The is a list of professional wrestling memorial shows from the 1980s until the present-day. Memorial shows have been historically important in the history of professional wrestling, usually held in memory of a recently deceased wrestler, promoter or other well-known personality, and used to pay tribute to a particular individual's accomplishments and contributions to the industry. The proceeds are generally donated to family members or charitable organizations.
These shows were often held as a form of supercard, a major wrestling event not aired on pay-per-view, and sometimes resulted interpromotional shows. These types of shows were rarely seen in the United States, the earliest being the Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions held in memory of David Von Erich from 1984-88, but have been common in Japan since the late 1980s. In North America, memorial shows are most often held by independent wrestling promotions although mainstream organizations like WWE have occasionally dedicated specific episodes of WWE Raw to then current WWE wrestlers such as Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit.
Contents |
Name | Promotion | Organizer(s) | Years active | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions | World Class Championship Wrestling | Fritz von Erich | 1984-1988 | [1] |
Johnny Rougeau Memorial Show | 1984 | |||
Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup | Jim Crockett Promotions | Jim Crockett, Jr. | 1986-1988 | [2] |
Eddie Graham Memorial Show | Championship Wrestling from Florida | Hiro Matsuda Duke Keomuka |
1987-1988 | Each show was held under different banners,[3] the second being promoted by Mike Graham and Florida Championship Wrestling.[4] |
Ikki Kajiwara Memorial Show | Giant Baba Antonio Inoki |
1988 | Interpromotional event including All Japan Pro Wrestling, Japan Women's Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.[5] | |
Bruiser Brody Memorial Night | All Japan Pro Wrestling | Giant Baba | 1988 | [6] |