2011 in professional wrestling

2011 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.

List of notable promotions
These promotions held notable events in 2011.

WWE

 * – Raw
 * – SmackDown

Prior to the end of the first WWE brand extension in August, Raw and SmackDown each had a world championship and a secondary championship, while the women's championship and male tag team championship were shared across the two brands.

Debuts

 * January 23 - Eri Susa
 * February 26 - Meari Naito (Ice Ribbon)
 * March 2 – Neko Nitta
 * March 11 - Maki Narumiya
 * May 4 – Trans-Am Hiroshi
 * May 13 - EVIL
 * June 1 – Solo Darling
 * June 18 – Marius Al-Ani
 * June 19 - Bandido
 * June 26 – Saki Kashima
 * July 7 – Cameron
 * July 21 - Nana Kawasa
 * August 7 – Rabbit Miu
 * September 7 – Punch Tominaga
 * October 22 – Gianni Valletta
 * October 23 – Jason Lee
 * October 29 – Hektor Invictus
 * November 24 – Koji Doi
 * December 18 – Summer Rae

Retirements

 * Krissy Vaine (September 2000 – 2011) (returned to wrestling in 2019)
 * Taylor Wilde (June 2003 – February 5, 2011) (returned to Impact Wrestling on April 25, 2021 at the Rebellion)
 * Pierre Carl Ouellet (1987-February 8, 2011) (returned to wrestling in 2016)
 * Edge (1992 – April 11, 2011) (was medically cleared in 2020 and returned in that year's Men's Royal Rumble match)
 * Gypsy Joe (1951-January 7, 2011)
 * Dave Kidney (1950s-January 28, 2011)
 * Estrella Blanca (1954-April 17, 2011)
 * Michelle McCool (November 18, 2004 – May 1, 2011) (brief return in 2018 - Royal Rumble and WWE Evolution)
 * Chyna (1995 – May 15, 2011)
 * Roddy Piper (1969–August 12, 2011)
 * Brett DiBiase (July 22, 2008 – August 22, 2011)
 * Daizee Haze (March 29, 2002 – October 1, 2011)
 * Daikokubō Benkei (November 10, 1994 – October 23, 2011)
 * Maryse (July 10, 2006 – October 28, 2011) (as a professional wrestler) (returned to WWE in April 2016 to become her husband's manager/valet and has had a couple of one-off tag team matches teaming with her husband, including one at WrestleMania 33)
 * Takeshi Rikio (May 28, 2000 – November 27, 2011)
 * Nigel McGuinness (September 1999 – December 17, 2011)
 * Brent Albright (October 10, 1998 – December 17, 2011)

Deaths

 * January 1 - Verne Langdon, 69
 * January 7 – Val Puccio, 45
 * January 23 - Jack LaLanne, 96
 * January 26 - Shawn Osborne, 34
 * February 2 - Wolf, 38
 * March 17 - Fabián el Gitano, 39
 * March 20 – Oliver Humperdink, 62
 * April 9 - Chip Fairway, 38
 * April 11 - Larry Sweeney, 30
 * May 20 – Randy Savage, 58
 * June 21 - Tim Burke, 50
 * August 11 – Scott LeDoux, 62
 * August 20 – Rafael Halperin, (b. 1924) 86 or 87
 * August 25 – Donna Christianello, 69
 * September 6 – Little Tokyo, 70
 * September 20 - Johnny Barend, 82
 * October 11 – Doctor X, 43
 * October 29 - Jimmy Savile, 84
 * November 10 - Killer Karl Kox, 80
 * November 22 - Bison Smith, 38
 * December 21 - Umanosuke Ueda, 71