Following the name of the champion(s): Indicates the number of times the wrestler has held that title at that point.
[...]
Indicates a gap in the listing where title changes are not known.
*
If used next to the names of the wrestlers, they may, in fact, not have held the title in the period indicated. If used next to the dates or places, either they are possibly wrong or the title changes are fictitious.
<
Title was held or changed hands no later than this. In these cases, it is known that a wrestler held the title at a certain time but not when he/she won it.
+
Broadcast date; the actual recording date is unknown.
@
Order uncertain. Different titleholders may be known for the same year, for example, but it is not known who held the title before whom.
#
Unofficial or disputable claims. These are usually matches that certainly took place, but where there is doubt that the wrestler shown should be recognized as a true title holder. These listings are also italicized in HTML files
Billed as champion in Birmigham, GBR; possibly by winning a series of the world "heavyweight" championship matches against Bonnet le Bœuf in 76-10 in Manchester, ENG, GBR.
Joe Acton
1879-02-08
Chadderton, Lancashire, ENG, GBR
Said to have wrestled Bibby 6 times prior to this match at various weight limits with each winning 3 times; defeats Bibby with the 142lb limit in their 7th match on 79-02-08 (Bell's Life in London, 79-05-10); "champion wrestler of Lancashire" (The Nottinghamshire Guardian, Nottingham, GBR, 79-12-19); "has been the recognized Lancashire champion for a considerable period" (Liverpool Mercury, etc., 81-05-02).
Ike Smith
1881-04-30
Farnworth, Lancashire, ENG, GBR
Defeats Acton for the world championship in Lancashire style (The North-Eastern Daily, Middlesbrough, GBR, 81-05-02); billed as English champion in Pittsburgh, PA, USA as of 81-06-20.
Defeats Evan Lewis on 87-06-13 in Pittsburgh, PA, USA for the American version.
Georg Hackenschmidt defeats Ahmed Madrali on 04-01-30 in London, ENG, GBR in a Graeco-Roman style match (The Observer, London, 04-01-31) but not a catch-as-catch-can style match as it has been believed for long time; Hackenschmidt defeats Madrail in a catch-as-catch-can style match to "retain" the world title on 06-04-28 in London, ENG, GBR (The Daily Telegraph, London, 06-04-30).
André Cherpillod
1915-05<
Defeats another claimant John Lemm in St. Croix, SUI on 15-05-30; still champion as of 19-10.
Has held AWA World Title in the Northeastern U.S. since 45-06; may be a title defense against Martinson; also recognized in Switzerland and Spain; loses AWA Title on 50-05-23 but continues to defend the title in Europe.
