1981

This is a list of various things that took place in 1981.

Significant events

Unknown date

• Amarillo-based NWA Western States Sports, the promotion operated by the Funk family through most of its existence, ceases operations
• George Cannon's Superstars of Wrestling group establishes a working agreement with Montreal promotion Promotions Varoussac (later Lutte Internationale), allowing Cannon's syndicated Superstars of Wrestling show to become Varoussac's English-language program starting in 1982

January

• San Francisco-based NWA Big Time Wrestling, headed by Roy Shire, ceases operations

April

• 23 - The original Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama) debuts with New Japan Pro Wrestling, defeating Dynamite Kid

May

• 2 - Killer Khan breaks André the Giant's left ankle by diving onto him off the top rope in Rochester, New York; the subsequent feud between André and Khan is voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated's 1981 Feud of the Year
• 10 - Verne Gagne retires after successfully retaining his AWA World Heavyweight Championship against Nick Bockwinkel; Stan Hansen wins New Japan's Madison Square Garden Tournament in Tokyo by beating Hulk Hogan in the final

July

• During a television taping of AWA All-Star Wrestling that would air in August, Hulk Hogan turns face, running in to stop the villainous Crusher Blackwell from beating down Brad Rheingans, after several other wrestlers were unable to stop Blackwell's attack; Hogan's on-screen manager, Johnny Valiant, immediately fires Hogan in retaliation and sends Blackwell after Hogan, but Hogan handily won the feud. Hogan's face status would solidify during the late summer and fall, and by the end of 1981, he was easily the AWA's most popular wrestler and would begin challenging Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship

September

• 23 - André the Giant and Stan Hansen battle to a no-contest in Tokyo

October

• 19 - During a controversial finish of the Bob Backlund-Greg Valentine match at New York City's Madison Square Garden, referee John Stanley mistakenly hands the WWF Heavyweight Championship belt to Valentine and raises his hand in victory, even though Backlund had just pinned Valentine (The finish saw Backlund put Valentine in a fireman's carry to perform an airplane spin, and Stanley got in the way and was knocked down; both men were wearing black trunks and it was later explained that Stanley was confused as to who was who). The decision was thrown out and, for the New York market only, the WWF Heavyweight Championship was vacated, to be filled by a rematch in November between Backlund and Valentine (which Backlund won)

November

• 14 - André the Giant defeats Killer Khan in a "Mongolian Stretcher Match" during an arena show at the Philadelphia Spectrum (aired on the PRISM Network and later replayed on the USA Network) as the blow-off match of their year-long feud

December

• The 1981 year-end issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated inaugurates the "PWI Editor's Award", the magazine's highest honor given to a professional wrestler, personality or promoter for his work in the industry, meant to spotlight legitimate accomplishments by that individual. The first recipient is Bruno Sammartino, who made his first retirement from active wrestling in the fall. While the honor typically went to individuals who had retired, others went to those who passed away during the past 12 months (for instance, Roddy Piper in 2015). The honor would be renamed the "Stanley Weston Award" (in honor of the founder of PWI) in 2002.
• 13 - Stan Hansen secretly defects from New Japan to All Japan Pro Wrestling, making a surprise appearance as the cornerman for Bruiser Brody and Jimmy Snuka as they defeat Dory Jr. and Terry Funk in the final of the World's Strongest Tag Team League tournament due to Hansen's interference; in the wake of that match, Brody and Hansen form a team that becomes notorious in All Japan for their violent matches
• 21 - André the Giant is featured in Sports Illustrated, in what would be the longest profile ever written of any featured athlete in that magazine at the time

Births

Unknown

• Ghent Wakefield (England)
• MDK (Orlando, Florida)

January

• 12 - Krissy Vaine (Greensboro, North Carolina)

February

• 4 - Bam Bam Barton (Nottingham, England, UK)
• 14 - Ayako Hamada (Mexico City, Mexico)
• 19 - Ronnie Arneill (St. Catharines, Ontario)

March

• 3 - Paul Lloyd, Jr. (Cape Town, South Africa)
• 21 - Conrad Tanner (Hadley, Michigan)

April

• 19 - Danny Devine (Wolverhampton, England)
• 28 - Alex Riley (Fairfax Station, Virginia)

May

• 22 - Daniel Bryan (Aberdeen, Washington)
• 22 - Niki Nitro (Wollongong, New Sout Wales, Australia)

June

• 2 - Talia Madison (New Britian, Connecticut)
• 9 - T-Bone (Worcester, England)
• 28 - Uexile (Munakata, Fukuoka)

July

• 8 - Luke Hawx (New Orleans, Louisiana)
• 17 - Jon Skrypnyk (Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada)
• 22 - Kenny King (Orlando, Florida)

August

• 14 - Kofi Kingston (Ghana, West Africa)
• 20 - Byron Saxton (Burje, Virginia)

September

• 13 - Angel Williams (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
• 18 - Andrew Hellman (Seattle, Washington)
• 29 - Johnny Goodtime (Clark's Summit, Pennsylvania)

October

• 11 - Adrian Jaoude (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
• 27 - Stixx (London, England)

November

• 3 - Jackie Gayda (Strongsville, Ohio)
• 10 - Ryback (Las Vegas, Nevada)

December

• 2 - Sal Thomaselli (McHenry, Illinois)
• 7 - Luster The Legend (Reno, Nevada)
• 14 - Jaden Jeter (San Diego, California)
• 19 - Delirious (Cape Girardeau, Missouri)
• 23 - Arik Cannon (Chicago, Illnois)
• 25 - Trenesha Biggers (Champaign, Illnois)

Deaths

• Unknown
• Ali Baba

January

• 24 - Orville Brown

August

• 12 - Buddy Austin

September

• 24 - Billy Torontos

October

• Tom Thumb

November

• 11 - Ivan

Title changes

January

• The San Francisco version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, held at this point by Dusty Rhodes, is retired when NWA Big Time Wrestling closes; that title was the last remaining version of the NWA United States title outside of Jim Crockett Promotions, whose version of the title becomes the undisputed NWA United States title after this point
• 27 - Roddy Piper wins the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship from Ric Flair in Greensboro, North Carolina

February

• 9 - Jay Youngblood wins the NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship from Buddy Rose in Vancouver, British Columbia
• 22 - Ray Stevens and Ivan Koloff win the NWA World Tag Team Championship from Paul Jones and Masked Superstar in Greensboro

March

• The NWA Pacific Coast title, last held by Jay Youngblood, is vacated and subsequently abandoned
• 14 - The Destroyer (not the Dick Beyer version) wins the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship from Jay Youngblood in Portland, Oregon
• 21 - Jay Youngblood regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from The Destroyer in Portland
• 22 - Paul Jones and Masked Superstar regain the NWA World Tag Team title from Ray Stevens and Ivan Koloff in Greensboro

April

• 9 - Buddy Rose wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Jay Youngblood in Portland
• 11 - Jay Youngblood regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Buddy Rose in Portland
• 13 - The NWA International Heavyweight Championship, last held by Kintaro Oki, is vacated on orders from the NWA
• 17 - The NWF World Heavyweight Championship is held up following a no-contest verdict between champion Antonio Inoki and Stan Hansen in Kagoshima, Japan
• 21 - Buddy Rose regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Jay Youngblood
• 23 - Antonio Inoki regains the NWF World title by beating Stan Hansen in a rematch in Tokyo, but surrenders the title immediately afterward; the title then becomes inactive until 2003
• 27 - Tommy Rich wins the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Harley Race in Augusta, Georgia
• 29 - Matt Borne wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Buddy Rose in Seattle, Washington
• 30 - Dory Funk Jr. is awarded the NWA International title by forfeit in a tournament final in Matsudo, Japan when Bruiser Brody no-shows due to injury (he defeats his brother, Terry, in his first title defence immediately afterward); Buddy Rose regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Matt Borne in Salem, Oregon

May

• 1 - Harley Race regains the NWA World Heavyweight title from Tommy Rich in Gainesville, Georgia; Gene and Ole Anderson win the NWA World Tag Team title from Paul Jones and Masked Superstar in Richmond, Virginia; Jay Youngblood wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Buddy Rose in Eugene, Oregon
• 19 - Nick Bockwinkel is awarded the AWA World Heavyweight Championship following the retirement of previous champ Verne Gagne

June

• 7 - Dusty Rhodes wins the NWA World Heavyweight title from Harley Race in Atlanta, Georgia; Terry Taylor wins the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship form Les Thornton in Roanoake, Virginia
• 14 - The High Flyers (Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne) win the AWA World Tag Team Championship from Adrian Adonis and Jesse Ventura in Green Bay, Wisconsin
• 20 - Magnificent Muraco wins the WWF Intercontinental Championship from Pedro Morales in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 21 - Les Thornton regains the NWA World Junior Heavyweight title from Terry Taylor in Roanoake

August

• 8 - Wahoo McDaniel wins the NWA United States title from Roddy Piper in Greensboro
• 15 - Steve Regal wins the vacant NWA Pacific Northwest title in a tournament

September

• The NWA United States title is vacated after Wahoo McDaniel is injured by Abdullah the Butcher
• 17 - Ric Flair wins the NWA World Heavyweight title from Dusty Rhodes in Kansas City, Missouri

October

• Buddy Rose wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Steve Regal
• 4 - Sgt. Slaughter wins the NWA United States title in a tournament final over Ricky Steamboat in Charlotte, North Carolina
• 9 - Bruiser Brody wins the NWA International title from Dory Funk Jr. in Tokyo, Japan
• 24 - Steve Regal regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Buddy Rose in Portland

November

• 1 - Dory Funk Jr. regains the NWA International title from Bruiser Brody in Tokyo
• 23 - Pedro Morales wins the WWF Intercontinental title from Magnificent Muraco in New York City

December

• Gene and Ole Anderson are stripped of the NWA World Tag Team title for not defending the belts due to Gene Anderson suffering an injury in October.
• The NWA Pacific Northwest title is vacated when Steve Regal is injured