NWANWA
NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship History
Complete list of every NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship reign — who held it, when they won it, and how long they kept it. Established May 1, 1943.
Current Champion
Slade
131
Total Reigns
84
Champions
1,532
Longest (days)
Danny Hodge
Danny Hodge
7×
Most Reigns
Danny Hodge
Danny Hodge
Full Title Lineage
| # | Champion | Won | Reign |
|---|---|---|---|
| 131 | Slade CURRENT | Jan 20, 2026 | 144+ days |
| 130 | Alex Taylor | Jun 28, 2024NWA Chicago Endless SummerHighland Park, IL | 571 days |
| 129 | Joe Alonzo | Apr 9, 2024NWA Hard Times 2024Dothan, AL | 80 days |
| 128 | Colby Corino | Aug 26, 2023NWA 75th Anniversary ShowSt. Louis, MO | 227 days |
| 127 | Kerry Morton | Nov 12, 2022NWA Hard Times 3New Orleans, LA | 287 days |
| 126 | Homicide Defeated Austin Aries, Colby Corino and Darius Lockhart in a four-way to win the vacant title as the modern NWA revived it. | Mar 20, 2022NWA Crockett Cup 2022Nashville, TN | 237 days |
| 125 | Barrett Brown ↳ The title was vacated when the NWA terminated its licensee contracts; the company was then bought by Billy Corgan's Lightning One and rebuilt as a standalone promotion. | Aug 12, 2017House showDyersburg, TN | 49 days |
| 124 | Mr. USA | May 19, 2017House showFranklin, KY | 85 days |
| 123 | Arrick Andrews | Apr 8, 2017House showDyersburg, TN | 41 days |
| 122 | John Saxon | Jul 9, 2016House showPensacola, FL | 273 days |
| 121 | Steve Anthony2nd reign | Mar 19, 2016NJPW Road to Invasion Attack 2016Nagoya, Japan | 112 days |
| 120 | Tiger Mask (IV)2nd reign | Sep 23, 2015NJPW Destruction 2015Okayama, Japan | 178 days |
| 119 | Steve Anthony1st reign | Apr 13, 2015VPW Casino RoyaleLas Vegas, NV | 163 days |
| 118 | Jushin "Thunder" Liger2nd reign | Nov 8, 2014NJPW Power Struggle 2014Osaka, Japan | 156 days |
| 117 | Chase Owens3rd reign | Mar 7, 2014House showChurch Hill, TN | 246 days |
| 116 | Ricky Morton | Jan 4, 2014House showKingsport, TN | 62 days |
| 115 | Chase Owens2nd reign | Oct 18, 2013House showHouston, TX | 78 days |
| 114 | Jason Kincaid | Aug 10, 2013House showKingsport, TN | 69 days |
| 113 | Chase Owens1st reign Defeated Matt Conard and Zac Vincent in a three-way tournament final for the vacant title. | Oct 13, 2012House showKingsport, TN | 301 days |
| 112 | Kevin Douglas Defeated Chase Owens in a tournament final for the vacant title. ↳ Kevin Douglas was stripped for no-showing a defense against Chase Owens; a one-night tournament was held to crown a new champion. | Oct 7, 2011House showCharlotte, NC | 372 days |
| 111 | Craig Classic ↳ Craig Classic relinquished the title in protest of The Sheik being stripped of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. | Nov 6, 2010NWA November Coming FireFort Pierce, FL | 318 days |
| 110 | Mike Quackenbush | May 11, 2007FSM Chapter TwoPortage, IN | 1,275 days |
| 109 | Tiger Mask (IV)1st reign | Feb 19, 2006NJPW Circuit2006 AccelerationTokyo, Japan | 446 days |
| 108 | Black Tiger (IV) | Aug 25, 2005House showColumbia, TN | 178 days |
| 107 | Jason Rumble3rd reign | Oct 17, 2004NWA 56th Anniversary ShowWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | 312 days |
| 106 | Jerrelle Clark | Jan 10, 2004House showSt. Petersburg, FL | 281 days |
| 105 | Chris Draven | Aug 2, 2003House showParkersburg, WV | 161 days |
| 104 | Rocky Reynolds4th reign | Jun 7, 2003House showParkersburg, WV | 56 days |
| 103 | Brother Love | Jan 18, 2003House showGreenville, MS | 140 days |
| 102 | Jimmy Rave2nd reign | Aug 17, 2002House showColumbia, TN | 154 days |
| 101 | Star | Aug 10, 2002House showColumbia, TN | 7 days |
| 100 | Jimmy Rave1st reign | Jun 29, 2002House showCornelia, GA | 42 days |
| 99 | Rocky Reynolds3rd reign | Apr 6, 2002House showParkersburg, WV | 84 days |
| 98 | Jason Rumble2nd reign | Feb 16, 2002House showMaiden, MA | 49 days |
| 97 | Rocky Reynolds2nd reign | Feb 2, 2002House showTitusville, PA | 14 days |
| 96 | Jason Rumble1st reign | Oct 13, 2001NWA 53rd Anniversary ShowSt. Petersburg, FL | 112 days |
| 95 | Lex Lovett | Aug 21, 2001House showTampa, FL | 53 days |
| 94 | Mike Thunder | May 4, 2001House showNorth Richland Hills, TX | 109 days |
| 93 | Rocky Reynolds1st reign | Apr 7, 2001House showPennsboro, WV | 27 days |
| 92 | Vince Kaplack2nd reign | Oct 14, 2000NWA 52nd Anniversary ShowNashville, TN | 175 days |
| 91 | Tony Kozina2nd reign Awarded the title by NWA officials after Rockford's win over him was reversed. | Aug 30, 2000NWA | 45 days |
| 90 | Rockford 2000 | Jul 22, 2000House showSurrey, BC, Canada | 39 days |
| 89 | Tony Kozina1st reign | Jan 14, 2000House showNorth Versailles, PA | 190 days |
| 88 | Vince Kaplack1st reign Defeated Chris Hero, a replacement for Logan Caine, to win the vacant title. | Oct 28, 1999House showPittsburgh, PA | 78 days |
| 87 | Logan Caine Defeated Viper in a tournament final for the vacant title. ↳ The title was vacated after Logan Caine failed to appear for a defense against Vince Kaplack. | Mar 5, 1999House showParkersburg, WV | 237 days |
| 86 | Shinjiro Otani ↳ The title was vacated when the J-Crown was dissolved at the WWF's request and its component titles returned to their home promotions. | Aug 10, 1997NJPW The Four Heaven in Nagoya DomeNagoya, Japan | 87 days |
| 85 | El Samurai | Jul 6, 1997NJPW Summer Struggle 1997Sapporo, Japan | 35 days |
| 84 | Jushin "Thunder" Liger1st reign | Jan 4, 1997NJPW Wrestling World 1997Tokyo, Japan | 183 days |
| 83 | Ultimate Dragon | Oct 1, 1996WAR Osaka Crush NightOsaka, Japan | 95 days |
| 82 | The Great Sasuke During this reign the title became part of NJPW's J-Crown of eight junior titles. | Aug 2, 1996NJPW G1 Climax 1996 FinalsTokyo, Japan | 60 days |
| 81 | Masayoshi Motegi Defeated El Hijo del Santo in a tournament final to win the revived title. | Aug 30, 1995WYFTokyo, Japan | 338 days |
| 80 | Les Anderson2nd reign Recognized by the NWA but not by Pro Wrestling Zero1. ↳ The title was abandoned after Atlantic Coast Wrestling closed and remained inactive until it was revived in 1995. | Dec 25, 1989ACWACW House show | 1 days |
| 79 | Rock the Hunter Recognized by the NWA but not by Pro Wrestling Zero1. | Jun 15, 1989ACWACW House show | 193 days |
| 78 | Les Anderson1st reign Recognized by the NWA but not by Pro Wrestling Zero1 as part of the title's history. | Nov 18, 1988ACWACW House show | 209 days |
| 77 | Nelson Royal6th reign After USACW closed, Royal founded Atlantic Coast Wrestling and continued to bill himself as champion. | Aug 2, 1988USACW House showKnoxville, TN | 108 days |
| 76 | Scott Armstrong2nd reign | Jul 30, 1988USACW House showChattanooga, TN | 3 days |
| 75 | Nelson Royal5th reign | Jul 23, 1988USACW House showHazard, KY | 7 days |
| 74 | Scott Armstrong1st reign | Jul 22, 1988USACW House showKnoxville, TN | 1 days |
| 73 | Nelson Royal4th reign Defeated Denny Brown for the vacant title; Royal took the title to USA Championship Wrestling and continued to defend it into 1989. | Oct 16, 1987JCP House showColumbia, SC | 280 days |
| 72 | Lazer Tron Lazer Tron was Hector Guerrero under a mask. ↳ The title was vacated after Lazer Tron left Jim Crockett Promotions. | Mar 7, 1987JCP House showAtlanta, GA | 215 days |
| 71 | Denny Brown3rd reign | Sep 1, 1986JCP House showGreenville, SC | 187 days |
| 70 | Steve Regal | Aug 2, 1986JCP House showAtlanta, GA | 30 days |
| 69 | Denny Brown2nd reign | Sep 15, 1985JCP House showAtlanta, GA | 321 days |
| 68 | Gary Royal | Aug 15, 1985CSW House showKansas City, KS | 31 days |
| 67 | Denny Brown1st reign Recognized as champion by NWA vice president Shohei Baba after NJPW withdrew; Brown had held a disputed version since Starrcade 1984. | Aug 1, 1985NWA | 14 days |
| 66 | The Cobra2nd reign ↳ The title was vacated after NJPW, the promotion The Cobra worked for, pulled out of the NWA. | Jul 28, 1985NJPW Burning Spirit in SummerOsaka, Japan | 4 days |
| 65 | Hiro Saito | Jul 28, 1985NJPW Burning Spirit in SummerOsaka, Japan | <1 day |
| 64 | The Cobra1st reign Defeated Davey Boy Smith for the vacant title; several disputed North American claimants existed during the reign. | Nov 3, 1983NJPW Toukon Series 1983Tokyo, Japan | 633 days |
| 63 | Tiger Mask2nd reign Defeated Kuniaki Kobayashi for the vacant title. ↳ The title was vacated after Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama) retired. | Jun 2, 1983NJPW IWGP Championship League 1983Tokyo, Japan | 71 days |
| 62 | Tiger Mask1st reign The NWA reaffirmed Tiger Mask as official champion despite competing North American claims. ↳ The title was vacated after Tiger Mask suffered an injury. | May 25, 1982NJPW Big Fight Series 1982Shizuoka, Japan | 313 days |
| 61 | Les Thornton5th reign | Nov 14, 1981CSP House showSan Juan, Puerto Rico | 192 days |
| 60 | Joe Lightfoot | Nov 7, 1981CSP House showBayamón, Puerto Rico | 7 days |
| 59 | Les Thornton4th reign | Oct 16, 1981JCP House showKnoxville, TN | 22 days |
| 58 | Jerry Brisco | Sep 16, 1981CWF House showMiami, FL | 30 days |
| 57 | Les Thornton3rd reign | Jun 20, 1981SCW House showRoanoke, VA | 88 days |
| 56 | Terry Taylor | Jun 7, 1981SCW House showRoanoke, VA | 13 days |
| 55 | Les Thornton2nd reign | Jan 31, 1981House showDothan, AL | 127 days |
| 54 | Jerry Stubbs | Jan 26, 1981House showMobile, AL | 5 days |
| 53 | Les Thornton1st reign Won by forfeit after Ron Starr failed to appear. | Mar 1, 1980MSW House showTulsa, OK | 331 days |
| 52 | Ron Starr2nd reign Defeated Les Thornton for the vacant title and received NWA recognition. | Feb 11, 1980MSW House showTulsa, OK | 19 days |
| 51 | Nelson Royal3rd reign ↳ Nelson Royal vacated the title upon retiring; a competing tournament win by Steve Keirn was not recognized by the NWA. | Jul 28, 1979House show | 134 days |
| 50 | Al Madril Records for the title are incomplete for this period; Al Madril is recognized as champion until the next documented title change. | Jun 25, 1978HW House showHouston, TX | 398 days |
| 49 | Nelson Royal2nd reign | Apr 7, 1978House show | 79 days |
| 48 | Chavo Guerrero | Feb 24, 1978House show | 42 days |
| 47 | Nelson Royal1st reign | Dec 6, 1976House showNew Orleans, LA | 445 days |
| 46 | Ron Starr1st reign | Dec 2, 1976House showNew Orleans, LA | 4 days |
| 45 | Pat Barrett Defeated Nelson Royal in a tournament final for the vacant title. | Sep 28, 1976House showShreveport, LA | 65 days |
| 44 | Danny Hodge7th reign Hodge's record seventh reign. ↳ Danny Hodge vacated the title after being injured in a car accident. | Mar 2, 1976House showShreveport, LA | 13 days |
| 43 | Hiro Matsuda2nd reign | Jun 14, 1975CWF House showSt. Petersburg, FL | 262 days |
| 42 | Ken Mantell | Dec 19, 1973House showJackson, MS | 542 days |
| 41 | Danny Hodge6th reign | Mar 20, 1972House showShreveport, LA | 639 days |
| 40 | Dr. X | Dec 3, 1971House showOklahoma City, OK | 108 days |
| 39 | Ramón Torres | Sep 10, 1971House showOklahoma City, OK | 84 days |
| 38 | Roger Kirby | May 20, 1971House showNew Orleans, LA | 113 days |
| 37 | Danny Hodge5th reign | Aug 10, 1970House showTulsa, OK | 283 days |
| 36 | Sputnik Monroe | Jul 13, 1970House showShreveport, LA | 28 days |
| 35 | Danny Hodge4th reign The longest reign in the title's history. | May 3, 1966House showLittle Rock, AR | 1,532 days |
| 34 | Joe McCarthy | Feb 12, 1966House showOklahoma City, OK | 80 days |
| 33 | Lorenzo Parente2nd reign | Jan 14, 1966House showOklahoma City, OK | 29 days |
| 32 | Danny Hodge3rd reign | Jan 4, 1966House showOklahoma City, OK | 10 days |
| 31 | Lorenzo Parente1st reign | Nov 23, 1965House show | 42 days |
| 30 | Danny Hodge2nd reign | Apr 23, 1965House showOklahoma City, OK | 214 days |
| 29 | Angelo Savoldi5th reign | Nov 13, 1964House showOklahoma City, OK | 161 days |
| 28 | Hiro Matsuda1st reign | Jul 11, 1964CWF House showTampa, FL | 125 days |
| 27 | Danny Hodge1st reign | Jul 22, 1960House showOklahoma City, OK | 1,450 days |
| 26 | Angelo Savoldi4th reign | Aug 21, 1959House showOklahoma City, OK | 336 days |
| 25 | Mike DiBiase | May 29, 1959House showOklahoma City, OK | 84 days |
| 24 | Angelo Savoldi3rd reign | Mar 6, 1959House showOklahoma City, OK | 84 days |
| 23 | Ivan the Terrible | Feb 20, 1959House showOklahoma City, OK | 14 days |
| 22 | Angelo Savoldi2nd reign | Jul 11, 1958House showOklahoma City, OK | 224 days |
| 21 | Dory Funk | Jun 5, 1958House showAmarillo, TX | 36 days |
| 20 | Angelo Savoldi1st reign | Feb 28, 1958House showOklahoma City, OK | 97 days |
| 19 | Mike Clancy3rd reign Defeated Freddie Blassie for the vacant title. | Nov 19, 1957House showNashville, TN | 101 days |
| 18 | Mike Clancy2nd reign Defeated Freddie Blassie for the vacant title. ↳ The title was vacated after Mike Clancy defeated Jackie Fargo via disqualification. | Apr 9, 1957House showNashville, TN | <1 day |
| 17 | Freddie Blassie ↳ The title was vacated after the Blassie vs. Clancy match ended with a controversial finish. | Mar 26, 1957House showNashville, TN | <1 day |
| 16 | Mike Clancy1st reign | Apr 10, 1956House showOklahoma City, OK | 350 days |
| 15 | Ed Francis | Apr 11, 1955House showTulsa, OK | 365 days |
| 14 | Baron Michele Leone | Aug 17, 1953House showMemphis, TN | 602 days |
| 13 | Danny McShain Unified the Los Angeles version of the title into the NWA championship. | Nov 19, 1951House showMemphis, TN | 637 days |
| 12 | Verne Gagne Defeated Sonny Myers in a tournament final for the vacant title. | Nov 13, 1950House showTulsa, OK | 371 days |
| 11 | Leroy McGuirk Recognized as junior heavyweight champion at the 1949 NWA Convention and unified the Iowa version of the title. ↳ The title was vacated after Leroy McGuirk retired due to being blinded in a car accident. | Nov 25, 1949NWA ConventionDes Moines, IA | 74 days |
| 10 | Billy Goelz2nd reign | Sep 5, 1948House showWaterloo, IA | 446 days |
| 9 | Al Williams | Aug 22, 1948House showWaterloo, IA | 14 days |
| 8 | Billy Goelz1st reign During this reign the NWA was formally founded and the title became property of the alliance, expanding beyond Iowa. | Mar 16, 1948House showDes Moines, IA | 159 days |
| 7 | Marshall Esteppe3rd reign | Apr 28, 1947House showDes Moines, IA | 323 days |
| 6 | Ray Steele | Mar 24, 1947House showDes Moines, IA | 35 days |
| 5 | Marshall Esteppe2nd reign | Jan 6, 1947House showDes Moines, IA | 77 days |
| 4 | Ken Fenelon2nd reign | Mar 11, 1946House showDes Moines, IA | 301 days |
| 3 | Larry Tillman | Jan 1, 1946House showDes Moines, IA | 69 days |
| 2 | Marshall Esteppe1st reign | May 30, 1945House showToronto, IA | 216 days |
| 1 | Ken Fenelon1st reign Awarded the title by Paul "Pinkie" George, founder of the Iowa-based NWA promotion. | May 1, 1943NWA | 760 days |
The NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship traces to 1943, when NWA founder Paul "Pinkie" George awarded the inaugural title to Ken Fenelon in Iowa, making it one of the oldest lineages in the sport. It became an alliance-wide title after the NWA's 1948 formation and passed through the Oklahoma, Tennessee and Gulf Coast territories, with Danny Hodge holding a record seven reigns including a 1,532-day run. New Japan Pro-Wrestling controlled it through the 1980s and 1990s, when it briefly formed part of the J-Crown. The title was abandoned in 1989, revived in 1995, deactivated again in 2017, and brought back by the modern Lightning One-era NWA in 2022.
NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship — FAQ
Slade is the current NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, having won the title on Jan 20, 2026.
Ken Fenelon was the inaugural NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, winning it on May 1, 1943 at NWA.
Danny Hodge has the most reigns with 7.
Danny Hodge's reign beginning May 3, 1966 is the longest at 1,532 days.
There have been 131 reigns across 84 different champions since the title was established.