NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship started out as the NWA Eastern States Heavyweight Championship in 1970. The name was changed in September 6, 1973. It was a major singles championship in NWA flagship Jim Crockett Promotions from its establishment until 1986.
At that time, Ron Garvin was both Mid Atlantic Champion and also held the United States Tag team Championship with Barry Windham. On an edition of WTBS' World Championship Wrestling, NWA promoter Jim Crockett asked Garvin which title he'd like to give up because, at the time, no wrestler could hold two championships simultaneously. Garvin decided to give up the Mid Atlantic Championship and the title was retired.
The name "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" was revived by promoters of a National Wrestling Alliance company based in the old Mid-Atlantic territory in 1996. That title continues to be defended today. Unofficially it is, in a sense, a "world championship" (of lesser importance by far than the NWA World Heavyweight Championship), since it was defended in and won by Steve Williams in China in 2003[1].
Title history
| Wrestler: | Times: | Date: | Location: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWA Eastern States Heavyweight Championship | ||||
| Pat O'Connor | 1 | October 13 1970 | N/A | Fictitious title reign. Announced as the champion as part of the storyline to introduce the title. |
| Missouri Mauler | 1 | October 13 1970 | N/A | Awarded. Announced that Mauler won the title from O'Connor in New York. |
| Danny Miller | 1 | July 15 1971 | Greensboro, NC | |
| Missouri Mauler | 2 | September 24 1971 | Charleston, SC | |
| Jack Brisco | 1 | November 30 1971 | High Point, NC | Date and location unconfirmed, but established by process of elimination.[1] |
| Rip Hawk | 1 | February 14 1972 | Charlotte, North Carolina | |
| Jack Brisco | 2 | April 10 1972 | Charlotte, North Carolina | |
| Rip Hawk | 2 | April / May, 1972 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Fictitious title change. |
| Jerry Brisco | 1 | June 13 1972 | Columbia, SC | |
| Rip Hawk | 3 | August 28 1972 | Greenville, SC | |
| Jerry Brisco | 2 | September 4 1972 | Greenville, SC | |
| Rip Hawk | 4 | December 28 1972 | Greensboro, NC | |
| Jerry Brisco | 3 | March 3 1973 | Winston-Salem, NC | |
| Ole Anderson | 1 | May 9 1973 | Raleigh, North Carolina | |
| Jerry Brisco | 4 | July 3 1973 | Columbia, SC | Unconfirmed but probable date and location.[2] |
| Renamed NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship | ||||
| Johnny Valentine | 1 | January, 1974 | N/A | Awarded after Brisco was stripped of the title for an unclear reason.[3] |
| Held Up | October 28 1974 | Held up after match with Sonny King | ||
| Johnny Valentine | 2 | November 4 1974 | Charlotte, NC | Defeats King |
| Ric Flair | 1 | July 1975 | ? | |
| Wahoo McDaniel | 1 | July 26 1975 | Greensboro, NC | |
| Ric Flair | 2 | September 20 1975 | Hampton, VA | |
| Wahoo McDaniel | 2 | May 3 1976 | Charlotte, NC | |
| Ric Flair | 3 | May 24 1976 | Charlotte, NC | |
| Wahoo McDaniel | 3 | September 11 1976 | Greenville, SC | |
| Ric Flair | 4 | October 16 1976 | Greensboro, NC | |
| Wahoo McDaniel | 4 | December 27 1976 | Richmond, VA | |
| Greg Valentine | 1 | June 11 1977 | Raleigh, NC | |
| Wahoo McDaniel | 5 | August 9 1977 | Raleigh, NC | |
| Greg Valentine | 2 | September 10 1977 | Raleigh, NC | |
| Ken Patera | 1 | April 9 1978 | Charlotte, NC | |
| Tony Atlas | 1 | September 17, 1978 | Roanoke, VA | |
| Ken Patera | 2 | October 15, 1978 | Roanoke, VA | |
| Jim Brunzell | 1 | September 14 1979 | Richmond, VA | |
| Ray Stevens | 1 | November 25 1979 | Greensboro, NC | |
| Jim Brunzell | 2 | January 1980 | ? | |
| Iron Sheik | 1 | May 11 1980 | Charlotte, NC | |
| Ricky Steamboat | 1 | November 1 1980 | ? | |
| Roddy Piper | 1 | January 27 1981 | ? | |
| Ivan Koloff | 1 | April 16 1981 | Norfolk, VA | |
| Ricky Steamboat | 2 | October 10 1981 | Greensboro, NC | |
| Roddy Piper | 2 | November 1 1981 | Greensboro, NC | |
| Jack Brisco | 3 | May 10 1982 | Greenville, SC | |
| Roddy Piper | 3 | July 7 1982 | ? | |
| Jack Brisco | 4 | August 3 1982 | Raleigh, NC | |
| Paul Jones | 1 | September 1 1982 | Charlotte, NC | |
| Jack Brisco | 5 | October 18 1982 | Greenville, SC | |
| Paul Jones | 2 | October 25 1982 | Fayetteville, NC | |
| Jack Brisco | 6 | November 1982 | ? | |
| Dory Funk, Jr. | 1 | January 23 1983 | Charlotte, North Carolina | |
| Rufus R. Jones | 1 | August 5 1983 | Richmond, VA | |
| Dick Slater | 1 | December 3 1983 | Hampton, VA | |
| Ivan Koloff | 2 | December 14 1983 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Given by Slater after he won US Title. |
| Angelo Mosca, Jr. | 1 | January 25 1984 | Shelby, NC | |
| Ivan Koloff | 3 | March 18 1984 | Charlotte, North Carolina | |
| Angelo Mosca, Jr. | 2 | April 22 1984 | Charlotte, North Carolina | |
| Masked Outlaw (Dory Funk, Jr.) | 2 | May 12 1984 | Spencer, NC | |
| Angelo Mosca, Jr. | 3 | June 27 1984 | ? | |
| Ron Bass | 1 | August 29 1984 | Spartanburg, SC | |
| Buzz Tyler | 1 | March 16 1985 | Greensboro, NC | Title vacated in July 1985 when Tyler leaves the area. |
| Krusher Khruschev | 1 | November 28 1985 | Greensboro, NC | Defeated Sam Houston. |
| Sam Houston | 1 | January 11 1986 | Atlanta, GA | |
| Black Bart | 1 | March 18 1986 | ||
| Ron Garvin | 1 | September 2 1986 | Spartanburg, SC | Title vacated after Garvin won the US Tag Team Title with Barry Windham in December 26 1986, since under NWA rules, a wrestler could hold only one championship at a time. |
| Title abandoned | ||||
| Revived NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title History | ||||
| Preston Quinn | 1 | July 17 1996 | Suffolk, VA | Defeats Rising Sun. |
| Carolina Kid | 1 | February 8 1998 | Norfolk, VA | Title vacated sometime in 1998. |
| Colt Steele | 1 | October 2 1999 | Columbus, NC | Defeats Metal Maniac. |
| Bunkhouse Buck | 1 | October 7 2000 | Morganton, NC | |
| Rikki Nelson | 1 | 2001 | ? | |
| Buff Bagwell | 1 | December 14 2001 | Hartsville, SC | Title vacated sometime in 2003. |
| "Dr. Death" Steve Williams | 1 | December 30 2003 | Guangzhou, China | Defeats Terry Taylor. Title vacated sometime in 2005. |
| Scott Steiner | 1 | September 24, 2005 | Concord, NC | Defeats Buff Bagwell. Title vacated sometime in 2006. |
| Buff Bagwell | 2 | March 17, 2006 | Laurens, SC | Defeats Rikki Nelson. |