NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship

NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship
The original championship belt
Details
Promotion NWA Mid-America (1957–1981)
Continental Wrestling Association (1982–1987)
Date established May 1957
Statistics
First champion(s) "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers
Most reigns Dutch Mantell (13 reigns)
Longest reign Jerry Lawler (343 days)
Shortest reign Dutch Mantel (Less than 1 hour)
Oldest champion Tojo Yamamoto (At least 52 years)
Youngest champion Tommy Rich (20 years old)
Heaviest champion Big Bubba (385 lb (175 kg))

The NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title defended in the US states of Tennessee and Alabama. The title began in 1957 and lasted first until 1980 when it was first abandoned when Jerry Jarrett took over the Mid-American titles from Nick Gulas. Jarrett revived it in 1981, making it a part of the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association, and it then lasted until 1987 when it was unified with the newly created CWA (now renamed Championship Wrestling Association) Heavyweight Championship.

Title history

Key
No. Overall reign number
Reign Reign number for the specific champion
Days Number of days held
No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref.
Date Event Location Reign Days
 1  Buddy Rogers  May 1957 (NLT)    1   House show
Championship history is unrecorded from May 1957 to April 1958.
 2  Mighty Atlas  April 1958 (NLT)  House show  1  
 3  Tor Yamata  April 24, 1958  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  1  
Championship history is unrecorded from April 24, 1958 to July 1971.
 4  Len Rossi  July 1971 (NLT)  House show  1  
Championship history is unrecorded from July 1971 to June 1972.
 5  Tony Charles  June 1972 (NLT)  House show  1  
Championship history is unrecorded from June 1972 to October 1974.
 6  Don Kent  October 1974 (NLT)  House show  1  
 7  Jackie Fargo  January 4, 1975  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  1  
 8  Don Kent  January 1975  House show  2  
 9  Luke Graham  February 5, 1975  House show Nashville, Tennessee  1  
 10  Don Kent  April 1975  House show Louisville, Kentucky  3  
 11  Luke Graham  May 7, 1975  House show Nashville, Tennessee  2  
Championship history is unrecorded from May 7, 1975 to 1975.
 12  Harley Race  1975  House show  1  
 13  Magnificent Zulu  September 1975 (NLT)  House show  1  
 14  Harley Race  September 9, 1975  House show Memphis, Tennessee  2  
Championship history is unrecorded from September 9, 1975 to December 1975.
 15  Jackie Fargo  December 1975 (NLT)  House show  2  
Championship history is unrecorded from December 1975 to March 1976.
 16  Dick Steinborn  March 1976 (NLT)  House show  1  
Championship history is unrecorded from March 1976 to June 1976.
 17  Bill Dundee  June 1976 (NLT)  House show Seymour, Indiana  1  
 18  Bob Armstrong  August 14, 1976  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  1  
 19  Big Bad John  September 1976  House show  1  
 20  Bob Armstrong  September 25, 1976  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  2  
 21  Bill Dundee  October 1976  House show  2  
 22  Tommy Rich  November 1976 (NLT)  House show  1  
 23  Russian Stomper  January 1977  House show Madison, Indiana  1  
 24  Ken Lucas  February 13, 1977  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  1  61
 25  The Executioner  April 15, 1977  House show Huntsville, Alabama  1  43
 26  Jackie Fargo  May 28, 1977  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  3  
— Vacated  1977 — — — — Jackie Fargo was injured
 27  Lanny Poffo  October 9, 1977  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  1  62 Defeated Dennis Hall in a tournament final to win the vacant title.
 28  Don Kent  December 10, 1977  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  4  24
 29   Randy Savage  January 3, 1978  House show Birmingham, Alabama  1  82
 30  Dutch Mantel  March 26, 1978  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  1  56
 31  Don Garfield  May 21, 1978  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  1  7 Vacated after a match against Dutch Mantel
 32  Dutch Mantel  May 28, 1978  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  2  45
 33  Whipper Watson Jr.  July 12, 1978  House show Nashville, Tennessee  1  10
 34  Dutch Mantel  July 22, 1978  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  3  21
 35  Blue Yankee  August 12, 1978  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  1  
— Vacated  September 1978 — — — — Vacated after a match against Dutch Mantel
 36  Mexican Angel  September 20, 1978  House show Nashville, Tennessee  1  52 Won a 13-man tournament to win the vacant title.
 37  Dutch Mantel  November 11, 1978  House show Nashville, Tennessee  4  0
 38  Randy Savage  November 11, 1978  House show Nashville, Tennessee  2  
 39  Bobby Eaton  February 1979 (NLT)  House show  1  
 40  Chris Colt  April 29, 1979  House show Nashville, Tennessee  1  24
 41  Ron Garfield  May 23, 1979  House show Nashville, Tennessee  1  10
 42  Dennis Condrey  June 2, 1979  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  1  140 Defeated Gorgeous George Jr.
 43  Dutch Mantel  October 20, 1979  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  5  4
 44  Bobby Eaton  October 24, 1979  House show Nashville, Tennessee  2  32
 45  Chris Colt  November 25, 1979  House show Nashville, Tennessee  2  
 46  Bobby Eaton  December 1979  House show Miami, Florida  3  
 47  Gorgeous George Jr.  February 17, 1980  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  1  
 48  Bobby Eaton  February 1980  House show Madison, Indiana  4  
 49  Tojo Yamamoto  February 1980  House show Versailles, Indiana  1  
 50  Steve Travis  April 1980 (NLT)  House show Lexington, Kentucky  1  
 51  Roger Mason  April 5, 1980  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  1  35
 52  Rocky Johnson  May 10, 1980  House show Chattanooga, Tennessee  1  
 53  The Great Togo  May 1980  House show Louisville, Kentucky  1  
 54  Robert Gibson  June 25, 1980  House show Nashville, Tennessee  1  28
 55  Bobby Eaton  July 23, 1980  House show Nashville, Tennessee  5  
— Vacated  October 1980 — — — — NWA Mid-America ceases to operate, Jerry Jarrett gains control of the championship
Revived the title in Continental Wrestling Association
 56  Ron Bass  July 1981  House show Seymour, Indiana  1   Awarded the championship.
 57  Steve Keirn  July 6, 1981  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1  49
 58  Bugsy McGraw  August 24, 1981  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1  14
 59  Steve Keirn  September 7, 1981  House show Memphis, Tennessee  2  14
 60  Dutch Mantel  September 21, 1981  House show Memphis, Tennessee  6  35
— Vacated  October 26, 1981 — — — — Vacated and inactive after Mantel won the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship
 61  The Dream Machine  April 19, 1982  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1  28
 62  Dutch Mantel  May 17, 1982  House show Memphis, Tennessee  7  7
 63  Bobby Eaton  May 24, 1982  House show Memphis, Tennessee  6  7
 64  King Cobra  May 31, 1982  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1  35
 65  Dutch Mantel  July 5, 1982  House show Memphis, Tennessee  8  7
 66  Bobby Eaton  July 12, 1982  House show Memphis, Tennessee  7  
 67  Bill Dundee  July 24, 1982  House show Memphis, Tennessee  3   Dundee won the title on Memphis TV
 68  Dutch Mantel  September 6, 1982  House show Memphis, Tennessee  9  70
 69  Jesse Barr  November 15, 1982  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1  7
 70  Dutch Mantel  November 22, 1982  House show Memphis, Tennessee  10  7
 71  Apocalypse  November 29, 1982  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1  6
 72  Jacques Rougeau  December 5, 1982  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1  22
 73  Sabu the Wildman  December 27, 1982  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1  6
 74  Jacques Rougeau  January 2, 1983  House show Memphis, Tennessee  2  8
 75  Bobby Eaton  January 10, 1983  House show Memphis, Tennessee  8  
— Vacated  January 1983 — — — — Vacated for undocumented reasons
 76  Bobby Eaton  February 14, 1983  House show Memphis, Tennessee  9  7 Defeated Sweet Brown Sugar in a tournament final to win the vacant title.
 77  Sweet Brown Sugar  February 21, 1983  House show Tupelo, Mississippi  1  7
 78  Bobby Eaton  February 28, 1983  House show Memphis, Tennessee  10  7 This was a loser leaves town match. Sweet Brown Sugar would reappear as the masked Stagger Lee.
 79  Stagger Lee  March 7, 1983  House show Memphis, Tennessee  2  119
 80  Frankie Laine  July 4, 1983  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1  14
 81  Dutch Mantel  July 18, 1983  House show Memphis, Tennessee  11  28
 82  Buddy Landel  August 15, 1983  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1  7
 83  Stagger Lee / Koko Ware  August 22, 1983  House show Memphis, Tennessee  3  19 Ware removed his mask before the match with Landel.
 84  Buddy Landel  September 10, 1983  House show Memphis, Tennessee  2  82
 85  Terry Taylor  December 1, 1983  House show Lexington, Kentucky  1  25
 86  Randy Savage  December 26, 1983  House show Memphis, Tennessee  3  105
 87  Jerry Lawler  April 9, 1984  House show Lexington, Kentucky  1  224 The title may have been vacated since Lawler also held the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship when he won the Mid-America title.
 88  Korstia Korchenko  November 19, 1984  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1   Defeated Jacques Rougeau to win the championship
 89  Mike Sharpe  December 17, 1984 (NLT)  House show  1  
 90  Jimmy Valiant  February 11, 1985  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1  
 91  Man Mountain Link  July 1985  House show  1   Awarded the championship.
 92  Jerry Lawler  July 15, 1985  House show Memphis, Tennessee  2  14
— Vacated  July 29, 1985 — — — — Vacated when Lawler won the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship
 93  Koko Ware  August 12, 1985  House show Memphis, Tennessee  4   Defeated Bota the Witch Doctor in a tournament final to win the vacant title.
 94  Bota the Witch Doctor  August 1985  House show Richmond, Indiana  1  
 95  Koko Ware  September 1985  House show North Vernon, Indiana  5  
 96  Harley Race  October 7, 1985  House show Memphis, Tennessee  3  
 97  Tom Branch  November 1985  House show Kansas City, Missouri  1  
 98  Koko Ware  November 16, 1985  House show Memphis, Tennessee  6  66
 99  Buddy Landel  January 21, 1986  House show Louisville, Kentucky  3  12
 100  Dirty Rhodes (Roger Smith)  February 2, 1986  House show Memphis, Tennessee  2  16
 101  Buddy Landel  February 18, 1986  House show Memphis, Tennessee  4  48
 102  Dutch Mantel  April 7, 1986  House show Memphis, Tennessee  12  42
 103  Rip Rogers  May 19, 1986  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1  28
 104  Dutch Mantel  June 16, 1986  House show Memphis, Tennessee  13  
— Vacated  July 1986 — — — — Mantel left the CWA
 105  Tracy Smothers  August 11, 1986  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1  57
 106  Boy Tony (Tony Falk)  October 7, 1986  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1  13
 107  Tracy Smothers  October 20, 1986  House show Memphis, Tennessee  2  7
 108  Big Bubba  October 27, 1986  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1   Also held CWA/AWA International Heavyweight Championship.
— Vacated  November 1988 — — — — Championship vacated for undocumented reasons
 109  The Great Kabuki  November 1986  House show Jackson, Tennessee  1   Defeated Paul Diamond in a tournament final.
— Vacated  1986 — — — — The Great Kabuki left the CWA
 110  Moondog Spot  May 1987    1   Billed as champion on arrival.
 111  Jeff Jarrett  May 11, 1987  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1  14
 112  Moondog Spot  May 25, 1987  House show Memphis, Tennessee  2  7 Won the title by disqualification.
 113  Jeff Jarrett  June 1, 1987  House show Memphis, Tennessee  2  7
 114  Moondog Spot  June 8, 1987  House show Memphis, Tennessee  3  14
 115  Jeff Jarrett  June 22, 1987  House show Memphis, Tennessee  3  77
 116  Carl Fergie  September 7, 1987  House show Memphis, Tennessee  1  7
 117  Jeff Jarrett  September 14, 1987  House show Memphis, Tennessee  4  49
 118  Jimmy Jack Funk  November 2, 1987  House show Memphis, Tennessee  2  7 Previous held the championship under the name Jesse Barr
 119  Jeff Jarrett  November 9, 1987  House show Memphis, Tennessee  5  28
 120  Jerry Lawler  December 7, 1987  House show Memphis, Tennessee  3  343
— Deactivated  November 14, 1988 — — — — Championship merged with the AWA International Heavyweight Championship and the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship to form the CWA Heavyweight Championship.