Kazuo Yamazaki retires at New Japan's Tokyo Dome card. Both Akira Maeda and Nobuhiko Takada are in attendance. Maeda has a meeting with Antonio Inoki and New Japan president Tatsumi Fujinami after the card. Also, Kenzo Suzuki debuts on the same card. Kensuke Sasaki defeats Gen'ichiro Tenryu in Tokyo to win IWGP Heavyweight Title.
Manami Toyota defeats Yumiko Hotta in Tokyo to win WWWA World Title.
01/07
OBITUARY: Gary Albright (36) [Pennsylvania, heart attack during a match]
01/30
Dream Stage Entertainment promotes the first round of PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 tournament at Tokyo Dome. Kazuyuki Fujita, formerly with New Japan, defeats Han Nyman in 2:48. Masaaki Satake, formerly with Seido Kaikan karte, lost to Mark Coleman in 1:14.
After being defeated by Naoya Ogawa once again at Tokyo Dome, Shin'ya Hashimoto announces his retirement.
04/09
Following the first round of the 16-man tournament in Sendai, Michinoku promotes the final rounds of Super J-Cup 3rd Stage at Ryogoku Kokugikan. Jushin Thunder Liger defeats CIMA in final.
04/19
OBITUARY: Masakazu Fukuda (27) [internal bleeding in brain]
04/21
New Japan's Kuniaki Kobayashi retires. Satoru Sayama is in attendance, and Dynamite Kid sends a message for the ceremony.
05/01
Kazushi Sakuraba defeats Royce Gracie in the second round of the PRIDE Grand Prix tournament after six 15-min rounds of the battle. Also, Kazuyuki Fujita, a former New Japan wrestler, defeats Mark Kerr.
05/13
OBITUARY: Jumbo Tsuruta (49) [Manila, Philippines - failure of a liver transport surgery]
Mitsuharu Misawa is removed from the position as the president of All Japan Pro-Wrestling by the majority votes of the executive board. He and some other wrestlers have had conflict with Motoko Baba, a widow of late Giant Baba.
06/09
Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue defeat Takao Ohmori & Yoshihiro Takayama in 4-team tournament final in Tokyo to win the vacant World Tag Team Title (All Japan).
06/13
All Japan holds a regular board meeting. Following Mitsuharu Misawa, six more members resign from their position. Three days later, 24 former All Japan wrestlers have a press conference and annouce the starting of new promotion.
Gran Hamada & Ayako Hamada defeat Minoru Tanaka & Yumi Fukawa in 14-team P*MIX championship tournament. The Hamadas become the first mixed gender tag team champions in the world as well as the first parent-child tag team champions in Japan.
07/02
Gen'ichiro Tenryu appears on an All Japan card for the first time in ten years. He greets to the remaining members and the fans from the ring.
Kaoru Itoh defeats Manami Toyota in Tokyo to win WWWA World Title.
10/09
All Japan's top star Toshiaki Kawada defeats New Japan's IWGP Heavyweight champion Kensuke Sasaki at Tokyo Dome in a non-title match. Sasaki vacates the title immediately after the match. On the opening card, Shin'ya Hashimoto comes out of retirement and defeats Tatsumi Fujinami.
10/28
Gen'ichiro Tenryu defeats Toshiaki Kawada in 8-man tournament final in Tokyo to win the vacant Triple Crown Heavyweight Title.
11/15
New Japan announces the release of Shin'ya Hashimoto from the organization. Hashimoto has started a new group called "ZERO"(later renamed "ZERO-ONE") in the previous month.
12/22
OBITUARY: Yoshihiro Momota (54) [liver failure] - a son of Rikidozan and one of the founding members of All Japan and NOAH
OBITUARY: Johnny Valentine (71) - one of Antonio Inoki's biggest rivals
06/08
Keiji Mutoh defeats Gen'ichiro Tenryu to win Triple Crown Heavyweight Title. Masahito Kakihara & Mitsuya Nagai defeat Yuuji Nagata & Shin'ya Makabe in Tokyo to win the vacant All Asia Tag Team Title on the same card.
07/14
Gen'ichiro Tenryu & Yoji Anjoh defeat Taiyo Kea (Maunakea Mossman) & Johnny Smith in Tokyo to win World Tag Team Title (All Japan).
07/16
OBITUARY: Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy (40) [Tennessee - heart failure] - the original Freebird
Tomoko Watanabe & Nanae Takahashi defeat Mima Shimoda & Etsuko Mita in Tokyo to win WWWA World Tag Team Title.
07/30
Atsushi Ohnita is eleceted as a senator from the majority Liberal Democratic Party. He is the third pro-wrestler to become a congressman in Japan following Antonio Inoki and Hiroshi Hase.
Arashi & Kouki Kitahara defeat Nobutaka Araya & Shigeo Okumura in Tokyo to win the vacant All Asia Tag Team Title.
10/08
New Japan has memorial card for 50th year of puroresu at Tokyo Dome. In main event, Yuji Nagata (New Japan) & Jun Akiyama (NOAH) defeat Mutoh (New Japan) & Hiroshi Hase (All Japan). Earlier on the card, Fujinami has his 30th anniversary match, teaming with Bob Backlund to defeat Dory Funk Jr. & Terry Funk.
10/13
NWA World Heavyweight Title is held-up after a match between the champion Steve Corino and Shin'ya Hashimoto in St. Petersburg, FL when Corino is unable to continue due to injury.
10/22
Hayabusa (FMW) is paralyzed due to an accident during a match against Mommoth Suzuki.
All Japan's World Tag Team champions Mutoh & Taiyo Kea defeat New Japan's IWGP Tag Team champions Fujianmi & Osamu Nishimura and become the firs team to hold the titles from both organizations.
11/02
Osamu Kido, one of the original members of New Japan, retires. He teams with Choshu to face Fujinami & Kengo Kimura to a 10min time limit draw.
11/06
OBITUARY: Shinji Ueda [heart failure] - long-time commissioner of All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling
12/15
Shin'ya Hashimoto defeats the champion Steve Corino and Gary Steele in a round-robin triangle match in McKeesport, PA to win NWA World Heavyweight Title.
Akira Hokuto has retirement match on GAEA JAPAN card in Yokohama, teaming with Meiko Satomura to face Chigusa Nagayo & Ayako Hamada.
04/13
Gen'ichiro Tenryu defeats Toshiaki Kawada in Tokyo to win the vacant Triple Crown Heavyweight Title. Also on the same card, Arashi & Nobutaka Araya defeat Mitsuya Nagai & Shigeo Okumura in Tokyo to win the vacant All Asia Tag Team Title.
04/14
Hiromichi Fuyuki, no longer able continue to wrestle due to a stomach cancer, has retirement match on NOAH card at Differ Ariake, teaming with Mitsuharu Misawa & Yoshinari Ogawa to face the team of Akira Taue, Masao Inoue, & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi.
04/18
OBITUARY: Wahoo McDaniel (63) [diabetes]
04/21
Taka Michinoku's KAIENTAI-DOJO has the debut card at Differ Ariake.
Bob Sapp has his first MMA match on PRIDE 20 against Norihisa Yamamoto.
Tomezo Tsunokake, a midget wrestler, has retirement match against Mr. Buttaman.
05/02
In the first female match ever on New Japan card, Manami Toyota & Yumiko Hotta face Kaoru Itoh & Momoe Nakanishi at Tokyo Dome. Jushin Thunder Liger & Minoru Tanaka defeat Jado & Gedo to win IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title on the same card.
05/05
Hiromichi "Kohdoh" Fuyuki has an opening card for his newly created "World Entertainment Wrestling" with some of the former FMW stars.
05/13
OBITUARY: George Gordienko (74) [brain tumor]
05/16
OBITUARY: Shouichi Arai [committs suicide] - former president, Frontier Martial-arts Wrestling
05/17
OBITUARY: Davey Boy Smith (39) [heart failure]
07/06
Kaoru Itoh defeats Manami Toyota in Tokyo to win WWWA World Title. Momoe Nakanishi & Nanae Takahashi defeat Rumi Kazama & Takako Inoue in Tokyo to win WWWA World Tag Team Title.
OBITUARY: Don Owen (90) - legendary promoter in Pacific Northwest
08/15
OBITUARY: Little Frankie (44) - Japanese midget wrestling legend
08/28
W.M.F. (Wrestling Marvelous Future) has its opening card with Hayabusa as the president.
08/29
Tsuyoshi Kikuchi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeat Jushin Thunder Liger & Minoru Tanaka in Tokyo to win IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title. Shinsuke Nakamura has his debut match at Nippon Budokan against Tadao Yasuda on the same card.
09/22
OBITUARY: Toshikuni Matsunaga (57) - former president, All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling
09/27
Atsushi Ohnita promotes a wrestling card in Afghanistan.
Mima Shimoda & Takako Inoue defeat Momoe Nakanishi & Kayo Noumi in Tokyo to win the vacant WWWA World Tag Team Title.
01/04
Yoshihiro Takayama defeats Tsuyoshi Kosaka in the final of 4-man tournament at Tokyo Dome to win the revived NWF Heavyweight Title. Also on the same card, former UFC champion Josh Barnett has the first pro-wrestling match, challenging Yuuji Nagata's IWGP Heavyweight Title.
01/09
OBITUARY: Naoto Morishita (42) [suicide] - PRIDE promoter
01/10
NOAH's Mitsuharu Misawa and New Japan's Masahiro Chono teams for the first time and lose to Kenta Kobashi & Akira Taue on a NOAH card at Nippon Budokan.
Riki Choshu's WJ Pro-Wrestling has the debut card at Yokohama Arena.
03/09
MMA fighter Ensen Inoue has his first pro-wrestling match in a 8-man tag team match at Nagoya Rainbow Hall.
03/19
OBITUARY: Hiromichi Fuyki (42) [after a one-year battle with cancer]
04/13
The Great Sasuke of Michinoku Pro-Wrestling is elected a congressman of Iwate Prefecture. He is the first masked wrestler in the world to become a politician.
04/18
Kengo Kimura has retirement match against Osamu Nishimura at Korakuen Hall.
04/20
Nanae Takahashi & Etsuko Mita defeat Mima Shimoda & Takako Inoue in Tokyo to win WWWA World Tag Team Title.
05/02
In a double title match, NWF Heavyweight champion Yoshihiro Takayama defeats Yuuji Nagata in Tokyo to win IWGP Heavyweight Title.
05/05
Chapparita ASARI has retirement match against Kyoko Inoue in a NEO card at Korakuen Hall.
05/08
Satoshi Kojima vacates World Tag Team Title (All Japan) because of no title defense almost for half a year due to his partner Taiyo Kea's absence.
05/11
Ayako Hamada defeats Momoe Nakanishi in Yokohama to win WWWA World Title.
06/01
Tomoko Watanabe & Kumiko Maekawa defeat Nanae Takahashi & Etsuko Mita in Sapporo to win WWWA World Tag Team Title.
Dream Stage Entertainment holds a press conference to announce that a pro-wrestling event "Hustle 1" will be held on 2004/01/04 at Saitama Super Arena.
Shoji Nakamaki retires in a 8-man tag match on a card promoted by Atsushi Onita at Korakuen Hall.
12/23
OBITUARY: Sunoe Matsunaga aka Yuriko Amami (67) - one of the first trainees in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling
12/25
Tetsuhiro Kuroda & Mr. Gannosuke defeat Tengukeiser & Jun Kasai in Tokyo to win the vacant All Asia Tag Team Title.
12/31
The MMA promotional war takes place when Inoki Bombaye 2003 (Antonio Inoki), Dynamite! (K-1), and PRIDE Otoko Matsuri (DSE) are held and aired on television at the same day. Former yokozuna Akebono has his first MMA match on Dynamite! and loses to Bob Sapp at Nagoya Dome.
New Japan's weekly television show on TV Asahi "World Pro-Wrestling" becomes a 30-min program.
04/04
M's Style has the debut card at Differ Ariake.
04/18
Kayo Noumi has retirement match against Kumiko Maekawa at Korakuen Hall.
05/02
Ayako Hamada defeats Amazing Kong in Tokyo to win WWWA World Title.
05/04
Mike Rutondo has retirement match at Korakuen Hall.
05/05
Fuyuki Army Promotion has its last card at Kawasaki Stadium.
05/18
OBITUARY: Sambo Asako (40) [diabetes]
05/22
Gen'ichiro Tenryu & Masanobu Fuchi defeat Great Kosuke (Satoshi Kojima) & Shiryu (Kaz Hayashi) in Tokyo to win All Asia Tag Team Title.
06/01
Bob Sapp vacates IWGP Heavyweight Title after losing to Kazuyuki Fujita in an MMA match on 2004/05/22 in Saitama.
06/05
Kazuyuki Fujita defeats Hiroshi Tanahashi in Osaka to win the vacant IWGP Heavyweight Title.
06/06
Also on the same card, Jado & Gedo defeat American Dragon (Brian Danielson) & Curry Man (Christopher Daniels) in Osaka to win IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title.
OBITUARY: Samson Kutsuwada (57) [marrow leukemia] - the first one to wrestle under the Tiger Mask gimmick
10/14
Ultimo Dragon has the last match under the character at Korakuen Hall, teaming with Jushin Thunder Liger and The Great Sasuke to face the original, third, & fourth Tiger Masks.
10/31
Keiji Muto and Mitsuharu Misawa team for the first time and defeat the team of Kensuke Sasaki & Hiroshi Hase on an All Japan card at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
11/03
Mitsuya Nagai & Masayuki Naruse defeat Gen'ichiro Tenryu & Masanobu Fuchi in Tokyo to win All Asia Tag Team Title.
12/12
Nanae Takahashi defeats Ayako Hamada in Kawasaki to win WWWA World Title.
Atsushi Onita has a "graduation" match at Korakuen Hall, teaming with Ichiro Yaguchi to face the team of Gen'ichiro Tenryu & Shiro Koshinaka.
HERO'S has the debut card at Saitama Super Arena.
04/03
Lioness Asuka has retirement match on a GAEA JAPAN card at Yokohama Culture Gym, teaming with Chigusa Nagayo to face Sugar Sato & Chikayo Nagashima.
04/10
GAEA JAPAN has its final card at Korakuen Hall. All titles are vacated. Chigusa Nagayo has retirement match against Meiko Satomura. Sakura Hirota and Ayana Mizumura also retire on the same card.
ZERO1-Max holds the first wrestling card in 44 years at Yasukuni Shrine.
During a New Japan card at Tokyo Dome, Tatsumi Fujinami & Mitsuharu Misawa team for the first time and defeat Masahiro Chono & Jushin Thunder Liger. Also on the same card, Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeats Satoshi Kojima to win IWGP Heavyweight Title, and Minoru (Tanaka) & Hirooki Goto defeat Koji Kanemoto & Wataru Inoue to win IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title.
Shuji Kondo & Brother YASSHI defeat Tomoaki Honma & Katsuhiko Nakajima in a 8-team tournament final in Tokyo to win the vacant All Asia Tag Team Title.
07/11
OBITUARY: Shin'ya Hashimoto (40) [internal bleeding in the brain]
In the first 3-way match every for IWGP Heavyweight Title, Brock Lesnar wins the match against the champion Kazuyuki Fujita and Masahiro Chono by pinning Chono.
King's Road has its opening card at Korakuen Hall.
01/28
OBITUARY: Black Cat (51) [heart failure]
02/19
Tiger Mask (4th) defeats Black Tiger (4th) in Tokyo to win NWA World & IWGP junior heavyweight titles.
03/26
Haruka Eigen has retirement match, teaming with Jun Akiyama against Akira Taue & Masao Inoue.
Kumiko Maekawa has retirement match at Korakuen Hall and loses the WWWA World Title to Nanae Takahashi. Takahashi, however, retires the title immediately after the match by returning the belt to Takashi Matsunaga, the chairman of All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling.
05/28
Kakihara Masahito has retirement match against Kouji Kanemoto at Korakuen Hall.
06/07
OBITUARY: John Tenta (42) [bladder cancer]
06/20
Tatsumi Fujinami, who has been with New Japan since its opening, gives a notice of resignation to the company.
Former New Japan ring announcer Hidekazu Tanaka, along with Tatsumi Fujinami, Osamu Nishimura, Hiro Saito, and Tatsutoshi Goto, have a press conference to announce the start of their new company, "Muga World Pro-Wrestling".
07/15
Brock Lesnar is stripped of the IWGP Heavyweight Title due to a contractual issue but refuses to return the belt.
07/17
Hiroshi Tanahashi wins the vacant IWGP Heavyweight Title, defeating Giant Bernard in a 6-man tournament final in Sapporo.
07/27
WAR has its final card ato Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
08/27
Hiroshi Hase retires on All Japan's card at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Global Professional Wrestling Alliance is formed with various organizations in Japan as well as European Wrestling Association and some American organizations such as Ring of Honor, WORLD-1, and WLW. The first chairman is Mitsuharu Misawa .
09/15
Muga World Pro-Wrestling has its first card in Fukuoka.
Former New Japan wrestler Katsuyori Shibata has his first MMA match on "HERO'S" card at Nagoya Rainbow Hall. He defeats former RINGS Japan star Yoshihisa Yamamoto by KO.
Antonio Inoki's new group, "Inoki Genome Federation", has its first card at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Kurt Angle defeats Brock Lesnar for the third version of the IWGP Heavyweight Title belt on an IGF card in Tokyo without the authorization by New Japan.
07/16
JD Star, a women's group, has its final card at Shinkiba 1st Ring in Tokyo.
Dory Funk Jr. has his Japanese retirement match on All Japan card at Ryogoku Kokugikan, teaming with Osamu Nishimura to defeat Gen'ichiro Tenryu & Masanobu Fuchi.
03/16
OBITUARY: Gary Hart (66, managed the Great Kabuki, Dragon Master, and Great Muta in the US) [heart failure]
Dynamic Dream Team has the first Ryogoku Kokugikan card, drawing 8,000.
08/30
Former Pancrase star Masakatsu Funaki returns to the traditional style of puroresu when he teams with Keiji Mutoh to face Masahiro Chono & Minoru Suzuki at Ryogoku Kokugikan on an All Japan card.
09/02
Dragon Gate holds a press conference to make a public apology regarding the animal abuse on which police has been investigating since the spring. Several wrestlers have posted photo of their pet monkey being abused.
Hustle announces the cancellation of four of the five remaining cards for the year.
11/20
Jun Kasai defeats Ryuji Ito in a "razor board plus alpha death match" on a BJW card at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. This match is voted as the Match of Year in the annual Puroresu Awards.
12/14
Yoshi Tatsu, a former New Japan wrestler Naofumi Yamamoto, debuts on WWE RAW.
