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Orville Brown
48/10 Reigning Midwest Wrestling Association World Heavyweight champion, awarded as the first National Wrestling Alliance World champion; MWA absorbed into NWA. Lou Thesz 49/11/27 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 · American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight title (Boston), defeating Gorgeous George on 50/07/27 in Chicago, IL · Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium version of the world title, defeating Baron Michele Leone on 52/05/21 in Los Angeles, CA. Whipper Billy Watson 56/03/15 Toronto, ON Wins by count out. Lou Thesz [2] 56/11/09 St. Louis, MO Loses to Edouard Carpentier by disqualification on 57/06/14 in Chicago, IL when Thesz cannot continue due to a back injury; NWA rules the title cannot change hands through an injury and gives the belt back to Thesz; Carpentier recognized as World champion in Omaha and by World Wrestling Association in Los Angeles to legitimate the lineages of their world titles; Thesz defeats Carpentier in rematch by disqualification on 57/07/24 in Montreal, QC. Dick Hutton 57/11/14 Toronto, ON Pat O'Connor 59/01/09 St. Louis, MO Buddy Rogers 61/06/30 Chicago, IL Lou Thesz [3] 63/01/24 Toronto, ON Promoters in northeast refuse to recognize Rogers's one-fall loss to Thesz and start World Wide Wrestling Federation with Rogers as the first WWWF World Heavyweight champion; Thesz defeats Rogers in a two-out-of-three-falls rematch on 63/02/07 in Toronto, ON. Gene Kiniski 66/01/07 St. Louis, MO Dory Funk Jr. 69/02/11 Tampa, FL Harley Race 73/03/24 Kansas City, MO Jack Brisco 73/07/20 Houston, TX Giant Baba 74/12/02 Kagoshima, JAPAN Jack Brisco [2] 74/12/09 Toyohashi, JAPAN Terry Funk 75/12/10 Miami, FL Harley Race [2] 77/02/06 Toronto, ON Dusty Rhodes 79/08/21 Tampa, FL Harley Race [3] 79/08/26 Orlando, FL Giant Baba [2] 79/10/31 Nagoya, JAPAN Harley Race [4] 79/11/07 Amagasaki, JAPAN Giant Baba [3] 80/09/04 Saga, JAPAN Harley Race [5] 80/09/09 Ohtsu, JAPAN Tommy Rich 81/04/27 Augusta, GA Harley Race [6] 81/05/01 Gainsville, GA Dusty Rhodes [2] 81/06/21 Atlanta, GA Ric Flair 81/09/17 Kansas City, MO Wrestles to a double count-out against WWF Heavyweight champion Bob Backlund on 82/07/04 in Atlanta, GA; around 82 in DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, Flair allows himself to be pinned by Jack Veneno to avoid the riot from the audience, but the title is returned to Flair; Midnight Rider (Dusty Rhodes under mask) defeats Flair on 83/02/09 in Miami, FL but returns the belt when asked to indentify himself by NWA president Bob Geigel. Carlos Colon 83/01/06 San Juan, PR Ric Flair 83/01/23 Harley Race [7] 83/06/10 St. Louis, MO Ric Flair [2] 83/11/24 Greensboro, NC Harley Race [8] 84/03/21 Wellington, NEW ZEALAND Ric Flair [3] 84/03/23 Kallang, SINGAPORE Kerry Von Erich 84/05/06 Irving, TX Ric Flair [4] 84/05/24 Yokosuka, JAPAN Wrestles to a double count-out against AWA World heavyweight champion Rick Martel on 85/10/02 in Tokyo, JAPAN. Dusty Rhodes [3] 86/07/26 Greensboro, NC Ric Flair [5] 86/08/07 St. Louis, MO Ronnie Garvin 87/09/25 Detroit, MI Ric Flair [6] 87/11/26 Chicago, IL Ricky Steamboat 89/02/20 Chicago, IL Ric Flair [7] 89/05/07 Nashville, TN Sting 90/07/07 Baltimore, MD Ric Flair [8] 91/01/11 East Rutherford, NJ Tatsumi Fujinami 91/03/21 Tokyo, JAPAN Ric Flair [9] 91/05/19 St. Petersburg, FL Stripped on 91/09/08 when Flair signs with WWF, where he claims the "Real World Heavyweight Title"; NWA World Heavyweight Title is vacant for the first time in its history; Flair wins WWF World Heavyweight Title on 92/01/19 in Albany, NY; some reports say Lex Luger, who has won the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Title by defeating Barry Windham on 91/07/14 in Baltimore, MD, is briefly given recognition as NWA World champion by the NWA board, controlled by WCW Vice President Jim Herd; Luger is not recognized by NWA as a former champion. Masahiro Chono 92/08/12 Tokyo, JAPAN Defeats Rick Rude in tournament final to win the vacant title. Great Muta 93/01/04 Tokyo, JAPAN Barry Windham 93/02/21 Ashville, NC Ric Flair [10] 93/07/18 Biloxi, MS Recognition dropped by NWA in 93/09 after WCW withdraws from NWA; WCW continues to recognize "WCW International" World Heavyweight title with Flair as the champion. Shane Douglas 94/08/27 Phiadelphia, PA Defeats Too Cold Scorpio in tournament final but refuses the belt; ECW immediately announces their withdrawal from the NWA. Chris Candido 94/11/19 Cherry Hill, NJ Defeats Tracy Smothers in tournament final. Dan Severn 95/02/24 Erlanger, KY Naoya Ogawa 99/03/14 Yokohama, JAPAN Gary Steele 99/09/25 Charlotte, NC Defeats Ogawa and Brian Anthony in a three way dance. Naoya Ogawa [2] 99/10/02 Thomaston, CT Vacates on 00/07/02. Mike Rapada 00/09/19 Tampa, FL Defeats Jerry Flynn in 8-man tournament final. Sabu 00/11/14 Tampa, FL Mike Rapada [2] 00/12/22 Nashville, TN Steve Corino 01/04/24 Tampa, FL Title held-up after a match against Shin'ya Hashimoto on 01/10/13 in St. Petersburg, FL when Corino is unable to continue due to injury. Shin'ya Hashimoto 01/12/15 McKeesport, PA Defeats Corino and Gary Steele in a round-robin triangle match. |