The International Wrestling Alliance (IWA) World Heavyweight Championship (IWA世界ヘビー級王座 , IWA Sekai Hebī-kyū Ōza ) was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship of the Japanese professional wrestling promotion known as International Wrestling Enterprise (国際プロレス興行 , Kokusai Puroresu Kogyō ) . It was the first Japanese heavyweight title to be billed as a World title, and in the 1970s and early 1980s it was one of the most important titles in Japan. The title died with the promotion in 1981 but was later revived by Goro Tsurumi for his independent Kokusai Promotion.
There have been eighteen reigns between twelve wrestlers, and three vacancies .
Title history
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Key
No.
Overall reign number
Reign
Reign number for the specific champion
Days
Number of days held
Defenses
Number of successful defenses
N/A
Unknown information
No.
Champion
Championship change
Reign statistics
Notes
Ref.
Date
Event
Location
Reign
Days
Defenses
1
Bill Robinson
December 19, 1968
World Series
Okayama, Japan
1
151
28
Defeated Toyonobori in the final of 11-man round-robin tournament.
[1]
2
Thunder Sugiyama
May 19, 1969
N/A
Sendai, Japan
1
654
9
3
Bill Miller
March 4, 1971
AWA Big Fight Series
Kitakyushu, Japan
1
107
0
This was a 2-out-of-3 falls match .
[2]
4
Strong Kobayashi
June 19, 1971
N/A
Duluth, MN
1
874
25
On the day of the title change, Miller and Kobayashi were wrestling different opponents; this title change is possibly fictitious.
[3] [4]
5
Wahoo McDaniel
November 9, 1973
Big Winter Series
Nachikatsuura, Japan
1
21
1
This was a 2-out-of-3 falls match .
[5]
6
Strong Kobayashi
November 30, 1973
Big Winter Series
Tokyo, Japan
2
75
2
This was a 2-out-of-3 falls match .
[6]
—
Vacated
February 13, 1974
—
—
—
—
—
The title was vacated when Kobayashi jumped to New Japan Pro-Wrestling to challenge Antonio Inoki .
7
Bill Robinson
June 3, 1974
Dynamite Series
Tokyo, Japan
2
74
0
It is unclear whether Robinson defeated Great Kusatsu in a tournament final or Rusher Kimura in a 2-out-of-3 falls match to win the vacant title.
[7] [8]
8
Billy Graham
August 16, 1974
N/A
Denver, CO
1
52
2
On that day, Robinson was facing Buddy Wolff in Peoria, Illinois ; this title change is considered fictitious.
[9] [10] [11]
9
Mighty Inoue
October 7, 1974
Super Wide Series
Koshigaya, Japan
1
185
3
This was a 2-out-of-3 falls match .
[12]
10
Mad Dog Vachon
April 10, 1975
Dynamite Series
Tokyo, Japan
1
9
0
This was a 2-out-of-3 falls match .
[13]
11
Rusher Kimura
April 19, 1975
Dynamite Series
Sapporo, Japan
1
360
11
This was a steel cage match .
[14]
—
Vacated
April 13, 1976
—
—
—
—
—
Kimura vacated the title because he was dissatisfied with the result of his title defense against The Undertaker (Hans Schroeder). A rematch was then scheduled.
12
Rusher Kimura
April 22, 1976
Dynamite Series
Sendai, Japan
2
50
0
Defeated The Undertaker (Hans Schroeder) in a steel cage match to win the vacant title.
[15]
13
Umanosuke Ueda
June 11, 1976
Big Challenge Series
Koga, Japan
1
47
0
[16]
—
Vacated
July 28, 1976
—
—
—
—
—
Vacated after Ueda's first defense against Rusher Kimura ended in a no contest .
[17] [18]
14
Rusher Kimura
July 31, 1976
Big Summer Series
Koshigaya, Japan
3
1,085
26
Defeated Super Assassin (Roger Smith) in a steel cage match to win the vacant title.
[19]
15
Alexis Smirnoff
July 21, 1979
Big Summer Series
Murakami, Japan
1
4
0
This was a 2-out-of-3 falls match .
[20]
16
Rusher Kimura
July 25, 1979
Big Summer Series
Mishima, Japan
4
111
3
[21]
17
Verne Gagne
November 13, 1979
Devilish Fight Series
Sanjō, Japan
1
3
0
[22]
18
Rusher Kimura
November 16, 1979
Devilish Fight Series
Wakayama, Japan
5
687
17
[23]
—
Deactivated
September 30, 1981
—
—
—
—
—
Deactivated when the promotion folded.
Combined reigns
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See also
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References
edit
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE World Series - Tag 29" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE AWA Big Fight Series - Tag 5" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Saalbach, Axel. "AWA @ Minneapolis" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ 日本プロレス事件史 vol.1 "黄金時代"の光と影 [A Chronicle of Japanese Pro-Wrestling vol. 1 The Light and Shadow of the "Golden Age"]. Baseball Magazine Sha . 2014. p. 69. ISBN 4583621817 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Big Winter Series - Tag 10" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Big Winter Series - Tag 20" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Dynamite Series - Tag 13" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWA World Heavyweight Championship" . Cagematch.net (in German). Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Saalbach, Axel. "AWA @ Peoria" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "AWA" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Nagare, Tomomi (2019). 東京12チャンネル時代の国際プロレス [International Wrestling Enterprise in the Tokyo Channel 12 Era ] (in Japanese). Tatsumi Publishing. pp. 47–48. ISBN 4777822893 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Super Wide Series - Tag 18" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Dynamite Series - Tag 22" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Dynamite Series - Tag 28" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Dynamite Series - Tag 11" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Big Challenge Series - Tag 13" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Big Summer Series - Tag 20" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWA World Heavyweight Championship" . Cagematch.net (in German). Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Big Summer Series - Tag 23" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Big Summer Series 1979 - Tag 22" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Big Summer Series 1979 - Tag 25" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Devilish Fight Series - Tag 12" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Devilish Fight Series - Tag 15" . Cagematch.net . Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
External links
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