WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship
The WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship was a singles title used sporadically in the World Wide Wrestling Federation between 1963 and 1976. During the variable periods in which it was used, the title served as the promotion's secondary singles championship to the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship. After the title was retired for good, it was replaced, after a three year interval with the WWF North American Heavyweight Championship as the promotion's secondary title.
WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship | |||||||||||
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One version of the belt that represented the championship in the 1960s and 1970s | |||||||||||
Details | |||||||||||
Promotion | WWWF | ||||||||||
Date established | 1963 | ||||||||||
Date retired | 1976 | ||||||||||
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Prior to Capitol Wrestling leaving the National Wrestling Alliance and becoming the WWWF, the company hosted a version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship for several months in 1960-1961. The only known holder of this title was Buddy Rogers, who vacated the title upon winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Pat O'Connor in Chicago in June 1961.[1]
This title has no connection to the current WWE United States Championship, the lineage of which dates back to the NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Championship originally created in 1975 in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. The full name listed on the physical belt did read World Wide Wrestling Federation U.S.A. Heavyweight Championship.[2]
Title history
No. | Overall reign number |
---|---|
Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
Days | Number of days held |
No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | |||
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Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | ||||
1 | Bobo Brazil | April 6, 1963 | House Show | California | 1 | 63 | Bobo Brazil is recognized as the first WWWF United States Heavyweight Champion | [3][1] |
2 | Johnny Barend | June 8, 1963 | House Show | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1 | 31 | [3][1] | |
3 | Bobo Brazil | July 9, 1963 | House Show | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 2 | 64 | [3][1] | |
4 | Johnny Barend | September 11, 1963 | House Show | Baltimore, Maryland | 2 | 41 | [3][1] | |
5 | Bobo Brazil | October 22, 1963 | House Show | Newton Square, Pennsylvania | 3 | 1,335 | [3][1] | |
6 | Ray Stevens | June 18, 1967 | House Show | [Note 1] | 1 | 67 | [3][1] | |
7 | Bobo Brazil | August 24, 1967 | House Show | Trenton, New Jersey | 4 | 29 | [3][1] | |
8 | The Sheik | September 22, 1967 | House Show | Detroit, Michigan | 1 | 429 | [3][1] | |
9 | Bobo Brazil | November 24, 1968 | House Show | [Note 1] | 5 | 57 | [3][1] | |
10 | The Sheik | January 20, 1969 | House Show | Boston, Massachusetts | 2 | 21 | [3][1] | |
11 | Bobo Brazil | February 10, 1969 | House Show | Washington D.C. | 6 | 687 | [3][1] | |
— | Vacated | December 29, 1970 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated because of injury | [3][1] |
12 | Pedro Morales | January 7, 1971 | House Show | Los Angeles, California | 1 | 32 | Defeated Freddie Blassie in a tournament final | [3][1] |
— | Vacated | February 8, 1971 | — | — | — | — | Pedro Morales vacated the WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship after winning the WWWF Championship | [3][1] |
13 | Bobo Brazil | February 19, 1971 | House Show | Harrisburg, PA | 7 | 1,837 | Brazil was awarded the title by the WWWF. | [3][1] |
— | Deactivated | March 1, 1976 | — | — | — | — | Brazil was the final champion after the WWF abandoned the title on March 1, 1976 | [3][1] |
Combined reigns
Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns | Combined days |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Bobo Brazil | 7 | 4,072 |
2 | The Sheik | 2 | 450 |
3 | Johnny Barend | 2 | 72 |
4 | Ray Stevens | 1 | 67 |
5 | Pedro Morales | 1 | 32 |
See also
- WWE United States Championship
- World Wrestling Entertainment
- Professional wrestling in the United States
Footnotes
- The location of the championship change has not been found documented.
References
- "United States Heavyweight Title - World Wide Wrestling Federation ( 1963 - 1970s ) World Wrestling Entertainment ( 2003/07 - )". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
- WWWF U.S. Heavyweight Title - Bleacher Report.com
- Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (1994). "United States: 19th Century & Widely defended Titles - NWA, WWF, AWA, IWA, ECW, NWA WWWF United States Heavyweight Title [McMahon]". Wrestling Title Histories (3 ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 27. ISBN 0-9698161-1-1.