1985 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.
List of notable promotions These promotions held notable events in 1985. Promotion NameAbbreviationAll Japan Pro WrestlingAJPW All Japan Women's Pro WrestlingAJWAmerican Wrestling AssociationAWAEMLLFlorida Championship WrestlingFCWLutte InternationaleLutteMid-South WrestlingMid-SouthNational Wrestling AllianceNWANew Japan Pro-WrestlingNJPWPacific Northwest WrestlingPNWPPPWCCWWorld Wrestling CouncilWWCWWF
Calendar of notable shows DatePromotion(s)EventLocationMain EventFebruary 18 WWFThe War to Settle the ScoreNew York City, New YorkHulk Hogan (c) defeated Roddy Piper by disqualification in a singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight ChampionshipFebruary 24 AWA / NWAStar WarsEast Rutherford, New JerseySgt. Slaughter won a "tag team battle royal." Slaughter's partner, Jerry Blackwell, was injured and could not compete, forcing Slaughter to wrestle alone. Also in the match were: The Road Warriors, Ivan and Nikita Koloff, Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell, Kamala and Billy Robinson, Mark and Chris Youngblood, Jerry Lawler and Baron Von Raschke, Bob Backlund and Jimmy Valiant, Mr. Saito and Masked Superstar, Nick Bockwinkel and Dory Funk Jr., Jimmy Garvin and Larry Zbyszko, and Steve Keirn and Jerry OskiMarch 1 – April 18NJPWYoung Lion CupTokyo, JapanShunji Kosugi defeated Keiichi Yamada in the tournament finalMarch 31 WWFWrestleManiaNew York City, New YorkHulk Hogan and Mr. T defeated Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper in a Tag team match with Muhammad Ali and Pat Patterson as special guest refereesShields, Brian. Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s, p.150.April 5 EMLL29. Aniversario de Arena MéxicoMexico City, MexicoPirata Morgan defeats El Egipcio by disqualification in a Lucha de Apuestas hair vs. hair matchApril 21 AWAStarCage 1985St. Paul, MinnesotaSgt. Slaughter & Jerry Blackwell beat Masked Superstar, King Tonga, & Adnan Al-Kassie in a Handicap Steel Cage matchMay 5 WCCW2nd Von Erich Memorial Parade of ChampionsIrving, TexasKerry Von Erich defeated One Man Gang in a Hair vs. One Man Gang facing Fritz Von Erich matchMay 10WWFSaturday Night's Main EventUniondale, New YorkHulk Hogan (c) defeated Bob Orton by disqualification in a singles match to retain the WWF World Heavyweight ChampionshipMay 21 PNW60th Anniversary Wrestling ExtravaganzaPortland, OregonRic Flair (c) vs. Billy Jack Haynes ended in a time limit draw for the NWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipMay 10 – June 15NJPWIWGP LeagueMatsumoto, JapanAndré the Giant defeated Tatsumi Fujinami in a tournament finalJune 25 AJWJapan Grand Prix FinalsTokyo, JapanLioness Asuka defeated Dump Matsumoto in the finalsJuly 6 NWAThe Great American BashCharlotte, North CarolinaDusty Rhodes defeated Tully Blanchard (c) in a Steel cage match for the NWA World Television ChampionshipJuly 8 WWFKing of the RingFoxboro, MassachusettsHulk Hogan (c) defeated Nikolai Volkoff in a singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight ChampionshipWWF King Of The Ring 1985July 27Mid-SouthWrestlefestTulsa, OklahomaBill Watts, Jim Duggan & Dick Murdoch defeated Kareem Muhammad, Kamala & Skandar AkbarAugust 3 PPPA Hot Summer NightHonolulu, HawaiiRic Flair (c) fought Siva Afi to a double disqualification in a singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipAugust 16 AWA / NWAStar WarsEast Rutherford, New JerseyThe Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) defeated The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts) by disqualification in a six-man tag team matchAugust 26Lutte WWFLutte vs. WWFMontreal, Quebec, CanadaDino Bravo and King Tonga defeated Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik in a tag team matchSeptember 2 FCWBattle of the BeltsTampa, FloridaRic Flair (c) defeated Wahoo McDaniel in 2 out of 3 three falls match for the NWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipSeptember 20EMLLEMLL 52nd Anniversary ShowMexico City, MexicoEvent was cancelled due to the 1985 Mexico City earthquakeSeptember 21CSPCSP 12th Anniversary ShowSan Juan, Puerto RicoJimmy Valiant defeated Kamala in a singles match by disqualificationSeptember 28 AWASuperClashChicago, IllinoisRick Martel (c) fought Stan Hansen to a double countout in a singles match for the AWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipOctober 3WWFSaturday Night's Main EventEast Rutherford, New JerseyHulk Hogan (c) defeated Nikolai Volkoff in a singles match to retain the WWF World Heavyweight ChampionshipOctober 6 WCCWCotton Bowl ExtravaganzaDallas, TexasKerry and Kevin Von Erich defeated The Dynamic Duo (Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez) in a Hair vs. Hair matchOctober 6 AJWTag League The Best FinalsTokyo, JapanThe Crush Gals (Chigusa Nagayo and Lioness Asuka) defeated Gokuaku Domei (Bull Nakano and Dump Matsumoto) in the finalsOctober 19WWCBattle of the GladiatorsSan Juan, Puerto RicoCarlos Colón defeated Abdullah the Butcher in a singles match to win the vacant WWC Universal ChampionshipOctober 31WWFSaturday Night's Main EventHershey, PennsylvaniaHulk Hogan and André the Giant defeated King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd in a tag team match by disqualificationNovember 7 WWFThe Wrestling ClassicRosemont, IllinoisJunkyard Dog defeated Randy Savage by count-out in a tournament finals matchNovember 15 – December 12NJPWIWGP Tag Title LeagueSendai, JapanTatsumi Fujinami and Kengo Kimura defeated Antonio Inoki and Seiji Sakaguchi in a tournament finalNovember 23 – December 12AJPWAJPW Real World Tag LeagueTokyo, JapanTed DiBiase and Stan Hansen won the tournamentNovember 28 NWAStarcadeGreensboro, North CarolinaAtlanta, GeorgiaDusty Rhodes defeated Ric Flair (c) in a singles match by disqualification for the NWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipDecember 6EMLLJuicio FinalMexico City, MexicoEl Solar II vs. Belcebu in a Lucha de Apuestas, mask vs. mask matchDecember 19WWFSaturday Night's Main EventTampa, FloridaHulk Hogan (c) defeated Terry Funk in a singles match to retain the WWF World Heavyweight ChampionshipDecember 29 AWA / NWANight of Champions IIEast Rutherford, New JerseyStan Hansen defeated Rick Martel (c) by submission in a singles match for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship(c) – denotes defending champion(s)
Tournaments and accomplishments AJW AccomplishmentWinnerDate wonNotesJapan Grand Prix 1985Lioness AsukaJune 25Rookie of the Year Decision TournamentAkemi SakamotoTag League the Best 1985Bull Nakano and Dump MatsumotoOctober 10
JCP AccomplishmentWinnerDate wonNotesBunkhouse StampedeDusty RhodesDecember 28
WWF AccomplishmentWinnerDate wonNotesKing of the RingDon MuracoJuly 8The Wrestling ClassicJunkyard DogNovember 7
Awards and honors All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling AJW Rookie of the Year: Akira Hokuto
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Category WinnerPWI Wrestler of the YearRic FlairPWI Tag Team of the YearThe Road Warriors(Hawk and Animal)PWI Match of the YearHulk Hogan and Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff (WrestleMania)PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the YearHulk HoganPWI Most Hated Wrestler of the YearRoddy PiperPWI Most Improved Wrestler of the YearSteve WilliamsPWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the YearMike Von ErichPWI Rookie of the YearNord the BarbarianPWI Manager of the YearJim CornettePWI Editor's Award Dan Shocket
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Category WinnerWrestler of the YearRic Flair Feud of the YearTed DiBiase vs. Jim Duggan Tag Team of the YearThe British Bulldogs (Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith) Most ImprovedSteve WilliamsBest on InterviewsJim Cornette
Title changes WWF DateWinnerEvent/ShowNote(s)No title changes
DateWinnerEvent/ShowNote(s) July 6Tito SantanaHouse showIt was a steel cage match
DateWinnerEvent/ShowNote(s)No title changes
DateWinnerEvent/ShowNote(s)May 20Hiro SaitoHouse showJuly 28The CobraHouse showOctober 31AbandonedN/A
DateWinnerEvent/ShowNote(s)July 19VacantN/AOctober 31VacantN/A
DateWinnerEvent/ShowNote(s)May 24Tatsumi Fujinami and Kengo KimuraHouse showOctober 31DeactivatedN/A
DateWinnerEvent/ShowNote(s)August 18Dino BravoHouse show
DateWinnerEvent/ShowNote(s)August 1The Glamour GirlsLive event
DateWinnerEvent/ShowNote(s)February 18Leilani KaiThe War to Settle the ScoreMarch 31Wendi RichterWrestleMania INovember 25The Masked Spider Lady (Fabulous Moolah)Live event
Incoming champions – The North-South Connection DateWinnerEvent/ShowNote(s)January 21The U.S. ExpressHouse showMarch 31The Iron Sheik and Nikolai VolkoffWrestleMania IJune 17The U.S. ExpressChampionship WrestlingIt aired on tape delay on July 13.August 24The Dream TeamHouse show
Spinoff media Wrestling Eye magazine publish its first issue and hit the newsstands Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n Wrestling premiered on CBS. Mutharamkunnu P.O., directed by Sibi Malayil and starring Mukesh and Lizy, is released. The film is noted for the special appearance of Indian actor-wrestler Dara Singh as himself. British wrestler "Mr. TV" Jackie Pallo's autobiography "You Grunt, I'll Groan" is published. Welsh wrestler-promoter Orig Williams's autobiography "Cario'r Ddraig: Stori El Bandito" is published. The Wrestling Album is released by the World Wrestling Federation. It is the first album released by the WWF and featuring mostly theme music of wrestlers on the roster at the time.
Births January 13 – Luke Robinson January 17 – Sage Beckett January 18 – Mark Briscoe January 27 – Yuji Hino February 3 – Angela Fong February 20 – Killian Dain February 26 – Pentagón Jr. March 5 – Martin Casaus March 13 – Matt Jackson March 20 - Matt Taven March 24 – Lana April 10 – Yūki Ōno April 20 – Curt Hawkins April 29 – Jay Lethal May 8 – Tommaso Ciampa May 14 – Zack Ryder May 16 – Mike Kanellis May 19 – Aleister Black May 24 – The Great Naga May 25 – Roman Reigns June 6 – Drew McIntyre June 30 – Cody Rhodes July 2 – Jessie Belle Smothers July 16 – Q. T. Marshall July 22 – Akira Tozawa August 2 – Davey Boy Smith Jr. August 6 – Tony Nese August 7 – Jamin Olivencia August 12 – Fallah Bahh August 14 – Jaysin Strife (died in 2022) August 20 – Mikey Nicholls August 22 – Jimmy Uso Jey Uso August 26 – Ayumu Gunji September 7 – Tristan Archer September 19 – Renee Young September 24 – Shane Haste Sanga September 29 – Candice LeRae October 12 – Amy Zidian October 18 - Atsushi Kotoge November 25 – Yuki Sato December 7 – Dean Ambrose/Jon Moxley December 14 – Katsuya Kitamura (died in 2022) December 16 – Psycho Clown December 21 – Oney Lorcan December 28 – Taryn Terrell
Debuts Uncertain debut date Big Van Vader Brittany Brown Jimmy Del Ray Lou Fabiano Paul Diamond Savio Vega Virgil Histeria January 22 - Nick Kiniski March 3 - Masakatsu Funaki April 29 - Miguel Pérez Jr. May 16 - Drill Nakamae (All Japan Women's) May 27 - Mitsuko Nishiwaki (All Japan Women's) June 5 - Yumiko Hotta and Kyoko Aso (All Japan Women's) June 6 - Grizzly Iwamoto (All Japan Women's) June 12 - Akira Hokuto and Suzuka Minami (All Japan Women's) June 14 - Fumie Kanzaki (All Japan Women's) and Sayuri Nakajima (All Japan Women's) July 8 - Yoji Anjo July 23 - Yasuko Ishiguro (All Japan Women's) July 25 - Rie Okabyashi (All Japan Women's) and Akemi Sakamoto (All Japan Women's) July 30 - Miss Elizabeth August 28 - Kahoru Kage (All Japan Women's) August 30 - Scorpio Jr. October 31 - Lex Luger November 22 Chris Benoit November 28 Sting The Ultimate Warrior Hollywood Lisa Moretti
Retirements Jack Brisco (1965–1985) Gerald Brisco (1967–1985) (Returned to wrestling in 1998 and retired 2000) Cora Combs (1945–1985) George Scott (1948–1985) Gil Hayes (1966–1985) Chief Jay Strongbow (1955–1985) Larry Hennig (1956–1985) Wally Karbo (1935–1985) Buzz Tyler (1977–1985) Pat Patterson (1959–1985) (Returned to wrestling in 1998 and retired 2000)
Deaths January 12 - Paul Luty, British wrestler (b. 1932) January 21 – Eddie Graham, American wrestler and Championship Wrestling from Florida promoter (b. 1930) March 6: Wild Bull Curry, American wrestler (b. 1913) Bholu Pahalwan, Indian wrestler (b. 1922) April 19 - Chabela Romero (b. 1936)