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NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship was a secondary title in the National Wrestling Alliance that was for the lighter wrestlers. It started in 1945 and still exists today.
| Wrestler | Reigns | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Fenelon | 1 | ca. 1945 | N/A | Fenelon was awarded the title by Pinkie George, founder of the NWA. |
| Marshall Estep | 1 | May 30, 1945 | Toronto, Iowa | |
| Larry Tillman | 1 | January 1, 1946 | Unknown | |
| Ken Fenelon | 2 | March 11, 1946 | Des Moines, Iowa | |
| Marshall Estep | 2 | January 6, 1947 | Des Moines, Iowa | |
| Ray Steele | 1 | March 24, 1947 | Des Moines, Iowa | |
| Marshall Estep | 3 | April 28, 1947 | Des Moines, Iowa | |
| Billy Goelz | 1 | ca. March 16, 1948 | Unknown | |
| Leroy McGuirk | 1 | December 28, 1949 | Des Moines, Iowa | Unifies National Wrestling Association Junior Heavyweight Championship into National Wrestling Alliance title. |
| Vacated on February 7, 1950 when McGuirk is blinded in a car accident. | ||||
| Verne Gagne | 1 | November 13, 1950 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | Defeats Sonny Myers in a tournament final. |
| Danny McShain | 1 | November 19, 1951 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Baron Michele Leone | 1 | August 1953 | Los Angeles, California | |
| Ed Francis | 1 | 1956 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | |
| Mike DiBiase | 1 | 1956 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | |
| Mike Clancy | 1 | 1957 | Little Rock, Arkansas | |
| Fred Blassie | 1 | March 26, 1957 | Nashville, Tennessee | |
| Immediately held up due to a controversial finish. | ||||
| Mike Clancy | 2 | April 9, 1957 | Nashville, Tennessee | Defeated Fred Blassie in a rematch. |
| Angelo Savoldi | 1 | February 1958 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | |
| Dory Funk | 1 | June 5, 1958 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Angelo Savoldi | 2 | July 11, 1958 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | |
| Ivan the Terrible | 1 | February 20, 1959 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | |
| Angelo Savoldi | 3 | March 6, 1959 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | |
| Danny Hodge | 1 | July 22, 1960 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | |
| Hiro Matsuda | 1 | July 11, 1964 | Tampa, Florida | |
| Danny Hodge | 2 | April 23, 1965 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | |
| Lorenzo Parente | 1 | November 23, 1965 | Little Rock, Arkansas | |
| Danny Hodge | 3 | ca. January 1966 | Little Rock, Arkansas | |
| Lorenzo Parente | 2 | January 14, 1966 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | |
| Joe McCarthy | 1 | February 12, 1966 | Unknown | |
| Danny Hodge | 4 | May 1966 | Little Rock, Arkansas | |
| Umanosuke Ueda | 1 | January 23, 1970 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | |
| Danny Hodge | 5 | January 30, 1970 | Unknown | |
| Sputnik Monroe | 1 | July 13, 1970 | Shreveport, Louisiana | |
| Danny Hodge | 6 | 1970 | Unknown | |
| Roger Kirby | 1 | May 20, 1971 | New Orleans, Louisiana | |
| Ramon Torres | 1 | September 10, 1971 | Monroe, Louisiana | |
| Dr. X | 1 | December 3, 1971 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | |
| Danny Hodge | 7 | March 20, 1972 | Shreveport, Louisiana | |
| Ken Mantell | 1 | December 19, 1973 | Jackson, Mississippi | On September 17, 1974, Mantell lost a title match to Wrestling Pro via a disputed decision; this title change is only recognized in the Gulf Coast territory. Mantell defeated Pro on November 5 to become the undisputed champion. |
| Hiro Matsuda | 2 | June 14, 1975 | St. Petersburg, Florida | |
| Danny Hodge | 8 | March 2, 1976 | Shreveport, Louisiana | |
| Vacated on March 15, 1976 when Hodge retires after suffering a broken neck in a car accident. | ||||
| Pat Barret | 1 | September 28, 1976 | New Orleans, Louisiana | Defeated Nelson Royal in a tournament final. |
| Ron Starr | 1 | December 2, 1976 | New Orleans, Louisiana | |
| Nelson Royal | 1 | December 6, 1976 | New Orleans, Louisiana | Royal lost a title match to Chavo Guerrero in April 1978 and regained it later that year; whether these changes are official is disputed. |
| Al Madril | 1 | June 25, 1978 | Houston, Texas | |
| Nelson Royal | 2 | July 28, 1979 | Unknown | Royal won via forfeit when Madril was too sick to attend a rematch. |
| Vacated in December, 1979 when Royal retires. | ||||
| Ron Starr | 2 | February 11, 1980 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | Defeated Les Thornton in a tournament final. |
| Les Thornton | 1 | March 1980 | Unknown | Thornton won via forfeit. |
| Jerry Stubbs | 1 | January 26, 1981 | Mobile, Alabama | |
| Les Thornton | 2 | January 31, 1981 | Dothan, Alabama | |
| Terry Taylor | 1 | June 7, 1981 | Roanoke, Virginia | |
| Les Thornton | 3 | June 20, 1981 | Roanoke, Virginia | |
| Gerald Brisco | 1 | September 16, 1981 | Miami, Florida | |
| Les Thornton | 4 | October 16, 1981 | Knoxville, Tennessee | During a tour of Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council, Thornton loses to and then defeats Joe Lightfoot on November 7 and 14; whether these matches were for the NWA or WWC junior heavyweight title is disputed. |
| Tiger Mask | 1 | May 25, 1982 | Shizuoka, Japan | In 1982, some North American promoters declared the title vacant due to Tiger Mask wrestling for the WWF; however, during an annual meeting between the NWA and New Japan Pro Wrestling, it's announced that Tiger Mask is still recognized as the official champion. |
| Vacated on April 3, 1983 when Tiger Mask is injured two days prior. | ||||
| Tiger Mask | 2 | June 2, 1983 | Tokyo, Japan | Defeated Kuniaki Kobayashi in a decision match. |
| Vacated on August 12, 1983 when Tiger Mask retires. | ||||
| The Cobra | 1 | November 3, 1983 | Tokyo, Japan | Defeated Davey Boy Smith in a decision match. Around this time, Les Thornton is recognized by promoters in the US as champion; this unofficial lineage eventually comes to Denny Brown, who wins the title on November 22, 1984. |
| Hiro Saito | 1 | July 28, 1985 | Osaka, Japan | |
| The Cobra | 2 | July 28, 1985 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Vacated on August 1, 1985. | ||||
| Denny Brown | 1 | August 1985 | N/A | Recognized as champion by NWA vice president Shohei Baba due to his disputed status as champion in America. |
| Gary Royal | 1 | August 15, 1985 | St. Louis, Missouri | |
| Denny Brown | 2 | September 15, 1985 | Atlanta, Georgia | |
| Steve Regal | 1 | August 2, 1986 | Atlanta, Georgia | |
| Denny Brown | 3 | September 1, 1986 | Greenville, South Carolina | |
| Lazer Tron | 1 | March 7, 1987 | Atlanta, Georgia | |
| Vacated in 1987 when Tron leaves World Championship Wrestling. | ||||
| Nelson Royal | 3 | October 16, 1987 | N/A | Royal was awarded the title. Leaves WCW in 1988, at which point Masanobu Fuchi, the reigning AJPW Junior Champion, is disputably recognized as the new champion; however, Royal continues defending the title across the country until 1989, when it is abandoned. |
| Abandoned in 1989. | ||||
| Masayoshi Motegi | 1 | August 30, 1995 | Tokyo, Japan | Defeated El Hijo del Santo in a tournament final when the NWA revives the title. |
| The Great Sasuke | 1 | August 2, 1996 | Tokyo, Japan | Wins an 8-man tournament to decide the first J-Crown holder, a combination of eight junior heavyweight titles. These titles are still technically considered separate, as opposed to one unified championship, and continue to be defended. |
| Ultimo Dragon | 1 | October 11, 1996 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Jushin Liger | 1 | January 4, 1997 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| El Samurai | 1 | July 6, 1997 | Sapporo, Japan | |
| Shinjiro Ohtani | 1 | August 10, 1997 | Nagoya, Japan | |
| Vacated on November 5, 1997 when the J-Crown is dematerialized. | ||||
| Logan Caine | 1 | March 5, 1999 | Parkersburg, West Virginia | Defeats Viper in a tournament final. |
| Stripped on October 28, 1999 due to no-showing a title defense against Vince Kaplack. | ||||
| Vince Kaplack | 1 | October 28, 1999 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Defeated Chris Hero as a replacement for Logan Caine. |
| Tony Kozina | 1 | January 14, 2000 | North Versailles, Pennsylvania | |
| Rockford 2000 | 1 | July 22, 2000 | Surrey, British Columbia | |
| Tony Kozina | 2 | August 30, 2000 | N/A | Awarded when NWA officials review the tape of a title match between Rockford and Kozina on August 26. |
| Vince Kaplack | 2 | October 14, 2000 | Nashville, Tennessee | |
| Rocky Reynolds | 1 | April 7, 2001 | Pennsboro, West Virginia | |
| Mike Thunder | 1 | May 4, 2001 | North Richland Hills, Texas | |
| Lex Lovett | 1 | August 21, 2001 | Tampa, Florida | |
| Jason Rumble | 1 | October 13, 2001 | Saint Petersburg, Florida | Defeated Lovett, Jimmy Rave, Brandon K & BJ Turner in a five-way match. |
| Rocky Reynolds | 2 | February 2, 2002 | Titusville, Pennsylvania | |
| Jason Rumble | 2 | February 16, 2002 | Malden, Pennsylvania | |
| Rocky Reynolds | 3 | April 6, 2002 | Parkersburg, West Virginia | |
| Jimmy Rave | 1 | June 29, 2002 | Cornelia, Georgia | Defeated Reynolds and Jeremy Lopez in a three-way match. |
| Star | 1 | August 10, 2002 | Columbia, Tennessee | |
| Jimmy Rave | 2 | August 17, 2002 | Columbia, Tennessee | |
| Brother Love | 1 | January 18, 2003 | Greenville, Mississippi | |
| Rocky Reynolds | 4 | June 7, 2003 | Parkersburg, West Virginia | |
| Chris Draven | 1 | August 2, 2003 | Parkersburg, West Virginia | |
| Jerrelle Clark | 1 | January 10, 2004 | Saint Petersburg, Florida | |
| Jason Rumble | 3 | October 17, 2004 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Defeated Clark and Vance Desmond in a three-way match. |
| Black Tiger | 1 | August 25, 2005 | Columbia, Tennessee | Wins IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on October 8. |
| Tiger Mask IV | 1 | February 19, 2006 | Tokyo, Japan | Also wins IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. |