This is a list of various things that took place in 1961.
Significant events
- The Los Angeles-based North American Wrestling Alliance is renamed Worldwide Wrestling Associates
Births
January
- 30 - Sol De Oriente
February
- 21 - La Monster
March
- 9 - Rick Steiner (Bay City, Michigan)
- 11 - Coco Azul (AAA 00s)
- 17 - La Fiera
- 27 - Octagón
April
- 23 - Terry Gordy (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
- 28 - Billy Travis
- 30 - El Físico Nuclear
May
- 1 - Leon Rojo
- 14 - Thomas Couch
- 25 - Hiro Saito
June
July
- 9 - Damián 666
- 13 - Bill Pierce (Long Island, New York)
- 20 - Cheryl Rusa (Los Angeles, California)
- 21 - La Rebelde
- 25 - Jaguar Yokota
- 28 - Ciclón Ramírez
- 30 - El Brazo
August
- 10 - Salomon Grundy
- 15 - Shu El Guerrero
- 25 - Nick Kiniski (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
September
- 1 - Bam Bam Bigelow (Asbury Park, New Jersey)
- 2 - Mongolian Mauler
- 6 - Wendi Richter (Dallas, Texas)
- 16 - Dan Kroffat
- 17 - Jim Cornette (Louisville, Kentucky)
- 27 - Copetes Salazar
October
- 1 - Rico Constantino (Las Vegas, Nevada)
- 1 - Super Astro
- 4 - Bobby Fulton
- 29 - Mastin III
Deaths
Debuts
March
- 26 - El Bizarro
July
- 16 - Dr. Wagner
October
- 11 - Masio Koma
December
- 22 - Yamamoto
Events
Title changes
March
- 31 - Mike DiBiase wins the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship from Herb Freeman in Portland, Oregon
May
- 26 - Luther Lindsay wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Mike DiBiase in Portland
June
- 12 - Freddie Blassie wins the WWA World Heavyweight Championship from Édouard Carpentier in Los Angeles, California
- 30 - Buddy Rogers wins the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Pat O'Connor in Chicago, Illinois
July
- 11 - Gene Kiniski wins the AWA World Heavyweight Championship from Verne Gagne in Minneapolis, Minnesota
August
- 8 - Verne Gagne regains the AWA World title from Gene Kiniski in Minneapolis
September
- 12 - Emile Dupree wins the vacant PSA Maritimes Heavyweight Championship by defeating Don Jardine in Moncton, New Brunswick
- 25 - Nicoli Volkoff wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Luther Lindsay in Portland
December
- 1 - Billy White Wolf wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Nicoli Volkoff in Portland