# Deep South Heavyweight Championship

The Deep South Heavyweight Championship was the primary championship in Deep South Wrestling, a former developmental territory of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) between 2005 and 2007. When the title was first introduced, it was awarded to Tommy Rich, who won a tournament to determine the inaugural champion. The final champion of its first run was The Assassin, who vacated the title due to injury and folded the promotion in October 1988.
In 2005, after seventeen years of inactivity, Deep South Wrestling was revived as a developmental territory for WWE and revived the championship. It was awarded to Mike Mizanin, who won a tournament to become champion. The title was vacated on April 18, 2007, when WWE ceased using DSW as a developmental territory. On July 12, 2007, a tournament was held to crown a new champion, which was won by Austin Creed. In October 2007, DSW closed down a second time. In March 2023, Nick Patrick revealed a brand-new Deep South Heavyweight Championship belt. On August 18, 2023, it was announced that a new champion will be determined in an eight-man tournament on September 9, 2023 in Atlanta.

## Tournaments
### WWE Developmental years
#### November 23 – December 1, 2005

The title was first awarded to the winner of an 8-Man Single Elimination Tournament, held over a 2-week period, with the first-round matches being held November 23, 2005, and the semi-final and final matches on December 1.
| First Round | First Round | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| Mike Mizanin | Mike Mizanin | | | | |
| Eric Pérez | Eric Pérez | | | | |
| Eric Pérez | Eric Pérez | Mike Mizanin | Mike Mizanin | | |
| | | Kid Kash† | Kid Kash† | | |
| Mac Daddy Johnson | Mac Daddy Johnson | Kid Kash† | Kid Kash† | | |
| "Silverback" Ryan Reeves | "Silverback" Ryan Reeves | | | | |
| "Silverback" Ryan Reeves | "Silverback" Ryan Reeves | | | Mike Mizanin | Mike Mizanin |
| | | | | Mike Knox | Mike Knox |
| Mike Knox | Mike Knox | | | | | Mike Knox | Mike Knox |
| Mike Taylor | Mike Taylor | | | | |
| Mike Taylor | Mike Taylor | Mike Knox | Mike Knox | | |
| | | Tony Santorelli | Tony Santorelli | | |
| Tony Santorelli | Tony Santorelli | Tony Santorelli | Tony Santorelli | | |
| Palmer Cannon | Palmer Cannon | | | | |

### Post-WWE
#### July 12, 2007

The title was "held-up" after the agreement between WWE and DSW ended in March 2007, and another tournament was held in on July 12 to crown the new champion.
| First Round | First Round | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| Austin Creed | Austin Creed | | | | |
| Simon Sermon | Simon Sermon | | | | |
| Simon Sermon | Simon Sermon | Austin Creed | Austin Creed | | |
| | | Alexander the Great | Alexander the Great | | |
| Alexander the Great | Alexander the Great | Alexander the Great | Alexander the Great | | |
| Salvatore Rinauro† | Salvatore Rinauro† | | | | |
| Salvatore Rinauro† | Salvatore Rinauro† | | | Austin Creed | Austin Creed |
| | | | | Murder One | Murder One |
| Murder One | Murder One | | | | | Murder One | Murder One |
| J-Rod | J-Rod | | | | |
| J-Rod | J-Rod | Murder One | Murder One | | |
| | | Rick Michaels | Rick Michaels | | |
| Rick Michaels | Rick Michaels | Rick Michaels | Rick Michaels | | |
| Pretty Boy Floyd | Pretty Boy Floyd | | | | |
↑Alexander the Great defeated Salvatore Rinauro by Coin Toss

#### September 9, 2023

After nearly 16 years of inactivity, a tournament to determine a new champion took place on September 9, 2023. Lamar Diggs was the wild card entrant.
| First Round | First Round | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| Najasism | Najasism | | | | |
| Chad Skywalker | Chad Skywalker | | | | |
| Chad Skywalker | Chad Skywalker | Najasism | Najasism | | |
| | | Skrilla the Great | Skrilla the Great | | |
| Skrilla the Great | Skrilla the Great | Skrilla the Great | Skrilla the Great | | |
| Shoot Taylor | Shoot Taylor | | | | |
| Shoot Taylor | Shoot Taylor | | | Skrilla the Great | Skrilla the Great |
| | | | | Jacob Johnson | Jacob Johnson |
| Lamar Diggs | Lamar Diggs | | | | | Jacob Johnson | Jacob Johnson |
| Tyson Maddux | Tyson Maddux | | | | |
| Tyson Maddux | Tyson Maddux | Lamar Diggs | Lamar Diggs | | |
| | | Jacob Johnson | Jacob Johnson | | |
| Jacob Johnson | Jacob Johnson | Jacob Johnson | Jacob Johnson | | |
| Tyler the Wall | Tyler the Wall | | | | |

## Title history

Key :
| No. | Overall reign number |
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| <1 | Reign lasted less than a day |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Championship change | Championship change | Reign statistics | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. |
| No. | Champion | Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Notes | Ref. |
| 1 | Tommy Rich | February 12, 1986 | N/A | Marietta, Georgia | 1 | 142 | Wins tournament to become the first champion | |
| 2 | Flame | July 4, 1986 | N/A | Albany, Georgia | 1 | 83 | | |
| 3 | Mr. Wrestling II | September 25, 1986 | N/A | Carrollton, Georgia | 1 | 45 | | |
| 4 | Flame | November 9, 1986 | N/A | Athens, Georgia | 2 | 77 | | |
| 5 | Ranger Ross | January 25, 1987 | N/A | Athens, Georgia | 1 | 35 | | |
| 6 | Botswana Beast | March 1, 1987 | N/A | Rome, Georgia | 1 | 87 | | |
| 7 | Tommy Rich | May 27, 1987 | N/A | Marietta, Georgia | 2 | 35 | | |
| 8 | Randy Rose | July 1, 1987 | N/A | Columbia County, Georgia | 1 | 341 | | |
| 9 | Assassin #1 | June 6, 1988 | N/A | Atlanta, Georgia | 3 | 134 | Formerly known as Flame | |
| — | Vacated | October 18, 1988 | — | — | — | — | Promotion closed | |
| 10 | Mike Mizanin | December 1, 2005 | DSW | McDonough, Georgia | 1 | 21 | Defeated Mike Knox in a tournament final when the promotion reopens as a talent developmental league of WWE | |
| 11 | Derek Neikirk | December 22, 2005 | DSW | McDonough, Georgia | 1 | 182 | | |
| 12 | Roughhouse O'Reilly | June 22, 2006 | DSW | McDonough, Georgia | 1 | 77 | | |
| 13 | Bradley Jay | September 7, 2006 | DSW TV #21 | McDonough, Georgia | 1 | 140 | | |
| 14 | Vito | January 25, 2007 | DSW TV #40 | McDonough, Georgia | 1 | 28 | Defeated Bradley Jay and Roughhouse O'Reilly in a three-way round robin match. | |
| 15 | Bradley Jay | February 22, 2007 | DSW TV #43 | McDonough, Georgia | 2 | 7 | | |
| 16 | Roughhouse O'Reilly | March 1, 2007 | DSW TV #44 | McDonough, Georgia | 2 | 7 | | |
| 17 | Bradley Jay | March 8, 2007 | DSW TV #44 | McDonough, Georgia | 3 | 7 | | |
| — | Vacated | March 15, 2007 | — | — | — | — | Title held-up after a match with Roughhouse O'Reilly when the agreement between WWE and DSW ends. | |
| 18 | Austin Creed | July 12, 2007 | DSW | Locust Grove, Georgia | 1 | 91 | Defeated Murder One in tournament final. | |
| — | Vacated | October 11, 2007 | — | — | — | — | Promotion closed | |
| 19 | Skrilla the Great | September 9, 2023 | DSW THE GRAND PRIX | Atlanta, Georgia | 1 | 42 | Defeated Jacob Johnson in a tournament final for the reactivated title. | |
| 20 | Najasism | October 21, 2023 | DSW October Rust | Atlanta, Georgia | 1 | 56 | | |
| 21 | Skrilla the Great | December 16, 2023 | DSW FINAL CONFLICT | Atlanta, Georgia | 2 | 224 | | |
| 22 | Jacob Johnson | July 27, 2024 | DSW NO ESCAPE | Atlanta, Georgia | 1 | 62 | It was a Barbed wire steel cage match. | |

## Combined reigns

| Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns | Combined days |
| 1 | Randy Rose | 1 | 341 |
| 2 | Flame/Assassin #1 | 3 | 294 |
| 3 | Skrilla the Great | 2 | 328 |
| 4 | Derek Neikirk | 1 | 182 |
| 5 | Tommy Rich | 2 | 177 |
| 6 | Bradley Jay | 3 | 154 |
| 7 | Austin Creed | 1 | 91 |
| 8 | Botswana Beast | 1 | 87 |
| 9 | Roughhouse O'Reilly | 2 | 84 |
| 10 | Najasism | 1 | 56 |
| 11 | Mr. Wrestling II | 1 | 45 |
| 12 | Ranger Ross | 1 | 35 |
| 13 | Vito | 1 | 28 |
| 14 | Mike Mizanin | 1 | 21 |