1978 in professional wrestling
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1978 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.
List of notable promotions[]
These promotions held notable shows in 1978.
| Promotion Name | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Championship Wrestling from Florida | CWF |
| Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre | EMLL |
| National Wrestling Alliance | NWA |
| World Wide Wrestling Federation | WWWF |
Calendar of notable shows[]
| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 25 | NWA WWWF CWF |
Superbowl of Wrestling | Miami, Florida | Superstar Billy Graham (c - WWWF World Championship) vs. Harley Race (c - NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship) ended in a 60-minute time limit draw during a three fall match |
| April 21 | EMLL | 22. Aniversario de Arena México | Mexico City, Mexico | El Faraón and Ringo Mendoza defeated Alfonso Dantés and Sangre Chicana in a Lucha de Apuestas hair vs. hair match[1] |
| September 22 | EMLL 45th Anniversary Show | Sangre Chicana and Rubí Rubalcava defeated El Cobarde and Dragón Rojo in a Lucha de Apuestas hair and mask vs. hair and hair match[2] | ||
| December 8 | Juicio Final | Kung Fu defeated El Idolo in a Lucha de Apuestas, mask vs. mask match[3] | ||
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) | ||||
Awards and honors[]
Pro Wrestling Illustrated[]
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| PWI Wrestler of the Year | Dusty Rhodes |
| PWI Tag Team of the Year | Ricky Steamboat and Paul Jones |
| PWI Match of the Year | Superstar Billy Graham vs. Bob Backlund |
| PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year | Dusty Rhodes |
| PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year | Ric Flair |
| PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year | Dino Bravo |
| PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year | Blackjack Mulligan |
| PWI Rookie of the Year | Tommy Rich |
| PWI Manager of the Year | Arnold Skaaland |
Championship changes[]
EMLL[]
incoming champion – Alfonso Dantés[4]
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| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2 | El Faraón | EMLL show | [4] | |
| December 8 | Pak Choo | EMLL show | [4] | |
| Incoming champion – El Faraón | ||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 17 | Ringo Mendoza | EMLL show | ||
| April 9 | Perro Aguayo | EMLL show | ||
| June 23 | Ringo Mendoza | EMLL show | ||
| August 13 | Tony Salazar | EMLL show | ||
| Incoming champion – Mano Negra | ||||
| No title changes |
| Incoming champion – Raul Mata | ||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1 | El Nazi | EMLL show | ||
| October 27 | TNT | EMLL show | ||
| Incoming champion – Vacant | ||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No title changes[5] | ||||
| Incoming champion – Mario Valenzuela[6] | ||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 30 | Talisman | EMLL show | [6] | |
| Incoming champion – Dr. Wagner | ||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 15 | El Canek | EMLL show | ||
| June 20 | Dos Caras | EMLL show | ||
| Incoming champion – Kung Fu | ||||
| Date | Winner | Event/Show | Note(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 7 | Americo Rocca | EMLL show | ||
| June 20 | Lizmark | EMLL show | ||
| Incoming champion – Uncertain | ||||
| No title changes |
NWA[]
| Incoming champion – Harley Race | ||||
| No title changes |
Births[]
- January 10 – Tamina[7]
- January 28 – Sheamus[8]
- March 30 – Crazy Boy
- April 16 – Austin Aries
- April 22 – Ezekiel Jackson
- May 16 - Justice Pain (died in 2020)
- May 24 – Elijah Burke
- June 2 – Joe Líder
- June 6 – ODB
- June 8 – Maria Menounos[9]
- June 24 – Adam Pearce
- July 17 – Mike Knox
- August 28 – Linda Miles
- September 24 – Christopher Nowinski
- September 30 – Candice Michelle
- October 15 – Takeshi Morishima
- October 26 – CM Punk
- December 10 - Essa Rios
- December 23 – Nanae Takahashi
Debuts[]
- August 21 - Devil Masami
- Chicky Starr
Retirements[]
- Arnold Skaaland (1946 - 1978)
Deaths[]
- March 27 - John Pesek, 84
- June 30 – Michel Martel, 33
- August 13 – Lonnie Mayne, 33
- November 15 - , 77
- November 16 – Eric the Red, 44
References[]
- ^ Flores, Manuel (May 25, 2009). "Los Hermano Mendoza - Ringo y Cachorro están de regreso". Super Luchas (in Spanish). pp. 22–23. issue 316.
- ^ "Lucha Libre: Conoce la historia de las leyendas de cuadrilátero". Sangre Chicana (1951) (in Spanish). Mexico. 2008. p. 53. Grandes Figuras de la Lucha Libre.
- ^ "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras". Kung Fu (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. October 2007. pp. 10 and 12. Tomo III.
- ^ a b c Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2006). "Mexico: EMLL NWA World Light Heavyweight Title [Lutteroth]". Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 389. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Lightweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. p. 393. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ a b Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Lightweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. p. 393. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "Tamina Snuka". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on 2017-08-25. Retrieved 2017-12-26.
- ^ Kamchen, Richard. "Sheamus". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
- ^ "Maria Menounos: Biography". TVGuide.com. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
Categories:
- 1978 in professional wrestling
- 1978-related lists