NATIONAL WRESTLING ALLIANCE
WORLD JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
(as of 2009/02/01)

[ Japanese ]

Ken Fenelon	43/06/09<	Chicago, IL *
Introduced as "newly crowned" National Wrestling Alliance champion on a Topeka, KS paper in 43/06 for winning a tournament in Chicago; has defeated Johnny Carlin on 42/08/26 in Des Moines, IA to be recognized as world light heavyweight champion; recognized as NWA World Junior Heavyweight champion as of 44 by Pinkie George, who later founds the current version of the NWA in 48; also defeats Eddie Campbell on 44/11/01 in Des Moines, IA to unify MWA title.
Marshall Estep	45/05/30	Toronto, IA
Larry Tillman	46/01/01
Ken Fenelon [2]	46/03/11	Des Moines, IA
Marshall Estep [2]	47/01/06	Des Moines, IA
Ray Steele	47/03/24	Des Moines, IA
Marshall Estep [3]	47/04/28	Des Moines, IA
Billy Goelz	48/03/16<
The current version of the NWA is founded in 48/07.
Al Williams	48/08/22	Waterloo, IA
Billy Goelz [2]	48/09/05	Waterloo, IA
Leroy McGuirk	49/12/28	Des Moines, IA
Has won National Wrestling Association title, defeating John Swenski on 39/06/19 in Hollywood, CA; defeats Goelz to unify National Wrestling Alliance title; vacant on 50/02/07 when McGuirk blinded in an auto accident; Goelz continue to defend the title in Illinois and Wisconsin (at least until 51/04).
Verne Gagne	50/11/13	Tulsa, OK
Defeats Sonny Myers in the final of 14-man tournament; also defeats Billy Goelz on 51/04/21 in Milwaukee, WI.
Danny McShain	51/11/19	Memphis, TN
Red Berry #	52/11/11	Dallas, TX
Wins the third fall by DQ and claims the title.
Danny McShain #	52/11/27	Galveston, TX
Baron Michele Leone	53/08/17	Memphis, TN
Ed Francis	55/04/11	Tulsa, OK
Mike Clancy	56/04/10	Tulsa, OK
Fred Blassie #	57/03/26	Nashville, TN
Title immediately held up.
Mike Clancy [2]	57/04/09	Nashville, TN
Defeats Blassie in rematch; again held up after a match against Fred Blassie on 57/11/12 in Nashville, TN.
Mike Clancy [3]	57/11/19	Nashville, TN
Defeats Blassie in rematch.
Angelo Savoldi	58/02/28	Oklahoma City, OK
Dory Funk Sr.	58/06/05	Amarillo, TX
Angelo Savoldi [2]	58/07/11	Oklahoma City, OK
Ivan the Terrible	59/02/20	Oklahoma City, OK
Angelo Savoldi [3]	59/03/06	Oklahoma City, OK
Mike DiBiase	59/05/29	Oklahoma City, OK
Angelo Savoldi [4]	59/08/21	Oklahoma City, OK
Danny Hodge	60/07/22	Oklahoma City, OK
Hiro Matsuda	64/07/11	Tampa, FL
Angelo Savoldi [5]	64/11/13	Oklahoma City, OK
Danny Hodge [2]	65/05/17<
Sometime after 65/04/12; possibly in Oklahoma City, OK on 65/04/30 or in Tulsa, OK on 65/05/03 or 65/05/10.
Lorenzo Parente *	65/11/23	Little Rock , AR
Danny Hodge *	66/01/04	Little Rock , AR
Lorenzo Parente	66/01/14	Tulsa, OK
Joe McCarthy	66/02/11	Oklahoma City, OK
Danny Hodge [3]	66/05/03	Little Rock, AR
Mr. Ito (Umanosuke Ueda)	70/01/23
Danny Hodge [4]	70/01/30
Sputnik Monroe	70/07/13	Shreveport, LA
Danny Hodge [5]	70/08/10	Tulsa, OK
Or 70/09/14 in Shreveport, LA.
Roger "Rip" Kirby	71/05/20	New Orleans, LA
Ramon Torres	71/09/10	Monroe, LA
Dr. X (Jim Osborne)	71/12/03	Oklahoma City, OK
Danny Hodge [6]	72/03/20	Shreveport, LA
Ken Mantell	73/12/19	Jackson, MS
Wrestling Pro #	74/09/17	Mobile, AL
Awarded with a disputed decision; recognized only in the Gulf Coast territory.
Ken Mantell #	74/11/05	Mobile, AL
Defeats Wrestling Pro in rematch to become the undisputed champion.
Hiro Matsuda [2]	75/06/14	St. Petersburg, FL
Danny Hodge [7]	76/03/02	Shreveport, LA
Vacant on 76/03/15 when Hodge retires after suffering a broken neck in an auto accident.
Pat Barret	76/09/28	New Orleans, LA
Defeats Nelson Royal in tournament final.
Ron Starr	76/12/02	New Orleans, LA
Nelson Royal	76/12/06	Tulsa, OK
Chavo Guerrero	78/04/07<	Albuquerque, NM
Sometime after 78/02/24.
Nelson Royal [2]	78
Al Madril	78/06/25	Houston, TX
Nelson Royal [3]	79/07/28
Awarded when Madril too ill for rematch; vacant in 79/12 when Royal retires; Steve Keirn defeats Chavo Guerrero on 79/12/10 in Los Angeles, CA to be recognized as champion by New Japan, Los Angeles, and Florida, but the version is later renamed International Junior Heavyweight title in 82.
Ron Starr [2]	80/02/11	Tulsa, OK
Defeats Les Thornton in tournament final.
Les Thornton	80/03
Wins by forfeit.
Jerry Stubbs	81/01/26	Mobile, AL
Les Thornton [2]	81/01/31	Dothan, AL
Terry Taylor	81/06/07	Roanaoke, VA
Les Thornton [3]	81/06/20	Roanaoke, VA
Jerry Brisco	81/09/16	Miami, FL
Les Thornton [4]	81/10/16	Knoxville, TN
Joe Lightfoot #	81/11/07	Bayamon, PR
Les Thornton #	81/11/14	San Juan, PR
Above changes in Puerto Rico may have been for WWC Title.
Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama)	82/05/25	Shizuoka, JPN
Some of North American promoters declared the title vacant in 82 after Tiger Mask wrestles for WWF; according to New Japan, NWA Board announces that Tiger Mask is still recognized as champion at the annual meeting in 82/08; Tiger Mask vacates the title on 83/04/03 after being injured by Dynamite Kid in a tag match on 83/04/01; Dynamite Kid and Kuniaki Kobayashi meet for the vacant title on 83/04/03 in Tokyo but have no winner decided; Tiger Mask and Dynamite Kid meet for the vacant title on 83/04/21 in Tokyo but have no winner decided.
Tiger Mask [2]	83/06/02	Tokyo, JPN
Defeats Kuniaki Kobayashi; vacates on 83/08/12 upon retirement.
The Cobra	83/11/03	Tokyo, JPN
Defeats Davey Boy Smith; Les Thorton starts claiming the title in Georgia in the same month: Les Thornton [5] # 83/11 Wins a fictitious tournament in Manila, PHILLIPINES; vacant in 84/07 when Thornton joins WWF after their takeover of Georgia Championship Wrestling. Hector Guerrero # 84/07/13 Los Angeles, CA * Wins a tournament. Mike Davis # 84/10/02 Albuquerque, NM * Denny Brown # 84/11/22 Greensboro, NC
Hiro Saito	85/07/28	Osaka, JPN
Defeats The Cobra for the title.
The Cobra [2]	85/07/28	Osaka, JPN
Returns later on the same card to challenge Saito and wins title; vacates on 85/08/01; also holds WWF Junior Heavyweight Title; Shiro Koshinaka defeats The Cobra on 86/02/06 in Tokyo to be the first IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion.
Denny Brown	85/08
Recognized as the undisputed champion by NWA first vice president Shohei Baba after The Cobra vacates the title on 85/08/01.
Gary Royal	85/08/15	St. Louis, MO
Denny Brown [2]	85/09/15	Atlanta, GA
Steve Regal	86/08/02	Atlanta, GA
Denny Brown [3]	86/09/01	Greenville, SC
Lazor Tron (Hector Guerrero)	87/03/07	Atlanta, GA
Vacant in 87 when Tron leaves the promotion.
Nelson Royal [4]	87/10/16
Awarded; leaves WCW in 88 and defends the title in USA promotion in Knoxville and ACW in the Carolinas until 89.
Masanobu Fuchi #	89<
Has defeated Kuniaki Kobayashi on 87/01/03 in Tokyo, JPN for the All Japan version of world title; briefly recognized as NWA World Champion after Nelson Royal leaves WCW in 88.
Masayoshi Motegi	95/08/30	Tokyo, JPN
Defeats El Hijo del Santo in tournament final when title is revived by NWA.
The Great Sasuke	96/08/02	Tokyo, JPN
Ultimo Dragon	96/10/11	Osaka, JPN
Jushin Thunder Liger	97/01/04	Tokyo, JPN
El Samurai	97/07/06	Sapporo, JPN
Shinjiro Ohtani	97/08/10	Nagoya, JPN
Vacates on 97/11/05.
Logan Caine	99/03/05	Parkersburg, WV
Defeats Viper in 4-man tournament final; stripped on 99/10/28 due to a no-show for title defense against Vince Kaplack.
Vince Kaplack	99/10/28	Pittsburgh, PA
Defeats Chris Hero.
Tony Kozina	00/01/14	N. Versailles, PA
Rockford 2000	00/07/22	Surrey, BC
Tony Kozina [2]	00/08/30
Awarded after the NWA board reviewing the tapes of the 8/26 match.
Vince Kaplack [2]	00/10/14	Nashville, TN
Rocky Reynolds	01/04/07	Pennsboro, WV
Mike Thunder	01/05/04	N. Richland Hills, TX
Lex Lovett	01/08/21	Tampa, FL
Jason Rumble	01/10/13	St. Petersburg, FL
Defeats Lovett, Jimmy Rave, Brandon K, and B.J. Turner in a 5-way match.
Rocky Reynolds [2]	02/02/02	Titusville, PA
Jason Rumble [2]	02/02/16	Malden, PA
Rocky Reynolds [3]	02/04/06	Parkersburg, WV
Jimmy Rave	02/06/29	Cornelia, GA
Defeats Reynolds and Jeremy Lopez in a 3-way match.
Star	02/08/10	Columbia, TN
Jimmy Rave [2]	02/08/17	Columbia, TN
Brother Love	03/01/18	Greenville, MS
Rocky Reynolds [4]	03/06/07	Parkersburg, WV
Chris Draven	03/08/02	Parkersburg, WV
Jerrelle Clark	04/01/10	St. Petersburg, FL
Jason Rumble [3]	04/10/17	Winnipeg, MB
Defeats Clark and Vance Desmond in a 3-way match.
Black Tiger (Ricky Romero)	05/08/25	Columbia, TN
Also wins IWGP Title, defeating Tiger Mask in a double title match on 05/10/08 in Tokyo, JPN.
Tiger Mask	06/02/19	Tokyo, JPN
A former trainee of Satoru Sayama, the original Tiger Mask; wins double title match.
Mike Quackenbush	07/05/11	Portage, IN

World Junior Heavyweight Championship Tournament
Tulsa, Oklahoma - 1950

"The History of the World's Junior Heavyweight Championship"
by LeRoy McGuirk
Wrestling Monthly, November, 1971