NWA Western States Heritage Championship

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NWA Western States Heritage Championship
Details
PromotionUniversal Wrestling Federation
Jim Crockett Promotions
World Championship Wrestling
Date establishedJune 20, 1987
Date retiredJanuary 20, 1989
Statistics
First champion(s)Barry Windham
Final champion(s)Larry Zbyszko
Longest reignLarry Zbyszko
(362 days)
Shortest reignBarry Windham
(218 days)
Oldest championLarry Zbyszko
(37 years, 46 days)
Youngest championBarry Windham
(26 years, 351 days)
Heaviest championLarry Zbyszko
(233 lb (233 lb))
Lightest championBarry Windham
(220 lb (220 lb))

The NWA Western States Heritage Championship was a short-lived National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) title in Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) that was filled via a tournament in the Universal Wrestling Federation in 1987 and defended in JCP and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) until it was abandoned in 1989. The belt was created as a tribute to the NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship, a retired territorial championship based in Amarillo, Texas; despite this, the NWA Western States Heritage Championship was never actually defended in Amarillo and most title defenses occurred on the East Coast or in the Midwest.

The NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship was revived in 2015 by NWA Vendetta Pro Wrestling, using a belt design identical to that of the NWA Western States Heritage Championship.[1] NWA Vendetta Pro Wrestling recognized all former Western States Champions — including the Western States Heritage titleholders. The NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship was retired and replaced with the Vendetta Pro Western States Championship on September 8, 2017.

Reigns[edit]

Key
No. Overall reign number
Reign Reign number for the specific champion
Days Number of days held
No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref.
Date Event Location Reign Days
 1  Barry Windham  June 20, 1987  Live event Houston, TX  1  218 Defeated Black Bart in a tournament to fill the title.
 2  Larry Zbyszko  January 24, 1988  Bunkhouse Stampede Uniondale, NY  1  362
Deactivated  January 20, 1989  — The championship retired when Larry Zbyszko left to work for the American Wrestling Association (AWA). Zbyszko's final match in WCW was on January 16, 1989 in Chicago. He debuted 4 days later in the AWA on January 20, 1989, after which WCW retired the championship.[2] [2]
Black Bart (left) and Barry Windham in the match to determine the first champion, June 20, 1987

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship Title History". Vendetta Pro Wrestling. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Larry Zbyszko » Matches Cage Match. Retrieved May 2, 2023