NWA World Welterweight Championship | |
Promotion(s) | Toryumon Japan Toryumon Mexico Ultimo Dragon Productions |
Date Established | February 6, 1999 |
Date Retired | November 27, 2007 |
The NWA World Welterweight Championship was a championship that was promoted in the Toryumon promotions from February 6, 1999 to November 27, 2007. It was the first championship to be regularly defended in the promotions and would serve as the top singles championship in Toryumon Japan until April 22, 2003 with the introduction of the Ultimo Dragon Gym Championship.
Overview
The NWA World Welterweight Championship is a championship governed by the National Wrestling Alliance. The belt was generally contested by wrestlers who weighed between 70 kilograms (150 lbs.) and 78 kilograms (170 lbs.), although this would not always be strictly enforced. It was first awarded on March 15, 1946 to El Santo, who won an eight-man tournament in Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL).
The belt became an officially sanctioned NWA championship when EMLL joined the NWA in 1952. This would last until the late 1980s when EMLL withdrew from the NWA and changed its name to Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). On August 3, 1996, New Japan Pro Wrestling would take control of the belt and two days later combine it with seven other championships to form the J-Crown Championship, then held by Great Sasuke. The J-Crown would end on October 5, 1997 as championships would be withdrawn or vacated primarily due to the World Wrestling Federation demanding the return of their Light Heavyweight Championship.
Ultimo Dragon would reintroduce the championship as the main singles title in his Toryumon promotions beginning February 6, 1999 with Dragon Kid defeating Dr. Cerebro in a decision match, though the match initially ended in a double count-out and had to be restarted. The championship would remain in possession of the Toryumon promotions even after the split with Dragon Gate in 2004 until November 27, 2007 when La Sombra defeated Hajime Ohara and brought it back under control of CMLL. It would later be returned to the NWA on August 12, 2010.
Title History
# | Wrestler | Reign | Date | Location | Length | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dragon Kid | 1 | February 6, 1999 | Nagoya, Japan | 78 Days | Defeated Dr. Cerebro in a decision match. |
2 | Judo Suwa | 1 | April 25, 1999 | Kawasaki, Japan | 454 Days | |
3 | Keni'chiro Arai | 1 | July 22, 2000 | Tokyo, Japan | 150 Days | |
— | Vacated | — | December 21, 2000 | — | — | Vacated due to overturning decision of Susumu Mochizuki defeating Keni'chiro Arai on December 15 from outside interference. |
4 | Keni'chiro Arai | 2 | January 29, 2001 | Tokyo, Japan | 118 Days | Defeated Yasushi Kanda in tournament finals. |
5 | Susumu Mochizuki | 1 | May 27, 2001 | Kobe, Hyogo, Japan | 126 Days | |
6 | Ryo Saito | 1 | September 30, 2001 | Tokyo, Japan | 210 Days | |
7 | Genki Horiguchi | 1 | April 28, 2002 | Kobe, Hyogo, Japan | 56 Days | |
— | Vacated | — | June 23, 2002 | — | — | Vacated due Genki Horiguchi vs. Dragon Kid ending in a no contest. |
8 | Ricky Marvin | 1 | July 7, 2002 | Kobe, Hyogo, Japan | 17 Days | Defeated defeated Super Nova in a decision match. |
9 | Genki Horiguchi | 2 | July 24, 2002 | Kumamoto, Japan | 4 Days | |
10 | Darkness Dragon | 1 | July 28, 2002 | Shimonoseki, Japan | 236 Days | |
— | Vacated | — | March 21, 2003 | — | — | Vacated due to Darkness Dragon injury. |
11 | YOSSINO | 1 | March 22, 2003 | Sapporo, Japan | 456 Days | Defeated Genki Horiguchi in a decision match. |
— | Vacated | — | June 20, 2004 | — | — | Vacated by YOSSINO to concentrate on the Ultimo Dragon Gym Championship. |
12 | Hajime Ohara | 1 | May 13, 2006 | Mexico City, Mexico | 252 Days | Defeated La Mascara in a decision match. |
13 | Super Delfin | 1 | January 20, 2007 | Osaka, Japan | 21 Days | |
14 | Hajime Ohara | 2 | February 10, 2007 | Osaka, Japan | 290 Days | |
15 | La Sombra | 1 | November 27, 2007 | Mexico City, Mexico | — | Championship immediately returned to CMLL control. |