NWA San Francisco United States Championship
Encyclopedia
The NWA San Francisco United States Championship was a version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship that was defended in San Francisco, California
. The title, which originated as the American Wrestling Alliance United States Championship and was renamed in 1968, existed from 1960 until 1981.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. The title, which originated as the American Wrestling Alliance United States Championship and was renamed in 1968, existed from 1960 until 1981.
Title history
| Wrestler: | Times: | Date: | Location: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Stevens Ray Stevens (wrestler) Carl Ray Stevens , better known as Ray "The Crippler" Stevens or Ray "Blond Bomber" Stevens, was an American professional wrestler. Stevens was a wrestling superstar since the early years of the television era until he retired during the early 1990s... |
1 | November 1960 | Awarded | |
| Bob Ellis | 1 | November 11, 1960 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Ray Stevens | 2 | May 1961 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Vacated | July 1962 | Stevens broke his ankle in cart racing | ||
| Pepper Gomez | 1 | July 1962 | Windsor, Ontario | defeated Freddie Blassie |
| Ray Stevens | 3 | February 23, 1963 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Wilbur Snyder Wilbur Snyder Wilbur Snyder was an American football player and professional wrestler.-Wrestling career:Snyder's wrestling debut occurred during the 1953 offseason. He was trained by Sandor Szabo and Warren Bockwinkel in Southern California. In 1954, Snyder retired from football completely to pursue a full-time... |
1 | April 20, 1963 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Ray Stevens | 4 | June 29, 1963 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Dominic DeNucci Dominic DeNucci Dominic DeNucci is an Italian-American professional wrestler. He is also an accomplished trainer, counting former World Heavyweight champions Mick Foley and Shane Douglas, as well as referee Brian Hildebrand, among his students.-Early career:... |
1 | January 25, 1964 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Ray Stevens | 5 | February 29, 1964 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Kinji Shibuya Kinji Shibuya Kinji Shibuya was an American professional wrestler and actor.-Professional wrestling career:In 1952, promoter Al Karasick suggested Shibuya try professional wrestling. He was originally given a villainous gimmick of a Japanese bad guy after World War II. He wrestled in the United States and... |
1 | October 25, 1964 | Honolulu, HI | |
| Bobo Brazil | 1 | October 16, 1965 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Kinji Shibuya | 2 | November 13, 1965 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Bill Watts Bill Watts William F. "Bill" Watts is a former American professional wrestler and promoter. Watts was famous under his "Cowboy" gimmick in his wrestling career, and then as a tough, no-nonsense promoter in the Mid-South area of the United States, which grew to become the UWF.In 1992, he was the Executive... |
1 | February 19, 1966 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Ray Stevens | 6 | March 11, 1967 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Bearcat Wright | 1 | December 2, 1967 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Kinji Shibuya | 3 | February 17, 1968 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Bearcat Wright Bearcat Wright Edward "Bearcat" Wright was an African-American professional wrestler who became popular in the late 1950s and 1960s. He wrestled during the time of Bobo Brazil, and despite racial tension in the United States became wildly popular as both a heel and a babyface... |
2 | April 13, 1968 | San Francisco, CA | |
| King Curtis Iaukea King Curtis Iaukea Curtis Piehau Iaukea, III was a professional wrestler better known as King Curtis Iaukea. Iaukea won championships in several of the major regional US promotions, both as a single and in various tag team combinations, during the 1960s. He then competed in the World Wrestling Federation where he... |
1 | July 4, 1968 | ? | |
| Ray Stevens | 7 | September 14, 1968 | San Francisco, CA | Promotion rejoins the NWA in 1968 during Stevens' reign |
| Renamed NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (San Francisco version) | ||||
| King Curtis Iaukea | 2 | May 10, 1969 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Ray Stevens | 8 | June 7, 1969 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Vacated | August 1969 | Stevens broke his leg while racing | ||
| Pat Patterson | 1 | August 9, 1969 | San Francisco, CA | Defeated Pedro Morales Pedro Morales Pedro Morales is a retired Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He began his wrestling career as a teenager in 1959 and continued through to the late 1980s... |
| Ray Stevens | 9 | July 11, 1970 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Paul DeMarco | 1 | June 5, 1971 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Peter Maivia Peter Maivia Fanene Leifi Pita Maivia was a American Samoan professional wrestler better known as "High Chief" Peter Maivia. He was head of the famous Samoan wrestling family... |
1 | July 31, 1971 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Paul DeMarco | 2 | September 18, 1971 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Rocky Johnson Rocky Johnson Rocky Johnson is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. Quite popular in his own right in the 1970s and 1980s, he is also known for being the father of actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson... |
1 | November 5, 1971 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Pat Patterson | 2 | February 12, 1972 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Held Up | December 7, 1972 | Title held up after match against Great Mephisto | ||
| Great Mephisto | 1 | February 17, 1973 | Defeated Patterson after several rematches failed to end with winner | |
| Pat Patterson | 3 | April 28, 1973 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Moondog Lonnie Mayne Lonnie Mayne Ronald Doyle "Lonnie" Mayne was an American professional wrestler in the 1960s and 1970s who frequently went by the name Moondog Mayne. Mayne wrestled in various NWA territories as well as the WWWF... |
1 | December 29, 1973 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Peter Maivia | 2 | October 12, 1974 | San Francisco, CA | |
| The Brute Bugsy McGraw Bugsy McGraw is the ring name of former professional wrestler Michael Davis. He also wrestled under the name "The Skull." He is not to be confused with the other wrestler named Mike Davis.-Total Nonstop Action Wrestling :... |
1 | January 15, 1975 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Pat Patterson | 4 | April 5, 1975 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Angelo Mosca Angelo Mosca Angelo Mosca is a former Canadian Football League player and professional wrestler. He is also known by the wrestling nicknames King Kong Mosca and The Mighty Hercules... |
1 | July 7, 1975 | San Jose, CA | |
| Pat Patterson | 5 | September 7, 1975 | Sacramento, CA | |
| Mr. Fuji Harry Fujiwara Harry Fujiwara is an American former professional wrestler and manager, best known by his ring name Mr. Fuji. He was infamous for often throwing salt in the eyes of face wrestlers... |
1 | February 7, 1976 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Vacated | February 12, 1977 | Fuji left area | ||
| Pat Patterson | 6 | March 12, 1977 | San Francisco, CA | Defeated Alexis Smirnoff in tournament final |
| Alexis Smirnoff | 1 | April 16, 1977 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Dean Ho Dean Higuchi Dean Higuchi is a retired American professional wrestler, known by his ring name Dean Ho, who competed in North American regional promotions including Pacific Northwest Wrestling, the World Wide Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance, specifically the Hawaii-based Big Time... |
1 | July 16, 1977 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Bob Roop Bob Roop Bob Roop is a retired amateur and professional wrestler whose career has spanned high school, college, Army, amateur and professional wrestling. He was an American Heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler at the 1968 Summer Olympics.-Amateur career:... |
1 | September 17, 1977 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Vacated | December 1977 | Bob Roop fired | ||
| Dean Ho | 2 | January 14, 1978 | Won tournament | |
| Don Muraco Don Muraco Donald Muraco , better known by his ring name "The Rock" Don Muraco, is a retired American professional wrestler... |
1 | April 1, 1978 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Moondog Lonnie Mayne | 2 | May 27, 1978 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Roddy Piper Roddy Piper Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE... |
1 | June 24, 1978 | ? | |
| Moondog Lonnie Mayne | 3 | July 14, 1978 | ? | |
| Vacated | August 13, 1978 | Mayne killed in auto accident | ||
| Buddy Rose Buddy Rose Paul Perschmann was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Playboy" Buddy Rose.-Career:Paul Perschmann was trained by Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson in the early 1970s... |
1 | September 16, 1978 | San Francisco, CA | Defeated Jimmy Snuka Jimmy Snuka James William "Jimmy" Reiher is a semi-retired Fijian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Originally from the Fiji Islands, Snuka wrestled for several promotions in the 1970s and 1980s. Snuka is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having been a... in tournament final |
| Vacated | 1979 | Rose suspended | ||
| Ron Starr | 1 | March 3, 1979 | San Francisco, CA | Defeated Roddy Piper |
| Buddy Rose | 2 | May 11, 1979 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Ron Starr | 2 | June 8, 1979 | San Francisco, CA | Defeated Johnny Mantell when Rose refused to wrestle |
| Bob Sweetan Bob Sweetan Bob Sweetan better known as "Bruiser" Bob Sweetan or "Mr. Piledriver" Bob Sweetan, after his signature finishing maneuver, was born in 1940. Bob was a professional wrestler who over his long career held numerous titles. Bob enjoyed tremendous success with the National Wrestling Alliance... |
1 | October 23, 1979 | San Francisco, CA | |
| George Wells | 1 | December 29, 1979 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Ed Wiskoski | 1 | June 7, 1980 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Ron Starr | 3 | August 9, 1980 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Bob Sweetan | 2 | October 13, 1980 | San Francisco, CA | |
| Vacated | October 1980 | Sweetan left area | ||
| Dusty Rhodes Dusty Rhodes (wrestler) Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE... |
1 | November 8, 1980 | San Francisco, CA | Defeated Dick Slater Dick Slater Richard Van Slater , better known by his ring name "Dirty" Dick Slater, is a retired American professional wrestler who wrestled in the 1970s, 1980s, and mid 1990s for various promotions including Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling .Slater began wrestling with Mike... |
| Title Retired | January 1981 | Promotion closed; Mid-Atlantic version WWE United States Championship The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand.... becomes the undisputed NWA US Championship after this date |
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