1972

This is a list of various things that took place in 1972.
==Significant events==
May
*20 - WWWF Championship Wrestling makes its debut in syndication as a companion program to WWWF All-Star Wrestling. Vince McMahon, who had been announcing WWWF All-Star Wrestling the past several months after it replaced original WWWF program Heavyweight Wrestling in October 1971, continues his role as lead play-by-play announcer.
*31 - The main event of Don Leo Jonathan vs. André the Giant at a Grand Prix Wrestling card at the Montreal Forum, billed by Grand Prix promoters as the "Match of the Century", ended in a no-contest when the ring collapsed during the match
July
*1 - A WWWF match pitting NWA World Women's Champion The Fabulous Moolah vs. Vicki Williams, at New York City's Madison Square Garden, becomes the first women's match sanctioned by the New York State Athletic Commission, less than a month after lifting the ban on women's wrestling in New York
September
*30 - The first WWWF Showdown at Shea supercard takes place at Shea Stadium in New York. A grudge match between WWWF Champion Pedro Morales and former champion Bruno Sammartino -- a rare face-vs.-face matchup of the era -- is the main event; they would battle to a 75-minute curfew draw. Future events took place in 1976 and 1980
October
*24 - André the Giant makes his first WWWF appearance, teaming with WWWF Heavyweight Champion Pedro Morales in a match against WWWF Tag Team Champions Mr. Fuji and Professor Toru Tanaka at an event in White Plains, New York. His first televised appearances on the WWWF's syndicated programs come sometime in early 1973
December
* Sports Review Wrestling magazine, published by Kappa Publishing Group's Victory Sports arm, publishes its first fan-voted year-end awards. The awards honored the top wrestlers, tag teams, managers and matches of the preceding 12 months. The first Wrestler of the Year was Pedro Morales, while the first match of the year was a battle royal that took place in January in Los Angeles, in which Bruno Sammartino won. These year-end issues also included a capsule of some of the most memorable events, matches, feuds and milestones from January to (typically) mid-November, along with a listing of wrestlers who passed away during the past year. Starting in 1979, the annual honors would be published in Victory Sports' flagship publication Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine.
==Births==
January
*1 - Azazel
*1 - Catman
*8 - Jon Andersen (San Francisco, California, USA)
*11 - Hooligan
*19 - Ron Killings
*23 - Rosa Negra
February
*9 - El Hijo del Solitario
*26 - Zorro Plateado II
*27 - Lady Metal (Distrito Federal, Mexico)
March
*1 - Último Guerrero
*3 - El Latino
*10 - Loco Max
*19 - Kalakita
April 
*10 - Yakuza (Chicago)
*11 - Jonathan Rechner  (Spring Lake Heights, New Jersey, USA)
*14 - Julio Sanchez
*23 - Octagoncito AAA
*24 - Yone Genjin
*28 - El Chilango
*30 - Caníbal
May
*2 - The Rock (Hayward, California, USA)
*15 - Black Dragon
*21 - Dr. Cerebro
*25 - Okumura
*30 - Mongol Chino Jr.
*31 - Bionico
June
*5 - Nova (USA)
July
*7 - Keni'chiro Arai
*12- El Alebrije
*13 - Sean Waltman
*29 - Bombero Infernal
*30 - Gallo Mayo
August
*8 - Black Cougar Jr.
*8 - Ultimo Dragoncito
*21 - Katsushi Takemura
*22 - Tibiri Tabara
*26 - Máscara Divina
*27 - Dalip Singh (Dhirana, Punjab, India)
September
*1 - Doug Williams (Reading, Berkshire, England)
*5 - Hechicero
*5 - Shane the Glamour Boy
*15 - Lady Victoria
October
*12 - Karen Angle (Greensburg, Pennsylvania, USA)
*16 - Hijo del Lizmark
*17 - Rey Muerte II
November
*14 - Matthew Bloom (Peabody, Massachusetts, USA)
*29 - Heat
December
*2 - Lapida
*6 - El Oriental
*7 - Veneno
*20 - Black Abyss
*28 - La Hechicera
==Deaths==
February
*21 - Luther Lindsay
April
*9 - Firpo Zbyszko
May
*26 - Murciélago Velázquez
==Debuts==
Unknown date
*Bob Orton, Jr.
February
*1 - El Texano
March
*16 - Gran Hamada
August
*2 - Pak Choo
June
*7 - Rick Martel
September
*1 - Jaque Mate
*9 - Ryuma Go
*15 - Rocky Santana
*26 - Masanobu Kurisu
November
*20 - Potro Salvaje
December
*3 - Kobayashi
*10 - Ric Flair
*31 - Indio Tarahumara
==Events==
September
*1 – AWA Soldiers Field
*30 – WWWF Showdown At Shea
==Title changes==
Unknown date
:*Killer Kowalski wins the Grand Prix Heavyweight Championship from Édouard Carpentier (specific date and location unknown; some time after Carpentier's June 28 win)
January
:*17 - Mark Lewin wins the NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship from Bob Brown in Vancouver, British Columbia
:*28 - Killer Kowalski wins the NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship from Frankie Laine in Los Angeles, California
February
:*7 - Bob Brown regains the NWA Pacific Coast title from Mark Lewin in Vancouver
March
:*10 - John Tolos wins the NWA Americas title from Killer Kowalski in Los Angeles
April
:*7 - Mad Dog Vachon wins the Grand Prix title from Édouard Carpentier in Montreal, Quebec
:*29 - Bull Ramos wins the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship from Dutch Savage in Portland, Oregon
May
:*15 - The Sheik wins the All-Star Wrestling International Heavyweight Championship from Carlos Rocha in Montreal
:*16 - Paul Jones wins the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship from Jack Brisco in Tampa, Florida
:*19 - Giant Baba and Seiji Sakaguchi win the NWA International Tag Team Championship from Terry and Dory Funk Jr. in Los Angeles, California
:*29 - Steven Little Bear wins the NWA Pacific Coast title from Bob Brown in Vancouver
June
:*26 - Gene Kiniski wins the NWA Pacific Coast title from Steven Little Bear in Vancouver
:*28 - Édouard Carpentier regains the Grand Prix title from Mad Dog Vachon in Montreal
:*30 - Black Gordman wins the NWA Americas title from John Tolos in Los Angeles, but the title is immediately held up
July
:*14 - John Tolos regains the held-up NWA Americas title by defeating Black Gordman in Los Angeles
:*17 - Jacques Rougeau Sr. wins the ASW International title from The Sheik in Montreal
:*28 - Ernie Ladd wins the NWA Americas title from John Tolos in Los Angeles
September
:*2 - The NWA International Heavyweight Championship, last held by Giant Baba, and the NWA International Tag Team title, last held by Baba and Seiji Sakaguchi, are both vacated when Baba leaves the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance to launch All Japan Pro Wrestling
October
:*Johnny Valentine wins the ASW International title from Jacques Rougeau Sr. (specific date and location unknown)
November
:*16 - Steven Little Bear wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Bull Ramos in Salem, Oregon
:*28 - Jack Brisco regains the NWA Florida title from Paul Jones in Tampa
:*30 - Bull Ramos regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Steven Little Bear in Salem
December
:*1 - Victor Rivera wins the NWA Americas title from Ernie Ladd in Los Angeles; Bobo Brazil defeats Kintaro Oki to win the vacant NWA International title in Yokohama, Japan
:*2 - Kintaro Oki and Seiji Sakaguchi defeat Gene Kiniski and Bobo Brazil to win the vacant NWA International Tag Team title in Tokyo, Japan
:*4 - Kintaro Oki wins the NWA International title from Bobo Brazil in Hiroshima, Japan
==See also==
Category:Wrestling Years