1986

January 4, 1986 – WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event #4 (broadcast and WWE 24/7 versions)
WWF Champion Hulk Hogan successfully defends his title with a victory over Terry Funk with help from the Junkyard Dog, who prevents Funk’s manager Jimmy Hart from getting involved. Dog also teams up with Ricky Steamboat to defeat the team of Magnificent Muraco & Mr. Fuji. In a six-man tag team match stemming from Uncle Elmer’s wedding on a prior episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event, the trio of Roddy Piper, Jesse Ventura & Bob Orton defeat Elmer, Hillbilly Jim & Cousin Luke.

February 7, 1986 – NWA Superstars on the Superstation
In the main event of a card from Atlanta’s Omni broadcast on TBS, Ric Flair successfully defends the NWA World Title with a victory over Ron Garvin. Interference from manager Jim Cornette and his tennis racket helps The Midnight Express defeat The Rock n’ Roll Express for the NWA World Tag Team Title. NWA National Champion Dusty Rhodes also puts his title on the line and goes to a 20-minute draw against challenger Tully Blanchard.

February 8, 1986 – WWF at the Boston Garden
Randy Savage pins Tito Santana with the help of a foreign object to capture the WWF Intercontinental Title. In the main event, Bruno Sammartino returns to the ring to battle Roddy Piper inside a steel cage. The bloody match ends when Sammartino uses a chair to put down Piper and then escapes the cage to win. In other bouts, Ricky Steamboat pins The Magnificent Muraco in a martial arts match and The Hart Foundation defeat The Killer Bees.

February 14, 1986 – NWA Battle of the Belts II

February 17, 1986 – WWF at Madison Square Garden

February 22, 1986 – NWA World Championship Wrestling
Ric Flair debuts his new NWA World Championship belt and then returns to provide commentary as NWA TV Champion Arn Anderson successfully defends his title against NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion Denny Brown. After the match, Flair and Anderson promise to enter the upcoming Crockett Cup tournament. The show features several other wrestlers in the hunt for titles, as Tully Blanchard defeats Mike Jackson and continues to issue a challenge to NWA National Champion Dusty Rhodes, The Rock n’ Roll Express beat Black Bart & Thunderfoot as they prepare for a rematch against NWA World Tag Team Champions The Midnight Express, and Nikita Koloff demands a match against U.S. Champion Magnum T.A., who gets a quick win over Bill Tabb.

February 23, 1986 – AWA Championship Wrestling

March 8, 1986 – WWF at the Boston Garden
In a rematch from last month’s show, WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage puts the title on the line against former champion Tito Santana, who gets himself disqualified for shoving referee Danny Davis. WWF Champion Hulk Hogan teams with the Junkyard Dog to defeat Terry & Hoss Funk. Bret Hart faces Ricky Steamboat in a great technical match that ends with Steamboat getting the pinfall after rolling through a crossbody. Four of Japan’s top female wrestlers also make a rare appearance, with The Crush Gals defeating Judy Martin & Donna Christianello and Velvet McIntyre & Dawn Marie upset Bull Nakano & Dump Matsumoto.

April 7, 1986 – WWF Wrestlemania 2
The second Wrestlemania is broadcast from three locations: New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The main event, from L.A., sees WWF Champion Hulk Hogan retain his title by defeating King Kong Bundy in a steel cage match. Main events in the other two cities feature Andre the Giant winning a WWF/NFL battle royal in Chicago and Mr. T being declared the winner of a boxing match against Roddy Piper by disqualification at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The Chicago portion of the card also sees The British Bulldogs finally capture the WWF Tag Team Title from Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake.

April 19, 1986 – NWA Crockett Cup ’86
Wrestlers from several NWA territories participate in the first annual Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup, held at the Superdome in New Orleans. A total of 24 teams enter the tournament with the top eight seeds receiving a bye to round two. At the end of the night The Road Warriors defeat Magnum T.A. & Ron Garvin in the finals to earn the Crockett Cup trophy and the $1 million prize. In other matches, NWA World Champion Ric Flair retains his title by DQ over Dusty Rhodes and Mid-South North American Champion Jim Duggan pins Dick Slater.

April 22, 1986 – WWF at Madison Square Garden
WWF Champion Hulk Hogan teams with Hillbilly Jim in the main event to defeat the team of King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd by disqualification when Bobby Heenan interferes. WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage retains his title by pinning former champion Tito Santana in a no disqualification match. New WWF Tag Team Champions The British Bulldogs split a pair of singles matches against former champions The Dream Team, as Dynamite Kid pins Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine beats Davey Boy Smith.

May 3, 1986 – World Championship Wrestling
Dusty Rhodes and Magnum T.A. issue a challenge to NWA World Tag Team Champions The Midnight Express, but Jim Cornette refuses to accept the match, claiming that the champions only wrestle “tune-up” matches on television. The Express instead work a non-title match against Frank & Jesse James, who a furious Cornette claims are Dusty and Magnum under masks. The James Boys upset the Express with a double pinfall after two belly-to-belly suplexes. Cornette demands to see Jim Crockett, but Crockett declines to overturn the decision without proof that the James Boys were Dusty and Magnum. Also in action are NWA World Champion Ric Flair, TV Champion Arn Anderson, and Ron Garvin.

May 3, 1986 – WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event #6
Hulk Hogan teams with the Junkyard Dog to defeat the team of Terry & Hoss Funk in a wild match that ends with Hogan pinning Terry. Jake Roberts is scheduled to face Ricky Steamboat, but Roberts DDT’s Steamboat on the arena floor and knocks him out before the match can begin, kicking off a heated rivalry. WWF Tag Team Champions The British Bulldogs make a successful title defense, winning a best 2-out-of-3-falls match over The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff.

May 4, 1986 – World Class Parade of Champions III

June 28, 1986 – AWA Battle By The Bay

August 16, 1986 – World Championship Wrestling

August 28, 1986 – WWF The Big Event

September 7, 1986 – World Championship Wrestling Sunday Edition
After losing the NWA World Tag Team Title in Philadelphia, The Midnight Express get a rematch on television against new champions The Rock n’ Roll Express. The Midnights appear to win the match and the title, but the referee overturns the decision when Dusty Rhodes informs him that the challengers used manager Jim Cornette’s tennis racket. Big Bubba Rogers then gets involved and joins Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey in attacking the Rock n’ Roll Express until Dusty comes in to even the odds.

September 20, 1986 – Continental Championship Wrestling

September 20, 1986 – NWA World Wide Wrestling
Following their best-of-7 match series, United States Champion Nikita Koloff and Magnum T.A. look to settle their score in a best 2-out-of-3-falls match. Magnum wins the first fall with the belly-to-belly and Koloff evens the score by pinning Magnum in the second fall. Magnum thinks he has won the third fall when he pins Nikita, but the ref sees Koloff’s foot on the ropes and waves off the pin. Magnum then gets the U.S. Title belt and hits Koloff with it, causing the referee to call for a disqualification. Also on the card, Dusty Rhodes and The Rock n’ Roll Express win a bunkhouse match over Big Bubba Rogers and The Midnight Express.

September 24, 1986 – Tuesday Night Titans: The Final Episode

October 11, 1986 – NWA World Championship Wrestling
Paul Jones celebrates the growth of his army with the additions of Manny Fernandez, who turned on partner Jimmy Valiant to join Jones, and Rick Rude. Ron Garvin confronts Fernandez over his decision to join Jones but is attached by Rude and Fernandez. Ivan Koloff gloats about the recent success of the Russians, including Ivan and Krusher Khrushchev becoming the first U.S. Tag Team Champions and Nikita Koloff unifying the U.S. and National Heavyweight Titles. Also in action are Brad Armstrong, Tully Blanchard, and The Midnight Express.

October 12, 1986 – World Class Cotton Bowl Extravaganza ’86

October 25, 1986 – NWA World Championship Wrestling
The Four Horsemen stalk Dusty Rhodes in their car, following him to the Crockett offices and attacking him in the parking lot with a baseball bat. Dusty gets his revenge by introducing his new tag team partner, Nikita Koloff, who joined forces with Dusty after Magnum T.A. suffered a career-ending injury. The Road Warriors announce the stipulation for their upcoming Starrcade match against The Midnight Express will be a scaffold match. Several tag teams are also in action on the card, including The Andersons, Brad Armstrong & Tim Horner, and Rick Rude & Manny Fernandez.

October 31, 1986 – Stampede Wrestling

November 1, 1986 – WWF at the Boston Garden

November 3, 1986 – WWF Prime Time Wrestling #87

November 8, 1986 – NWA World Championship Wrestling
As Starrcade draws closer, the card begins to take shape with several top matches announced. During an interview to discuss his upcoming Starrcade match with Tully Blanchard, Dusty Rhodes is attacked by Ivan Koloff & Krusher Khrushchev, leading to Nikita Koloff saving Dusty and attacking his former Russian teammates. Also in action on the show are Arn Anderson, Jimmy Garvin, Brad Armstrong, and the trio of The Midnight Express & Big Bubba Rogers, who are victorious in a six-man tag team match over Tony Zane, Vernon Deaton & Brodie Chase.

November 8, 1986 – Pro Wrestling This Week

November 11, 1986 – UWF Universal Wrestling #47

November 24, 1986 – WWF at Madison Square Garden

November 27, 1986 – NWA Starrcade ’86: Night of the Skywalkers (Turner Home Entertainment and WWE Network versions)
Starrcade originates from two cities, with cards taking place live in both Atlanta, Georgia and Greensboro, North Carolina. NWA World Champion Ric Flair battles United States Champion Nikita Koloff in the main event from Atlanta, but that match ends in a double disqualification that results in a locker room clearing brawl. Atlanta also hosts the first “Skywalkers” match in which The Road Warriors defeat The Midnight Express by throwing both Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey–along with manager Jim Cornette–off of a scaffold. In Greensboro, The Rock n’ Roll Express retain the NWA World Tag Team Title in a steel cage match against Arn & Ole Anderson when Morton pins Ole. The Horsemen do succeed in capturing another title when Tully Blanchard wins a first blood match over Dusty Rhodes, with the help of manager J.J. Dillon, to win the NWA TV Title. Jimmy Valiant finally gains revenge on Paul Jones by beating Jones and shaving his head in a hair vs. hair match. In other bouts, Big Bubba Rogers defeats Ron Garvin in a Louisville Street Fight, Wahoo McDaniel wins a strap match over Rick Rude, and U.S. Tag Team Champions Ivan Koloff & Krusher Khrushchev retain their titles in a no DQ match against The Kansas Jayhawks.

December 13, 1986 – NWA Pro Wrestling
Barry Windham teams up with Ron Garvin to upset Ivan Koloff & Krusher Khrushchev for the United States Tag Team Title in the main event. Also in action are new NWA World Tag Team Champions Rick Rude & Manny Fernandez, who one week earlier defeated The Rock n’ Roll Express for the title. NWA TV Champion Tully Blanchard puts his title on the line as well, getting an easy victory over Keith Patterson.

December 27, 1986 – Pro Wrestling This Week