# Mid-South Louisiana Heavyweight Championship

The Mid-South Louisiana Heavyweight Championship was a secondary professional wrestling championship that was used and defended from 1964 though 1983. Initially, the championship originated in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)-affiliated Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling. During this time, it was referred to as the NWA Gulf Coast Louisiana Heavyweight Championship until 1972. Beginning in 1972, the title was used in the NWA affiliated NWA Tri-State then was called the NWA Tri-State Louisiana Heavyweight Championship from 1972 until 1979. In 1979, however, wrestler and promoter "Cowboy" Bill Watts purchased the Tri-State territory and renamed it Mid-South Wrestling. Although Watts kept close ties with the NWA for purpose of having access to wrestling talent, he withdrew Mid-South from the NWA and, as a result, renamed all of the promotion's championships accordingly.

## Title history

Silver areas in the history indicate periods of unknown lineage.
| Wrestler: | Times: | Date: | Location: | Notes: |
| NWA Gulf Coast Louisiana Championship |||||
| Al Lovelock | 1 | January 31, 1946 | Monroe, LA | Defeats Jack Kennedy to become the first champion. |
| Vacant | | June 1946 | | When Lovelock cannot defend. |
| Paul Murdock | 1 | July 2, 1946 | Monroe, LA | Defeats Jerry Vallina; still champion as of August 26, 1946. |
| Bob Corby | 1 | June 18, 1955 | Lake Charles, LA | Wins a 12-man tournament. |
| Chief Apache | 1 | August 21, 1955 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Jack Curtis | 1 | November 1955 | Baton Rouge, LA | Sometime before November 4, 1955. |
| Prince Emir | 1 | April 22, 1957 | Monroe, LA | |
| Frank Hurley | 1 | May 1957 | | |
| Jack Curtis | 2 | August 12, 1957 | Monroe, LA | |
| Phil Brummett | 1 | November 11, 1957 | Monroe, LA | |
| Charley Laye | 1 | November 18, 1957 | Monroe, LA | |
| Held up | | December 9, 1957 | Monroe, LA | By the District Athletic Commissioner after a match against Farmer Jones for using "very unfair tactics" but reinstated as the champion later in the month. |
| Bill Barney | 1 | December 23, 1957 | Monroe, LA | |
| Bernard Hodgemyer | 1 | March 3, 1958 | Monroe, LA | |
| Vacant | | March 31, 1958 | | After Hodgemyer no-shows the scheduled defense and leaves the area. |
| Jerry Christy | 1 | June 16, 1958 | Monroe, LA | Defeats Charley Laye in tournament final. |
| Vacant | | September 1958 | | When Christy leaves the area. |
| Bill Barney | 2 | September 22, 1958 | Monroe, LA | Defeats Al Massey. |
| Firpo Zybysko | 1 | June 1, 1959 | Monroe, LA | Also defeats Chuck Benson on June 18, 1959 in New Orleans, LA, possibly for the vacant local recognition. |
| Chris Belkas | 1 | July 15, 1959 | New Orleans, LA | |
| Vacant | | October 1959 | | |
| Mickey Sharpe | 1 | November 5, 1959 | New Orleans, LA | Defeats Firpo Zybysko in tournament final. |
| Firpo Zybysko | 2 | January 1960 | | Sometime between January 10, 1960 and January 18, 1960. |
| Adrien Baillargeon | 1 | February 1960 | Lafayette, LA | Sometime before February 14, 1960. |
| Inactive | | 1960 | | After September 1960 when Baillargeon is billed as Southern champion. |
| Bobby Fields | 1 | October 16, 1964 | Lafayette, LA | Defeats Terry Garvin in tournament final. |
| Sputnik Monroe | 1 | July 13, 1965 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Bobby Fields | 2 | September 21, 1965 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Danny McShain | 1 | October 22, 1965 | Lafayette, LA | |
| Bobby Fields | 3 | December 3, 1965 | Lafayette, LA | |
| Jack Dalton | 1 | February 17, 1966 | Lafayette, LA | |
| Bobby Fields | 4 | May 17, 1966 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Don Carson | 1 | July 12, 1966 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Bobby Fields | 5 | July 19, 1966 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Don Carson | 2 | August 2, 1966 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Ken Lucas | 1 | October 5, 1966 | Alexandria, LA | |
| Jack Dalton | 2 | November 1, 1966 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Danny Little Bear | 1 | February 3, 1967 | Lafayette, LA | |
| Ken Lucas | 2 | March 31, 1967 | Lafayette, LA | |
| Stripped | | July 25, 1967 | | Stripped for no defense. |
| Pepe Perez | 1 | July 25, 1967 | ? | Awarded. |
| Jack Dalton | 3 | October 10, 1967 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Bobby Fields | 6 | November 28, 1967 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Don Carson | 3 | December 12, 1967 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Bob Kelly | 1 | December 29, 1967 | Lafayette, LA | |
| Eddie Sullivan | 1 | January 23, 1968 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Frank Dalton | 1 | January 30, 1968 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Bobby Fields | 7 | February 6, 1968 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Vacant | | March 1, 1968 | | Gulf Coast stops promoting in Louisiana. |
| Big Bad John | 1 | November 18, 1968 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Pepe Perez | 2 | December 3, 1968 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Jerry Miller | 1 | February 1, 1969 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Mighty Yankee | 1 | June 10, 1969 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Frank Dalton | 2 | June 18, 1969 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Jerry Miller | 2 | July 1969 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Frank Dalton | 3 | July 22, 1969 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| In Monroe, LA Tom Jones defeats Jack Donovan via DQ on November 11, 1969 (champion unknown). |||||
| Jack Brisco | 1 | 1969 | | |
| Duke Myers | 1 | April 21, 1970 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Jerry Miller | 3 | May 19, 1970 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Frank Dalton | 4 | July 11, 1970 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Chuck Karbo | 1 | August 18, 1970 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Frank Dalton | 5 | September 15, 1970 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Chuck Karbo | 2 | November 25, 1970 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Randy Curtis | 1 | May 4, 1971 | Baton Rouge, LA | Last champion in the Gulf Coast lineage. |
| NWA Tri-State Louisiana Championship |||||
| Don Duffy | 1 | 1972 | | |
| Assassin #1 | 1 | April 27, 1978 | Baton Rouge, LA | Wins tournament. |
| José Lothario | 1 | September 20, 1978 | Monroe, LA | |
| Assassin #1 | 2 | October 14, 1978 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Jerry Stubbs | 1 | December 25, 1978 | New Orleans, LA | |
| Mike George | 1 | April 21, 1979 | New Orleans, LA | |
| Mid-South Louisiana Championship |||||
| Ernie Ladd | 1 | January 18, 1980 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Junkyard Dog | 1 | March 14, 1980 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Terry Gordy | 1 | April 22, 1980 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Junkyard Dog | 2 | May 2, 1980 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Vacated | | May 22, 1980 | | JYD injured by The Fabulous Freebirds. |
| Ken Mantell | 1 | July 25, 1980 | Shreveport, LA | Defeats Wahoo McDaniel in tournament final. |
| Johnny Mantell | 1 | 1980 | | Defends the title for his brother Ken. |
| Jake Roberts | 1 | October 8, 1980 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Ernie Ladd | 2 | January 16, 1981 | Shreveport, LA |
| Jimmy Garvin | 1 | March 4, 1981 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Super Destroyer | 1 | May 1, 1981 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Bob Roop | 1 | July 22, 1981 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Great Kabuki | 1 | October 23, 1981 NLT | Shreveport, LA | |
| Junkyard Dog | 3 | December 7, 1981 | New Orleans, LA | |
| Vacant | | June 22, 1982 | | JYD wins North American Title. |
| Killer Khan | 1 | July 6, 1982 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Mike Sharpe | 1 | September 18, 1982 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Jim Duggan | 1 | October 13, 1982 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Title Retired | | 1983 | | |