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
Has won the World Graeco-Roman Championship tournaments in Vienna, AUT and Paris, FRA in 1901; wins World Graeco-Roman Title from Tom Cannon on 02-09-13 in Liverpool, Merseyside, ENG, GBR (Lancashire Evening Post, plus several other papers, 02-09-15);
wins recognition as the world Graeco-Roman champion on 04-01-30 in London, ENG, GBR, defeating
title claimant Ahmed Madrali (Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper, London, 04-01-31); defeats Tom Jenkins, recognized as world and American champion in North America, in a catch-as-catch-can style match on 05-05-04 in New York, NY to be recognized as champion in North America.
Immediately announces his retirement of the following winter but continues to return; in 14-01, Gotch states that Americus and Fred Beell should wrestle for the vacant world title (The Brooklyn Citizen, 14-01-29, etc.).
Defeats Fred Beell; loses to Pat Connolly in Vancouver, BC, CAN on 14-04-22 and again on 14-06-12 but continues to be recognized as the champion in USA.
Still champion as of 14-08-11; returns to Poland during WWI and is imprisoned by Russia in 14-08; does not return until 20; again wins the title claim, defeating Ed "Strangler" Lewis on 21-05-06 in New York, NY (see below).
Awarded the title by Frank Gotch (The Evening Gazette, Cedar Rapids, IA, 14-08-19; Battle Creek Enquirer, Battle Creek, MI, 14-11-11; The Cleveland Press, Cleveland, OH, 15-01-12; etc.); strengthens his claim after Zbyszko is imprisoned by Russia.
Defeats Cutler with Frank Gotch in attendance; also defeats Pat Connolly, who has defeated Americus on 14-04-22 in Vancouver, BC, CAN to claim the title, on 16-03-03 in Butte, MT, USA.
Wladek Zbyszko pins Lewis in an international tournament final on 17-12-22 in New York, NY and claims
title; Lewis also continues to claim the title.
Caddock also defeats Wladek Zbyszko on 18-02-08
in Des Moines, IA; Zbyszko continues to claim
title but loses to Ed "Strangler" Lewis on 18-05-19 in New York, NY; Caddock defeats
Lewis on 18-06-21 in Des Moines, IA.
Later defeats Caddock to end the dispute (see below).
Joe Malcewicz claims that he defeats Caddock around 19-12 in Utica, NY, but the match actually takes place on 21-01-14 (after Caddock loses the title); Marin Plestina also claims the world title at least between 18-07 and 20-03.
Refuses to wrestle Joe Malcewicz, the last minute replacement of the scheduled opponent Jake Brissler, on 26-03-11 in Boston, MA; Malcewicz is awarded the title by the Boston promoter Paul Bowser; Stecher continues to be recognized by the New York promoter Jack Curley; John Pesek defeats Stecher and is declared as the new champion on 26-10-06 in Los Angeles, CA but the decision is reversed by the referee (Hollywood Daily Citizen, 26-10-07); Pesek claims the title in Nebraska on 26-10-13 (Los Angeles Times, 26-10-14).
Has defeated Wayne Munn on 25-05-30 in Michigan City,
IN and Joe Malcewicz on 26-08-02 in Tulsa, OK for the respective versions; defeats Stecher on 28-02-20 to end the dispute.
Recognition withdrawn by more than 20 athletic commissions including New York, Pennsylvania, and Illinois on 29-08-07 for failing
to meet "real" contenders; declines the invitation from the wrestling department of National
Boxins Association to enter a tournament to crown the heavyweight champion in 30.
Wins by disqualification; recognized by The Ring magazine as the true world champion; Baba continues to claim the title but loses to Everette Marshall on 36-06-26 in Columbus, OH; Levin also wins Los Angeles version, defeating Vincent Lopez on 36-08-19 in Los Angeles, CA.
Recognized by The Ring magazine as the true world champion; has also defeated Ed Strangler Lewis in a title tournament
final earlier in the year in Philadelphia, PA; Levin continues to be recognized in California by claiming to be "robbed" of the title (Daily News, Los Angeles, CA, 36-10-01) but loses to Vincent Lopez on 36-09-30 in Los Angeles, CA.
Recognized by The Ring magazine as the true world champion; recognition withdrawn in California by the end of 46-09; tours in AUS as the champion from 46-10 to 46-11; generally considered as retired in many US states by 47 but occiasionally wrestles in the western states including Arizona where he still claims the title as late as 50-01; also defeats The Demon (Jack O'Brien), world champion recognized by Jack Pfefer, on 50-04-17 in Cleveland, OH and is billed as the champion in Green Bay, WI until 50-06; announces his retirement on 52-11-27.
National Wrestling
Alliance World Heavyweight title, awarded on 49-11-27 when champion
Orville Brown is injured in an automobile accident on 49-11-01 before
a unification match scheduled on 49-11-25 in St. Louis, MO
Defeats Thesz by countout in the second round and disqualification in the third round; California Athletic Commission recognizes the title change by disqualification, but both Thesz and Nomellini continue to claim the title.
Loses to Edouard Carpentier by disqualification on
57-06-14 in Chicago, IL when Thesz cannot continue due to a back
injury; Thesz defeats Carpentier in rematch by disqualification
on 57-07-24 in Montreal, QC; however, NWA continues to recognize
Carpentier as the champion; Carpentier withdraws his claim to
the title when his manager and Montreal promoter Eddie Quinn leaves
NWA; NWA voids all recognition of Carpentier as champion and returns
the title to Thesz on 57-08-25; Carpentier continues to be recognized
as World champion in Omaha
and Boston
and later by Worldwide
Wrestling Associates to legitimate the lineages
of their world titles.
