AWA World Heavyweight Championship - Title History

Title History

†Title changes not officially recognized by the American Wrestling Association.

# Wrestler Reigns Date Days held: Location Event Notes
01 !1 Pat O'Connor 01 !1 01960-05-18May 18, 1960 90 St. Louis, MO Live event Held NWA World Heavyweight Championship, won on January 9, 1959 in St. Louis, Missouri; recognized as the first AWA World Champion in May 1960, but was given 90 days to defend the title against Verne Gagne or be stripped of the title.
02 !2 Verne Gagne 01 !1 01960-08-16August 16, 1960 329 N/A N/A Awarded after O'Connor failed to defend the title.
03 !3 Gene Kiniski 01 !1 01961-07-11July 11, 1961 28 Minneapolis, MN Live event
04 !4 Verne Gagne 02 !2 01961-08-08August 8, 1961 154 Minneapolis, MN Live event
05 !5 Mr. M 01 !1 01962-01-09January 9, 1962 224 Minneapolis, MN Live event
06 !6 Verne Gagne 03 !3 01962-08-21August 21, 1962 322 Minneapolis, MN Live event
07 !7 The Crusher 01 !1 01963-07-09July 9, 1963 11 Minneapolis, MN Live event Also won Omaha version of World Heavyweight Championship from Verne Gagne on February 15, 1963 in Omaha, Nebraska.
08 !8 Verne Gagne 04 !4 01963-07-20July 20, 1963 7 Minneapolis, MN Live event Wins both the AWA title and the Omaha title.
09 !9 Fritz Von Erich 01 !1 01963-07-27July 27, 1963 12 Omaha, NE Live event Wins both the AWA title and the Omaha title.
10 !10 Verne Gagne 05 !5 01963-08-08August 8, 1963 100 Amarillo, TX Live event Wins AWA title only; also wins Omaha title from Fritz Von Erich on September 7, 1963 in Omaha, NE to unify the titles.
11 !11 The Crusher 02 !2 01963-11-16November 16, 1963 28 St. Paul, MN Live event
12 !12 Verne Gagne 06 !6 01963-12-14December 14, 1963 140 Minneapolis, MN Live event
13 !13 Mad Dog Vachon 01 !1 01964-05-02May 2, 1964 14 Omaha, NE Live event
14 !14 Verne Gagne 07 !7 01964-05-16May 16, 1964 157 Omaha, NE Live event
15 !15 Mad Dog Vachon 02 !2 01964-10-20October 20, 1964 207 Minneapolis, MN Live event
16 !16 Mighty Igor Vodic 01 !1 01965-05-15May 15, 1965 7 Omaha, NE Live event
17 !17 Mad Dog Vachon 03 !3 01965-05-22May 22, 1965 91 Omaha, NE Live event
18 !18 The Crusher 03 !3 01965-08-21August 21, 1965 83 St. Paul, MN Live event
19 !19 Mad Dog Vachon 04 !4 01965-11-12November 12, 1965 365 Denver, CO Live event
19.1 !- Tim Woods 01 !1† 01966-01-08January 8, 1966 6 Omaha, NE Live event AWA president Stanley Blackburn reviews the match from January 8, 1966 and declares it "no contest" on January 14, 1966 since Woods' legs are on the rope while pinning Vachon during the final fall.
19.2 !- Mad Dog Vachon 04 !4(5) 01966-01-14January 14, 1966 302 Omaha, NE Live event Vachon defeats Woods in a rematch on January 14, 1966.
20 !20 Dick The Bruiser 01 !1 01966-11-12November 12, 1966 7 Omaha, NE Live event
21 !21 Mad Dog Vachon 05 !5(6) 01966-11-19November 19, 1966 99 Omaha, NE Live event
22 !22 Verne Gagne 08 !8 01967-02-26February 26, 1967 538 St. Paul, MN Live event
23 !23 Dr. X(The Destroyer) 01 !1 01968-08-17August 17, 1968 14 Bloomington, MN Live event
24 !24 Verne Gagne 09 !9 01968-08-31August 31, 1968 2625 Minneapolis, MN Live event
25 !25 Nick Bockwinkel 01 !1 01975-11-08November 8, 1975 1714 St. Paul, MN Live event Wrestled WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund to a double count-out on March 25, 1979 in Toronto, ON.
26 !26 Verne Gagne 10 !10 01980-07-18July 18, 1980 305 Chicago, IL Live event Gagne retired from active wrestling while still the champion.
27 !27 Nick Bockwinkel 02 !2 01981-05-19May 19, 1981 467 N/A N/A Awarded the title when Gagne retired.
27.1 !- Hulk Hogan 01 !1† 01982-04-18April 18, 1982 6 St. Paul, MN Live event Hogan's victory was overturned by AWA President Stanley Blackburn on April 24, 1982 as a result of the use of a foreign object by Hogan on Bockwinkel in the course of the bout, with Hogan's reign being unrecognized.
27.2 !- Nick Bockwinkel 02 !2(3) 01982-04-24April 24, 1982 127 N/A N/A Returned to Bockwinkel by AWA president Stanley Blackburn due to the involvement of a foreign object in the match. Since Hogan was never recognized as a champion, Bockwinkel was only recognized as a two-time champion.
28 !28 Otto Wanz 01 !1 01982-08-29August 29, 1982 41 St. Paul, MN Live event
29 !29 Nick Bockwinkel 03 !3(4) 01982-10-09October 9, 1982 501 Chicago, IL Live event
29.1 !- Jerry Lawler 01 !1† 01982-12-27December 27, 1982 14 Memphis, TN Live event Title held up after the match.
29.2 !- Nick Bockwinkel 03 !3(5) 01983-01-10January 10, 1983 408 Memphis, TN Live event Defeats Lawler in a rematch.
29.3 !- Hulk Hogan 02 !2† 01983-04-24April 24, 1983 0 Minneapolis, MN Live event Hogan's victory was overturned by Stanley Blackburn immediately following the bout, with Hogan's reign unrecognised.
29.4 !- Nick Bockwinkel 03 !3(6) 01983-04-24April 24, 1983 304 Minneapolis, MN Live event After the match Blackburn came down to the ring and tried to have Hogan disqualified for having thrown Bockwinkel over the top rope, but since this was a no disqualification match, Blackburn simply stripped Hogan of the belt and again returned it to Bockwinkel. Understandably upset at the way he had been treated, Hogan left the AWA shortly thereafter. Neither of the Hogan's wins were officially recognized by the AWA.
30 !30 Jumbo Tsuruta 01 !1 01984-02-22February 22, 1984 81 Tokyo, Japan Live event
31 !31 Rick Martel 01 !1 01984-05-13May 13, 1984 595 St. Paul, MN Live event Wrestled NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair to a double count-out on October 2, 1985 in Tokyo, Japan.
32 !32 Stan Hansen 01 !1 01985-12-29December 29, 1985 181 East Rutherford, NJ Live event
33 !33 Nick Bockwinkel 04 !4(7) 01986-06-28June 28, 1986 308 Denver, CO Live event Awarded when Hansen left the AWA.
34 !34 Curt Hennig 01 !1 01987-05-02May 2, 1987 373 Daly City, CA SuperClash 2 Title held up immediately after the match due to controversy over interference by Larry Zbyszko on Hennig's behalf, but the title is returned to Hennig days later after the AWA Championship Committee (perhaps learning from their mistakes with Hogan) rules that there was no evidence of interference.
35 !35 Jerry Lawler 01 !1(2) 01988-05-09May 9, 1988 256 Memphis, TN Live event Lawler defeated Kerry Von Erich on December 13, 1988 in Chicago to win the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship, and become the first USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship.
35.5 !- Vacated - 01989-01-20January 20, 1989 0 N/A N/A Lawler was stripped of the title after the Continental Wrestling Association split from the AWA.
36 !36 Larry Zbyszko 01 !1 01989-02-07February 7, 1989 368 St. Paul, MN Live event Zbyszko won a battle royal, last eliminating Tom Zenk.
37 !37 Mr. Saito 01 !1 01990-02-10February 10, 1990 57 Tokyo, Japan Live event
38 !38 Larry Zbyszko 02 !2 01990-04-08April 8, 1990 248 St. Paul, MN SuperClash 4
38.5 !- Title retired - 01990-12-12December 12, 1990 0 N/A N/A Title stripped when Zbyszko left the inactive AWA for WCW. The AWA closed in 1991.

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