WORLD JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE

[ Japanese ]

Joe Pesek	28/03<
Claims title in Ohio; also defeats a title claimant Jack Sherry on 29/01/09 in Columbus, OH.
Albion Britt	36/04/20	Hollywood, CA
Defeats Ted Christy in tournament final to be recognized by National Wrestling Association.
Dude Chick	36/12/21	Hollywood, CA
Britt again loses the title to Leroy McGuirk on 37/01/04 in Tulsa, OK.
Bob Kenaston	38/09/05	Hollywood, CA
Dan Savich	38/12/15	Toledo, OH
Kenaston is billed as Sgt. George Kenaston in this match.
Paul Bozzell	38/12/22	Toledo, OH
Bob Kenaston [2]	39/01/05	Toledo, OH
Billed as Sgt. George Kenaston in Toledo; Bobby Chick defeats Kenaston via DQ on 39/02/16 in Toledo, OH, but NWA president Col. Harry J. Landry states that title cannot change hands on a DQ and orders an immediate rematch, won by Kenaston on 39/02/23 in Toledo, OH.
John Swenski	39/03/27	Tulsa, OK
The 39/04/02 issue of The Oklahoman says Swenski has defeated Kenaston "in Tulsa last Monday."
Leroy McGuirk	39/06/19	Hollywood, CA
Unifies National Wrestling Alliance World Junior Heavyweight Title, defeating Billy Goelz on 49/12/28 in Des Moines, IA; vacant on 50/02/07 when McGuirk blinded in an auto accident.
Verne Gagne	50/11/13	Tulsa, OK
Defeats Sonny Myers in the final of 14-man tournament.
Danny McShain	51/11/19	Memphis, TN
Red Berry defeats McShain by DQ on 52/11/11 in Dallas, TX and claims the title; Whitey Whittler defeats McShain by DQ on 52/10/17 in Oklahoma City, OK and claims the title; McShain defeats Whittler on 52/11/14 in Oklahoma City, OK and Berry on 52/11/27 in Galveston, TX to regain the respective claims.
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]	65/04/30	Oklahoma City, OK
Or 65/04/28 in Springfield, MO.
Lorenzo Parente *	65/11/23	Little Rock , AR
Danny Hodge *	66/01/04	Little Rock , AR
Lorenzo Parente	66/01/07	Oklahoma City, OK
Or 66/01/14 in Oklahoma City, OK where Parente wins by forfeit when Hodge collapses during the match.
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 *	70/01/30
Sputnik Monroe	70/07/13	Shreveport, LA
Danny Hodge [4]	70/08/10	Tulsa, OK
Or 70/09/14 in Shreveport, LA.
Roger Kirby	71/05/20	New Orleans, LA
Ramon Torres	71/09/10	Oklahoma City, OK
Dr. X (Jim Osborne)	71/12/03	Oklahoma City, OK
Danny Hodge [5]	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 [6]	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]	78/07
Awarded when Madril is too ill for rematch (or 79/07/28, though Royal defends for the rest of 78); 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 default.
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	81/09/13	Orlando, FL
Les Thornton [4]	81/10/16	Knoxville, TN
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 (George Takano)	83/11/03	Tokyo, JPN
Defeats Davey Boy Smith; Les Thornton starts claiming NWA World Title in Georgia in the same month.
Hiro Saito	85/07/28	Osaka, JPN
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
Has won the disputed branch, defeating Mike Davis on 84/11/22 in Greensboro, NC; 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 sometime after 87/08/19 when Tron leaves the promotion.
Nelson Royal [4]	87/11/17	Columbia, SC
Defeats Denny Brown; leaves WCW in 88.
Scott Armstrong #	88/07/22	Knoxville, TN
Nelson Royal [5] #	88/07/23	Hazzard, KY
Scott Armstrong [2] #	88/08
Nelson Royal [6] #	88/08/19	Knoxville, TN
The title changes in 88 are promoted by USA Wrestling.
Les Anderson #
Defeats Royal on Atlantic Championship Wrestling card.
Rock the Hunter #
Les Anderson [2] #	89/12/26
ACW closes in 89.

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

World Junior Heavyweight Championship Tournament
Tulsa, Oklahoma - 1950