History of the AWA World Heavyweight Title



Current Champion
"The Disciple" Brian Logan

Title Holder

Title Win

Date

Location

Pat O'Connor

Pat O'Connor was recognized as the first AWA World Heavyweight Champion in May 1960, but was given 90 days to defend the title against Verne Gagne or be stripped of the title.

1/9/59 Saint Louis, MO

Verne Gagne

The title was awarded to Verne Gagne after
Pat O'Connor failed to defend the title against Gagne.

8/16/60  

Gene Kiniski

Defeated Verne Gagne

7/11/61 Minneapolis, MN

Verne Gagne (2)

Defeated Gene Kiniski

8/8/61 Minneapolis, MN

Mister M (Bill Miller)

Defeated Verne Gagne

1/9/62 Minneapolis, MN

Verne Gagne (3)

Defeated Mister M (Bill Miller)

8/21/62 Minneapolis, MN

Crusher Lisowski

Crusher Lisowski won the Omaha version of the World Heavyweight title from Fritz Von Erich on February 15, 1963 in Omaha, Nebraska.

7/9/63 Minneapolis, MN

Verne Gagne (4)

Verne Gagne won both the Omaha version and the AWA World title.

7/20/63 Minneapolis, MN

Fritz Von Erich

Fritz Von Erich won both the Omaha version and the AWA World title.

7/27/63 Omaha, NE

Verne Gagne (5)

Verne Gagne won the AWA World title. He then defeated Fritz Von Erich on September 7, 1963 in Omaha, NE to unify both titles.

8/8/63 Amarillo, TX

Crusher Lisowski (2)

Defeated Verne Gagne

11/28/63 Saint Paul, MN

Verne Gagne (6)

Defeated Crusher Lisowski

12/14/63 Minneapolis, MN

Maurice Vachon

Defeated Verne Gagne

5/2/64 Omaha, NE

Verne Gagne (7)

Defeated Maurice Vachon

5/15/64 Omaha, NE

Maurice Vachon (2)

Defeated Verne Gagne

10/20/64 Minneapolis, MN

Mighty Igor Vodic

Defeated Maurice Vachon

5/15/65 Omaha, NE

Maurice Vachon (3)

Defeated Mighty Igor Vodic

5/22/65 Omaha, NE

Crusher Lisowski (3)

Defeated Maurice Vachon

8/21/65 Saint Paul, MN

Maurice Vachon (4)

Defeated Crusher Lisowski

11/12/65 Denver, CO

Dick The Bruiser

Defeated Maurice Vachon

111/1266 Omaha, NE

Maurice Vachon (5)

Defeated Dick The Bruiser

11/19/66 Omaha, NE

Verne Gagne (8)

Defeated Maurice Vachon

2/26/67 Saint Paul, MN

Dr. X (Dick Beyer)

Defeated Verne Gagne

8/17/68 Bloomington, MN

Verne Gagne (9)

Defeated Dr. X (Dick Beyer)

8/31/68 Minneapolis, MN

Nick Bockwinkle

Defeated Verne Gagne

11/8/75 Saint Paul, MN

Verne Gagne (10)

Defeated Nick Bockwinkle

7/18/80 Chicago, IN

Nick Bockwinkle (2)

Nick Bockwinkle was awarded the title when Verne Gagne retired.

5/19/81  

Hulk Hogan

During this match, manager Bobby Heenan hit Hogan with a foreign object. When he attempted to throw it to Bockwinkle a second time, Hogan caught it and used it himself. Since both men had used the object, the ref. allowed the victory to stand.

4/18/82 Saint Paul, MN

Nick Bockwinkle (3)

After hearing Heenan’s claims that Hogan won the title unfairly, American Wrestling Assoc. president Stanley Blackburn made the controversial decision to suddenly strip Hogan of the title and return it to Bockwinkle.

4/24/82  

Otto Wanz

Defeated Nick Bockwinkle

8/29/82 Saint Paul, MN

Nick Bockwinkle (4)

Defeated Otto Wanz

10/9/82 Chicago, IN

 Hulk Hogan (2)

To insure that the controversy of their previous encounter would not happen again, this was a no DQ match.  Hogan Defeated Bockwinkle.

4/24/83 Minneapolis, MN

Nick Bockwinkle (5) 

After the match Blackburn came down to the ring and tried to have Hogan disqualified for having thrown Bockwinkle over the top rope. But since this was a no DQ match, Blackburn simply stripped Hogan of the belt and again returned it to Bockwinkle. Understandably upset at the way he had been treated, Hogan left the American Wrestling Assoc. shortly thereafter.

4/24/83 Minneapolis, MN

Jumbo Tsuruta

Defeated Nick Bockwinkle

2/22/84 Tokyo, Japan

Rick Martel

Rick Martel wrestled to a Double Count-Out against NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Ric Flair, on October 2, 1985 in Tokyo, Japan.

5/13/1984 Saint Paul, MN

Stan Hansen

Defeated Rick Martel

12/29/85 East Rutherford, NJ

Nick Bockwinkle (6)

The title was awarded to Nick Bockwinkle when Stan Hansen left the promotion after not appearing in a match on June 28, 1986 in Denver, Colorado, but Hansen took the belt and defended it on All-Japan cards in July of 1986.

6/28/86 Denver, CO

Curt Hennig 

Defeated Nick Bockwinkle

5/2/87 San Francisco, CA

Jerry Lawler

Jerry Lawler unified the World Class Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title by defeating Kerry Von Erich on December 13, 1988 in Chicago, Illinois to become the first Unified World Heavyweight Champion, but was stripped of the AWA World Heavyweight title on January 20, 1989 after the CWA split with the American Wrestling Association.

5/9/88 Memphis, TN

Larry Zbyszko

Larry Zbyszko wins the title in a battle royal after eliminating Tom Zenk. 

2/7/89 Saint Paul, MN

Masa Saito

Defeated Larry Zbyszko

2/10/90 Tokyo, Japan

Larry Zbyszko (2)

Defeated Masa Saito

4/8/1990 Saint Paul, MN

Brian Logan

Defeated Larry Zbyszko

4/18/08 Fayetteville, WV
Tony Givens Defeated Brian Logan 11/1/08 Kingsport, TN
Brian Logan (2) Defeated Tony Givens in a Steel Cage Match 11/21/08 Buckhannon, WV