# USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship

The USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship formed in 1988, which consisted of the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship from World Class Championship Wrestling and the AWA World Heavyweight Championship from the American Wrestling Association. The title was unified on December 13, 1988, when AWA World Champion Jerry Lawler defeated WCWA World Champion Kerry Von Erich in a unification match.
The title was primarily recognized by and defended in the United States Wrestling Association until 1997, when the company ceased operations. However, the AWA withdrew its recognition of the championship shortly after the unification match when Lawler was stripped of the AWA world title. The title was also contested in a non-televised match prior to the World Wrestling Federation's King of the Ring event in 1993.

## 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 | Jerry Lawler | December 13, 1988 | SuperClash III | Chicago, Illinois | 1 | 109 | Lawler, the reigning AWA World Heavyweight Champion, defeated Kerry Von Erich to win the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship. This results in the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship being formed. In January 1989, he was stripped of the AWA title by the AWA, ending the AWA title's connection with the USWA Unified World Heavyweight title. Lawler continues to be recognized as the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion by the USWA. On January 10, 1989, Dutch Mantell appeared to defeat Lawler to win the title after guest referee Ricky Morton (who had been paid off by Mantell) helped Mantell win by knocking Lawler's feet off the ropes in Mantell's pinfall attempt. The CWA Championship Committee reversed the decision the following week, returning the title to Lawler | |
| 2 | Master of Pain | April 1, 1989 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 24 | The WCWA World Heavyweight Championship was held up in April 1989. Regardless, the USWA continues to recognize the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship. At this point, the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship was not unified with either the AWA or World Class World Heavyweight Championships; consequently, the influential Pro Wrestling Illustrated outright refused to recognise the Unified championship as a separate title in its own right. | |
| 3 | Jerry Lawler | April 25, 1989 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 2 | 181 | On April 14 Lawler defeats Kerry Von Erich to win the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship again. Lawler claims to still be champion in AWA and wins the USWA Unified World Heavyweight title on April 25 | |
| 4 | The Soultaker | October 23, 1989 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 14 | This title change was not recognised in the Texas/World Class branch of the USWA | |
| 5 | Jerry Lawler | November 6, 1989 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 3 | 54 | | |
| 6 | King Cobra | December 30, 1989 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 9 | This title change was not recognised in the Texas/World Class branch of the USWA | |
| 7 | Jerry Lawler | January 8, 1990 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 4 | 49 | | |
| 8 | Jimmy Valiant | February 26, 1990 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 14 | This title change was not recognised in the Texas/World Class branch of the USWA | |
| 9 | Jerry Lawler | March 12, 1990 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 5 | 47 | | |
| 10 | Jimmy Valiant | April 28, 1990 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 2 | 7 | This title change was not recognised in the Texas/World Class branch of the USWA | |
| 11 | Jerry Lawler | May 5, 1990 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 6 | 44 | | |
| 12 | Snowman | June 18, 1990 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 70 | | |
| — | Vacated | August 27, 1990 | — | — | — | — | Snowman no-shows title defense. (World Class Championship Wrestling ends business relationship with USWA in September 1990, ending the WCWA title's connection with the USWA Unified World Heavyweight title. Regardless, the USWA continues to recognize the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship) | |
| 13 | Jerry Lawler | October 8, 1990 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 7 | 28 | Defeated Austin Idol in tournament final | |
| 14 | Terry Funk | November 5, 1990 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 126 | | |
| 15 | Jerry Lawler | March 11, 1991 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 8 | 140 | | |
| 16 | Awesome Kong | July 29, 1991 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 14 | | |
| 17 | Jerry Lawler | August 12, 1991 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 9 | 14 | | |
| 18 | The Dragon Master | August 26, 1991 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 7 | | |
| 19 | Jerry Lawler | September 2, 1991 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 10 | 84 | | |
| 20 | Kamala | November 25, 1991 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 7 | | |
| 21 | Jerry Lawler | December 2, 1991 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 11 | 5 | | |
| — | Vacated | December 7, 1991 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated after a match against Kamala | |
| 22 | Kamala | December 9, 1991 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 2 | 55 | Won rematch | |
| — | Vacated | February 2, 1992 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated after match against Koko B Ware | |
| 23 | Kamala | February 10, 1992 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 3 | 14 | Won rematch | |
| 24 | Koko B. Ware | February 24, 1992 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 21 | | |
| 25 | Kamala | March 16, 1992 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 4 | 49 | | |
| 26 | Jerry Lawler | May 4, 1992 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 12 | 42 | Defeated Eddie Gilbert on June 8, 1992 to win the GWF World Heavyweight Championship, supposedly unifying the two championships although Gilbert had been stripped of the championship previously | |
| 27 | Eddie Gilbert | June 15, 1992 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 28 | | |
| 28 | Ricky Morton | July 13, 1992 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 7 | | |
| 29 | Eddie Gilbert | July 20, 1992 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 2 | 63 | | |
| 30 | Junkyard Dog | September 21, 1992 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 21 | | |
| 31 | Butch Reed | October 12, 1992 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 5 | | |
| 32 | Todd Champion | October 17, 1992 | "USWA show" | Cleveland, Ohio | 1 | 16 | Announced as having won a match, storyline to cover for Butch Reed leaving USWA | |
| 33 | Jerry Lawler | November 2, 1992 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 13 | 35 | | |
| 34 | Koko B. Ware | December 7, 1992 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 2 | 7 | | |
| 35 | Jerry Lawler | December 14, 1992 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 14 | 140 | | |
| 36 | Papa Shango | May 3, 1993 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 2 | 49 | Previously held the championship under the ring name "The Soultaker" | |
| 37 | Owen Hart | June 21, 1993 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 14 | | |
| 38 | Jerry Lawler | July 5, 1993 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 15 | 70 | | |
| 39 | Tatanka | September 13, 1993 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 7 | Tatanka worked for the WWF at the time, and was undefeated. | |
| 40 | Jerry Lawler | September 20, 1993 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 16 | 21 | Lawler pinned Tatanka in a six-man tag team elimination match and the title changed hands due to a pre-match stipulation. | |
| 41 | Randy Savage | October 11, 1993 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 40 | | |
| — | Vacated | November 20, 1993 | — | — | — | — | The USWA and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) temporarily end co-promotion | |
| 42 | Jeff Jarrett | November 22, 1993 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 28 | Won a battle royal | |
| 43 | Jerry Lawler | December 20, 1993 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 17 | 42 | | |
| 44 | Eddie Gilbert | January 31, 1994 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 3 | 7 | | |
| 45 | Jerry Lawler | February 7, 1994 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 18 | 7 | | |
| 46 | Eddie Gilbert | February 14, 1994 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 4 | 39 | | |
| 47 | Jerry Lawler | March 25, 1994 | USWA show | Senatobia, Mississippi | 19 | 113 | | |
| 48 | Sid Vicious | July 16, 1994 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 205 | Won by forfeit | |
| 49 | Jerry Lawler | February 6, 1995 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 20 | 19 | | |
| 50 | Bill Dundee | February 25, 1995 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 37 | | |
| 51 | Razor Ramon | April 3, 1995 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 28 | | |
| 52 | Jerry Lawler | May 1, 1995 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 21 | 189 | | |
| 53 | Ahmed Johnson | November 6, 1995 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 44 | | |
| 54 | Jeff Jarrett | December 20, 1995 | USWA show | Tunica, Mississippi | 2 | 73 | | |
| — | Vacated | March 2, 1996 | — | — | — | — | Vacated after Jarrett suffered a back injury | |
| 55 | Jerry Lawler | March 4, 1996 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 22 | 4 | Defeated Mabel in tournament final | |
| — | Vacated | March 8, 1996 | — | — | — | — | Vacated after a match against Bill Dundee | |
| 56 | Jerry Lawler | April 5, 1996 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 23 | 15 | Lawler won rematch | |
| 57 | Jeff Jarrett | April 20, 1996 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 3 | 95 | Jarrett won with the help of referee Frank Morrell | |
| 58 | Jerry Lawler | July 24, 1996 | USWA show | West Helena, Arkansas | 24 | 37 | | |
| 59 | Sid Vicious | August 30, 1996 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 2 | 3 | | |
| 60 | Jerry Lawler | September 2, 1996 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 25 | 32 | | |
| 61 | The Colorado Kid | October 4, 1996 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 43 | | |
| 62 | Jerry Lawler | November 16, 1996 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 26 | 119 | | |
| 63 | Tank | March 15, 1997 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 7 | | |
| 64 | Jerry Lawler | March 22, 1997 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 27 | 21 | | |
| 65 | King Reginald | April 12, 1997 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 15 | | |
| 66 | Jerry Lawler | April 27, 1997 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 28 | 103 | | |
| 67 | Dutch Mantel | August 8, 1997 | USWA show | Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | | | |
| — | Deactivated | November 2, 1997 | — | — | — | — | USWA closed | |

## Combined reigns

| Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns | Combined days |
| 1 | Jerry Lawler | 28 | 1764 |
| 2 | Sid Vicious | 2 | 208 |
| 3 | Jeff Jarrett | 3 | 196 |
| 4 | Eddie Gilbert | 4 | 137 |
| 5 | Terry Funk | 1 | 126 |
| 6 | Kamala | 4 | 125 |
| 7 | Dutch Mantel | 1 | 85-114 |
| 8 | Snowman | 1 | 70 |
| 9 | The Soultaker/Papa Shango | 2 | 63 |
| 10 | Ahmed Johnson | 1 | 44 |
| 11 | The Colorado Kid | 1 | 43 |
| 12 | Randy Savage | 1 | 40 |
| 13 | Bill Dundee | 1 | 37 |
| 14 | Koko B. Ware | 2 | 28 |
| 14 | Razor Ramon | 1 | 28 |
| 16 | Master of Pain | 1 | 24 |
| 17 | Jimmy Valiant | 2 | 21 |
| 17 | Junkyard Dog | 1 | 21 |
| 19 | Todd Champion | 1 | 16 |
| 20 | King Reginald | 1 | 15 |
| 21 | Awesome Kong | 1 | 14 |
| 21 | Owen Hart | 1 | 14 |
| 23 | King Cobra | 1 | 9 |
| 24 | Ricky Morton | 1 | 7 |
| 24 | Tank | 1 | 7 |
| 24 | Tatanka | 1 | 7 |
| 24 | The Dragon Master | 1 | 7 |
| 28 | Butch Reed | 1 | 5 |

## Footnotes

* ↑ The exact date the USWA closed is not known, which means that the championship reign lasted between 85 and 114 days