On various occasions in

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 or ...

, a single-elimination

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

of varying match types are held, often to determine a

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

or number-one contendership therein. It has been known for promotions to use title tournament that are fictitious in nature (that is, the title may have been simply awarded under the pretext of winning a tournament elsewhere) - notable ones include the tournaments that established the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, the

WWE Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main ro ...

, and the

WWE United States Championship The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, along with the ...

(the latter when it was the NWA United States Championship). In tournaments with a fixed bracket, a multiple-disqualification or a multiple-countout eliminates all parties involved, and those who are slated to face the winner of such a match simply partakes in a match with one less opponent (or simply does not wrestle, if no opponents remain). Tournaments, however, rarely have a final match where only one such finalist remain, with no others qualifying for the final round. Tournaments may employ a single match type throughout, or may vary match by match or round by round.

Notable tournaments from active promotions

All Japan Pro Wrestling

New Japan Pro-Wrestling

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

King of the Ring King of the Ring was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The PPV event was held annually in June and was established in 1993 when the promotion ...

:''King of the Ring'' was a

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...

event held initially in 1985 and evolving into its own pay-per-view event in 1993. The weeks leading to the tournament were often filled with qualifying matches, while only the semifinal and final rounds (and occasionally, the quarterfinal round) made it to the actual ''King of the Ring'' PPV card. The tournament (but not the event) made its return in April 2006 where all the matches would be contested as part of the SmackDown brand. It was again used in 2008 and 2010 during an episode of

WWE Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show f ...

. In

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

, a two night tournament was held, beginning on the April 27 episode of ''Raw'', with the semifinals and final airing as a special on the

WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television t ...

the next night. *

Brawl for All WWF Brawl for All was a shootfighting tournament held in the then World Wrestling Federation that lasted from June 29, 1998 to August 24, 1998 and was the creation of then-WWF writer Vince Russo. Brawl for All resulted in a number of legitimate ...

:The Brawl For All was a

shoot In botany, a plant shoot consists of any plant stem together with its appendages, leaves and lateral buds, flowering stems, and flower buds. The new growth from seed germination that grows upward is a shoot where leaves will develop. In the sp ...

(unscripted) contest held in the World Wrestling Federation that took place from June 29 to August 24, 1998. * Deadly Game :At the 1998 edition of the Survivor Series pay per view, a fourteen-man tournament billed as the ''Deadly Games'' tournament was held to determine the WWF Champion The title had been vacated earlier in the year. The Rock won the tournament and the title. *Road to WrestleMania :This was an eight-man tournament to determine a number one contender for the

WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a World championship (professional wrestling), world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand di ...

WrestleMania WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event held annually between mid-March and mid-April by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Since premiering in 1985, 37 editions followed, mos ...

. Held in both 2005 and 2006 a few months before that year's WrestleMania. * WWE Women's Championship Tournament :This was a seven Diva tournament to determine a new Women's Champion due to the title being vacated by Trish Stratus following her winning the title in her last match as a full time performer. Lita defeated

Mickie James Mickie Laree James (born August 31, 1979) Additional January 6, 2017. is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Country music, country singer. She is currently signed to Impact Wrestling. She has also had tenures in WWE a ...

in a Diva Lumberjack match at the 2006 Cyber Sunday to win the tournament and the title. * United States Championship :This eight-man tournament was to determine the first United States Champion of the WWE era (the title was originally a WCW championship, which was reactivated).

Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. He was a prominent member of the Guerrero wrestling family, being the son of first-generation wrestler Gory Guerrero. Eddie Guerrero ...

won, defeating

Chris Benoit Christopher Michael Benoit (; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career including most notably the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestlin ...

in the finals. * WWF RAW Tag Team Tournament *

WrestleMania IV WrestleMania IV was the fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on March 27, 1988, at the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall in A ...

:A fourteen-man tournament was held at the event for the vacant WWF Championship. The first round only had twelve competitors, however

Hulk Hogan Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...

and

André the Giant André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Roussimoff was known for his great size, which was a result of gigantism caused by excess ...

received byes into the quarterfinals, increasing the field to fourteen.

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 ...

won the tournament by defeating Ted DiBiase in the finals. *

The Wrestling Classic The Wrestling Classic was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on November 7, 1985, at the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois in the United States. It was the prom ...

:A sixteen-man tournament held in November 1985. Junkyard Dog defeated Randy Savage to win the tournament. *Gold Rush Tournament :An eight man tournament used to determine the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, held in May 2005.

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 ...

defeated Kane in the finals to win the tournament. A second Gold Rush tournament was held on ''

NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...

'' in 2012 to crown the first ever NXT Champion.

Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins). Prior to signing ...

won the tournament and the championship, defeating

Jinder Mahal Yuvraj Singh Dhesi (born July 19, 1986) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand, under the ring name Jinder Mahal. Having started his career on the independent circuit, Mahal joine ...

on the August 29 edition of NXT. * Intercontinental Championship When Drew Mcintyre was fired from the WWE, the title became vacant, so the WWE organized an Intercontinental Championship tournament. Kofi Kingston was the winner, but Drew returned and was reinstated as the Intercontinental Champion, so Kingston became the number one contender. *

After CM Punk won the WWE Championship by defeating John Cena at WWE Money in the Bank and walked out of the company with the title,

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the ...

set up a tournament to decide a new champion the following night on Raw. A week later in the final, Rey Mysterio defeated The Miz in the opening match of the broadcast to become WWE Champion. However, Mysterio would lose the title later that night to Cena, who would win the title for a WWE record ninth time. CM Punk then returned to the WWE with the title he won, meaning that, for the first time in WWE history, two men had a claim to the championship. The issue was settled at SummerSlam where Punk won a controversial rematch with Cena to become Undisputed Champion, though he would lose the title to Raw Money In The Bank winner

Alberto Del Rio José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a c ...

seconds later.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

* Chris Candido Cup :A memorial

TNA TNA may refer to: Organisations * Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka * The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya * The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body * Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...

tag team tournament was held in 2005 in memory for

Chris Candido Christopher Barrett Candito (March 21, 1972 – April 28, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. Candito is best remembered for his tenures with promotions such as World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, New Japan Pro-W ...

, which featured teams consisting of one established veteran and one young rookie, representing Candido's veteran status at a young age and his commitment to working with and helping younger wrestlers. * TNA Hard 10 Tournament :This was a Hardcore tournament featured in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where a wrestler must build over ''10 points'' and be 2 points above the opponent to win the match. Points are awarded for using a weapon (1 point), and putting an opponent though a table (5 points). * Super X-Cup :This was a TNA tournament for the ''X-Cup'', featuring X Division superstars from around the world. Super X-Cup Tournaments have been held in 2003 and 2005 (''Christopher Daniels Invitational''). * America's X-Cup :This was a TNA tournament-like event, first seen in 2004, where two four-man teams have 4 singles matches, 2 tag team matches, and one 8-man tag elimination. The singles matches are worth 1 point, the tag teams are worth 2 and the Elimination is worth 4. To win you must have the most points. The Tournament would later become the World X-Cup. * World X-Cup :With a point based system like the America's X-Cup, the World X-Cup would see four teams enter at the same time competing in a variety of matches; firstly a ''Gauntlet Battle Royal'', where the last two remaining would earn a point for their team and would compete against each other for a further two points, next tag team matches for two points, following this a

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becom ...

where a member from each team would compete for three points. from her the team with the lowest score would be removed allowing one member from each team to compete in an

Ultimate X The Ultimate X match is a type of professional wrestling match created by Impact Wrestling (formerly Total Nonstop Action Wrestling aka TNA), mainly used in their X Division. It is considered the signature match of the X Division. Match forma ...

match for the final 3 points. *

Fight for the Right Tournament The Fight for the Right Tournament is a professional wrestling tournament in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling designed to determine a new #1 contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. The tournament was held in 2006 and 2007, both starting in t ...

:This setup starts with a reverse battle royal with 18 wrestlers trying to be among the first seven to get into the ring over the top rope. Those seven then compete with traditional TNA battle royal rules to determine tournament seeding. The final two in the ring go to pin or submission with the winner getting a bye into the tournament final. The other six compete in singles matches with the winners facing each other in a three-way match with the winner facing the wrestler who received the bye.

Ring of Honor

* Field of Honor :This was a

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was s ...

tournament held in 2003. Matt Stryker came out as the winner. *

Survival of the Fittest "Survival of the fittest" is a phrase that originated from Darwinian evolutionary theory as a way of describing the mechanism of natural selection. The biological concept of fitness is defined as reproductive success. In Darwinian terms, ...

held this one-night tournament in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2012 with the winners being

Bryan Danielson Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club. He is also known for his time in WWE, where he worked fro ...

Roderick Strong Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand, as the leader of Diamond Mine, but is currently inactive due t ...

Delirious Delirious may refer to: * A state of delirium Film and television * ''Delirious'' (1991 film), an American comedy directed by Tom Mankiewicz, starring John Candy * ''Delirious'' (2006 film), an American comedy-drama directed by Tom DiCillo, sta ...

Chris Hero Chris Spradlin (born December 24, 1979), better known by his ring name Chris Hero, is an American professional wrestler and trainer. He is currently signed to Ring of Honor as a producer. Hero has worked for a number of independent wrestling pr ...

, Tyler Black and Jay Lethal respectively. * ROH Championship :This tournament was held in 2002 to crown ROH's first champion. Low Ki emerged victorious. * ROH Pure Wrestling Championship :In February 2004, A.J. Styles won this tournament to become the first Pure Champion.

Lucha Underground

Combat Zone Wrestling

CZW Best of the Best Combat Zone Wrestling's Best of the Best is a professional wrestling tournament and supershow held in the CZW promotion. The annual ''Best of The Best'' was originally a junior heavyweight tournament, which in 2005 was repurposed as an all weight ...

:This is a tournament held in the

Combat Zone Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent wrestling promotion. In 1998, John Zandig and five of his students, Ric Blade, T.C.K, Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain, along with trainer Jon Dahmer, began to run professional wrestling ...

promotion. The annual Best of The Best was originally a junior heavyweight tournament, which in 2005 was repurposed as an all weight tournament. *

CZW Tournament of Death The Tournament of Death is an annual professional wrestling tournament organized by Combat Zone Wrestling since 2002, during which a number of wrestlers compete in various deathmatches in what are mostly single-elimination tournaments similar to Wor ...

:This is CZW's version of the King of the Deathmatch, 8 superstars start out, each match has an extreme variation.

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla

*Bad Ass Mother 3000 :The Bad Ass Mother 3000 was a tournament held on August 29 and 30, 2003, in Eagle Rock, California and

City of Industry, California City of Industry is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is almost entirely industrial, containing over 3,000 businesses employing 67,000 people, with only 264 residents as of the ...

. The winner of the tournament would become the inaugural PWG Champion. *Tango and Cash Invitational :The Tango & Cash Invitational was a tag team tournament held on January 24 and 25, 2004, in

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the 13th-m ...

. The winners of the tournament would be crowned the first ever PWG Tag Team Champions. * Battle of Los Angeles :This is an annual tournament held by

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles, California. It is owned and operated by wrestlers themselves, having been created by Disco Machine, Excalibur, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Super ...

. Over the years, the tournament has attracted numerous famous independent wrestlers from A.J. Styles and

Christopher Daniels Daniel Christopher Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is the Head of Talent Relations. He is best kn ...

. The tournament is infamous for having many of its winners never receiving the title shot they're promised for winning (although Chris Bosh, the winner of the 2005 tournament, did receive his). In 2009 the tournament was contested for the then vacant PWG Championship. *Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament (DDT4) :The Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament (''DDT4'') is an annual tag team tournament contested for the PWG World Tag Team Championship. If the title isn't vacant, the reigning Champions will be forced to enter the tournament and defend their titles in every one of their matches. The tournament was created in 2007 after Quicksilver (then one half of the PWG Tag Team Champions) was forced to retire and thus the titles became vacant.

Chikara

* King of Trios :King of Trios is a three-night tournament promoted by Chikara. In King of Trios, there are trios that will compete in six-man tag team matches to see which of them will advance. All in all, sixteen trios competed in the tournament, making for a total of forty-eight competitors. The tournament marked the 2007 season premiere of the promotion. The three nights of the 2007 tournament took place on February 16, 2007 in Hellertown, Pennsylvania, February 17 in

Barnesville, Pennsylvania Barnesville is an unincorporated community in Ryan Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally built to support nearby rust belt industries, the hamlet is between the center and eastern thirds of the Southern Anthracite C ...

, and February 18 in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

. The 2008 King of Trios tournament was held at the

New Alhambra Arena 2300 Arena is a multipurpose indoor arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania used primarily for professional wrestling, boxing, mixed martial arts, and concert events. Originally known as Viking Hall, the venue has since been named Alhambra Arena, Th ...

in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This time the tournament featured 28 teams, up from the 16 of 2007. The 2009 King of Trios tournament only had 16 teams due to the financial troubles of last year (down from the 28 of last year). Since 2009, the tournament has only featured 16 teams. *

Chikara Young Lions Cup The Young Lions Cup was a professional wrestling championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Chikara. History A tournament is held every year to determine the champion. Originally, experience level was the prima ...

:A tournament is held every year to determine the champion. The primary basis for eligibility was later changed to age, making the tournament open only to wrestlers who are 25 years old or younger. The winner of the Young Lions Cup can defend the cup as an actual title until the following tournament, and Young Lions Cup tournament winners are not allowed to compete in the tournament again once they win it. *

Torneo cibernetico A ''torneo cibernetico'' is a multi-man professional wrestling elimination match that was created and primarily used in Mexican ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotions, especially in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The match format ...

:The match is a 16-man elimination tag team match consisting of 2 teams of 8. It uses standard

Lucha Libre Lucha libre (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term used in Latin America for professional wrestling. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has developed into a unique form ...

tag-team rules with elimination occurring with a pinfall, submission, disqualification and count out. A special 'batting' system is also used in which the wrestlers are given a specific order and may only tag in and out in this order. If two or more men from the same team remain, they must face each other to determine one individual winner. *Rey de Voladores :CHIKARA used to have this as a stand alone event in 2007 and 2008, then it was included in the King of Trios weekend in 2009. It is a "King of Flyers" mini tournament featuring the more agile wrestlers that are out of the King of Trios tournament itself. In 2007 and 2008, the tournament features eight wrestlers and holds two Fatal Four-Way elimination matches. The winner of both matches goes on to wrestle on the next night to crown the King of Flyers. Since 2009, the Fatal Four-Way matches have been held on Night 2 of King of Trios and the finals being held on Night 3. * La Lotería Letal :In English, La Lotería Letal means The Lethal Lottery. It is a tag team tournament that was held in autumn 2008. It consisted of eight teams, who competed in a single-elimination tournament. To determine the participants in the tournament, eighteen CHIKARA regulars and other independent wrestlers. Names were drawn at random to form tag teams and determine the match pairings. The two remaining wrestlers, faced each other in a singles match at the September 6 event. * Tag World Grand Prix :The Tag World Grand Prix is a tag team professional wrestling tournament that was held in 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2008. In 2003 was the first Tag World Grand Prix tournament. Twelve teams entered the tournament with the finals being scheduled in a three-way dance format. In 2005, the number of participating teams was expanded to 32. In 2006 was to crowned CHIKARA's first-ever '' Campeones de Parejas'' (Tag Team Champions). The tournament was won by The Kings of Wrestling (

and

Claudio Castagnoli Claudio Castagnoli ( ; born 27 December 1980) is a Swiss professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club stable. Castagnoli also performs for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor ...

). In 2008 was to date the final Tag World Grand Prix tournament. The tournament was held in

Oberhausen, Germany Oberhausen (, ) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen ( ). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Rout ...

. This time only 12 teams entered the tournament, with the finals being scheduled to be contested under

three-way elimination match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

Notable tournaments from defunct promotions

American Wrestling Association

Extreme Championship Wrestling

Stampede Wrestling

*Alberta Gold Belt Tournament :The Alberta Gold Belt Tournament was an eight-man single-elimination tournament held in

Stampede Wrestling Stampede Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta. For nearly 50 years, it was one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies. Originally established by Stu Hart in 1948, the pro ...

that took place on June 4, 1955. * Stampede International Tag Team Title Tournament :A Stampede Wrestling tournament was held where multiple wrestlers fought in an eight-team tournament for the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship.

World Championship Wrestling

* Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship :A WCW tournament was held where multiple Cruiserweight Tag Teams fought in an eight-team tournament for the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championships. * United States Championship :In the NWA/WCW era (which precedes the title's WWE era mentioned above), there had been 9 tournaments to fill the title vacancy (not counting the fictitious "tournament" in early 1975 that enabled

Harley Race Harley Leland Race (April 11, 1943 – August 1, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, promoter, and trainer. Race wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federati ...

to be billed as the first champion). All the tournaments were single-elimination. The finals have been as follows: **

Terry Funk Terrence Funk (born June 30, 1944) is an American retired professional wrestler, rapper, disc jockey and actor. Funk is known for the longevity of his career – which spanned more than 50 years and included multiple short-lived retirements – ...

over Paul Jones - The first 16-man tournament ever to determine the champion. **

Jimmy Snuka James Reiher Snuka (born James Wiley Smith; May 18, 1943 – January 15, 2017) was a Fijian American professional wrestler. He is better known by the ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Snuka wrestled for several promotions from the 1970s to 2010 ...

over

Ricky Steamboat Richard Henry Blood Sr. (born February 28, 1953), better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Jim Crockett Promot ...

** Sgt. Slaughter over Ricky Steamboat **

Barry Windham Barry Clinton Windham (born July 4, 1960) is an American retired professional wrestler. The son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan, he is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). ...

over Nikita Koloff **

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-earth ...

over Steve Austin ** Dustin Rhodes over Rick Steamboat - originally the final a No. 1 contendership tournament, it became a title deciding match when Rick Rude was injured. **Sting over Meng - a 16-man tournament, marred by the elimination of both

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...

and

in their semifinal bracket. Sting vs. Meng, which was the other semifinal bracket, became the final instead. **

Scott Steiner Scott Rechsteiner (born July 29, 1962), better known by the ring name Scott Steiner, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Steiner is perhaps best known for his time in World Championshi ...

over

Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to * Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century ** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T." * Booker T. Jones (born 1944 ...

**Scott Steiner over Sting *

Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament The Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament (also known simply as the Crockett Cup) is a professional wrestling event produced every April by the professional wrestling promotion, National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The event features a ...

:The Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament was an invitational tag team tournament. *

Bunkhouse Stampede The Bunkhouse Stampede was a professional wrestling tournament/show held annually by Jim Crockett Promotions from 1985 through 1988. History Concept In 1985, the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions came up with a new match to increase the fans' inte ...

:A series of tournaments where wrestlers competed for Bunkhouse points which would allow them to qualify for the Bunkhouse stampede finals. ** Hardcore Junkyard Invitational Tournament (1999) ** WCW EUROPEAN TITLE Tournament (1994) ** WCW BATTLEBOWL CHAMPIONS Tournament ** Pat O'Connor Memorial International Cup Tag Team Tournament **WCW KING OF CABLE TOURNAMENT **WCW EUROPEAN CUP

Other promotions

All Pro Wrestling

Ohio Valley Wrestling

Progress Wrestling

* ECWA Super 8 Tournament :This is an annual tournament held by the

East Coast Wrestling Association East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to ...

. The eight man tournament is known for jump-starting the careers of many indy wrestlers, often booking veterans (ex. Billy Kidman) and relatively unknown wrestlers (ex. Eric Matlock) alike. * FWA Flyweight Championship :On June 30, 2003, Ross Jordan won a tournament to become Frontier Wrestling Alliance's first

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...

champion. *Grand Prix :Exclusive to the UWA, the Grand Prix tournament starts out with eight wrestlers, the winner gets a UWA Canadian Championship shot at a future event. * King of the Deathmatch :This is an eight-man tournament with extreme violence. Each match has an extreme variation. Most famous tournaments based on this include the IWA JAPAN 1995 King of the Death, and CZW's Tournament Of Death. Also the IWA Mid South holds an annual KOTDM featuring sixteen men. * Ted Petty Invitational :The Ted Petty Invitational tournament (the TPI) was an independent wrestling tournament in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

, run and promoted by

Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in 199 ...

. Created as the Sweet Science Sixteen in 2000 by Ian Rotten, the tournament was originally supposed to showcase the top technical independent wrestlers. After the death of Ted Petty in September 2002, Rotten changed the name to honor his friend. The tournament was expanded to 24 participants, with a three-way final, in 2003. Over the years, the tournament has attracted numerous famous independent wrestlers from Ken Anderson, A.J. Styles to James Gibson. *World Tag Team Tournament :This was an

American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The territory was originally part ...

tournament for their AWA World Tag Team Championships in

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of the renowned Mayo Clinic. Ac ...

on October 1, 1989. * ECCW Pacific Cup Since 2000, ECCW has held an annual tournament called the ECCW Pacific Cup, considered to be the Canadian equivalent of such American tournaments as the East Coast Wrestling Association's Super 8 Tournament. The first edition of the tournament took place on November 24, 2000 in New Westminster, with Asian Cougar defeating Havoc and Tony Kozina in the final; beginning with the 2002 edition (it was not held in 2001), the event was moved closer to the start of the year and alternated between Surrey and Vancouver in later years. As well, in 2004 ECCW held the first, and so far only, tag version of the Pacific Cup.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Professional Wrestling Tournament *