# AWA United States Heavyweight Championship

The AWA United States Championship was a short-lived title in the early days of the American Wrestling Association. It started out as the NWA United States Championship promoted in the Chicago, Illinois from 1953 until 1958. in 1958 then champion Verne Gagne created the American Wrestling Association (AWA) based on Minneapolis, Minnesota and took the championship with him, claiming the lineage of the Chicago version. The Chicago promotion recognized Wilbur Snyder as their next champion, splitting the lineage into their own NWA United States Heavyweight Championship. The Minneapolis version of the championship was renamed the AWA United States Championship in 1960.

## Title history

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. |
| | National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) | National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) | National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) | National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) | National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) | National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) | National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) | National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) |
| 1 | Verne Gagne | September 3, 1953 | House show | N/A | 1 | 947 | Gagne was awarded the championship | |
| 2 | Wilbur Snyder | April 7, 1956 | House show | Chicago, Illinois | 1 | 195 | | |
| 3 | Hans Schmidt | October 19, 1956 | House show | Chicago, Illinois | 1 | 123 | | |
| 4 | Wilbur Snyder | February 19, 1957 | House show | Chicago, Illinois | 2 | 298 | | |
| 5 | Dick the Bruiser | December 14, 1957 | House show | Chicago, Illinois | 1 | 119 | | |
| | American Wrestling Association (AWA) | American Wrestling Association (AWA) | American Wrestling Association (AWA) | American Wrestling Association (AWA) | American Wrestling Association (AWA) | American Wrestling Association (AWA) | American Wrestling Association (AWA) | American Wrestling Association (AWA) |
| 6 | Verne Gagne | April 12, 1958 | House show | Chicago, Illinois | 2 | 857 | The title was split from the original championship, which retained the same joint lineage in the Chicago territory. Minneapolis version renamed "AWA United States Championship" in 1960. | |
| — | Vacated | August 16, 1960 | — | — | — | — | Vacated when Gagne won AWA World Heavyweight Championship. | |
| 7 | Gene Kiniski | November 19, 1960 | House show | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 1 | 17 | Defeated Nick Roberts in a house show in St. Paul, Minnesota; match was not billed for the title. | |
| 8 | Wilbur Snyder | December 6, 1960 | House show | Minnesota | 3 | 7 | | |
| 9 | Gene Kiniski | December 13, 1960 | House show | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 2 | 64 | | |
| 10 | Wilbur Snyder | February 15, 1961 | House show | Duluth, Minnesota | 4 | | | |
| 11 | Gene Kiniski | February 1961 | House show | | 3 | | | |
| 12 | Wilbur Snyder | March 1, 1961 | House show | Duluth, Minnesota | 5 | 31 | | |
| 13 | Gene Kiniski | April 1, 1961 | House show | Saint Paul, Minnesota | 4 | | | |
| 14 | Hard Boiled Haggerty | September 1961 | House show | Minnesota | 1 | | Sometime after September 5, 1961. | |
| 15 | Mr. M | October 17, 1961 | House show | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 1 | 84 | | |
| — | Vacated | January 9, 1962 | — | — | — | — | Vacated when Mr. M won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship. | |
| 16 | Pat O'Connor | February 17, 1962 | House show | St. Paul, Minnesota | 1 | | Was awarded the NWA (Central States) version of the US Championship on August 24, 1961; defends title against Bob Geigel. | |
| — | Deactivated | 1962 | — | — | — | — | O'Connor spent the rest of his AWA stint challenging Mr. M unsuccessfully for the AWA World championship, while defending his title in other NWA territories until he lost it to Hans Schmidt on July 5, 1962, in Greensboro, North Carolina in a Jim Crockett Promotions card; AWA abandons recognition. | |

## Footnotes

* ↑ The exact date that the championship was lost has not been documented, which means that the title reign lasted between 1 day and 13.
* ↑ The location of the match was not captured as part of the championship documentation.
* ↑ The exact date that the championship was won has not been documented, which means that the title reign lasted between 1 day and 13.
* ↑ The exact date that the championship was lost has not been documented, which means that the title reign lasted between 153 days and 182.
* ↑ The exact date that the championship was won has not been documented, which means that the title reign lasted between 17 days and 41.
* ↑ The exact date the championship was abandoned has not been documented, which means that the title reign is too uncertain to calculate.