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WCW World Heavyweight Championship History

 

 

Champion Reign

 

  • Ric Flair - 1/11/1991-7/1/1991

    • Flair defeated Sting for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on 1/11/1991. WCW began referring to Flair as the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, though Flair still carried the NWA title.
    • Flair was stripped of the WCW World Heavyweight title after leaving for the WWF. For a brief time, Flair was still recognized as the NWA World Heavyweight Champion, despite being stripped of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

  • Lex Luger - 7/14/1991-2/29/1992

    • Luger defeated Barry Windham for the vacated title.
    • Luger was awarded the first belt that was solely used to recognize the WCW World Heavyweight Champion.

  • Sting - 2/29/1992-7/12/1992

  • Big Van Vader - 7/12/1992-8/2/1992

  • Ron Simmons - 8/2/1992-12/30/1992

  • Big Van Vader - 12/30/1992-3/11/1993

  • Sting - 3/11/1993-3/17/1993

  • Big Van Vader - 3/17/1993-12/27/1993

  • Ric Flair - 12/27/1993-4/17/1994

    • Title was held up after a double pin in a match between Flair and Ricky Steamboat.

  • Ric Flair - 4/21/1994-7/17/1994

  • Hulk Hogan - 7/17/1994-10/29/1995

  • The Giant - 10/29/1995-11/6/1995

    • The title was vacated due to the controversial finish to the match where The Giant won the belt.

  • Randy Savage - 11/26/1995-12/27/1995

    • Savage won the match in the World War 3 Battle Royal

  • Ric Flair - 12/27/1995-1/22/1996

  • Randy Savage - 1/22/1996-2/11/1996

  • Ric Flair - 2/11/1996-4/22/1996

  • The Giant - 4/22/1996-8/10/1996

  • Hulk Hogan - 8/10/1996-8/4/1997

  • Lex Luger - 8/4/1997-8/9/1997

  • Hulk Hogan - 8/9/1997-12/28/1997

  • Sting - 12/28/1997-1/6/1998

    • The title was vacated after the controversial finish to the Hogan/Sting match on 12/28/1997.

  • Sting - 2/22/1998-4/19/1998

  • Randy Savage - 4/19/1998-4/20/1998

  • Hulk Hogan - 4/20/1998-7/6/1998

  • Goldberg - 7/6/1998-12/27/1998

  • Kevin Nash - 12/27/1998-1/4/1999

  • Hulk Hogan - 1/4/1999-3/14/1999

  • Ric Flair - 3/14/1999-4/11/1999

  • Dallas Page - 4/11/1999-4/26/1999

  • Sting - 4/26/1999-4/26/1999

  • Dallas Page - 4/26/1999-5/9/1999

  • Kevin Nash - 5/9/1999-7/11/1999

  • Randy Savage- 7/11/1999-7/12/1999

  • Hulk Hogan - 7/12/1999-9/12/1999

  • Sting - 9/12/1999-10/25/1999

    • Sting is stripped of the title after losing a non-sanctioned match against Goldberg and attacking a referee.

  • Bret Hart - 11/21/1999-12/20/1999

    • Hart vacates the title after a controversial match with Goldberg.

  • Bret Hart - 12/20/1999-1/16/2000

    • Hart wins match for vacant title by defeating Goldberg.
    • Hart vacated the belt on 1/16/2000 due to injury.

  • Chris Benoit - 1/16/2000-1/17/2000

    • Benoit vacates the title after a dispute with management and leaves for the WWF.

  • Sid Vicious - 1/24/2000-1/25/2000

    • Vicious stripped of the title by Commissioner Kevin Nash.

  • Kevin Nash - 1/25/2000-1/25/2000

    • Nash, WCW Commissioner at the time, awards himself the belt.

  • Sid Vicious - 1/25/2000-4/10/2000

    • Stripped of title when all WCW titles were stripped once Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff took over WCW.

  • Jeff Jarrett - 4/16/2000-4/24/2000

    • Won the title in a tournament final over Dallas Page

  • Dallas Page - 4/24/2000-4/25/2000

  • David Arquette - 4/25/2000-5/7/2000

    • Won in tag team match where the winner of the fall would become WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Also in the match were Dallas Page, Jeff Jarrett, and Eric Bischoff.

  • Jeff Jarrett - 5/7/2000-5/15/2000

  • Ric Flair - 5/15/2000-5/22/2000

    • Flair was stripped of the title by Vince Russo.

  • Jeff Jarrett - 5/22/2000-5/23/2000

    • Title was awarded to Jarrett by Vince Russo.

  • Kevin Nash - 5/23/2000-5/29/2000

  • Ric Flair - 5/29/2000-5/29/2000

    • Flair was given the title by Kevin Nash

  • Jeff Jarrett - 5/29/2000-7/9/2000

  • Booker T - 7/9/2000-8/28/2000

  • Kevin Nash - 8/28/2000-9/17/2000

  • Booker T - 9/17/2000-9/25/2000

  • Vince Russo - 9/25/2000-10/2/2000

    • Russo strips himself of the title.

  • Booker T - 10/2/2000-11/26/2000

    • Booker T defeated Jeff Jarrett for the vacant title.

  • Scott Steiner - 11/26/2000-3/26/2001

  • Booker T - 3/26/2001-7/24//2001

    • Booker T was the last WCW World Heavyweight Champion before it was purchased by the WWF.
    • The title was renamed the WCW Championship after WCW was purchased by the WWF.

  • Kurt Angle - 7/24/2001-7/30/2001

  • Booker T - 7/30/2001-8/19/2001

  • The Rock - 8/19/2001-10/21/2001

  • Chris Jericho - 10/21/2001-11/5/2001

  • The Rock - 11/5/2001-12/9/2001

    • After the WCW/WWE Invasion Angle was ended at the 1999 Survivor Series, the WCW title was renamed the World Championship.

  • Chris Jericho - 12/9/2001-12/9/2001

    • The title was unified with the WWE Championship and renamed The WWE Unified Championship.

 

WCW Championship Notes:

  • Ric Flair has the most WCW World Heavyweight Title reigns, with 7.
  • Hulk Hogan held the title the longest, with combined reigns of 1,177 days.
  • In an aggravating note for long time wrestling fans, both Vince Russo’s and David Arquette’s title reigns were longer than Chris Benoit’s reign of one day.
  • There were 22 recognized WCW Champions during its existence.

 

By: Tim Taylor
ProWrestling-fans.com Wrestling Writer & Director of Content