1989

This is a list of various things that took place in 1989.

Significant events
May
 * 7 - After defeating Rick Steamboat at the WrestleWar PPV to regain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, Ric Flair is attacked by Terry Funk, one of three judges for the match in the event of a time-limit draw, when Flair, who cites Funk's lengthy absence from the sport to act in Hollywood, turns down the former NWA World Champion's request for a title shot. The attack culminates with Funk piledriving Flair through the judges' table, which sidelines Flair with a injured neck for more than two months and results in Flair turning face
 * 28 - Jake Roberts is put out of action for nearly four months after undergoing surgery to remove a ruptured disc from his neck

June
 * 25 - Greg Wojokowski defeats boxer Leon Spinks in a boxer vs. wrestler bout in Toledo, Ohio

July
 * 4 - Davey Boy Smith, Chris Benoit and Jason the Terrible are all injured in a car accident near Jasper, Alberta. Smith is thrown through the windshield of the wrestlers' car and suffers a cracked vertebra in his back and a head gash requiring 100 stitches, while Benoit injures his right knee and Jason's left leg is fractured in two places
 * 23 - In his return to action following his neck injury at the hands of Terry Funk, Ric Flair defeats Funk to retain his NWA World title at the Great American Bash in Baltimore, Maryland. On the undercard, Lex Luger retains his NWA United States Heavyweight Championship via DQ over Rick Steamboat, Sting retains his NWA World Television Championship against The Great Muta, and the Road Warriors, the Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) and Steve Williams defeat the Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy and Jimmy Garvin) and the Samoan Swat Team (Samu and Fatu) in a WarGames match

August
 * 11 - Art Barr, who competed in Pacific Northwest Wrestling at the time as Beetlejuice, is arrested by police in Eugene, Oregon on a charge of rape following allegations by a female fan, who claimed that Barr had raped her on July 16 in that city
 * 28 - The first edition of the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Weekly newsletter, with a cover date of September 11, is printed

October
 * 7 – Invader III suffers two broken ribs and punctured lungs (causing him to cough up blood) when Manny Fernandez shoots on III and delivers three stiff top-rope knee drops in their match at the WWC 16th Anniversary show in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Fernandez claimed this incident as payback for the murder of his friend, Bruiser Brody, during a locker room dispute between Brody and III's tag team partner (and Brody's accused killer), Jose Gonzales (who competed in the WWC as Invader I), on July 17, 1988

November
 * 28 - Tommy Young, a longtime referee with Jim Crockett Promotions, suffers career-ending back and neck injuries in Atlanta, Georgia while refereeing a match between Tommy Rich and Mike Rotunda
 * 29 - Akira Maeda's revived Japanese UWF promotion sells out the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo by drawing 60,000 fans for an event, which sees Maeda defeat Willie Wilhelm in the main event

December
 * Stampede Wrestling ceases operations

Deaths
February
 * 18 – Mildred Burke 73

March
 * 7 – Paul Boesch 76 (Natural causes)

September
 * 7 – Edouardo Perez 61

December
 * 7 – Haystacks Calhoun 55 (Diabetes)

Debuts

 * Booker Huffman

April
 * 30 – Rey Mysterio

September
 * 19 – Yoshihiro Tajiri

December
 * 1 – Hikari Fukuoka

Events
February
 * 3 – WWF The Main Event II (Televised event)
 * 15 – NWA Clash Of The Champions #5 - "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" (Televised event)

April
 * 2 – NWA Clash Of The Champions #6 - "Ragin' Cajun" (Televised event)

June
 * 14 – NWA Clash Of The Champions #7 - "Guts And Glory" (Televised event)
 * 23 – AWA War In The Windy City

September
 * 12 – NWA Clash Of The Champions #8 - "Fall Brawl" (Televised event)

October
 * 1 – AWA World Tag Team Title Tournament (Televised event)
 * 7 – WWC Anniversary Show
 * 10 – WWF on Sky One (Televised event)
 * 14 – WWF King Of The Ring

November
 * 15 – NWA Clash Of The Champions #9 - "New York Knock Out" (Televised event)

December
 * 12 – FMW Battle Creation

Pay-Per-View events
January
 * 15 – WWF Royal Rumble

February
 * 20 – NWA Chi-Town Rumble

April
 * 2 – WWF WrestleMania V - "The Megapowers Explode"

May
 * 7 – NWA WrestleWar - "Music City Showdown"

July
 * 23 – NWA The Great American Bash - "Glory Days"

August
 * 28 – WWF SummerSlam

October
 * 28 – NWA Halloween Havoc

November
 * 23 – WWF Survivor Series

December
 * 12 – WWF No Holds Barred - The Movie / The Match
 * 13 – NWA Starrcade - "Future Shock / Night Of The Iron Men"

Title changes
January
 * 20 – The AWA World Heavyweight Championship, last held by Jerry Lawler, is vacated when Lawler's Continental Wrestling Association splits with the AWA
 * 28 - The Grappler wins the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship from Top Gun in Portland, Oregon

February
 * 7 – Larry Zbyszko wins the vacant AWA World title in a battle royal in St. Paul, Minnesota, last eliminating Tom Zenk
 * 20 – Rick Steamboat wins the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Ric Flair at the Chi-Town Rumble PPV in Chicago, Illinois; Lex Luger wins the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship from Barry Windham at Chi-Town Rumble; Mike Rotunda wins the NWA World Television Championship from Rick Steiner at Chi-Town Rumble

March
 * 24 - Davey Boy Smith wins the Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship from Don Muraco in Calgary, Alberta
 * 25 – The Olympians (Ken Patera and Brad Rheingans) win the AWA World Tag Team Championship from Badd Company (Paul Diamond and Pat Tanaka) in Rochester, Minnesota
 * 31 – Sting wins the NWA World TV title from Mike Rotunda in Atlanta, Georgia

April
 * 1 - Carl Styles wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from The Grappler in Portland
 * 2 - Hulk Hogan wins the WWF Heavyweight Championship from Randy Savage at WrestleMania V in Atlantic City, New Jersey; Rick Rude wins the WWF Intercontinental Championship from the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania V
 * 15 - The Grappler regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Carl Styles in Portland
 * 22 - Carl Styles regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from The Grappler in Portland
 * 28 - Larry Cameron wins the Stampede North American title from Davey Boy Smith in Calgary

May
 * 7 – Ric Flair regains the NWA World title from Rick Steamboat at the WrestleWar PPV in Nashville, Tennessee; Michael Hayes wins the NWA United States title from Lex Luger at WrestleWar; the Varsity Club (Mike Rotunda and Steve Williams) are stripped of the NWA World Tag Team Championship at WrestleWar due to misconduct during their title defence against The Road Warriors
 * 22 – Lex Luger regains the NWA United States title from Michael Hayes in Bluefield, West Virginia

June
 * The NWA Pacific Northwest title is vacated when previous champion Carl Styles is injured
 * 14 – The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin) win the vacant NWA World Tag Team title in a tournament final over the Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) at Clash of the Champions VII in Fort Bragg, North Carolina

July
 * 18 - The Brainbusters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard) win the WWF Tag Team Championship from Demolition (Ax and Smash) in Worcester, Massachusetts
 * 23 – The NWA World TV title is vacated following a controversial ending to the Sting-Great Muta title match at The Great American Bash in Baltimore, Maryland

August
 * 28 - The Ultimate Warrior regains the WWF Intercontinental title from Rick Rude at SummerSlam 1989 in East Rutherford, New Jersey

September
 * 2 - Scotty the Body wins the vacant NWA Pacific Northwest title in a tournament final over Carl Styles in Portland
 * 3 – The Great Muta wins the vacant NWA World TV title in a rematch over Sting in Atlanta
 * 18 – The AWA World Tag Team title is vacated due to Ken Patera suffering an injury

October
 * The AWA International Television Championship, last held by Greg Gagne, is vacated and abandoned when Gagne retires from active competition
 * 1 – The Destruction Crew (Wayne Bloom and Mike Enos) win the vacant AWA World Tag Team title in a tournament final over Paul Diamond and Greg Gagne in Rochester
 * 2 - Demolition regain the WWF Tag Team title from the Brainbusters in Wheeling, West Virginia
 * 7 - Rex King wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Scotty the Body in Portland
 * 14 - Scotty the Body regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Rex King in Portland

November
 * 1 – Rick and Scott Steiner win the NWA World Tag Team title from the Fabulous Freebirds in Atlanta (this was at a World Championship Wrestling taping which aired on November 18)

December
 * The Stampede North American title, last held by Larry Cameron, is retired when Stampede Wrestling closes
 * 13 - The Colossal Connection (André the Giant and Haku) win the WWF Tag Team title from Demolition in Huntsville, Alabama