2008 in professional wrestling

2008 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.

List of notable promotions
These promotions held notable events in 2008.

WWE

 * – Raw
 * – SmackDown
 * - ECW

Raw and SmackDown each had a world championship, a secondary championship, a women's championship, and a male tag team championship. ECW only had a world championship.

Debuts

 * January 3 – Ryuichi Sekine
 * March 7 - Matt Taven
 * March 11 – Shinya Ishikawa
 * April 12 - Hamuko Hoshi
 * April 19 – Shota
 * April 26 - Adam Cole
 * May 24 - Adam Page
 * June 27 - Yuji Okabayashi
 * July 13 - Nozomi Dai (NEO)
 * July 20 - Hikaru Shida
 * September 20 – Nikki Cross
 * November 11 – Yumehito Imanari
 * November 15 - Bo Dallas
 * November 22 – Rusev
 * December 4 – Ryuichi Kawakami

Retirements

 * Roadkill (1996 – February 4, 2008) (brief return only in 2012)
 * Billy Kidman (September 11, 1994 – February 23, 2008)
 * Woody Farmer (1960s-April 12, 2008)
 * Torrie Wilson (February 21, 1999 – May 8, 2008) (brief return only in 2009 and 2018)
 * Jonathan Coachman (December 23, 1999 – June 2008)
 * Danny Basham (1998–July 5, 2008)
 * Ashley Massaro (June 27, 2005 – July 9, 2008)
 * Carlos Colón (February 16, 1966 – July 19, 2008)
 * Johnny Jeter (September 2001 – August 2008) (brief return only in 2014)
 * Cherry (January 1999 – August 15, 2008)
 * Sonny Siaki (March 1998 – September 17, 2008)
 * Joey Mercury (October 12, 1996 – October 2008) (returned to wrestling from 2010 onwards)
 * Peter Thornley (1964-October 29, 2008)
 * KC James (December 15, 2001 – December 12, 2008)
 * Misae Genki (August 28, 1994 – December 31, 2008)

Deaths

 * January 17 - Ernie Holmes, 59
 * February 15 – Johnny Weaver, 72
 * March 6 – Don Curtis, 80
 * March 16 – Gary Hart, 66
 * March 20 – Bestia Salvaje, 46
 * March 23 – Chase Tatum, 34
 * March 23 - Luis Magana, 97
 * March 28 – Ron Slinker, 62
 * April 5 - Buffalo Jim Barrier, 55
 * May 11 – Judy Grable, 72
 * May 12 – Penny Banner, 73
 * May 25 - Rudy Kay, 65
 * June 17 - Jimmy Jackson (wrestler), 51
 * July 12 - Evgeny Artyukhin Sr., 59
 * July 30 – Alfonso Dantés, 65
 * August 20 - Sonny Fargo, 80
 * August 30 – Killer Kowalski, 81
 * September 21 - Al Hobman, 83
 * October 8 - Hogan Wharton, 72
 * October 16 – Jack Reynolds, 71
 * October 19 – Lia Maivia, 81
 * October 26 – S. D. Jones, 63
 * December 4 – Steve Bradley, 32
 * December 14 – Mike Bell, 37