MWA World Heavyweight Championship
Encyclopedia
The MWA World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling
world heavyweight championship
in the Kansas City, Kansas
-based Midwest Wrestling Association (MWA). It was the direct predecessor of the National Wrestling Alliance
(NWA) World Heavyweight Championship
.
The title was created in 1940, and awarded to Bobby Bruns that January, in recognition of his winning the defeating Maurice Boyer in Bridgeport, Connecticut
on November 10, 1939 for the Jack Pfeffer-promoted World Light Heavyweight
Championship. The title lasted until the MWA joined the newly formed NWA in October 1948, with the MWA champion, Orville Brown
, recognized as the first NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
world heavyweight championship
Championship (professional wrestling)
A Championship or "title" in professional wrestling is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations.Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in scripted rivalries...
in the Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
-based Midwest Wrestling Association (MWA). It was the direct predecessor of the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
(NWA) World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
.
The title was created in 1940, and awarded to Bobby Bruns that January, in recognition of his winning the defeating Maurice Boyer in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
on November 10, 1939 for the Jack Pfeffer-promoted World Light Heavyweight
Light heavyweight
In boxing, the light heavyweight is a weight division above 168 pounds [12 Stone or 76.204 kilograms] and up to 175 pounds [12.5 stone or 79.38 kilograms]), falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight...
Championship. The title lasted until the MWA joined the newly formed NWA in October 1948, with the MWA champion, Orville Brown
Orville Brown
Orville Brown was a professional wrestler. Born in Sharon, Kansas, Brown was a former NWA Champion, and was recognized as the first NWA champion in 1948. Brown's pro-wrestling career ended on November 1, 1949, when he suffered severe injuries in an automobile accident.-Biography: Orville Brown was...
, recognized as the first NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
Title history
| Wrestler: | Times: | Date: | Location: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Bruns | 1 | January 1940 | ||
| Orville Brown Orville Brown Orville Brown was a professional wrestler. Born in Sharon, Kansas, Brown was a former NWA Champion, and was recognized as the first NWA champion in 1948. Brown's pro-wrestling career ended on November 1, 1949, when he suffered severe injuries in an automobile accident.-Biography: Orville Brown was... |
1 | June 13, 1940 | Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified... |
|
| Lee Wyckoff | 1 | April 17, 1941 | Kansas City, Kansas | |
| Orville Brown | 2 | October 16, 1941 | Kansas City, Kansas | |
| Tom Zaharias | 1 | March 5, 1942 | Kansas City, Kansas | |
| Orville Brown | 3 | June 25, 1942 | Kansas City, Kansas | |
| Ed Lewis Ed Lewis (wrestler) Robert Herman Julius Friedrich , was a professional wrestler best known by his ring name Ed "Strangler" Lewis, whose career spanned four decades.-Wrestling career:... |
1 | November 26, 1942 | Kansas City, Kansas | |
| Lee Wyckoff | 2 | January 14, 1943 | Kansas City, Kansas | |
| Orville Brown | 4 | February 18, 1943 | Kansas City, Kansas | |
| Lee Wyckoff | 3 | May 1943 | Great Bend, Kansas Great Bend, Kansas Great Bend, named for its location at the historic big bend of the Arkansas River, is the most populous city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 15,995.-History:... |
|
| Orville Brown | 5 | June 17, 1943 | Kansas City, Kansas | |
| The Swedish Angel | 1 | December 3, 1943 | Kansas City, Kansas | |
| Orville Brown | 6 | December 9, 1943 | Kansas City, Kansas | |
| Dave Levin | 1 | May 4, 1944 | ||
| Lee Wyckoff | 4 | June 29, 1944 | Topeka, Kansas Topeka, Kansas Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was... |
|
| Orville Brown | 7 | August 16, 1944 | Topeka, Kansas | |
| Bobby Bruns | 2 | June 20, 1946 | Kansas City, Kansas | |
| Orville Brown | 8 | August 8, 1946 | Kansas City, Kansas | |
| Vic Christy | 1 | March 14, 1947 | St. Joseph, Missouri Saint Joseph, Missouri Saint Joseph is the second largest city in northwest Missouri, only second to Kansas City in size, serving as the county seat for Buchanan County. As of the 2010 census, Saint Joseph had a total population of 76,780, making it the eighth largest city in the state. The St... |
|
| Roy Graham | 1 | March 30, 1947 | St. Joseph, Missouri | |
| Orville Brown | 9 | April 10, 1947 | Kansas City, Kansas | |
| Tug Carlson | 1 | December 19, 1947 | St. Joseph, Missouri | |
| Orville Brown | 10 | December 26, 1947 | St. Joseph, Missouri | |
| Bobby Bruns | 3 | April 29, 1948 | Kansas City, Kansas | |
| Orville Brown | 11 | May 4, 1948 | Kansas City, Kansas | |
| The title was retired after the MWA joined the National Wrestling Alliance National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948... in October 1948, and Brown was recognized as its first champion NWA World Heavyweight Championship The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and... . |
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See also
- Heart of America Sports AttractionsHeart of America Sports AttractionsHeart of America Sports Attractions, also known as the Midwest Wrestling Association, Central States Wrestling and the World Wrestling Alliance, was an American professional wrestling promotion that ran shows mainly in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa...
- National Wrestling AllianceNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
- List of early world heavyweight champions in professional wrestling