| NWA Tri-State Heavyweight Championship | |
| Created: | March 31, 1954 |
| Retired: | No later than March 1982 |
| Firstchamp: | Whitey Whittler |
| Finalchamp: | Paul Jones |
| Mostreigns: | Jimmy Golden (4) |
| Longestreign: | Mike George (81 days) |
| Shortestreign: | Whitey Whittler (28 days) |
| Pastnames: | NWA Tri-State Heavyweight Championship (Alabama version) |
The NWA Tri-State Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling heavyweight championship in Tri-States Wrestling (NWA Tri-State). The original version was created in 1954, however, it was phased out in favor of the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship.[1] [2]
The Alabama version of the NWA Tri-State Heavyweight Championship existed from 1960 until 1974. It was defended primarily in Alabama under the banner of NWA Tri-State Wrestling, and at times in Tennessee for NWA Mid-America. Because the championship was a professional wrestling championship, it was not won or lost competitively but instead by the decision of the bookers of a wrestling promotion. The championship was awarded after the chosen team "won" a match to maintain the illusion that professional wrestling is a competitive sport.[3]
The title was revived to replace the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship as the promotion's top singles title after Bill Watts left to form Mid-South Wrestling in 1979.[4] It was vacated and decommissioned when Tri-State promoter Leroy McGuirk closed the promotion in 1982.
| Symbol | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| The overall championship reign | ||
| Reign | The reign number for the specific set of wrestlers listed. | |
| Event | The event promoted by the respective promotion in which the title changed hands | |
| — | Used for vacated reigns in order to not count it as an official reign | |
| Indicates periods of unknown lineage | ||
| Indicates that the championship changed hands "No Later Than" a certain date. | ||
| ¤ | Indicates that the data presented in this cell is uncertain. |
| Name[5] | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| NWA Tri-State Heavyweight Championship | March 31, 1954 – April 28, 1954 | |
| NWA Tri-State Heavyweight Championship (Alabama version) | September 12, 1960 – October 3, 1974 | |
| NWA Tri-State Heavyweight Championship | September 7, 1980 – 1982 | |
| NWA-MCW Heavyweight Championship | 1982 – March 1982 |
| Champion | scope=col | No. of reigns | scope=col | Combined days | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row | 1 | 2 | 111 | ||
| scope=row | 2 | 1 | 63 | ||
| scope=row | 3 | 1 | 55¤ | ||
| scope=row | 4 | 1 | 42¤ | ||
| scope=row | 5 | 2 | 29¤ | ||
| scope=row | 6 | 1 | 28 | ||
| scope=row | 7 | 1 | 1¤ | ||
| scope=row | 8 | 1 | N/A | ||
| scope=row | 9 | 1 | N/A | ||
| scope=row | 10 | 2 | N/A | ||
| scope=row | 11 | 2 | N/A |