NWA/WCW World Heavyweight Championship, 1940s
- The World Heavyweight Title (1901-1956)
- American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title (1928-1964)
- National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title (1929-1948)
- Midwest Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title (1931-1948)
- The World Heavyweight Title (Los Angeles version) (1935-1952)
- World Heavyweight Title (Maryland Version) (1937-1946)
- National Wrestling Alliance (1948-1991; 1992-today)
The Undisputed World Heavyweight Title
|
No. |
Champion |
Date won |
Location |
Reign |
Event |
Note |
|
DISPUTED branches in National Wrestling
Association, AWA (Boston), MWA,
Los Angeles, Maryland, National
Wrestling Alliance
|
||||||
| 25. | Lou Thesz | various dates to re-unify (1948-1955) | 16 | |||
Notes:
16. Lou Thesz Unifies following titles to become the Undisputed World Heavyweight champion (except in Europe) :
- National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight title, defeating 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
- Defends and wins against AWA. (Boston) World Heavyweight champion Gorgeous George on 50/07/27 in Chicago, IL (AWA title not on line)
- Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium version of the world title, defeating Baron Michele Leone on 52/05/21 in Los Angeles, CA.
Leo Nomellini defeats Thesz by disqualification in San Francisco, CA on 55/03/22; NWA rules that the titles cannot change hands by DQ, which sets the precendence that titles cannot change hands by disqualification.
American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title
Boston (until 50/05)
Ohio (50/05-54; 62-64)
|
No. |
Champion |
Date won |
Location |
Reign |
Event |
Note |
| 16. | French Angel | 40/05/13 | Boston, MA | |||
| 17. | Steve Casey [4] | 42/05/14 | Boston, MA | |||
| 18. | French Angel [2] | 42/08/01 | San Francisco, CA | |||
| 19. | Steve Casey [5] | 42/08/15 | San Francisco, CA | 6 | ||
| VACANT | ||||||
| 20. | Steve Casey [6] | 45/4/4 | Boston, MA | |||
| 21. | Sandor Szabo | 45/04/25 | Boston, MA | |||
| 22. | Frank Sexton | 45/05/02 | Boston, MA | |||
| 23. | Steve Casey [7] | 45/06/06 | Boston, MA | |||
| 24. | Frank Sexton [2] | 45/06/27 | Boston, MA | 7 |
Notes:
6. Casey goes to the U.S. Army; Sandor Szabo emerges from a series of elimination bouts as the "Duration" World Champion; Casey defeats Szabo in the consolidation match on 45/04/04 in Boston, MA.
7. Also wins Maryland version of the world title, defeating Babe Sharkey on 46/01/29 in Baltimore, MD.
National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight
Title
(formerly the wrestling title of National Boxing Association)
|
No. |
Champion |
Date won |
Location |
Reign |
Event |
Note |
| 14. | Ray Steele | 40/03/07 | St. Louis, MO | |||
| 15. | Bronko Nagurski [2] | 41/03/11 | Minneapolis, MN | |||
| 16. | Sandor Szabo | 41/06/05 | St. Louis, MO | |||
| 17. | Bill Longson | 42/02/19 | St. Louis, MO | |||
| 18. | Yvon Robert | 42/10/07 | Montreal, QC | |||
| 19. | Bobby Managoff | 42/11/27 | Houston, TX | |||
| 20. | Bill Longson [2] | 43/02/19 | St. Louis, MO | |||
| 21. | Whipper Billy Watson | 47/02/21 | St. Louis, MO | |||
| 22. | Lou Thesz [2] | 47/04/25 | St. Louis, MO | |||
| 23. | Bill Longson [3] | 47/11/21 | Houston, TX | |||
| 24. | Lou Thesz [3] | 48/07/20 | Indianapolis, IN | 12 | ||
|
UNIFIED WITH NWA WORLD TITLE
|
Notes:
12. Unified with National Wrestling Alliance World title on 49/11/27.
Midwest Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title
|
No. |
Champion |
Date won |
Location |
Reign |
Event |
Note |
| 5. | Orville Brown | 06/27/40 | Columbus, OH | 4 | ||
| 6. | Lee Wyckoff | 04/17/41 | Kansas City, KS | |||
| 7. | Orville Brown [2] | 10/16/41 | Kansas City, KS | |||
| 8. | Tom Zaharias | 03/05/42 | Kansas City, KS | |||
| 9. | Orville Brown [3] | 06/25/42 | Kansas City, KS | 5 | ||
| 10. | Ed "Strangler" Lewis | 11/26/42 | Kansas City, KS | 6 | ||
| 11. | Lee Wyckoff [2] | 01/14/43 | Kansas City, KS | |||
| 12. | Orville Brown [4] | 02/18/43 | Kansas City, KS | |||
| 13. | Lee Wyckoff [3] | May,'43 | Great Bend, KS | |||
| 14. | Orville Brown [5] | 06/17/43 | Kansas City, KS | |||
| 15. | Swedish Angel | 12/03/43 | Kansas City, KS | |||
| 16. | Orville Brown [6] | 12/09/44 | Kansas City, KS | 7 | ||
| 17. | Dave Levin | 05/04/44 | Kansas City, KS | |||
| 18. | Lee Wyckoff [4] | 06/29/44 | Topeka, KS | |||
| 19. | Orville Brown [7] | 08/16/44 | Kansas City, KS | |||
| 20. | Bobby Bruns | 06/20/46 | Kansas City, KS | |||
| 21. | Orville Brown [8] | 08/08/46 | Kansas City, KS | |||
| 22. | Vic Christy | 03/14/47 | St. Joseph, MO | |||
| 23. | Roy Graham | 03/30/47 | St. Joseph, MO | |||
| 24. | Orville Brown [9] | 04/10/47 | Kansas City, KS | |||
| 25. | Bobby Bruns [2] | 04/29/48 | Kansas City, KS | 8 | ||
| 26. | Orville Brown [10] | 05/04/48 | Kansas City, KS | 9 | ||
|
BECOMES NWA WORLD TITLE
|
Notes:
4. Has defeated Bobby Bruns on 06/13/40 in Kansas City, KS to win the Kansas City version of the title; defeats Dick Shikat for the vacant Ohio version.
5. Loses disputed decision to Ed "Strangler" Lewis on 11/05/42.
6. Lewis defeats Brown in a rematch.
7. Dave Levin wins a 1-fall match against Brown on 04/27/44 in Kansas City, KS and claims title; Brown claims the belt can only change hands in a best-of-three fall match.
9. MWA joins newly formed National Wrestling Alliance with Brown as the first champion in October,'48.
The World Heavyweight Title
(Los Angeles version)
|
No. |
Champion |
Date won |
Location |
Reign |
Event |
Note |
| VACANT | ||||||
| ---- | Rube Wright | 42/08/19 | Los Angeles, CA | 4 | ||
| 7 | George Becker | 46/09 | Portland, OR | 5 | ||
| 8 | Enrique Torres | 46/12/11 | Los Angeles, CA |
Notes:
4. Defeats Swedish Angel in tournament final; promoted as a tournament to replace Jim Londos as World champion but the State Commission refuses to recognize Wright as World champion and recognizes him as California Heavyweight champion instead.
World Heavyweight Title
(Maryland Version)
|
No. |
Champion |
Date won |
Location |
Reign |
Event |
Note |
| VACANT | ||||||
| 5. | Babe Sharkey | 44/03/14 | Baltimore, MD | 4 | ||
| 6. | Frank Sexton | 46/01/29 | Baltimore, MD | 5 | ||
|
UNIFIED WITH AWA (Boston) WORLD TITLE
|
Notes:
4. Defeats Ed "Strangler" Lewis.
5. Unified with American Wrestling Association (Boston) World Heavyweight Title
National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)
|
No. |
Champion |
Date won |
Location |
Reign |
Event |
Note |
| 1. | Orville Brown | 48/10 | ~57 d | 1 | ||
| 2. |
49/11/27 |
2665 d | 2 |
Notes:
1. Reigning Midwest Wrestling Association World Heavyweight champion, awarded as the first National Wrestling Alliance World champion; MWA absorbed into NWA.
2. Unifies following titles to become the Undisputed World Heavyweight champion (except in Europe) :
- National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight title, defeating 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
- Defends and wins against AWA. (Boston) World Heavyweight champion Gorgeous George on 50/07/27 in Chicago, IL (AWA title not on line)
- Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium version of the world title, defeating Baron Michele Leone on 52/05/21 in Los Angeles, CA.
Souled Out • SuperBrawl • Uncensored • Spring Stampede • Slamboree • The Great American Bash • Bash at the Beach • Road Wild • Fall Brawl • Halloween Havoc • Mayhem • Starrcade • Clash of the Champions • World War 3 • Monday Nitro • Bunkhouse Stampede • Star Wars • WrestleWar • New Japan • Internet Events • Battle of the Belts • Superdome Extravaganza • Boston Events • Chicago Events • Los Angeles Events • New York Events • NWA/WCW World Title Unification Cards • Misc. Supercards • DiPaolo Memorial Tournament • Crockett Cup Tournament • Omni Thanksgiving Tournament • Title Tournaments • Misc. Tournaments • Title Histories