The World Championship Wrestling (WCW) World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It existed within WCW between 1991 and 2001. Following the acquisition of WCW by World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. in March 2001, it became one of two world titles in the WWF, with its name being immediately abbreviated to the WCW Championship and finally, the World Championship in November. It continued to complement theWWF Championship until the following month, when both titles were unified to created the Undisputed WWF Championship. On September 2, 2002, its physical belt design, known historically as the Big Gold Belt, was restored by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE—formerly WWF) to represent the World Heavyweight Championship, with no company name prefixed.
In March 2001, the World Wrestling Federation purchased the assets of World Championship Wrestling. Soon after, "The Invasion" took place and four of WCW's championships were defended on WWF programming including the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, which became known as the "WCW Championship". The WWF carried over the title, along with the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship, WCW Cruiserweight Championship, and the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
After the "Invasion" concluded at WWE Survivor Series 2001, the title was rebranded as the "World Championship". The title was then unified with the WWF Championship at WWE Vengeance 2001 where Chris Jericho defeated The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin to win the unbranded World Championship and the WWF Championship respectively. As a result, Chris Jericho was recognized as the last World Champion, and he became the first Undisputed WWF Champion.
Championship Lineage[]
WCW Era[]
- Ric Flair: January 11, 1991 - Live Event
Vacated — July 1, 1991- Flair left for the World Wrestling Federation
- Lex Luger: July 14, 1991 - The Great American Bash
- Sting: February 29, 1992 - SuperBrawl 2
- Big Van Vader: July 12, 1992 - The Great American Bash
- Ron Simmons: August 2, 1992 - Live Event
- Big Van Vader 2: December 30, 1992 - Live Event
- Sting 2: March 11, 1993 - Live Event
- Big Van Vader 3: March 17, 1993 - Live Event
- Ric Flair 2: December 27, 1993 - Starrcade: 10th Anniversary
Vacated — April 17, 1994.
- Ric Flair 3: April 21, 1994 - WCW Saturday Night
- Hulk Hogan: July 17, 1994 - Bash at the Beach
- The Giant: October 29, 1995 - Halloween Havoc
Vacated — November 6, 1995 - Nitro
- Randy Savage: November 26, 1995 - World War 3
- Ric Flair 4: December 27, 1995 - Starrcade: World Cup of Wrestling
- Randy Savage 2: January 22, 1996 - Nitro
- Ric Flair 5: February 11, 1996 - SuperBrawl 6
- The Giant 2: April 29, 1996 - Nitro
- Hollywood Hogan 2: August 10, 1996 - Hog Wild
- Lex Luger 2: August 4, 1997 - Nitro
- Hollywood Hogan 3: August 9, 1997 - Road Wild
- Sting 3: December 28, 1997 Starrcade
Vacated — January 8, 1998
- Sting 4: February 22, 1998 - SuperBrawl 8
- Randy Savage 3: April 19, 1998 - Spring Stampede
- Hollywood Hogan 4: April 20, 1998 - Nitro
- Goldberg 1: July 6, 1998 - Nitro
- Kevin Nash 1: December 27, 1998 - Starrcade
- Hollywood Hogan 5: January 4, 1999 - Nitro
- Ric Flair 6: March 14, 1999 - Uncensored
- Diamond Dallas Page: April 11, 1999 - Spring Stampede
- Sting 5: April 26, 1999 - Nitro
- Diamond Dallas Page 2: April 26 1999 - Nitro
- Kevin Nash 2: May 9, 1999 - Slamboree
- Randy Savage 4: July 11, 1999 - Bash at the Beach
- Hollywood Hogan 6: July 12, 1999 - Nitro
- Sting 6: September 12, 1999 - Fall Brawl
Vacated — October 25, 1999
Vacated — December 20, 1999
Vacated — January 16, 2000
- Chris Benoit: January 16, 2000 - Souled Out
Vacated — January 17, 2000
- Sid Vicious: January 24, 2000 - Nitro
Vacated — January 25, 2000
- Kevin Nash 3: January 26, 2000 - Thunder - Not recognized by WWE
- Sid Vicious January 26, 2000 - Thunder
Vacated — April 10, 2000 - All WCW titles were declared vacant by Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff after WCW was rebooted.
- Jeff Jarrett - April 16, 2000 - Spring Stampede
- Diamond Dallas Page 3 - April 24, 2000 - Nitro
- David Arquette: April 26, 2000 - Thunder
- Jeff Jarrett 2: May 7, 2000 - Slamboree
- Ric Flair 7: May 15, 2000 - Nitro
Vacated — May 22, 2000
- Jeff Jarrett 3: May 22, 2000 - Nitro
- Kevin Nash 4: May 24, 2000 - Thunder
- Ric Flair 8: May 29, 2000 - Nitro
- Jeff Jarrett 4: May 29 2000 - Nitro
- Booker T: July 9, 2000 - Bash at the Beach
- Kevin Nash 5: August 28, 2000 - Nitro
- Booker T 2: September 17, 2000 - Fall Brawl
- Vince Russo: September 25, 2000 - Nitro
Vacated — October 2, 2000
- Booker T 3: October 2, 2000 - Nitro
- Scott Steiner: November 26, 2000 - Mayhem
- Booker T 4: March 26, 2001 - Nitro
WWE Era[]
- Kurt Angle: July 24, 2001 - SmackDown
- Booker T 5: July 30, 2001 - Raw
- The Rock: August 19, 2001 - SummerSlam
- Chris Jericho: October 21, 2001 - No Mercy
- The Rock 2: November 5, 2001 - Raw
- Chris Jericho 2: December 9, 2001 - Vengeance
Unified — December 9, 2001 - Vengeance - Unified with the WWF Championship when Jericho defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin to create the "Undisputed WWF Championship"
See Also[]
WWE World Heavyweight Championship, WWE Championships, WCW Championships