1986

This is a list of various things that took place in 1986.

Significant events
Unknown
 * Jody Hamilton establishes Deep South Championship Wrestling in Georgia.
 * The Japanese UWF dissolves after Satoru Sayama takes issue with the outcome of a match against Akira Maeda and subsequently leaves the promotion to go into retirement. With the collapse of the UWF, Maeda and the rest of the roster head to New Japan Pro Wrestling
 * Tuesday Night Titans, the WWF's talk-show parody, ceased airing.

January
 * Hulk Hogan begins using "Real American" as his entrance theme, which he will continue using throughout the remainder of his WWF run (through 1993), and in later WWE appearances from 2002-2007.

February
 * World Class Championship Wrestling withdraws from the NWA.
 * February 7 – TBS airs Superstars on the SuperStation, its first primetime wrestling event

May
 * Ric Flair forms the Four Horsemen with Tully Blanchard, Ole Anderson, Arn Anderson and manager J.J. Dillon
 * Bill Watts reorganizes Mid-South Wrestling into the Universal Wrestling Federation

June
 * June 4 – Kerry Von Erich is severely injured in a motorcycle accident in Argyle, Texas.

September
 * Weekend of September 6-7 – The WWF revamps its syndicated programming, replacing its Championship Wrestling and All-Star Wrestling shows with Superstars of Wrestling and Wrestling Challenge, respectively
 * September 13 – The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling program makes its debut in syndication in the United States and Canada

October
 * October 14 – Magnum TA suffers career-ending spinal injuries in a car crash in Charlotte, North Carolina
 * October 28 – WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage, after defeating Rick Steamboat by countout, injures Steamboat by jumping off the top turnbuckle with the timekeeper's bell and driving it into Steamboat's throat. After Steamboat is taken from ringside on a stretcher, WWF Superstars of Wrestling commentator Bruno Sammartino attacks Savage backstage outside the locker rooms when Savage brags about the attack on Steamboat

November
 * Texas All-Star Wrestling, the successor to Southwest Championship Wrestling, ceases operations when it is sold to World Class Championship Wrestling

Births
Unknown
 * Chuck Taylor (Murray, Kentucky, USA)
 * Ultimo Breakfast
 * Lexxus (New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA)
 * Ben Satterly (Newcastle, England, UK)
 * Melanie Cruise (Elk Grove Village, Illinois, USA)

January
 * January 26 – Shantelle Taylor (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

February
 * February 5 – Ashley Lane (Columbus, Ohio, USA)

March
 * March 16 – Ken Doane (Worcester, Massachusetts, USA)
 * March 27 – Valerie Wyndham (Beverly Hills, California, USA)

May
 * May 29 – Hornswoggle (Oshkosh, Wisconsin)

June
 * June 16 – Pelle Primeau (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)
 * June 29 – Serena Deeb (Oakton, Virginia, USA)
 * June 30 – Victoria Crawford (Ponte Verde, Florida, USA)

July
 * July 17 – Lacey Von Erich (Denton, Texas, USA)

September
 * September 4 – Austin Creed (Columbus, Georgia, USA)
 * September 7 – Colin Delaney (Rochester, New York, USA)

October
 * October 7 – Celeste Bonin (Houston, Texas)
 * October 16 – Jimmy Olsen (Rochester, New York, USA)

Deaths
February
 * February 4 – Gino Hernandez 28 (Cocaine overdose)

March
 * March 24 – Warren Bockwinkel 74 (Alzheimer's disease)

April
 * April 6 – El Solitario 39 (Heart attack)

Debuts
Unknown
 * John Laurinaitis
 * Norman Smiley
 * Cody Michaels
 * Brian Adams
 * Doug Gilbert
 * Paul Heyman
 * Scott Steiner
 * Four Horsemen
 * The Warlord
 * Charles Robinson
 * Gertrude Vachon
 * Emily Dole

February
 * February 16 – Kensuke Sasaki
 * February 26 – Hiroshi Hase

April
 * Jeff Jarrett

May
 * May 24 – Super Parka
 * May 30 – Owen Hart

August
 * August 8 – Kaoru Maeda
 * August 17 – Mayumi Ozaki
 * August 17 – Dynamite Kansai

September
 * September 16 – Aja Kong
 * September 18 – Cutie Suzuki

October
 * Ron Simmons

Events
Unknown
 * Bunkhouse Stampede 1986

January
 * January 21 – PNW Superstar Extravaganza

February
 * February 14 – NWA Battle Of The Belts II
 * February 16 – Saturday Night's Main Event V

March
 * March 13 – AJPW All Japan vs. Japan Pro (Televised event)

April
 * April 19 – NWA Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup
 * April 20 – AWA WrestleRock
 * April 28 – AWA/NWA Rage In A Cage

May
 * May 1 – Saturday Night's Main Event VI
 * May 4 – WCWA 3rd Von Erich Memorial Parade Of Champions

June
 * June 14 – Superdome Extravaganza
 * June 28 – AWA Battle By The Bay

July
 * July 1-August 2 – NWA The Great American Bash Tour
 * July 4 – WCWA Independence Day Star Wars
 * July 14 – WWF King Of The Ring

August
 * August 28 – WWF The Big Event
 * August 29 – WWF Sam Mushnick Memorial Tournament

September
 * September 1 – NWA Battle Of The Belts III
 * September 13 – Saturday Night's Main Event VII
 * September 13 – GLOW: Episode 1 (Aired)


 * October 9 – NJPW Inoki Toukon Live
 * October 12 – WCWA 3rd Cotton Bowl Extravaganza
 * October 21 – AJPW 14th Anniversary

November
 * November 15 – Saturday Night's Main Event VIII
 * November 27 – NWA Starrcade - "Night Of The Skywalkers”
 * November 27 – Superdome Extravaganza
 * November 27 – WCWA Thanksgiving Star Wars

December
 * December 14 – Saturday Night's Main Event IX
 * December 25 – AWA Brawl In St. Paul
 * December 25 – WCWA Christmas Star Wars

Pay-Per-View events
April
 * April 7 – WWF WrestleMania II

Title changes

 * The AWA America's Heavyweight Championship, last held by Sgt. Slaughter, is retired
 * The NWA American Tag Team Championship is vacated following the split of previous champions the Dynamic Duo (Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez)

January
 * January 1 – Dick Slater wins the Mid-South North American Championship from Butch Reed in Tulsa, Oklahoma
 * January 18 – Scott Hall and Curt Hennig win the AWA World Tag Team Championship from Jim Garvin and Steve Regal in Albuqureque, New Mexico
 * January 21 – Tom Zenk wins the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship from Bobby Jaggers in Portland, Oregon
 * January 31 – The Mid-South North American title is held up after a match between Dick Slater and Jake Roberts

February
 * The NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship, last held by Harley Race, is retired following Jim Crockett Promotions' purchase of the St. Louis Wrestling Club
 * February 8 – Randy Savage wins the WWF Intercontinental Championship from Tito Santana in Boston, Massachussetts
 * February 14 – Jake Roberts defeats Dick Slater to win the vacant Mid-South North American title in Houston, Texas
 * February 22 - The NWA American Heavyweight Championship is renamed the World Class Heavyweight Championship, with Rick Rude as its first champion.
 * February 23 – Dick Slater regains the Mid-South North American title from Jake Roberts in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

March
 * March 1 – Ben Bassarab and Chris Benoit win the Stampede International Tag Team Championship from Honky Tonk Wayne and Ron Starr in Regina, Saskatchewan
 * March 9 – Bobby Jaggers wins the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship from Tom Zenk in Findley, Washington
 * March 10 – Brian Adias wins the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship from The Grappler in Fort Worth, Texas
 * March 16 – Hacksaw Jim Duggan wins the Mid-South North American title from Buzz Sawyer (subbing for Dick Slater) in Oklahoma City
 * March 21 – Honky Tonk Wayne and Cuban Assassin win the Stampede International Tag Team title from Chris Benoit and Ben Bassarab in Calgary, Alberta

April
 * April 5 – Riki Chōshū wins the PWF Heavyweight Championship from Stan Hansen in Yokohama, Japan
 * April 7 – The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid) win the WWF Tag Team Championship) from the Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) in Rosemont, Illinois
 * April 8 – Jerry Lawler wins the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship from Bill Dundee in Memphis, Tennessee
 * April 12 – Billy Jack Haynes wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Bobby Jaggers in Portland

May
 * Billy Jack Haynes is stripped of the NWA Pacific Northwest title
 * The Mid-South North American title is retired when the Mid-South Wrestling Association becomes the UWF
 * May 2 – Bill Dundee regains the AWA Southern title from Jerry Lawler in Memphis
 * May 17 – Buddy Rose and Doug Somers win the AWA World Tag Team title from Scott Hall and Curt Hennig in Hammond, Indiana
 * May 29 – The NWA United States Heavyweight Championship is vacated when Magnum TA attacks NWA President Bob Geigel
 * May 30 – Terry Gordy becomes the first UWF Heavyweight Champion in a tournament final win over Hacksaw Duggan in Houston

June
 * The NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship, last held by Tiger Mask II, is retired
 * June 2 – Buddy Landel wins the AWA Southern title from Bill Dundee in Memphis
 * The title is immediately vacated
 * June 13 – Rip Oliver wins a battle royal for the vacant NWA Pacific Northwest title in Portland
 * June 16 – Buddy Landel wins the AWA Southern title in a tournament final over The Flame in Memphis
 * Title is again vacated when Landel leaves the CWA
 * June 29 – Nick Bockwinkel is awarded the AWA World Heavyweight Championship by forfeit when Stan Hansen no-shows a scheduled title bout in Denver, Colorado

July
 * July 3 – Velvet McIntyre wins the WWF Women's Championship from The Fabulous Moolah in Brisbane, Australia
 * July 4 – Buzz Sawyer wins the Texas Heavyweight Championship from Brian Adias in Dallas; Chris Adams wins the World Class Heavyweight Championship from Rick Rude in Dallas.
 * July 9 – The Fabulous Moolah regains the WWF Women's title from Velvet McIntyre in Sydney, Australia
 * July 26 – Dusty Rhodes wins the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Ric Flair at the Great American Bash in Greensboro, North Carolina
 * July 28 – Bam Bam Bigelow wins a battle royal for the vacant AWA Southern title in Memphis

August
 * August 9 – Ben Bassarab and Owen Hart win the Stampede International Tag Team title from Duke Myers and Kerry Brown in Edmonton, Alberta
 * August 9 – Ric Flair regains the NWA World title from Dusty Rhodes in St. Louis, Missouri
 * August 15 – Coco Samoa wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Rip Oliver in Albany, Oregon
 * August 17 – Nikita Koloff wins the vacant NWA United States Heavyweight Championship by beating Magnum TA in the final match of a best-of-seven series in Charlotte, North Carolina

September
 * September 1 – Buzz Sawyer and Matt Borne win the vacant WCWA World Tag Team Championship in a tournament final over Chris Adams and Lance Von Erich in Fort Worth.
 * September 8 – Jerry Lawler wins the AWA Southern title from Bam Bam Bigelow in Memphis
 * September 17 - Black Bart is awarded the World Class Heavyweight Championship when previous champion Chris Adams leaves World Class Championship Wrestling for the Universal Wrestling Federation.
 * September 20 – Rip Oliver wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Coco Samoa in Seattle, Washington
 * September 28 – Nikita Koloff wins the NWA National Heavyweight Championship from Wahoo McDaniel in a title-unification bout in Atlanta, Georgia and merges the National title into his NWA United States title

October
 * October 9 – The Viet Cong Express (Hiroshi Hase & Fumihiro Nikura) win the Stampede International Tag Team title from Owen Hart and Ben Bassarab in Calgary
 * October 12 - Kevin Von Erich wins the World Class Heavyweight Championship from Black Bart in Dallas, TX.

November
 * November 9 – One Man Gang is awarded the UWF Heavyweight title by forfeit in Tulsa, Oklahoma when Terry Gordy is injured
 * November 17 – Dingo Warrior and Lance Von Erich win the WCWA World Tag Team title from Matt Borne and Buzz Sawyer in Fort Worth
 * November 29 – The Assassin wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Rip Oliver in Portland

December
 * December 1 – Al Madril and Brian Adias win the WCWA World Tag Team title from Dingo Warrior and Lance Von Erich in Fort Worth
 * December 13 – Rip Oliver wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from The Assassin in Portland

Retired

 * Jesse Ventura
 * David Schults
 * Ernie Ladd

October
 * October 14 – Terry Allen