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This is a list of various things that took place in 1963.

Significant events[]

Unknown date

February

  • 7 - NWA World Champion Lou Thesz retains his title in a return best-of-three falls match over Buddy Rogers in Toronto

March

  • 15 - Boxer Archie Moore beats Mike Dibiase by KO in the third round of a boxer vs. wrestler bout in Phoenix, Arizona

April

  • 15 - Lou Thesz pins boxer "Jersey" Joe Walcott in the fourth round of a wrestler vs. boxer bout in Memphis, Tennessee

May

  • 17 - Bruno Sammartino wins the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Buddy Rogers in a reported 48 seconds, forcing him to submit to a backbreaker. Through the years, many stories and rumors have circulated about circumstances surrounding the title change, but what results is crystal clear: a championship reign that will last through January 1971 (seven years and eight months), and a run that to this day has not come close to being matched. No film footage of the match is believed to exist.
  • 19 - The Destroyer beats Rikidozan in Osaka, Japan, which instantly elevates Destroyer to legend status among puroresu fans in Japan for his win over Japan's top star of the time; this would also be Rikidozan's last loss as a singles wrestler

December

  • 4 - NWA International Champion Rikidozan retains his title over The Destroyer in Osaka, in what would turn out to be Rikidozan's final match
  • 8 - Rikidozan is stabbed with a knife by Yakuza gangster Katsuji Murata during a fight between the two men while the former was partying at a nightclub in Tokyo. Rikidozan undergoes successful surgery to treat his stab wound, but he worsens his condition by eating and consuming alcoholic beverages against doctor's orders the same day after the surgery and undergoes a second surgery a week later; post-surgical complications and Rikidozan's disregard of his doctor's advice would lead to his death from peritonitis on December 15

Births[]

March

  • 16 - La Rata I
  • 19 - Brazo de Plata
  • 23 - Valente Fernández
  • 25 - Contracara

April

June

July

August

September

November

December

  • 4 - Chief Battu
  • 5 - La Figura

Deaths[]

March

September

  • 22 - Charro Aguayo

December

  • 15 - Rikidozan 39 (Peritonitis caused by stab wounds)
  • 26 - Gorgeous George 48 (Heart attack)

Debuts[]

Unknown date

February

  • 5 - Escorpion I

March

  • 1 - Rubén "Pato" Soria

July

September

  • 16 - Saeta Azteca

November

Events[]

Title changes[]

January

February

March

April

  • Buddy Rogers is recognized as the first WWWF Heavyweight Champion when Capitol Wrestling withdraws from the NWA and is renamed the WWWF (WWE claims that Rogers won the title in a tournament final over Antonino Rocca in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but the tournament is fictitious, created at the time as a cover for awarding Rogers the title); at the same time, the NWA United States Tag Team title is renamed as the WWWF United States Tag Team title

May

  • 10 - Herb Freeman regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Mad Dog Vachon in Portland
  • 16 - Skull Murphy and Brute Bernard win the WWWF United States Tag Team title from Buddy Austin and The Great Scott in Washington, DC
  • 17 - Bruno Sammartino wins the WWWF title from Buddy Rogers in New York City; Mad Dog Vachon regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Herb Freeman in Portland

June

  • John Paul Henning is awarded the Toronto version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Henning was claimed to have won the title from Johnny Valentine in a fictitious match in Washington, DC)

July

  • 5 - Billy White Wolf wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Mad Dog Vachon in Portland
  • 9 - The Crusher wins the AWA World Heavyweight Championship from Verne Gagne in Minneapolis
  • 11 - Johnny Valentine wins the NWA Toronto United States title from John Paul Henning in Toronto
  • 20 - Verne Gagne regains the AWA World title and wins the Omaha World title from The Crusher in Minneapolis
  • 22 - Gene Kiniski wins the NWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship from Whipper Billy Watson in Vancouver; Ron Etchison and Dan Miller win the NWA Canadian Tag Team title from Mitsu Arakawa and Kenji Shibuya in Vancouver
  • 27 - Fritz Von Erich wins the AWA and Omaha World titles from Verne Gagne in Omaha

August

  • 8 - Verne Gagne regains the AWA World title from Fritz Von Erich in Amarillo, Texas
  • 20 - The Crusher and Dick the Bruiser win the AWA World Tag Team title from Ivan and Karol Kalmikoff in Minneapolis
  • 24 - Tony Borne wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Billy White Wolf in Portland

September

  • 5 - King Curtis Iaukea wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Tony Borne in Portland
  • 7 - The AWA and Omaha World titles are unified (as the AWA World title) when AWA World Champion Verne Gagne wins the Omaha World title from Fritz Von Erich in a title unification match in Omaha
  • 19 - Tony Borne regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from King Curtis Iaukea in Portland

October

  • 1 - Kenji Shibuya and Sweet Daddy Siki win the NWA Canadian Tag Team title from Ron Etchison and Dan Miller in Vancouver
  • 17 - The Beast wins the NWA Toronto United States title from Johnny Valentine in Toronto
  • 30 - Nick Bockwinkel wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Tony Borne in Salem, Oregon

November

  • 11 - Dan Miller and Whipper Billy Watson win the NWA Canadian Tag Team title from Kenji Shibuya and Sweet Daddy Siki in Vancouver (the title is vacated later in the year)
  • 14 - Killer Kowalski and Gorilla Monsoon win the WWWF United States Tag Team title from Skull Murphy and Brute Bernard in Washington, DC
  • 21 - Mad Dog Vachon wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Nick Bockwinkel in Portland
  • 28 - The Crusher wins the AWA World title from Verne Gagne in St. Paul, Minnesota

December

  • 14 - Verne Gagne regains the AWA World title from The Crusher in Minneapolis
  • 15 - The NWA International title and the JWA All-Asia Heavyweight Championship, last held by Rikidozan, are both vacated when Rikidozan dies (see above)
  • 28 - John and Chris Tolos win the WWWF United States Tag Team title from Killer Kowalski and Gorilla Monsoon in Teaneck, New Jersey

See also[]

Years
1840s
1841
1860s
1860
1880s
1880188118821883188418851886188718881889
1890s
1890189118921893189418951896189718981899
1900s
1900190119021903190419051906190719081909
1910s
1910191119121913191419151916191719181919
1920s
1920192119221923192419251926192719281929
1930s
1930193119321933193419351936193719381939
1940s
1940194119421943194419451946194719481949
1950s
1950195119521953195419551956195719581959
1960s
1960196119621963196419651966196719681969
1970s
1970197119721973197419751976197719781979
1980s
1980198119821983198419851986198719881989
1990s
1990199119921993199419951996199719981999
2000s
2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
2010s
2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
2020s
20202021202220232024
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