# IW North American Heavyweight Championship

This is a list of people who held the "North American Heavyweight Title" under the banner of International Wrestling (IW) from 1969 to 1984. The promotion was owned by the Eastern Sports Association from 1969 until 1976. The IW promotion ends with end of 1984 season, and the title was discontinued.

## North American Heavyweight Title

Key :
| No. | Overall reign number |
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Championship change | Championship change | Reign statistics | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. |
| No. | Champion | Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Notes | Ref. |
| 1 | The Beast | July 8, 1969 | IW show | N/A | 1 | 49 | | |
| 2 | Archie “The Stomper” Gouldie | August 26, 1969 | IW show | N/A | 1 | 42 | | |
| 3 | Bobo Brazil | October 7, 1969 | IW show | N/A | 1 | 224 | | |
| 4 | Bobby Red Cloud | May 19, 1970 | IW show | N/A | 1 | 14 | | |
| 5 | Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie | June 2, 1970 | IW show | N/A | 2 | 63 | | |
| 6 | The Beast | August 4, 1970 | IW show | N/A | 2 | 280 | | |
| 7 | Eric Pomeroy | May 11, 1971 | IW show | N/A | 1 | 42 | | |
| 8 | Leo Burke | June 22, 1971 | IW show | N/A | 1 | 92 | | |
| 9 | Gino Brito | September 22, 1971 | IW show | Halifax, Nova Scotia | 1 | 5 | | |
| 10 | Leo Burke | September 27, 1971 | IW show | Halifax, Nova Scotia | 2 | 257 | | |
| 11 | Killer Karl Krupp | June 10, 1972 | IW show | N/A | 1 | N/A | | |
| 12 | Eric Pomeroy | July 1972 | IW show | N/A | 2 | N/A | | |
| 13 | Killer Karl Krupp | July 25, 1972 | IW show | Halifax, Nova Scotia | 2 | 49 | | |
| 14 | The Beast | September 12, 1972 | IW show | Halifax, Nova Scotia | 3 | N/A | | |
| 15 | Jim Dillon | May 1973 | IW show | N/A | 1 | N/A | | |
| 16 | Killer Karl Krupp | August 1973 | IW show | N/A | 3 | N/A | | |
| 17 | Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie | September 1973 | IW show | N/A | 3 | N/A | In October, the Stomper returned to Stampede Wrestling, and in December won their North American title from Omar Atlas. On February 22, 1974, in Calgary, the Stomper lost the (Stampede) North American Title to Harley Race. ESA may have used this title change to explain Harley Race entering the Maritimes at the start of the 1974 season in possession of the North American belt - omitting that the Stomper had won back the Stampede version in March. | |
| 18 | Harley Race | May 7, 1974 | IW show | N/A | 1 | N/A | | |
| 19 | Leo Burke | May 1974 | IW show | N/A | 3 | N/A | | |
| 20 | Great Kuma | May 1974 | IW show | N/A | 1 | N/A | | |
| 21 | The Beast | June 1974 | IW show | N/A | 4 | N/A | | |
| 22 | Great Kuma | June 1974 | IW show | N/A | 2 | N/A | | |
| 23 | Eric Pomeroy | July 1974 | IW show | N/A | 3 | N/A | | |
| 24 | | August 1974 | IW show | N/A | 1 | N/A | | |
| 25 | Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie | September 1974 | IW show | N/A | 4 | N/A | | |
| 26 | | September 1974 | IW show | N/A | 2 | N/A | | |
| 27 | Leo Burke | May 6, 1975 | IW show | N/A | 4 | 84 | Was supposedly won in Detroit. | |
| 28 | Bob Brown | July 29, 1975 | IW show | N/A | 1 | 84 | | |
| 29 | Leo Burke | October 21, 1975 | IW show | N/A | 5 | N/A | Substituting for Pat O’Connor. | |
| 30 | Bob Brown | 1975 | IW show | N/A | 5 | N/A | Returned to Brown upon appeal. | |
| 31 | Rudy Kay | November 1975 | IW show | N/A | 1 | N/A | | |
| | | N/A | N/A | N/A | | | The season ended without notice, leaving Rudy Kay unable to defend within 30 days. | |
| 32 | Tommy Gilbert | April 24, 1976 | IW show | USA | 1 | N/A | Won a tournament to be crowned champion. | |
| 33 | The Brute | May 1976 | IW show | N/A | 1 | N/A | | |
| 34 | Tommy Gilbert | May 27, 1976 | IW show | Saint John, New Brunswick | 2 | N/A | | |
| 35 | The Brute | June 1976 | IW show | N/A | 2 | N/A | | |
| 36 | Leo Burke | September 1976 | IW show | N/A | 5 | N/A | | |
| 37 | Michel Dubois | 1976 | IW show | N/A | 1 | N/A | | |
| 38 | | N/A | IW show | N/A | | N/A | | |
| 39 | Steve Bolus | June 9, 1977 | TCW show | N/A | 1 | N/A | Arrived as champion | |
| 40 | Frenchy Martin | June 1977 | TCW show | N/A | 1 | N/A | | |
| 41 | Leo Burke | July 14, 1977 | TCW show | N/A | 6 | N/A | | |
| — | Deactivated | July 1977 | TCW show | — | — | — | TCW closed | |
There was not a North American Title in the Maritimes again until 1984, when there were two of them.
* 84/04 Archie “The Stomper” Gouldie arrived at rival Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling as North American Champion. This was a newly created title for AGPW.
* 84/06 Leo Burke arrives at International Wrestling as North American Champion, this title had a history with Toronto's Maple Leaf Wrestling, starting in 1982, when Leo Burke arrived there as Champion, with the old ESA North American belt.
Key :
| No. | Overall reign number |
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Championship change | Championship change | Reign statistics | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. |
| No. | Champion | Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Notes | Ref. |
| 1 | Leo Burke | October 1982 | MLW show | N/A | 1 | N/A | | |
| 2 | Johnny Weaver | April 10, 1983 | MLW show | Toronto, Ontario | 1 | 49 | | |
| 3 | Leo Burke | May 29, 1983 | MLW show | Toronto, Ontario | 2 | N/A | Maple Leaf Wrestling was sold to WWF in July 1984. Leo Burke returned to the Maritimes as North American Champion. | |
| 4 | Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie | August 1984 | N/A | N/A | 1 | | The Stomper jumped to International Wrestling, won title unification match over Leo Burke. | |
| — | Deactivated | 1984 | — | — | — | — | The North American Championship is retired when International Wrestling closes. | |

## Sources

Title history at wrestling-titles.com