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 - WCW The Great American Bash 1991
- Sting: February 29, 1992 - WCW SuperBrawl 2
- Big Van Vader: July 12, 1992 - WCW The Great American Bash 1992
- 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 1993: 10th Anniversary
Vacated — April 17, 1994.
- Ric Flair 3: April 21, 1994 - WCW Saturday Night
- Hulk Hogan: July 17, 1994 - WCW Bash at the Beach 1994
- The Giant: October 29, 1995 - WCW Halloween Havoc 1995
Vacated — November 6, 1995 - WCW Monday Nitro
- Randy Savage: November 26, 1995 - WCW World War 3 1995
- Ric Flair 4: December 27, 1995 - Starrcade 1995: World Cup of Wrestling
- Randy Savage 2: January 22, 1996 - WCW Monday Nitro
- Ric Flair 5: February 11, 1996 - WCW SuperBrawl 6
- The Giant 2: April 29, 1996 - WCW Monday Nitro
- Hollywood Hogan 2: August 10, 1996 - WCW Hog Wild 1996
- Lex Luger 2: August 4, 1997 - WCW Monday Nitro
- Hollywood Hogan 3: August 9, 1997 - WCW Road Wild 1997
- Sting 3: December 28, 1997 Starrcade 1997
Vacated — January 8, 1998
- Sting 4: February 22, 1998 - SuperBrawl 8
- Randy Savage 3: April 19, 1998 - WCW Spring Stampede 1998
- Hollywood Hogan 4: April 20, 1998 - WCW Monday Nitro
- Goldberg 1: July 6, 1998 - WCW Monday Nitro
- Kevin Nash 1: December 27, 1998 - Starrcade 1998
- Hollywood Hogan 5: January 4, 1999 - WCW Monday Nitro
- Ric Flair 6: March 14, 1999 - WCW Uncensored 1999
- Diamond Dallas Page: April 11, 1999 - WCW Spring Stampede 1999
- Sting 5: April 26, 1999 - WCW Monday Nitro
- Diamond Dallas Page 2: April 26 1999 - WCW Monday Nitro
- Kevin Nash 2: May 9, 1999 - WCW Slamboree 1999
- Randy Savage 4: July 11, 1999 - WCW Bash at the Beach 1999
- Hollywood Hogan 6: July 12, 1999 - WCW Monday Nitro
- Sting 6: September 12, 1999 - WCW Fall Brawl 1999
Vacated — October 25, 1999
- Bret Hart: November 21, 1999 - WCW Mayhem 1999
Vacated — December 20, 1999
- Bret Hart 2: December 20, 1999 - WCW Monday Nitro
Vacated — January 16, 2000
- Chris Benoit: January 16, 2000 - WCW Souled Out 2000
Vacated — January 17, 2000
- Sid Vicious: January 24, 2000 - WCW Monday Nitro
Vacated — January 25, 2000
- Kevin Nash 3: January 26, 2000 - WCW Thunder - Not recognized by WWE
- Sid Vicious January 26, 2000 - WCW 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 - WCW Spring Stampede 2000
- Diamond Dallas Page 3 - April 24, 2000 - WCW Monday Nitro
- David Arquette: April 26, 2000 - WCW Thunder
- Jeff Jarrett 2: May 7, 2000 - WCW Slamboree 2000
- Ric Flair 7: May 15, 2000 - WCW Monday Nitro
Vacated — May 22, 2000
- Jeff Jarrett 3: May 22, 2000 - WCW Monday Nitro
- Kevin Nash 4: May 24, 2000 - WCW Thunder
- Ric Flair 8: May 29, 2000 - WCW Monday Nitro
- Jeff Jarrett 4: May 29 2000 - WCW Monday Nitro
- Booker T: July 9, 2000 - WCW Bash at the Beach 2000
- Kevin Nash 5: August 28, 2000 - WCW Monday Nitro
- Booker T 2: September 17, 2000 - WCW Fall Brawl 2000
- Vince Russo: September 25, 2000 - WCW Monday Nitro
Vacated — October 2, 2000
- Booker T 3: October 2, 2000 - WCW Monday Nitro
- Scott Steiner: November 26, 2000 - WCW Mayhem 2000
- Booker T 4: March 26, 2001 - WCW Monday Nitro
WWE Era
- Kurt Angle: July 24, 2001 - WWE SmackDown
- Booker T 5: July 30, 2001 - WWE Raw
- The Rock: August 19, 2001 - WWE SummerSlam 2001
- Chris Jericho: October 21, 2001 - WWE No Mercy 2001
- The Rock 2: November 5, 2001 - WWE Raw
- Chris Jericho 2: December 9, 2001 - WWE Vengeance 2001
Unified — December 9, 2001 - WWE Vengeance 2001 - 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