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The WWA World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Indianapolis -based World Wrestling Association from the promotion's formation in 1964 until the late 1980s.
Title history [ edit ]
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
Dick the Bruiser
April 22, 1964
WWA show
Los Angeles, California
1
324
Defeated Freddie Blassie for the Los Angeles version of the championship; starts his own promotion in Indiana.
—
Vacated
March 12, 1965
—
Indianapolis, Indiana
—
—
After a match in which the Bruiser is disqualified against Johnny Valentine.
2
Dick the Bruiser
April 10, 1965
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
2
133
Defeated Johnny Valentine in rematch.
3
Gene Kiniski
August 21, 1965
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
126
4
Dick the Bruiser
December 25, 1965
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
3
287
Loses a unification match against AWA champion Mad Dog Vachon on March 26, 1966 in Chicago, IL but continues to be recognized in Indianapolis and other WWA towns (WWA started working with AWA and AWA titles are recognized in Chicago thereafter).
5
Mitsu Arakawa
October 8, 1966
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
357
6
Wilbur Snyder
September 30, 1967
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
88
7
Blackjack Lanza
December 27, 1967
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
611
8
Dick the Bruiser
August 29, 1969
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
4
190
9
Baron von Raschke
March 7, 1970
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
586
[1]
10
Dick the Bruiser
October 14, 1971
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
5
43
Repeated on October 23, 1971 in Detroit , Michigan .
11
Baron von Raschke
November 26, 1971
WWA show
Detroit, Michigan
2
116
Repeated in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 29, 1971; Dick the Bruiser Defeated Raschke in a death match on March 18, 1972 in Detroit, Michigan but is stripped in April 1972 with the match having no falls.
12
Billy Red Cloud
March 21, 1972
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
35
Raschke continues to be billed as champion in Elkhart, IN where he loses to Art Thomas on March 25, 1972; Thomas also recognized as champion in Detroit; the Detroit version is held-up after a match between Thomas and Baron Von Raschke on May 20, 1972 in Detroit, MI.
[2]
13
Art Thomas
April 25, 1972
WWA show
Minneapolis, Minnesota
1
25
—
Vacated
May 20, 1972
—
Detroit, Michigan
—
—
After a match against Baron von Raschke.
14
Baron von Raschke
June 3, 1972
WWA show
Detroit, Michigan
3
301
Defeated Red Cloud for the recognition in Indianapolis; also Defeated Art Thomas for the held-up Detroit version on June 3, 1972 in Detroit, Michigan.
15
Bob Ellis
March 31, 1973
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
N/A
16
Jimmy Valiant
January 1974
WWA show
Detroit, Michigan
1
N/A
17
Bob Ellis
May 12, 1974
WWA show
Detroit, Michigan
2
90
18
Ox Baker
August 10, 1974
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
476
19
Pepper Gomez
November 29, 1975
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
154
20
Masked Stranger
May 1, 1976
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
308
21
Dick the Bruiser
March 5, 1977
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
6
56
[3]
—
Vacated
April 30, 1977
—
—
—
—
After a match against Ivan Koloff.
22
Ivan Koloff
June 18, 1977
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
147
Wins rematch.
—
Vacated
November 12, 1977
—
—
—
—
After a match against Dick the Bruiser.
23
Dick the Bruiser
December 26, 1977
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
7
488
Wins rematch.
—
Vacated
April 28, 1979
—
—
—
—
After a match against King Kong Brody.
24
Dick the Bruiser
June 9, 1979
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
8
56
Defeated King Kong Brody.
25
King Kong Brody
August 4, 1979
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
301
26
Dick the Bruiser
May 31, 1980
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
9
126
—
Vacated
October 4, 1980
—
Indianapolis, Indiana
—
—
After a match against Ernie Ladd.
27
Ernie Ladd
November 1, 1980
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
28
Wins rematch.
28
Dick the Bruiser
November 29, 1980
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
10
147
29
Johnny Valiant
April 25, 1981
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
N/A
30
Dick the Bruiser
April 1981
WWA show
N/A
11
N/A
31
Bobo Brazil
July 24, 1981
WWA show
Bartonville, Illinois
1
79
32
Blackjack Mulligan
October 11, 1981
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
N/A
33
Bobo Brazil
November 1981
WWA show
Knoxville, Tennessee
2
N/A
—
Vacated
February 13, 1982
—
—
—
—
After a match against Harley Race where Race pins Brazil after using an illegal piledriver.
34
Harley Race
April 24, 1982
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
N/A
Defeated Brazil in rematch; Brazil continues to defend in smaller towns.
35
Dick the Bruiser
January 1983
WWA show
N/A
12
N/A
Awarded title.
36
Bobby Colt
June 25, 1983
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
196
37
Spike Huber
January 7, 1984
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
N/A
38
Stormy Granzig
July 1984
WWA show
Terre Haute, Indiana
1
N/A
Phantom title change—Huber is fired after splitting with Bruiser's daughter.
39
Greg Wojokowski
October 1984
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
1
N/A
40
Dick the Bruiser
January 29, 1985
WWA show
Indianapolis, Indiana
13
N/A
41
Greg Wojokowski
September 1985
WWA show
N/A
2
N/A
42
Scott Rechsteiner
August 14, 1986
WWA show
Dearborn, Michigan
1
262
43
Greg Wojokowski
May 3, 1987
WWA show
Toledo, Ohio
3
N/A
—
Vacated
1988
—
—
—
—
Wojokowski retired
44
Calypso Jim
1988
WWA show
Fort Wayne, Indiana
1
N/A
45
Golden Lion
April 16, 1989
WWA show
Fort Wayne, Indiana
1
N/A
—
Deactivated
1989
—
—
—
—
Promotion closed.
References [ edit ]
External links [ edit ]