# Mid-South North American Heavyweight Championship

The Mid-South North American Heavyweight Championship was the major singles title in the Mid-South Wrestling Association from 1979 until the promotion became the Universal Wrestling Federation in 1986. The title was retired then in favor of the UWF Heavyweight Championship. The promotion was originally a member of the National Wrestling Alliance referred to as NWA Tri-State, hence the title was originally the Tri-State version of the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship from 1969 to 1979.

## Title history

| Wrestler: | Times: | Date: | Location: | Notes: |
| NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Tri-State version) |||||
| Chuck Karbo | 1 | June 23, 1969 | Los Angeles | Wins a tournament to become the first champion. |
| Danny Hodge | 1 | August 15, 1969 | Little Rock, AR | |
| Chuck Karbo | 2 | October 6, 1969 | | |
| Danny Hodge | 2 | October 21, 1969 | Little Rock, AR | |
| Chuck Karbo | 3 | October 23, 1969 | | |
| Tarzan Baxter | 1 | October 31, 1969 | Oklahoma City, OK | |
| The Spoiler | 1 | February 17, 1970 | Little Rock, AR | |
| Danny Hodge | 3 | March 1970 | | |
| The Spoiler | 2 | March 20, 1970 | Oklahoma City, OK | |
| Bill Watts | 1 | April 12, 1970 | Tulsa, OK | |
| Dusty Rhodes | 1 | May 21, 1971 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Bill Watts | 2 | October 1971 | | Sometime before October 19, 1971. |
| The Stomper | 1 | March 1972 | | |
| Bill Watts | 3 | April 19, 1972 | | |
| Dale Lewis | 1 | May 15, 1972 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Bill Watts | 4 | May 22, 1972 | Shreveport, LA | Declared vacant in the Tri-State area in August 1973 when Watts leaves the area; Watts continues to defend in Florida and Georgia. |
| Tri-State version while Watts was in Georgia/Florida |||||
| Tank Morgan | 1 | November 12, 1973 | Shreveport, LA | Defeats Dewey Robertson in tournament final for Tri-State Version. |
| Rip Tyler | 1 | February 11, 1974 | Shreveport, LA | Recognized champion in Tri-State. |
| Apache Bull Ramos | 1 | April 1974 | | Recognized champion in Tri-State. |
| Buddy Colt | 1 | May 3, 1974 | | Defeats Watts in Florida/Georgia version. |
| Bob Armstrong | 1 | June 8, 1974 | | Recognized Champion in Florida/Georgia and still champion as of February 1975. |
| Armand Hussian | 1 | July 29, 1974 | Shreveport, LA | Recognized champion in Tri-State. |
| Skandor Akbar | 1 | December 1974 | Shreveport, LA | Recognized champion Tri-State and still champion as of may 14, 1975. |
| Buddy Colt | 2 | February 1975 | | Recognized champion in Florida/Georgia. |
| Bill Watts | 5 | February 21, 1975 | | Awarded Florida/Georgia version when Colt is injured in a plane crash. |
| Danny Miller | 1 | May 14, 1975 | Jackson, MS | Recognized champion in Tri-State. |
| Dick Murdoch | 1 | June 5, 1975 | New Orleans, LA | Recognized champion in Tri-State. |
| Killer Karl Kox | 1 | October 28, 1975 | Shreveport, LA | Recognized champion in Tri-State. |
| Bill Watts | 6 | November 26, 1975 | Jackson, MS | Defeats Kox to end the dispute. Has been recognized as champion in Florida and Georgia to unifies the Tri-State version. |
| The Spoiler | 3 | November 9, 1976 | Shreveport, LA | |
| The Brute | 1 | November 23, 1976 | | Awarded after defending title for The Spoiler. |
| Ted DiBiase | 1 | December 1976 | | |
| The Great Zimm | 1 | February 1977 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Dick Murdoch | 2 | March 1, 1977 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Stan Hansen | 1 | May 2, 1977 | Tulsa, OK | |
| Bill Watts | 7 | June 20, 1977 | Tulsa, OK | |
| Dick Murdoch | 3 | August 4, 1977 | | |
| Jerry Oates | 1 | August 1977 | Albuquerque, NM | |
| Dick Murdoch | 4 | November 6, 1977 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Ernie Ladd | 1 | February 14, 1978 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Paul Orndorff | 1 | May 29, 1978 | Tulsa, OK | |
| Ernie Ladd | 2 | June 1978 | | |
| Paul Orndorff | 2 | June 1978 | | |
| Stan Hansen | 2 | July 1978 | | |
| Paul Orndorff | 3 | July 29, 1978 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Ernie Ladd | 3 | August 15, 1978 | | |
| Ray Candy | 1 | November 17, 1978 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Ernie Ladd | 4 | December 25, 1978 | New Orleans, LA | Wins by forfeit. |
| Mr. Wrestling II | 1 | February 16, 1979 | Atlanta, GA | Became MSWA Title in August 1979. |
| Renamed Mid-South North American Heavyweight Championship |||||
| Mike George | 1 | September 5, 1979 | Shreveport, LA | Wrestling II is still/again billed as champion in Georgia as of October 19, 1979. |
| Bill Watts | 8 | December 4, 1979 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| Mike George | 2 | December 6, 1979 | ? | Title returned. |
| Bill Watts | 9 | January 5, 1980 | Alexandria, LA | |
| Mike George | 3 | January 19, 1980 | Alexandria, LA | |
| Ted DiBiase | 2 | February 1, 1980 | Shreveport, LA | |
| The Grappler | 1 | September 19, 1980 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Jake Roberts | 1 | June 30, 1981 | Shevreport, LA | |
| Paul Orndorff | 4 | July 4, 1981 | New Orleans, LA | |
| Ted DiBiase | 3 | November 1, 1981 | Lake Charles, LA | |
| Paul Orndorff | 5 | January 6, 1982 | Shreveport, LA | Aired on Mid-South TV January 9, 1982. This match had a special stipulation where disqualification would count as a pinfall. Orndorff wins the match due to outside interference by Bob Roop. |
| Ted DiBiase | 4 | January 6, 1982 | Shreveport, LA | Aired on Mid-South TV January 9, 1982. DiBiase regained the belt via disqualification when Orndorff attacked him with the belt immediately after the match. |
| Bob Roop | 1 | March 17, 1982 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Junkyard Dog | 1 | June 21, 1982 | New Orleans, LA | |
| Ted DiBiase | 5 | June 23, 1982 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Stagger Lee (Junkyard Dog) | 2 | November 25, 1982 | New Orleans, LA | JYD lost loser-leaves-town for 90 days match & returned as masked Stagger Lee. |
| Vacated | | February 1983 | | Vacated when Stagger Lee "left the area" (Junkyard Dog's 90-day suspension ended). Mr. Olympia won a 12-man tournament for the vacated title on March 21, 1983, in Shreveport, Louisiana. The decision was reversed, and the title held up, when it was revealed that the pin was counted with Junkyard Dog face-down on the mat. |
| Junkyard Dog | 3 | April 16, 1983 | New Orleans, LA | Defeats Mr. Olympia in rematch |
| Butch Reed | 1 | July 16, 1983 | New Orleans, LA | |
| Magnum T. A. | - | October 12, 1983 | Shreveport, LA | Junkyard Dog was the special guest referee appointed by Mid-South match maker Grizzly Smith. Junkyard Dog was supposed to be Reed's opponent as the fans had picked the Dog in an applause contest to face Reed for the title but Reed instead refused to defend the title against the Dog and instead picked Magnum T. A. who was in the same applause contest. Butch Reed filed a protest with Mid-South and Mid-South would reverse the match decision on October 24, 1983, citing that Butch Reed did not have the authority to pick his own opponent, therefore that match never happened, the next title match of Magnum T. A. vs Nikolai Volkoff was also stricken from the record, and the title was returned to Reed. That announcement was aired on Mid-South TV October 29, 1983. |
| Nikolai Volkoff | - | October 24, 1983 | New Orleans, LA | Mid-South would strike this match from the record on October 24, 1983. That announcement was aired on Mid-South TV October 29, 1983. |
| Butch Reed | 2 | October 24, 1983 | New Orleans, LA | Aired on Mid-South TV October 29th, 1983. Title returned after Magnum's victory is reversed. |
| Junkyard Dog | 4 | October 26, 1983 | Shreveport, LA | Aired on Mid-South TV October 29th, 1983. Dusty Rhodes was the special guest referee appointed by Mid-South. |
| Mr. Wrestling II | 2 | March 12, 1984 | New Orleans, LA | |
| Magnum T. A. | 1 | May 13, 1984 | Tulsa, OK | |
| Ernie Ladd | 5 | October 16, 1984 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Brad Armstrong | 1 | December 5, 1984 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Ted DiBiase | 6 | January 16, 1985 | Shreveport, LA | |
| Terry Taylor | 1 | March 13, 1985 | Shreveport, LA | |
| The Nightmare | 1 | May 22, 1985 | Shreveport, LA | Aired on Mid-South TV May 30th, 1985. |
| Dick Murdoch | 5 | August 10, 1985 | New Orleans, LA | |
| Butch Reed | 3 | October 14, 1985 | New Orleans, LA | |
| Dick Slater | 1 | January 1, 1986 | Tulsa, OK | |
| Held up after match against Jake Roberts on January 31, 1986, in Houston, Texas. |||||
| Jake Roberts | 2 | February 14, 1986 | Houston, TX | Wins rematch. |
| Dick Slater | 2 | February 23, 1986 | Oklahoma City, OK | |
| Hacksaw Jim Duggan | 1 | March 16, 1986 | Oklahoma City, OK | Defeats Buzz Sawyer, who was defending for Slater. |
| Title retired in May 1986 as Mid-South Wrestling Association becomes the UWF. |||||