Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz was an American professional wrestler. He was a three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and held the title for a combined total of 10 years, three months and nine days – longer than anyone else in history. Considered to be one of the last true shooters in professional wrestling and described as the "quintessential athlete... a polished warrior who could break a man in two if pushed the wrong way", Thesz is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and the single greatest wrestling world champion in history, and probably the last globally accepted world champion. In Japan, Thesz was known as the 'God of Wrestling' and was called Tetsujin, which means 'Ironman', in respect for his speed, conditioning and expertise in catch wrestling. Alongside Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson, Thesz later helped train young Japanese wrestlers and mixed martial artists in catch wrestling.
The WCWA Television Championship was a secondary professional wrestling championship that was used and defended in the World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA). Originally created in 1979 as the NWA Television Championship, one of many television championships across the NWA territories, it was primarily defended on their weekly television show. At the time of its creation the championship was promoted by NWA Big Time Wrestling (BTW). BTW changed its name to "World Class Championship Wrestling" (WCCW) in 1982 and the championship became known as the WCCW Television Championship. In 1986 WCCW withdrew from the NWA and became known as the World Class Wrestling Association. As it is a professional wrestling championship, it is won not by actual competition, but by a scripted ending to a match.
The WCWA Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship promoted by the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex area-based World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA) promotion from September 13, 1987 until May 1989. The championship was for wrestlers under 230 pounds (100 kg) pounds, the maximum limit of the "Light Heavyweight" division at the time. As it is a professional wrestling championship, it is won not by actual competition, but by a scripted ending to a match.
Robert Herman Julius Friedrich, better known by the ring name Ed "Strangler" Lewis, was an American professional wrestler and trainer. During his wrestling career, which spanned four decades, Lewis was a four-time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion and overall recognized officially as a five-time world champion. Considered to be one of the most iconic and recognizable sports stars of the 1920s, often alongside boxer Jack Dempsey and baseball player Babe Ruth, Lewis notably wrestled in over 6,000 matches and lost only 32 of them.
The National Wrestling Association (NWA) was an early professional wrestling sanctioning body created in 1930 by the National Boxing Association as an attempt to create a governing body for professional wrestling in the United States. The group created a number of "World" level championships as an attempt to clear up the professional wrestling rankings which at the time saw a number of different championships promoted as the "true world champion". The National Wrestling Association's NWA World Heavyweight Championship was later considered part of the historical lineage of the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA World Heavyweight Championship when then National Wrestling Association champion Lou Thesz won the National Wrestling Alliance championship, folding the original championship into one title in 1949.
Christos Theofilou, better known as "The Golden Greek" Jim Londos, was a Greek American professional wrestler. Londos was one of the most popular stars on the professional wrestling circuit in the 1930s and 1940s.
William John Potts, was a Canadian professional wrestler best known by his ring name "Whipper" Billy Watson. He was a two-time world champion, having held both the National Wrestling Association title and the National Wrestling Alliance title.
The UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship that was originally promoted by the Mexican lucha libre professional wrestling) promotion Universal Wrestling Association (UWA). the UWA operated from 1975 to 1995 but the title is still defended on the Mexican independent circuit after the UWA closed. The weight range for this championship is 97 kg (214 lb) to 107 kg (236 lb) but is not strictly enforced to these days. The UWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship has also been promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling and was at one time one of the eight championships that made up the J-Crown Championship. Following the breakup of the J-Crown, the championship was used by the Toryumon promotion but has since then returned to Mexico where it's defended on the independent circuit.
The CWA Southwestern Heavyweight Championship was a short-lived professional wrestling championship defended in the United States Wrestling Association and the World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA) during their joint promotion in 1989 and 1990. The title was abandoned when the two companies split.
The UWA World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally promoted by Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) until it closed in 1995. After UWA's closure, the title was sporadically, unofficially defended on the Mexican independent circuit. In the past the title has been defended in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) when the champion worked for those companies. Lou Thez was the first UWA World Heavyweight champion, having been awarded the title after wrestling Mil Mascaras to a draw on the very first UWA show. El Canek has held the Championship the most times, 15 reigns all in all, 13 of those before the UWA closed. Canek is also the one that kept the championship active after the UWA closed, defending it on the independent circuit. Dr. Wagner, Jr. was the final UWA World Heavyweight champion having defeated Canek on June 18, 2004. During Dr. Wagner, Jr's time in AAA, they sometimes acknowledged the title, having had shown him with the belt on numerous occasions.
The UWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship is a title that was originally promoted by the Mexican lucha libre promotion Universal Wrestling Association. After the UWA closed in 1995 the title was defended on the Mexican independent circuit and in the Puerto Rican promotion World Wrestling Council. In 2014, the title was revived by Japanese promotion Tenryu Project. In 2016, the title moved to the Pro-Wrestling Freedoms promotion. The weight range for this championship was 97 kg (214 lb) to 107 kg (236 lb).
The UWA World Light Heavyweight Championship is a singles professional wrestling championship initially promoted by the Mexican Lucha Libre wrestling based promotion Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) from 1975 until the UWA closed in 1995 and since then been defended on the Mexican independent circuit until 2007. By the year 2000 the title became a mainstay in Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) when it was won by El Zorro who worked for AAA. The official definition of the Light Heavyweight weight class in Mexico is between 92 kg (203 lb) and 97 kg (214 lb), but is not always strictly enforced.
The WWA World Light Heavyweight Championship is a singles professional wrestling championship promoted by the Mexican Lucha Libre wrestling based promotion World Wrestling Association (WWA) since 1989. In the 1990s, the title was taken to Japan when reigning champion Gran Hamada returned to his home country. In Japan, the title became one of 8 championships that made up the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) J-Crown Championship. When the J-Crown was broken up into individual titles the WWA World Light Heavyweight Championship returned to Mexico. The official definition of the Light Heavyweight weight class in Mexico is between 92 kg (203 lb) and 97 kg (214 lb), but is not always strictly enforced.
The UWA World Featherweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship promoted by the Mexican wrestling promotion Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) from 1983 until the promotion closed in 1995. The official definition of the Featherweight weight class in Mexico is between 57 kg (126 lb) and 63 kg (139 lb), but is not always strictly enforced. the UWA World Featherweight Championship was not among the UWA titles that were kept active even after the UWA closed, like the UWA World Heavyweight Championship, but was abandoned when the UWA closed down.
The WWA World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship promoted by the Mexican Lucha Libre wrestling based promotion World Wrestling Association (WWA) since 1986. As the Championship was designated as a heavyweight title, the Championship can only officially be competed for by wrestlers weighing at least 105 kg (231 lb). However, as with most heavyweight titles the "minimum" weight requirement is often ignored.
The WWA Light Heavyweight Championship is a singles professional wrestling championship promoted by World Wrestling Association (WWA) in Mexico since 1987. The official definition of the Light Heavyweight weight class in Mexico is between 92 kg (203 lb) and 97 kg (214 lb), but is not always strictly enforced.
Michele Leone, known by his ring name Baron Michele Leone, was an Italian professional wrestler. He was one of the biggest stars and most prominent heels of the early television era of wrestling and, in May 1952, was a part of professional wrestling's first $100,000 gate, when he faced Lou Thesz in a title vs. title bout.
Fred Kohler Enterprises, Inc. was a company established by businessman Frederick Koch (1903–1969) – known professionally as Fred Kohler – to promote professional wrestling in Chicago, Illinois in the United States.
The Crash Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship used in the Mexican lucha libre promotion The Crash Lucha Libre based in Tijuana, Baja California. It is the top male championship of the promotion, with both The Crash Cruiserweight Championship and The Crash Junior Championship considered secondary. Rey Mysterio defeated Penta el 0M, La Máscara and Rush in four-way match to become the inaugural champion at The Crash VII Aniversario on November 4, 2017. The current champion is DMT Azul. He defeated Blue Demon Jr., Matt Taven, and EC3 in a Four way match on May 5, 2023.
The World Heavyweight Championship was an American professional wrestling championship created and sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC). While the Commission sanctioned the title, it did not promote the events in which the Championship was defended. From 1929 until 1931, the American Wrestling Association (AWA) controlled the Championship. The AWA World Heavyweight Championship was recognized by the CSAC as the world championship until May 4, 1931, when the Commission refused to recognize Henri Deglane's victory over Ed "Strangler" Lewis in Montreal, Quebec, as the title had changed hands via disqualification rather than the traditional pinfall or submission. Lewis remained champion in California, and a separate lineage was created.
