# AWA International Heavyweight Championship

The AWA International Heavyweight Championship, originally known as the CWA/AWA International Heavyweight Championship (also identified as the Mid-Southern International Championship and the AWA International Championship) was a major professional wrestling title defended in the Continental Wrestling Association. It was created in 1983 from the CWA's partnership with the American Wrestling Association. The title lasted until 1987, when it was unified with the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight and AWA Southern Heavyweight championships, creating the CWA Heavyweight Championship.

## 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. |
| 1 | Austin Idol | February 1983 | | N/A | 1 | 125 | Idol was awarded the title as the first champion. | |
| 2 | Jerry Lawler | March 7, 1983 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 70 | | |
| 3 | Ken Patera | May 16, 1983 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 70 | | |
| 4 | Jerry Lawler | July 25, 1983 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 2 | 21 | | |
| 5 | Ken Patera | August 15, 1983 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 2 | 26 | | |
| 6 | Austin Idol | September 10, 1983 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 2 | 2 | | |
| 7 | Stan Hansen | September 12, 1983 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 21 | | |
| 8 | Austin Idol | October 3, 1983 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 3 | 203 | This was a bullrope match. | |
| 9 | Randy Savage | April 23, 1984 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 21 | | |
| 10 | Austin Idol | May 14, 1984 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 4 | 33 | | |
| 11 | Masao Ito | June 16, 1984 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 23 | | |
| 12 | Tommy Rich | July 9, 1984 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 48 | | |
| 13 | Eddie Gilbert | August 26, 1984 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 22 | | |
| 14 | Dutch Mantel | September 17, 1984 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 7 | | |
| 15 | Eddie Gilbert | September 24, 1984 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 2 | 95 | | |
| 16 | Terry Taylor | December 28, 1984 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 191 | | |
| 17 | Phil Hickerson | July 7, 1985 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 8 | | |
| 18 | Terry Taylor | July 15, 1985 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 2 | 7 | | |
| 19 | Phil Hickerson | July 22, 1985 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 2 | 70 | | |
| 20 | Mongolian Stomper | September 30, 1985 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 21 | Won the title by countout. | |
| 21 | Phil Hickerson | October 21, 1985 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 3 | 19 | | |
| 22 | Dutch Mantel | November 9, 1985 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 2 | 86 | | |
| 23 | Rick Casey | February 3, 1986 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 28 | | |
| 24 | Abdul Gaddafi | March 3, 1986 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 21 | | |
| 25 | Billy Travis | March 24, 1986 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 42 | | |
| 26 | Bill Dundee | May 5, 1986 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 70 | | |
| 27 | Jerry Lawler | July 14, 1986 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 3 | 56 | This was a "loser leaves town" match. | |
| — | Vacated | September 8, 1986 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | — | — | Vacated for undocumented reasons | |
| 28 | Big Bubba | October 6, 1986 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 90 | | |
| 29 | Soul Train Jones | January 4, 1987 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 106 | | |
| 30 | Chick Donovan | April 20, 1987 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 54 | | |
| 31 | Bill Dundee | June 13, 1987 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 2 | 65 | | |
| 32 | George Barnes | August 17, 1987 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 14 | | |
| 33 | Bill Dundee | August 31, 1987 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 3 | 41 | | |
| — | Vacated | October 11, 1987 | — | — | — | — | Dundee and Lawler wins AWA World Tag Team Titles | |
| 34 | Bill Dundee | October 27, 1987 | House show | Nashville, Tennessee | 4 | 6 | Won a tournament to win the vacant title. | |
| 35 | Manny Fernandez | November 2, 1987 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 35 | | |
| 36 | Jerry Lawler | December 7, 1987 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | 4 | 0 | | |
| — | Unified | December 7, 1987 | House show | Memphis, Tennessee | — | — | Unified with the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship and AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship to create the CWA Heavyweight Championship | |