This was a Best of 3 Falls Match, which Aldis won 2-1.

Change happened at ALL IN.

Change happened at CZW's Cage of Death 19.

This was at Wrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome

Conway replaced an injured Jax Dane and defeated Kahagas for the championship.

Kahagas won a nine-man elimination match to claim the vacant championship.

Pearce stepped down as the champion, after the NWA refused to allow him to defend the championship against Colt Cabana.

Match 4 of a 7-match series between Cabana and Pearce. This was a Two Out of Three Falls match.

Defeated Chance Prophet, Jimmy Rave and Shaun Tempers in a four-way match to win the vacant championship.

Sheik is stripped of the championship for refusing to defend against Adam Pearce on July 31, 2011.

Three-Way Elimination match also featuring Phill Shatter.

Blue Demon Jr. is the first Mexican to ever win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

This marked he first time that a new NWA World Heavyweight Champion was crowned at a Ring of Honor event.

Defeated Brent Albright in the finals of the Reclaiming the Glory Tournament. Pearce competed as a substitute for Bryan Danielson, who defeated Pearce in the semifinals but withdrew from the tournament due to a detached retina.

Cage is stripped of the championship when the NWA and TNA sever their business relationship. The NWA regains control of the championship.

This was a Three-Way Elimination match, also involving Sting.

First masked wrestler to win the championship

This was a King of the Mountain match. Jarrett won due to interference by referee Earl Hebner. Jim Cornette stripped Jarrett of the belt later that week, then returned it to him the following week on the condition that he face the winner of a #1 contender match being held at Victory Road on July 16, 2006.

Rhino won the right to face Jarrett in a Gauntlet for the Gold match after designated challenger Kevin Nash fell ill and withdrew.

This was a King of the Mountain match, also involving Abyss, Monty Brown, and Sean Waltman.

Defeated Jeff Jarrett for championship.

This championship change isn't recognized by the NWA or TNA.

This was a King of the Mountain match, also involving A.J. Styles, Raven, and Chris Harris. Ron Killings defeated Jarrett on the June 23 TNA Weekly PPV for the championship, however due to issues surrounding the championship change, the championship was held up, before Vince Russo gave Jarrett the championship back.

This was a four-way match, also involving Raven and Chris Harris.

This was a Steel Cage match.

This was a three-way match, also involving Raven.

Unified with the WWA World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Sting on May 25, 2003 in Auckland, New Zealand.

Defeated Malice in the finals of a Gauntlet for the Gold.

Severn is stripped of the championship after failing to make a defense in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. championship made exclusive to TNA.

Match ended in controversy, as the referee gave a fast count.

This was 3 matches round robin style. Gary Steele vs. Steve Corino. Gary Steele vs. Shinya Hashimoto. Steve Corino vs. Shinya Hashimoto. Hashimoto won and was then attacked by a masked man who revealed himself to be Dan Severn.

championship is held up following a match against Shinya Hashimoto.

Defeated Jerry Flynn in tournament final.

Ogawa vacated the championship.

Pinned Ogawa in a three-way match also involving Brian Anthony.

Defeated Tracy Smothers in tournament final.

Douglas threw the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt down immediately after winning it and declared that he did not want to be the organization's champion; Douglas then declared the NWA-Eastern Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Championship, which he was already in possession of, to be a World Heavyweight Championship. Eastern Championship Wrestling then withdraws from the NWA and becomes Extreme Championship Wrestling.

Defeated 2 Cold Scorpio in tournament final.

Vacated when WCW left the NWA. WCW continued to recognize Flair as their WCW International World Heavyweight Champion.

Muta's IWGP Heavyweight championship was also on the line; briefly defended along with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Defeated Rick Rude in tournament final.

Flair was stripped of the championship upon signing with the WWF.

This championship change was originally ignored in the USA. It was recognized retroactively in 1993 to allow WCW to still call Flair a 9-time champion and ignore his (then) WWF championship reigns.

Briefly defended along with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. This championship change was originally ignored in the USA. It was recognized retroactively in 1993 to allow WCW to still call Flair a 9-time champion and ignore his (then) WWF championship reigns.

On November 21, 1988 WCW joined the NWA

Flair was pinned by Dusty Rhodes in the main event of Starrcade (1985), but the decision was later reversed (the original Dusty Finish) and turned into a DQ for interference in the match by Ole and Arn Anderson. Therefore the championship was returned to Flair.

This championship change was originally ignored. It was recognized retroactively in 1993 to allow WCW to still call Flair a 9-time champion and ignore his (then) WWF championship reigns.

This championship change was originally ignored. It was recognized retroactively in 1993 to allow WCW to still call Flair a 9-time champion and ignore his (then) WWF championship reigns.

This was a Steel Cage match. Former champion Gene Kiniski (above) was special referee.

This championship change isn't recognized by the NWA. Victor Jovica defeated Flair on February 8, 1983 in Couva, Trinidad but the decision was reversed three days later because Jovica's feet were on the rope during the pin.

This championship change isn't recognized by the NWA.

On February 9, 1982 in Miami, The Midnight Rider (Dusty Rhodes under a mask due to being under suspension in Florida) defeated Flair for the championship but returned it when NWA President Bob Geigel asked Rider to unmask or return the belt as NWA rules then forbade masked wrestlers from holding it. In September 1982, Jack Veneno defeated Flair in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic but as he refused to defend the championship outside his native country the championship was returned to Flair on September 7, 1982.

Promoters in the northeast United States refuse to recognize Rogers' one-fall loss to Thesz, thus breaking away from the NWA to form a new promotion, the World Wide Wrestling Federation. Rogers is declared the first WWWF World Heavyweight Champion soon after.

Killer Kowalski defeated Rogers on November 21, 1961 in Montreal after Rogers broke his ankle in the first fall but was only recognized as champion in some states. Rogers defeated him on January 21, 1963 in New York, but Kowalski claimed the match wasn't for the championship.

Brazil refused the championship because of a groin injury that Rogers had claimed to have. However, on September 6, 1962, Brazil is declared champion because a doctor had determined that Rogers hadn't suffered an injury. This championship change isn't recognized by the NWA.

On August 2, 1962, Bruno Sammartino defeated Rogers in Toronto, but refused to accept the championship because Rogers had wrestled with an injury.

The AWA, under Verne Gagne, seceded from the NWA and declared O'Connor their first World Champion in May 1960. This was considered a compromise gesture by the AWA given that Gagne held Édouard Carpentier's disputed version of the championship. O'Conner was given 90 days to defend the AWA championship against number one contender Gagne and when he did not, the championship was awarded to Gagne.

Thesz won a rematch against Carpentier by disqualification. The NWA initially continued to recognize Carpentier as the champion, but voids any recognition of Carpentier as champion when he withdrew the claim for the championship when Montreal promoter Eddie Quinn quit the NWA in August 1958. Some territories such as Boston (AAC), Nebraska and Los Angeles (NAWA/WWA) continued to recognize Carpentier. The AAC recognized Killer Kowalski when he defeated Carpentier in Boston. Nebraska later recognized Verne Gagne when he defeated Carpentier in Omaha. The NAWA/WWA recognized Carpentier as World Champion in July 1959 and Freddie Blassie when he defeated Carpentier in 1961.

Carpentier was awarded the championship by disqualification when Thesz could not continue the match due to a back injury. For 71 days, the NWA recognized the championship as being in dispute between Carpentier and Thesz.

Defeats Nomellini in a rematch.

Defeated Thesz by countout in the second round and disqualification in the third round. California Athletic Commission recognized the championship change by disqualification, but both wrestlers continue to claim the championship.

Awarded when Brown suffers career-ending injuries in an automobile accident on November 1, 1949. The championship is also unified with the World Heavyweight Championship (National Wrestling Association). Thesz became the Undisputed Champion of all of wrestling by winning the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium World Heavyweight championship, the remaining major World Championship at the time other than the NWA World championship, on May 21, 1952.

Defeated Sonny Myers. In July 1948, the current version of National Wrestling Alliance is founded and Brown is recognized as the first official NWA World champion. Brown was previously the Midwest Wrestling Association champion.