Deep South Heavyweight Championship | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Details | |||||||||||
Promotion | Deep South Wrestling | ||||||||||
Date established | February 12, 1986 | ||||||||||
Current champion(s) | Najasism | ||||||||||
Date won | October 21, 2023 | ||||||||||
|
The Deep South Heavyweight Championship was the primary championship in Deep South Wrestling, a former developmental territory of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) between 2005 and 2007. When the title was first introduced, it was awarded to Tommy Rich, who won a tournament to determine the inaugural champion. The final champion of its first run was The Assassin, who vacated the title due to injury and folded the promotion in October 1988.
In 2005, after seventeen years of inactivity, Deep South Wrestling was revived as a developmental territory for WWE and revived the championship. It was awarded to Mike Mizanin, who won a tournament to become champion. [1] The title was vacated on April 18, 2007, when WWE ceased using DSW as a developmental territory. [1] [2] On July 12, 2007, a tournament was held to crown a new champion, which was won by Austin Creed. [1] In October 2007, DSW closed down a second time. In March 2023, Nick Patrick revealed a brand-new Deep South Heavyweight Championship belt. On August 18, 2023, it was announced that a new champion will be determined in an eight-man tournament on September 9, 2023 in Atlanta.
The title was first awarded to the winner of an 8-Man Single Elimination Tournament, held over a 2-week period, with the first-round matches being held November 23, 2005, and the semi-final and final matches on December 1.
First Round | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||
Mike Mizanin | ||||||||||||||
Eric Pérez | ||||||||||||||
Mike Mizanin | ||||||||||||||
Kid Kash† | ||||||||||||||
Mac Daddy Johnson | ||||||||||||||
"Silverback" Ryan Reeves | ||||||||||||||
Mike Mizanin | ||||||||||||||
Mike Knox | ||||||||||||||
Mike Knox | ||||||||||||||
Mike Taylor | ||||||||||||||
Mike Knox | ||||||||||||||
Tony Santorelli | ||||||||||||||
Tony Santorelli | ||||||||||||||
Palmer Cannon |
The title was "held-up" after the agreement between WWE and DSW ended in March 2007, and another tournament was held in on July 12 to crown the new champion.
First Round | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||
Austin Creed | ||||||||||||||
Simon Sermon | ||||||||||||||
Austin Creed | ||||||||||||||
Alexander the Great | ||||||||||||||
Alexander the Great | ||||||||||||||
Salvatore Rinauro† | ||||||||||||||
Austin Creed | ||||||||||||||
Murder One | ||||||||||||||
Murder One | ||||||||||||||
J-Rod | ||||||||||||||
Murder One | ||||||||||||||
Rick Michaels | ||||||||||||||
Rick Michaels | ||||||||||||||
Pretty Boy Floyd |
↑Alexander the Great defeated Salvatore Rinauro by Coin Toss
After nearly 16 years of inactivity, a tournament to determine a new champion took place on September 9, 2023. Lamar Diggs was the wild card entrant.
First Round | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||
Najasism | ||||||||||||||
Chad Skywalker | ||||||||||||||
Najasism | ||||||||||||||
Skrilla the Great | ||||||||||||||
Skrilla the Great | ||||||||||||||
Shoot Taylor | ||||||||||||||
Skrilla the Great | ||||||||||||||
Jacob Johnson | ||||||||||||||
Lamar Diggs | ||||||||||||||
Tyson Maddux | ||||||||||||||
Lamar Diggs | ||||||||||||||
Jacob Johnson | ||||||||||||||
Jacob Johnson | ||||||||||||||
Tyler the Wall |
No. | Overall reign number |
---|---|
Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
Days | Number of days held |
<1 | Reign lasted less than a day |
No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | ||||
1 | Tommy Rich | February 12, 1986 | N/A | Marietta, Georgia | 1 | 142 | Wins tournament to become the first champion | |
2 | Flame | July 4, 1986 | N/A | Albany, Georgia | 1 | 83 | ||
3 | Mr. Wrestling II | September 25, 1986 | N/A | Carrollton, Georgia | 1 | 45 | ||
4 | Flame | November 9, 1986 | N/A | Athens, Georgia | 2 | 77 | ||
5 | Ranger Ross | January 25, 1987 | N/A | Athens, Georgia | 1 | 35 | ||
6 | Botswana Beast | March 1, 1987 | N/A | Rome, Georgia | 1 | 87 | ||
7 | Tommy Rich | May 27, 1987 | N/A | Marietta, Georgia | 2 | 35 | ||
8 | Randy Rose | July 1, 1987 | N/A | Columbia County, Georgia | 1 | 341 | ||
9 | Assassin #1 | June 6, 1988 | N/A | Atlanta, Georgia | 3 | 134 | Formerly known as Flame | |
— | Vacated | October 18, 1988 | — | — | — | — | Promotion closed | |
10 | Mike Mizanin | December 1, 2005 | DSW | McDonough, Georgia | 1 | 21 | Defeated Mike Knox in a tournament final when the promotion reopens as a talent developmental league of WWE | [3] [4] |
11 | Derek Neikirk | December 22, 2005 | DSW | McDonough, Georgia | 1 | 182 | [5] | |
12 | Roughhouse O'Reilly | June 22, 2006 | DSW | McDonough, Georgia | 1 | 77 | [6] | |
13 | Bradley Jay | September 7, 2006 | DSW TV #21 | McDonough, Georgia | 1 | 140 | [7] | |
14 | Vito | January 25, 2007 | DSW TV #40 | McDonough, Georgia | 1 | 28 | Defeated Bradley Jay and Roughhouse O'Reilly in a three-way round robin match. | [8] |
15 | Bradley Jay | February 22, 2007 | DSW TV #43 | McDonough, Georgia | 2 | 7 | [9] | |
16 | Roughhouse O'Reilly | March 1, 2007 | DSW TV #44 | McDonough, Georgia | 2 | 7 | [10] | |
17 | Bradley Jay | March 8, 2007 | DSW TV #44 | McDonough, Georgia | 3 | 7 | [11] | |
— | Vacated | March 15, 2007 | — | — | — | — | Title held-up after a match with Roughhouse O'Reilly when the agreement between WWE and DSW ends. | |
18 | Austin Creed | July 12, 2007 | DSW | Locust Grove, Georgia | 1 | 91 | Defeated Murder One in tournament final; final champion when DSW closes down in October 11, 2007. | [12] [13] |
— | Vacated | October 11, 2007 | — | — | — | — | Promotion closed | |
19 | Skrilla the Great | September 9, 2023 | DSW THE GRAND PRIX | Atlanta, Georgia | 1 | 42 | Defeated Jacob Johnson in a tournament final for the reactivated title. | |
20 | Najasism | October 21, 2023 | DSW October Rust | Atlanta, Georgia | 1 | 56 | ||
21 | Skrilla the Great | December 16, 2023 | DSW FINAL CONFLICT | Atlanta, Georgia | 2 | 47 |
Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns | Combined days |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Randy Rose | 1 | 341 |
2 | Flame/Assassin #1 | 3 | 294 |
3 | Derek Neikirk | 1 | 182 |
4 | Tommy Rich | 2 | 177 |
5 | Bradley Jay | 3 | 154 |
6 | Austin Creed | 1 | 91 |
7 | Botswana Beast | 1 | 87 |
8 | Roughhouse O'Reilly | 2 | 84 |
9 | Mr. Wrestling II | 1 | 45 |
10 | Skrilla the Great | 1 | 42 |
11 | Ranger Ross | 1 | 35 |
12 | Vito | 1 | 28 |
13 | Mike Mizanin | 1 | 21 |
14 | Najasism † | 1 | 103 |
Barry Buchanan is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (WWF/WWE) under the ring names Recon, Bull Buchanan and B² and for his appearances with All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and Pro Wrestling Noah (NOAH) as Buchanan. Primarily a tag team wrestler, Buchanan is a former WWF World Tag Team Champion, All Asia Tag Team Champion, GHC Tag Team Champion and USWA World Tag Team Champion.
The IWGP Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix. The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IWGP tournament. It was unified with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship on March 4, 2021 to form the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
Michael Knoxville Hettinga is an American professional wrestler best known under the ring name Mike Knox. He currently performs for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Hettinga is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and also performed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Knux.
Christopher Lindsey is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Roderick Strong, and is a member of the Undisputed Kingdom stable.
John Jairo Bedoya Jr. was an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Xavier. He was best known for his appearances with Ring of Honor (ROH) between 2002 and 2004, where he was the second ROH World Champion.
Martyn Harris is an English professional wrestler best known for his time with WWE, where he performed on the NXT brand under the ring name Danny Burch. He is a former one time NXT Tag Team Champion with Oney Lorcan. He has worked in the British independent circuit under the ring name Martin Stone with promotions such as Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW), Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA), and International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom (IPW:UK).
The Major Players are a professional wrestling tag team and wrestling stable, consisting of Brian Myers and Matt Cardona. They currently appear in Impact Wrestling, in which Myers and Cardona are both former Impact Digital Media Champion. Myers and Cardona are best known for their time in WWE as Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, where they are former two-time WWE Raw Tag Team Champions.
Luke James Uggles Eatwell, known by his ring name Zack Sabre Jr. and its abbreviated form ZSJ, is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the leader of the group The Mighty Don't Kneel and the inaugural NJPW World Television Champion. He also makes sporadic appearances for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and its sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH).
Ryan Parmeter is an American professional wrestler, currently appearing for Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling as a member of The Design under the ring name Kon. He is best known for his work in WWE, where he wrestled under the ring name Konnor. He was part of the fourth season of NXT, and earned fourth place on the show's fifth season, NXT Redemption.
Derick Lee Neikirk is an American professional wrestler and former professional baseball player. He has competed for several promotions, and currently competes for Impact Zone Wrestling (IZW), a territory of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) based in Phoenix, Arizona. He has also wrestled in several other promotions and was signed to a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for several years. Much of his career has been connected with fellow wrestler Mike Knox, as the two have held championships together as a tag team and have feuded on multiple occasions.
Oliver Biney is an English professional wrestler best known for his time in WWE, performing under the ring name Rampage Brown. He is also known for his work throughout the European and British independent wrestling circuit. Biney also briefly worked for WWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling in 2011 and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in September 2014. He is currently a trainer for New Generation Wrestling in their North East School.
Stephon Strickland is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Swerve Strickland and is the leader of Mogul Embassy.
Christopher Girard is an American retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE as a coach at their Performance Center. Previously he performed on the NXT brand under the ring name Oney Lorcan. He is a former NXT Tag Team Champion with Danny Burch. He has worked frequently for independent promotions including Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), Top Rope Promotions (TRP), and Chaotic Wrestling (CW) under the ring name Biff Busick. He is a one-time CZW World Heavyweight Champion. In addition, he has appeared in notable independent promotions like Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), Evolve, and Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA).
Christopher James Dijak is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the mononymous ring name Dijak.
Noam Dar is a Scottish-Israeli professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand. He is the leader of The Meta-Four stable and currently holds the NXT Heritage Cup Championship in his record-setting third reign. He also wrestles for Scottish promotion Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW).
Tyler Bate is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he performs on the SmackDown brand.
Jordan Devlin is an Irish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name JD McDonagh. He is a member of The Judgment Day stable. He previously performed in NXT UK, where he was a one-time and the longest-reigning NXT Cruiserweight Champion. His other accomplishments include being a two-time OTT World Champion and a one-time PROGRESS Tag Team Champion. Devlin is also known for his tenure in Japan with Pro Wrestling Zero1, wrestling under the name Frank David and becoming a one-time Zero1 International Lightweight Tag Team Champion.
Fabian Aichner is an Italian professional wrestler. He is currently signed with WWE, where he performs on Raw brand under the ring name Giovanni Vinci. He is a member of Imperium. Aichner previously worked on the American independent circuit, including promotions such as Evolve, where he is a former Evolve Champion, as well as the European independent circuit under the ring name Adrian Severe.
Jermaine Haley is an Australian professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name "Big" Bronson Reed. He is a former NXT North American Champion.
Benjamin Buchanan is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Brooks Jensen. In WWE, he is a one-time NXT UK Tag Team Champion with Josh Briggs, and he and Briggs are recognized as the final holders of the championship.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)