World Heavyweight Title World Heavyweight Title History

#
Wrestler
Date
Location
1
Orville Brown1
10/??/48
-----
2
Lou Thez2
11/27/49
-----
3
Whipper Billy Watson
03/15/56
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
4
Lou Thez (2)3
11/09/56
St. Louis, Missouri
5
Dick Hutton
11/14/57
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
6
Pat O'Conor
01/09/59
St. Louis, Missouri
7
Buddy Rogers
06/30/61
Chicago, Illinois
8
Lou Thez (3)4
01/24/63
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
9
Gene Kiniski
01/07/66
St. Louis, Missouri
10
Dory Funk Jr.
02/11/69
Tampa, Florida
11
Harley Race
03/24/73
Kansas City, Missouri
12
Jack Brisco
07/20/73
Houston, Texas
13
Giant Baba
12/02/74
Kagoshima, Japan
14
Jack Brisco (2)
12/09/74
Toyohashi, Japan
15
Terry Funk
12/10/75
Miami, Florida
16
Harley Race (2)
02/06/77
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
17
Dusty Rhodes
08/21/79
Tampa, Florida
18
Harley Race (3)
08/26/79
Orlando, Florida
19
Giant Baba (2)
10/31/79
Nagoya, Japan
20
Harley Race (4)
11/07/79
Amagasaki, Japan
21
Giant Baba (3)
09/04/80
Saga, Japan
22
Harley Race (5)
09/09/80
Ohtsu, Japan
23
Tommy Rich
04/27/81
Augusta, Georgia
24
Harley Race (6)
05/01/81
Gainsville, Georgia
25
Dusty Rhodes (2)
06/21/81
Atlanta, Georgia
26
Ric Flair5
09/17/81
Kansas City, Missouri
27
Harley Race (7)
02/10/83
St. Louis, Missouri
28
Ric Flair (2)
11/24/83
Greensboro, North Carolina
29
Harley Race (8)
03/24/84
Wellington, New Zealand
30
Ric Flair (3)
03/24/84
Kallang, Singapore
31
Kerry Von Erich
05/04/84
Irving, Texas
32
Ric Flair (4)
05/24/84
Yokosuka, Japan
33
Dusty Rhodes (3)
07/25/86
Greensboro, North Carolina
34
Ric Flair (5)
08/07/86
St. Louis, Missouri
35
Ronnie Garvin
09/25/87
Detroit, Michigan
36
Ric Flair (6)
11/26/87
Chicago, Illinois
37
Ricky Steamboat
02/20/89
Chicago, Illinois
38
Ric Flair (7)
05/07/89
Nashville, Tennessee
39
Sting
07/07/90
Baltimore, Maryland
40
Ric Flair (8)6
01/11/91
East Rutherford, New Jersey
41
Lex Luger7
07/14/91
Baltimore, Maryland
42
Sting (2)
02/29/92
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
43
Vader
07/12/92
Albany, Georgia
44
Ron Simmons
08/02/92
Baltimore, Maryland
45
Vader (2)
12/20/92
Baltimore, Maryland
46
Sting (3)
03/11/93
London, England
47
Vader (3)
03/17/93
Dublin, Ireland
48
Ric Flair (9)
12/27/93
Charlotte, North Carolina
49
Ric Flair (10)8
04/24/94
Atlanta, Georgia
50
Hollywood Hulk Hogan
07/17/94
Orlando, Florida
51
The Giant9
10/29/95
Detroit, Michigan
52
Randy Savage10
11/26/95
Norfolk, Virginia
53
Ric Flair (11)
12/27/95
Nashville, Tennessee
54
Randy Savage (2)
01/22/96
Las Vegas, Nevada
55
Ric Flair (12)
02/11/96
Saint Petersburg, Florida
56
The Giant (2)
04/22/96
Albany, Georgia
57
Hollywood Hulk Hogan (2)
08/10/96
Sturgis, South Dakota
58
Lex Luger (2)
08/04/97
Auburn Hills, Michigan
59
Hollywood Hulk Hogan (3)
08/09/97
Sturgis, South Dakota
60
Sting (4)
12/28/97
Washington D.C.
61
Sting (5)11
02/28/98
San Francisco, California
62
Randy Savage (3)
04/19/98
Denver, Colorado
63
Hollywood Hulk Hogan (4)
04/20/98
Colorado Springs, Colorado
64
Goldberg
07/06/98
Atlanta, Georgia
65
Kevin Nash
12/27/98
Washington D.C.
66
Hollywood Hulk Hogan (5)
01/04/99
Atlanta, Georgia
67
Ric Flair (13)
03/14/99
Louisville, Kentucky
68
Diamond Dallas Page12
04/11/99
Tacoma, Washington
69
Sting (6)
04/26/99
Fargo, North Dakota
70
Diamond Dallas Page (2)
04/26/99
Fargo, North Dakota
71
Kevin Nash (2)
05/09/99
St. Louis, Missouri
72
Randy Savage (4)13
07/11/99
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
73
Hollywood Hulk Hogan (6)
07/12/99
Jacksonville, Florida
74
Sting (7)
09/12/99
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
75
Bret Hart14
11/21/99
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
76
Bret Hart (2)15
12/20/99
Baltimore, Maryland
77
Chris Benoit16
01/16/00
Cincinatti, Ohio
78
Sid Vicious
01/24/00
Los Angeles, California
79
Kevin Nash (3)17
01/25/00
Las Vegas, Nevada
80
Sid Vicious (2)
01/25/00
Las Vegas, Nevada
81
Jeff Jarrett18
04/16/00
Chicago, Illinois
82
Diamond Dallas Page (3)
04/24/00
Rochester, New York
83
David Arquette19
04/25/00
Syracuse, New York
84
Jeff Jarrett (2)
05/07/00
Kansas City, Missouri
85
Ric Flair (14)
05/14/00
Biloxi, Mississippi
86
Jeff Jarrett (3)
05/22/00
Grand Rapids, Michigan
87
Kevin Nash (4)
05/23/00
Saginaw, Michigan
88
Ric Flair (15)20
05/29/00
Salt Lake City, Utah
89
Jeff Jarrett (4)
05/29/00
Salt Lake City, Utah
90
Booker T21
07/09/00
Daytona Beach, Florida
91
Kevin Nash (5)
08/28/00
Las Cruces, New Mexico
92
Booker T (2)
09/17/00
Buffalo, New York
93
Vince Russo
09/25/00
Uniondale, New York
94
Booker T (3)22
10/02/00
San Francisco, California
95
Scott Steiner
11/26/00
Milwuakee, Wisconsin
96
Booker T (4)
03/26/01
Panama City, Florida
97
Kurt Angle23
07/24/01
Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania
98
Booker T (5)
07/30/01
Philadelphia, Pennslyvania
99
The Rock
08/19/01
San Jose, California
100
Chris Jericho
10/21/01
St. Louis, Missouri
101
The Rock (2)
11/05/01
Uniondale, New York
102
Chris Jericho (2)24
12/09/01
San Diego, California
103
Triple H
03/17/02
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
104
Hollywood Hulk Hogan (7)
04/21/02
Kansas City, Missouri
105
The Undertaker
05/19/02
Nashville, Tennessee
106
The Rock (3)
07/21/02
Detroit, Michigan
107
Brock Lesnar
08/25/02
Uniondale, New York
108
Triple H (2) 25
09/02/02
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
109
Shawn Michaels
11/17/02
New York, New York
110
Triple H (3)
12/15/02
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
111
Goldberg (2)
09/21/03
Hershey, Pennsylvania
112
Triple H (4)
12/14/03
Orlando, Florida
113
Chris Benoit (2)
03/14/04
New York, New York
Notes
1. Orville Brown was the reigning Midwest Wrestling Association's World Heavyweight Champion and was awarded the NWA World Heavyweight title when the MWA was absorbed into the NWA.

2. Lou Thesz unifies the NWA World Heavyweight title with the National Wrestling Assocation's World title on July 20, 1948. He recieved the NWA World Heavyweight title on November 27, 1949 when Orville Brown was injured in a car accident and couldn't defend the title. Lou Thesz then went to unify the titles of the American Wrestling Assocation World title on July 27, 1950 and with the World title recognized by Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium wrestling on May 21, 1952.

3. Lou Thesz loses the title to Edouard Carpentier by disqualification on June 14, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois, but NWA rules prohibit the title change because the NWA World title cannot change hands due to an injury and the belt was given back to Thesz. Lou Thesz then went on to defeat Edouard Carpentier in a rematch by disqualification on July 24, 1957 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

4. Promoters in the northeast of the United States refuses to recognize Buddy Rogers' one-fall loss to Lou Thesz, thus breaking away from the National Wrestling Alliance to form a new promotion called the World Wide Wrestling Federation (now known as the WWE) and naming Rogers as the first WWWF World Heavyweight Champion. Lou Thesz defeated Rogers in a rematch on Febrary 7, 1963 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

5. On February 9, 1982 in Tampa, Florida, the Midnight Rider defeated Ric Flair for the NWA World title, but the Midnight Rider returned the title belt when NWA President, Bob Geigel, asked the Midnight Rider to unmask and reveal who he is. The Midnight Rider was Dusty Rhodes in disguise.

6. Ric Flair defeats Sting as the NWA Champion. The NWA Championship is now recognized as the WCW World Heavyweight Title.

7. Flair vacates the title upon leaving WCW for the WWF. Luger wins a tournament to decide the new champion.

8. Ric Flair recaptures the championship, made vacant after a double pinfall between Flair and Ricky Steamboat a week earlier.

9. The Giant wins the championship via DQ, made permissible by a contract stipulation. WCW later refuses to recognize the stipulation and declares the title vacant.

10. Randy Savage is the final man in a three-ring, sixty-man battle royal to win the world championship.

11. Sting recaptures the championship, declared vacant following a controversial ending in his December 29, 1997 match against Hollywood Hulk Hogan.

12. DDP wins a 4-way match, with whoever scores a pinfall first gets the title.

13. Savage pins Nash during a tag team match where the belt can change hands.

14. Bret Hart wins a 32-man tournament to crown the new champion, after the championship was vacated when Sting assaulted Charles Robinson.

15. Bret Hart vacates the championship twenty-four hours after a controversial match with Goldberg. Hart then beats Goldberg to win the belt back later that night.

16. Chris Benoit wins the title that was vacated by the injured Bret Hart. However, Benoit then vacates the title within twenty-four hours to join the WWF.

17. Sid beats Commissioner Nash, only to have Nash strip the belt away and award it to himself. Sid then defeats Nash and Ron Harris in a handicap match to win the title back.

18. Jeff Jarrett wins the title one week after Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo vacate all titles in order to create the "new and improved" WCW.

19. Actor David Arquette wins the title by pinning Eric Bischoff during a stipulation tag match. The title is vacated on May 1, 2000.

20. One week after winning the title, Kevin Nash presents it to Ric Flair, who then loses it to Jeff Jarrett.

21. Hulk Hogan defeats Jeff Jarrett for the title, but the victory isn't recognized by Vince Russo. Jarrett keeps the title, only to lose it to Booker T that same night.

22. Booker T defeats Jeff Jarrett for the title that Russo vacated.

23. Kurt Angle becomes the first WWF superstar to win the World Heavyweight Title.

24. Chris Jericho defeats the Rock for the World Heavyweight Title and then defeats Steve Austin for the WWF title to create the Undisputed Championship.

25. Brock Lesnar wins the Undisputed Championship at Summerslam, but proceeds to sign an excluse Smackdown! contract, thus making the title "disputed". In response, RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff resurrects the WCW title, calling it the World Heavyweight Championship. He names Triple H the first RAW World Heavyweight Champion.

1