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
Defeats Andre Christol for the championship of America; Christol also claims the title after this match due to injury during the match but loses to Thiebaud Bauer on 75-12-11 in New York, NY in a match for the World Title; Miller also loses to Bauer on 76-08-29 in Cincinnati, OH in a world title match but is still/again billed as American champion as of 77-02-20.
Charles Moth
1889
Kansas City, MO *
Claims to have won a tournament; billed as champion in Seattle, WA as of 90-05-16; still claims the title in Seattle, WA as of 98-04-06.
Awarded by the world champion William Muldoon upon his retirement (or 91-12-31; one source says Muldoon awards the title to Ernest Roeber in 87); recognized as world champion after defeating French title claimant Apollon on 92-07-25 in New York, NY (Roeber often billed as world champion previously); Evan "Strangler" Lewis defeats Roeber on 93-03-02 in New Orleans, LA in mixed-style match to become American (Catch-as-Catch-Can) champion; Roeber continues to claim the Graeco-Roman Title until his retirement on 1901-11-22.
John Piening
1901-12-06
New York, NY
Defeats Raoul de Cahors and is recognized mainly in northest; also defeats title claimant Nehmed Nachad, who may have been claiming the title, on 02-01-02 in New York, NY; often billed as world champion.
Henry H. Egeberg
1904-12-02
New York, NY
"Not for the world championship" (The Brooklyn Times, 05-01-14).
John Piening [2]
1905-01-19
New York, NY
Still champion as of 07-06-05.
Charles Wittmer
1893-04
Ohio champion, starts being billed as American champion (The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, OH, 93-04-27); also billed as world champion (The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, OH, 93-05-05); still champion as of 1902-01-07; billed as Cincinnati champion as of 04-01-25.
