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The World Heavyweight Championship is the name given to a number of unrelated titles, meant to emphasize the top championship of boxing, professional wrestling, mixed martial arts, or other similar sports and performance arts. The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... For other meanings of these words, see boxing (disambiguation) or boxer. ... For the NES video game, see Pro Wrestling (video game). ... For the fighting styles that combine different arts, see hybrid martial arts. ...

Boxing

• List of current world boxing champions
• List of undisputed boxing champions
• List of heavyweight boxing champions
• List of WBA world champions
• List of WBC world champions

// This is a list of current boxing world champions who are certified by the four major boxing sanctioning bodies[1] and The Ring magazine. ... This is a list of current and past undisputed champions of boxing. ... This is a chronological list of world heavyweight boxing champions, as recognized by the following organizations: The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA), The World Boxing Council (WBC), founded in 1963, The International Boxing Federation (IBF), founded in 1983, and The World Boxing... List of WBA world champions is a table showing the world champions certificated by World Boxing Association (WBA). ... This article or section is incomplete and may require expansion and/or cleanup. ...

Mixed Martial Arts

• List of PRIDE champions - PRIDE Fighting Championships
• List of Shooto champions - Shooto
• List of DEEP champions - DEEP
• List of Pancrase champions - Pancrase
• List of UFC champions - Ultimate Fighting Championship

Below is a list of PRIDE Fighting Championships champions. ... PRIDE Fighting Championships (PRIDE or PRIDE FC for short) was a mixed martial arts organization based in Japan. ... The following is a list of Shooto World champions at each weight class. ... Shooto logo ISC logo This article deals with the martial arts organization, for the baseball pitch, see gyroball. ... Look up deep in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up deep in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Below is a list of King of Pancrase Champions at each weight class. ... Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling is a mixed martial arts organization founded in Japan in 1993 by Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. ... The UFC heavyweight championship belt. ... This article covers the organization itself. ...

Professional wrestling

Although numerous titles in many different promotions have used the term "World Heavyweight Championship", it is almost exclusively used as a moniker for the title that is under competition between the main event wrestlers. Despite the name, the territorial nature of early professional wrestling meant that few promotions could actually claim the "World" part of the title, in the sense that the title could potentially be defended against any challenger anywhere in the world. Thus, few belts are considered to be "world championship" belts.

The presence of a title considered to be a World Heavyweight Championship is one of the factors that makes its promotion one of the major promotions in professional wrestling. However, it is to be noted that numerous major promotions have top championships that are not considered world (nor heavyweight) championships, and the presence of a world championship in a promotion's shows does not instantly make a promotion a major one, as a World Heavyweight Championship may be shared between several promotions.

Most of the recognized World Heavyweight Championships today are derived from the version held by Georg Hackenschmidt in 1905 and Frank Gotch in 1908. In particular, many of the titles considered major today have some connection to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, created in 1948. In particular, all three of North America's largest promotions in the 1990s and 2000s (WWE, WCW, ECW, and TNA) have or had top belts that were spun off from the NWA lineage. Hackenschmidt in 1903 Georg Karl Julius Hackenschmidt (August 2, 1878 in Tartu, Estonia - February 19, 1968 in London, England) was an early 20th-century strongman and professional wrestler. ... For other uses, see 1905 (disambiguation). ... Frank Gotch in a published photo Frank Alvin Gotch (April 27, 1878 – December 17, 1917) was an American professional wrestler back when the contests were largely real (see catch wrestling). ... Year 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight Championship is the primary professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ... For the Australian professional wrestling promotion, see World Championship Wrestling (Australia). ... This article is about the independent promotion from 1992-2001. ... Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and his father Jerry Jarrett in May 2002. ...

Nomenclature of World Heavyweight Championships

The term "World Heavyweight Championship" can apply to any major belt in general, or to a specific belt in particular. This often creates confusion, as is the case of Ric Flair, who is billed as a 16-time World Heavyweight Champion but does not have 16 reigns of the World Heavyweight Title that is defended on WWE under its Raw brand. Richard Morgan Fliehr[2] (born on February 25, 1949 in Minneapolis, Minnesota[2]) better known by his ring name Ric Flair , is a legendary American professional wrestler of iconic staus signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its SmackDown! brand. ... The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. ...

The name of the promotion is often preceded to the phrase "World Heavyweight Championship" as the championship's complete name (as in the WWE World Heavyweight, WCW World Heavyweight, or ECW World Heavyweight Championships) - however some are correctly known simply as the "World Heavyweight Championship" without qualification, possibly because they are competed for in promotions where an existing World Heavyweight Championship is present (as was the case of the American Wrestling Association in the 1960s and 1970s and World Wrestling Entertainment today). The NWA Championship is often quoted as the "World's Heavyweight Wrestling Championship", and the physical title belt itself carries this moniker. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ...

List of World Heavyweight Championships

Numerous promotions have claimed their top championship belts as "World Heavyweight Championships" but are not considered to be world titles. Unfortunately, due to no official universally accepted method of determining what constitutes a world title, there is no way to determine who truly has world title status. The most commonly agreed upon "World Heavyweight Championships" are those recognized by Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) is a professional wrestling magazine. ...

Meanwhile, other belts have recognition as a "world championship" despite not being a "World Heavyweight Championship". These other world titles often include various other classifications, including weight classes (e.g., World Cruiserweight Championship) or stipulations (e.g., World Television Championship).

Often, subordinate belts to world titles are designated as national, international, or regional titles. Examples of this include:

• The WWE Intercontinental Championship (an international title subordinate to the WWE Championship),
• The NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (a regional title subordinate to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship),
• The WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (a national title subordinate to the WCW World Heavyweight Championship).
• The TNA X Division Championship (an international title subordinate to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship).

The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. ... The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. ... The NWA North American Heavyweight Championship is a secondary title in the National Wrestling Alliance that was created in 1994 after World Championship Wrestling withdrew from the NWA. From 1998 through 2000, the title was the major championship in Music City Wrestling. ... The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight Championship is the primary professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance. ... The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. ... The World Championship Wrestling (WCW) World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world championship in World Championship Wrestling. ... The Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship contested for by wrestlers in TNAs X Division. ... The Total Nonstop Action (TNA) World Heavyweight Championship is the primary professional wrestling championship in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. ...

Active World Heavyweight Championships

There are currently three titles that are recognized as World Heavyweight Championships (according to Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine). These titles are: Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) is a professional wrestling magazine. ...

• WWE Championship (1963-Present) - Originally titled the World Wide Wrestling Federation World Heavyweight Championship, the belt was spun off from the NWA in 1963 when WWWF left the National Wrestling Alliance. The WWWF rejoined the NWA in 1971, and until 1983, the title was demoted to regional status. The World Wrestling Federation Championship (as it was known after 1983) was recognized as a world championship, and all holders of the title during the previous time period (1963-1982) have been recognized as having held a world championship. The title was temporarily known as the WWE Undisputed Championship, when it was merged with the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. It is now known simply as the WWE Championship. The WWE Championship is currently defended on SmackDown having come to the brand from Raw following the 2008 WWE Draft. The current WWE Champion is Triple H.
• World Heavyweight Championship (2002-Present) - Spun off from the WWE Undisputed Championship as the successor to the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. The title was made for the WWE's Raw brand when the WWE Championship was made exclusive to their SmackDown brand. The title was moved to the SmackDown brand as a result of the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery, but returned to the Raw brand in 2008. The current World Heavyweight Champion is CM Punk.
• TNA World Heavyweight Championship (2007-Present) - The top championship in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, created when the NWA stripped the championship from the TNA wrestlers on May 13, 2007. It was immediately given world status by PWI. The current TNA World Heavyweight Champion is Samoa Joe.

The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. ... For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is the largest governing body for a group of independent professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various NWA championships. ... Paul Michael Levesque[4] (born July 27, 1969)[4] is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of his former Hunter Hearst Helmsley moniker. ... The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. ... WWE Raw is the Monday night professional wrestling television program for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and is the primary broadcast of the RAW brand. ... For the video game series based on the show, see WWE SmackDown! (video game series). ... Phil Brooks[4] (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) brand where he is the reigning ECW Champion. ... The Total Nonstop Action (TNA) World Heavyweight Championship is the primary professional wrestling championship in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. ... Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and his father Jerry Jarrett in May 2002. ... The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is the largest governing body for a group of independent professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various NWA championships. ... is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Nuufolau Joel Joe Seanoa (born March 17, 1979 in Orange County, California[6]), better known by his ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler currently performing for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is the reigning TNA World Heavyweight Champion. ...

World Heavyweight Titles that lost recognition

• AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1959-1990) - the top championship of what many consider to be the leading promotion of the 1960s. The title was defunct from 1991-1996, was revived in 1996, but did not regain World Title status. A new promotion started in 1996 claimed to have rights to the AWA Championship and started a new title, AWA Superstars World Heavyweight Championship, claiming it to have the same lineage. The legality of this in question however as World Wrestling Entertainment purchased the AWA trademarks and video library, and have since sued the new promotion. Larry Zbyszko was the final AWA Champion to have the reign recognized as a World title by PWI.
• ECW World Heavyweight Championship (1999-2001) - spun off from the NWA belt when Shane Douglas, after being crowned the NWA champion, rejected the NWA title in favor of ECW's own title. The title earned world title status in August 1999; titles won before are not considered world title reigns by PWI. It was defunct from 2001-2006, but was recently revived by WWE for their ECW brand. The current ECW Champion is Mark Henry.
• NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1948-1991 / 2002-2007) - claims lineage of George Hackenschmidt's 1905 and Frank Gotch's 1908 version, defended in multiple territories and promotions since 1948, used in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling from June 2002 to May 2007. Although it was stripped of its World Title status by PWI in 1991, with the success of TNA, PWI restored its World Title status officially in its August 2006 issue since it began being used in TNA in 2002. Shortly after NWA and TNA severed ties, NWA was quietly stripped of its World Title status, while TNA retained theirs. Christian Cage is the final NWA Champion to have his reign recognized as a World Title.
• WCW World Heavyweight Championship (1991-2001) - NWA World heavyweight champion Ric Flair was recognized as the first WCW World heavyweight champion in January 1991, when WCW was in the process of separating from the NWA. Flair held both titles briefly before leaving WCW over a creative dispute in July of that year. The title was unified with the WWE Championship in 2001. The final recognized WCW Champion was Chris Jericho.

The AWA World Heavyweight Championship belt. ... The American Wrestling Association (AWA) World Heavyweight Championship is the highest ranked championship in the current AWA Superstars of Wrestling promotion. ... World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ... Lawrence (Larry) Whistler (born December 5, 1953) is a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Larry Zbyszko. ... -1... Troy Shane Martin (born November 21, 1964) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler who is better known by his ring name, Shane Douglas. ... This article is about the WWE brand. ... Mark Gordon Henry[1] (born June 12, 1971 in Silsbee, Texas) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment performing on its SmackDown! brand. ... The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight Championship is the primary professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance. ... Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and his father Jerry Jarrett in May 2002. ... William Jason Reso[1] (born November 30, 1973) better known by his ring name Christian Cage, is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. ... The World Championship Wrestling (WCW) World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world championship in World Championship Wrestling. ... Richard Morgan Fliehr[2] (born on February 25, 1949 in Minneapolis, Minnesota[2]) better known by his ring name Ric Flair , is a legendary American professional wrestler of iconic staus signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its SmackDown! brand. ... The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. ... Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian actor, radio host, rock musician, and professional wrestler. ...

Other World Titles not recognized by PWI

Other titles claiming the name, but are not recognized by PWI include:

• 1PW World Heavyweight Championship – The top championship on the British promotion 1 Pro Wrestling. Claimed its status as a World Heavyweight title after it was defended in the United States. Was retired due to 1PW's original liquidation, but re-activated upon the return of the promotion, three months later.
• AAA World Heavyweight Championship -The recently created title for Mexican promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración. Promoted as the company's top title, it has never been defended outside Mexico, but they claim it to be the first world title out of Mexico.
• CWA World Heavyweight Championship (Catch Wrestling Association). Active between 1973 and 2000, the CWA World Heavyweight Championship changed hands in four countries and three continents, with both Europeans and North Americans holding the title.
• CZW World Heavyweight Championship – Combat Zone Wrestling's top title. Claims its status as a World Heavyweight title after it was defended in Japan, Germany, England, Mexico, Ireland and Italy - as well as America. The championship changed hands in all of those countries except Japan.
• FIP World Heavyweight Championship – Full Impact Pro Wrestling's top title. Became a World Heavyweight Championship following a defence of the title by Roderick Strong against British wrestler Pac at a Ring Of Honor show in Liverpool, England.
• NWA World Heavyweight Championship – Recognized by the National Wrestling Association from 1929 to 1949. It was unified with the National Wrestling Alliance's World title.
• Omaha World Heavyweight Championship – Recognized by promoters in Omaha, Nebraska in the late 1950s and early 1960s, following a dispute regarding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The Omaha version of the World Heavyweight Championship was unified with the AWA World Heavyweight Championship on September 7, 1963.
• PWG World Championship – The top championship in the Southern California promotion Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Claims its status as a World Heavyweight title after it was defended in Kent, England and Essen, Germany on the European Vacation tour of 2006. It has since been defended in Takamatsu, Japan by then champion El Generico with the Dragon Gate promotion.
• ROH World Championship - Established in 2002 with the development of the new Ring of Honor promotion, today considered the third most important promotion in the United States. Claims World Title status since 2003 when it was defended in England. It has since been defended in Canada, Mexico, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Japan.
• WCW International World Heavyweight Championship - After severing all ties with the NWA, WCW changed the name of the NWA World heavyweight title to the WCW International World heavyweight title, declaring it to be the World heavyweight title of WCW International, one of its (fictitious) subsidiaries. It was unified with the WCW World heavyweight title in 1994.
• WWA World Heavyweight Championship - The WWA World heavyweight title was the premiere title for World Wrestling All-Stars, a short-lived company that claimed World Title status due to the fact it was defended outside of its country of origin more than in it. It was unified with the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 2003.
• WWWA World Heavyweight Championship - The top championship in All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling (AJW), the top women's promotion in Japan. Originally created for Mildred Burke's World Women's Wrestling Association of Los Angeles, California in the late 1930s, the belt claimed world status after Marie Vagnone lost it to Aiko Kyo in Tokyo, Japan on October 15, 1970. The championship was eventually renamed the WWWA Singles Championship, and was abandoned in 2005, when AJW closed.
• wXw World Heavyweight Championship – The top championship in the German promotion westside Xtreme wrestling. Claims its status as a World Heavyweight title after it was defended in the United States, Austria and various other European countries, the title changing hands in matches in the United States and Austria.

1 Pro Wrestling (or 1PW) is a British professional wrestling promotion based in Doncaster. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1 Pro Wrestling (or 1PW) is a British professional wrestling promotion based in Doncaster. ... The AAA World Heavyweight Championship is the highest ranked professional wrestling championship in the Mexican wrestling promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración. ... Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) is a Lucha Libre Professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico. ... This article, image, template or category should belong in one or more categories. ... Based out of Germany and run by legendary European champion Otto Wanz, the CWA established itself among the continent’s premier wrestling organizations while featuring a traditional brand of mat wrestling and various “Strong Man” competitions. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... North American redirects here. ... The CZW World Championship The CZW World Heavyweight Championship, is the top title contested for in the independent professional wrestling promotion Combat Zone Wrestling. ... Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American based promotion, based around the ultraviolent style of professional wrestling. ... As of July 16, 2007 // Ring of Honor List of ROH title reigns by length Full Impact Pro FIP World Heavyweight Championship FIP Tag Team Championship Category: ... Full Impact Pro is a professional wrestling promotion based out of Florida. ... Chris Lindsey (born July 26, 1983 in Wisconsin) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Roderick Strong. ... // Ben Satterley is an English professional wrestler, who has wrestled for Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, 1 Pro Wrestling, Real Quality Wrestling, Irish Whip Wrestling and International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom as well as many other organisations. ... This article is about the city in England. ... The National Wrestling Association version of the World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Association (NWA), an offshoot of the National Boxing Association (NBA). ... The National Wrestling Association was an off-shoot of the National Boxing Association, formed to sanction professional wrestling. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight Championship is the primary professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance. ... Omaha redirects here. ... The 1950s decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969. ... The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight Championship is the primary professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance. ... is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... The PWG World Championship is the most prestigious championship in the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla professional wrestling promotion. ... This article is about the region of Southern California. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Takamatsu (高松市; -shi lit. ... El Generico is a Canadian professional wrestler, with a gimmick of a luchador supposedly from Mexico. ... Dragon Gate is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion formerly known as Toryumon Japan. ... The ROH World Championship The Ring of Honor (ROH) World Championship, originally named the ROH Title, is the top title contested for the independent professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. ... For other uses, see Ring of Honor (disambiguation). ... For the NWA International championship now part of the AJPW Triple Crown Championship, see NWA International Heavyweight Championship. ... This is the title history of the World Wrestling All-Stars World Heavyweight Championship. ... The World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) was one of the professional wrestling promotions to come into existence after the fall of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). ... The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight Championship is the primary professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance. ... The WWWA World Heavyweight Championship was the top singles championship in All Japan Womens Pro-Wrestling from 1970 until it closed in 2005. ... All Japan Womens Pro-Wrestling (全日本女子プロレス, Zennihon Joshi Puroresu), nicknamed Zenjo (全女: å…¨ meaning All, 女 meaning Woman) is a joshi puroresu (womens professional wrestling) promotion established in 1968 by Takashi Matsunaga and his brothers. ... Mildred Bliss was an American professional wrestler, who wrestled under the name Mildred Burke. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... Tokyo (東京; Tōkyō, lit. ... is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• PWI's List of Wrestling World Heavyweight Title Reigns
• PWI's List of Wrestling World Heavyweight Title Reigns by length
• Championship (professional wrestling)

This is a list of number of professional wrestling championships that Pro Wrestling Illustrated recognizes as having World Heavyweight Title status. ... The following is a list of professional wrestling World Heavyweight Title reigns recognized by Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) in ascending order of time length. ... The WWE Championship belt, an example of a championship belt in professional wrestling. ...

External links

• Pro-Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship Histories