NWA International Heavyweight Championship

This was a regional NWA championship based in Japan. For the WCW International World championship, see WCW International World Heavyweight Championship

WCW International World Heavyweight Championship

The World Championship Wrestling International World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Championship Wrestling . "WCW International" referred to a fictional international subsidiary of World Championship Wrestling...

The NWA International Heavyweight Championship was a singles title recognized by 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...

through its partnership with the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance

Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance

Nihon Puroresu Kyōkai was the first professional wrestling promotion to be based in Japan. It operated from 1953 to 1973. Founded by Rikidōzan when he established a territory that would represent the National Wrestling Alliance in Japan...

, and later by All Japan Pro Wrestling

All Japan Pro Wrestling

is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...

. It is one of the three titles that were unified into the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship in 1989. Prior to the creation of the Triple Crown, All Japan considered the NWA International title to be its top singles championship.

Under Rikidōzan

Rikidozan

, better known as Rikidōzan , was a Korean Japanese professional wrestler, known as the "Father of Puroresu" and one of the most influential men in wrestling history. Initially, he had moved from his native country Korea to Japan to become a sumo wrestler...

the belt had a design similar to Lou Thesz

Lou Thesz

Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz was a United States professional wrestler and 18-time world heavyweight champion, most notably holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times. Combined, he held the NWA Championship for 10 years, three months and nine days , longer than anyone else in history...

's original 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...

belt during the 1950s, but after Rikidōzan's death, the belt given to Giant Baba had the design seen today on the belt part of the Triple Crown. The original design was later used on the PWF Heavyweight Championship

PWF Heavyweight Championship

The Pacific Wrestling Federation World Heavyweight Championship is one of the three titles that make up the AJPW Triple Crown Championship. It was created in 1973 by All Japan owner Giant Baba, after he won a series of ten matches against Bruno Sammartino , Terry Funk, Abdullah the Butcher, The...

, the UWFI belt (which was the original Lou Thesz belt), and a belt later given to Kazushi Sakuraba

Kazushi Sakuraba

is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist and former professional wrestler. He has competed in pro-wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling, UWFi and Kingdom Pro Wrestling. He has fought in MMA competition in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, PRIDE Fighting Championships, K-1 Hero's and Dream...

for show.

Title history

#:	Name(s):	Reigns:	Date:	Location:	Notes:
1	Lou Thesz Lou Thesz Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz was a United States professional wrestler and 18-time world heavyweight champion, most notably holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times. Combined, he held the NWA Championship for 10 years, three months and nine days , longer than anyone else in history...	1	November, 1957	n/a	Thesz was awarded the championship by the NWA. Houston NWA promoter Morris Sigel claimed that Thesz has won the title by defeating Antonino Rocca Antonino Rocca Antonino Rocca was an Italian-born Argentine professional wrestler. Rocca was a popular face and in some cities with both Italian-American and especially Hispanic audiences, his following was exceptionally large and loyal.He had a love for opera and was apparently described as having an excellent... in 1949.
2	Rikidōzan Rikidozan , better known as Rikidōzan , was a Korean Japanese professional wrestler, known as the "Father of Puroresu" and one of the most influential men in wrestling history. Initially, he had moved from his native country Korea to Japan to become a sumo wrestler...	1	August 27, 1958	Los Angeles, California, United States Los Angeles, California Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
Vacated on December 15, 1963 following Rikidōzan's death from stab wounds suffered one week earlier in Tokyo, Japan.
3	Giant Baba Shohei Baba was a professional wrestler and co-founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling. He was also known as Giant Baba. Baba, along with Antonio Inoki, became one of the most famous Japanese wrestlers of his era, with a popularity in Japan comparable to Hulk Hogan's in the United States of America...	1	November 24, 1965	Osaka, Japan Osaka is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...	Defeated Dick the Bruiser William Afflis William Fritz Afflis , best known as Dick the Bruiser, was an American football player and professional wrestler.-Early life:... for the vacant title.
4	Bobo Brazil Bobo Brazil Houston Harris was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Bobo Brazil. He is credited with breaking down barriers of racial segregation in professional wrestling...	1	June 25, 1968	Nagoya, Japan
5	Giant Baba	2	June 27, 1968	Tokyo, Japan Tokyo , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
6	Gene Kiniski Gene Kiniski Eugene Nicholas "Gene" Kiniski was a Canadian professional wrestler and the father of wrestlers Nick Kiniski and Kelly Kiniski. "Canada's Greatest Athlete" as he billed himself for promotional purposes was born outside of Edmonton, Alberta...	1	December 3, 1970	Osaka, Japan
7	Giant Baba	3	December 19, 1970	Los Angeles, California, United States
Vacated on September 2, 1972 when Baba left the Japan Wrestling Association to start All Japan Pro Wrestling All Japan Pro Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :... .
8	Bobo Brazil	2	December 1, 1972	Yokohama, Japan Yokohama is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...	Defeated Kintaro Ohki for the vacant title.
9	Kintaro Ohki Kintaro Ohki Kintarō Ōki was arguably the greatest South Korean professional wrestler of all time, also known professionally as Kim Il or KIM Il during his career in the Japan Wrestling Association, All Japan Pro Wrestling and International Pro...	1	December 4, 1972	Hiroshima, Japan Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
After the JWA closed in 1973, Ohki took the belt to South Korea South Korea The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south... from where he defended it. He vacated the title on April 13, 1981 under orders from the NWA.
10	Dory Funk, Jr. Dory Funk, Jr. Dory Ernest Funk Jr. known professionally as Dory Funk, Jr. is a professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. He is the son of Dory Funk Sr. and brother of Terry Funk. He is credited with the invention of the Texas cloverleaf submission hold and runs the Funking Conservatory, a professional...	1	April 30, 1981	Matsudo, Japan Matsudo, Chiba is a city located in northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 484,578 and a population density of 7900 persons per km²...	Won tournament for the vacant title when Bruiser Brody was injured and unable to wrestle in the finals. Defeated Terry Funk Terry Funk Terrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley... for his first title defense instead.
11	Bruce Reed Butch Reed Butch Reed is an American professional wrestler best known for his stints in the World Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance/World Championship Wrestling.-Career:...	1	1981	Florida, United States	Title reign not recognized in Japan.
12	Dory Funk, Jr.	2	1981	Florida, United States
13	Bruiser Brody Frank Goodish Frank Donald Goodish was an American professional wrestler who earned his greatest fame under the name Bruiser Brody. Goodish was an All-State football and basketball player at Warren High School, Michigan, and played football at West Texas A&M University...	1	October 9, 1981	Tokyo, Japan
14	Dory Funk, Jr.	3	November 1, 1981	Tokyo, Japan
15	Bruiser Brody	2	April 21, 1982	Osaka, Japan
16	Jumbo Tsuruta Jumbo Tsuruta , better known by his ring name Jumbo Tsuruta, was a professional wrestler who wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling for most of his career, and is well-known for being the first ever AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, having won the PWF Heavyweight Championship, the NWA United National...	1	August 31, 1983	Tokyo, Japan
17	Stan Hansen Stan Hansen John Stanley Hansen, Jr. is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Stan Hansen. As a wrestler, Hansen was well known for his stiff wrestling style, which he attributes to poor eyesight, as he is nearly blind without glasses...	1	July 31, 1986	Tokyo, Japan
18	Jumbo Tsuruta	2	October 21, 1986	Tokyo, Japan
19	Bruiser Brody	3	March 27, 1988	Tokyo, Japan
20	Jumbo Tsuruta	3	April 18, 1988	Sendai, Japan Sendai, Miyagi is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tōhoku Region. In 2005, the city had a population of one million, and was one of Japan's 19 designated cities...
Unified with PWF Heavyweight Championship PWF Heavyweight Championship The Pacific Wrestling Federation World Heavyweight Championship is one of the three titles that make up the AJPW Triple Crown Championship. It was created in 1973 by All Japan owner Giant Baba, after he won a series of ten matches against Bruno Sammartino , Terry Funk, Abdullah the Butcher, The... and NWA United National Championship NWA United National Championship The NWA United National Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance, and best known for being defended in All Japan Pro Wrestling... to create the AJPW Triple Crown Championship.

External links

Wrestling-Titles.com

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Title history

See also

External links