NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship

For the Pro Wrestling Zero1 recognized title, see NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (Zero1).

NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship
Details
Current champion(s)	Steve Anthony
Date won	March 19, 2016
Date established	1945
Promotion	National Wrestling Alliance
Statistics First champion(s) Ken Fenelon Most reigns Danny Hodge (7 times) Longest reign Danny Hodge (1,450 days) Shortest reign Hiro Saito (1 day)

The NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world championship and secondary title in the National Wrestling Alliance that is for the lighter wrestlers. It started in 1945 and still exists today. The title was unified with the National Boxing/Wrestling Association's World Junior Heavyweight Championship in 1949. To qualify to win this championship, wrestlers must weigh 220 lb or under.

Title history

#	Wrestler	Times	Date	Days held	Location	Notes
1	Ken Fenelon	1	May 1945	N/A	N/A	Fenelon was awarded the title by Pinkie George, founder of the NWA.
2	Marshall Esteppe	1	May 30, 1945	216	Toronto, IA
3	Larry Tillman	1	January 1, 1946	69	Des Moines, IA
4	Ken Fenelon	2	March 11, 1946	301	Des Moines, IA
5	Marshall Esteppe	2	January 6, 1947		Des Moines, IA
6	Ray Steele	1	March 24, 1947	35	Des Moines, IA
7	Marshall Esteppe	3	April 28, 1947	77	Des Moines, IA
8	Billy Goelz	1	March 16, 1948		Des Moines, IA
9	Al Williams	1	August 22, 1948		Waterloo, IA
10	Billy Goelz	2	September 5, 1948	N/A	Waterloo, IA	Recognition withdrawn in 49 when NWA selects Leroy McGuirk as champion.
11	Leroy McGuirk	1	November 1949	N/A	Des Moines, IA	Defeating John Swenski on June 19, 1939 in Hollywood, CA; recognized by National Wrestling Alliance during the convention; defeats Billy Goelz and Unified National Boxing/Wrestling Association's World Junior Heavyweight Championship into National Wrestling Alliance title on December 28, 1949.
—	Vacated	—	February 7, 1950	—	—	Vacated when McGuirk was blinded in a car accident.
12	Verne Gagne	1	November 13, 1950	371	Tulsa, OK	Defeated Sonny Myers in a tournament final of 14-man tournament; also defeats Billy Goelz on April 21, 1951 in Milwaukee, WI.
13	Danny McShain	1	November 19, 1951		Memphis, TN	Unifies the Los Angeles version of the world title, defeating Rito Romero on May 25, 1952 in Los Angeles, CA; Red Berry defeats McShain by DQ on November 11, 1952 in Dallas, TX and claims the title; Whitey Whittler defeats McShain by DQ on October 17, 1952 in Oklahoma City, OK and claims the title; McShain defeats Whittler on November 14, 1952 in Oklahoma City, OK and Berry on November 27, 1952 in Galveston, TX to regain the respective claims.
14	Baron Michele Leone	1	August 17, 1953		Los Angeles, CA
15	Ed Francis	1	April 11, 1955	364	Tulsa, OK
16	Mike Clancy	1	April 10, 1956		Oklahoma City, OK
17	Fred Blassie	1	March 26, 1957	<1	Nashville, TN
—	Vacated	—	March 26, 1957	—	—	Immediately held up due to a controversial finish.
18	Mike Clancy	2	April 9, 1957		Nashville, TN	Defeated Fred Blassie.
—	Vacated	—	November 12, 1957	—	—	Held up; Clancy defeated Jackie Fargo by DQ at November 15 in Nashville, TN.
19	Mike Clancy	3	November 19, 1957		Nashville, TN	Defeated Fred Blassie in rematch.
20	Angelo Savoldi	1	February 28, 1958		Oklahoma City, OK
21	Dory Funk	1	June 5, 1958	36	Amarillo, TX
22	Angelo Savoldi	2	July 11, 1958	224	Oklahoma City, OK
23	Ivan the Terrible	1	February 20, 1959		Oklahoma City, OK
24	Angelo Savoldi	3	March 6, 1959		Oklahoma City, OK
25	Mike DiBiase	1	May 29, 1959		Oklahoma City, OK
26	Angelo Savoldi	4	August 21, 1959		Oklahoma City, OK
27	Danny Hodge	1	July 22, 1960	1,450	Oklahoma City, OK
28	Hiro Matsuda	1	July 11, 1964	125	Tampa, FL
29	Angelo Savoldi	5	November 13, 1964	161	Oklahoma City, OK
30	Danny Hodge	2	April 23, 1965	214	Oklahoma City, OK
31	Lorenzo Parente	1	November 23, 1965		Little Rock, AR
32	Danny Hodge	3	January 4, 1966	10	Little Rock, AR
33	Lorenzo Parente	2	January 14, 1966	29	Tulsa, OK
34	Joe McCarthy	1	February 12, 1966		Oklahoma City, OK
35	Danny Hodge	4	May 3, 1966		Little Rock, AR
36	Sputnik Monroe	1	July 13, 1970		Shreveport, LA
37	Danny Hodge	5	August 10, 1970		Shreveport, LA
38	Roger Kirby	1	May 20, 1971	113	New Orleans, LA
39	Ramon Torres	1	September 10, 1971	84	Monroe, LA
40	Dr. X	1	December 3, 1971	108	Oklahoma City, OK
41	Danny Hodge	6	March 20, 1972	639	Shreveport, LA
42	Ken Mantell	1	December 19, 1973		Jackson, MS
43	Wrestling Pro	1	September 17, 1974		Mobile, AL	Awarded with a disputed decision; recognized only in the Gulf Coast territory.
44	Ken Mantell	2	November 5, 1974		Mobile, AL	Defeats Wrestling Pro in rematch to become the undisputed champion.
45	Hiro Matsuda	2	June 14, 1975	262	St. Petersburg, FL
46	Danny Hodge	7	March 2, 1976	13	Shreveport, LA
—	Vacated	—	March 15, 1976	—	—	Vacated when Hodge retired after suffering a broken neck in a car accident.
47	Pat Barrett	1	September 28, 1976	65	New Orleans, LA	Defeated Nelson Royal in a tournament final.
48	Ron Starr	1	December 2, 1976	4	New Orleans, LA
49	Nelson Royal	1	December 6, 1976	566	New Orleans, LA
50	Chavo Guerrero Sr.	1	February 24, 1978	N/A	Unknown
51	Nelson Royal	2	March 1978	N/A	Unknown
52	Chavo Guerrero Sr.	2	April 7, 1978		Albuquerque, NM
53	Al Madril	1	June 25, 1978	398	Houston, TX
54	Nelson Royal	3	July 28, 1979	N/A	Unknown	Royal won via forfeit when Madril was too sick to attend a rematch.
—	Vacated	—	December 1979	—	—	Vacated when Royal retired; Steve Keirn defeated Chavo Guerrero, Sr. in Los Angeles, CA on December 10 to seemingly win the vacant title, but NWA did not recognize the win as being for the title, though it was recognized by New Japan Pro Wrestling as well as Los Angeles and Florida; this version was later renamed the NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship.
55	Ron Starr	2	February 11, 1980	N/A	Tulsa, OK	Defeated Les Thornton in a tournament final.
56	Les Thornton	1	March 1980	N/A	Unknown	Thornton won via forfeit or wins by default (sometime between March 9, 1980 and March 19, 1980); possibly on March 14, 1980 in Oklahoma City, OK where Starr and Thornton are scheduled to wrestle.
57	Jerry Stubbs	1	January 26, 1981	5	Mobile, AL
58	Les Thornton	2	January 31, 1981	127	Dothan, AL
59	Terry Taylor	1	June 7, 1981	13	Roanoke, VA
60	Les Thornton	3	June 20, 1981	88	Roanoke, VA
61	Gerald Brisco	1	September 16, 1981	30	Miami, FL
62	Les Thornton	4	October 16, 1981		Knoxville, TN
63	Joe Lightfoot	1	November 7, 1981		Bayamon, PR	Above changes in Puerto Rico may be for WWC Title.
65	Les Thornton	5	November 14, 1981		San Juan, PR
66	Tiger Mask	1	May 25, 1982	313	Shizuoka, JPN	In 1982, some North American promoters declared the title vacant due to Tiger Mask wrestling for the WWF; however, during an annual meeting between the NWA and New Japan Pro Wrestling, it's announced that Tiger Mask is still recognized as the official champion.
—	Vacated	—	April 3, 1983	—	—	Vacated when Tiger Mask was injured two days prior.
67	Tiger Mask	2	June 2, 1983		Tokyo, JPN	Defeated Kuniaki Kobayashi in a decision match.
—	Vacated	—	August 12, 1983	—	—	Vacated after Tiger Mask retired.
68	The Cobra	1	November 3, 1983	N/A	Tokyo, JPN	Defeated Davey Boy Smith in a decision match. Around this time, Les Thornton is recognized by promoters in the US as champion.
69	Les Thornton	6	November 1983	N/A	Manila, PH	Wins a fictitious tournament.
—	Vacated	—	June 1984	—	—	When Thornton joins WWF after its takeover of Georgia Championship Wrestling.
70	Hector Guerrero	1	July 13, 1984		Los Angeles, CA	Wins a tournament.
71	Mike Davis	1	October 2, 1984		Albuquerque,NM
72	Denny Brown	1	November 22, 1984		Greensboro, NC
73	Hiro Saito	1	July 28, 1985	0	Osaka, JPN	Wins the title from The Cobra.
74	The Cobra	2	July 28, 1985		Osaka, JPN
—	Vacated	—	August 1, 1985	—	—
75	Denny Brown	2	August 1985	N/A		Won disputed version of title at Starrcade 1984 by defeating Mike Davis; recognized as champion by NWA vice president Shohei Baba, promoter of All Japan Pro Wrestling, after rival promotion New Japan Pro Wrestling withdraws from the NWA.
76	Gary Royal	1	August 15, 1985	31	St. Louis, MO
77	Denny Brown	3	September 15, 1985	321	Atlanta, GA
78	Steve Regal	1	August 2, 1986	30	Atlanta, GA
79	Denny Brown	4	September 1, 1986	187	Greenville, SC
80	Lazor Tron	2	March 7, 1987	N/A	Atlanta, GA	Lazor formerly known as Hector Guerrero.
—	Vacated	—	October 1987	—	—	Vacated when Tron left World Championship Wrestling.
81	Nelson Royal	4	October 16, 1987		Columbia, SC	Defeats Denny Brown Royal takes the title to USA Championship Wrestling in Knoxville in May 1988. Royal left WCW in 1988, at which point Masanobu Fuchi, the reigning (AJPW) World Junior Heavyweight Champion, was disputably recognized as the new champion; however, Royal continued defending the title across the country until 1989, when it was abandoned.
82	Scott Armstrong	1	July 22, 1988		Knoxville, TN
83	Nelson Royal	5	July 23, 1988	N/A	Hazard, KY
84	Scott Armstrong	2	August 1988	N/A
85	Nelson Royal	6	August 19, 1988	N/A	Knoxville, TN	USA promotion closes in October 1988; Royal promotes ACW in the Carolinas and bills himself as world champion.
—	Vacated	—	1989	—	—	Abandoned in 1989.
86	Masayoshi Motegi	1	August 30, 1995	338	Tokyo, JPN	Defeated El Hijo del Santo in a tournament final when the NWA revives the title.
87	The Great Sasuke	1	August 2, 1996	70	Tokyo, JPN	Wins an 8-man tournament to decide the first J-Crown holder, a combination of eight junior heavyweight titles. These titles were still technically considered separate, as opposed to one unified championship, and continued to be defended.
88	Último Dragón	1	October 11, 1996	85	Osaka, JPN
89	Jushin Thunder Liger	1	January 4, 1997	183	Tokyo, JPN	Defeated Dragón at Wrestling World.
90	El Samurai	1	July 6, 1997	35	Sapporo, JPN
91	Shinjiro Otani	1	August 10, 1997	87	Nagoya, JPN
—	Vacated	—	November 5, 1997	—	—	Vacated when the J-Crown was dematerialized.
92	Logan Caine	1	March 5, 1999	237	Parkersburg, WV	Defeated Viper in a tournament final.
—	Vacated	—	October 28, 1999	—	—	Stripped due to no-showing a title defense against Vince Kaplack.
93	Vince Kaplack	1	October 28, 1999	78	Pittsburgh, PA	Defeated Chris Hero as a replacement for Logan Caine.
94	Tony Kozina	1	January 14, 2000	190	North Versailles, PA
95	Rockford 2000	1	July 22, 2000	35	Surrey, BC
96	Tony Kozina	2	August 30, 2000	39	N/A	Awarded when NWA officials review the tape of a title match between Rockford and Kozina on August 26.
97	Vince Kaplack	2	October 14, 2000	175	Nashville, TN	Won the title at the NWA 52nd Anniversary Show.
98	Rocky Reynolds	1	April 7, 2001	27	Pennsboro, WV
99	Mike Thunder	1	May 4, 2001	109	North Richland Hills, TX
100	Lex Lovett	1	August 21, 2001	53	Tampa, FL
101	Jason Rumble	1	October 13, 2001	112	Saint Petersburg, FL	Defeated Lovett, Jimmy Rave, Brandon K & BJ Turner in a five-way match at the NWA 53rd Anniversary Show.
102	Rocky Reynolds	2	February 2, 2002	14	Titusville, PA
103	Jason Rumble	2	February 16, 2002	49	Malden, MA
104	Rocky Reynolds	3	April 6, 2002	56	Parkersburg, WV
105	Jimmy Rave	1	June 29, 2002	42	Cornelia, GA	Defeated Reynolds and Jeremy Lopez in a three-way match.
106	Star	1	August 10, 2002	7	Columbia, TN
107	Jimmy Rave	2	August 17, 2002	154	Columbia, TN
108	Brother Love	1	January 18, 2003	140	Greenville, MS
109	Rocky Reynolds	4	June 7, 2003	56	Parkersburg, WV
110	Chris Draven	1	August 2, 2003	161	Parkersburg, WV
111	Jerrelle Clark	1	January 10, 2004	281	Saint Petersburg, FL
112	Jason Rumble	3	October 17, 2004	312	Winnipeg, MB	Defeated Clark and Vance Desmond in a three-way match at the NWA 56th Anniversary Show.
113	Black Tiger IV	1	August 25, 2005	178	Columbia, TN
114	Tiger Mask IV	1	February 19, 2006	446	Tokyo, JPN
115	Mike Quackenbush	1	May 11, 2007	1,275	Portage, IN
116	Craig Classic	1	November 6, 2010	247	Fort Pierce, FL
—	Vacated	—	July 11, 2011	—	—	Classic relinquished the title in protest of The Sheik being stripped of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Classic brought his own version of the title to Pro Wrestling Zero1 as the New Wrestling Alliance championship.
117	Kevin Douglas	1	October 7, 2011	373	Charlotte, NC	Defeated Chase Owens in a tournament final.
—	Vacated	—	October 14, 2012	—	—	Douglas was stripped of the title for no-showing a scheduled title defense on October 13, 2012 against Chase Owens. A one-night tournament was held in Kingsport, TN in lieu of the Douglas-Owens match.
118	Chase Owens	1	October 13, 2012	302	Kingsport, TN	Defeated Matt Conard and Zac Vincent in a tournament final.
119	Jason Kincaid	1	August 10, 2013		Kingsport, TN
120	Chase Owens	2	October 18, 2013		Houston, TX
121	Ricky Morton	1	January 4, 2014		Kingsport, TN
122	Chase Owens	3	March 7, 2014		Church Hill, TN
123	Jushin Thunder Liger	2	November 8, 2014		Osaka, JPN
124	Steve Anthony	1	April 13, 2015		Las Vegas, NV
125	Tiger Mask IV	2	September 23, 2015		Okayama, JPN
126	Steve Anthony	2	March 19, 2016	+	Nagoya, JPN

List of top combined reigns

As of April 26, 2024.

†	Indicates the current champion
<1	Indicates that the combined total is less than one day.

Rank	Wrestler	No. of reigns	Combined days
1	Danny Hodge	7	4,134
2	Mike Quackenbush	1	1,275
3	Angelo Savoldi	5	902
4	Nelson Royal	6	846
5	Mike Clancy	3	768
6	Denny Brown	4	756
7	Danny McShain	1	637
8	Chase Owens	3	626
9	Tiger Mask IV	2	624
10	Baron Michele Leone	1	602
11	Hiro Matsuda	2	548
12	Ken Mantell	2	493
13	Jason Rumble	3	473
14	Les Thornton	6	429
15	Al Madril	1	398
16	Tiger Mask	2	384
17	Kevin Douglas	1	373
18	Verne Gagne	1	371
19	Marshall Esteppe	3	370
20	Ed Francis	1	364
21	Jushin Thunder Liger	2	339
22	Masayoshi Motegi	1	338
23	Ken Fenelon	2	301
24	Jerrelle Clark	1	281
25	Vince Kaplack	2	253
26	Craig Classic	1	247
27	Logan Caine	1	237
28	Tony Kozina	2	229
29	Steve Anthony †	2	+
30	Jimmy Rave	2	196
31	Rocky Reynolds	4	181
32	Black Tiger IV	1	178
33	Chris Draven	1	161
34	Billy Goelz	2	159
35	Brother Love	1	140
36	Roger Kirby	1	113
37	Mike Davis	1	112
38	Mike Thunder	1	109
39	Dr. X	1	108
40	Shinjiro Otani	1	87
41	Último Dragón	1	85
42	Mike DiBiase	1	84
42	Ramon Torres	1	84
43	Hector Guerrero/Lazor Tron	2	81
44	Joe McCarthy	1	80
45	Chavo Guerrero	2	79
46	Lorenzo Parente	2	71
47	The Great Sasuke	1	70
48	Pat Barrett	1	69
48	Larry Tillman	1	69
48	Jason Kincaid	1	69
49	Ricky Morton	1	62
50	Lex Lovett	1	53
51	Wrestling Pro	1	49
52	Dory Funk	1	36
53	Ray Steele	1	35
53	El Samurai	1	35
54	Gary Royal	1	31
55	Steve Regal	1	30
56	Sputnik Monroe	1	28
57	Al Williams	1	14
57	Ivan The Terrible	1	14
58	Joe Lightfoot	1	7
58	Star	1	7
59	Jerry Stubbs	1	5
60	The Cobra	2	4
60	Ron Starr	2	4
61	Scott Armstrong	2	1
62	Hiro Saito	1	<1
63	Fred Blassie	1	<1
63	Leroy McGuirk	1	<1

See also

• National Wrestling Alliance
• National Boxing/Wrestling Association
• Jim Crockett Promotions
• New Japan Pro Wrestling
• NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (Zero1)

External links

• National Wrestling Alliance World Junior Heavyweight Title History
• National Boxing/Wrestling Association Junior Heavyweight Title History