CWA Heavyweight Championship

{{Infobox pro wrestling championship

|name = CWA Heavyweight Championship

|image =

|image_size =

|alt =

|caption =

|promotion =Championship Wrestling Association

|currentholder =

|won =

|created = December 7, 1987

|firstchamp = Jerry Lawler

|titleretired=October 1989

|finalchamp = Tony Anthony

|mostreigns = Dutch Mantel/Texas Dirt {{nobr|(3 reigns)}}

|longestreign = Phil Hickerson {{nobr|(127 days)}}

|shortestreign = Black Bart {{nobr|(7 days)}}

|youngest=

|oldest=

|heaviest=

|lightest=

|pastnames =

}}

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.

The title was thus considered the most important title in the promotion until Jerry Lawler won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship on May 5, 1988. On December 13, 1988, Lawler defeated Kerry Von Erich to win the World Class Heavyweight Championship and effectively rename the latter title the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship and make it the new top championship in Memphis. The CWA title continued as the secondary title until late 1989 when it was replaced with the USWA Southern Heavyweight Championship.

Title history

{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|number = 1

|champion = {{sortname|Jerry|Lawler}}

|reign = 1

|date = {{dts|1987|12|07}}

|days = {{age in days nts|month1=12|day1=07|year1=1987|month2=02|day2=08|year2=1988}}

|location =Memphis, Tennessee

|event = House show

|notes =Lawler, the reigning AWA Southern Heavyweight Champion, defeated Jeff Jarrett to win the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship and Manny Fernandez to win the CWA/AWA International Heavyweight Championship. The titles are all unified, creating the new title.

|ref ={{cite book| last1=Will | first1=Gary | first2=Royal | last2= Duncan | title=Wrestling Title Histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present | publisher=Archeus Communications | year=2000 | pages=195 | location=Pennsylvania | chapter= Tennessee (Memphis): CWA Heavyweight Title [Lawler and Jarrett] | isbn=0-9698161-5-4}}{{cite web | url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/tn/cwa/cwa-h.html | title=CWA Heavyweight Championship history | work=Wrestling-Titles | accessdate=March 30, 2017}}

}}{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|number = 2

|champion = {{sortname|Max|Pain|Maxx Payne}}

|reign = 1

|date = {{dts|1988|02|08}}

|days = {{age in days nts|month1=02|day1=08|year1=1988|month2=05|day2=23|year2=1988}}

|location =Memphis, Tennessee

|event = House show

|notes =

|ref =

}}{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|number = 3

|champion = {{sortname|Brickhouse|Brown}}

|reign = 1

|date = {{dts|1988|05|23}}

|days = {{age in days nts|month1=05|day1=23|year1=1988|month2=06|day2=27|year2=1988}}

|location =Memphis, Tennessee

|event = House show

|notes =Won by forfeit.

|ref ={{cite web | url=http://www.f4wonline.com/other-wrestling/day-pro-wrestling-history-may-23-antonio-inoki-vs-hulk-hogan-andre-vs-sakaguchi | title=On this day in pro wrestling history (May 23): Antonio Inoki Vs. Hulk Hogan, Andre Vs. Sakaguchi, Frank Gotch in a 57-minute match | date=May 23, 2015 | accessdate=February 16, 2017 | first=Brian | last=Hoops | publisher=Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online}}

}}{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|number = 4

|champion = {{sortname|Max|Pain|Maxx Payne}}

|reign = 2

|date = {{dts|1988|06|27}}

|days = {{age in days nts|month1=06|day1=27|year1=1988|month2=07|day2=10|year2=1988}}

|location =Memphis, Tennessee

|event = House show

|notes =

|ref =

}}{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|number = 5

|champion = {{sortname|Phil|Hickerson}}

|reign = 1

|date = {{dts|1988|07|10}}

|days = {{age in days nts|month1=07|day1=10|year1=1988|month2=11|day2=14|year2=1988}}

|location =Memphis, Tennessee

|event = House show

|notes =

|ref =

}}{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|sort number=5.5

|type=vacated

|date = {{dts|1988|11|14}}

|notes =Vacated after a match with Brian Lee.

|ref =

}}{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|number = 6

|champion = {{sortname|Brian|Lee|Brian Lee (wrestler)}}

|reign = 1

|date = {{dts|1988|11|19}}

|days = {{age in days nts|month1=11|day1=19|year1=1988|month2=12|day2=10|year2=1988}}

|location =Memphis, Tennessee

|event = TV Studio show

|notes =Defeated Mike Miller in a tournament final.

|ref =

}}{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|number = 7

|champion = {{sortname|Sid|Vicious|Sid Vicious (wrestler)}}

|reign = 1

|date = {{dts|1988|12|10}}

|days = {{age in days nts|month1=12|day1=10|year1=1988|month2=01|day2=09|year2=1989}}

|location =Memphis, Tennessee

|event = House show

|notes =

|ref =

}}{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|number = 8

|champion = {{sortname|Wendell|Cooley}}

|reign = 1

|date = {{dts|1989|01|09}}

|days = {{sort|1|The exact date were Cooley left CWA is uncertain which means that his championship reign lasted between 1 and 21 days.}}

|location =Memphis, Tennessee

|event = House show

|notes =

|ref =

}}{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|number = 9

|champion = {{sortname|Dutch|Mantell|Dutch Mantel}}

|reign = 1

|date = {{dts|1989|01}}

|days = {{sort|{{age in days|January 31, 1989|March 11, 1989}}|The date that Mantel was awarded the championship is uncertain which means that the championship reign lasted between {{age in days|January 31, 1989|March 11, 1989}} and {{age in days|January 10, 1989|March 11, 1989}} days.}}

|location =

|event =

|notes =Awarded the title after Cooley left the company.

|ref =

}}{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|number = 10

|champion = {{sortname|Jeff|Jarrett}}

|reign = 1

|date = {{dts|1989|03|11}}

|days = {{age in days nts|month1=03|day1=11|year1=1989|month2=06|day2=26|year2=1989}}

|location =Memphis, Tennessee

|event = House show

|notes =

|ref =

}}{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|number = 11

|champion = Black Bart

|reign = 1

|date = {{dts|1989|06|26}}

|days = {{age in days nts|month1=06|day1=26|year1=1989|month2=09|day2=04|year2=1989}}

|location =Memphis, Tennessee

|event = House show

|notes =

|ref =

}}{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|number = 12

|champion = Texas Dirt

|reign = 2

|date = {{dts|1989|09|04}}

|days = {{age in days nts|month1=09|day1=04|year1=1989|month2=09|day2=11|year2=1989}}

|location =Memphis, Tennessee

|event = House show

|notes =

|ref =

}}{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|number = 13

|champion = Black Bart

|reign = 2

|date = {{dts|1989|09|11}}

|days = {{age in days nts|month1=09|day1=11|year1=1989|month2=09|day2=18|year2=1989}}

|location =Memphis, Tennessee

|event = House show

|notes =

|ref =

}}{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|number = 14

|champion = Texas Dirt

|reign = 3

|date = {{dts|1989|09|18}}

|days = {{age in days nts|month1=09|day1=18|year1=1989|month2=09|day2=23|year2=1989}}

|location =Memphis, Tennessee

|event = House show

|notes =

|ref =

}}{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|sort number=14.5

|type=vacated

|date = {{dts|1989|09|23}}

|event = Championship Wrestling TV Show

|notes =Championship vacated by the promotion after Texas Dirt gave the championship to Dutch Mantell {{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58oStcz3L44 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/58oStcz3L44 |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live| title=Memphis Wrestling September 23, 1989 (WMC Edition) | date=September 23, 1989 | accessdate=September 28, 2017}}{{cbignore}}

|ref =

}}{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|number = 15

|champion = Tony Anthony

|reign = 1

|date = {{dts|1989|10|09}}

|days = {{age in days nts|month1=10|day1=09|year1=1989|month2=11|day2=25|year2=1989}}

|location =Memphis, Tennessee

|event = House show

|notes = Defeated Dustin Rhodes in a one night tournament final.

|ref =

}}{{Professional wrestling title history middle

|sort number=14.6

|type=deactivated

|date = {{dts|1989|11}}

|notes = On the December 16, 1989 episode of Championship Wrestling, Bill Dundee is named as both “CWA Champion” and “Southern Champion” interchangeably. Dundee in a promo mentioned he won the title in Texas. Retired in favor of the USWA Southern Heavyweight Championship.

|ref =

}}

Footnotes

References

[http://prowrestlinghistory.com/memphis/jarrett/1988.html 1988 Mid-South Coliseum results – ProWrestlingHistory.com]
[http://prowrestlinghistory.com/memphis/jarrett/1989.html 1989 Mid-South Coliseum results – ProWrestlingHistory.com]

CWA Heavyweight Championship

Title history

Footnotes

References

See also