockett Promotions | JCP | In November, Turner Broadcasting System bought JCP and rebranded it as World Championship Wrestling (WCW). |
| World Class Championship Wrestling | WCCW | |
| World Wrestling Council | WWC | |
| World Wrestling Federation | WWF | |

## Calendar of notable shows

| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
| January 24 | JCP | Bunkhouse Stampede | Uniondale, New York | Dusty Rhodes defeated Arn Anderson, The Barbarian, Ivan Koloff, Lex Luger, Road Warrior Animal, Tully Blanchard and The Warlord in a steel cage Bunkhouse Stampede |
| January 24 | WWF | Royal Rumble | Hamilton, Ontario | Jim Duggan won the Royal Rumble by last eliminating One Man Gang |
| February 21 | AJW | The War Dream II | Kawasaki, Japan | Dump Matsumoto and Yukari Omori retire. The show featured Matsumoto facing partner Bull Nakano, Yukari Omori facing Lioness Asuka and a special exhibition match where long-time rivals Chigusa Nagayo and Matsumoto teamed up against Asuka and Omori. |
| March 7 | WWF | Saturday Night's Main Event | Nashville, Tennessee | Hulk Hogan defeated Harley Race in a singles match |
| March 27 | WWF | WrestleMania IV | Atlantic City, New Jersey | Randy Savage defeated Ted DiBiase in a tournament final for the vacant WWF World Heavyweight Championship |
| March 27 | JCP | Clash of the Champions I | Greensboro, North Carolina | Ric Flair (c) wrestled Sting to a time-limit draw in a singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship |
| April 22 | WWF | Saturday Night's Main Event | Springfield, Massachusetts | Randy Savage (c) defeated One Man Gang in a singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship |
| April 22 April 23 | JCP | 3rd Annual Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament | Greenville, South Carolina Greensboro, North Carolina | Sting and Lex Luger defeated Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard in a tournament final |
| May 8 | WCCW | 5th Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions | Irving, Texas | Kerry Von Erich defeated Iceman Parsons (c) in a singles match for the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship |
| June 12 | NJPW | G1 Climax | Tokyo, Japan | Antonio Inoki defeated Masa Saito |
| June 28 | AJW | Japan Grand Prix | Tokyo, Japan | Chigusa Nagayo defeated Dump Matsumoto |
| July 10 | JCP | The Great American Bash | Baltimore, Maryland | Ric Flair (c) defeated Lex Luger in a singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship |
| July 30 | JCP AWA WCCW | Second Annual Eddie Graham Memorial Show | Tampa, Florida | Kerry Von Erich (C - WCCW) defeated Jerry Lawler (C - AWA) in a singles match; AWA World Heavyweight Championship vs. WCCW World Heavyweight Championship |
| August 29 | AJPW | Bruiser Brody Memorial Show | Tokyo, Japan | Genichiro Tenryu and Ashura Hara defeated Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu in a tag team match for the World Tag Team Championship |
| August 29 | WWF | SummerSlam | New York City, New York | The Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage) defeated The Mega Bucks (André the Giant and Ted DiBiase) in a tag team match with Jesse Ventura as the special guest referee |
| September 10 | WWC | WWC 15th Aniversario | Bayamón, Puerto Rico | Huracan Castillo and Miguel Pérez Jr. defeated Bobby Jaggers and Dan Kroffat in a "Hair vs. hair" tag team match |
| September 30 | EMLL | EMLL 55th Anniversary Show | Mexico City, Mexico | Máscara Año 2000 defeated Mogur in a Lucha de Apuestas mask vs. mask match |
| October 11 | AJW | Tag League the Best | Tokyo, Japan | The Crush Gals (Chigusa Nagayo and Lioness Asuka) defeated Bull Nakano and Condor Saito |
| October 15 | WCCW | 5th Cotton Bowl Extravaganza | Dallas, Texas | Kerry Von Erich (c - WCWA) defeated Jerry Lawler (c - AWA) in a Texas Death match for the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship and the AWA World Heavyweight Championship |
| October 16 | WWF | King of the Ring | Providence, Rhode Island | Ted DiBiase defeated Randy Savage by count-out in a King of the Ring tournament final match |
| October 25 | WWF | Saturday Night's Main Event | Baltimore, Maryland | Hulk Hogan defeated King Haku in a singles match |
| November 16 | WWF | Saturday Night's Main Event | Sacramento, California | Randy Savage (c) vs. Andre the Giant in a singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship ended in a double disqualification |
| November 24 | WWF | Survivor Series | Richfield Township, Ohio | Hercules, Hillbilly Jim, Koko B. Ware, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage defeated Akeem, Big Boss Man, Haku, The Red Rooster and Ted DiBiase in a 5-on-5 Survivor Series match |
| December 7 | NJPW | Japan Cup Tag League | Tokyo, Japan | Tatsumi Fujinami and Kengo Kimura defeated Antonio Inoki and Dick Murdoch |
| December 7 | WWF | Saturday Night's Main Event | Tampa, Florida | Hulk Hogan defeated Akeem in a singles match |
| December 13 | AWA | SuperClash III | Chicago, Illinois | Jerry Lawler (AWA) defeated Kerry Von Erich (WCCW) in a AWA World Heavyweight Championship/WCWA World Heavyweight Championship title unification match |
| December 26 | WCW | Starrcade | Norfolk, Virginia | Junkyard Dog won by last eliminating Abdullah the Butcher in a 17-Man $50,000 Bunkhouse Battle Royal |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) |||||

## Notable events

* January 24 - WWE Royal Rumble was aired on USA Network against the NWA Bunkhouse Stampede that aired live on Pay Per View.
* March 27 - Clash of the Champions I was aired on free TV via TBS against the WWE pay-per view event WrestleMania IV.
* April 3 - WCW Main Event Premiered on TBS.
* July 16 - Bruiser Brody was stabbed by Jose Huertas Gonzalez before a WWC live event in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Brody died hours later in a local hospital.
* November 1 - Turner Broadcasting Systems purchased Jim Crockett Promotions the biggest National Wrestling Alliance territory.
* November - Jerry Jarrett buys 50 percent of WCWA from Ken Mantell
* December 13 - AWA World Heavyweight Champion Jerry Lawler defeated WCWA World Heavyweight Champion Kerry Von Erich in Chicago, Illinois at AWA Superclash III to unify both the AWA and WCWA World titles.

## Tournaments and accomplishments
### AJW

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won |
| Japan Grand Prix 1988 | Bull Nakano | June 26 |
| Rookie of the Year Decision Tournament | Sachiko Nakamura | |
| Tag League The Best 1988 | Hisako Uno and Mika Suzuki | October 10 |

### JCP

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won |
| Bunkhouse Stampede | Dusty Rhodes | January 24 |
| Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament | Lex Luger and Sting | April 23 |
| NWA United States Tag Team Championship Tournament | The Fantastics(Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers) | April 26 |

### WWF

| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won |
| Royal Rumble | Jim Duggan | January 24 |
| WWF World Heavyweight Championship Tournament | Randy Savage | March 27 |
| King of the Ring | Ted DiBiase | October 16 |

## Awards and honors
### Pro Wrestling Illustrated

| Category | Winner |
| PWI Wrestler of the Year | Randy Savage |
| PWI Tag Team of the Year | The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) |
| PWI Match of the Year | Hulk Hogan vs. André the Giant (The Main Event I) |
| PWI Feud of the Year | Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger |
| PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year | Randy Savage |
| PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year | André the Giant |
| PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year | Sting |
| PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year | Jerry Lawler |
| PWI Rookie of the Year | Madusa Miceli |
| PWI Lifetime Achievement | Bruiser Brody, Adrian Adonis |
| PWI Editor's Award | J. J. Dillon |

### Wrestling Observer Newsletter

| Category | Winner |
| Wrestler of the Year | Akira Maeda |
| Most Outstanding | Tatsumi Fujinami |
| Feud of the Year | The Fantastics vs. The Midnight Express |
| Tag Team of the Year | The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) |
| Most Improved | Sting |
| Best on Interviews | Jim Cornette |

## Title changes
### WWF

WWF World Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Hulk Hogan |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| February 5 | Andre the Giant | The Main Event I | After the controversial finish, Andre "sold' his title to Ted Dibiase |
| February 5 | Vacant | The Main Event I | As a result of that moment see above Jack Tunney declared the title vacant. |
| March 27 | Randy Savage | WrestleMania IV | It was a 14-man tournament to decide the undisputed WWE Champion. |
WWF Intercontinental Championship :
| Incoming champion – The Honky Tonk Man |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| August 29 | The Ultimate Warrior | SummerSlam | The Ultimate Warrior was a last minute replacement for Brutus Beefcake who was originally the no. 1 contender for the title. |
WWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship :
| Incoming champion – Antonio Inoki |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| No title changes ||||
WWF Women's Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – The Glamour Girls (Leilani Kai and Judy Martin) |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| January 24 | The Jumping Bomb Angels (Noriyo Tateno and Itzuki Yamazaki) | Royal Rumble | |
| June 8 | The Glamour Girls (Leilani Kai and Judy Martin) | Live event | |
WWF Women's Championship :
| Incoming champion – Sensational Sherri |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| October 7 | Rockin' Robin | Prime Time Wrestling | |
WWF Tag Team Championship :
| Incoming champions – Strike Force (Rick Martel and Tito Santana) |||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) |
| March 27 | Demolition (Ax and Smash) | WrestleMania IV | |

## Births

* January 15 - Eddie Hall
* January 16 - Bull Dempsey
* January 19 - Tyler Breeze
* February 26 - Reid Flair (d. 2013)
* March 11 - Katsuhiko Nakajima
* March 16 - Brett DiBiase
* March 20 - Jonathan Gresham
* April 17 - Dasha Fuentes
* May 5 - Brooke Hogan
* May 6 - Dakota Kai
* May 22 - Santana Garrett
* May 26 - Babatunde Aiyegbusi
* May 30 - No Way Jose
* June 1 - Ross Von Erich
* June 2 - Grado
* June 19 - Daga
* June 25 - Mark Haskins
* July 6 - Lars Sullivan
* July 26 - Marty Scurll
* August 7 - Marti Belle
* August 8 - Veer Mahaan
* August 12 - Tyson Fury
* August 29 - Kevin Ku
* August 31 - Ember Moon
* September 13 - Markus Crane (died in 2021)
* September 21 - Tom MacDonald
* September 23 - Kairi Hojo
* September 26 - Buddy Murphy
* September 27 - Cathy Kelley
* September 28 – Jason Jordan
* October 11 - Ricochet
* November 2 - Dezmond Xavier
* November 3 - Gran Metalik
* November 24 - Anthony Ogogo
* November 29 - Dana Brooke

## Debuts
### Debut date

* January 2 - Akira Taue and Gary Wolfe
* January 10 - Yukari Osawa (JWP)
* February 4 - Super Crazy
* February 14 - Heavy Metal
* February 20 - Raven
* February 26 - Kenta Kobashi and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi
* March 10 - Misterioso
* March 23 - Jerry Lynn
* April 8 - Koki Kitahara
* April 22 - Bart Sawyer
* June 23 - Minoru Suzuki
* June 28 - Ricky Fuji
* August 16 - Gangrel
* September 11 - Bobby Blaze
* September 13 - Dustin Runnels
* October 10 - Takako Inoue, Kyoko Inoue and Mariko Yoshida
* December 4 - Apolo Dantés

### Uncertain debut date

* Perry Saturn
* Brad Anderson
* Brian Christopher
* Brian Lee
* Mr. Hughes
* The Patriot
* J. C. Ice
* John Rambo
* KeMonito
* Killer Kyle
* El Alebrije
* Lou Perez
* Louie Spicolli
* Magnificent Mimi
* Mephisto
* Mike Enos
* Tiffany Mellon
* Tori
* Roxy Astor
* Wayne Bloom
* Luther Biggs
* Rick Bognar
* Rod Price

## Retirements

* Alexis Smirnoff (1970 - 1988)
* Rufus R. Jones (1969 - 1988)
* The Crusher (1949 - 1988)
* Emile Dupree (1955 - 1988)
* Mr. Hito (June 8, 1967 - March 25, 1988)
* Shunji Kosugi (1981-April 10, 1988, returned for one last match in 2010)
* Winona Littleheart (1977 - 1988)
* Jody Hamilton (1955 - 1988)
* John Quinn (1961 - 1988)
* Outback Jack (1986 - 1988)
* Scott McGhee (1978 - January 1988)
* Buddy Roberts (1965 - 1988)

## Deaths

* March 14 - Saul Weingeroff, 72
* March 30 - Stu Gibson, 62
* April 30 - Man Mountain Mike, 47
* April 30 - Tiger Joe Tomasso, 65/66
* May 15 - Fred Atkins, 77/78
* June 15 - Mike Clancy, 63
* July 4:
** Adrian Adonis, 33
** Dave McKigney, 56
** Mike Kelly, 40
* July 17 - Bruiser Brody, 42
* September 6 - Leroy Brown, 37
* September 9 - Leroy McGuirk, 77
* November 26 - Baron Michele Leone, 79
* November 30 - Ricky Lawless, 28
* December 12 - Larry Moquin, 65
* December 21 - Dave Ruhl, 68