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This is a list of various things that took place in 1978.

Significant events[]

February

  • 18 - The earliest known existing video footage featuring Gorilla Monsoon on commentary is during a televised arena show from the Philadelphia Spectrum and aired on PRISM on this date. Monsoon worked alongside PRISM sportscaster Dick Graham to call the evening's main event: Superstar Billy Graham defeating Bruno Sammartino in a steel cage match to successfully defend the WWWF Heavyweight Championship (done after a blow by Sammartino sent Graham tumbling outside the steel cage and onto the floor, thus winning); the match has been uploaded to various video sharing sites. Monsoon would work occasionally behind the mic (usually filling in for Vince McMahon Jr.) before taking a more prolific role on the WWF's commentary team starting in the fall of 1982

Births[]

Unknown

January

May

June

August

September

October

  • 26 – CM Punk (Chicago, Illinois, USA)

November

December

Deaths[]

August

Debuts[]

August

Events[]

January

  • 25 – NWA Superbowl Of Wrestling

February

  • 23 – NWA/WWWF World Title Unification

April

  • 1 – Superdome Extravaganza

August

  • 26 – Tokyo Sports All-Star Dream Card

October

  • 29 – NWA/WWWF World Title Unification

Title changes[]

January

February

March

April

  • Ric Flair and Greg Valentine are stripped of the Mid-Atlantic version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship due to Flair and Valentine continually ending their title defences via disqualification
  • 1 - Don Muraco wins the NWA San Francisco United States title from Dean Ho in San Francisco, California
  • 2 - Wahoo McDaniel wins the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship from Greg Valentine in Greensboro; Moondog Mayne wins the NWA Americas title from Hector Guerrero in San Bernardino, California
  • 9 - Ric Flair wins the NWA Mid-Atlantic United States title from Mr. Wrestling in Charlotte; Ken Patera wins the NWA Mid-Atlantic title from Wahoo McDaniel in Charlotte
  • 23 - Paul Jones and Rick Steamboat win the vacant NWA Mid-Atlantic World Tag Team title in a tournament final over Masked Superstar and Ken Patera in Greensboro
  • 29 - Leo Burke regains the Stampede North American title from Michel Martel

May

June

  • 7 - Baron Von Raschke and Greg Valentine win the NWA Mid-Atlantic World Tag Team title from Paul Jones and Rick Steamboat in Raleigh, North Carolina; Jones wins the NWA TV title from Von Raschke in Raleigh
  • 10 - Rick Steamboat wins the NWA TV title from Paul Jones in Asheville, North Carolina
  • 16 - Ed Wiskoski regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Jerry Oates in Salem, Oregon
  • 24 - Roddy Piper wins the NWA San Francisco United States title from Moondog Mayne in San Francisco
  • 26 - The Yukon Lumberjacks (Eric and Pierre) win the WWWF Tag Team title from Dino Bravo and Dominic DeNucci in New York City
  • 30 - Hector Guerrero regains the NWA Americas title from Moondog Mayne in Los Angeles

July

August

  • 7 - Jos LeDuc wins the AWA Southern title from Jerry Lawler in Memphis, Tennessee
  • 11 - Moondog Mayne regains the NWA Americas title from Hector Guerrero in Los Angeles
  • 14 - Jerry Lawler regains the AWA Southern title from Jos LeDuc in Memphis
  • 13 - The NWA San Francisco United States title and the NWA Americas title, last held by Moondog Mayne, are both vacated when Mayne is killed in a car accident
  • 22 - Jonathan Boyd wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Ed Wsikoski in Portland
  • 25 - Chavo Guerrero, Sr. wins the vacant NWA Americas title in a tournament in Los Angeles
  • 28 - Jos LeDuc regains the AWA Southern title from Jerry Lawler in Memphis

September

  • Jerry Lawler regains the AWA Southern title from Jos LeDuc in Memphis (at some point between September 4 and September 25)
  • 1 - Paddy Ryan wins the Stampede North American title from Mr. Sakurada in Calgary, Alberta
  • 16 - Buddy Rose wins the vacant NWA San Francisco United States title in a tournament final over Jimmy Snuka in San Francisco
  • 17 - Tony Atlas wins the NWA Mid-Atlantic title from Ken Patera in Roanoke, Virginia
  • 22 - Kasavudu wins the Stampede North American title from Paddy Ryan in Calgary
  • 23 - Pat Patterson and Ray Stevens are awarded the AWA World Tag Team Championship via forfeit from The High Flyers (Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne) when Brunzell is injured while taking part in a charity softball game
  • 29 - Roddy Piper wins the NWA Americas title from Chavo Guerrero, Sr. in Los Angeles

October

November

  • Don Fargo wins the AWA Southern title (opponent and precise date and location unknown; title change took place no later than November 6)
  • 5 - Paul Jones and Rick Steamboat regain the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team title from Ric Flair and Big John Studd in Greensboro
  • 12 - Alo Leilani wins the Stampede North American title from Kasavudu in Edmonton
  • 20 - Tommy Gilbert wins the AWA Southern title from Don Fargo in Memphis
  • 21 - Tony Garea and Larry Zbyszko win the WWWF Tag Team title from the Yukon Lumberjacks in Allentown, Pennsylvania (aired on tape-delay on WWWF Championship Wrestling)
  • 27 - Don Fargo regains the AWA Southern title from Tommy Gilbert in Memphis

December

  • Chavo Guerrero wins the NWA Americas title from Twin Devil I
  • 1 - Big Daddy Ritter wins the Stampede North American title from Alo Leilani in Calgary
  • 2 - Tommy Gilbert regains the AWA Southern title from Don Fargo in Memphis (aired live on Championship Wrestling on WMC-TV)
  • 4 - Jerry Lawler wins the AWA Southern title from Tommy Gilbert in Memphis
  • 25 - Austin Idol wins the AWA Southern title from Jerry Lawler in Memphis
  • 26 - Paul Orndorff and Jimmy Snuka win the NWA Mid-Atlantic World Tag Team title from Baron Von Raschke and Greg Valentine in Richmond, Virginia
  • 30 - Rick Steamboat wins the NWA Mid-Atlantic United States title from Ric Flair in Greensboro

See also[]

Years
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1920s
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1930s
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1950s
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1960s
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1970s
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1980s
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1990s
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2010s
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2020s
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