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2015 in professional wrestling

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2015 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.

List of notable promotions

[edit]

These promotions held notable events in 2015.

Promotion Name Abbreviation Notes
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre CMLL
Global Force Wrestling GFW
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide AAA The "AAA" abbreviation has been used since the mid-1990s and had previously stood for the promotion's original name Asistencia Asesoría y Administración.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling NJPW
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla PWG
Revolution Pro Wrestling RevPro
Ring of Honor ROH
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling TNA
World Wrestling Council WWC
WWE — WWE stands for World Wrestling Entertainment, which is still the legal name, but the company ceased using the full name in April 2011, with the WWE abbreviation becoming an orphaned initialism.
NXT served as WWE's developmental territory.

Calendar of notable shows

[edit]

January

[edit]
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
3 WWC Euphoria Bayamon, Puerto Rico Carlito (c) defeated The Mighty Ursus in an Inferno match for the WWC Universal Championship
4 NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9 Tokyo Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) defeated Kazuchika Okada in a Singles match to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship
25 WWE Royal Rumble Philadelphia Roman Reigns won the 30-man Royal Rumble match by last eliminating Rusev to earn a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 31
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

February

[edit]
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
11 WWE:
 TakeOver: Rival Winter Park Kevin Owens defeated Sami Zayn (c) by referee stoppage to win the NXT Championship
11 NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka Osaka A.J. Styles defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) in a Singles match to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship
13 TNA One Night Only: Hardcore Justice Orlando, Florida Bobby Roode defeated Lashley in a Last Man standing match
13 TNA One Night Only: Global Impact – USA vs. The World Orlando, Florida Team International's The Great Muta defeated Team USA's Mr. Anderson
14 NJPW The New Beginning in Sendai Sendai Shinsuke Nakamura (c) defeated Yuji Nagata in a Singles match to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Championship
14 TNA One Night Only: Joker's Wild Orlando, Florida 16-person intergender Joker's Wild gauntlet battle royal
15 TNA One Night Only: X-Travaganza Orlando, Florida Ultimate X match
15 TNA One Night Only: Knockouts Knockdown Orlando, Florida Knockouts Gauntlet match to crown the "Queen of the Knockouts"
15 TNA One Night Only: World Cup Orlando, Florida Six-on-Six Elimination Tag Team match
16 TNA One Night Only: Gut Check Orlando, Florida Five-way elimination match
16 TNA One Night Only: The TNA Classic Orlando, Florida Gunner defeated Bram
22 WWE Fastlane Memphis Roman Reigns defeated Daniel Bryan in a Singles match to retain his spot as the #1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

March

[edit]
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
1 ROH ROH 13th Anniversary Show Las Vegas Jay Briscoe (c) defeated Tommaso Ciampa, Michael Elgin and Hanson in a Four corner survival match to retain the ROH World Championship
15 NJPW New Japan Cup Final Hiroshima Kota Ibushi defeated Hirooki Goto in the tournament final to win the 2015 New Japan Cup
18 AAA Rey de Reyes Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico Four-way elimination Rey de Reyes tournament final match
27 ROH Supercard of Honor IX Redwood City Jay Briscoe (c) defeated Samoa Joe in a Singles match to retain the ROH World Championship
29 WWE WrestleMania 31 Santa Clara Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract during Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar's (c) singles match to make it a triple threat match and pinned Reigns to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

April

[edit]
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
5 NJPW Invasion Attack Tokyo A.J. Styles (c) defeated Kota Ibushi in a Singles match to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship
26 CMLL 59. Aniversario de Arena México Mexico City, Mexico Marco Corleone defeated La Sombra, Pólvora, Barbaro Cavernario, Dragon Lee, Kamaitachi, La Máscara, Ripper, Morphosis and Titán
26 WWE Extreme Rules Rosemont Seth Rollins (c) defeated Randy Orton in a Steel Cage match to retain WWE World Heavyweight Championship with the RKO banned and Kane as the gatekeeper
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

May

[edit]
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
3 NJPW Wrestling Dontaku Fukuoka Hirooki Goto defeated Shinsuke Nakamura (c) in a Singles match to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship
12 ROH
NJPW 		War of the Worlds Philadelphia Chaos (Kazuchika Okada and Shinsuke Nakamura) defeated The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe) in a Tag Team match
13 The Kingdom (Adam Cole, Matt Taven and Michael Bennett) defeated Bullet Club (A.J. Styles, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) in a Six-man tag team match
15 ROH
NJPW 		Global Wars Toronto ROH All Stars (Hanson, Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe, Ray Rowe and Roderick Strong) defeated Bullet Club (A.J. Styles, Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) in a Ten-man tag team match
16 Bullet Club (A.J. Styles, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) defeated Chaos (Beretta, Kazuchika Okada and Rocky Romero) in a Six-man tag team match
17 WWE Payback Baltimore Seth Rollins (c) defeated Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Randy Orton in a Fatal 4-Way match to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Had Rollins lost the title, Kane would have been fired as the Director of Operations.
20 WWE:
 TakeOver: Unstoppable Winter Park Kevin Owens (c) vs Sami Zayn in a Singles match for the NXT Championship ended in a no contest
31 WWE Elimination Chamber Corpus Christi Dean Ambrose defeated Seth Rollins (c) by disqualification in a Singles match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

June

[edit]
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
7 NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Tokyo Kushida defeated Kyle O'Reilly in final match in Best Of The Super Junior 2015.
14 AAA Verano de Escándalo Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico Myzteziz, La Parka and Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated Johnny Mundo, El Mesias and Pentagón Jr. in a Six-man tag team match
14 WWE Money in the Bank Columbus Seth Rollins (c) defeated Dean Ambrose in a Ladder match to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
19 ROH Best in the World New York City Jay Lethal (c - TV) defeated Jay Briscoe (c - World) in a Winner Take All singles match to win both the ROH World Championship and ROH World Television Championship
28 TNA Slammiversary Orlando Jeff Jarrett defeated Matt Hardy, Eric Young, Drew Galloway, and Bobby Roode in a King of the Mountain match to win the TNA King of the Mountain Championship
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

July

[edit]
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
4 WWE The Beast in the East Sumida John Cena and Dolph Ziggler defeated Kane and King Barrett in a Tag Team match
5 NJPW Dominion Osaka Kazuchika Okada defeated A.J. Styles (c) in a Singles match to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship
17 CMLL Sin Salida Mexico City, Mexico Último Guerrero defeated Rey Escorpión in a Best two-out-of-three falls Lucha de Apuestas hair vs. hair match
19 WWE Battleground St. Louis Brock Lesnar defeated Seth Rollins (c) by disqualification in a Singles match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
24 GFW One Night Only: GFW Amped Anthology – Part 1 Las Vegas, Nevada GFW Global Championship Tournament match
24 ROH Death Before Dishonor Baltimore Jay Lethal (c) vs. Roderick Strong ended in a 60-minute time limit draw in a Singles match for the ROH World Championship
25 GFW One Night Only: GFW Amped Anthology – Part 2 Las Vegas, Nevada GFW Global Championship Tournament match
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

August

[edit]
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
9 AAA Triplemanía XXIII Mexico City Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated Myzteziz
16 NJPW G1 Climax Final Tokyo Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Shinsuke Nakamura in the final of the 2015 G1 Climax
21 GFW One Night Only: GFW Amped Anthology – Part 3 Las Vegas, Nevada GFW Global Championship #1 Contenders Triple Threat match
21 GFW One Night Only: GFW Amped Anthology – Part 4 Las Vegas, Nevada GFW Global Championship Finals match
22 ROH Field of Honor Brooklyn Jay Lethal and Shinsuke Nakamura defeated reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly) in a Tag Team match
22 WWE:
 TakeOver: Brooklyn Brooklyn Finn Bálor (c) defeated Kevin Owens in a Ladder match to retain the NXT Championship
23 WWE SummerSlam Brooklyn The Undertaker defeated Brock Lesnar by submission in a Singles match
28–30 PWG Battle of Los Angeles Reseda, California Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Chris Hero and Mike Bailey in an elimination three-way match to win the 2015 Battle of Los Angeles tournament
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

September

[edit]
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
18 CMLL CMLL 82nd Anniversary Show Mexico City, Mexico Atlantis defeated La Sombra in a Best two-out-of-three falls Lucha de Apuestas, mask vs. mask match
18 ROH All Star Extravaganza San Antonio Jay Lethal (c) defeated Kyle O'Reilly in a Singles match to retain the ROH World Championship
20 WWE Night of Champions Houston Seth Rollins (c) defeated Sting in a Singles match to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
23 NJPW Destruction in Okayama Okayama Togi Makabe (c) defeated Kota Ibushi in a Singles match to retain the NEVER Openweight Championship
26 WWC 42nd WWC Aniversario Bayamón, Puerto Rico Tommy Diablo vs. Peter the Bad Romance (c) for the WWC Junior Heavyweight Championship
27 NJPW Destruction in Kobe Kobe Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Hirooki Goto (c) in a Singles match to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

October

[edit]
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
2 NJPW / RevPro Uprising Bethnal Green, London, United Kingdom AJ Styles (c) defeated Marty Scurll and Will Ospreay in a Three-way match for the British Heavyweight Championship
3 NJPW / RevPro Global Wars UK Reading, United Kingdom AJ Styles (c) defeated Jyushin Thunder Liger in a Singles match for the British Heavyweight Championship
3 WWE Live from Madison Square Garden New York City John Cena (c) defeated Seth Rollins in a Steel Cage match to retain the WWE United States Championship
4 AAA Heroes Inmortales San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico El Patrón Alberto (c) (with Psycho Clown) defeated Johnny Mundo (with Brian Cage) in a Singles match for the AAA Mega Championship
4 TNA Bound for Glory Concord Matt Hardy defeated Ethan Carter III (c) and Drew Galloway in a Three-Way match to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship with Jeff Hardy as special guest referee
7 WWE:
 TakeOver: Respect Winter Park Bayley (c) defeated Sasha Banks 3–2 in a 30-minute Iron Man match to retain the NXT Women's Championship
12 NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling Tokyo Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated A.J. Styles in a Singles match to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship
23 GFW GFW Amped Anthology – Part 3 Las Vegas, Nevada GFW Global Championship Finals match
23 ROH Glory By Honor Kalamazoo The Kingdom (Adam Cole, Matt Taven and Michael Bennett) defeated Dalton Castle and War Machine (Hanson and Raymond Rowe) in a Six-man tag team match
24 Dayton ROH Champions (Jay Lethal, Roderick Strong and The Kingdom (Matt Taven and Michael Bennett)) defeated ROH All-Stars (Moose, The Addiction (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian) and Dalton Castle) in an Eight-man elimination tag team match
25 WWE Hell in a Cell Los Angeles Brock Lesnar defeated The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

November

[edit]
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
7 NJPW Power Struggle Osaka Shinsuke Nakamura (c) defeated Karl Anderson in a Singles match to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Championship
13 ROH Survival of the Fittest Milwaukee Bullet Club (A.J. Styles and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson)) defeated The House of Truth (Jay Lethal, Donovan Dijak and Joey Daddiego) in a Six-man tag team match
14 Hopkins Michael Elgin defeated Jay Briscoe, Christopher Daniels, A. C. H. and Silas Young to win Survival of the Fittest tournament final Five-way elimination match. Winner will receive an ROH World Championship match
22 WWE Survivor Series Atlanta Roman Reigns defeated Dean Ambrose in the tournament final to win the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship, then Sheamus cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and defeated Reigns (c) in a singles match to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

December

[edit]
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
8 WWE Tribute to the Troops Jacksonville, Florida Dean Ambrose, The Dudley Boyz, Ryback, Kane, The Bloodline (Roman Reigns & The Usos) defeated The League of Nations & The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman & The Reapers)
13 WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs Boston Sheamus (c) defeated Roman Reigns in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
16 WWE:
 TakeOver: London London Finn Bálor (c) defeated Samoa Joe in a Singles match to retain the NXT Championship
18 ROH Final Battle Philadelphia Jay Lethal (c) defeated A.J. Styles in a Singles match to retain the ROH World Championship
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

Notable events

[edit]

Tournaments and accomplishments

[edit]
Roman Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble match
Big Show, the winner of André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31

AAA

[edit]
Accomplishment Winner Date won Notes
Rey de Reyes El Texano Jr. March 18
Alas de Oro Drago June 14 Last eliminated Super Fly to win.
Copa Antonio Peña Taurus October 4 Last eliminated La Parka to win.

JWP

[edit]
Accomplishment Winner Date won Notes
Tag League the Best 2015 Aoi Kizuki and Kayoko Haruyama March 22

Ring of Honor

[edit]
Accomplishment Winner Date won Notes
ROH World Television Championship #1 Contender Tournament Bobby Fish July 17

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

[edit]
Accomplishment Winner Date won Notes
Joker's Wild Lashley February 14
Knockouts Knockdown Awesome Kong February 15
World Cup Team Hardy (Jeff Hardy, Gunner, Crazzy Steve, Davey Richards, Rockstar Spud, Gail Kim) February 15
TNA X Division Championship Tournament Tigre Uno June 27

WWE

[edit]
Accomplishment Winner Date won Notes
Royal Rumble Roman Reigns January 25 Last eliminated Rusev to win a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 31, but was unsuccessful in his match against champion Brock Lesnar due to Seth Rollins cashing in his Money in the Bank contract, converting the singles match into a triple threat match in which Rollins pinned Reigns to win Lesnar's title.
NXT Championship #1 Contender's Tournament Finn Bálor February 11 Defeated Adrian Neville in the tournament final to win a match for the NXT Championship on the March 25 episode of NXT, but was unsuccessful against champion Kevin Owens.
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Qualifying Tournament Hideo Itami March 28 Defeated Finn Bálor in the tournament final to win a spot in the battle royal, but was unsuccessful in winning the battle royal.
André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Big Show March 29 Last eliminated Damien Mizdow to win the André the Giant Memorial Trophy.
King of the Ring Bad News Barrett April 28 Defeated Neville in the tournament final to win and be crowned King of the Ring. Barrett subsequently changed his ring name to King Barrett.
Money in the Bank ladder match Sheamus June 14 Defeated Dolph Ziggler, Kane, Neville, Kofi Kingston, Roman Reigns, and Randy Orton to win a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match contract. Sheamus cashed in and won the title from Reigns at Survivor Series after Reigns had just defeated Dean Ambrose to win the vacant title.
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finn Bálor and Samoa Joe October 7 Defeated Baron Corbin and Rhyno in the tournament final to win the Dust Rhodes Tag Team Classic Trophy.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament Roman Reigns November 22 Defeated Dean Ambrose in the tournament final to win the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship; previous champion Seth Rollins vacated the title due to suffering a legitimate injury.

Title changes

[edit]

AAA

[edit]
AAA Mega Championship
Incoming champion – El Patrón Alberto
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
November 9 Vacated N/A
AAA Latin American Championship
Incoming champion – Chessman
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
August 31 Psycho Clown Sin Límite
AAA World Mini-Estrella Championship
Incoming champion – Dinastía
No title changes
AAA World Cruiserweight Championship
Incoming champion – El Hijo del Fantasma
No title changes
AAA Reina de Reinas Championship
Incoming champion – Taya
No title changes
AAA World Tag Team Championship
Incoming champions – Los Perros del Mal (Joe Líder and Pentagón Jr.)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
October 4 Los Güeros del Cielo
(Angélico and Jack Evans) 		Héroes Inmortales IX
AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship
Incoming champions – La Sociedad (Pentagón Jr. and Sexy Star)
No title changes
AAA World Trios Championship
Incoming champions – Los Hell Brothers (Averno, Chessman and Cibernético)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
June 14 Los Hell Brothers
(Averno, Chessman and Ricky Marvin) 		Verano de Escándalo

NJPW

[edit]
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Incoming champion – Hiroshi Tanahashi
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
February 11 A.J. Styles The New Beginning in Osaka
July 5 Kazuchika Okada Dominion 7.5 in Osaka-jo Hall
IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Incoming champion – Shinsuke Nakamura
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
May 3 Hirooki Goto Wrestling Dontaku
September 27 Shinsuke Nakamura Destruction in Kobe
IWGP Tag Team Championship
Incoming champions – Bullet Club (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 4 Meiyu Tag
(Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata) 		Wrestle Kingdom 9
February 11 Bullet Club
(Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) 		The New Beginning in Osaka
April 5 The Kingdom
(Matt Taven and Michael Bennett) 		Invasion Attack
July 5 Bullet Club
(Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) 		Dominion 7.5 in Osaka-jo Hall
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Incoming champion – Ryusuke Taguchi
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 4 Kenny Omega Wrestle Kingdom 9
July 5 Kushida Dominion 7.5 in Osaka-jo Hall
September 23 Kenny Omega Destruction in Okayama
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
Incoming champions – reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
February 11 The Young Bucks
(Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) 		The New Beginning in Osaka This was a three-way match, also involving Time Splitters (Alex Shelley and Kushida).
April 5 Roppongi Vice
(Beretta and Rocky Romero) 		Invasion Attack
May 3 The Young Bucks
(Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) 		Wrestling Dontaku This was a three-way match, also involving reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly).
August 16 reDRagon
(Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly) 		G1 Climax 25
NEVER Openweight Championship
Incoming champion – Tomohiro Ishii
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 4 Togi Makabe Wrestle Kingdom 9
February 14 Vacated – The title was vacated due to Togi Makabe being sidelined with influenza.
February 14 Tomohiro Ishii The New Beginning in Sendai Defeated Tomoaki Honma to win the vacant title.
April 29 Togi Makabe Wrestling Hinokuni
October 12 Tomohiro Ishii King of Pro-Wrestling

ROH

[edit]
ROH World Championship
Incoming champion – Jay Briscoe
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
June 19 Jay Lethal Best in the World
ROH World Television Championship
Incoming champion – Jay Lethal
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
October 23 Roderick Strong Glory By Honor XIV
ROH World Tag Team Championship
Incoming champion(s) – reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
April 4 The Addiction
(Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian) 		Ring of Honor Wrestling
September 18 The Kingdom
(Matt Taven and Michael Bennett) 		All Star Extravaganza VII
December 18 War Machine
(Hanson and Raymond Rowe) 		Final Battle

The Crash Lucha Libre

[edit]
The Crash Cruiserweight Championship
Incoming champion – Ángel Metálico[1]
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
May 8 Pentagón Jr. The Crash show This was a four-way match also involving Drago and Zarco[2]
October 2 Bestia 666 The Crash show [3]
The Crash Junior Championship
(Title created)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
July 3 Star Dragón The Crash show [4]
October 11 Mirage The Crash show [5]
The Crash Tag Team Championship
(Title created)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
May 8 Black Boy and Rey Horus The Crash show Defeated Bestia 666 and Mosco Negro, and Daga and Steve Pain in the Three way match to become the inaugural champions.[6]
September 18 Tony Casanova and Zarco The Crash show [7]

TNA

[edit]
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
Incoming champion – Bobby Roode
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 7 Lashley Impact Wrestling
January 31
(aired March 20) 		Kurt Angle Impact Wrestling
June 25
(aired July 1) 		Ethan Carter III Impact Wrestling
October 4 Matt Hardy Bound for Glory This was a three-way match also involving Drew Galloway. Jeff Hardy was the special guest referee
October 6 Vacated — Vacated due to a legal injunction filed by Ethan Carter III as part of the storyline
TNA X Division Championship
Incoming champion – Low Ki
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 7 Austin Aries Impact Wrestling
January 8
(aired January 16) 		Low Ki Impact Wrestling
January 31
(aired March 20) 		Rockstar Spud Impact Wrestling Spud invoked his Feast or Fired title opportunity.
March 15
(aired May 1) 		Kenny King Impact Wrestling This was a four-way ladder match also involving Tigre Uno and Mandrews.
May 10
(aired May 29) 		Rockstar Spud Impact Wrestling This was a gauntlet match featuring King, Suicide/Manik, Zema Ion, Mandrews, Argos, Crazzy Steve, and Tigre Uno.
May 10
(aired June 10) 		Vacated Impact Wrestling Rockstar Spud vacated the title in exchange for an opportunity to wrestle for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
June 24 Tigre Uno Impact Wrestling Tigre Uno defeated Low Ki and Grado in a three-way elimination match to win the vacant championship.
TNA World Tag Team Championship
Incoming champions – The Revolution (Abyss and James Storm)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 30
(aired March 6) 		The Wolves
(Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) 		Impact Wrestling
March 13
(aired April 3) 		Vacated Impact Wrestling
March 16
(aired April 17) 		The Hardys
(Jeff and Matt Hardy) 		Impact Wrestling
May 8 Vacated Impact Wrestling Vacated due to Jeff Hardy suffering a broken leg.
June 25
(aired July 1) 		The Wolves
(Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) 		Impact Wrestling
July 28
(aired September 2) 		Brian Myers and Trevor Lee Impact Wrestling
July 29
(aired September 9) 		The Wolves
(Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) 		Impact Wrestling
TNA King of the Mountain Championship
(Title reactivated)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
June 28 Jeff Jarrett Slammiversary The TNA Television Championship was reactivated on June 25 and renamed the "TNA King of the Mountain Championship." Jeff Jarrett defeated Matt Hardy, Drew Galloway, Eric Young, and Bobby Roode in a King of the Mountain match to win the reactivated championship.
July 27
(aired August 12) 		Vacated Impact Wrestling The title was vacated after Jeff Jarrett became TNA General Manager.
July 27
(aired August 12) 		PJ Black Impact Wrestling PJ Black defeated Lashley, Chris Mordetzky, Eric Young, and Robbie E in a King of the Mountain match to win the vacant title.
July 28
(aired September 2) 		Bobby Roode Impact Wrestling
TNA Knockouts Championship
Incoming champion – Taryn Terrell
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
June 25
(aired July 15) 		Brooke Impact Wrestling Brooke was formerly known as Miss Tessmacher
July 29
(aired September 16) 		Gail Kim Impact Wrestling Fatal four-way match also involving Awesome Kong and Lei'D Tapa.

WWE

[edit]
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Incoming champion – Brock Lesnar
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
March 29 Seth Rollins WrestleMania 31 Cashed in his Money in the Bank contract during a singles match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, thus making it a triple threat match. Rollins pinned Reigns to win the championship, thus becoming the first wrestler to cash in their Money in the Bank contract during a match as well as cash-in and win the title without pinning or submitting the champion.
November 4 Vacated WWE Live Vacated after Seth Rollins suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and a damaged meniscus at a live show in Dublin, Ireland.
November 22 Roman Reigns Survivor Series Defeated Dean Ambrose in a tournament final for the vacant title.
Sheamus Cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.
December 14 Roman Reigns Monday Night Raw Title vs. career match
WWE Intercontinental Championship
Incoming champion – Dolph Ziggler
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 5 Bad News Barrett Monday Night Raw Dolph Ziggler originally retained his title against Barrett, but Director of Operations Kane made the match a two-out-of-three falls match, which Barrett won.
March 29 Daniel Bryan WrestleMania 31 Seven-way ladder match, also involving Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Luke Harper, R-Truth, and Stardust.
May 11 Vacated Monday Night Raw Vacated due to injury.
May 31 Ryback Elimination Chamber Elimination Chamber match for the vacant title, also involving Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Mark Henry, R-Truth, and King Barrett (formerly Bad News Barrett).
September 20 Kevin Owens Night of Champions
December 13 Dean Ambrose TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs
WWE United States Championship
Incoming champion – Rusev
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
March 29 John Cena WrestleMania 31
August 23 Seth Rollins SummerSlam Winner Takes All match, in which Rollins also defended the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
September 20 John Cena Night of Champions
October 25 Alberto Del Rio Hell in a Cell Open challenge.
WWE Divas Championship
Incoming champion – Nikki Bella
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
September 20 Charlotte Night of Champions
WWE Tag Team Championship
Incoming champions – The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
February 22 Tyson Kidd and Cesaro Fastlane
April 26 The New Day
(Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods) 		Extreme Rules Big E and Kingston won the match, but Woods was also recognized as champion under the Freebird Rule.
June 14 The Prime Time Players
(Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) 		Money in the Bank Big E and Xavier Woods represented The New Day.
August 23 The New Day
(Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods) 		SummerSlam Fatal four-way tag team match, also involving The Lucha Dragons and Los Matadores.
Big E and Kingston won the match, but Woods was also recognized as champion under the Freebird Rule.

NXT

[edit]
NXT Championship
Incoming champion – Sami Zayn
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
February 11 Kevin Owens TakeOver: Rival Owens won when the referee decided that Sami Zayn was unable to continue.
July 4 Finn Bálor The Beast in the East
NXT Women's Championship
Incoming champion – Charlotte
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
February 11 Sasha Banks TakeOver: Rival Fatal four-way match, also involving Bayley and Becky Lynch.
August 22 Bayley TakeOver: Brooklyn
NXT Tag Team Championship
Incoming champions – The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 15
(aired January 28) 		Blake and Murphy
(Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy) 		NXT During their reign, their ringnames were shortened to Blake and Murphy, respectively.
August 22 The Vaudevillains
(Aiden English and Simon Gotch) 		TakeOver: Brooklyn
October 22
(aired November 11) 		The Revival
(Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson) 		NXT They won the titles as Dash and Dawson. During their reign, they were renamed to The Revival.

Awards and honors

[edit]

AAA Hall of Fame

[edit]
Main article: AAA Hall of Fame
Inductee
Héctor Garza
El Hijo del Perro Aguayo

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

[edit]
Main article: List of Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards
Category Winner
Wrestler of the Year Seth Rollins
Tag Team of the Year The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods)
Match of the Year Bayley vs. Sasha Banks (NXT TakeOver: Respect)
Feud of the Year Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker
Most Popular Wrestler of the Year Dean Ambrose
Most Hated Wrestler of the Year Seth Rollins
Comeback of the Year The Undertaker
Most Improved Wrestler of the Year Roman Reigns
Inspirational Wrestler of the Year Bayley
Rookie of the Year Moose
Woman of the Year Sasha Banks
Stanley Weston Award (Lifetime Achievement) Roddy Piper

TNA Hall of Fame

[edit]
Main article: TNA Hall of Fame
Inductee
Jeff Jarrett
Earl Hebner

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

[edit]

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame

[edit]
Main article: Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame
Category Inductee
Individual Brock Lesnar
Shinsuke Nakamura
Perro Aguayo, Jr.
Ivan Koloff
Carlos Colón
Eddie Quinn
Group The Assassins (Jody Hamilton and Tom Renesto)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

[edit]
Main article: List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
Category Winner
Wrestler of the Year A.J. Styles
Most Outstanding A.J. Styles
Tag Team of the Year The Young Bucks
(Matt and Nick Jackson)
Most Improved Bayley

WWE

[edit]

WWE Hall of Fame

[edit]
Main article: WWE Hall of Fame
Category Inductee Inducted by
Individual Randy Savage Hulk Hogan
Rikishi The Usos
Alundra Blayze Natalya Neidhart
Larry Zbyszko Bruno Sammartino
Tatsumi Fujinami Ric Flair
Kevin Nash Shawn Michaels
Group The Bushwhackers John Laurinaitis
Celebrity Arnold Schwarzenegger Triple H
Warrior Award Connor "The Crusher" Michalek Dana Warrior and Daniel Bryan

Slammy Awards

[edit]
Main article: Slammy Award
Poll[8] Winner
Tag Team of the Year The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso)
Best John Cena's U.S. Open Challenge vs. Cesaro on Raw (July 6)
Hashtag of the Year #SuplexCity
Celebrity Moment of the Year Stephen Amell dives onto Stardust and King Barrett at SummerSlam
"Tell Me You Didn't Just Say That" Insult of the Year Brock Lesnar coins "Suplex City" at WrestleMania 31
Rivalry of the Year The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar
Best Original WWE Network Show Stone Cold Podcast
Double-Cross of the Year Damien Mizdow eliminates The Miz from the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31
Extreme Moment of the Year Roman Reigns attacks Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Rusev, and Triple H with a steel chair at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs
Breakout Star of the Year Neville
LOL! Moment of the Year R-Truth mistakes himself of being in the Money in the Bank ladder match on Raw. (June 8)
The "OMG!" Shocking Moment of the Year Kalisto executes Salida del Sol off the top of a ladder through another ladder on Jey Uso at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs
Superstar of the Year Seth Rollins
"The Hero in All of Us" Award, presented by Coca-Cola John Cena
Surprise Return of the Year Sting returns, as Seth Rollins' statue, and attacks Rollins on Raw. (August 24)
Diva of the Year Nikki Bella
"This is Awesome!" Moment of the Year The Rock and Ronda Rousey attack Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 31.
Match of the Year Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match at Hell in a Cell

NXT Year-End Awards

[edit]
Main article: NXT Year-End Award
Poll Winner[9]
Tag Team of the Year Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady
Female Competitor of the Year Bayley
Male Competitor of the Year Finn Bálor
TakeOver of the Year NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn
Match of the Year Sasha Banks (c) vs. Bayley for the NXT Women's Championship at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn
Overall Competitor of the Year Finn Bálor

Debuts

[edit]
Liv Morgan
Sonya Deville

Retirements

[edit]
Hulk Hogan
Jimmy Snuka
Tomoka Nakagawa's final match took place at SHIMMER Volume 75. Nakagawa and Kellie Skater defeated the Canadian NINJAs (Nicole Matthews & Portia Perez) in the main event. Immediately afterwards a retirement ceremony was held and her career was celebrated by the entire roster.

Deaths

[edit]
Dusty Rhodes
Roddy Piper

See also

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2015 in professional wrestling.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Pérez Navarro, Samuel (February 2, 2014). "¡Ángel Metálico, nuevo campeón Crucero! ¡Impulso es el ganador absoluto del primer torneo 2014!". The Gladiatores (in Spanish). Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  2. ^ Pérez Navarro, Samuel (May 10, 2015). "¡Pentágon Jr. es el nuevo campeón de peso crucero, y dedica su triunfo al líder de la jauría!". The Gladiatores (in Spanish). Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  3. ^ Zellner, Kris (October 4, 2015). "The Lucha Report". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  4. ^ "The Crash Junior Championship >> Title history >> 03.07.2015 - 11.10.2015: Star Dragon". CageMatch (in German). Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  5. ^ "The Crash Junior Championship >> Title history >> 11.10.2015 - 12.02.2016: Mirage". CageMatch (in German). Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  6. ^ "The Crash Tag Team Championship >> Reigns >> 08.05.2015 - 18.09.2015: Black Boy & Rey Horus". CageMatch (in German). Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  7. ^ "The Crash Tag Team Championship >> Reigns >> 18.09.2015 - 13.08.2016: Tony Casanova & Zarco". CageMatch (in German). Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  8. ^ "2015 Slammy Awards voting opens tonight!". WWE. December 14, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  9. ^ "The 2015 NXT Year-End Award acceptance speeches". WWE. Retrieved 2018-01-04.
  10. ^ Jeet Rama, Cagematch, 2023, retrieved 12 April 2023
  11. ^ "RIP The ECW Zombie Tim Roberts, 1976–2015". 7 January 2015.
  12. ^ "ORIGINAL ECW BOOKER, TWA STAR LARRY WINTERS PASSES AWAY | PWInsider.com". www.pwinsider.com. Retrieved 2017-12-25.
  13. ^ "Pro Wrestlers Who Have Died In 2015 – Rowdy Roddy Piper Makes 14". 1 August 2015.
  14. ^ Daniel Brand's obituary
  15. ^ "東京五輪レスリング銅メダルの堀内岩雄さん 糖尿病で死去" (in Japanese). Sponichi. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  16. ^ "Falleció el Hijo del Perro Aguayo". MedioTiempo (in Spanish). MSN. March 21, 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  17. ^ "Fallece en Tijuana "El Hijo del Perro Aguayo". El Mexicano (in Spanish). March 21, 2015. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  18. ^ "NZ wrestling great dies". Radio New Zealand. 2015-04-06. Retrieved 2017-12-25.
  19. ^ "Breaking News: wrestling legend, Observer first year Hall of Famer Verne Gagne passes away at 89". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. April 27, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  20. ^ "WWE Legend Roddy Piper Dies at 61 | Variety". Archived from the original on 2015-07-31. Retrieved 2015-07-31.
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