The WCWA Television Championship was a secondary professional wrestling championship that was used and defended in the World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA). Originally created in 1979 as the NWA Television Championship, one of many television championships across the NWA territories, it was primarily defended on their weekly television show. At the time of its creation the championship was promoted by NWA Big Time Wrestling (BTW). BTW changed its name to "World Class Championship Wrestling" (WCCW) in 1982 and the championship became known as the WCCW Television Championship. In 1986 WCCW withdrew from the NWA and became known as the World Class Wrestling Association. As it is a professional wrestling championship, it is won not by actual competition, but by a scripted ending to a match.[a]
| WCWA Television Championship | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Details | |||||||||
| Promotion |
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| Date established | January 7, 1979 | ||||||||
| Date retired | April 1987 | ||||||||
| Other name(s) | |||||||||
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The first NWA Television Champion was The Spoiler, who won a battle royal on January 7, 1979, to claim the championship.[2][3] Bill Irwin won the championship a record-setting seven times between 1979 and 1982. Irwin's second reign lasted 181 days, the longest individual reign of any of the champions and his combined reigns total at least 464 days, possibly 467 days.[2][3] Kevin Von Erich was awarded the championship due to a disqualification, but refused to win the championship in such manner and immediately vacated it, putting his reign at only a couple of minutes, the shortest of any champion.[2][3] After the final champion, Tony Atlas, left the company, the Championship was abandoned in April 1987.[2][3]
Title history
edit| No. | Overall reign number |
|---|---|
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| N/A | Unknown information |
| † | Championship change is unrecognized by the promotion |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | ||||||
| NWA Television Championship (Texas version) | ||||||||||
| 1 | The Spoiler | January 7, 1979 | BTW show | Houston, Texas | 1 | 146 | Won the championship in a battle royal | [2][3] | ||
| 2 | Bill Irwin | June 2, 1979 | BTW show | Houston, Texas | 1 | 181 | [2][3] | |||
| 3 | José Lothario | November 30, 1979 | BTW show | Texas | 1 | 43 | [2][3] | |||
| 4 | Bill Irwin | January 12, 1980 | BTW show | Dallas, Texas | 2 | 62 | [2][3] | |||
| 5 | José Lothario | March 14, 1980 | BTW show | Texas | 2 | 140 | [2][3] | |||
| 6 | Bill Irwin | August 1, 1980 | BTW show | Houston, Texas | 3 | 163 | [2][3] | |||
| 7 | Brian Adias | January 11, 1981 | BTW show | Dallas, Texas | 1 | 120 | [2][3] | |||
| 8 | Bill Irwin | May 11, 1981 | BTW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 4 | 4 | [2][3] | |||
| — | Vacated | May 15, 1981 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated for undocumented reasons | [2][3] | ||
| WCCW Television Championship | ||||||||||
| 9 | The Spoiler | May 17, 1982 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 2 | 1 | Won the vacant championship by winning a battle royal. | [2][3] | ||
| 10 | Frank Dusek | May 18, 1982 | WCCW show | Texas | 1 | 25 | [2][3] | |||
| 11 | The Spoiler | June 12, 1982 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 3 | 23 | [2][3] | |||
| 12 | Bill Irwin | July 5, 1982 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 5 | 5 | [2][3] | |||
| 13 | Brian Adias | July 10, 1982 | WCCW show | Texas | 2 | 9 | [2][3] | |||
| 14 | Bill Irwin | July 19, 1982 | WCCW show | Texas | 6 | 48 | [2][3] | |||
| 15 | Bugsy McGraw | September 5, 1982 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | [b] | [2][3] | |||
| 16 | Bill Irwin | October 1982 | WCCW show | Texas | 7 | [c] | [2][3] | |||
| 17 | Checkmate | October 4, 1982 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | [d] | [2][3] | |||
| Championship history is unrecorded from to October 1982. | ||||||||||
| 18 | Frank Dusek | October 1982 | WCCW show | Texas | 2 | [e] | [2][3] | |||
| 19 | Al Madril | November 1, 1982 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 63 | [2][3] | |||
| 20 | The Great Kabuki | January 3, 1983 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 35 | [2][3] | |||
| 21 | N'Tola Yatsu | February 7, 1983 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 49 | [2][3] | |||
| 22 | Iceman Parsons | March 28, 1983 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 63 | [2][3] | |||
| 23 | The Mongol | May 30, 1983 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 42 | [2][3] | |||
| 24 | Chris Adams | July 11, 1983 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 105 | [2][3] | |||
| 25 | Jimmy Garvin | October 24, 1983 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 7 | [2][3] | |||
| 26 | Johnny Mantell | October 31, 1983 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 28 | [2][3] | |||
| 27 | The Super Destroyer | November 28, 1983 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 7 | [2][3] | |||
| 28 | Brian Adias | December 5, 1983 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 3 | 35 | [2][3] | |||
| 29 | The Super Destroyer | January 9, 1984 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 2 | 28 | [2][3] | |||
| 30 | Iceman Parsons | February 6, 1984 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 2 | 14 | [2][3] | |||
| 31 | Kelly Kiniski | February 20, 1984 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 77 | [2][3] | |||
| 32 | Killer Khan | May 7, 1984 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 14 | Defended the championship on behalf of an injured Kiniski and was awarded the belt. | [2][3][4] | ||
| 33 | Kevin Von Erich | May 21, 1984 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 0 | Won the title by disqualification. | [2][3] | ||
| — | Vacated | May 21, 1984 | — | — | — | — | Kevin Von Erich vacated championship as he did not want to win the title by disqualification. | [2][3] | ||
| 34 | Chris Adams | June 11, 1984 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 2 | 63 | Defeated Kelly Kiniski. | [2][3] | ||
| 35 | Jake Roberts | August 13, 1984 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 21 | [2][3] | |||
| 36 | Chris Adams | September 3, 1984 | Labor Day Star Wars | Ft. Worth, Texas | 3 | 126 | [2][3][5][6] | |||
| 37 | Billy Haynes | January 7, 1985 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 28 | Defeated Gino Hernandez who substituted for an absent Adams. | [2][3] | ||
| — | Vacated | February 4, 1985 | — | — | — | — | Haynes left WCCW and vacated the title after (in storyline) being attacked and injured by Oliver on February 4th in Ft. Worth. The footage and announcement of Haynes' injury aired on February 16, 1985. | [2][3] | ||
| 38 | Rip Oliver | February 4, 1985 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 49 | Defeated Buck Zumhofe. | [2][3] | ||
| — | Vacated | March 25, 1985 | — | — | — | — | Rip Oliver was suspended for attacking Mike Von Erich and he was stripped of the championship. | [2][3] | ||
| 39 | Scott Casey | April 1, 1985 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 70 | Defeated Dennis Condrey. | [2][3] | ||
| 40 | Killer Tim Brooks | June 10, 1985 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 35 | [2][3] | |||
| 41 | Iceman Parsons | July 15, 1985 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 3 | 21 | [2][3] | |||
| — | Vacated | August 5, 1985 | — | — | — | — | Parsons no-showed a title match against John Tatum. | [2][3] | ||
| 42 | John Tatum | August 5, 1985 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 77 | Defeated Shawn Cody to win the vacant championship | [2][3] | ||
| 43 | Iceman Parsons | October 21, 1985 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 4 | [f] | [2][3] | |||
| — | Vacated | November 1985 | — | — | — | — | Parsons was injured by Rick Rude and could not compete. | [2][3] | ||
| 44 | Dave Peterson | December 2, 1985 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 7 | Defeated The Grappler. | [2][3] | ||
| 45 | Jack Victory | December 9, 1985 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 14 | [2][3] | |||
| 46 | Mark Youngblood | December 23, 1985 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 14 | [2][3] | |||
| 47 | Buddy Roberts | January 6, 1986 | WCCW show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 77 | [2][3] | |||
| WCWA Television Championship | ||||||||||
| 48 | Lance Von Erich | March 24, 1986 | WCWA show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 52 | [2][3] | |||
| 49 | Rick Rude | May 5, 1986 | WCWA show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 12 | [2][3][7] | |||
| 50 | Bruiser Brody | May 17, 1986 | WCWA show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | [g] | Won the championship by disqualification. | [2][3] | ||
| 51 | Chris Adams | June 1986 | WCWA show | Texas | 4 | [h] | Was given the title by an injured Bruiser Brody. | [2][3] | ||
| 52 | Buzz Sawyer | June 16, 1986 | WCWA show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 56 | [2][3] | |||
| 53 | Steve Simpson | August 11, 1986 | WCWA show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 70 | [2][3][8] | |||
| 54 | Crusher Yurkof | October 20, 1986 | WCWA show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | 42 | [2][3] | |||
| 55 | Tony Atlas | December 1, 1986 | WCWA show | Ft. Worth, Texas | 1 | [i] | Won the match and the championship by disqualification. | [2][3] | ||
| — | Deactivated | April 1987 | — | — | — | — | Tony Atlas left WCCW and the championship was abandoned. | [2][3] | ||
Combined length
edit| ¤ | The exact length of at least one title reign is uncertain, so the shortest possible length is used. |
| Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns | Combined days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Irwin | 7 | 464¤ |
| 2 | Chris Adams | 4 | 295¤ |
| 3 | José Lothario | 2 | 183 |
| 4 | The Spoiler | 3 | 170 |
| 5 | Brian Adias | 3 | 164 |
| 6 | Tony Atlas | 1 | 121¤ |
| 7 | Iceman Parsons | 4 | 109¤ |
| 8 | Bruiser Brody | 2 | 92¤ |
| 9 | Buddy Roberts | 1 | 77 |
| John Tatum | 1 | 77 | |
| Kelly Kiniski | 1 | 77 | |
| 12 | Scott Casey | 1 | 70 |
| 13 | Steve Simpson | 1 | 70 |
| Al Madril | 1 | 63 | |
| 15 | Buzz Sawyer | 1 | 56 |
| 16 | Lance Von Erich | 1 | 52 |
| 17 | Rip Oliver | 1 | 49 |
| N'Tola Yatsu | 1 | 49 | |
| 19 | The Mongol | 1 | 42 |
| 20 | Killer Tim Brooks | 1 | 35 |
| The Great Kabuki | 1 | 35 | |
| The Super Destroyer | 2 | 35 | |
| 23 | Billy Haynes | 1 | 28 |
| 24 | Johnny Mantell | 1 | 28 |
| 25 | Frank Dusek | 2 | 27¤ |
| 26 | Bugsy McGraw | 1 | 26¤ |
| 27 | Jake Roberts | 1 | 21 |
| 28 | Jack Victory | 1 | 14 |
| Killer Khan | 1 | 14 | |
| Mark Youngblood | 1 | 14 | |
| 31 | Rick Rude | 1 | 12 |
| 32 | Dave Peterson | 1 | 7 |
| Jimmy Garvin | 1 | 7 | |
| 34 | Checkmate | 1 | 1¤ |
| 35 | Kevin Von Erich | 1 | 0 |
See also
editFootnotes
edit- ^ Hornbaker (2016) p. 550: "Professional wrestling is a sport in which match finishes are predetermined. Thus, win–loss records are not indicative of a wrestler's genuine success based on their legitimate abilities – but on now much, or how little they were pushed by promoters"[1]
- ^ The exact date on which Bugsy McGraw lost the title is unknown, which means the title reign lasted between 26 and 29 days.
- ^ The exact date on which Bill Iwrin won the title is unknown, which means the title reign lasted between 0 and 3 days.
- ^ The exact date on which Checkmate vacated the title is unknown, which means the title reign lasted between 0 and 27 days.
- ^ The exact date on which Frank Dusek won the title is unknown, which means the title reign lasted between 2 and 28 days.
- ^ The exact date on which Iceman Parsons vacated the title is unknown, which means the title reign lasted between 11 and 40 days.
- ^ The exact date on which Bruiser Brody gave up the title is unknown, which means the title reign lasted between 15 and 30 days.
- ^ The exact date on which Chris Adams was given the title is unknown, which means the title reign lasted between 0 and 161 days.
- ^ The exact date on which WCCW abandoned the title is unknown, which means the title reign lasted between 121 and 150 days.
References
edit- Hornbaker, Tim (2016). "Statistical notes". Legends of Pro Wrestling - 150 years of headlocks, body slams, and piledrivers (Revised ed.). New York, New York: Sports Publishing. ISBN 978-1-61321-808-2.
- ^ Hornbaker 2016, p. 550.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Texas: WCWA Television Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 396. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn "World Class Television Title". Wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
- ^ F4W Staff (May 7, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (May 7): Jeff Jarrett ends David Arquette's WCW title reign, Nick Bockwinkel Vs. Ray Stevens". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Labor Day Star Wars 1984". Pro Wrestling History. September 3, 1984. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
- ^ Hoops, Brian (September 3, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (Sept. 3): Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk Texas death match, Great Muta vs. Sting, Ted DiBiase and Stan Hansen wins AJPW tag titles". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ^ F4W Staff (May 5, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (May 5): Bruno Vs. Gorilla in Puerto Rico, 2nd annual Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Hoops, Brian (August 11, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (August 11): Verne Gagne vs. Lou Thesz for AWA title, first ever G1 final". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 18, 2017.