The Impact World Championship [1] is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the promotion Impact Wrestling, formerly Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). [2] From June 2002 to May 2007, TNA used the NWA World Heavyweight Championship as their primary championship as part of an agreement with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). On May 13, 2007, the NWA abruptly ended the arrangement and retrieved control of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. [3] On the same night, TNA were set to host their annual Sacrifice pay-per-view event, in which the NWA World Heavyweight Championship was to be defended by then-champion Christian Cage against Kurt Angle and Sting in a three-way match. Angle won the match and on the following episode of TNA's television program Impact! on May 17, was declared the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion. [4] [5] He was stripped of the championship later in the program, with Management Director Jim Cornette citing a problematic finish to the title match. [6] The ownership of the championship was decided on June 17, 2007, at TNA's Slammiversary event in a King of the Mountain match involving Angle and Cage along with A.J. Styles, Chris Harris and Samoa Joe, which Angle won. [7]
Despite the championship being primarily contested for by a male roster, it was once won by a female competitor (Tessa Blanchard).
Being a professional wrestling championship, the title is won via a scripted ending to a match or awarded to a wrestler because of a storyline. Reigns that began on Impact Wrestling usually air on tape delay and as such are listed with the day the tapings occurred, rather than the air date. Angle holds the record for most reigns, with six. At 335 days, Josh Alexander's second reign is the longest in the title's history. Alexander's first reign holds the record for shortest reign in the title's history at only a few minutes. Overall, there have been 58 reigns shared among 34 wrestlers, with seven vacancies.
Name | Years |
---|---|
TNA World Heavyweight Championship | May 13, 2007 – March 1, 2017 |
Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship | March 2, 2017 – July 2, 2017 |
Unified GFW World Heavyweight Championship | July 2, 2017 – August 17, 2017 |
GFW Global Championship | August 17, 2017 – September 18, 2017 |
Impact Global Championship | September 18, 2017 – January 10, 2018 |
Impact World Championship | January 10, 2018 – March 13, 2021 |
Impact Unified World Championship | March 13, 2021 – March 16, 2021 |
Impact World Championship | March 16, 2021 – January 13, 2024 |
TNA World Championship | January 13, 2024 – |
For a list of world champions in TNA between 2002 and 2007, see the list of NWA World Heavyweight Champions.
As of December31, 2023.
No. | Overall reign number |
---|---|
Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
Days | Number of days held |
+ | Current reign is changing daily |
No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | ||||||
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) | ||||||||||
1 | Kurt Angle | May 13, 2007 | Sacrifice | Orlando, FL | 1 | 1 | Angle defeated Christian Cage and Sting in a three-way match to become the inaugural champion after National Wrestling Alliance's (NWA) Executive Director Robert Trobich stripped Cage of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and ended NWA's business relationship with TNA earlier that day. [8] | [4] [9] | ||
— | Vacated | May 14, 2007 | Impact! | Orlando, FL | — | — | Angle was stripped of the championship due to a double-fall result of the three-way match at Sacrifice. This episode aired on tape delay on May 17, 2007 | [5] [6] [8] | ||
2 | Kurt Angle | June 17, 2007 | Slammiversary | Nashville, TN | 2 | 119 | This was a King of the Mountain match also involving A.J. Styles, Chris Harris, Christian Cage and Samoa Joe. After the event, Angle's reign and the vacancy were no longer recognized and thus is viewed to be the start of the title's history. TNA counted Angle's previous reign to his credit without detailing why, giving loose recognition towards that reign. | [7] [10] | ||
3 | Sting | October 14, 2007 | Bound for Glory | Duluth, GA | 1 | 2 | [11] [12] | |||
4 | Kurt Angle | October 16, 2007 | Impact! | Orlando, FL | 3 | 180 | This episode aired on tape delay on October 25, 2007. | [13] [14] | ||
5 | Samoa Joe | April 13, 2008 | Lockdown | Lowell, MA | 1 | 182 | This was a six sides of steel cage title vs. career match. | [15] [16] | ||
6 | Sting | October 12, 2008 | Bound for Glory IV | Hoffman Estates, IL | 2 | 189 | This was a no countout match. | [17] [18] | ||
7 | Mick Foley | April 19, 2009 | Lockdown | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 63 | This was a six sides of steel cage match. | [19] [20] | ||
8 | Kurt Angle | June 21, 2009 | Slammiversary | Auburn Hills, MI | 4 | 91 | This was a King of the Mountain match also involving A.J. Styles, Jeff Jarrett and Samoa Joe. | [21] [22] | ||
9 | A.J. Styles | September 20, 2009 | No Surrender | Orlando, FL | 1 | 211 | This was a five-way match also involving Hernandez, Matt Morgan and Sting. | [23] [24] | ||
10 | Rob Van Dam | April 19, 2010 | Impact! | Orlando, FL | 1 | 113 | [25] [26] | |||
— | Vacated | August 10, 2010 | Impact! | Orlando, FL | — | — | The championship was vacated due to Rob Van Dam suffering a storyline injury. This episode aired on tape delay on August 19, 2010. | [27] [28] | ||
11 | Jeff Hardy | October 10, 2010 | Bound for Glory | Daytona Beach, FL | 1 | 91 | Hardy defeated Kurt Angle and Mr. Anderson in a three-way tournament final to win the vacant title. Per the pre-match stipulation, Angle (in storyline) was forced to retire. | [29] [30] | ||
12 | Mr. Anderson | January 9, 2011 | Genesis | Orlando, FL | 1 | 35 | [31] [32] | |||
13 | Jeff Hardy | February 13, 2011 | Against All Odds | Orlando, FL | 2 | 11 | This was a ladder match. | [33] [34] | ||
14 | Sting | February 24, 2011 | Impact! | Fayetteville, NC | 3 | 108 | This episode aired on tape delay on March 3, 2011 | [35] [36] | ||
15 | Mr. Anderson | June 12, 2011 | Slammiversary IX | Orlando, FL | 2 | 29 | [37] [38] | |||
16 | Sting | July 11, 2011 | Impact! | Orlando, FL | 4 | 27 | This episode aired on tape delay on July 14, 2011. | [39] [40] | ||
17 | Kurt Angle | August 7, 2011 | Hardcore Justice | Orlando, FL | 5 | 72 | [41] [42] | |||
18 | James Storm | October 18, 2011 | Impact! | Orlando, FL | 1 | 8 | This episode aired on tape delay on October 20, 2011. | [43] [44] | ||
19 | Bobby Roode | October 26, 2011 | Impact! | Macon, GA | 1 | 256 | This episode aired on tape delay on November 3, 2011. | [45] [46] | ||
20 | Austin Aries | July 8, 2012 | Destination X | Orlando, FL | 1 | 98 | Aries voluntarily vacated the X Division Championship in exchange for a TNA World Heavyweight Championship match at the event. | [47] [48] | ||
21 | Jeff Hardy | October 14, 2012 | Bound for Glory | Phoenix, AZ | 3 | 147 | [49] [50] | |||
22 | Bully Ray | March 10, 2013 | Lockdown | San Antonio, TX | 1 | 130 | This was a steel cage match. | [51] [52] | ||
23 | Chris Sabin | July 18, 2013 | Impact: Destination X | Louisville, KY | 1 | 28 | Sabin voluntarily vacated the X Division Championship in exchange for a TNA World Heavyweight Championship match at the event. | [53] | ||
24 | Bully Ray | August 15, 2013 | Impact: Hardcore Justice | Norfolk, VA | 2 | 66 | This was a steel cage match. | [54] | ||
25 | A.J. Styles | October 20, 2013 | Bound for Glory | San Diego, CA | 2 | 9 | This was a no disqualification match. | [55] | ||
— | Vacated | October 29, 2013 | — | — | — | — | TNA President Dixie Carter announced via Twitter that A.J. Styles had been stripped of the championship due to a contract dispute. Styles continued to carry around the championship belt proclaiming himself champion in the storyline. | [56] | ||
26 | Magnus | December 3, 2013 | Impact: Final Resolution | Orlando, FL | 1 | 128 | Defeated Jeff Hardy in a tournament final to win the vacant title. This was a Dixieland match which aired on tape delay on December 19, 2013. On the January 9, 2014 episode of Impact Wrestling (taped December 6, 2013), A.J. Styles returned claiming to be the legitimate TNA World Heavyweight Champion as he was never defeated for the championship (though not recognized as such by TNA). Magnus defeated him later that night to become the undisputed champion. | [57] | ||
27 | Eric Young | April 10, 2014 | Impact! | Orlando, FL | 1 | 70 | If Magnus had been counted out or disqualified, he would have lost the title. If anyone had interfered in the match, they would have been fired. | [58] | ||
28 | Lashley | June 19, 2014 | Impact! | Bethlehem, PA | 1 | 91 | If anyone besides MVP or Kenny King had interfered, they would have been fired. | [59] | ||
29 | Bobby Roode | September 18, 2014 | Impact! | Bethlehem, PA | 2 | 111 | This episode aired on tape delay on October 29, 2014. Kurt Angle was the special guest referee. | [60] | ||
30 | Lashley | January 7, 2015 | Impact! | New York, NY | 2 | 24 | [61] | |||
31 | Kurt Angle | January 31, 2015 | Impact! | London, England | 6 | 145 | This episode aired on tape delay on March 20, 2015. | [62] | ||
32 | Ethan Carter III | June 25, 2015 | Impact! | Orlando, FL | 1 | 101 | This episode aired on tape delay on July 1, 2015. | [63] | ||
33 | Matt Hardy | October 4, 2015 | Bound for Glory | Concord, NC | 1 | 2 | This was a three-way match also involving Drew Galloway who Matt pinned. Jeff Hardy was the special guest referee. | [64] | ||
— | Vacated | October 6, 2015 | — | — | — | — | Vacated due to a legal injunction filed by Ethan Carter III as part of the storyline. | [65] | ||
34 | Ethan Carter III | January 5, 2016 | Impact! | Bethlehem, PA | 2 | 3 | Carter III defeated Matt Hardy in the finals of the TNA World Title Series to win the vacant title. | [66] | ||
35 | Matt Hardy | January 8, 2016 | Impact! | Bethlehem, PA | 2 | 67 | This was a last man standing match. Had Hardy not won, he would have left TNA. This episode aired on tape delay on January 19, 2016. | [67] | ||
36 | Drew Galloway | March 15, 2016 | Impact! | Orlando, FL | 1 | 89 | Galloway invoked his Feast or Fired championship opportunity to challenge Matt Hardy for the championship and win the title. | [68] [69] | ||
37 | Lashley | June 12, 2016 | Slammiversary | Orlando, FL | 3 | 113 | This was a knockout or tapout only match. On July 13, 2016, Lashley also won the TNA X Division Championship defeating then-champion Eddie Edwards in a title vs. title steel cage match. On August 11, 2016, Lashley also won the TNA King of the Mountain Championship by defeating then-champion James Storm in a title vs. titles match. The following day, Lashley retired the TNA King of the Mountain Championship and vacated the X Division Championship. | [70] | ||
38 | Eddie Edwards | October 3, 2016 | Impact! | Orlando, FL | 1 | 97 | This episode aired on tape delay on October 6, 2016. | [71] [72] | ||
39 | Lashley | January 8, 2017 | Impact: Genesis | Orlando, FL | 4 | 175 | This was a 30-minute Iron Man match. This episode aired on tape delay on January 26, 2017. On March 2, 2017, the championship was renamed to the Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship following the renaming of the promotion. [73] | [74] | ||
Global Force Wrestling (GFW) | ||||||||||
40 | Alberto El Patrón | July 2, 2017 | Slammiversary XV | Orlando, FL | 1 | 43 | This was a unification match to unify the Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship and the original GFW Global Championship. The championship was renamed to the Unified GFW World Heavyweight Championship. | [75] | ||
— | Vacated | August 14, 2017 | — | — | — | — | Vacated due to Alberto El Patrón's suspension. | [76] | ||
41 | Eli Drake | August 17, 2017 | Impact! | Orlando, FL | 1 | 146 | This was a 20-man Gauntlet for the Gold match. Drake pinned Eddie Edwards to win the match once they were the last two wrestlers. The championship took the GFW Global Championship name, while retaining the TNA World Heavyweight Championship history. On August 24, 2017, the championship was renamed the "Impact Global Championship" (aired on tape delay on September 18, 2017). | [77] | ||
Impact Wrestling | ||||||||||
42 | Austin Aries | January 10, 2018 | Impact! | Orlando, FL | 2 | 102 | This episode aired on tape delay on February 1, 2018. During his reign, the championship took the Impact World Championship name. | [78] | ||
43 | Pentagón Jr. | April 22, 2018 | Redemption | Orlando, FL | 1 | 2 | This was a triple threat match also involving Fénix. | [79] | ||
44 | Austin Aries | April 24, 2018 | Impact! Under Pressure | Orlando, FL | 3 | 173 | This episode aired on tape delay on May 31, 2018. Aries unified the Impact World Championship with the Impact Grand Championship. | |||
45 | Johnny Impact | October 14, 2018 | Bound for Glory | New York, NY | 1 | 196 | [80] | |||
46 | Brian Cage | April 28, 2019 | Rebellion | Toronto, ON | 1 | 180 | Lance Storm was the special guest referee. | [81] | ||
47 | Sami Callihan | October 25, 2019 | Impact! | Windsor, ON | 1 | 79 | This was a steel cage match. The episode aired on tape delay on October 29, 2019. | [82] | ||
48 | Tessa Blanchard | January 12, 2020 | Hard to Kill | Dallas, TX | 1 | 165 | Blanchard became the first woman to hold the championship. | [83] | ||
— | Vacated | June 25, 2020 | — | — | — | — | After a period of inactivity during which Blanchard missed multiple tapings due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions, her contract was terminated by Impact Wrestling and she was stripped of the title. | [84] | ||
49 | Eddie Edwards | July 18, 2020 | Slammiversary | Nashville, TN | 2 | 28 | This was a five-way elimination match also involving Ace Austin, Trey, Rich Swann, and Eric Young. | [85] | ||
50 | Eric Young | August 15, 2020 | Impact! | Nashville, TN | 2 | 70 | The episode aired on tape delay on September 1, 2020. | [86] | ||
51 | Rich Swann | October 24, 2020 | Bound for Glory | Nashville, TN | 1 | 183 | At Sacrifice on March 13, 2021, Swann defeated Moose to unify the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, which was officially sanctioned as a separate title, with the Impact World Championship. The TNA title was deactivated while the Impact title became briefly known as the Impact Unified World Championship before reverting to Impact World Championship. Swann would carry both belts to represent the championship. | [87] | ||
52 | Kenny Omega | April 25, 2021 | Rebellion | Nashville, TN | 1 | 110 | This was a Winner Takes All match in which Omega also defended the AEW World Championship. | [88] | ||
53 | Christian Cage | August 13, 2021 | AEW Rampage | Pittsburgh, PA | 1 | 71 | Cage retired the TNA World Heavyweight Championship belt on the August 19, 2021, episode of Impact!, leaving the championship once again represented by a single belt. | [89] | ||
54 | Josh Alexander | October 23, 2021 | Bound for Glory | Sunrise Manor, NV | 1 | <1 | Alexander voluntarily vacated the X Division Championship in exchange for an Impact World Championship match at the event. | [90] | ||
55 | Moose | October 23, 2021 | Bound for Glory | Sunrise Manor, NV | 1 | 182 | Moose invoked his Call Your Shot Gauntlet championship privilege he earned at the event. | [90] | ||
56 | Josh Alexander | April 23, 2022 | Rebellion | Poughkeepsie, NY | 2 | 335 | [91] | |||
— | Vacated | March 24, 2023 | Impact! | Windsor, ON | — | — | Vacated due to Josh Alexander requiring surgery for a torn triceps. This episode aired on tape delay on April 6, 2023. | [92] | ||
57 | Steve Maclin | April 16, 2023 | Rebellion | Toronto, ON | 1 | 54 | Defeated Kushida to win the vacant championship. | [93] | ||
58 | Alex Shelley | June 9, 2023 | Against All Odds | Columbus, OH | 1 | 205+ | During this reign the name of the company was reverted back to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). | [94] | ||
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) |
As of December31, 2023.
† | Indicates the current champion |
---|
Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns | Combined days |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Kurt Angle | 6 | 608 |
2 | Lashley | 4 | 403 |
3 | Austin Aries | 3 | 373 |
4 | Bobby Roode | 2 | 367 |
5 | Josh Alexander | 2 | 335 |
6 | Sting | 4 | 326 |
7 | Jeff Hardy | 3 | 249 |
8 | A.J. Styles | 2 | 220 |
9 | Alex Shelley † | 1 | 205+ |
10 | Bully Ray | 2 | 196 |
Johnny Impact | 1 | ||
12 | Rich Swann | 1 | 183 |
13 | Moose | 1 | 182 |
Samoa Joe | |||
15 | Brian Cage | 1 | 180 |
16 | Tessa Blanchard | 1 | 165 |
17 | Eli Drake | 1 | 146 |
18 | Eric Young | 2 | 140 |
19 | Magnus | 1 | 128 |
20 | Eddie Edwards | 2 | 125 |
21 | Rob Van Dam | 1 | 113 |
22 | Kenny Omega | 1 | 110 |
23 | Ethan Carter III | 2 | 104 |
24 | Drew Galloway | 1 | 89 |
25 | Sami Callihan | 1 | 79 |
26 | Christian Cage | 1 | 71 |
27 | Matt Hardy | 2 | 69 |
28 | Mr. Anderson | 2 | 64 |
29 | Mick Foley | 1 | 63 |
30 | Steve Maclin | 1 | 54 |
31 | Alberto El Patrón | 1 | 43 |
32 | Chris Sabin | 1 | 28 |
33 | James Storm | 1 | 8 |
34 | Pentagón Jr. | 1 | 2 |
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