NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Championship | |||||||
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Details | |||||||
Promotion | NWA Mid-America | ||||||
Date established | 1955 | ||||||
Date retired | 1974 | ||||||
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The NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Championship was a National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) sanctioned professional wrestling championship promoted by NWA Mid-America in and around their Tennessee and Kentucky territory from 1955 until 1974. The championship was limited to wrestlers in the Junior Heavyweight division, limited to wrestlers weighing less than 220 lb (100 kg). The NWA also sanctioned the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, with the United States version serving as one of several local level Junior Heavyweight Championships. Because the championship was a professional wrestling championship, it was not won or lost competitively but instead by the decision of the bookers of a wrestling promotion. The championship was awarded after the chosen wrestler "won" a match to maintain the illusion that professional wrestling is a competitive sport.[1]
Symbol | Meaning |
---|---|
# | The overall championship reign |
Reign | The reign number for the specific set of wrestlers listed. |
Event | The event promoted by the respective promotion in which the title changed hands |
— | Used for vacated reigns in order to not count it as an official reign |
Indicates periods of unknown lineage | |
(NLT) | Indicates that the championship changed hands "No Later Than" a certain date. |
# | Team (members) |
Reign | Date | Days held |
Location | Event | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jesse James | 1 | February 15, 1959 (NLT) | [Note 1] | [Note 2] | N/A | Announced as a new champion; still billed as champion as of on February 23, 1959 |
2 | Yoshinosato | 1 | February 1962 (NLT) | [Note 3] | [Note 2] | Live event | |
3 | Johnny Walker | 1 | May 1967 | [Note 4] | [Note 2] | Live event | Won a tournament sometime after May 16, 1967 |
4 | Kenny Mack | 1 | June 14, 1967 | 14 | Kingsport, Tennessee | Live event | |
5 | Johnny Walker | 2 | June 28, 1967 | [Note 5] | Kingsport, Tennessee | Live event | Still billed as champion on October 17, 1967 |
5 | Johnny Walker | 3 | February 9, 1970 (NLT) | [Note 6] | Hawaii | Live event | Defeated Johnny Valentine. |
7 | Bobby Hart | 1 | May 27, 1970 | 62 | Nashville, Tennessee | Live event | The title change was repeated in Memphis on May 30, 1970 |
8 | Johnny Walker | 4 | July 28, 1970 | [Note 7] | Louisville, Kentucky | Live event | |
— | Vacated | N/A | 1970 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Championship vacated for undocumented reasons |
9 | Don Greene | 1 | September 14, 1970 | [Note 8] | Memphis, Tennessee | Live event | Defeated Dennis Hall in 4-man tournament final. |
10 | Johnny Walker | 5 | September 21, 1970 (NLT) | [Note 9] | [Note 2] | Live event | |
11 | Bobby Hart | 2 | November 25, 1970 | [Note 10] | Nashville, Tennessee | Live event | |
12 | Don Greene | 2 | March 23, 1971 (NLT) | [Note 11] | [Note 2] | Live event | Still billed as champion on October 27, 1971 |
13 | Len Rossi | 1 | February 3, 1972 (NLT) | [Note 12] | [Note 2] | Live event | |
14 | Tony Charles | 1 | May 10, 1972 (NLT) | [Note 13] | [Note 2] | Live event | |
15 | Don Greene | 3 | August 1972 (NLT) | [Note 14] | [Note 2] | Live event | |
16 | Johnny Walker | 6 | October 6, 1972 (NLT) | [Note 15] | [Note 2] | Live event | Change took place sometime between September 28 and October 16, 1972 |
17 | Don Greene | 4 | October 17, 1972 | 279 | Memphis, Tennessee | Live event | |
18 | Lorenzo Parente | 1 | July 23, 1973 | [Note 16] | Memphis, Tennessee | Live event | |
19 | Don Greene | 5 | July 1973 | [Note 17] | [Note 2] | Live event | |
20 | Lorenzo Parente | 2 | August 1, 1973 | [Note 18] | Nashville, Tennessee | Live event | |
21 | Don Greene | 6 | October 2, 1973 (NLT) | [Note 19] | [Note 2] | Live event | |
22 | Intern #1 | 1 | October 25, 1973 | [Note 20] | Chattanooga, Tennessee | Live event | |
23 | Don Greene | 7 | December 23, 1973 (NLT) | [Note 21] | [Note 2] | Live event | |
24 | Ali Baba | 1 | March 11, 1974 | [Note 22] | Birmingham, Alabama | Live event | |
25 | Don Greene | 8 | March 1974 | [Note 23] | Birmingham, Alabama | Live event | |
26 | Ali Baba | 2 | March 21, 1974 | 20 | Florence, Alabama | Live event | Title change was repeated on March 27 in Nashville |
27 | Steve Kovac | 1 | April 10, 1974 | 24 | Nashville, Tennessee | Live event | |
28 | Jerry Lawler | 1 | May 4, 1974 | [Note 24] | Chattanooga, Tennessee | Live event | |
29 | Don Greene | 9 | June 6, 1974 (NLT) | [Note 25] | [Note 2] | Live event | Still billed as champion in July 1974 |
— | Abandoned | N/A | 1974 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Championship abandoned. |