NWA World Heavyweight Championship

== Title history ==
=== Reigns ===
=== Title History ===
No. 	Champion 	Championship change 	Championship change 	Championship change 	Reign statistics 	Reign statistics 	Notes 									
No. 	Champion 	Date 	Event 	Location 	Reign 	Days 	Notes 									
Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) / National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)	Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) / National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)	Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) / National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)	Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) / National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)	Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) / National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)	Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) / National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)	Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) / National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)	Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) / National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) 									
1 	Orville Brown 	July 14, 1948 	Live event 	Des Moines, IA 	1 	501 	In July 1948, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) was founded and Brown was recognized as the first official NWA World Heavyweight Champion. His reign length is calculated from the date he defeated Sonny Myers to first claim the world championship. 									
2 	Lou Thesz 	November 27, 1949 	N/A 	N/A 	1 	1,941 	Awarded when Orville Brown suffered career-ending injuries in an automobile accident on November 1, 1949. 									
3 	Leo Nomellini 	March 22, 1955 	House show 	San Francisco, CA 	1 	115 	Defeated Lou Thesz by countout in the second fall and disqualification in the third fall. 									
4 	Lou Thesz 	July 15, 1955 	House show 	St. Louis, MO 	2 	244 	 									
5 	Whipper Billy Watson 	March 15, 1956 	House show 	Toronto, ON 	1 	239 	Won the match and the championship by count out. 									
6 	Lou Thesz 	November 9, 1956 	House show 	St. Louis, MO 	3 	217 	Won the match and the championship by count out. 									
7 	Édouard Carpentier 	June 14, 1957 	House show 	Chicago, IL 	1 	40 	 									
8 	Lou Thesz 	July 24, 1957 	House show 	Montreal, Quebec 	4 	113 	Won the match and the championship by disqualification. 									
9 	Dick Hutton 	November 14, 1957 	House show 	Toronto, ON 	1 	421 	 									
10 	Pat O'Connor 	January 9, 1959 	Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling 	St. Louis, MO 	1 	903 	 									
11 	Buddy Rogers 	June 30, 1961 	Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling 	Chicago, IL 	1 	145 	 									
12 	Killer Kowalski 	November 22, 1961 	House show 	Montreal, Quebec 	1 	425 	 									
13 	Bruno Sammartino 	August 2, 1962 	Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling 	Toronto, ON 	1 	16 	 									
14 	Bobo Brazil 	August 18, 1962 	Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling 	Newark, NJ 	1 	73 	 									
15 	Buddy Rogers 	October 30, 1962 	Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling 	Toledo, OH 	2 	86 	 									
16 	Lou Thesz 	January 24, 1963 	House show 	Toronto, ON 	5 	1,079 	Promoters in the northeast United States refused to recognize Buddy Rogers' one-fall loss to Thesz, thus breaking away from the NWA to form the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) and Rogers was declared the first WWWF World Heavyweight Champion shortly afterwards 									
17 	Gene Kiniski 	January 7, 1966 	Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling 	St. Louis, MO 	1 	1,131 	 									
18 	Dory Funk Jr. 	February 11, 1969 	Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling 	Tampa, FL 	1 	1,563 	 									
19 	Harley Race 	May 24, 1973 	Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling 	Kansas City, KS 	1 	57 	 									
20 	Jack Brisco 	July 20, 1973 	Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling 	Houston, TX 	1 	500 	 									
21 	Giant Baba 	December 2, 1974 	House show 	Kagoshima, Japan 	1 	7 	 									
22 	Jack Brisco 	December 9, 1974 	House show 	Toyohashi, Japan 	2 	366 	 									
23 	Terry Funk 	December 10, 1975 	NWA World Wide Wrestling 	Miami Beach, FL 	1 	424 	 									
24 	Harley Race 	February 6, 1977 	NWA World Wide Wrestling 	Toronto, ON 	2 	926 	 									
25 	Dusty Rhodes 	August 21, 1979 	NWA World Wide Wrestling 	Tampa, FL 	1 	5 	 									
26 	Harley Race 	August 26, 1979 	NWA World Wide Wrestling 	Orlando, FL 	3 	66 	 									
27 	Giant Baba 	October 31, 1979 	NWA World Wide Wrestling 	Nagoya, Japan 	2 	7 	 									
28 	Harley Race 	November 7, 1979 	NWA World Wide Wrestling 	Amagasaki, Japan 	4 	302 	 									
29 	Giant Baba 	September 4, 1980 	NWA World Wide Wrestling 	Saga, Japan 	3 	5 	 									
30 	Harley Race 	September 9, 1980 	NWA World Wide Wrestling 	Ōtsu, Japan 	5 	230 	 									
31 	Tommy Rich 	April 27, 1981 	NWA World Wide Wrestling 	Augusta, GA 	1 	4 	 									
32 	Harley Race 	May 1, 1981 	NWA World Wide Wrestling 	Gainesville, GA 	6 	51 	 									
33 	Dusty Rhodes 	June 21, 1981 	NWA World Wide Wrestling 	Atlanta, GA 	2 	88 	 									
34 	Ric Flair 	September 17, 1981 	NWA World Wide Wrestling 	Kansas City, KS 	1 	416 	Lou Thesz was the special referee. 									
35 	Harley Race 	June 10, 1983 	NWA World Championship Wrestling 	St. Louis, MO 	7 	167 	 									
36 	Ric Flair 	November 24, 1983 	Starrcade 	Greensboro, NC 	2 	117 	This was a steel cage match. Former champion Gene Kiniski was the special referee. 									
37 	Harley Race 	March 20, 1984 	House show 	Wellington, New Zealand 	8 	3 	 									
38 	Ric Flair 	March 23, 1984 	NWA World Championship Wrestling 	Kallang, Singapore 	3 	44 	 									
39 	Kerry Von Erich 	May 6, 1984 	1st Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions 	Irving, TX 	1 	18 	 									
40 	Ric Flair 	May 24, 1984 	NWA World Championship Wrestling 	Yokosuka, Japan 	4 	793 	 									
41 	Dusty Rhodes 	July 26, 1986 	The Great American Bash 	Greensboro, NC 	3(4) 	14 	 									
42 	Ric Flair 	August 9, 1986 	NWA World Championship Wrestling 	St. Louis, MO 	5 	412 	 									
43 	Ron Garvin 	September 25, 1987 	NWA World Championship Wrestling 	Detroit, MI 	1 	62 	 									
44 	Ric Flair 	November 26, 1987 	Starrcade 	Chicago, IL 	6 	451 	This was a Steel Cage match 									
45 	Ricky Steamboat 	February 19, 1989 	Chi-Town Rumble 	Chicago, IL 	1 	154 	Steamboat also won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship 									
46 	Ric Flair 	July 23, 1989 	The Great American Bash 	Baltimore, MD 	7 	349 	Flair also won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship 									
47 	Sting 	July 7, 1990 	The Great American Bash 	Baltimore, MD 	1 	 	Sting also won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship 									
48 	Tatsumi Fujinami 	January 4, 1991 	WCW/New Japan Supershow I 	Tokyo, Japan 	1 	128 	The IWGP Heavyweight Championship was also on the line 									
49 	Ric Flair 	May 19, 1991 	SuperBrawl I 	St. Petersburg, FL 	8 	112 	Flair's WCW World Heavyweight Championship is also on the line 									
— 	Vacated 	September 8, 1991 	— 	— 	— 	— 	Flair was stripped of the NWA title upon signing with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). 									
50 	Masahiro Chono 	August 12, 1992 	G1 Climax 1992 – Day 5 	Tokyo, Japan 	1 	145 	Defeated Rick Rude in the final of the G1 Climax tournament. 									
51 	The Great Muta 	January 4, 1993 	WCW/New Japan Supershow III 	Tokyo, Japan 	1 	48 	Muta's IWGP Heavyweight Championship was also on the line. 									
52 	Barry Windham 	February 21, 1993 	SuperBrawl III 	Asheville, NC 	1 	147 	 									
53 	Ric Flair 	July 18, 1993 	Beach Blast 	Biloxi, MS 	9 	59 	 									
54 	Rick Rude 	September 19, 1993 	Fall Brawl 	Houston, TX 	1 	178 	 									
55 	Hiroshi Hase 	March 16, 1994 	House show 	Tokyo, Japan 	1 	8 	 									
56 	Rick Rude 	March 24, 1994 	House show 	Kyoto, Japan 	2 	24 	 									
57 	Sting 	April 17, 1994 	Spring Stampede 	Rosemont, IL 	1 	67 	 									
56 	Ric Flair 	June 23, 1994 	Clash of the Champions XXVII 	North Charleston, SC 	3 	<1 	Flair's WCW World Heavyweight Championship was also on the line 									
— 	Vacated 	June 23, 1994 	Clash of the Champions XXVII 	North Charleston, SC 	— 	— 	Flair refuses the title (in kayfabe), leaving it vacant. In real life the NWA no longer wanted the belt to be defended on WCW shows and instead appointed Eastern Championship Wrestling as the promotion in charge of booking an NWA champion 									
57 	Shane Douglas 	August 27, 1994 	NWA World Title Tournament 	Philadelphia, PA 	1 	<1 	Defeated 2 Cold Scorpio in tournament final. 									
— 	Vacated 	August 27, 1994 	NWA World Title Tournament 	Philadelphia, PA 	— 	— 	Douglas (who's also the ECW World Champion) threw the belt down immediately after winning it and declared that he did not want to be the organization's champion. Eastern Championship Wrestling then withdraws from the NWA and becomes Extreme Championship Wrestling. 									
58 	Chris Candido 	November 19, 1994 	NWA World Heavyweight Title Tournament 	Cherry Hill, NJ 	1 	97 	Defeated Tracy Smothers in tournament final. 									
59 	Dan Severn 	February 24, 1995 	House show 	Erlanger, KY 	1 	1,479 	 									
60 	Naoya Ogawa 	March 14, 1999 	House show 	Yokohama, Japan 	1 	195 	 									
61 	Gary Steele 	September 25, 1999 	51st Anniversary Show 	Charlotte, NC 	1 	7 	Steele pinned Ogawa in a three-way match, also involving Brian Anthony. 									
62 	Naoya Ogawa 	October 2, 1999 	House show 	Thomaston, CT 	2 	274 	 									
— 	Vacated 	July 2, 2000 	— 	— 	— 	— 	Ogawa vacated the championship. 									
63 	Mike Rapada 	September 19, 2000 	House show 	Tampa, FL 	1 	56 	Defeated Jerry Flynn in tournament final. 									
64 	Sabu 	November 14, 2000 	House show 	Tampa, FL 	1 	38 	 									
65 	Mike Rapada 	December 22, 2000 	House show 	Nashville, TN 	2 	123 	 									
66 	Steve Corino 	April 24, 2001 	House show 	Tampa, FL 	1 	172 	 									
— 	Vacated 	October 13, 2001 	53rd Anniversary Show 	St. Petersburg, FL 	— 	— 	The championship was held up when Steve Corino lost a title match against Shinya Hashimoto when he became unable to compete due to head injury sustained in the match. 									
67 	Shinya Hashimoto 	December 15, 2001 	Clash Of The Champions 	McKeesport, PA 	1 	84 	This was three matches round robin style; Gary Steele vs. Steve Corino, Gary Steele vs. Shinya Hashimoto, and Steve Corino vs. Shinya Hashimoto. Hashimoto won. 									
68 	Dan Severn 	March 9, 2002 	Vast Energy 	Tokyo, Japan 	2 	80 	Match ended in controversy, as the referee gave a fast count. 									
78 	Ray González 	April 3, 2005 	Juicio Final 2005 	San Juan, PR 	1 	356 	 									
79 	Lance Hoyt 	March 25, 2006 	Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre 	Carolina, PR 	 	 	Hoyt's WWC Universal Heavyweight Champions was also on the line 									
82 	Adam Pearce 	September 1, 2007 	Reclaiming the Glory 	Bayamón, Puerto Rico 	1 	336 	Defeated Brent Albright in the tournament final. Pearce competed as a substitute for Bryan Danielson, who defeated Pearce in the semifinals but withdrew from the tournament due to a detached retina. Danielson was the special referee. 									
83 	Brent Albright 	August 2, 2008 	Death Before Dishonor VI 	New York City, NY 	1 	49 	 									
84 	Adam Pearce 	September 20, 2008 	Glory By Honor VII 	Philadelphia, PA 	2 	35 	 									
86 	Blue Demon Jr. 	October 25, 2008 	House show 	Mexico City, Mexico 	1 	505 	 									
87 	Adam Pearce 	March 14, 2010 	House show 	Charlotte, NC 	3 	357 	This was a three-way elimination match, also featuring Phill Shatter. 									
88 	Colt Cabana 	March 6, 2011 	NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood 	West Hollywood, CA 	1 	48 	 									
89 	The Sheik 	April 23, 2011 	Subtle Hustle 	Jacksonville, FL 	1 	79 	 									
— 	Vacated 	July 11, 2011 	— 	— 	— 	— 	The Sheik was stripped of the championship for refusing to defend against Adam Pearce on July 31, 2011. 									
90 	Adam Pearce 	July 31, 2011 	NWA at the Ohio State Fair 	Columbus, OH 	4 	252 	Pearce defeated Chance Prophet, Jimmy Rave and Shaun Tempers in a four-way match to win the vacant championship. 									
91 	Colt Cabana 	April 8, 2012 	NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood 	Glendale, CA 	2 	104 	 									
92 	Adam Pearce 	July 21, 2012 	Metro Pro Wrestling 	Kansas City, KS 	5 	98 	This was a two-out-of-three falls match. On August 30, 2012, a court settlement transferred NWA ownership to International Wrestling Corp. NWA no longer had memberships but instead began licensing the NWA brand to wrestling promotions. 									
— 	Vacated 	October 27, 2012 	NWA Warzone Wrestling 14 	Berwick, Victoria, Australia 	— 	— 	Pearce left the NWA and resigned as champion 									
93 	Kahagas 	November 2, 2012 	Wrath of Champions 	Clayton, NJ 	1 	134 	Kahagas won an elimination match for the vacant title by last eliminating Damien Wayne. Match also featured Chance Prophet, Jason Kincaid, Lance Erikson, Anthony Nese, Papadon, Biggie Biggs, and Lance Anoa'i. Kahagas was the reigning NWA National Heavyweight Champion at the time of his victory.									
94 	Rob Conway 	March 16, 2013 	A Monster's Ball 	San Antonio, TX 	1 	294 	Conway replaced an injured Jax Dane and defeated Kahagas for the championship. 									
95 	Satoshi Kojima 	January 4, 2014 	Wrestle Kingdom 8 	Tokyo, Japan 	1 	149 	 									
96 	Rob Conway 	June 2, 2014 	Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion Show 	Las Vegas, NV 	2 	257 	 									
97 	Hiroyoshi Tenzan 	February 14, 2015 	The New Beginning in Sendai 	Sendai, Japan 	1 	196 	 									
98 	Jax Dane 	August 29, 2015 	World War Gold 	San Antonio, TX 	1 	419 	 									
99 	Tim Storm 	October 21, 2016 	House show 	Sherman, TX 	1 	414 	On October 1, 2017, Billy Corgan's company Lightning One, Inc. purchased the National Wrestling Alliance and gradually transformed it into a singular wrestling promotion. 									
100 	Nick Aldis 	December 9, 2017 	Cage of Death 19 	Sewell, NJ 	1 	266 	 									
101 	Cody Rhodes 	September 1, 2018 	All In 	Hoffman Estates, IL 	1 	300 	 									
102 	Nick Aldis 	June 28, 2019 	ROH Best In The World 2019 	Baltimore, MD 	2 	704+ 	This was a 2 out of 3 falls match. 									
Category:Wrestling