NWA United National Championship


The NWA United National Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance, and best known for being defended in All Japan Pro Wrestling. It was unified into the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, along with the PWF World Heavyweight Championship and the NWA International Heavyweight Championship, in 1989. The original belt remained in use for the Triple Crown until 2013.

Title history

#WrestlerReignDateDays heldLocationNotes
1Dale Lewis1October 1970St. Louis, MOWon a tournament to crown the first champion.
2Pantera Negra1Los Angeles, CA
3John Tolos1Los Angeles, CA
4Ray Mendoza1Los Angeles, CA
5John Tolos2March 1971N/ATolos returned the championship when the NWA decided the referee used a fast count during his title defense against Mendoza.
6Antonio Inoki1Los Angeles, CA-
-Vacated--N/AVacated on December 13, 1971 when Inoki is fired from the JWA, the promotion to which he had brought the title from the United States.
7King Krow1January 1972Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaDefeated Sailor Thomas in a fictitious tournament final.
8Seiji Sakaguchi1Los Angeles, CA
9The Sheik1Tokyo, Japan-
10Seiji Sakaguchi2Osaka, Japan-
11Johnny Valentine1Yokohama, Japan-
12Akihisa Takachiho1Sano, Japan-
-Deactivated--N/ADeactivated on April 14, 1973 when the JWA closed.
13Jumbo Tsuruta1Tokyo, JapanDefeated Jack Brisco in an AJPW tournament final to revive the championship.
14Billy Robinson1Akita, Japan
15Jumbo Tsuruta2Miami, FL
16Dick Murdoch1Kagoshima, Japan
17Jumbo Tsuruta3Kuroiso, Japan
18Abdullah the Butcher1Nagoya, Japan
19Jumbo Tsuruta4Nirasaki, Japan
20Harley Race1Tokyo, Japan
21Jumbo Tsuruta5Kitami, Japan-
-Vacated--N/AVacated on June 17, 1983 so Tsuruta could focus on winning the NWA International Heavyweight Championship.
22Ted DiBiase1Sasebo, JapanDefeated Jerry Lawler in a tournament final via forfeit; wrestled Genichiro Tenryu for his first title defense instead.
23Michael Hayes1Athens, GA
24David Von Erich1Dallas, TX-
-Vacated--N/AVacated on February 10, 1984 when Von Erich dies of an apparent heart attack.
25Genichiro Tenryu1Tokyo, JapanDefeated Ricky Steamboat in a tournament final.
-Vacated-February 1986-N/AVoluntarily vacated in February 1986 when Tenryu is pinned by Yoshiaki Yatsu in a tag team match.
26Genichiro Tenryu2Ōmiya-ku, JapanDefeated Ted DiBiase in a tournament final. Tenryu won the PWF Heavyweight Championship on March 9, 1988.
27Stan Hansen1Nagano, JapanAlso won the PWF Heavyweight Championship.
28Jumbo Tsuruta6Tokyo, JapanRetained the NWA International Heavyweight Championship and won the PWF Heavyweight Championship and the UN Championship.
-Unified--N/ATitle was unified with Tsuruta's NWA International Heavyweight Championship and with Hansen's PWF Heavyweight Championship and UN championship to create the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship.

Combined reigns

Footnotes