1973 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

List of notable promotions

Only one promotion held notable shows in 1973.

Calendar of notable shows

Notable events

*April 14 -

Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance The was the first professional wrestling promotion to be based in Japan. It operated from 1953 to 1973. History JWA under Rikidōzan (1953–1963) Rikidōzan, a former ''rikishi'' (sumo wrestling practitioner) who had debuted as a Western-st ...

closed. *September 6 -

Carlos Colon Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewhere ...

Victor Jovica Victor Jovica (born November 26, 1945) is a Croatian-born Puerto Rican semi-retired professional wrestler, and promoter. Along with Carlos Colón, he is the co-founder and promoter of Capitol Sports Promotions, now known as the World Wrestling Co ...

and

Gorilla Monsoon Robert James Marella (June 4, 1937 – October 6, 1999), better known by his ring name of Gorilla Monsoon, was an American professional wrestler, play-by-play commentator, and booker. Monsoon is famous for his run as a villainous super-heavyw ...

launched Capitol Sports Promotions in Puerto Rico. *December 1 - Stan Stastak wins the WWWF Heavyweight title from

Pedro Morales Pedro Antonio Morales (October 22, 1942 – February 12, 2019) was a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the United States with Worldwide Wrestling Associates (WWA) and the World Wide Wrestling Federation ...

in Philadelphia, PA *December 10 -

Bruno Sammartino Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (October 6, 1935 – April 18, 2018) was an Italian-born American professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). There, he held the WWWF World Heavywei ...

becomes the first two time WWWF Heavyweight Champion when he defeated Stan Stastak in New York, NY.

Awards and honors

''Pro Wrestling Illustrated''

Championship changes

EMLL

NWA

Tournaments

IWE

Births

*Date of birth uncertain: ** Dudley Dudley * January 9 - Magnum Tokyo * January 25 -

Ace Steel Christopher Guy (born January 25, 1973) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ace Steel. He is perhaps best known for his time with Ring of Honor and occasional appearances for World Wrestling Entertainment, as well ...

* January 26 - The Maestro * February 8 -

Raziel Raziel, ( ''Rāzīʾēl,'' "God is my Mystery") also known as Gallitsur ( Hebrew: גַּלִּיצוּר ''Gallīṣūr'') is an angel within the teachings of Jewish mysticism (of the Kabbalah of Judaism) who is the "Angel of Secrets" and the "An ...

(died in 2022) * February 11 – Hernandez * February 21 -

Brodus Clay George Murdoch (born February 21, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and cable news personality known by his ring/stage name Tyrus. As a wrestler, he is signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he is the reigning NWA Worlds ...

* February 22 -

Mr. Niebla Efrén Tiburcio Márquez (February 22, 1973 – December 23, 2019), known under the ring name Mr. Niebla, was a Mexican luchador enmascarado ( Spanish for masked professional wrestler) who worked for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). "Ni ...

(died in 2019) * February 28 –

Masato Tanaka is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) in Japan where he was a one-time FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Champion and a one-time WEW World Heavyweight Champion and in Ext ...

* March 7 -

Brazo de Platino Daniel Alvarado Nieves (born March 7, 1973) is a Mexican '' luchador'', or professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Brazo de Platino ("Platinum Arm"). He is a part of the extensive Alvarado wrestling family that was founded by his fath ...

* March 8 -

Aya Koyama , better known by her stage name , was a Japanese female mixed martial artist and a professional wrestler. She started her career as a pro wrestler in 1996 before starting to compete in mixed martial arts from 2001. Aya Koyama died on 27 August 2 ...

(died in 2018) * March 11 -

Wataru Sakata is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. Career A former Kyokushin karateka, Sakata trained in professional wrestling at Animal Hamaguchi's gym and joined Akira Maeda's Fighting Network RINGS immediately after. F ...

* March 20 -

Scott Vick Robert Scott Vick (born March 20, 1973) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling from 1997 to 1999 under the ring name Sick Boy, where he was a member o ...

* March 23 -

Kevin Northcutt Kevin Northcutt (born March 23, 1973) is a retired American professional wrestler. Career World Championship Wrestling (2000) After unsuccessful try-outs with Extreme Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation in the late 1990s, Nor ...

* March 28 – Umaga (died in 2009) * April 24 - StarBuck * April 27 -

E. Z. Money Jason Broyles (born April 27, 1973) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) under the ring name E. Z. Money. He also briefly wrestled for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in ...

* May 8 -

Giant Ochiai Takayuki Okada (May 8, 1973 – August 8, 2003), more widely known as Giant Ochiai, was a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Okada's MMA record was 3-3-2 (win–loss–draw). Career As a student, Okada won the All Japan I ...

(died in 2003) * May 18 –

Kaz Hayashi is a Japanese professional wrestler known simply as . He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where in addition to being a wrestler for the promotion, he also served as the head booker for the company's junior heavyweight ...

* May 18 -

The Blue Meanie Brian Heffron (born May 18, 1973), better known by his ring name The Blue Meanie, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation between 1995 and 2 ...

* May 29 –

Steve Corino Steven Eugene "Steve" Corino (born May 29, 1973) is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler currently signed with WWE as a trainer and producer for their developmental territory NXT. He is best known for his tenure with Extreme Championship ...

* June 4: **

Mikey Whipwreck John Michael Watson (born June 4, 1973), better known by his ring name Mikey Whipwreck, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler working for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a trainer, and global ambassador. He is best known for his career w ...

** Pablo Marquez * June 19 -

Lou Marconi Lou Marconi (born June 19, 1973Pro Wrestling Illustrated. "Statistics for Professional Wrestlers." ''PWI 2001 Wrestling Almanac and Book of Facts''. Vol. IV. No. 1. Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: London Publishing Co., 2001. (pg. 46)) is an Amer ...

* July 2 –

Scotty 2 Hotty Scott Ronald Garland (born July 2, 1973) is an American professional wrestler who was most recently signed to WWE as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center. He also competed under the ring names "Too Hot" Scott Taylor (1991–1999) and Scotty 2 ...

* July 13: **

Necro Butcher Dylan Keith Summers (born July 13, 1973), better known by the ring name Necro Butcher, is an American professional wrestler. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA Mid-South, Pro W ...

Wifebeater Wife-beater, wifebeater, or wife beater is a slang term for a man who commits domestic violence, particularly against his spouse or long term female partner. It can also refer to: Items stereotypically associated with perpetrators of domestic ...

* July 26 -

Yukio Sakaguchi is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, actor and judoka, who is currently signed with DDT Pro-Wrestling and has fought and competed for World Victory Road, DREAM, Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling, Pancrase, Pro Wrestli ...

* August 12 –

Jonathan Coachman Jonathan William Coachman (born August 12, 1973), also known as "The Coach", is an American sports analyst and former professional wrestling personality currently signed to WWE and XFL. Early life Before embarking on an announcing career in pro ...

* August 25 -

José Estrada Jr. José Estrada Jr. (born August 25, 1973) is a Puerto Rican former professional wrestler best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as a member of Los Boricuas. Professional wrestling career World Wrestling Council T ...

* August 27 –

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

* August 29 -

Sinn Bodhi Nicholas Cvjetkovich (; born August 29, 1973) is a Serbo-Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his stint in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he worked on its SmackDown brand as Kizarny. He currently works the independents as ...

* August 31 -

Tank Toland John Michael Toland (born August 31, 1973) is a former American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Tank Toland. Toland is best known for his appearances on the independent circuit with promotions such as Ring of Honor, as well ...

* September 22 -

Bob Sapp Robert Malcolm Sapp (born September 22, 1973) is an American mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler, actor, and former American football player. He is currently under contract with Rizin Fighting Federation. Sapp has a combine ...

* September 24 -

Bison Smith Mark Smith (September 24, 1973 – November 22, 2011) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Bison Smith. He's best known for his appearances with Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan; and World Wres ...

(died in 2011) * September 29 - Wavell Starr * September 30 -

Cerebro Negro Ricardo Antonio Morales Gonzalez (born September 30, 1973 in Mexico City, Mexico), better known under the ring name Cerebro Negro ("Black Brain"), is a Mexican ''luchador'', or masked professional wrestler currently working for the Mexican profess ...

* October 4 –

Abyss Abyss may refer to: * Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld Film and television * ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film starring Asta Nielsen * ''The Abyss'' (1988 film) (''L'Œuvre au noir''), a French- ...

* October 16 –

Justin Credible Peter Joseph "PJ" Polaco (born October 16, 1973) is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name Justin Credible. He ...

* October 19 - Corporal Punishment * October 26 –

Taka Michinoku (born October 26, 1973), better known by his ring name (with his first name usually stylized in all capital letters), is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. Michinoku is known in North America for his work for the ...

* October 28 –

Montel Vontavious Porter Hassan Hamin Assad (born Alvin Antonio Burke Jr.; October 28, 1973) is an American professional wrestler and manager currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name MVP (standing for Montel Vontavious Porter) and ...

* October 30 –

Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...

* November 3 -

Chase Tatum William Chase Tatum (November 3, 1973 – March 23, 2008) was an American professional wrestler and actor, best known for his appearances in World Championship Wrestling, road manager for OutKast and as an actor, in the 2007 film ''Who's Your Cad ...

(died in 2008) * November 20 -

Becca Swanson Rebecca Swanson (born November 20, 1973) is an American powerlifter and professional wrestler. Becca Swanson holds several powerlifting world records for women, including the heaviest squat, heaviest deadlift and the heaviest bench press. Due t ...

* November 27 –

Evan Karagias Evan Karagias (born November 27, 1973) is an American professional wrestler and actor. Acting career Evan moved to New York City to pursue an acting and modeling career. He also became the spokesmodel for the 1996 Calvin Klein and US Olympic Comm ...

* November 30 –

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

* December 3 –

Super Crazy Francisco Islas Rueda (born December 3, 1973), better known by his ring name Super Crazy, is a Mexican ''luchador'' (or professional wrestler). In Mexico, Islas has worked for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) and made appearances f ...

* December 7 –

Hack Meyers Donald Haviland (December 7, 1973 – December 5, 2015) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Hack Meyers. He was best known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling from 1993 to 1996. Professional wrestling ...

(died in 2015) * December 7 -

Wolfie D Kelly Warren Wolfe (born December 7, 1973) is an American professional wrestler. Wolfe is perhaps best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) under the ring name Wolfie D (as o ...

* December 20 – Toscano * December 25 – Chris Harris

Retirements

Dory Funk, Sr. Dorrance Wilhelm Funk (May 4, 1919 – June 3, 1973) was an American professional wrestler. He is the father of wrestlers Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk, and was a promoter of the Amarillo, Texas-based Western States Sports promotion. Early lif ...

(April 26, 1973)

Debuts

* Uncertain debut date :*

Randy Savage Randall Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestl ...

Sika Anoa'i Leati Sika Amituana'i Anoa'i (born April 5, 1945), better known as Sika Anoa'i or simply Sika, is an American Samoan retired professional wrestler. He is best known as one-half of the tag team The Wild Samoans with his brother Afa. Championships ...

Bob Backlund Robert Louis Backlund (born August 14, 1949) is an American retired amateur and professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation from 1976 to 1984 and in the 1990s, wher ...

Ray Candy Ray Canty (December 3, 1951 – May 23, 1994), better known by the ring name Ray Candy, was an American professional wrestler who worked for a variety of different wrestling promotions in the United States, Japan and Puerto Rico such as Jim Crocke ...

Hector Guerrero In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

Smith Hart Smith Stewart Hart (November 28, 1948 – July 2, 2017) was an American-Canadian professional wrestler and a member of the Hart wrestling family. His parents were Stu and Helen Hart. Smith was the first of their twelve children, being one of thei ...

Dean Hart Dean Harry Anthony Hart (January 3, 1954 – November 21, 1990) was a Canadian–American amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, referee, wrestling as well as music promoter and member of the Hart family who wrestled in Canadian regional pro ...

Bruiser Brody Frank Donald Goodish (June 18, 1946 – July 17, 1988) was an American professional wrestler who earned his greatest fame under the ring name Bruiser Brody. He also worked as King Kong Brody, The Masked Marauder, and Red River Jack. Over the yea ...

Don Kernodle Charles Donald Kernodle Jr. (May 2, 1950 – May 17, 2021) was an American professional wrestler with the National Wrestling Alliance's Jim Crockett Promotions. Professional wrestling career In college, Kernodle lettered four times in amate ...

Dennis Condrey Dennis Condrey (born February 1, 1952) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the Continental Wrestling Association, Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling in the 1970s and 1980s. ...

Gene Petit Gene Petit (c. May 19, 1949 – September 29, 2013) was an American professional wrestler best known for his portrayal of Cousin Luke in the World Wrestling Federation. He also competed under several other gimmicks and competed for several promo ...

Pez Whatley Pezavan Whatley (January 10, 1951 – January 18, 2005) was an American professional wrestler best known for his time with NWA Mid-America. Professional wrestling career Whatley played football and wrestled for Notre Dame High School in Chatta ...

Ron Mikolajczyk Ronald K. Mikolajczyk (born June 2, 1950) is a former professional American football offensive tackle and retired professional wrestler. He attended the University of Tampa, graduating in 1971. Mikolajczyk grew up in Passaic, New Jersey where ...

*January 1 -

Stan Hansen John Stanley Hansen II (born August 29, 1949) is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Hansen is known for his Glossary of professional wrestling terms#S, stiff wrestling style, which he attributes to his poor eyesigh ...

*July - Sangre Chicana *September 29 - KY Wakamatsu

Deaths

* February 10 -

Everett Marshall Everett Marshall (November 4, 1905 - February 10, 1973) was an American professional wrestler, who won championship titles in the Midwest Wrestling Association (MWA), National Wrestling Association (NWA) and Rocky Mountains. Early life Everet ...

, 67 * March 8 -

Bill Malone (broadcaster) William Malone Polglase (June 20, 1924 – March 8, 1973) was an American television and radio personality who worked for WMAL/ WMAL-TV in Washington D.C. and was the first host of ''Supermarket Sweep''. Early life Malone was born on June 20, 1924 ...

, 48 * April 1 –

Jim Crockett James Allen Crockett Sr. (June 2, 1909 – April 1, 1973) was a professional wrestling promoter and professional sports franchise owner sometimes known as Jim Crockett Sr., or to people within the business simply as "Big Jim". Early life Crockett ...

, 63 * June 3 –

Dory Funk Dorrance Wilhelm Funk (May 4, 1919 – June 3, 1973) was an American professional wrestler. He is the father of wrestlers Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk, and was a promoter of the Amarillo, Texas-based Western States Sports promotion. Early lif ...

, 54 * July 21 -

Wild Red Berry Ralph L. Berry (November 20, 1906 – July 21, 1973), better known by the ring name "Wild" Red Berry, was an American professional wrestler. Berry was a nine-time NWA World Light Heavyweight Champion and an important smaller wrestler of the 19 ...

, 66 * July 31 -

Azumafuji Kin'ichi was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Taitō, Tokyo. He was the sport's 40th ''yokozuna'', and later a professional wrestler. Sumo career His real name was . He made professional debut in January 1936, joining Takasago stable. He w ...

, 51 * December 1 –

Black Guzmán Miguel Guzmán Huerta (1916 – December 1, 1973) was a Mexican professional wrestler, or ''Luchador'' as they are known in Spanish, who worked under the ring names Miguel Guzmán and Black Guzmán, a nickname he had earned due to his tan skin co ...

, 57 * December 17 -

Kazuo Okamura was an American professional wrestler. Better known by the ring name The Great Togo, he was one of the first Heel (professional wrestling), wrestling heels of Japanese descent in America after World War II. Early life and education Okamura was ...

, 62

References

{{Years in professional wrestling