AWA International Heavyweight Championship
Encyclopedia
The AWA International Heavyweight Championship, originally known as the CWA/AWA International Heavyweight Championship (also identified as the Mid-Southern International Championship and the AWA International Championship) was a major professional wrestling
title
defended in the Continental Wrestling Association
. It was created in 1983 from the CWA's partnership with the American Wrestling Association
. The title lasted until 1987, when it was unified with the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight
and AWA Southern Heavyweight
championships, creating the CWA Heavyweight Championship
.
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...
title
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...
defended in the Continental Wrestling Association
Continental Wrestling Association
The Continental Wrestling Association was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually referred to as Mid-Southern Wrestling...
. It was created in 1983 from the CWA's partnership with the American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
. The title lasted until 1987, when it was unified with the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight
NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title defended in the US states of Tennessee and Alabama.The title began in 1957 and lasted first 1980 when it was first abandoned when Jerry Jarrett took over the Mid-American titles from Nick Gulas...
and AWA Southern Heavyweight
AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship
The Memphis Wrestling Southern Heavyweight Championship is a major professional wrestling title in the Memphis Wrestling promotion. The title is part of a long lineage that is best known while the title was named the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship for Continental Wrestling Association during...
championships, creating the CWA Heavyweight Championship
CWA Heavyweight Championship
The CWA Heavyweight Championship was a major professional wrestling title defended in the Championship Wrestling Association. It was created through the unification of the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight, AWA Southern Heavyweight and CWA/AWA International Heavyweight championships.-Title...
.
Title history
| Wrestler: | Times: | Date: | Location: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CWA/AWA International Heavyweight Championship | ||||
| Austin Idol Austin Idol Mike McCord is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name the "Universal Heartthrob" Austin Idol.-Professional wrestling career:McCord graduated from Robinson High School in Tampa, Florida... |
1 | February 1983 | ||
| Jerry Lawler Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional... |
1 | March 7, 1983 | Memphis, Tennessee Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers.... |
|
| Ken Patera Ken Patera Ken Patera is a former professional wrestler, Olympic weightlifter, and Strongman competitor.-Weightlifting/Strongman career:Patera is a former Olympic weightlifter and American powerlifter... |
1 | May 16, 1983 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Jerry Lawler | 2 | July 25, 1983 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Ken Patera | 2 | August 15, 1983 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Austin Idol | 2 | September 10, 1983 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| 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 | September 12, 1983 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Austin Idol | 3 | October 3, 1983 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Randy Savage Randy Savage Randall Mario Poffo , better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling .Savage held twenty championships during his professional wrestling career and was a... |
1 | April 23, 1984 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Austin Idol | 4 | May 14, 1984 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Masao Ito | 1 | June 16, 1984 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Tommy Rich Tommy Rich Thomas Richardson , better known by his ring name, "Wildfire" Tommy Rich, is a professional wrestler. He is best known for his wrestling career in Georgia and Memphis throughout the 1980s.-Professional wrestling career:... |
1 | July 9, 1984 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Eddie Gilbert | 1 | August 27, 1984 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Dutch Mantel Wayne Cowan Wayne Keown is an American professional wrestler, and author better known by his ring name, Dutch Mantel or Dutch Mantell. He currently is semi-retired but still makes occasional wrestling appearances. He was previously with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a writer behind the scenes... |
1 | September 17, 1984 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Eddie Gilbert | 2 | September 24, 1984 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Terry Taylor Terry Taylor Terry Taylor , is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation... |
1 | December 28, 1984 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Phil Hickerson | 1 | July 7, 1985 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Terry Taylor | 2 | July 15, 1985 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Phil Hickerson | 2 | July 22, 1985 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Mongolian Stomper Mongolian Stomper Archie Gouldie is a Canadian professional wrestler better known by his ring name The Mongolian Stomper.-Stampede Wrestling:Gouldie held the North American heavyweight title a record ten times between 1968 and 1984, quite a streak of longevity for that time frame... |
1 | September 30, 1985 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Phil Hickerson | 3 | October 21, 1985 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Dutch Mantel | 2 | November 9, 1985 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Rick Casey | 1 | February 3, 1986 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Abdul Gaddafi | 1 | March 3, 1986 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Billy Travis | 1 | March 24, 1986 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Bill Dundee Bill Dundee William "Bill" Cruickshanks is a Scottish born-Australian professional wrestler better known by his stage name Bill Dundee. Cruickshanks is the father of Jamie Dundee and the father-in-law of wrestler Bobby Eaton.... |
1 | May 5, 1986 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Jerry Lawler | 3 | July 14, 1986 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Title vacated | September 8, 1986 | Memphis, Tennessee | ||
| Big Bubba Fred Ottman Fred Ottman is a retired American professional wrestler best known as Tugboat or Typhoon and teaming with John "Earthquake" Tenta as The Natural Disasters in the World Wrestling Federation. Ottman is also well-known for his infamous "Shockmaster" gimmick in World Championship Wrestling... |
1 | October 6, 1986 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Soul Train Jones Mike Jones (wrestler) Mike Jones is an American professional wrestler, who most recently performed for World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Virgil, where he appeared on its Raw brand as Ted DiBiase, Jr.'s personal assistant... |
1 | January 4, 1987 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Chick Donovan Chick Donovan Charles "Chick" Donovan is a now semi–retired professional wrestler who worked for a short time with WCW.Making his professional debut in 1977, he carried on notable feuds with fellow wrestling legends Jerry "The King" Lawler and Tommy Rich... |
1 | April 20, 1987 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Bill Dundee | 2 | June 13, 1987 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| George Barnes | 1 | August 17, 1987 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Bill Dundee | 3 | August 31, 1987 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Title vacated | October 11, 1987 | Memphis, Tennessee | ||
| Bill Dundee | 4 | October 27, 1987 | Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home... |
|
| Manny Fernandez Manny Fernandez (wrestler) Emanuel "Manny" Fernandez is an American professional wrestler currently wrestling for different independent promotions. He is best known by the his ring name "The Raging Bull" Manny Fernandez.-Professional wrestling career:... |
1 | November 2, 1987 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Jerry Lawler | 4 | December 7, 1987 | Memphis, Tennessee. | |
| Title unified with the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship The NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title defended in the US states of Tennessee and Alabama.The title began in 1957 and lasted first 1980 when it was first abandoned when Jerry Jarrett took over the Mid-American titles from Nick Gulas... and AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship The Memphis Wrestling Southern Heavyweight Championship is a major professional wrestling title in the Memphis Wrestling promotion. The title is part of a long lineage that is best known while the title was named the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship for Continental Wrestling Association during... to create the CWA Heavyweight Championship CWA Heavyweight Championship The CWA Heavyweight Championship was a major professional wrestling title defended in the Championship Wrestling Association. It was created through the unification of the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight, AWA Southern Heavyweight and CWA/AWA International Heavyweight championships.-Title... on December 7, 1987 in Memphis, Tennessee. |
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See also
- American Wrestling AssociationAmerican Wrestling AssociationThe American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
- Continental Wrestling AssociationContinental Wrestling AssociationThe Continental Wrestling Association was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually referred to as Mid-Southern Wrestling...
- CWA Heavyweight ChampionshipCWA Heavyweight ChampionshipThe CWA Heavyweight Championship was a major professional wrestling title defended in the Championship Wrestling Association. It was created through the unification of the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight, AWA Southern Heavyweight and CWA/AWA International Heavyweight championships.-Title...