NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Detroit version)

Last updated
NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Detroit version)
Details
Promotion Fred Kohler Enterprises
Big Time Wrestling
Date establishedSeptember 3, 1953
Date retiredOctober, 1980
Other name(s)
  • NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Chicago version)
Statistics
First champion(s) Verne Gagne
Final champion(s)The Sheik
Most reigns The Sheik (12 reigns)
Longest reignThe Sheik
(538 days)
Shortest reign Pampero Firpo & Bobo Brazil (7 days)
Oldest championThe Sheik (53 years, 298 days)
Youngest champion Gino Hernandez (19 years, 147 days)
Heaviest champion Abdullah the Butcher (430 lb (200 kg; 31 st))
Lightest championVerne Gagne (215 lb (98 kg; 15.4 st))

The NWA Detroit United States Heavyweight Championship was a version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship contested in Big Time Wrestling from 1959 until 1980. It was first introduced as the Chicago version of the championship and contested on shows produced by Fred Kohler Enterprises before moving to Big Time Wrestling in Detroit six years later. [1] While the National Wrestling Alliance recognized only one World Heavyweight Champion, there were multiple "NWA United States Heavyweight Champion"s, as many NWA-affiliated promotions/"territories" across the U.S. each had its own version of an "American" or "United States" championship. For most such territories -- including Detroit -- the U.S. Title was the promotion's primary singles championship. Over its history, the title was held by stars including Bobo Brazil, The Sheik, Wilbur Snyder, Johnny Valentine, and multi-time AWA World Heavyweight Champions Verne Gagne and Dick the Bruiser.

Contents

Modern Michigan-based independent wrestling promotion Xtreme Intense Championship Wrestling (XICW) has a U.S. Championship belt used on their shows that is based on the design of the Detroit version of NWA United States Heavyweight Championship.[ citation needed ]

Title history

Wrestler:Times:Date:Location:Notes:
NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Chicago version)
Verne Gagne 1September 3, 1953 Chicago, IL Gagne was awarded the title. [2]
Wilbur Snyder 1April 7, 1956 Chicago, IL
Hans Schmidt 1October 19, 1956 Chicago, IL
Wilbur Snyder 2February 19, 1957 Chicago, IL
Dick the Bruiser 1December 14, 1957 Chicago, IL
Verne Gagne 2April 12, 1958 Chicago, IL During this reign, Gagne creates his own splinter of the championship, later renaming it to the AWA United States Heavyweight Championship.
Wilbur Snyder 3November 15, 1958 Chicago, IL
Angelo Poffo 1December 27, 1958 Cincinnati, OH
Renamed NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Detroit version)
Wilbur Snyder 4May 2, 1959 Detroit, MI
Dick the Bruiser 2May 23, 1959 Detroit, MI
Bob Ellis 1June 2, 1960 Windsor, Ontario [3]
Dick the Bruiser 3June 11, 1960 Detroit, MI
Bobo Brazil 1January 28, 1961 Detroit, MI
Dick the Bruiser 4February 28, 1961Detroit, MI [4]
Fritz Von Erich 1December 1, 1961 Detroit, MI
Wilbur Snyder 51962?
Dick the Bruiser 5June 2, 1962Detroit, MI [3]
Lord Athol Layton 1August 4, 1962?
Fritz Von Erich 2June 9, 1963Detroit, MI
Lord Athol Layton 2July 20, 1963Detroit, MI
Fritz Von Erich 3October 19, 1963Detroit, MI
Johnny Valentine 1June 13, 1964Detroit, MI
The Sheik 1February 6, 1965Detroit, MI
Bobo Brazil 2August 1967?
The Sheik 2October 1967?
Bobo Brazil 3July 29, 1971Detroit, MI
Pampero Firpo 1August 12, 1972Detroit, MI
Bobo Brazil 4August 19, 1972Detroit, MI
Pampero Firpo 2October 28, 1972Detroit, MI
Bobo Brazil 5December 23, 1972Detroit, MI
The Sheik 3December 30, 1972Detroit, MI
Bobo Brazil 6January 13, 1973Detroit, MI [5]
The Sheik 4January 27, 1973Detroit, MI
Johnny Valentine 2July 7, 1973Detroit, MI
The Sheik 5July 21, 1973Detroit, MI
Johnny Valentine 31973?
The Sheik 6September 1973?
Tony Marino 1March 2, 1974Detroit, MI
The Sheik 7March 16, 1974Detroit, MI
Bobo Brazil 7January 25, 1975Detroit, MIAwarded after Sheik no-shows multiple title defenses.
Abdullah the Butcher 1February 8, 1975Detroit, MI
Bobo Brazil 8April 19, 1975Detroit, MI
The Sheik 8July 5, 1975Detroit, MI
Mark Lewin 1September 27, 1975Detroit, MI
"Bulldog" Don Kent 1November 1, 1975Detroit, MI
Mark Lewin 2December 1975?
VacatedFebruary 14, 1976Title declared vacant for unknown reasons.
Bobo Brazil 9April 21, 1976Brazil was awarded the championship when Brute Bernard was unable to compete in a tournament final due to injury.
The Sheik 9May 15, 1976Detroit, MI
Pampero Firpo 3July 17, 1976Detroit, MI [6]
Don Kent2October 16, 1976Detroit, MI
Gino Hernandez 1January 8, 1977Detroit, MI
The Sheik 10April 2, 1977Detroit, MI
Ox Baker 1September 1977Detroit, MI
The Sheik 11between 1977 & 1980?
Mighty Igor 1between 1977 & 1980?
The Sheik 12May 3, 1980Detroit, MI [7]
Title RetiredOctober 1980Promotion closes; Sheik takes the belt to International Championship Wrestling (ICW), where it is used as the ICW United States Heavyweight Championship. The Sheik would later claim a splinter version of the Detroit championship in Tri-State Wrestling Alliance in 1991.

See also

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References

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  2. Hoops, Brian (September 3, 2015). "ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY (SEPT. 3): RIC FLAIR VS. TERRY FUNK TEXAS DEATH MATCH, GREAT MUTA VS. STING, TED DIBIASE AND STAN HANSEN WINS AJPW TAG TITLES". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Hoops, Brian (June 2, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (June 2): Hogan beats Inoki to win 1st IWGP tourney, HTM's Intercontinental title reign begins". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
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  5. Hoops, Brian (January 13, 2019). "Pro wrestling history (01/13): TNA Genesis 2013". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  6. 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.
  7. F4W Staff (May 3, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history: Low Ki Vs. Dewitt, Punk wins OVW title, Mutoh wins IWGP belt, Bret wins NA title, Dibiase & Dr. Death, Sheik, Watts, Fargos". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 11, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)