From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the boxing championship, see List of British heavyweight boxing champions
The British Heavyweight Championship is a top British wrestling championship found throughout the country's circuit.
Many versions of the British Heavyweight Championship exist in the independent circuit of the United Kingdom at any given time but the scene is usually dominated by one companies version. When another company becomes dominant the title often manages to unify itself or is brought into that company.
[edit] Title histories
This is the combined list of different versions of the British Heavyweight Titles, each of which was probably the most siginificant version at the time. Each version may or may not be connected to another. However, all title chages are either actual or "official" unless indicated otherwise.
[edit] British Wrestling Association
| Wrestler: |
Times: |
Date: |
Place: |
Notes: |
| Atholl Oakeley |
1 |
1930 |
|
Won a series of matches to become the first champion. |
| Vacant |
|
1935 |
|
After Oakeley retired due to injury |
| Bill Garnon |
1 |
1935 |
London, England |
|
| M. Fazal |
1 |
1937 |
|
|
| Alan Muir |
1 |
1938 |
|
|
| Michael O'Leary |
1 |
1939 |
|
|
| Vacant |
|
|
|
Michael O'Leary was killed during the outbreak of the war, he died undefeated. |
| Bert Assirati |
1 |
27/01/1945 |
Manchester |
Assirati had been claiming the title since 1940. |
| Vacant |
|
1950 |
|
After Assirati left for India. |
- Disputed claims
| Wrestler: |
Times: |
Date: |
Place: |
Notes: |
| Bill Garnon |
1 |
1934 |
London |
Some claim Garnon's first reign began one year earlier |
| Douglas Clark |
1 |
02/11/1934 |
Manchester |
|
| George Gregory |
1 |
1938 |
|
Won by default when Clark no-shows scheduled defense. |
| Vacant |
|
|
|
Until Bert Assirati is recognised as champion |
[edit] Joint Promotions
| Wrestler: |
Times: |
Date: |
Place: |
Notes: |
| Ernie Baldwin |
1 |
??/01/1952 |
Newcastle |
Defeated Dave Armstrong in a tournament final. |
| Alf Rawlings |
1 |
1953 |
|
|
| Dai Sullivan |
1 |
1953 |
|
|
| Ernie Baldwin |
2 |
1953 |
|
|
| Tony Mancelli |
1 |
09/09/1955 |
|
|
| Vacant |
|
1955 |
|
|
| Bert Assirati |
2 |
19/10/1955 |
|
Defeated Ernie Baldwin |
| Vacant |
|
1958 |
|
Stripped by Joint Promotions; Assirati would continue to claim the title in BWF |
| Billy Joyce |
1 |
15/04/1958 |
London |
Defeated Gordon Nelson. |
| Ernie Baldwin |
3 |
??/11/1959 |
Glasgow |
|
| Billy Joyce |
2 |
??/12/1959 |
|
|
| Dennis Mitchell |
1 |
??/12/1959 |
|
|
| Billy Joyce |
3 |
15/07/1960 |
Bradford |
|
| Geoff Portz |
1 |
09/03/1964 |
Bradford |
|
| Billy Joyce |
4 |
26/03/1964 |
Middlesbrough |
|
| Albert Wall |
1 |
17/02/1966 |
Nottingham |
|
| Gwynn Davies |
1 |
20/02/1966 |
Nottingham |
|
| Billy Joyce |
5 |
17/03/1966 |
Nottingham |
|
| Ian Campbell |
1 |
04/05/1966 |
Perth |
|
| Billy Joyce |
6 |
28/06/1966 |
Edinburgh |
Became the undisputed champion when Shirley Crabtree vacated the BWF version. |
| Billy Robinson |
1 |
18/01/1967 |
Manchester |
|
| Vacant |
|
??/02/1970 |
|
When Robinson left for North America. |
| Albert Wall |
2 |
13/04/1970 |
Nottingham |
Defeated Steve Veidor. |
| Gwynn Davies |
2 |
01/18/1971 |
Loughborough |
|
| Albert Wall |
3 |
08/05/1971 |
Manchester |
|
| Vacant |
|
1974 |
|
When Wall retired temporarily. |
| Gwynn Davies |
3 |
15/02/1975 |
Manchester |
|
| Tony St. Clair |
1 |
28/05/1977 |
Manchester |
|
| Giant Haystacks |
1 |
22/11/1978 |
London |
|
| Tony St. Clair |
2 |
25/04/1979 |
London |
Moved to All-Star Promotions in 1982 with the title |
| Vacant |
|
1985 |
|
Recognition was withdrawn by Joint Promotions in 1985 |
| Ray Steele |
1 |
14/04/1985 |
|
|
| Pat Roach |
1 |
26/04/1986 |
|
|
| Dalibur Singh |
1 |
02/10/1986 |
|
|
| Vacant |
|
1989 |
|
All-Star's Tony St. Clair becomes undisputed champion after Singh joins All-Star and renounces his claim. |
[edit] British Wrestling Federation
| Wrestler: |
Times: |
Date: |
Place: |
Notes: |
| Bert Assirati |
2 |
1958 (stripped by Joint Promotions) |
|
Continued to claim title and was recognized by BWF |
| Vacant |
|
1960 |
|
Assirati stripped by BWF while recovering from injury. |
| Shirley Crabtree |
1 |
1960 |
|
Won a tournament |
| Vacant |
|
1966 |
|
No replacement was crowned, making Joint Promotions' Billy Joyce an Undisputed Champion. |
[edit] All Star Promotions
| Wrestler: |
Times: |
Date: |
Place: |
Notes: |
| Tony St. Clair |
2 |
25/04/1979 |
London |
Came to All-Star in 1982 with the title from Joint Promotions |
| Kendo Nagasaki |
1 |
1988 |
|
|
| Tony St. Clair |
3 |
1988 |
|
Becomes undisputed champion after Joint Promotion's Champion Singh joins All-Star in 1989 and renounces his claim. |
| David Finlay |
1 |
05/02/1990 |
Croydon |
|
| Dave Taylor |
1 |
06/04/1991 |
King's Lynn |
|
| Tony St. Clair |
4 |
04/05/1993 |
Croydon |
Vacated in 1995. |
| Dave Taylor |
2 |
??/08/1995 |
Croydon |
Defeated Marty Jones in a tournament final. |
| Marty Jones |
1 |
1996 |
Croydon |
|
| Vacant |
|
|
|
Upon Marty Jones' retirement, no new champion was crowned. The Wrestling Alliance would later claim the titles history |
| TWA title history |
|
|
|
|
| Doug Williams |
1 |
|
|
Revived by All-Star even though TWA was using the title. Would later take the title to the Universal title tournament. |
| Robbie Brookside |
1 |
29/09/2002 |
Liverpool |
Doug was still considered the Universal champion |
| Drew McDonald |
1 |
07/06/2005 |
Croydon |
The official title returned under the All-Star banner, after TWA closed. |
| Steve Sonic |
1 |
17/01/2006 |
Croydon |
|
| Vacant |
|
26/05/2006 |
|
Sonic would relinquish the title to return to WWE's developmental promotion OVW. |
| James Mason |
1 |
12/11/2006 |
|
Mason defeated Drew McDonald, Doug Williams, and Robbie Brookside in a 4-way elimination match to win the vacant title. |
| Broady Steele |
1 |
??/09/2007 |
Merseyside |
|
| Robbie Brookside |
2 |
??/02/2008 |
|
|
- Disputed claims
| Wrestler: |
Times: |
Date: |
Place: |
Notes: |
| Karl Krammer |
1 |
1996 |
|
Defended a title that claimed to be All-Star's title, during All-Star promoted tours |
[edit] The Wrestling Alliance
| Wrestler: |
Times: |
Date: |
Place: |
Notes: |
| Drew McDonald |
1 |
??/03/2001 |
|
|
| Justin Starr |
1 |
07/05/2001 |
Weymouth |
|
| Vacant |
|
12/07/2001 |
|
Following a controversial finish in the Starr/MacDonald rematch. |
| Rob Brookside |
1 |
1999 |
|
|
| Vacant |
|
16/12/2001 |
|
Brookside was suspended and stripped of the belts-after sanctioning his own defences resulting in a breach of contract. |
| Justin Starr |
2 |
17/01/2002 |
Southampton |
|
| Doug Williams |
1 |
26/01/2002 |
Bognor Regis |
FWA Champion, Williams defeated Justin Starr to win recognition by The Wrestling Alliance. |
| Rob Brookside |
2 |
26/01/2002 |
Bognor Regis |
|
| Vacant |
|
01/02/2002 |
Exmouth |
Rumble match would be held the same night to declare new champion. |
| Justin Starr |
3 |
01/02/2002 |
Exmouth |
Won a royal rumble match |
| Ricky Knight |
1 |
11/07/2002 |
Weymouth |
|
| Justin Starr |
4 |
??/11/2002 |
Bristol |
|
| Vacant |
|
|
|
Due to injury |
| Alex Shane |
1 |
23/03/2003 |
|
Defeated James Mason for the vacant belt. |
| Vacant |
|
25/03/2003 |
|
TWA's owner, Scott Conway would strip the title from Shane following his actions in a match against Jake "The Snake" Roberts. |
| Back to All-Star |
|
|
|
Conway close the company and immigrates to Thailand, renouncing their claim and returning the history to All Star Promotions. |
[edit] Universal British Heavyweight Championship
On the 10th of July 2002 All-Star's Champion, Doug Williams along with other top title holding wrestlers entered into a tournament to be recognized as Universal British Heavyweight Champion by The Wrestling Alliance, Frontier Wrestling Alliance, World Association of Wrestling, All Star Promotions, and Premier Promotions. Doug Williams would first defeat the then-TWA British Heavyweight Champion, Justin Starr (though Starr would continue to be recognized as champion), before going on to defeat The Zebra Kid in a tournament final to become the Universal British Heavyweight Champion.
The Universal version of this title would not last long with all the promotions splitting out their British Heavyweight titles, but Williams continued to be recognized as the Universal British Heavyweight Champion.
[edit] See also other versions
[edit] References
