|
Wrestler: |
Times: |
Date: |
Location: |
Notes: |
|
Orville Brown |
1 |
January 5,
1948 |
Des Moines, IA |
In July 1948,
the current version of National Wrestling Alliance
is founded and Brown is recognized as the first NWA
World champion. |
|
Lou Thesz |
1 |
November 27,
1949 |
|
Awarded when
Brown suffers career-ending injuries in an
automobile accident on November 1. The title is also
unified with the
World Heavyweight Championship (National Wrestling
Association). Thesz became the
Undisputed Champion of all of wrestling by
winning the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium World
Heavyweight Title, the only remaining major World
Championship at the time other than the NWA World
Title, on
May 21. |
|
Whipper Billy Watson |
1 |
March 15,
1956 |
Toronto, ON |
|
| Lou Thesz |
2 |
November 9,
1956 |
St. Louis, MO |
|
|
Édouard Carpentier† |
# |
June 14,
1957 |
Chicago, IL |
Carpentier was
awarded the title by disqualification when Lou Thesz
could not continue the match due to a back injury.
For 71 days, the NWA recognized the title as being
in dispute between Carpentier and Thesz. When
Carpentier's manager, promoter Eddie Quinn, left the
NWA in August 1958, the NWA retroactively announced
that Carpentier had never won title and had no claim
on it. |
| Lou Thesz |
2 |
July 24,
1957 |
Montreal, Quebec |
Thesz won a
rematch against Carpentier by disqualfication on
July 24, 1957. Carpentier's claim to the title was
considered withdrawn after 71 days when Montreal
promoter Eddie Quinn quit the NWA in August 1958.
Some territories such as Boston (AAC), Nebraska and
Los Angeles (NAWA) continued to recognize Carpentier.
Nebraska later recongized
Verne Gagne when he defeated Carpentier in
Omaha. The AAC recognized
Killer Kowalski when he defeated Carpentier in
Boston. The NAWA/WWA in Los Angeles recognized
Carpentier as World Champion in July 1959 and
recognized
Freddie Blassie as champion when he defeated
Carpentier in 1961. |
|
Dick Hutton |
1 |
November 14,
1957 |
Toronto, ON |
[ |
|
Pat O'Connor |
1 |
January 9,
1959 |
St. Louis, MO |
The
AWA, under
Verne Gagne, seceded from the NWA and declared
O'Connor their first
AWA World Champion in May 1960. This was
considered a compromise gesture by the AWA given
that Gagne held Édouard Carpentier disputed version
of the title. O'Conner was given 90 days to defend
the AWA title against number one contender Gagne and
when he did not, the title was awarded to Gagne. |
|
Buddy Rogers |
1 |
June 30,
1961 |
Chicago, IL |
[ |
|
Bruno Sammartino† |
# |
August 2,
1962 |
Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Refused to
accept the strap because Rogers had wrestled with an
injury.
. Retrieved on
|
| Buddy Rogers |
1 |
August 2,
1962 |
Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Rogers regains
the title, as a result of Sammartino not accepting
it. |
|
Bobo Brazil† |
# |
August 18,
1962 |
|
Bobo Brazil
refused the title because of a groin injury that
Rogers had claimed to have. However, on September 6,
1962, Brazil is declared the new NWA World
Heavyweight Champion because a doctor had determined
that Rogers hadn't suffered an injury. |
| Buddy Rogers |
1 |
October 30,
1962 |
|
|
| Lou Thesz |
3 |
January 24,
1963 |
Toronto, ON |
Promoters in
the northeast United States refuse to recognize
Rogers' one-fall loss to Lou Thesz, thus breaking
away from the NWA to form a new promotion, the
World Wide Wrestling Federation. Rogers is
declared the first
WWWF World Heavyweight Champion soon after. |
|
Gene Kiniski |
1 |
January 7,
1966 |
St. Louis, MO |
|
|
Dory Funk, Jr. |
1 |
February 11,
1969 |
Tampa, FL |
|
|
Harley Race |
1 |
May 24,
1973 |
Kansas City, MO |
|
|
Jack Brisco |
1 |
July 20,
1973 |
Houston, TX |
|
|
Giant Baba |
1 |
December 2,
1974 |
Kagoshima, Japan |
|
| Jack Brisco |
2 |
December 8,
1974 |
Toyohashi, Japan |
|
|
Terry Funk |
1 |
December 10,
1975 |
Miami, FL |
|
| Harley Race |
2 |
February 6,
1977 |
Toronto, ON |
[ |
|
Dusty Rhodes |
1 |
August 21,
1979 |
Tampa, FL |
|
| Harley Race |
3 |
August 26,
1979 |
Orlando, FL |
|
| Giant Baba |
2 |
October 31,
1979 |
Nagoya, Japan |
|
| Harley Race |
4 |
November 7,
1979 |
Amagasaki, Japan |
|
| Giant Baba |
3 |
September 4,
1980 |
Saga, Japan |
|
| Harley Race |
5 |
September 9,
1980 |
Ohtsu, Japan |
|
|
Tommy Rich |
1 |
April 27,
1981 |
Augusta, GA |
|
| Harley Race |
6 |
May 1,
1981 |
Gainesville, GA |
[ |
| Dusty Rhodes |
2 |
June 21,
1981 |
Atlanta, GA |
|
|
Ric Flair |
1 |
September 17,
1981 |
Kansas City, MO |
Wrestled to a
double countout against WWF Heavyweight Champion
Bob Backlund on
July 4,
1982 in Atlanta, GA. |
The Midnight Rider
(Dusty Rhodes) † |
# |
February 9,
1982 |
Tampa, FL |
Rhodes,
wrestling under a mask as The Midnight Rider due to
being under suspension in Florida, returned the
title belt when NWA President
Bob Geigel asked the Midnight Rider to unmask or
return the belt (NWA rules of the time forbade
masked wrestlers from holding the World Heavyweight
title). |
| Ric Flair |
1* |
February 9,
1982 |
Tampa, FL |
|
|
Jack Veneno |
# |
September 1982 |
Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic |
|
| Ric Flair† |
1* |
September 7,
1982 |
Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic |
|
|
Carlos Colón† |
# |
January 6,
1983 |
San Juan, PR |
|
| Ric Flair† |
1* |
January 23,
1983 |
Miami, FL |
|
|
Victor Jovica† |
# |
February 8,
1983 |
Couva, Trinidad |
|
| Ric Flair† |
1* |
February 11,
1983 |
Manatí, PR |
|
| Harley Race |
7 |
June 10,
1983 |
St. Louis, MO |
|
| Ric Flair |
2* |
November 24,
1983 |
Greensboro, NC |
Won the title
at
Starrcade in a Steel Cage Match. |
| Harley Race |
8 |
March 21,
1984 |
Wellington, New Zealand |
|
| Ric Flair |
3* |
March 23,
1984 |
Kallang, Singapore |
|
|
Kerry Von Erich |
1 |
May 6,
1984 |
Irving, TX |
|
| Ric Flair |
4* |
May 24,
1984 |
Yokosuka, Japan |
|
| Dusty Rhodes |
3 |
July 26,
1986 |
Greensboro, NC |
Won the title
at
The Great American Bash. |
| Ric Flair |
5* |
August 9,
1986 |
St. Louis, MO |
|
|
Ron Garvin |
1 |
September 25,
1987 |
Detroit, MI |
|
| Ric Flair |
6* |
November 26,
1987 |
Chicago, IL |
Won the title
at
Starrcade. |
|
Ricky Steamboat |
1 |
February 20,
1989 |
Chicago, IL |
Won the title
at
Chi-Town Rumble. |
| Ric Flair |
7* |
May 7,
1989 |
Nashville, TN |
Won the title
at
Wrestle War. |
|
Sting |
1 |
July 7,
1990 |
Baltimore, MD |
Won the title
at
The Great American Bash. |
| Ric Flair |
8* |
January 11,
1991 |
East Rutherford, NJ |
|
|
Tatsumi Fujinami |
1 |
March 21,
1991 |
Tokyo, Japan |
Won the title
at
WCW/New Japan Supershow. |
| Ric Flair |
9* |
May 19,
1991 |
St. Petersburg, FL |
Won the title
at
SuperBrawl. |
|
