NWA National Television Championship

Last updated
NWA National Television Championship
NWA National Television Championship.png
A version of the championship belt
Details
Promotion Georgia Championship Wrestling
Date established1969
Date retired1972, 1981 and 1985
Other name(s)
  • NWA Georgia Television Championship
  • NWA World Television Championship
Statistics
First champion(s) Joe Scarpa
Most reigns Ron Garvin (5 reigns)
Longest reign Ray Gunkel
(291 days)
Shortest reign Jake Roberts (Less than 5 minutes)
Oldest champion Bob Roop (41 years+)
Youngest champion Bobby Eaton (22 years, 161 days)

The NWA National Television Championship was a secondary singles championship in the National Wrestling Alliance's Georgia Championship Wrestling territory. It started as the NWA Georgia Television Championship before becoming the National Television Championship. For a while, it called the NWA World Television Championship, but later reverted back to National Television Championship. On April 21, 1985, the championship was abandoned. The championship was revived in 2023 under the GCW brand

Contents

Title history

NameDuration
NWA Georgia Television Championship1969–1979
NWA National Television Championship1979–1984
NWA World Television Championship1984–1985
NWA National Television Championship1985
Georgia Championship Wrestling Television Championship2023- present


Key
No.Overall reign number
ReignReign number for the specific champion
DaysNumber of days held
No.ChampionChampionship changeReign statisticsNotesRef.
DateEventLocationReignDays
1 Joe Scarpa November 22, 1969 Live event Atlanta, Georgia142Scarpa defeated Assassin #2 in an 8-man tournament final to become the first champion. [1]
2 Nick Bockwinkel January 3, 1970 Live event Atlanta, Georgia163
3 El Mongol March 7, 1970 Live event Atlanta, Georgia13
Vacated March 10, 1970Title held-up after the tape shows Mongol using an illegal karate blow.
4 Nick Bockwinkel March 20, 1970 Live event Atlanta, Georgia222Bockwinkel defeated El Mongol in a rematch.
5 Assassin #2 April 11, 1970 Live event Atlanta, Georgia142
Vacated May 23, 1970 The Assassins were suspended and Assassin #2 was stripped of the title. Nick Bockwinkel and Joe Scarpa had a match for the vacant title on May 29, 1970 in Atlanta, Georgia that ended in a no-contest.
6 Nick Bockwinkel June 15, 1970 Live event Atlanta, Georgia361Defeated Joe Scarpa.
7 Bobby Shane August 15, 1970 Live event Atlanta, Georgia1126 [2]
8 Luke Graham December 19, 1970 Live event Atlanta, Georgia191
9 Klondike Bill March 20, 1971 Live event Atlanta, Georgia1203
10Big Bad JohnOctober 9, 1971 Live event Atlanta, Georgia16
11 Ray Gunkel October 15, 1971 Live event Atlanta, Georgia1291
DeactivatedAugust 1, 1972Title deactivated when Gunkel died of heart attack after match with Ox Baker in Savannah, Georgia.
12 Tony Atlas February 1, 1977 Live event N/A110Defeated Ole Anderson in a tournament final.
13 Abdullah the Butcher February 11, 1977 Live event Atlanta, Georgia149
14 Thunderbolt Patterson April 1, 1977 Live event N/A185
15 French Angel May 7, 1977 Live event N/A120
16 Thunderbolt Patterson May 27, 1977 Live event N/A266
Vacated August 1, 1977Title vacated when Thunderbolt Patterson lost in a loser leaves town match.
17 Bob Armstrong December 9, 1977 Live event Atlanta, Georgia163Defeated Jacques Goulet in a tournament final.
18 Ole Anderson February 10, 1978 Live event Atlanta, Georgia181
19 Thunderbolt Patterson May 2, 1978 Live event Macon, Georgia3287
20 Ole Anderson February 13, 1979 Live event N/A271
21 Bob Armstrong April 25, 1979 Live event Columbus, Georgia219
22 Blackjack Lanza May 14, 1979 Live event Augusta, Georgia181
23 Ray Candy August 3, 1979 Live event Atlanta, Georgia188
24 Ernie Ladd October 30, 1979 Live event N/A13
25 Stan Hansen November 2, 1979 Live event Atlanta, Georgia11
26 Killer Karl Kox November 3, 1979 Live event Atlanta, Georgia128
27 Ray Candy November 30, 1979 Live event Atlanta, Georgia27
28 Austin Idol December 7, 1979 Live event Atlanta, Georgia129Title renamed NWA National Television Championship.
29 Steve Travis January 5, 1980 Live event N/A17
30 Austin Idol January 12, 1980 Live event Atlanta, Georgia215 [3]
31 Kevin Sullivan January 27, 1980 Live event Atlanta, Georgia125
32 Austin Idol February 21, 1980 Live event Atlanta, Georgia32
33 Tommy Rich February 23, 1980 Live event Atlanta, Georgia171
Vacated May 4, 1980Rich vacated the title in order to pursue Harley Race's NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
34 Terry Taylor August 22, 1980 Live event Atlanta, Georgia151Defeated Ken Patera and Bob Armstrong in a tournament round-robin final.
35 Terry Funk October 12, 1980 Live event Columbus, Ohio121
36 Steve Keirn November 2, 1980 Live event N/A127
37 Kevin Sullivan November 29, 1980 Live event Atlanta, Georgia248
38 Steve O January 16, 1981 Live event Atlanta, Georgia16 [4]
39 Bobby Eaton January 22, 1981 Live event Atlanta, Georgia11 [5]
40 Steve O January 23, 1981 Live event Atlanta, Georgia229 [6]
41 Kevin Sullivan February 21, 1981 Live event Atlanta, Georgia38
42 Steve Keirn March 1, 1981 Live event Atlanta, Georgia231 [7]
DeactivatedApril 1, 1981
43 The Iron Sheik May 28, 1983 Live event Atlanta, Georgia150Defeated Ron Garvin by disqualification in a tournament final to win the reactivated title.
44 Ron Garvin July 17, 1983 Live event Atlanta, Georgia1112 [8]
45 Jake Roberts November 6, 1983 Live event Atlanta, Georgia1153Title recognized as the NWA World Television Championship after March 1984.
46 Ron Garvin April 7, 1984 Live event Atlanta, Georgia271
47 Jake Roberts June 17, 1984 Live event Atlanta, Georgia20This was shown on tape delay on Georgia Championship Wrestling as part of the "NWA Superstars" series. [9]
Vacated June 17, 1984Atlanta, GeorgiaImmediately vacated because Roberts used a foreign object. [9]
48 Ron Garvin July 1, 1984 Live event Atlanta, Georgia363After the WWF purchased GCW on Black Saturday, NWA member successor promotion, Championship Wrestling from Georgia, continued to recognize Garvin as champion, however on CWG television, the title was once again referred to as the National Television Title.
49 Bob Roop September 2, 1984 Live event N/A1117
50 Ron Garvin December 28, 1984 Live event Saginaw, Michigan4190 [10]
51 Bob Roop January 7, 1985 Live event N/A297
51 Ron Garvin April 14, 1985 Live event Atlanta, Georgia57
DeactivatedApril 21, 1985Title deactivated after Jim Crockett Promotions purchased Championship Wrestling from Georgia in late March, 1985.

List of combined reigns

RankWrestlerNo. of
reigns
Combined days
1 Ron Garvin 5443
2 Thunderbolt Patterson 3438
3 Ray Gunkel 1291
4 Bob Roop 2214
5 Klondike Bill 1203
6 Jake Roberts 2153
7 Ole Anderson 2152
8 Nick Bockwinkel 3146
9 Bobby Shane 1126
10 Ray Candy 295
11 Luke Graham 191
12 Bob Armstrong 282
13 Blackjack Lanza 181
Kevin Sullivan 381
15 Tommy Rich 171
16 Steve Keirn 258
17 Terry Taylor 151
18 The Iron Sheik 150
19 Abdullah the Butcher 149
20 Joe Scarpa 142
Assassin #2 142
21 Austin Idol 336
22 Steve O 235
23 Killer Karl Kox 128
24 Terry Funk 121
25French Angel120
26 Tony Atlas 110
27Steve Travis17
28Big Bad John16
29 El Mongol 13
Ernie Ladd 13
31 Stan Hansen 11
Bobby Eaton 11

Notes

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">AWA World Tag Team Championship</span> Professional wrestling tag team championship

    The American Wrestling Association (AWA) World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in the American Wrestling Association from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">AWA World Women's Championship</span> Professional wrestling womens championship

    The AWA World Women's Championship was the women's professional wrestling title in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) from 1961 until 1990.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">NWA National Heavyweight Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship

    The NWA National Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the U.S.-based, National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).

    The NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship was a singles championship in the National Wrestling Alliance's St. Louis Wrestling Club and Central States Wrestling promotions in the 1970s and 1980s. It was considered a "stepping stone" to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. A version of the Missouri Championship has been documented to exist in 1899, 1921, 1933 to 1934, 1937, 1947, 1950, and 1954 to 1955, but it was only in 1972 that a serious championship was established. Prior to the creation of the NWA the championship was not recognized outside of the region and used by regional promoters, it is even possible that competing Missouri Heavyweight Championships existed. The championship was abandoned in 1986, as the Central States promotion was being consolidated under Jim Crockett Promotions in order to counter the World Wrestling Federation's national expansion.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid-South Louisiana Heavyweight Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship

    The Mid-South Louisiana Heavyweight Championship was a secondary professional wrestling championship that was used and defended from 1964 though 1983. Initially, the championship originated in the NWA affiliated Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling. During this time, it was referred to as the NWA Gulf Coast Louisiana Heavyweight Championship until 1972. Beginning in '72, the title was used in the NWA affiliated NWA Tri-State then was called the NWA Tri-State Louisiana Heavyweight Championship from 1972 until 1979. In 1979, however, wrestler and promoter "Cowboy" Bill Watts purchased the Tri-State territory and renamed it Mid-South Wrestling Association. Although Watts kept close ties with the NWA for purpose of having access to wrestling talent, he withdrew Mid-South from the NWA and, as a result, renamed all of the promotion's championships accordingly.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship

    The NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship was a major title in Championship Wrestling from Florida and is now the major title in NWA Florida Wrestling Alliance. It started in 1937 and was abandoned in 1949. It was picked back up in 1966 by CWF and lasted until 1987 when the company was purchased by Jim Crockett Promotions. In 1988, the newly created Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), soon renamed Pro Wrestling Federation (PWF), picked it back up in 1988 and it continued its lineage through NWA Florida, until they ceased operations in 2006. In 2009, Pro Wrestling Fusion revived the title until they left the NWA in 2011. For several months in 2012, a new Championship Wrestling from Florida affiliated with the NWA, briefly reviving the title until NWA Florida Underground Wrestling took over the championship.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship

    The NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title that has existed since the 1930s. Though its exact date of creation isn't known, it is among the oldest championships used in professional wrestling today. The title has used a variety of different names over the years, which consists of initial changes to represent the various companies that have controlled the title at different times. Originally, it was simply known as the Texas Heavyweight Championship until its name was changed after the formation of the National Wrestling Alliance in 1948. For most of the title's existence, at least until the early 1990s, it was defended almost exclusively within the Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio areas of Texas. From the 1930s to the mid-1960s, these cities and the surrounding towns were within the territory operated by Ed McLemore, which was known simply as Southwest Sports, Inc. at the time. After McLemore's death, the territory came under the control of Fritz Von Erich and was renamed as Big Time Wrestling. However, the promotion would be renamed World Class Championship Wrestling in the early 1980s, which is the name the territory is best remembered under today. The championship remained an NWA affiliated title until February 1986.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">USWA World Tag Team Championship</span> Professional wrestling tag team championship

    The USWA World Tag Team Championship was the primary professional wrestling tag team championship promoted by the Memphis, Tennessee-based United States Wrestling Association (USWA). The Continental Wrestling Association and World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA) merged in 1989 to form the USWA. In the merger the USWA replaced both the WCWA World Tag Team Championship and the CWA Tag Team Championship with the USWA version. The promotion awarded Cactus Jack and Scott Braddock the championship after they won the WCWA championship on August 4, 1989. The USWA closed in 1997, with PG-13 as the final champions. There were a total of 116 reigns in the eight year lifetime of the championship.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship

    The GCW Heavyweight Championship is the major title in the Georgia Championship Wrestling professional wrestling promotion. It started in 1964 and was unified in 1981 with the NWA National Heavyweight Championship.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship

    The Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Championship was the major title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. From its establishment in 1968 until 1972, it was Stampede's secondary singles championship, becoming the top title in 1972 after the previous top championship, the Calgary version of the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship, was abandoned.

    The NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship was the top singles championship in the National Wrestling Alliance's Los Angeles territory, known officially as NWA Hollywood Wrestling, from 1968 until the promotion closed in 1982. The title was first established in 1967 as a secondary championship in NWA Hollywood's predecessor, Worldwide Wrestling Associates. Although the name of the title implies that it was defended throughout North, Central and South America, it was rarely defended outside of Southern California. As a result, the title was essentially a regional title rather than a national one. A number of NWA affiliated promoters at various points over the years have used their own regional versions or variations of "national" championships for the purpose of giving crowds the idea that the company was larger than it actually was, or that the company was the biggest or most successful within the ranks of the National Wrestling Alliance.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship</span> Professional wrestling tag team championship

    The NWA Mid-America Tag Team championship was a tag team title promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion NWA Mid-America that ran more or less exclusively in Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky, United States, from the 1940s until 1980. Originally the NWA Mid-America promoted their version of the NWA World Tag-Team titles but when they became defunct in 1977 the "Mid-America" title became the main title for the promotion. The titles were reactivated in 2001 under NWA Nashville's patronage and continued to exist until 2011 when they were again abandoned.

    The NWA Americas Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Hollywood Wrestling based out of Los Angeles, California.

    The Amarillo version of the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship was a top singles title in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, Western States Sports. It lasted from 1957 until 1969, when it was replaced with the NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship.

    The NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Championship was the main tag team championship in Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling or NWA Gulf Coast. The Gulf Coast tag team championship is the successor for GCCW's version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship that was promoted in the Tennessee, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi region from 1955 until 1967 where it was replaced by the "NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Championship. The Gulf Coast Tag Team championship was promoted from 1967 until 1978 where Southeast Championship Wrestling took control of the title renaming in back to the "NWA Southern Tag Team Championship" and promoted it in its "Southern Division" in 1978 and 1979. In 1980 the Southern Division was abandoned and the Northern Division of the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship became the main title of SECW.

    The Vancouver version of the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship was established in 1962 as the top tag team title in NWA All-Star Wrestling. The title held that status until late summer 1985, when the title was renamed the UWA Tag Team Championship upon All-Star Wrestling's departure as a member of the National Wrestling Alliance, aside from the period from June 1966 to December 1967, when the promotion had a version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship, which was abandoned after that time.

    The Georgia version of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Southern Heavyweight Championship was a secondary singles championship used in Georgia Championship Wrestling off-and-on from 1948 to 1972. The title is one of many versions of the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. Other versions have been used in Florida and the Tennessee cities of Knoxville and Memphis.

    The NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship was the primary tag team title of 50th State Big Time Wrestling and was defended between 1952 and 1979 when it was phased out. The title was later revived by the current incarnation of NWA Hawaii in 2000. It is the earliest regional tag team title in to be defended in the Pacific coast of the United States, along with the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship, and was originally defended in Honolulu, Hawaii. As of 2007, it is defended in Kalihi, Kaneohe and Wahiawa, Hawaii.

    The NWA Mississippi Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling regional championship in Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling (GCCW). It was a secondary title, complementing the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Championship, and one of several state championships recognized by the National Wrestling Alliance. The title was deactivated with the retirement of "Cowboy" Bob Kelly on September 3, 1976.

    References

    1. Hoops, Brian (November 22, 2019). "Daily pro wrestling history (11/22): Starrcade 1984 - The Million Dollar Challenge". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
    2. Hoops, Brian (August 15, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history: IWGP Champ wins 1-G, Orton beats Benoit". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
    3. Hoops, Brian (January 12, 2019). "Pro wrestling history (01/12): The Outsiders win WCW Tag team titles". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved January 18, 2019.
    4. Hoops, Brian (December 18, 2019). "On this day in pro wrestling history (01/16): AJ Styles wins X Division title". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
    5. Hoops, Brian (December 18, 2019). "On this day in pro wrestling history (01/22): WWF Royal Rumble 1994". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
    6. Hoops, Brian (January 23, 2020). "Pro wrestling history (01/23): Hulk Hogan defeats Iron Sheik for WWF title". Wrestling Observer Newsletter . Retrieved January 25, 2020.
    7. Hoops, Brian (December 18, 2019). "On this day in pro wrestling history (03/01): Kobashi defeats Misawa to win GHC title". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
    8. Hoops, Brian (July 17, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history, Kangaroos, Gagne vs. Kiniski in Hawaii, Gordy wins Triple Crown, Hogan wins WCW title from Flair at Bash at the Beach, famous Punk vs. Cena Chicago bout". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
    9. 1 2 Hoops, Brian (June 17, 2019). "On this day in pro wrestling history (06/17): Kurt Angle wins TNA World title". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
    10. Hoops, Brian (December 28, 2017). "On this day in pro wrestling history (12/28): Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Sting at Starrcade 97". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved December 18, 2019.