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IWA World Heavyweight Championship (International Wrestling Enterprise)

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For other uses, see IWA World Heavyweight Championship.
IWA World Heavyweight Championship
Details
PromotionInternational Wrestling Enterprise
Date established1968
Date retiredSeptember 30, 1981
Statistics
First champion(s)Bill Robinson
Final champion(s)Rusher Kimura
Most reignsRusher Kimura (5 reigns)
Longest reignRusher Kimura (1,085 days)
Shortest reignVerne Gagne (3 days)
Oldest championVerne Gagne (53 years, 260 days)
Youngest championMighty Inoue (25 years, 178 days)
Heaviest championBill Miller (290 lb (130 kg))
Lightest championVerne Gagne (215 lb (98 kg))

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

[edit]
Rank Wrestler No. of
reigns 		Combined
defenses 		Combined days
1 Rusher Kimura 5 57 2,290
2 Strong Kobayashi 2 27 949
3 Thunder Sugiyama 1 9 654
4 Bill Robinson 2 28 225
5 Mighty Inoue 1 3 185
6 Bill Miller 1 0 107
7 Billy Graham 1 2 52
8 Umanosuke Ueda 1 0 47
9 Wahoo McDaniel 1 1 21
10 Mad Dog Vachon 1 0 9
11 Alexis Smirnoff 1 0 4
12 Verne Gagne 1 0 3

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE World Series - Tag 29". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  2. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE AWA Big Fight Series - Tag 5". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  3. ^ Saalbach, Axel. "AWA @ Minneapolis". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Big Winter Series - Tag 10". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  6. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Big Winter Series - Tag 20". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  7. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Dynamite Series - Tag 13". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  8. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWA World Heavyweight Championship". Cagematch.net (in German). Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  9. ^ Saalbach, Axel. "AWA @ Peoria". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  10. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "AWA". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Super Wide Series - Tag 18". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  13. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Dynamite Series - Tag 22". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  14. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Dynamite Series - Tag 28". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  15. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Dynamite Series - Tag 11". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  16. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Big Challenge Series - Tag 13". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  17. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Big Summer Series - Tag 20". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  18. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWA World Heavyweight Championship". Cagematch.net (in German). Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  19. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Big Summer Series - Tag 23". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  20. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Big Summer Series 1979 - Tag 22". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  21. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Big Summer Series 1979 - Tag 25". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  22. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Devilish Fight Series - Tag 12". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  23. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "IWE Devilish Fight Series - Tag 15". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
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