NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship
Encyclopedia
The NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling
title
for lighter wrestlers, board-controlled by the National Wrestling Alliance
since December 1999.
It originally was used by various promotions across the Southeastern United States
, most prevalently in Tennessee
. In August 1974, the title became the top singles prize in Memphis, Tennessee
's Continental Wrestling Association
, and was renamed the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Memphis version).
The title was revived by the NWA in December 1999, and is used in the NWA Mid-South promotion
, based in Humboldt, Tennessee
..
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...
for lighter wrestlers, board-controlled by the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
since December 1999.
It originally was used by various promotions across the Southeastern United States
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
, most prevalently in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. In August 1974, the title became the top singles prize in 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....
's 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...
, and was renamed the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Memphis version).
The title was revived by the NWA in December 1999, and is used in the NWA Mid-South promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
, based in Humboldt, Tennessee
Humboldt, Tennessee
Humboldt is a city in Gibson and Madison counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The population was 8,452 at the 2010 census, a decline of 1,015 in 2000. It is the principal city of and is included in the Humboldt, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Jackson,...
..
Title history
Silver areas in the history indicate periods of unknown lineage. An indicates that a title changes occurred no later than the listed date.| Wrestler: | Times: | Date: | Location: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Gunther | 1 | 1939-05-25 | ||
| Tommy Ward | 1 | 1950-03-20 | ||
| Karl Kowalski | 1 | 1950-09-18 | ||
| Henry Harrell | 1 | 1952-04-19 | Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census... |
|
| Herb Welch | 1 | July 1952 | Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region... |
|
| Al Galento | 1 | 1952-08-21 | Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County... |
|
| Tex Riley | 1 | October 1952 | Kingsport, Tennessee Kingsport, Tennessee Kingsport is a city located mainly in Sullivan County with some western portions in Hawkins County in the US state of Tennessee. The majority of the city lies in Sullivan County... |
|
| Jesse James | 1 | |||
| Red Roberts | 1 | January 1953 | ||
| Ray Piret | 1 | 1954-03-17 | 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... |
|
| Sonny Myers Sonny Myers Harold "Sonny" Myers was an American professional wrestler, involved in the business for sixty years.-Career:... |
1 | 1955-02-21 | Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S... |
|
| Frank Jares | 1 | 1955-07-25 | Birmingham, Alabama | |
| The Masked Bat | 1 | 1956-05-22 | Nashville, Tennessee | |
| Frank Jares | 2 | 1956-05-29 | Nashville, Tennessee | |
| Jesse James | 2 | 1956-07-24 | Nashville, Tennessee | |
| Frank Jares | 3 | 1956-08-07 | Nashville, Tennessee | |
| Herb Welch | 2 | 1956-08-27 | Birmingham, Alabama | |
| The Great Malenko | 1 | 1956-09-19 | Mobile, Alabama Mobile, Alabama Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest... |
|
| Herb Welch | 3 | 1956-10-16 | Mobile, Alabama | |
| Tor Yamata | 1 | 1957-02-25 | Birmingham, Alabama | |
| Cyclone Anaya | 1 | 1957-06-17 | Birmingham, Alabama | |
| Mario Galento | 1 | 1957-08-21 | Mobile, Alabama | |
| Title vacated in September 1957 due to Galento not defending. | ||||
| Cyclone Anaya | 2 | September 1957 | ||
| Tor Yamata | 2 | 1957-10-01 | Nashville, Tennessee | |
| 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 | 1957-11-11 | Birmingham, Alabama | |
| Tor Yamata | 3 | January 1958 | ||
| Herb Welch | 3 | 1958-03-17 | 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.... |
|
| Fred Blassie Fred Blassie Frederick Kenneth Blassman , better known as "Classy" Freddie Blassie, was an American professional wrestling villain and manager born in St. Louis, Missouri. Renowned as "The Fashion Plate of Professional Wrestling" , Blassie was a master at antagonizing the crowd, and inspired legendary animosity... |
1 | May 1958 | ||
| Ray Stevens | 2 | June 1958 | ||
| Corsica Jean | 1 | 1958-07-22 | Nashville, Tennessee | |
| Ray Stevens | 3 | October 1958 | ||
| Title vacated in October 1958 when Stevens left the territory. | ||||
| Yvon Robert | 1 | 1958 | Birmingham, Alabama | |
| Jesse James | 3 | 1959-01-12 | Birmingham, Alabama | |
| Jackie Fargo | 1 | 1959-09-30 | Mobile, Alabama | |
| Mike Clancy | 1 | 1959-12-28 | Birmingham, Alabama | |
| Bill Monroe | 1 | 1960-12-22 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | |
| Len Rossi | 1 | 1960-12-27 | Nashville, Tennessee | |
| Don Greene | 1 | 1961-07-22 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | |
| Len Rossi | 2 | 1962-01-08 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Taro Sakuro | 1 | 1962-02-18 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | |
| Joe Lanza | 1 | 1962-06-07 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | |
| Jackie Fargo | 2 | August 1962 | ||
| Hans Steiner | 1 | September 1962 | ||
| Len Rossi | 1 | May 1963 | ||
| Frankie Cain | 1 | May 1963 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Alex Perez | 1 | January 1964 | ||
| Rocky Smith | 1 | November 1964 | ||
| Alex Perez | 2 | 1965-02-08 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Rocky Smith | 2 | November 1965 | ||
| Title held up after a match against Hiro Matsuda on 1965-12-16 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. | ||||
| Rocky Smith | 3 | 1965-12-23 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | |
| Alex Perez | 3 | 1966-01-18 | Nashville, Tennessee | |
| Al Costello Al Costello Giacomo Costa was an Italian Australian professional wrestler best known by his ring name, Al Costello. Costello was the first professional wrestler to be nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Holds" because of his innovative and very technical style.Costello was the creator and original member of the... |
1 | 1966-04-08 | Nashville, Tennessee | |
| Karl von Brauner | 1 | 1966-04-28 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | |
| Jackie Fargo | 3 | 1966-07-27 | Nashville, Tennessee | |
| Len Rossi | 4 | April 1967 | ||
| The Great Yamaha | 1 | 1967-08-19 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | |
| Len Rossi | 5 | 1967-08-31 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | |
| Tojo Yamamoto Tojo Yamamoto Harold Watanabe was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tojo Yamamoto. He was born in Hawaii.-In-ring career:... |
1 | 1968-03-19 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | |
| Siki Samara | 1 | 1969-08-13 | Mobile, Alabama | |
| Jimmy Jones Melvin Nelson Melvin Nelson is a retired American professional wrestler. He competed in the United States under the ring names Jimmy Jones and Burrhead Jones. As an African American wrestler, he was not permitted to wrestle against caucasians in some territories, thus he also worked as a referee.-Early... |
1 | 1969-08-13 | Mobile, Alabama | |
| Siki Samara | 2 | 1969-08-20 | Mobile, Alabama | |
| Siki Samara | 2 | 1969-08-20 | Mobile, Alabama | |
| Len Rossi | 6 | March 1970 | ||
| Sputnik Monroe Sputnik Monroe (wrestler) Sputnik Monroe was a professional wrestler from the mid 1940s through the early 1970s. Monroe was a headliner in many territories, and was best known in Memphis, where he and Billy Wicks set an attendance record that lasted until the Monday Night Wars boom period.-Life:Sputnik was born Rosco... |
1 | 1971-07-01 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | |
| Len Rossi | 7 | August 1971 | ||
| Title vacated in 1973 when Rossi suffers a broken ankle. | ||||
| Tommy Gilbert | 1 | 1973 | Birmingham, Alabama | |
| Lou Thesz Lou Thesz Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz was a United States professional wrestler and 18-time world heavyweight champion, most notably holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times. Combined, he held the NWA Championship for 10 years, three months and nine days , longer than anyone else in history... |
1 | 1973 | ||
| Tommy Gilbert | 2 | 1973 | ||
| Ron Garvin Ron Garvin Ron Garvin is a Canadian former professional wrestler and referee most known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance.-Early career:... |
1 | December 1973 | ||
| Tommy Gilbert | 3 | January 1974 | Birmingham, Alabama | |
| Lou Thesz | 2 | 1974-03-18 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Tommy Gilbert | 4 | 1974-04-10 | Nashville, Tennessee | |
| 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 | 1974-04-15 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Ricky Gibson | 1 | 1974-06-03 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Jerry Lawler | 2 | 1974-06-10 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Jackie Fargo | 4 | 1974-06-24 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Jerry Lawler | 3 | 1974-07-08 | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Jackie Fargo | 5 | 1974-07-20 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | |
| Jerry Lawler | 4 | 1974-07-27 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | |
| Title renamed the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship in August 1974. | ||||
| Title revived by the NWA in December 1999. | ||||
| Joey Venture | 1 | 1999-11-19 | Dyersburg, Tennessee Dyersburg, Tennessee Dyersburg is a city in and the county seat of Dyer County, Tennessee, United States, north-northeast of Memphis on the Forked Deer River. The population was 17,145 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Dyersburg is located at... |
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| Mr. Showtime | 1 | 2000-01-07 | Dyersburg, Tennessee | |
| The Studd | 1 | 2000-02-18 | Dyersburg, Tennessee | |
| Pokerface | 1 | 2000-03-18 | Newbern, Tennessee Newbern, Tennessee Newbern is a town in Dyer County, Tennessee, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 3,313.-Natural Disasters:Sixteen people were killed in Newbern when its surrounding communities were directly hit by an F3 tornado April 2, 2006... |
|
| Joey Venture | 2 | 2000-03-31 | Dyersburg, Tennessee | |
| Mark Southern | 1 | 2000-05-05 | Dyersburg, Tennessee | |
| Title stripped from Southern between May and July 2000 for lack of defenses. | ||||
| Kilo | 1 | 2000-07-21 | Dyersburg, Tennessee | |
| Pokerface | 2 | 2000-08-18 | Dyersburg, Tennessee | |
| American Dragon Bryan Danielson Bryan Danielson is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand as Daniel Bryan, and currently holds the SmackDown Money in the Bank briefcase, which enables him to have a World Heavyweight Championship match at any time of his choosing... |
1 | 2000-09-01 | Dyersburg, Tennessee | |
| Pokerface | 3 | 2000-09-17 | Gibson, Tennessee Gibson, Tennessee Gibson is a town in Gibson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 305 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Gibson is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:... |
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| The Fabulous Rocker | 1 | 2000-11-25 | Dyersburg, Tennessee | |
| Danny B. Good | 1 | 2000-12-21 | Dyersburg, Tennessee | |
| Mr. Showtime | 2 | 2001-02-24 | Dyersburg, Tennessee | |
| Dustin Starr | 1 | 2001-03-10 | Dyersburg, Tennessee | |
| Mr. Showtime | 3 | 2001-03-24 | Dyersburg, Tennessee | |
| Dustin Starr | 2 | 2001-04-07 | Dyersburg, Tennessee | |
| Greg Anthony | 1 | 2001-04-14 | Dyersburg, Tennessee | |
| Chris Fury | 1 | 2001-09-16 | Newbern, Tennessee | |
| Void | 1 | 2002-03-10 | Newbern, Tennessee | |
| Chris Sanders | 1 | 2002-08-31 | Magee, Mississippi Magee, Mississippi Magee is a city in Simpson County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 4,200 at the 2000 census and was estimated to be near 5,019 as of February 2007. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:... |
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| Void | 2 | 2003-05-30 | Humboldt, Tennessee Humboldt, Tennessee Humboldt is a city in Gibson and Madison counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The population was 8,452 at the 2010 census, a decline of 1,015 in 2000. It is the principal city of and is included in the Humboldt, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Jackson,... |
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| Title stripped from Void in July 2003 for his alleged defense of the title in another town on the same night as an NWA event. | ||||
| Seth Cyrus | 1 | 2003-07-11 | Humboldt, Tennessee | |
| A.J. Bradley | 1 | 2003-10-31 | Humboldt, Tennessee | |
| Seth Cyrus | 2 | 2004-04-30 | Humboldt, Tennessee | |
| Joey Luciano | 1 | 2004-06-11 | Humboldt, Tennessee | |
| Dustin Masters | 1 | 2004-10-01 | Humboldt, Tennessee | |
| Void | 3 | |||
| Blaze | 1 | 2005-04-08 | Humboldt, Tennessee | |
| Anthony Wayne | 1 | 2005-07-17 | Humboldt, Tennessee | |
| Greg Anthony | 2 | 2005-08-26 | Humboldt, Tennessee | |
| Title vacated between August 2005 and January 2006. | ||||
| Blackbird Ice | 1 | 2006-01-20 | Humboldt, Tennessee | |
| Title vacated between January and April 2006. | ||||
| Seth Knight | 1 | 2006-04-15 | Ripley, Tennessee Ripley, Tennessee Ripley is a city in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,844 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County... |
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| Greg Anthony | 3 | 2006-05-27 | Humboldt, Tennessee | |
| Seth Knight | 2 | 2007-03-17 | Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County... |
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