1956 in professional wrestling

Last updated November 05, 2025

1956 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.

List of notable promotions

Only one promotion held notable shows in 1956.

Promotion Name	Abbreviation
Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre	EMLL

Calendar of notable shows

Date	Promotion(s)	Event	Location	Main Event
April	EMLL	Arena Coliseo 13th Anniversary Show	Mexico City, Mexico	Uncertain
September 21	EMLL	EMLL 23rd Anniversary Show	Mexico City, Mexico	El Santo defeated El Gladiador in a best two-out-of-three falls Lucha de Apuesta mask vs. mask match

Notable events

Arena Mexico as seen from Calle Dr Lavista. ArenaMexicoDF.JPG — Arena Mexico as seen from Calle Dr Lavista.

January 6 - Heavyweight Wrestling debuts in the Northeast as the main television program of the Capitol Wrestling Corporation based from Turner's Arena in Washington, DC.
April – Arena México opens, built by Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL; "Mexican Wrestling Enterprise") owner Salvador Lutteroth. Arena México became EMLL's main venue from that point forward and is referred to as the Cathedral of Lucha Libre.^[1]^[2]

Championship changes

EMLL

NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship
Incoming champion – Frank Stojack ^[3]
No title changes^[4]

Date	Winner	Event/Show	Note(s)
NWA World Middleweight Championship
Incoming champion – El Santo ^[5]
October 19	Rolando Vera	EMLL show	^[5]

NWA World Welterweight Championship
Incoming champion – Blue Demon ^[4]
No title changes^[4]

Date	Winner	Event/Show	Note(s)
Mexican National Heavyweight Championship
Incoming champion – vacant^[6]
September 7	El Médico Asesino	EMLL show	^[7]

Mexican National Lightweight Championship
Incoming champion –vacant^[8]
No title changes^[8]

Date	Winner	Event/Show	Note(s)
Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship
Incoming champion – vacant^[9]
September 9	Tarzán López	EMLL show	^[9]

Date	Winner	Event/Show	Note(s)
Mexican National Middleweight Championship
Incoming champion – El Gladiador ^[6]
May 31	El Santo	EMLL show	^[6]

Date	Winner	Event/Show	Note(s)
Mexican National Welterweight Championship
Incoming champion – vacant^[10]
April 6	Jalisco Gonzalez	EMLL show	^[10]

Mexican National Women's Championship
Incoming champion – Irma Gonzales ^[11]
No title changes^[11]

NWA

Date	Winner	Event/Show	Note(s)
NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship
Incoming champion – Lou Thesz ^[12]
March 15	Whipper Billy Watson	NWA show	Won the championship by count out^[12]
November 9	Lou Thesz	NWA show	^[12]

Debuts

Debut date uncertain:

Births

January 10 – Denny Brown
January 11 – Kuniaki Kobayashi ^[14](died in 2024)
March 18 – Rick Martel ^[14]
March 21 – Angel Gabriele (died in 2016)
March 23 – Ryuma Go (died in 2009)
March 24 – Teijo Khan (died in 2020)
March 28 – Dangerous Danny Davis ^[14]
April 5 – Diamond Dallas Page ^[14]
April 14 – Larry Winters (died in 2015)
April 21 – Vicky Williams ^[15]
May 7 – Hercules ^[14](died in 2004)
May 9 – Frank Andersson ^[14](died in 2018)
May 11:
Espanto Jr. ^[14]
Sunny War Cloud ^[15]
May 14 – Kasavubu (d. 1982)
May 24 – Super Parka ^[15]
May 25:
- Tatsutoshi Goto ^[15]
- El Solar ^[15]
June 4 – Joe Malenko
July 13 – Tiger Jackson ^[14]
July 19:
- Randy Rose ^[14]
- Yoshiaki Yatsu
July 26 – Tommy Rich ^[15]
July 28 – Jimmy Jackson (wrestler) (died in 2008)
August 8 – Taras Bulba^[15](died in 2016)
August 10 – Fred Ottman
September 16 – Kazuharu Sonoda ^[14](died in 1987)
September 18 – Súper Kendo ^[15]
September 21 – Ricky Morton ^[14]
September 26 – Richard Charland
October 12 – Emilio Charles Jr. (died in 2012)
October 22 – Bob Ryder (died in 2020)
November 2 – Mike Davis ^[14](died in 2001)
November 3 – Korstia Korchenko
November 6 – Tony Rumble ^[15](died in 1999)
November 10 – Hiroshi Shimada
November 12 – Billy Anderson (wrestler)
November 20 – Momma Benjamin
December 20 – Super Strong Machine ^[15]
December 27 – Masashi Aoyagi (died in 2022)
December 31 – MS-1 ^[14](died in 2012)

Deaths

May 19 – Jack Taylor (Canadian wrestler) (69)

References

↑ "Los Lutteroth / the Lutteroths". Lucha Libre: Masked Superstars of Mexican Wrestling. Distributed Art Publishers, Inc. 2005. pp. 20–27. ISBN 968-6842-48-9.
↑ Madigan, Dan (2007). "A family affair". Mondo Lucha Libre: the bizarre & honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling. HarperCollins Publishers. pp. 128–132. ISBN 978-0-06-085583-3.
↑ Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2006). "Mexico: EMLL NWA World Light Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 389. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
1 2 3 Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2000). Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Waterloo, ON: Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
1 2 Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "Mexico: EMLL NWA World Middlweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. pp. 389–390. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
1 2 3 Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 390–391. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
↑ Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 390–391. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
1 2 Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Lightweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. p. 393. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
1 2 Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Lightweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. p. 393. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
1 2 Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Welterweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 392. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
1 2 Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Women's Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 394. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
1 2 3 Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2000). ""United States: 19th century & widely defended titles – NWA, WWF, AWA, IWA, ECW, NWA: NWA World Heavyweight Title"". Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Waterloo, ON: Archeus Communications. p. 15. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
1 2 3 4 "Wrestlers debuted in 1956: 1 - 13 of 13". Wrestling Data. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Wrestlers born in 1956: 1 - 50 of 69". Wrestling Data. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Wrestlers born in 1956: 51 - 69 of 69". Wrestling Data. Retrieved February 1, 2020.

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[Lutteroth-1] "Los Lutteroth / the Lutteroths". Lucha Libre: Masked Superstars of Mexican Wrestling. Distributed Art Publishers, Inc. 2005. pp. 20–27. ISBN 968-6842-48-9.

[Mondo-2] Madigan, Dan (2007). "A family affair". Mondo Lucha Libre: the bizarre & honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling. HarperCollins Publishers. pp. 128–132. ISBN 978-0-06-085583-3.

[NWALHeavy-3] Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2006). "Mexico: EMLL NWA World Light Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 389. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.

[NWAWelter-4] 1 2 3 Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2000). Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Waterloo, ON: Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.

[NWAMiddle-5] 1 2 Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "Mexico: EMLL NWA World Middlweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. pp. 389–390. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.

[MexMiddle-6] 1 2 3 Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 390–391. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.

[7] Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 390–391. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.

[MexLight-8] 1 2 Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Lightweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. p. 393. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.

[MexLHeavy-9] 1 2 Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Lightweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. p. 393. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.

[MexWelter-10] 1 2 Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Welterweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 392. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.

[MexWomen-11] 1 2 Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Women's Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 394. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.

[NWAWorlds-12] 1 2 3 Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2000). ""United States: 19th century & widely defended titles – NWA, WWF, AWA, IWA, ECW, NWA: NWA World Heavyweight Title"". Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Waterloo, ON: Archeus Communications. p. 15. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.

[WD1956Debuts-13] 1 2 3 4 "Wrestlers debuted in 1956: 1 - 13 of 13". Wrestling Data. Retrieved February 1, 2020.

[WD1956Births-14] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Wrestlers born in 1956: 1 - 50 of 69". Wrestling Data. Retrieved February 1, 2020.

[WD1956Births2-15] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Wrestlers born in 1956: 51 - 69 of 69". Wrestling Data. Retrieved February 1, 2020.

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