UWA World Welterweight Championship

UWA World Welterweight Championship
The original championship belt
Details
PromotionUniversal Wrestling Association
Mexican independent circuit
Japanese Independent circuit
Date establishedDecember 14, 1975
Date retiredOctober 14, 2004
Statistics
First champion(s)Villano III
Final champion(s)Takeshi Minamino
Most reignsBlack Man / Celestial (3 times)[1]
Longest reignSuper Crazy (851 days)

The UWA World Welterweight Championship is a championship in professional wrestling that is primarily contested for in various Lucha Libre promotions in Mexico. In 1993, the championship was recognized by the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Michinoku Pro, following Super Delfin's victory over then champion Celestial. In 1995, Gran Hamada was stripped of the championship, because he exceeded the weight limit. The championship returned to being primarily contested for in Mexico, and it wasn't until Taiji Ishimori's victory over Super Crazy in 2003 that a Japanese wrestler would hold the championship again.

As it was a professional wrestling championship, the championship was not won not by actual competition, but by a scripted ending to a match determined by the bookers and match makers.[a] On occasion the promotion declares a championship vacant, which means there is no champion at that point in time. This can either be due to a storyline,[b] or real life issues such as a champion suffering an injury being unable to defend the championship,[c] or leaving the company.[d]

Title history

Key
No. Overall reign number
Reign Reign number for the specific champion
Days Number of days held
N/A Unknown information
Championship change is unrecognized by the promotion
+ Current reign is changing daily
No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref.
Date Event Location Reign Days
 1  Villano III  December 14, 1975  Live event Mexico City  1  532 Defeated Huracán Ramírez to become the first UWA World Welterweight Champion. [6][7][8]
 2  El Solar  May 29, 1977  Live event Mexico City  1  413 [6][7][9]
 3  Bobby Lee  July 16, 1978  Plaza de Toros UWA Show Monterrey, Nuevo León  1  343 [6][7]
 4  El Signo  June 24, 1979  Live event Tijuana, Baja California  1  294 [6][7][9]
 5  Garringo  April 13, 1980  Live event Monterrey, Nuevo León  1  147 [6][7]
 6  El Texano  September 7, 1980  Live event Mexico City  1  521 [6][7]
Vacated  February 10, 1982 The Championship was vacated for undocumented reasons. [6][7]
 7  Lobo Rubio  May 30, 1982  Live event Mexico City  1  140 Defeated El Matematico to win the championship. [6][7]
 8  El Matematico  October 17, 1982  Live event Mexico City  1  791 [6][7]
 9  Blue Panther  December 16, 1984  UWA Carnaval de Campeones Mexico City  1  420 [6][7][10][11]
 10  Black Man  February 9, 1986  Live event Mexico City  1  571 [1][6][7]
 11  Ray Richard  September 3, 1987  Live event Mexico City  1  330 [6][7]
 12  Yoshihiro Asai  July 29, 1988  Live event Mexico City  1  103 [6][7][12]
 13  Charles Lucero  November 9, 1988  Live event Monterrey, Nuevo León  1  534 [6][7]
 14  El Hijo del Santo  April 27, 1990  Live event Monterrey, Nuevo León  1  746 [6][7][13]
 15  Espanto Jr.  May 12, 1992  Live event Monterrey, Nuevo León  1  44 [6][7]
 16  Celestial  June 25, 1992  Live event Monterrey, Nuevo León  2  326 Previously held the championship under the name "Black Man" [1][6][7]
 17  Super Delfin  May 17, 1993  Live event Tokyo, Japan  1  68 [6][7]
 18  Great Sasuke  July 24, 1993  Live event Moioka, Japan  1  31 [6][7]
 19  Super Delfin  August 24, 1993  Live event Tokyo, Japan  2  4 [6][7]
 20  Celestial    Live event Mexico City  3  155 [1][6][7]
 21  Karloff Lagarde Jr.    Live event Naucalpan, México  1  115 [6][7]
 22  El Hijo del Santo  May 25, 1994  Live event Tlalnepantla de Baz  2  177 [6][7][13]
 23  Norio Honaga  November 18, 1994  Live event Hiroshima, Japan  1  25 [6][7]
 24  Shinjiro Otani  December 13, 1994  Live event Osaka, Japan  1  124 [6][7]
 25  Koji Kanemoto  April 16, 1995  Live event Hiroshima, Japan  1  159 [6][7]
 26  Gran Hamada  September 22, 1995  Live event Nagoya, Japan  1  52 [6][7]
Vacated   Gran Hamada is stripped of the championship, after exceeding the weight limit. The UWA Closed shortly afterwards [6][7][14]
 Super Crazy  November 17, 1995  Live event Nezahualcóyotl, Mexico State  1  [e] It is unclear how the physical UWA World Welterweight Championship belt returned to Mexico. Super Crazy defeated Rey Bucanero to win the vacant championship [6][7]
 Kid Guzmán  October 1997  Live event Nezahualcóyotl, Mexico State  1  [f] [6][7]
 Super Crazy  June 15, 1998  Live event Hakata, Japan  2  851 [6][7]
 El Oriental  October 13, 2000  Live event Torreon, Mexico  1  111 [7][15]
Vacated  February 1, 2001 El Oriental was stripped of the Championship due to injury. [7][16]
 Nemesis  September 23, 2001  Live event Tulancingo, Hidalgo  1  203 Teamed with Crazy Boy and Rey Cuvero against El Impostor, El Cazador and Poder Gitano, captain of the team won the championship. [7][16]
 Rey Cuervo  April 14, 2002  Live event Tulancingo, Hidalgo  1  1115 [7][17]
Vacated  May 3, 2003 [7][18]
 Taiji Ishimori  May 11, 2003  Live event Mexico City  1  476 Defeated Super Crazy to win the vacant championship [7][18][19]
Vacated  August 29, 2004 The Championship was held up, after an inconclusive match against Takeshi Minamino [7]
 Takeshi Minamino  September 9, 2004  Live event Tokyo, Japan  1  35 Defeated Pineapple Hanai and Mango Fukuda to win the vacant championship [7]
Deactivated  October 14, 2004 The Championship was vacated and later abandoned [7]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Hornbaker (2016) p. 550: "Professional wrestling is a sport in which match finishes are predetermined. Thus, win–loss records are not indicative of a wrestler's genuine success based on their legitimate abilities – but on now much, or how little they were pushed by promoters"[2]
  2. ^ Duncan & Will (2000) p. 271, Chapter: Texas: NWA American Tag Team Title [World Class, Adkisson] "Championship held up and rematch ordered because of the interference of manager Gary Hart"[3]
  3. ^ Duncan & Will (2000) p. 20, Chapter: (United States: 19th Century & widely defended titles – NWA, WWF, AWA, IW, ECW, NWA) NWA/WCW TV Title "Rhodes stripped on 85/10/19 for not defending the belt after having his leg broken by Ric Flair and Ole & Arn Anderson"[4]
  4. ^ Duncan & Will (2000) p. 201, Chapter: (Memphis, Nashville) Memphis: USWA Tag Team Title "Vacant on 93/01/18 when Spike leaves the USWA."[5]
  5. ^ The exact date in October 1997 where Kid Guzmán won the championship has not been documented. Which means that the title reign lasted between 411 and 775 days.
  6. ^ The exact date in October 1997 where Kid Guzmán won the championship has not been documented. Which means that the title reign lasted between 227 and 257 days.

References

  • Hornbaker, Tim (2016). "Statistical notes". Legends of Pro Wrestling - 150 years of headlocks, body slams, and piledrivers (Revised ed.). New York, New York: Sports Publishing. ISBN 978-1-61321-808-2.
  • Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2000). Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Waterloo, ON: Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  1. ^ a b c d Enciclopedia staff (August 2007). "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras". Black Man (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. p. 32. Tomo I.
  2. ^ Hornbaker 2016, p. 550.
  3. ^ Duncan & Will 2000, p. 271.
  4. ^ Duncan & Will 2000, p. 20.
  5. ^ Duncan & Will 2000, p. 201.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "MEXICO: Universal Wrestling Federation Welterweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 398. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an "UWA World Welterweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  8. ^ Luchas 2000 staff. "Luchas 2000". Villano III: El Ultimo Rey (in Spanish). Juárez, Mexico: Publicaciones citem, S.A. de C.V. pp. 1–35. Especial 37.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ a b Enciclopedia staff (December 1, 2007). "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras". El Solar (in Spanish). Mexico. p. 19. Tomo V.
  10. ^ Luchas 2000 staff. "Luchas 2000". Blue Panther 30 Años: La Historia (in Spanish). Juárez: Publicaciones citem, S.A. de C.V. pp. 1–35. Especial 34.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Centinela, Teddy. "En un día como hoy… Carnaval de Campeones en El Toreo". SuperLuchas Magazine (in Spanish).
  12. ^ Hoops, Brian (July 29, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (July 29): Ric Flair vs. Bobo Brazil, Nick Bockwinkel vs. Mil Mascaras". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  13. ^ a b L.L. Staff (2008). "Lucha Libre: Conoce la historia de las leyendas de cuadrilátero". El Hijo del Santo (1963) (in Spanish). Mexico. p. 31. Grandes Figuras de la Lucha Libre.
  14. ^ Kristen Leoce. "The Mexican Peso Crisis". The Mexican Peso Crisis. The Mexican Peso Crisis. p. 1.
  15. ^ "2000 Especial!". Box y Lucha Magazine (in Spanish). January 9, 2001. pp. 2–28. issue 2488.
  16. ^ a b "2001 Especial!". Box y Lucha Magazine (in Spanish). January 13, 2002. pp. 2–28. Issue 2540.
  17. ^ "2002: considerar detrás". Box y Lucha Magazine (in Spanish). January 19, 2003. Issue 2593.
  18. ^ a b "Número Especial - Lo mejor de la lucha libre mexicana durante el 2003". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). January 5, 2003. Issue 40.
  19. ^ Hoops, Brian (May 11, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (May 11): Von Erichs vs. Verne & Don Leo Jonathan, Shane Douglas vs 2 Cold Scorpio". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved March 21, 2020.