# NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship

The NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Created in 1943, the title is competed for by junior heavyweight wrestlers.

## History

The first NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion was Ken Fenelon, who was awarded the title in May 1943 by Paul "Pinkie" George, the promoter of the local National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) promotion. For the first few years of its existence, the title was contested largely in Iowa, where George's NWA promotion was based. On July 14, 1948, the NWA was established by George and his partners as a governing body for various regional wrestling promotions in the United States, after which the World Junior Heavyweight Championship became the property of the alliance. At the founding meeting of the NWA governing body in Waterloo, Iowa, Billy Goelz was recognized as the governing body's World Junior Heavyweight Champion; the governing body additionally retroactively recognized all previous holders of the Iowa championship as former NWA World Junior Heavyweight champions.
Between 1948 and 1952, the title was unified with other junior heavyweight titles. After becoming NWA champion in November 1949, Leroy McGuirk, who also held the National Wrestling Association's World Junior Heavyweight Championship, defeated Iowa Champion Billy Goelz to unify the two titles. McGuirk vacated the title in February 1950 after being blinded in a car accident, forcing him to retire. Verne Gagne won the vacant title in November 1950, defeating Sonny Myers in the finals of a tournament, after which he was presented with the title belt by McGuirk. Gagne lost the title to Danny McShain one year later in November 1951. In May 1952, McShain unified the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship with the Los Angeles version of the World Junior Heavyweight Championship by defeating Rito Romero.
In 1960, Danny Hodge had a heated feud with Angelo Savoldi over the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. During a bout between the two men on May 27, 1960 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Hodge's father Bill Hodge Sr. entered the ring and legitimately stabbed Savoldi.
In 1973, Wrestling Pro of the Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling (GCCW) promotion faced Ken Mantell for the championship. During the match, the referee was knocked out and Wrestling Pro won the match, but a second referee appeared and awarded the victory to Mantell. The promoter Bob Kelly declared Wrestling Pro as the new champion and awarded him a title belt. However, Wrestling Pro was recognized as champion only in the GCCW territory and did not receive universal recognition from the NWA. 49 days after his initial loss, Mantell defeated Wrestling Pro to claim both versions of the title.
In March 1976, Hodge vacated the title after being injured in a car accident, marking the end of his record seventh reign as champion.
In December 1979, after the title was vacated, Steve Keirn defeated Chavo Guerrero in the finals of a tournament to win the title. However, Keirn was recognized as champion by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), as well as the Los Angeles and Florida NWA territories, but not by the NWA as a whole. The title Keirn held was later renamed the NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship.
In 1983, the title had splintered into two different lineages. The NWA recognized champion was The Cobra, who worked for NJPW. The Cobra held the title from November 3, 1983 until July 28, 1985, when he lost it against Hiro Saito. However, he regained the title that same day. The Cobra's second reign as champion continued until August 1, 1985, when NJPW separated from the NWA. During the course of The Cobra's reigns, Les Thornton was recognized as champion by Georgia Championship Wrestling. The Georgia title was vacated when Thornton joined the NWA's rival the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Following Thornton's move to the WWF, Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) awarded the title to Hector Guerrero on July 13, 1984, with JCP claiming that Guerrero had won a tournament for the championship in Los Angeles, California. Guerrero later lost the championship in a match against Mike Davis and, at Starrcade '84, Davis lost the title to Denny Brown. When NJPW separated from the NWA in August 1985, NWA vice president Shohei Baba recognized Brown as the official champion. In May 1988, champion Nelson Royal left JCP while holding the title, after which the championship began being defended in independent promotions until it was abandoned in December 1989.
In 1995, the championship was re-established by Japan's Wrestle Yume Factory (WYF) promotion, with Masayoshi Motegi being the first champion under the WYF banner. In 1996, the J-Crown tournament was held to unify eight different championship belts from five different organizations, including the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. The tournament to determine the first J-Crown Champion was held over four nights, from August 2 to August 5, 1996, the same dates that NJPW's annual G1 Climax event took place, promoting two major tournaments on one tour. Jushin Thunder Liger is credited with coming up with the idea for the J-Crown. The inaugural champion was The Great Sasuke. While Último Dragón was J-Crown Champion, the titles appeared on World Championship Wrestling (WCW) programming, as Dragon also held the WCW Cruiserweight Championship and the NWA World Middleweight Championship at the time. When Liger was champion, he lost the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship to Yuji Yasuraoka on June 6, 1997, in Tokyo, Japan. Liger, however, continued to defend the J-Crown with seven titles instead of eight. As part of their introduction of a new WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, the WWF demanded that the then current J-Crown Champion Shinjiro Otani return the WWF Light Heavyweight belt. Otani dissolved the J-Crown on November 5, 1997, by vacating all of the component titles except for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, with the other belts being restored to their home promotions. After the dissolution of the J-Crown, the Junior Heavyweight title was returned to the NWA, who kept it vacant until March 1999, when Logan Caine won a tournament to become champion.
In 2011, The Sheik was the NWA World Heavyweight Champion but was stripped of the championship for refusing to defend against Adam Pearce. The NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion Craig Classic vacated the title in protest. Pro Wrestling Zero1 did not recognize the vacancy and declared Classic as the real champion.
In 2014, NWA re-established its working relationship with NJPW. The champion at that time, Chase Owens, defended the title on several NJPW events. During the working relationship, Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask IV held the title. On May 1, 2017, Billy Corgan's company, Lightning One, Inc., purchased the NWA, including its name, rights, trademarks, and championships. As a result, the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship was vacated. Corgan's ownership took effect on October 1, 2017. The title remained vacant until March 2022 when Homicide won the title on night two of the 2022 Crockett Cup.

## Reigns

As of March 8, 2025, there have been 130 reigns between 80 champions, 15 vacancies and one deactivation. Ken Fenelon was the inaugural champion. Danny Hodge holds the record for most reigns at seven. Hodge's fourth reign is the longest at 1,361 days while Fred Blassie's and Hiro Saito's were the shortest, lasting less than a day.
Alex Taylor is the current champion in his first reign. He won the title by defeating previous champion Joe Alonzo on June 28, 2023, at NWA: Chicago's Endless Summer event in Highland Park, Illinois.

### Names

| Name | Years |
| NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship | May 1943 – present |
Key :
| No. | Overall reign number |
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| <1 | Reign lasted less than a day |
| + | Current reign is changing daily |
| 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 | Ken Fenelon | May 3, 1943 | N/A | N/A | 1 | | Fenelon was awarded the title by Paul "Pinkie" George, founder of the Iowa-based local National Wrestling Alliance promotion. | |
| 2 | Marshall Esteppe | May 30, 1945 | House show | Toronto, IA | 1 | 216 | This match was promoted by Paul "Pinkie" George's Iowa-based National Wrestling Alliance promotion. | |
| 3 | Larry Tillman | January 1, 1946 | House show | Des Moines, IA | 1 | 69 | This match was promoted by Paul "Pinkie" George's Iowa-based National Wrestling Alliance promotion. | |
| 4 | Ken Fenelon | March 11, 1946 | House show | Des Moines, IA | 2 | 301 | This match was promoted by Paul "Pinkie" George's Iowa-based National Wrestling Alliance promotion. | |
| 5 | Marshall Esteppe | January 6, 1947 | House show | Des Moines, IA | 2 | 77 | This match was promoted by Paul "Pinkie" George's Iowa-based National Wrestling Alliance promotion. | |
| 6 | Ray Steele | March 24, 1947 | House show | Des Moines, IA | 1 | 35 | This match was promoted by Paul "Pinkie" George's Iowa-based National Wrestling Alliance promotion. | |
| 7 | Marshall Esteppe | April 28, 1947 | House show | Des Moines, IA | 3 | 323 | This match was promoted by Paul "Pinkie" George's Iowa-based National Wrestling Alliance promotion. | |
| 8 | Billy Goelz | March 16, 1948 | House show | Des Moines, IA | 1 | 159 | This match was promoted by Paul "Pinkie" George's Iowa-based National Wrestling Alliance promotion. During this reign, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is officially formed as a wrestling governing body, with the championship becoming property of the alliance and expanding out of Iowa. | |
| 9 | Al Williams | August 22, 1948 | House show | Waterloo, IA | 1 | 14 | | |
| 10 | Billy Goelz | September 5, 1948 | House show | Waterloo, IA | 2 | 446 | The NWA withdrew its recognition of Goelz as champion on November 25, 1949. | |
| 11 | Leroy McGuirk | November 25, 1949 | 1949 NWA Convention | Des Moines, IA | 1 | 74 | McGuirk previously defeated John Swenski on June 19, 1939 in California to win a version of the world championship; recognized as junior heavyweight champion by the NWA during its 1949 convention. McGuirk later defeats Billy Goelz to unify the Iowa version of the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship into both the mainline NWA and National Wrestling Association's World Junior Heavyweight Championships. | |
| — | Vacated | February 7, 1950 | — | — | — | — | The championship was vacated after Leroy McGuirk retired due to being blinded in a car accident. | |
| 12 | Verne Gagne | November 13, 1950 | House show | Tulsa, OK | 1 | 371 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. Gagne defeated Sonny Myers in a tournament final to win the vacant championship. | |
| 13 | Danny McShain | November 19, 1951 | House show | Memphis, TN | 1 | 637 | This match was promoted by NWA Mid-America. McShain unified the Los Angeles version of the world title into the NWA title, defeating Rito Romero on May 25, 1952 in Los Angeles, California. Whitey Whittler defeated McShain by disqualification on October 17, 1952 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to claim a disputed version of the title; Red Berry additionally defeated McShain by disqualification on November 11, 1952 in Dallas, Texas to claim a version of the title. McShain defeated Whittler on November 14, 1952 in Oklahoma City and Berry on November 27, 1952 in Galveston, Texas to end their respective claims. | |
| 14 | Baron Michele Leone | August 17, 1953 | House show | Memphis, TN | 1 | 602 | This match was promoted by NWA Mid-America. | |
| 15 | Ed Francis | April 11, 1955 | House show | Tulsa, OK | 1 | 365 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 16 | Mike Clancy | April 10, 1956 | House show | Oklahoma City, OK | 1 | 350 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 17 | Fred Blassie | March 26, 1957 | House show | Nashville, TN | 1 | <1 | This match was promoted by NWA Mid-America. | |
| — | Vacated | March 26, 1957 | — | — | — | — | The championship was vacated after the match between Freddie Blassie and Mike Clancy ended with a controversial finish. | |
| 18 | Mike Clancy | April 9, 1957 | House show | Nashville, TN | 2 | 217 | This match was promoted by NWA Mid-America. Clancy defeated Fred Blassie to win the vacant championship. | |
| — | Vacated | November 12, 1957 | — | — | — | — | The championship was vacated after Mike Clancy defeated Jackie Fargo by disqualification. | |
| 19 | Mike Clancy | November 19, 1957 | House show | Nashville, TN | 3 | 101 | This match was promoted by NWA Mid-America. Clancy defeated Fred Blassie to win the vacant championship. | |
| 20 | Angelo Savoldi | February 28, 1958 | House show | Oklahoma City, OK | 1 | 97 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 21 | Dory Funk | June 5, 1958 | House show | Amarillo, TX | 1 | 36 | This match was promoted by NWA Western States. | |
| 22 | Angelo Savoldi | July 11, 1958 | House show | Oklahoma City, OK | 2 | 224 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 23 | Ivan the Terrible | February 20, 1959 | House show | Oklahoma City, OK | 1 | 14 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 24 | Angelo Savoldi | March 6, 1959 | House show | Oklahoma City, OK | 3 | 84 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 25 | Mike DiBiase | May 29, 1959 | House show | Oklahoma City, OK | 1 | 84 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 26 | Angelo Savoldi | August 21, 1959 | House show | Oklahoma City, OK | 4 | 336 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 27 | Danny Hodge | July 22, 1960 | House show | Oklahoma City, OK | 1 | 1,450 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 28 | Hiro Matsuda | July 11, 1964 | House show | Tampa, FL | 1 | 125 | This match was promoted by Championship Wrestling from Florida. | |
| 29 | Angelo Savoldi | November 13, 1964 | House show | Oklahoma City, OK | 5 | 161 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 30 | Danny Hodge | April 23, 1965 | House show | Oklahoma City, OK | 2 | 214 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 31 | Lorenzo Parente | November 23, 1965 | House show | N/A | 1 | 42 | | |
| 32 | Danny Hodge | January 4, 1966 | House show | Little Rock, AR | 3 | 10 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 33 | Lorenzo Parente | January 14, 1966 | House show | Oklahoma City, OK | 2 | 29 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 34 | Joe McCarthy | February 12, 1966 | House show | Oklahoma City, OK | 1 | 80 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 35 | Danny Hodge | May 3, 1966 | House show | Little Rock, AR | 4 | 1,532 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 36 | Sputnik Monroe | July 13, 1970 | House show | Shreveport, Louisiana | 1 | 28 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 37 | Danny Hodge | August 10, 1970 | House show | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 5 | 283 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. Some sources list the match as taking place on September 14, 1970 in Shreveport, Louisiana. | |
| 38 | Roger Kirby | May 20, 1971 | House show | New Orleans, Louisiana | 1 | 113 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 39 | Ramón Torres | September 10, 1971 | House show | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 1 | 84 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 40 | Dr. X | December 3, 1971 | House show | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 1 | 108 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 41 | Danny Hodge | March 20, 1972 | House show | Shreveport, Louisiana | 6 | 639 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 42 | Ken Mantell | December 19, 1973 | House show | Jackson, Mississippi | 1 | 542 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| † | Wrestling Pro | September 17, 1974 | House show | Mobile, Alabama | 1 | 49 | This match was promoted by Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling. Wrestling Pro was only recognized in the Alabama territory. | |
| † | Ken Mantell | November 5, 1974 | House show | Mobile, Alabama | 1$^{(2)}$ | 221 | This match was promoted by Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling. Mantell defeated Wrestling Pro to end the Alabama branch of the championship. | |
| 43 | Hiro Matsuda | June 14, 1975 | House show | St. Petersburg, Florida | 2 | 262 | This match was promoted by Championship Wrestling from Florida. | |
| 44 | Danny Hodge | March 2, 1976 | House show | Shreveport, Louisiana | 7 | 13 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| — | Vacated | March 15, 1976 | — | — | — | — | Danny Hodge vacated the championship after being injured in a car accident. | |
| 45 | Pat Barrett | September 28, 1976 | House show | Shreveport, Louisiana | 1 | 65 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. Barrett defeated Nelson Royal in a tournament final to win the vacant championship. | |
| 46 | Ron Starr | December 2, 1976 | House show | New Orleans, Louisiana | 1 | 4 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 47 | Nelson Royal | December 6, 1976 | House show | New Orleans, Louisiana | 1 | 566 | This match was promoted by NWA Tri-State. | |
| 48 | Chavo Guerrero | February 24, 1978 | House show | Unknown | 1 | 42 | | |
| 49 | Nelson Royal | April 7, 1978 | House show | Unknown | 2 | 79 | | |
| 50 | Al Madril | June 25, 1978 | House show | Houston, Texas | 1 | 398 | This match was promoted by Houston Wrestling. | |
| 51 | Nelson Royal | July 28, 1979 | House show | Unknown | 3 | 134 | | |
| — | Vacated | December 9, 1979 | — | — | — | — | Nelson Royal vacated the championship upon retiring from wrestling. | |
| † | Steve Keirn | December 10, 1979 | House show | Los Angeles, California | 1 | 53 | This match was promoted by Hollywood Wrestling. Keirn defeated Chavo Guerrero in a tournament final to seemingly win the vacant title, but the NWA did not recognize Keirn as champion. Keirn received recognition from the NWA territories Championship Wrestling from Florida, Hollywood Wrestling, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling; this version was later renamed the NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship. | |
| 52 | Ron Starr | February 11, 1980 | House show | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 2 | 19 | This match was promoted by Mid-South Wrestling. Starr defeated Les Thornton to win the vacant championship. After his victory, Starr received recognition from the NWA as champion over international champion Steve Keirn. | |
| 53 | Les Thornton | March 1, 1980 | House show | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 1 | 331 | This match was promoted by Mid-South Wrestling. Thornton won the championship by forfeit after Ron Starr failed to appear for the match. | |
| 54 | Jerry Stubbs | January 26, 1981 | House show | Mobile, Alabama | 1 | 5 | | |
| 55 | Les Thornton | January 31, 1981 | House show | Dothan, Alabama | 2 | 127 | | |
| 56 | Terry Taylor | June 7, 1981 | House show | Roanoke, Virginia | 1 | 13 | This match was promoted by Southern Championship Wrestling. | |
| 57 | Les Thornton | June 20, 1981 | House show | Roanoke, Virginia | 3 | 88 | This match was promoted by Southern Championship Wrestling. | |
| 58 | Jerry Brisco | September 16, 1981 | House show | Miami, Florida | 1 | 30 | This match was promoted by Championship Wrestling from Florida | |
| 59 | Les Thornton | October 16, 1981 | House show | Knoxville, Tennessee | 4 | 22 | This match was promoted by Jim Crockett Promotions. | |
| 60 | Joe Lightfoot | November 7, 1981 | House show | Bayamón, Puerto Rico | 1 | 7 | This match was promoted by Capitol Sports Promotions. | |
| 61 | Les Thornton | November 14, 1981 | House show | San Juan, Puerto Rico | 5 | 192 | This match was promoted by Capitol Sports Promotions. | |
| 62 | Tiger Mask | May 25, 1982 | Big Fight Series | Shizuoka, Japan | 1 | 313 | This match was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. In 1983, some North American promoters declared the title vacant due to Tiger Mask wrestling for the World Wrestling Federation, which was not a member of the NWA; however, during the annual NWA convention, the NWA announced that Tiger Mask was still recognized as the official champion and ordered its territories to recognize him as champion. | |
| — | Vacated | April 3, 1983 | — | — | — | — | The championship was vacated after Tiger Mask suffered an injury. | |
| 63 | Tiger Mask | June 2, 1983 | IWGP Championship League 1983 | Tokyo, Japan | 2 | 71 | This match was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Tiger Mask defeated Kuniaki Kobayashi to win the vacant championship. | |
| — | Vacated | August 12, 1983 | — | — | — | — | The championship was vacated after Tiger Mask retired. | |
| 64 | The Cobra | November 3, 1983 | Toukon Series | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 633 | This match was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. The Cobra defeated Davey Boy Smith to win the vacant championship. During this reign, Les Thornton was recognized by some promoters in the United States as world champion due to The Cobra working for the World Wrestling Federation. | |
| † | Les Thornton | November 14, 1983 | N/A | Manila, Philippines | 6 | 201 | Georgia Championship Wrestling announced that Thornton had won a (fictitious) tournament to become champion. | |
| — | Vacated | June 2, 1984 | — | — | — | — | American promoters vacated their version of the championship after Les Thornton joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) ahead of its takeover of Georgia Championship Wrestling. Thornton continued to bill himself as champion, defending the title on WWF events in Georgia as the "WWF Lt. Hvywt Championship". | |
| † | Hector Guerrero | July 13, 1984 | N/A | Los Angeles, California | 1 | 81 | Jim Crockett Promotions announced that Guerrero had won a (fictitious) tournament to become champion. | |
| † | Mike Davis | October 2, 1984 | House show | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 1 | 112 | This match was promoted by Jim Crockett Promotions. | |
| † | Denny Brown | November 22, 1984 | Starrcade '84: The Million Dollar Challenge | Greensboro, North Carolina | 1 | 248 | This match was promoted by Jim Crockett Promotions. | |
| 65 | Hiro Saito | July 28, 1985 | Burning Spirit in Summer | Osaka, Japan | 1 | <1 | This match was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. | |
| 66 | The Cobra | July 28, 1985 | Burning Spirit in Summer | Osaka, Japan | 2 | 4 | This match was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. | |
| — | Vacated | August 1, 1985 | — | — | — | — | The championship was vacated after New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the promotion which The Cobra performed for, pulled out of the NWA. | |
| 67 | Denny Brown | August 1, 1985 | N/A | N/A | 1$^{(2)}$ | 14 | Brown had previously won a disputed version of the championship at Starrcade '84 by defeating Mike Davis; Brown received official recognition as champion by NWA vice president Shohei Baba, promoter of All Japan Pro Wrestling, on August 1 after New Japan Pro-Wrestling, which had controlled the championship since 1982, withdrew from the NWA. | |
| 68 | Gary Royal | August 15, 1985 | House show | Kansas City, Kansas | 1 | 31 | This match was promoted by Central States Wrestling. | |
| 69 | Denny Brown | September 15, 1985 | House show | Atlanta, Georgia | 2$^{(3)}$ | 321 | This match was promoted by Jim Crockett Promotions. The match between Brown and Gary Royal later aired on NWA World Championship Wrestling via tape delay. | |
| 70 | Steve Regal | August 2, 1986 | House show | Atlanta, Georgia | 1 | 30 | This match was promoted by Jim Crockett Promotions. | |
| 71 | Denny Brown | September 1, 1986 | House show | Greenville, South Carolina | 3$^{(4)}$ | 187 | This match was promoted by Jim Crockett Promotions. | |
| 72 | Lazor Tron | March 7, 1987 | House show | Atlanta, Georgia | 1$^{(2)}$ | 215 | This match was promoted by Jim Crockett Promotions. The match between Lazor Tron and Denny Brown took place at WTBS's Techwood Drive TV studios and aired on NWA World Championship Wrestling. Lazor Tron previously won a disputed version of the championship under the ring name Hector Guerrero. | |
| — | Vacated | October 8, 1987 | — | — | — | — | The championship was vacated after Lazor Tron left Jim Crockett Promotions. | |
| 73 | Nelson Royal | October 16, 1987 | House show | Columbia, South Carolina | 4 | 280 | This match was promoted by Jim Crockett Promotions. Royal defeated Denny Brown for the vacant championship; the match between Royal and Brown later aired on NWA World Wide Wrestling via tape delay. Royal takes the title to Knoxville, Tennessee's USA Championship Wrestling promotion in May 1988. Masanobu Fuchi, All Japan Pro Wrestling's reigning World Junior Heavyweight Champion, received disputed recognition as the new champion; however, Royal continued promoting the title until 1989, when it was abandoned. | |
| 74 | Scott Armstrong | July 22, 1988 | House show | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1 | 1 | This match was promoted by USA Championship Wrestling. | |
| 75 | Nelson Royal | July 23, 1988 | House show | Hazard, Kentucky | 5 | 8 | This match was promoted by USA Championship Wrestling. | |
| 76 | Scott Armstrong | July 30, 1988 | House show | Chattanooga, Tennessee | 2 | 20 | This match was promoted by USA Championship Wrestling. | |
| 77 | Nelson Royal | August 2, 1988 | House show | Knoxville, Tennessee | 6 | 108 | This match was promoted by USA Championship Wrestling. USA Championship Wrestling closed in October 1988; Royal later founded Atlantic Coast Wrestling in the Carolinas and continued to bill himself as world champion. | |
| 78 | Les Anderson | November 18, 1988 | House show | Unknown | 1 | 209 | This match was promoted by Atlantic Coast Wrestling. This reign is recognized by the NWA but not Pro Wrestling Zero1 as part of their NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship history. | |
| 79 | Rock the Hunter | June 15, 1989 | House show | Unknown | 1 | 27 | This match was promoted by Atlantic Coast Wrestling. This reign is recognized by the NWA but not Pro Wrestling Zero1 as part of their NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship history. | |
| 80 | Les Anderson | December 25, 1989 | House show | Unknown | 2 | 1 | This match was promoted by Atlantic Coast Wrestling. This reign is recognized by the NWA but not Pro Wrestling Zero1 as part of their NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship history. | |
| — | Deactivated | December 26, 1989 | — | — | — | — | The championship was abandoned after Atlantic Coast Wrestling closed. | |
| 81 | Masayoshi Motegi | August 30, 1995 | Wrestling Bargain Sale Jump! Fly! Sho! '95 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 338 | This match was promoted by Wrestle Yume Factory. Motegi defeated El Hijo del Santo in a tournament final to revive the championship. | |
| 82 | The Great Sasuke | August 2, 1996 | G1 Climax 1996 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 70 | This match was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. The Great Sasuke won an eight-man tournament to decide the first holder of the J-Crown, a combination of eight titles categorized junior heavyweight or lower (including the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship). These titles were still considered separate, as opposed to one unified championship, and continued to be defended separately on occasion. | |
| 83 | Último Dragón | October 11, 1996 | Osaka Crush Night! | Osaka, Japan | 1 | 85 | This match was promoted by Wrestle Association R. | |
| 84 | Jushin Thunder Liger | January 4, 1997 | Wrestling World 1997 | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 183 | This match was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. | |
| 85 | El Samurai | July 6, 1997 | Summer Struggle 1997 | Sapporo, Japan | 1 | 35 | This match was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. | |
| 86 | Shinjiro Otani | August 10, 1997 | The Four Heaven in Nagoya Dome | Nagoya, Japan | 1 | 87 | This match was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. | |
| — | Vacated | November 5, 1997 | — | — | — | — | The championship was vacated when the J-Crown was dissolved upon the request of the World Wrestling Federation. All of the component titles were returned to their home promotions. | |
| 87 | Logan Caine | March 5, 1999 | House show | Parkersburg, West Virginia | 1 | 237 | Caine defeated Viper in a tournament final to win the vacant championship. | |
| — | Vacated | October 28, 1999 | — | — | — | — | The championship was vacated after Logan Caine failed to appear for a title defense against Vince Kaplack. | |
| 88 | Vince Kaplack | October 28, 1999 | House show | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 1 | 78 | This match was promoted by Pro Wrestling eXpress. Kaplack defeated Chris Hero, who was serving as a replacement for Logan Caine. | |
| 89 | Tony Kozina | January 14, 2000 | House show | North Versailles, Pennsylvania | 1 | 190 | This match was promoted by Pro Wrestling eXpress. | |
| 90 | Rockford 2000 | July 22, 2000 | House show | Surrey, British Columbia, Canada | 1 | 35 | This match was promoted by NWA: Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling. | |
| 91 | Tony Kozina | August 30, 2000 | N/A | N/A | 2 | 39 | Kozina was awarded the championship by NWA officials after Rockford's victory over him was reversed. | |
| 92 | Vince Kaplack | October 14, 2000 | NWA 52nd Anniversary Show | Nashville, Tennessee | 2 | 175 | | |
| 93 | Rocky Reynolds | April 7, 2001 | House show | Pennsboro, West Virginia | 1 | 27 | This match was promoted by NWA Southwest. | |
| 94 | Mike Thunder | May 4, 2001 | House show | North Richland Hills, Texas | 1 | 109 | This match was promoted by NWA Southwest. | |
| 95 | Lex Lovett | August 21, 2001 | House show | Tampa, Florida | 1 | 53 | | |
| 96 | Jason Rumble | October 13, 2001 | NWA 53rd Anniversary Show | Saint Petersburg, Florida | 1 | 112 | Rumble defeated Lex Lovett, Jimmy Rave, Brandon K, and BJ Turner in a five-way match. | |
| 97 | Rocky Reynolds | February 2, 2002 | House show | Titusville, Pennsylvania | 2 | 14 | This match was promoted by Pro Wrestling eXpress. | |
| 98 | Jason Rumble | February 16, 2002 | House show | Malden, Massachusetts | 2 | 49 | | |
| 99 | Rocky Reynolds | April 6, 2002 | House show | Parkersburg, West Virginia | 3 | 56 | | |
| 100 | Jimmy Rave | June 29, 2002 | House show | Cornelia, Georgia | 1 | 42 | This match was promoted by NWA Wildside. Rave defeated Rocky Reynolds and Jeremy Lopez in a three-way match. | |
| 101 | Star | August 10, 2002 | House show | Columbia, Tennessee | 1 | 7 | | |
| 102 | Jimmy Rave | August 17, 2002 | House show | Columbia, Tennessee | 2 | 154 | | |
| 103 | Brother Love | January 18, 2003 | House show | Greenville, Mississippi | 1 | 140 | | |
| 104 | Rocky Reynolds | June 7, 2003 | House show | Parkersburg, West Virginia | 4 | 56 | | |
| 105 | Chris Draven | August 2, 2003 | House show | Parkersburg, West Virginia | 1 | 161 | | |
| 106 | Jerrelle Clark | January 10, 2004 | House show | St. Petersburg, Florida | 1 | 281 | | |
| 107 | Jason Rumble | October 17, 2004 | NWA 56th Anniversary Show | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | 3 | 312 | Rumble defeated Jerrelle Clark and Vance Desmond in a three-way match. | |
| 108 | Black Tiger IV | August 25, 2005 | House show | Columbia, Tennessee | 1 | 178 | | |
| 109 | Tiger Mask IV | February 19, 2006 | Circuit 2006 Acceleration | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 446 | This match was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. | |
| 110 | Mike Quackenbush | May 11, 2007 | Chapter Two | Portage, Indiana | 1 | 1,275 | This match was promoted by Fight Sports Midwest. | |
| 111 | Craig Classic | November 6, 2010 | November Coming Fire | Fort Pierce, Florida | 1 | 247 | This match was promoted by NWA Florida. | |
| — | Vacated | September 20, 2011 | — | — | — | — | Classic relinquished the title in protest of The Sheik being stripped of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Classic brought his own version of the title to Pro Wrestling Zero1, which is referred as the "New Wrestling Alliance World Junior Heavyweight Championship". | |
| 112 | Kevin Douglas | October 7, 2011 | House show | Charlotte, North Carolina | 1 | 373 | This match was promoted by NWA Revival. Douglas defeated Chase Owens in a tournament final to win the vacant championship. | |
| — | Vacated | October 13, 2012 | — | — | — | — | Kevin Douglas was stripped of the title for no-showing a scheduled title defense on October 13, 2012 against Chase Owens. A one-night tournament was held in Kingsport, Tennessee in lieu of the Douglas-Owens match. | |
| 113 | Chase Owens | October 13, 2012 | House show | Kingsport, Tennessee | 1 | 301 | This match was promoted by NWA Smoky Mountain. Owens defeated Matt Conard and Zac Vincent in a three-way tournament final. | |
| 114 | Jason Kincaid | August 10, 2013 | House show | Kingsport, Tennessee | 1 | 69 | This match was promoted by NWA Smoky Mountain. | |
| 115 | Chase Owens | October 18, 2013 | House show | Houston, Texas | 2 | 78 | This match was promoted by NWA Houston. | |
| 116 | Ricky Morton | January 4, 2014 | House show | Kingsport, Tennessee | 1 | 62 | This match was promoted by NWA Smoky Mountain. | |
| 117 | Chase Owens | March 7, 2014 | House show | Church Hill, Tennessee | 3 | 246 | This match was promoted by NWA Smoky Mountain. | |
| 118 | Jushin Thunder Liger | November 8, 2014 | Power Struggle | Osaka, Japan | 2 | 156 | This match was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. | |
| 119 | Steve Anthony | April 13, 2015 | Casino Royale | Las Vegas, Nevada | 1 | 163 | This match was promoted by Vendetta Pro Wrestling. | |
| 120 | Tiger Mask IV | September 23, 2015 | Destruction in Okayama | Okayama, Japan | 2 | 178 | This match was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. | |
| 121 | Steve Anthony | March 19, 2016 | Road to Invasion Attack 2016 | Nagoya, Japan | 2 | 112 | This match was promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. | |
| 122 | John Saxon | July 9, 2016 | House show | Pensacola, Florida | 1 | 275 | | |
| 123 | Arrick Andrews | April 8, 2017 | House show | Dyersburg, Tennessee | 1 | 41 | This match was promoted by NWA Mid-South. | |
| 124 | Mr. USA | May 19, 2017 | House show | Franklin, Kentucky | 1 | 85 | This match was promoted by NWA New South. | |
| 125 | Barrett Brown | August 12, 2017 | House show | Dyersburg, Tennessee | 1 | 49 | This match was promoted by NWA Mid-South. | |
| — | Vacated | September 30, 2017 | — | — | — | — | The championship was vacated after the NWA terminated its contracts with its licensees. The NWA is purchased by Billy Corgan's Lightning One Inc. company and gradually transforms into a stand-alone wrestling promotion. | |
| | National Wrestling Alliance/Lightning One Inc. | National Wrestling Alliance/Lightning One Inc. | National Wrestling Alliance/Lightning One Inc. | National Wrestling Alliance/Lightning One Inc. | National Wrestling Alliance/Lightning One Inc. | National Wrestling Alliance/Lightning One Inc. | National Wrestling Alliance/Lightning One Inc. | National Wrestling Alliance/Lightning One Inc. |
| 126 | Homicide | March 20, 2022 | The Crockett Cup Night 2 | Nashville, Tennessee | 1 | 237 | Homicide defeated Austin Aries, Colby Corino, and Darius Lockhart in a four-way match to win the vacant championship. | |
| 127 | Kerry Morton | November 12, 2022 | Hard Times 3 | New Orleans, Louisiana | 1 | 287 | | |
| 128 | Colby Corino | August 26, 2023 | NWA 75th Anniversary Show | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 189 | | |
| 129 | Joe Alonzo | March 2, 2024 | Hard Times 4 | Dothan, Alabama | 1 | 118 | Aired on Powerrr via tape delay on April 9, 2024. | |
| 130 | Alex Taylor | June 28, 2024 | Endless Summer | Highland Park, IL | 1 | 253+ | This match was promoted by NWA: Chicago. | |

## Combined reigns

| † | Indicates the current champion |
| Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns | Combined days |
| 1 | Danny Hodge | 7 | 4,141 |
| 2 | Mike Quackenbush | 1 | 1,275 |
| 3 | Angelo Savoldi | 5 | 902 |
| 4 | Nelson Royal | 6 | 846 |
| 5 | Mike Clancy | 3 | 768 |
| 6 | Denny Brown | 3$^{(4)}$ | 756 |
| 7 | The Cobra | 2 | 637 |
| 7 | Danny McShain | 1 | 637 |
| 9 | Chase Owens | 3 | 626 |
| 10 | Tiger Mask IV | 2 | 624 |
| 11 | Baron Michele Leone | 1 | 602 |
| 12 | Hiro Matsuda | 2 | 548 |
| 13 | Ken Mantell | 1$^{(2)}$ | 493 |
| 14 | Jason Rumble | 3 | 473 |
| 15 | Les Thornton | 6 | 429 |
| 16 | Leroy McGuirk | 1 | 406 |
| 17 | Al Madril | 1 | 398 |
| 18 | Tiger Mask | 2 | 384 |
| 19 | Kevin Douglas | 1 | 373 |
| 20 | Verne Gagne | 1 | 371 |
| 21 | Marshall Esteppe | 3 | 370 |
| 22 | Ed Francis | 1 | 364 |
| 23 | Jushin Thunder Liger | 2 | 339 |
| 24 | Masayoshi Motegi | 1 | 338 |
| 25 | Ken Fenelon | 2 | 301 |
| 26 | Kerry Morton | 1 | 287 |
| 27 | Jerrelle Clark | 1 | 281 |
| 28 | John Saxon | 1 | 275 |
| 28 | Steve Anthony | 2 | 275 |
| 30 | Alex Taylor † | 1 | 253+ |
| 31 | Vince Kaplack | 2 | 253 |
| 32 | Craig Classic | 1 | 247 |
| 33 | Homicide | 1 | 237 |
| 33 | Logan Caine | 1 | 237 |
| 35 | Tony Kozina | 2 | 229 |
| 36 | Jimmy Rave | 2 | 196 |
| 37 | Colby Corino | 1 | 189 |
| 38 | Rocky Reynolds | 4 | 181 |
| 39 | Black Tiger IV | 1 | 178 |
| 40 | Chris Draven | 1 | 161 |
| 41 | Billy Goelz | 2 | 159 |
| 42 | Brother Love | 1 | 140 |
| 43 | Joe Alonzo | 1 | 118 |
| 44 | Roger Kirby | 1 | 113 |
| — | Mike Davis | — | 112 |
| 45 | Mike Thunder | 1 | 109 |
| 46 | Dr. X | 1 | 108 |
| 47 | Shinjiro Otani | 1 | 87 |
| 48 | Mr. USA | 1 | 85 |
| 48 | Último Dragón | 1 | 85 |
| 50 | Mike DiBiase | 1 | 84 |
| 50 | Ramón Torres | 1 | 84 |
| 52 | Hector Guerrero/Lazor Tron | 1$^{(2)}$ | 81 |
| 53 | Joe McCarthy | 1 | 80 |
| 54 | Chavo Guerrero Sr. | 2 | 79 |
| 55 | Lorenzo Parente | 2 | 71 |
| 56 | The Great Sasuke | 1 | 70 |
| 57 | Pat Barrett | 1 | 69 |
| 57 | Larry Tillman | 1 | 69 |
| 57 | Jason Kincaid | 1 | 69 |
| 60 | Ricky Morton | 1 | 62 |
| 61 | Lex Lovett | 1 | 53 |
| — | Wrestling Pro | — | 49 |
| 62 | Barrett Brown | 1 | 49 |
| 63 | Arrick Andrews | 1 | 41 |
| 64 | Dory Funk | 1 | 36 |
| 65 | Ray Steele | 1 | 35 |
| 65 | El Samurai | 1 | 35 |
| 67 | Gary Royal | 1 | 31 |
| 68 | Steve Regal | 1 | 30 |
| 69 | Sputnik Monroe | 1 | 28 |
| 70 | Al Williams | 1 | 14 |
| 70 | Ivan The Terrible | 1 | 14 |
| 72 | Joe Lightfoot | 1 | 7 |
| 72 | Star | 1 | 7 |
| 74 | Jerry Stubbs | 1 | 5 |
| 75 | Ron Starr | 2 | 4 |
| 76 | Scott Armstrong | 2 | 1 |
| 76 | Les Anderson | 2 | 1 |
| 78 | Hiro Saito | 1 | <1 |
| 78 | Fred Blassie | 1 | <1 |
| 80 | Rock the Hunter | 1 | N/A |