List of NWA World Heavyweight Champions

List of professional wrestling champions From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. It is the promotion's premier title.

Current champion, Silas Mason.

NWA currently recognizes 103 individual World's Heavyweight Championship reigns.[1][2] The inaugural champion was Orville Brown. The longest reigning champion is Lou Thesz, who held the title from November 27, 1949, to March 15, 1956, for a total of 2,300 days (6 years, 3 months, and 16 days); Thesz also holds the record for longest combined reigns at 3,749 days. Shane Douglas has the record for the shortest reign as champion, for less than 1 day. Ric Flair holds the record for most reigns with 8. The youngest champion is Chris Candido who won the title at the age of 22, while the oldest champion is Tim Storm, who won it at the age of 51.

Silas Mason is the current champion in his first reign. He won the title by defeating Thom Latimer at NWA 77th Anniversary Show on August 16, 2025, in Huntington, New York.

Title history

Names

More information Name, Years ...
Name Years
NWA World Heavyweight Championship July 14, 1948 – October 21, 2016
NWA World's Heavyweight Championship October 21, 2016 – present
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Reigns

More information No., Reign ...
Key
No. Overall reign number
Reign Reign number for the specific champion
Days Number of days held
Days recog. Number of days held recognized by the promotion
N/A Unknown information
† Championship change is unrecognized by the promotion
<1 Reign lasted less than a day
Close
More information No., Champion ...
No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref.
Date Event Location Reign DaysDays recog.
National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)
1 Orville Brown July 14, 1948 N/A Waterloo, IA 1 501501 On July 14, 1948, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) was founded in Waterloo, Iowa and Brown was recognized as the first official NWA World Heavyweight Champion. At the time of the founding of the NWA, Brown already held the Midwest Wrestling Association's World Heavyweight Championship and the Iowa version of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship; during Brown's reign, the two championships were unified into the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. [a][3]
2 Lou Thesz November 27, 1949 N/A N/A 1 1,9412,300 Awarded when Orville Brown suffered career-ending injuries in an automobile accident on November 1, 1949. Thesz had earlier won the National Wrestling Association's World Heavyweight Championship on July 20, 1948 from Wild Bill Longson. Thesz became the undisputed champion of all of wrestling by winning the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium's World Heavyweight Championship, the remaining major world championship at the time other than the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Baron Michele Leone on May 21, 1952. [b]
† Leo Nomellini March 22, 1955 House show San Francisco, CA 1 115— Nomellini defeated Lou Thesz by countout in the second fall and disqualification in the third fall. The California Athletic Commission recognized the title change by disqualification, but both wrestlers continued to claim the title.
† Lou Thesz July 15, 1955 House show St. Louis, MO 244— Thesz defeated Leo Nomellini in a rematch.
3 Whipper Billy Watson March 15, 1956 House show Toronto, ON 1 239239 Watson won the match and the championship by count out. [c]
4 Lou Thesz November 9, 1956 House show St. Louis, MO 2 217370 Thesz won the match and the championship by count out. [d]
† Édouard Carpentier June 14, 1957 House show Chicago, IL 1 40— Carpentier was awarded the title when Lou Thesz could not continue the match due to a back injury. In some territories, Thesz continued to be recognized as NWA World Heavyweight Champion, while in others Carpentier was billed as the champion. [e]
† Lou Thesz July 24, 1957 House show Montreal, Quebec 113— Thesz won a rematch against Édouard Carpentier by disqualification. The NWA initially continued to recognize Carpentier as the champion, but voided any recognition of Carpentier as champion when he withdrew the claim for the title when Eddie Quinn, Carpentier's promoter in Montreal, quit the NWA in August 1958. Some territories such as Boston's Atlantic Athletic Commission (AAC), Los Angeles' North American Wrestling Alliance (NAWA, later WWA), and the Nebraska promotions continued to recognize Carpentier as NWA World Heavyweight Champion. The AAC recognized Killer Kowalski as world champion when he defeated Carpentier in Boston. Nebraska later recognized Verne Gagne as world champion when he defeated Carpentier in Omaha. Los Angeles recognized Freddie Blassie as world champion when he defeated Carpentier in 1961. [f]
5 Dick Hutton November 14, 1957 House show Toronto, ON 1 421421 [g]
6 Pat O'Connor January 9, 1959 House show St. Louis, MO 1 440903 [h]
† Gene LeBell March 24, 1960 House show Amarillo, TX 1 <1— After LeBell defeated Pat O'Connor, he struck a Texas wrestling commissioner with the championship belt and the decision was reversed. [4][5][6]
† Pat O'Connor March 24, 1960 House show Amarillo, TX 2 463— The title was returned to O'Connor due to the nature of the championship match.
7 Buddy Rogers June 30, 1961 House show Chicago, IL 1 145573
† Bobo Brazil August 18, 1962 House show Newark, NJ 1 73— Brazil refused the title because of a groin injury that Buddy Rogers had claimed to have. However, on September 6, 1962, Brazil was declared champion because a doctor had determined that Rogers had not suffered an injury. This title change is not currently recognized by the NWA.
† Buddy Rogers October 30, 1962 House show Toledo, OH 3 86—
† Killer Kowalski November 21, 1962 House show Montreal, Quebec 1 61— Kowalski defeated Buddy Rogers on November 21 in Montreal after Rogers broke his ankle in the first fall. He was only recognized as champion in some states such as Texas until January 21, 1963 when he lost a rematch to Rogers in New York City. Kowalski disputed that Rogers had won the title during the rematch, arguing that the match had not been for the title. The NWA does not recognize any of Rogers' losses, with only one title reign counted for Rogers.
† Buddy Rogers January 21, 1963 House show New York City, NY 4 3—
8 Lou Thesz January 24, 1963 House show Toronto, ON 3 1,0791,079 [i]
† Buddy Rogers January 24, 1963 N/A N/A 5 77— Promoters in the Northeastern United States refused to recognize Buddy Rogers' one-fall loss to Thesz, thus breaking away from the NWA to form the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). Rogers continued to defend the championship in the WWWF until he was declared the first WWWF World Heavyweight Champion on April 11.
9 Gene Kiniski January 7, 1966 House show St. Louis, MO 1 1,1311,131 [j]
10 Dory Funk Jr. February 11, 1969 House show Tampa, FL 1 1,5631,563 [7]
11 Harley Race May 24, 1973 House show Kansas City, KS 1 5757 [8]
12 Jack Brisco July 20, 1973 House show Houston, TX 1 500500 [9]
13 Giant Baba December 2, 1974 House show Kagoshima, Japan 1 77 This was a two-out-of-three-falls match. [10]
14 Jack Brisco December 9, 1974 House show Toyohashi, Japan 2 366366
15 Terry Funk December 10, 1975 House show Miami Beach, FL 1 424424
16 Harley Race February 6, 1977 House show Toronto, ON 2 926926
17 Dusty Rhodes August 21, 1979 House show Tampa, FL 1 55
18 Harley Race August 26, 1979 House show Orlando, FL 3 6666
19 Giant Baba October 31, 1979 House show Nagoya, Japan 2 77
20 Harley Race November 7, 1979 House show Amagasaki, Japan 4 302302
21 Giant Baba September 4, 1980 House show Saga, Japan 3 55
22 Harley Race September 9, 1980 House show Ōtsu, Japan 5 230230
23 Tommy Rich April 27, 1981 House show Augusta, GA 1 44
24 Harley Race May 1, 1981 House show Gainesville, GA 6 5151
25 Dusty Rhodes June 21, 1981 House show Atlanta, GA 2 8888
26 Ric Flair September 17, 1981 House show Kansas City, KS 1 145631 Lou Thesz was the special referee.
† Jack Veneno September 7, 1982 House show Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 1 <1— Veneno defeated Ric Flair in Santo Domingo. As Veneno refused to defend the title outside his native country, the title was returned to Flair on the same day. [k]
† Ric Flair September 7, 1982 House show Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 121— [k]
† Carlos Colón January 6, 1983 House show San Juan, Puerto Rico 1 4— Colon's WWC World Heavyweight Championship was also on the line. This title change is not recognized by the NWA. [l]
† Ric Flair January 10, 1983 House show Miami, FL 29— This was a fictional match; this title change is not recognized by the NWA.
27 Harley Race June 10, 1983 House show St. Louis, MO 7 167167
28 Ric Flair November 24, 1983 Starrcade Greensboro, NC 2 117164 This was a steel cage match. Gene Kiniski was the special referee.
† Harley Race March 20, 1984 House show Wellington, New Zealand 8 3— This title change was not authorized by the NWA. This title change was recognized by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1993 until 2001, and has been occasionally recognized by the NWA since 2015. [11][12][13][14][2]
† Ric Flair March 23, 1984 House show Kallang, Singapore 44— This title change was not authorized by the NWA. [11][12][13][2]
29 Kerry Von Erich May 6, 1984 1st Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions Irving, TX 1 1818 This match had no time limit and the title could change hands on a disqualification; Kerry pinned Flair to win the title.
Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP)
30 Ric Flair May 24, 1984 House show Yokosuka, Japan 3 793793 By early 1985, Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) controlled many NWA territories and attempted going national, thus limiting championship matches primarily to performers under contract with JCP. [8]
31 Dusty Rhodes July 26, 1986 The Great American Bash Greensboro, NC 3 1414
32 Ric Flair August 9, 1986 House show St. Louis, MO 4 412412
33 Ron Garvin September 25, 1987 World Wide Wrestling Detroit, MI 1 6262 Aired September 26, 1987 on tape delay.
World Championship Wrestling (WCW)
34 Ric Flair November 26, 1987 Starrcade Chicago, IL 5 452452 On November 21, 1988 the NWA's flagship promotion Jim Crockett Promotions was purchased by Ted Turner and renamed World Championship Wrestling (WCW). This further limited championship matches to performers primarily within the company.
35 Ricky Steamboat February 20, 1989 Chi-Town Rumble Chicago, IL 1 7676
36 Ric Flair May 7, 1989 WrestleWar Nashville, TN 6 426426
37 Sting July 7, 1990 The Great American Bash Baltimore, MD 1 188188
38 Ric Flair January 11, 1991 House show East Rutherford, NJ 7 6969 After this title win, Flair was also recognized as the first WCW World Heavyweight Champion.
39 Tatsumi Fujinami March 21, 1991 Starrcade in Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan 1 5959 Briefly defended along with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. This title change was originally ignored in the United States. [12][15]
40 Ric Flair May 19, 1991 SuperBrawl I St. Petersburg, FL 7 112112 The title was returned to Flair due to the nature of the championship match. The NWA regards this as a continuation of Flair's seventh reign rather than the start of his eighth reign.[16] [12]
— Vacated September 8, 1991 — — — —— Ric Flair was stripped of the title upon signing with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). [12]
41 Masahiro Chono August 12, 1992 G1 Climax 1992 Day 5 Tokyo, Japan 1 145145 Chono defeated Rick Rude in the final of the G1 Climax tournament.
42 The Great Muta January 4, 1993 Fantastic Story in Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan 1 4848 Muta's IWGP Heavyweight Championship was also on the line.
43 Barry Windham February 21, 1993 SuperBrawl III Asheville, NC 1 147147 [17]
44 Ric Flair July 18, 1993 Beach Blast Biloxi, MS 8 5959 [16][18][19]
— Vacated September 15, 1993 — — — —— WCW withdrew from the NWA on September 1, 1993. The NWA declared their championship vacant. [20][21]
National Wrestling Alliance/Pro Wrestling Organization LLC
45 Shane Douglas August 27, 1994 NWA World Title Tournament Philadelphia, PA 1 <1<1 Douglas defeated 2 Cold Scorpio in tournament final. [22]
— Vacated August 27, 1994 NWA World Title Tournament Philadelphia, PA — —— Shane Douglas, immediately upon winning it, refused the NWA championship and declared the ECW Championship, of which he was already in possession, to be a world championship. ECW then withdrew from the NWA. [22]
46 Chris Candido November 19, 1994 NWA World Heavyweight Title Tournament Cherry Hill, NJ 1 9797 Candido defeated Tracy Smothers in tournament final. [m]
47 Dan Severn February 24, 1995 House show Erlanger, KY 1 1,4791,479 [23][24]
48 Naoya Ogawa March 14, 1999 Battle in the Hama Ring Yokohama, Japan 1 195195 [25]
49 Gary Steele September 25, 1999 NWA 51st Anniversary Show Charlotte, NC 1 77 Gary Steele pinned Ogawa in a three-way match, also involving Brian Anthony.
50 Naoya Ogawa October 2, 1999 House show Thomaston, CT 2 274274
— Vacated July 2, 2000 — — — —— Ogawa vacated the championship to focus on training for his scheduled (but later cancelled) mixed martial arts fight against Rickson Gracie.
51 Mike Rapada September 19, 2000 Tango in Tampa Tampa, FL 1 5656 Rapada defeated Jerry Flynn in tournament final. [26]
52 Sabu November 14, 2000 Night of Decisions Tampa, FL 1 3838
53 Mike Rapada December 22, 2000 Christmas Chaos Nashville, TN 2 123123
54 Steve Corino April 24, 2001 House show Tampa, FL 1 172172
— Vacated October 13, 2001 NWA 53rd Anniversary Show St. Petersburg, FL — —— The championship was held up after a Corino vs. Shinya Hashimoto title match ended in a no contest due to Corino being unable to compete after sustaining a head injury.
55 Shinya Hashimoto December 15, 2001 Clash of the Champions McKeesport, PA 1 8484 This was three matches held round robin style; Gary Steele vs. Steve Corino, Gary Steele vs. Shinya Hashimoto, and Steve Corino vs. Shinya Hashimoto. Hashimoto won the round robin matches. [27]
56 Dan Severn March 9, 2002 Vast Energy Tokyo, Japan 2 8080 [27]
— Vacated May 28, 2002 — — — —— Dan Severn was stripped of the title after refusing to defend the championship on the inaugural NWA: Total Nonstop Action pay-per-view.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)
57 Ken Shamrock June 19, 2002 Weekly pay-per-view event #1 Huntsville, AL 1 4949 In June 2002, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) worked out a licensing deal with the NWA to control and feature the NWA Championship. Shamrock defeated Malice to win the title.
58 Ron Killings August 7, 2002 Weekly pay-per-view event #8 Nashville, TN 1 105105
59 Jeff Jarrett November 20, 2002 Weekly pay-per-view event #22 Nashville, TN 1 203203 Jarrett unified the title with the WWA World Heavyweight Championship during this reign. [28][29]
60 A.J. Styles June 11, 2003 Weekly pay-per-view event #49 Nashville, TN 1 133133 This was a three-way match, also involving Raven.
61 Jeff Jarrett October 22, 2003 Weekly pay-per-view event #67 Nashville, TN 2 182182
62 A.J. Styles April 21, 2004 Weekly pay-per-view event #91 Nashville, TN 2 2828 This was a steel cage match.
63 Ron Killings May 19, 2004 Weekly pay-per-view event #95 Nashville, TN 2 1414 This was a four-way match, also involving Chris Harris and Raven.
64 Jeff Jarrett June 2, 2004 Weekly pay-per-view event #97 Nashville, TN 3 305305 This was a King of the Mountain match, also involving A.J. Styles, Chris Harris, and Raven. Ron Killings defeated Jarrett on the June 23 weekly pay-per-view event for the title, but due to issues surrounding the title change, the title was held up, before Vince Russo gave Jarrett the title back.[30]
65 Ray González April 3, 2005 Juicio Final 2005 San Juan, Puerto Rico 1 <1<1 González pinned Jarrett on April 3 in San Juan, but the decision was reversed after the match due to an unauthorized referee counting the pinfall while the originally sanctioned referee was knocked out. Title change was ignored by TNA but was retroactively recognized by the NWA in 2015. [31]
66 Jeff Jarrett April 3, 2005 Juicio Final 2005 San Juan, Puerto Rico 3 4242 The title was returned to Jarrett due to the nature of the championship match. The NWA regards this as a continuation of Jarrett's third reign rather than the start of his fourth reign.[31]
67 A.J. Styles May 15, 2005 Hard Justice Orlando, FL 3 3535 Tito Ortiz was the special referee. [32]
68 Raven June 19, 2005 Slammiversary Orlando, FL 1 8888 This was a King of the Mountain match, also involving Abyss, Monty Brown, and Sean Waltman. [33]
69 Jeff Jarrett September 15, 2005 International Incident Windsor, ON 4 3838 This was a "Raven's Rules" match. [34]
70 Rhino October 23, 2005 Bound for Glory Orlando, FL 1 22 Rhino won the right to face Jeff Jarrett in a Gauntlet for the Gold match after designated challenger Kevin Nash fell ill and withdrew. Tito Ortiz was the special referee. [35]
71 Jeff Jarrett October 25, 2005 Impact! Orlando, FL 5 110110 Aired November 3, 2005 on tape delay.
72 Christian Cage February 12, 2006 Against All Odds Orlando, FL 1 126126 [36]
73 Jeff Jarrett June 18, 2006 Slammiversary Orlando, FL 6 126126 This was a King of the Mountain match, also involving Abyss, Ron Killings, and Sting. [37]
74 Sting October 22, 2006 Bound for Glory Plymouth, MI 2 2828 Kurt Angle was the special outside enforcer. This was a Title vs. Career match where Sting put his career on the line. [38]
75 Abyss November 19, 2006 Genesis Orlando, FL 1 5656 Abyss defeated Sting by disqualification after Sting pushed the referee. [39]
76 Christian Cage January 14, 2007 Final Resolution Orlando, FL 2 119119 This was a three-way elimination match, also involving Sting. [40]
— Vacated May 13, 2007 — — — —— Christian Cage was stripped of the championship when the NWA ended its business agreement with TNA.
National Wrestling Alliance/Pro Wrestling Organization LLC
77 Adam Pearce September 1, 2007 House show Bayamón, Puerto Rico 1 336336 Pearce defeated Brent Albright in the finals of the Reclaiming the Glory tournament. Pearce competed as a substitute for Bryan Danielson, who defeated Pearce in the semifinals but withdrew from the tournament due to a detached retina. Danielson was the special referee. [41]
78 Brent Albright August 2, 2008 Death Before Dishonor VI New York City, NY 1 4949 [42]
79 Adam Pearce September 20, 2008 Glory By Honor VII Philadelphia, PA 2 3535 [43][44]
80 Blue Demon Jr. October 25, 2008 House show Mexico City, Mexico 1 505505 [45]
81 Adam Pearce March 14, 2010 House show Charlotte, NC 3 357357 This was a three-way elimination match, also featuring Phill Shatter. [46]
82 Colt Cabana March 6, 2011 NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood West Hollywood, CA 1 4848 Aired April 2, 2011 on tape delay. [47]
83 The Sheik April 23, 2011 Subtle Hustle Jacksonville, FL 1 7979 [48]
— Vacated July 11, 2011 — — — —— The Sheik was stripped of the championship for refusing to defend against Adam Pearce on July 31, 2011. [49]
84 Adam Pearce July 31, 2011 NWA at the Ohio State Fair Columbus, OH 4 252252 Pearce defeated Chance Prophet, Jimmy Rave, and Shaun Tempers in a four-way match to win the vacant championship. [50]
85 Colt Cabana April 8, 2012 NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood Glendale, CA 2 104104 Aired April 29, 2012 on tape delay. [51]
National Wrestling Alliance/International Wrestling Corp.
86 Adam Pearce July 21, 2012 Metro Pro Wrestling Kansas City, KS 5 9898 Aired September 23, 2012 via tape delay. This was a two-out-of-three falls match and was match four of a seven-match series between Pearce and Colt Cabana. During this reign, ownership of the NWA World Championship and the NWA itself was transferred from Pro Wrestling Organization LLC to the International Wrestling Corp. [52]
— Vacated October 27, 2012 NWA Warzone Wrestling 14 Berwick, Victoria, Australia — —— Adam Pearce left the NWA and resigned as champion after the organization refused to allow him to defend the title in the concluding match of his seven-match series against Colt Cabana. While the match took place with Cabana winning, both wrestlers refused the title in the aftermath. [53]
87 Kahagas November 2, 2012 Wrath of Champions Clayton, NJ 1 134134 Kahagas won an elimination match for the vacant title by last eliminating Damien Wayne. Match also featured Chance Prophet, Jason Kincaid, Lance Erikson, Anthony Nese, Papadon, Biggie Biggs, and Lance Anoa'i. Kahagas was the reigning NWA National Heavyweight Champion at the time of his victory. [54]
88 Rob Conway March 16, 2013 A Monster's Ball San Antonio, TX 1 294294 Conway replaced an injured Jax Dane and defeated Kahagas for the championship. [55]
89 Satoshi Kojima January 4, 2014 Wrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan 1 149149 [56]
90 Rob Conway June 2, 2014 Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion Show Las Vegas, NV 2 257257 [57]
91 Hiroyoshi Tenzan February 14, 2015 The New Beginning in Sendai Sendai, Japan 1 196196 [58]
92 Jax Dane August 29, 2015 World War Gold San Antonio, TX 1 419419 [59][60]
National Wrestling Alliance/Lightning One Inc.
93 Tim Storm October 21, 2016 House show Sherman, TX 1 414414 On October 1, 2017, Billy Corgan's company Lightning One, Inc. purchased the NWA, including the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. During this reign, the NWA's licensing model was abolished and championship matches were limited primarily to performers under contract with Lightning One, Inc. Additionally, the title was renamed to the NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship
94 Nick Aldis December 9, 2017 Cage of Death 19 Sewell, NJ 1 266266 [61]
95 Cody September 1, 2018 All In Hoffman Estates, IL 1 5050 [62]
96 Nick Aldis October 21, 2018 NWA 70th Anniversary Show Nashville, TN 2 1,0431,043 This was a two-out-of-three falls match. [63]
97 Trevor Murdoch August 29, 2021 NWA 73rd Anniversary Show St. Louis, MO 1 167167 This was a Title vs. Career match where Murdoch put his career on the line. [64]
98 Matt Cardona February 12, 2022 PowerrrTrip Oak Grove, KY 1 119119 Aired via tape delay on the March 8, 2022 episode of NWA Powerrr. [65]
— Vacated June 11, 2022 Alwayz Ready Knoxville, TN — —— Cardona vacated the title due to an injury.
99 Trevor Murdoch June 11, 2022 Alwayz Ready Knoxville, TN 2 154154 Defeated Nick Aldis, Thom Latimer, and Sam Shaw in a four-way match for the vacant title. [66]
100 Tyrus November 12, 2022 Hard Times 3 Chalmette, LA 1 288288 This was a three-way match, also involving Matt Cardona. [67]
101 EC3 August 27, 2023 NWA 75th Anniversary Show St. Louis, MO 1 370370 This was a Bullrope match with Tyrus's wrestling career on the line as well. [68]
102 Thom Latimer August 31, 2024 NWA 76th Anniversary Show Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1 350350 Aired on tape delay on October 1, 2024 as an episode of NWA Powerrr. [69]
103 Silas Mason August 16, 2025 NWA 77th Anniversary Show Huntington, New York 1 361+361+ Aired on tape delay on November 18, 2025 as a special episode of Powerrr. [70]
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Combined reigns

Inaugural champion Orville Brown
Three-time and longest combined reigning champion Lou Thesz
Record eight-time champion Ric Flair
More information †, <1 ...
† Indicates the current champion
<1 The reign is shorter than one day.
Close
More information Rank, Wrestler ...
Rank Wrestler No. of
reigns		 Combined days
1 Lou Thesz33,749
2 Ric Flair83,119
3 Harley Race71,799
4 Dory Funk Jr.11,563
5 Dan Severn21,559
6 Nick Aldis21,309
7 Gene Kiniski11,131
8 Adam Pearce51,078
9 Jeff Jarrett61,006
10 Pat O'Connor1903
11 Jack Brisco2866
12 Buddy Rogers1573
13 Rob Conway2551
14 Blue Demon Jr.1505
15 Orville Brown1501
16 Naoya Ogawa2469
17 Terry Funk1424
18 Dick Hutton1421
19 Jax Dane1419
20 Tim Storm1414
21 EC31370
22 Silas Mason †1361+
23 Thom Latimer1350
24 Trevor Murdoch2321
25 Tyrus1288
26 Christian Cage2245
27 Whipper Billy Watson1239
28 Sting2216
29 A.J. Styles3196
Hiroyoshi Tenzan1196
31 Mike Rapada2179
32 Steve Corino1172
33 Colt Cabana2152
34 Satoshi Kojima1149
35 Barry Windham1147
36 Masahiro Chono1145
37 Kahagas1134
38 Ron Killings2119
Matt Cardona1119
40 Dusty Rhodes3107
41 Chris Candido197
42 Raven188
43 Shinya Hashimoto184
44 The Sheik179
45 Ricky Steamboat176
46 Ron Garvin162
47 Tatsumi Fujinami159
48 Abyss156
49 Cody Rhodes150
50 Brent Albright149
Ken Shamrock149
52 The Great Muta148
53 Sabu138
54 Giant Baba319
55 Kerry Von Erich118
56 Gary Steele17
57 Tommy Rich14
58 Rhino12
59 Ray González11
60 Shane Douglas1<1
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Footnotes

  • Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2000). "United States: 19th century & widely defended titles – NWA, WWF, AWA, IWA, ECW, NWA: NWA World Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories: Professional Wrestling Champions Around the World from the 19th Century to the Present. Waterloo, ON: Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  1. [a]
    Duncan & Will (2000) p. 15 "Orville Brown 1948/07 Recognized as the first champion when the National Wrestling Alliance is founded in 48/07 in Waterloo, IA by Pinkie George with five other promoters."
  2. [b]
    Duncan & Will (2000) p. 15 "Unifies following titles to become the Undisputed World Heavyweight champion:
    • National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight title, having defeated Bill Longson on 48/07/20 in Indianapolis, IN
    • National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight title, awarded on 49/11/27 when champion Orville Brown is injured in an automobile accident on 49/11/01 before a unification match scheduled on 49/11/25 in St. Louis, MO
    • Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium version of the world title, defeating Baron Michele Leone on 52/05/21 in Los Angeles, CA."
  3. [c]
    Duncan & Will (2000) p. 15 "Whipper Billy Watson 56/03/15 Toronto, ON"
  4. [d]
    Duncan & Will (2000) p. 15 "Lou Thesz [2] 56/11/09 St. Louis, MO"
  5. [e]
    Duncan & Will (2000) p. 15 "Edouard Carpentier # 57/06/14 Chicago, IL"
  6. [f]
    Duncan & Will (2000) p. 15 "Lou Thesz # 57
    Carpentier withdraws his claim to the title when Montreal promoter Eddie Quinn leaves NWA; NWA voids all recognition of Carpentier as champion"
  7. [g]
    'Dick Hutton 57/11/14 Toronto, ON"
  8. [h]
    Duncan & Will (2000) p. 15 "Pat O'Connor 59/01/09 St. Louis, MO"
  9. [i]
    Duncan & Will (2000) p. 15 "Lou Thesz [3] 63/01/24 Toronto, ON
    Promoters in northeast refuse to recognize Rogers' one-fall loss to Thesz and start World Wide Wrestling Federation with Rogers as the first WWWF World Heavyweight champion"
  10. [j]
    Duncan & Will (2000) p. 15 "Gene Kiniski 66/01/07 St. Louis, MO"
  11. [k]
    Duncan & Will (2000) p. 17 "Flair allows himself to be pinned by Jack Veneno to avoid the riot from the audience, but the title is returned to Flair"
  12. [l]
    Duncan & Will (2000) p. 17 "Carlos Colon # 1983/01/06 San Juan, PR"
  13. [m]
    Duncan & Will (2000) p. 19 "Chris Candido 1994/11/19 Cherry Hill, NJ Defeats Tracy Smothers in tournament final."

References

External links

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