1987 in professional wrestling

1987 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.

List of notable promotions These promotions held notable events in 1987. Promotion NameAbbreviationAll Japan Women's Pro-WrestlingAJWAmerican Wrestling AssociationAWAChampionship Wrestling from FloridaCWFEMLLJim Crockett PromotionsJCPNew Japan Pro WrestlingNJPWWCCWWorld Wrestling CouncilWWCWWF

Calendar of notable shows DatePromotion(s)EventLocationMain EventFebruary 21WWFSaturday Night's Main EventDetroit, MichiganRandy Savage (c) defeated George Steele by count-out in a singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship and the managerial services of Miss ElizabethMarch 29WWFWrestleMania IIIPontiac, MichiganHulk Hogan (c) defeated André the Giant in a singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight ChampionshipApril 12 EMLL31. Aniversario de Arena MéxicoMexico City, MexicoCien Caras defeated Siglo XX in a Lucha de Apuestas hair vs. hair matchApril 10–11JCP2nd Annual Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team TournamentBaltimore, MarylandApril 11: The Super Powers (Nikita Koloff and Dusty Rhodes) defeated Tully Blanchard and Lex Luger in a tournament finalApril 16AWARage in a Cage IILas Vegas, NevadaWahoo McDaniel defeated Curt Hennig in a Steel Cage MatchApril 28WWFSaturday Night's Main EventNotre Dame, IndianaRandy Savage defeated George Steele in a Lumberjack matchMay 2AWASuperClash IIDaly City, CaliforniaCurt Hennig defeated Nick Bockwinkel (c) in a singles match for the AWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipMay 3WCCW4th Von Erich Memorial Parade of ChampionsIrving, TexasKevin Von Erich (c) wrestled Nord the Barbarian to a double count out in a singles match for the WCWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipMay 9CWFFirst Annual Eddie Graham Memorial ShowSt. Petersburg, FloridaDusty Rhodes (c) defeated Ric Flair by disqualification in a singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipJune 12NJPWG1 ClimaxTokyo, JapanAntonio Inoki defeated Masa Saito in the finalsJune 25AJWJapan Grand PrixTokyo, JapanChigusa Nagayo defeated Dump Matsumoto in the finalsJuly 4JCPThe Great American BashAtlantaThe Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk), Nikita Koloff, Dusty Rhodes and Paul Ellering defeated The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, Tully Blanchard and J. J. Dillon) in a WarGames matchJuly 18Charlotte, North CarolinaDusty Rhodes defeated Tully Blanchard in a "lights-out" Barbed Wire Ladder match for $100,000.July 31MiamiThe Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk), Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff and Paul Ellering defeated The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger and Tully Blanchard) and The War Machine in a WarGames matchSeptember 1 CWFBattle of the Belts IIIDaytona Beach, FloridaRic Flair (c) fought Lex Luger to a draw in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match for the NWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipSeptember 4 WWFKing of the RingProvidence, Rhode IslandRandy Savage defeated King Kong Bundy in a King of the Ring tournament final matchSeptember 18EMLLEMLL 54th Anniversary ShowMexico City, MexicoMogur defeated As Charro in a Lucha de Apuestas mask vs. mask matchSeptember 20WWCWWC 14th AniversarioBayamón, Puerto RicoMayaguez, Puerto RicoPonce, Puerto RicoInvader #1 defeated Chicky Starr in a "Retirement vs. hair" matchSeptember 23WWFSaturday Night's Main EventHershey, PennsylvaniaHulk Hogan (c) defeated Sika in a singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight ChampionshipOctober 10AJWTag League the BestTokyo, JapanChigusa Nagayo & Yumiko Hotta defeated Hisako Uno & Yukari Omori in the finalsOctober 17WCCW4th Cotton Bowl ExtravaganzaDallas, TexasKevin Von Erich defeated Al Perez (c) in a singles match for the WCWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipNovember 11WWFSaturday Night's Main EventSeattle, WashingtonKing Kong Bundy defeated Hulk Hogan (c) in a singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight ChampionshipNovember 26WWFSurvivor SeriesRichfield Township, OhioAndré the Giant, Butch Reed, King Kong Bundy, One Man Gang and Rick Rude defeated Bam Bam Bigelow, Don Muraco, Hulk Hogan, Ken Patera and Paul Orndorff in a 5-on-5 Survivor Series matchJCPStarrcadeChicago, IllinoisRic Flair defeated Ron Garvin (c) in a steel cage match for the NWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipDecember 7NJPWJapan Cup Tag LeagueTokyo, JapanAntonio Inoki & Dick Murdoch defeated Kengo Kimura & Tatsumi Fujinami in the finalsWWFSaturday Night's Main EventLandover, MarylandHulk Hogan (c) defeated King Kong Bundy in a singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight ChampionshipDecember 26 AJWAll Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling at Korauken HallTokyo, JapanDevil Masami has her retirement match against Chigusa Nagayo (c) – denotes defending champion(s)

Tournaments and accomplishments AJW AccomplishmentWinnerDate wonNotes Japan Grand Prix 1987Chigusa NagayoJune 28Rookie of the Year Decision TournamentToshiyo Yamada Tag League the Best 1987Chigusa Nagayo and Lioness AsukaOctober 11

JCP AccomplishmentWinnerDate wonNotesBunkhouse StampedeDusty RhodesJim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team TournamentThe Super Powers (Nikita Koloff and Dusty Rhodes)April 11

WWF AccomplishmentWinnerDate wonNotesFrank Tunney Sr. Memorial Tag Team TournamentThe Killer Bees (B. Brian Blair and Jim Brunzell)March 15King of the RingRandy SavageSeptember 4

Slammy Awards

PollWinnerBest Performance by an Animal George "The Animal" SteeleWoman of the Year Miss ElizabethBest Ring Apparel Harley RaceHulk Hogan Real American Award Superstar Billy GrahamJesse "The Body" Award "Ravishing" Rick RudeGreatest Hit Jim DugganManager of the Year None Best Personal Hygiene Nikolai Volkoff, Boris Zhukov, and SlickBest Vocal Performance Jim DugganSong of the Year No winner (envelope eaten by Sika)Best Group One Man GangHumanitarian of the Year Ted DiBiaseBest Head Gene Okerlund and Bam Bam BigelowBobby "The Brain" Heenan Scholarship Award The Islanders (Haku & Tama), André the Giant, Hercules, King Kong Bundy, and Harley Race

Awards and honors Pro Wrestling Illustrated

CategoryWinnerPWI Wrestler of the YearHulk HoganPWI Tag Team of the YearThe Midnight Express(Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane)PWI Match of the YearRandy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat (WrestleMania III)PWI Feud of the YearThe Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard and Lex Luger) vs. The Super Powers (Dusty Rhodes and Nikita Koloff) and The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal)PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the YearDusty RhodesPWI Most Hated Wrestler of the YearRic FlairPWI Most Improved Wrestler of the YearCurt HennigPWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the YearNikita KoloffPWI Rookie of the YearOwen HartPWI Lifetime AchievementPaul BoeschPWI Editor's AwardJimmy Hart

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

CategoryWinnerWrestler of the YearRiki ChoshuMost OutstandingRic FlairFeud of the YearAustin Idol and Tommy Rich vs. Jerry LawlerTag Team of the YearThe Midnight Express(Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane)Most ImprovedRick SteinerBest on InterviewsJim Cornette

Title changes WWF DateWinnerEvent/ShowNote(s)No title changes

DateWinnerEvent/ShowNote(s)March 29Ricky SteamboatWrestleMania IIIJune 2The Honky Tonk ManSuperstars of Wrestling Aired on tape delay on June 13

DateWinnerEvent/ShowNote(s)No title changes

DateWinnerEvent/ShowNote(s)July 24Sensational SherriLive event

Incoming champions – The British Bulldogs DateWinnerEvent/ShowNote(s)January 26The Hart FoundationSuperstars aired on tape delay on February 7August 10The Rougeau BrothersHouse showOctober 27Strike ForceSuperstars Aired on tape delay on November 7

Births

January 5 – Willie Mack January 7 – Alisha Edwards January 13 - Ian Riccaboni January 15: Kelly Kelly Nicole Matthews January 25 – Laura James January 30 – Becky Lynch February 1 – Ronda Rousey February 28 – Yoshiko Hasegawa March 1 – Kyle O'Reilly March 9 – Aubrey Edwards March 17 – Brody King March 19 – AJ Lee March 20 – Nao Kakuta March 30 – Trent Beretta April 22 – Yusuke Kodama April 23 – Donovan Dijak April 28 – Drew Gulak April 29 – Brittney Savage May 2 – Pat McAfee May 7 – Angélico May 11 – Lince Dorado May 17 – Dash Wilder May 23 – Bray Wyatt(died in 2023) May 26 – Steve Maclin July 7 – Richie Steamboat July 9 – Mini Charly Manson July 14 – Charly Caruso July 20 – Evil Uno July 24 – Zack Sabre Jr. July 28 – Lindsay Kay Hayward August 11 – Chris Dickinson August 14 – Johnny Gargano August 15 – Shinichiro Tominaga August 16 - Big Bill (wrestler) August 22 – Apollo Crews September 1 – Sami Callihan September 3 – Allie September 4 – Wesley Blake September 5 – A. R. Fox September 15 – Rhett Titus September 21 – Ivelisse Vélez October 7 – Aiden English October 23 – Carmella October 26 – Portia Perez November 2 – Samir Singh November 3 – Cameron November 5 – Allysin Kay November 8 – Kazuchika Okada November 22 – Elias November 30 – Naomi December 7 – A. C. H. December 26 - Mina Shirakawa December 27 – Andy Leavine

Debuts Debut date

Uncertain debut date

Retirements Tony Garea (1971–1987) Armand Rougeau (1982–1987) Bob Boyer (wrestler) (1950s-1987) Bob Sweetan (1966–1987) Bruno Sammartino (1959–1987) David Schultz (1974–1987) Huracan Ramirez (1941–1987) Ivan Putski (1968–1987) Kelly Kiniski (1980–1987) Killer Khan (1971–1987) Ron Fuller (1973–1987) Klondike Bill (1958–1987) Moose Cholak (1952–1987) Nick Bockwinkel (1955–1987) Paul Boesch (1938–1987) Pedro Morales (1959–1987) Rene Goulet (1957–1987) Super Maxx (1981–1987) Superstar Billy Graham (1970–1987) Tony Marino (1954–1987) Tor Kamata (1959–1987) Al Costello (1938–1987)

Deaths Unknown - Milton Reid, 69 or 70 (born 1917) January unknown date - Atholl Oakeley, 86 January 10 - Steve Casey, 78 April 12: Mike Von Erich, 23 Akram Pahalwan, 56 or 57 (born 1930) April 27 - Jim Austeri, 72 August 24 – Malcolm Kirk, 51 August 27 - Peter Mehringer, 77 August 30 - Frank Stojack, 75 September 3 - Rusty Wescoatt, 76 September 5 – Scott Irwin, 35 October 22 - Lino Ventura, 68 November 28 – Kazuharu Sonoda, 31 December 4 - Betty Jo Hawkins, 57

1987 in professional wrestling

Bron en licentie