British Lightweight Championship
{{Use British English|date=June 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}
The British Lightweight Championship is a top British wrestling championship found throughout the country's circuit. The title's broken history dates back to the 1930s and it has most recently been claimed actively since 2021 under the auspices of Rumble Promotions who have named their version in honour of late referee Mal Mason. The official upper weight limit for the belt is 11 stone (154 pounds).Peter Bills, Wrestling, David & Charles, 1983, p. 62
The championship was recognised and defended on matches screened by UK national television network ITV as part of the professional wrestling slot on World of Sport as well as standalone broadcasts.{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhLJjBWRM6w | title=Jim Breaks capture of British Lightweight title from Steve Grey in Ardwick Le Street 21st April 1983 | work= World Of Sport - Wrestling | publisher=ITV | date= 7 May 1983 | accessdate=23 May 2017}}{{cite news | title=Steve Grey capture of British Lightweight title from Jim Breaks in Bradford 4th May 1983 | work= World Of Sport - Wrestling | publisher= ITV | date=28 May 1983}}{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLTMGAUi1Dk | title=Kid McCoy capture of British Lightweight title from Steve Grey in Ardwick Le Street 7th May 1987, | work=Professional Wrestling | publisher=ITV | date=27 June 1987 | accessdate=23 May 2017}} Pre-publicity for these championship match broadcasts was given in ITV's nationally published listings magazine TVTimes.{{cite web | url=http://johnlisterwriting.com/itvwrestling/83.html | title=British Lightweight Championship: Steve Grey v Jim Breaks | publisher=TVTimes | work=Saturday 7 May - Friday 13th May 1983 - Saturday listings page] | access-date=23 May 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923212903/http://www.johnlisterwriting.com/itvwrestling/83.html | archive-date=23 September 2017 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | url=http://johnlisterwriting.com/itvwrestling/83.html | publisher=TVTimes | title="British Lightweight Championship: Jim Breaks v Steve Grey" | work=Saturday 28 May - Friday 3rd June 1983 - Saturday listings page | access-date=23 May 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923212903/http://www.johnlisterwriting.com/itvwrestling/83.html | archive-date=23 September 2017 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | url=http://johnlisterwriting.com/itvwrestling/87.html | title="British Lightweight Championship: Steve Grey v Kid McCoy" | publisher=TVTimes | work=Saturday 27 June - Friday 3rd July 1987 - Saturday listings page | access-date=23 May 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509190004/http://www.johnlisterwriting.com/itvwrestling/87.html | archive-date=9 May 2017 | url-status=dead }}
This is a history of the title from its earliest recorded origins in 1933. As indicated in the table a few claimed reigns are of dubious provenance and, whilst these have been noted, they are not included as official reigns.
Title history
;Key
| class="wikitable"
|style="background: #f0f0f0;"|Symbol |style="background: #f0f0f0;"|Meaning |
| No.
|The overall championship reign |
| Reign
|The reign number for the specific wrestler listed. |
| Event
|The event in which the championship changed hands |
| N/A
|The specific information is not known |
| —
|Used for vacated reigns in order to not count it as an official reign |
|Indicates that the exact length of the title reign is unknown, with a note providing more details. |
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center" width=100%
!width=0 data-sort-type="number"|No. !width=14%|Champion !width=0 |Reign !width=16%|Date !width=0 data-sort-type="number"|Days held !width=14%|Location !width=17%|Event !width=51% class="unsortable"|Notes !width=0 class="unsortable"|Ref. |
| 1
|{{sort|Relwyskow|George de Relwyskow}} |1 |1933 |The length of the championship is too uncertain to calculate. |The location of the match was not captured as part of the documentation. |align=left| |
|---|
| style="background-color:#e3e3e3"
|{{sort|01.5|—}} |{{sort|—|Vacated}} |{{sort|00|—}} |{{dts|1940}}-{{dts|1945}} |{{sort|00|—}} |{{sort|—|N/A}} |{{sort|—|N/A}} |align=left|Championship vacated after Relwyskow is injured during the Second World War. |
| 2
|{{sort|Reid|Joe Reid}} |1 |1948 |align=left| |
| 3
|{{sortname|Jack|Dempsey|Jack Dempsey (wrestler)}} |1 |1948 |align=left| |
| 4
|{{sortname|George|Kidd|George Kidd (wrestler)}} |1 |1948 |align=left| |
| 5
|{{sort|Colbeck|Alan Colbeck}} |1 |1949 |align=left| |
| 6
|{{sort|Stead|Johnny Stead}} |1 |1950 |align=left| |
| 7
|{{sort|Sands|Eric Sands}} |1 |30 April 1953 |{{age in days nts|month1=4|day1=30|year1=1953|month2=3|day2=9|year2=1954}} |align=left| |
| 8
|{{sort|Stead|Johnny Stead}} |2 |9 March 1954 |align=left| |
| 9
|{{sort|Rees|Melwyn Rees}} |1 |before December 1958 |align=left|Legacy from Stead uncertain |
| 10
|{{sort|Breaks|Jim Breaks}} |1 |16 October 1963 |{{age in days nts|month1=10|day1=16|year1=1963|month2=2|day2=15|year2=1967}} |align=left| |
| 11
|{{sort|Miquet|Alan Miquet}} |1 |15 February 1967 |{{age in days nts|month1=2|day1=15|year1=1967|month2=12|day2=17|year2=1968}} |align=left| |
| 12
|{{sort|Breaks|Jim Breaks}} |2 |17 December 1968 |{{age in days nts|month1=12|day1=17|year1=1968|month2=6|day2=18|year2=1969}} |align=left| |
| 13
|{{sort|Boscik|Zoltan Boscik}} |1 |18 June 1969 |{{age in days nts|month1=6|day1=19|year1=1969|month2=5|day2=12|year2=1971}} |
| 14
|{{sort|Breaks|Jon Cortez}} |2 |9 June 1970 |align=left| |
| 15
|{{sort|Boscik|Zoltan Boscik}} |2 |4 August 1970 |{{age in days nts|month1=6|day1=19|year1=1969|month2=5|day2=12|year2=1971}} |
| 16
|{{sortname|Johnny|Saint}} |1 |12 May 1971 |{{age in days nts|month1=5|day1=12|year1=1971|month2=8|day2=21|year2=1971}} | align="left" | |
| 17
|{{sort|Breaks|Jim Breaks}} |3 |21 August 1971 |{{age in days nts|month1=8|day1=21|year1=1971|month2=5|day2=18|year2=1974}} | align="left" | |{{cite web | url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/europe/uk/bri-l.html | title=British Lightweight Title | work=Wrestling-titles.com | accessdate=23 May 2017}} |
| 18
|{{sort|Ryan|Bobby Ryan}} |1 |18 May 1974 |{{age in days nts|month1=5|day1=18|year1=1974|month2=6|day2=15|year2=1974}} | align="left" | |
| 19
|{{sort|Breaks|Jim Breaks}} |4 |15 June 1974 | align="left" | |
| 20
|1 |23 March 1977 | align="left" | |
| style="background-color:#e3e3e3"
|{{sort|11.5|—}} |{{sort|—|Vacated}} |{{sort|00|—}} |{{dts|1979}} |{{sort|00|—}} |{{sort|—|N/A}} |{{sort|—|N/A}} |align=left|Championship vacated after Dynamite Kid won the British Welterweight Championship |
| 21
|{{sort|Grey|Steve Grey}} |1 |5 April 1978 |{{age in days nts|month1=4|day1=5|year1=1978|month2=6|day2=27|year2=1979}} |align=left|Defeated Bobby Ryan in a tournament final. |
| 22
|{{sort|Breaks|Jim Breaks}} |8 |6 April 1982 |{{age in days nts|month1=4|day1=6|year1=1982|month2=5|day2=25|year2=1982}} |align=left| |
| 23
|{{sort|Grey|Steve Grey}} |3 |25 May 1982 |{{age in days nts|month1=5|day1=25|year1=1982|month2=4|day2=21|year2=1983}} |align=left| |
| 24
|{{sort|Breaks|Jim Breaks}} |9 |21 April 1983 |{{age in days nts|month1=4|day1=21|year1=1983|month2=5|day2=4|year2=1983}} |align=left| |
| 25
|{{sort|Grey|Steve Grey}} |4 |4 May 1983 |{{age in days nts|month1=5|day1=4|year1=1983|month2=3|day2=22|year2=1984}} |align=left| |
| 26
|Kid McCoy |1 |7 May 1987 |{{age in days nts|month1=5|day1=7|year1=1987|month2=6|day2=6|year2=1990}} |align=left| |
| style="background-color:#e3e3e3"
|{{sort|32.5|—}} |{{sort|—|Vacated}} |{{sort|00|—}} |After {{dts|format=dmy|1990|6|6}} |{{sort|00|—}} |{{sort|—|N/A}} |{{sort|—|N/A}} |align=left|Championship vacated Kid McCoy leaves All Star Wrestling. |
| 27
|{{sort|Grey|Steve Grey}} |6 |25 October 1990 |align=left|Defeated Boz Berry in the final of a tournament for the vacant championship |
| 28
|{{sort|Ocean|Jimmy Ocean}} |1 |3 September 1991 |{{age in days nts|month1=9|day1=3|year1=1991|month2=9|day2=18|year2=1991}} |align=left| |
| 29
|{{sort|Ocean|Tony Stewart}} |2 |18 September 1991 |{{age in days nts|month1=9|day1=3|year1=1991|month2=9|day2=18|year2=1991}} |unknown |align=left| |
| 30
|{{sort|Ocean|Jimmy Ocean}} |1 |17 July 1993 |{{age in days nts|month1=9|day1=3|year1=1991|month2=9|day2=18|year2=1991}} |unknown |align=left| |
| 31
|{{sort|Grey|Steve Grey}} |7 |October 1993 |align=left|Still defending championship as of 1 July 2002 Only relinquishes claim on retirement (see below) |
| style="background-color:#e3e3e3"
|{{sort|11.5|—}} |{{sort|—|Vacated}} |{{sort|00|—}} |{{dts|2020}} |{{sort|00|—}} |{{sort|—|N/A}} |{{sort|—|N/A}} |align=left|Championship vacated after Steve Grey retired. Rumble Promotions with Grey's approval, held a 2021 tournament for a new champion in memory of referee Mal Mason. |
| 32
|{{sort|Grey|Nino Bryant}} |1 |29 October 2021 |{{age in days nts|October 29, 2021}}+ |align=left|Defeated Lewis Mayhew in final of tournament for vacant title renamed Mal Mason British Lightweight Title. (Grey was originally due to be special referee for this match) |
Footnotes
{{Reflist|group=Note}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
{{British wrestling titles}}
{{Portal bar|United Kingdom}}
Category:Lightweight wrestling championships
Category:National championships in the United Kingdom