| IWA World Heavyweight Championship | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Details | |||||||
| Promotion | World Championship Wrestling | ||||||
| Date established | 1964 | ||||||
| Date retired | 1971 | ||||||
| |||||||
The IWA World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from its founding in 1964 until 1971.[1]
Although a part of WCW, the championship carried the IWA initials, for the International Wrestling Alliance. The IWA was WCW's sanctioning body for its championships.
WCW joined the National Wrestling Alliance in August 1969,[2] but still recognized this title as its world title. In 1971, the title was abandoned, the NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Championship was established as WCW's new top championship, and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship was recognized in WCW as the world title.
24 different men held the championship, combining for 51 individual title reigns.[1]
| Wrestler: | Times: | Date: | Location: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killer Kowalski | 1 | October 1964 | ? | Kowalski was awarded the title. |
| Dominic DeNucci | 1 | 7 November 1964 | Melbourne, Victoria | |
| Ray Stevens | 1 | January 1965 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| Dominic DeNucci | 2 | January 1965 | Melbourne, Victoria | |
| Mitsu Arakawa | 1 | May 1965 | ? | This title change occurred no later than this date. |
| Hercules Cortez | 1 | June 1965 | ? | This title change occurred no later than this date. |
| Killer Kowalski | 2 | June 1965 | ? | |
| Spiros Arion | 1 | 6 August 1965 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| Karl Krauser | 1 | 1965 | Melbourne, Victoria | |
| Spiros Arion | 2 | 1965 | ? | |
| Killer Kowalski | 3 | December 1965 | Honolulu, Hawaii | |
| Dominic DeNucci | 3 | 12 February 1966 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| Toru Tanaka | 1 | 3 June 1966 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| Mark Lewin | 1 | 9 July 1966 | Melbourne, Victoria | |
| Skull Murphy | 1 | 13 August 1966 | Melbourne, Victoria | |
| Bearcat Wright | 1 | 19 August 1966 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| The Destroyer | 1 | 3 September 1966 | Melbourne, Victoria | |
| Spiros Arion | 3 | 29 October 1966 | Melbourne, Victoria | |
| Ray Stevens | 2 | 2 December 1966 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| Billy White Wolf | 1 | 11 February 1967 | Melbourne, Victoria | White Wolf vacated the Australian Heavyweight Championship after winning this title. |
| Killer Kowalski | 4 | May 1967 | Melbourne, Victoria | |
| Tex McKenzie | 1 | July 1967 | Melbourne, Victoria | |
| Skull Murphy | 2 | 12 August 1967 | Melbourne, Victoria | |
| Bearcat Wright | 2 | 19 August 1967 | Melbourne, Victoria | |
| Killer Kowalski | 5 | 1 September 1967 | Melbourne, Victoria | |
| Mario Milano | 1 | 8 September 1967 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| King Curtis Iaukea | 1 | 30 September 1967 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| Mark Lewin | 2 | 13 October 1967 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| Ripper Collins | 1 | October 1967 | ? | |
| Mario Milano | 2 | October 1967 | ? | |
| Killer Karl Kox | 1 | January 1968 | Melbourne, Victoria | |
| Spiros Arion | 4 | January 1968 | Melbourne, Victoria | |
| Gorilla Monsoon | 1 | 16 February 1968 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| Spiros Arion | 5 | 22 March 1968 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| Baron Mikel Scicluna | 1 | 15 June 1968 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| Mario Milano | 3 | 17 August 1968 | Melbourne, Victoria | |
| Toru Tanaka | 2 | 20 September 1968 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| Tex McKenzie | 2 | 15 November 1968 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| Skull Murphy | 3 | 18 November 1968 | Adelaide, South Australia | |
| “Cowboy” Bob Ellis | 1 | 7 February 1969 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| Killer Karl Kox | 2 | 14 February 1969 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| Spiros Arion | 6 | 21 February 1969 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| The Spoiler | 1 | 4 April 1969 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| Mario Milano | 4 | 9 May 1969 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| WCW joined the National Wrestling Alliance in August 1969, still recognizing this world title. | ||||
| Killer Karl Kox | 3 | 19 September 1969 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| Billy Robinson | 1 | 31 October 1969 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| King Curtis Iaukea | 2 | 19 December 1969 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| Dominic DeNucci | 4 | January 1970 | Sydney, New South Wales | |
| King Curtis Iaukea | 3 | April 1970 | ? | This title change occurred no later than this date. |
| Stan Stasiak | 1 | December 1970 | ? | |
| King Curtis Iaukea | 4 | December 1970 | ? | |
| The title was retired in 1971 and replaced with the NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Championship. WCW then recognized the NWA World Heavyweight Championship as the world title. | ||||
