The World Heavyweight Championship (世界ヘビー級王座, sekai hebī-kyū ōza), also referred to as the Real World Championship was a championship established and promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling.[1] Karl Gotch was billed as a first champion by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. It used the belt (or belt replica) of American Wrestling Alliance (Ohio)'s AWA World Heavyweight Championship,[a] which was held by Karl Gotch from September 11, 1962 to September 7, 1964.[2] The title was successfully defended only once, by Antonio Inoki against Red Pimpernel on day 12 of New Golden Series on October 9, 1972.[3] Karl Gotch was the final champion in his second reign,[4] winning the title from Antonio Inoki on October 10, 1972.[5]
| World Heavyweight Championship | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||
| Details | |||||||||||
| Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) | ||||||||||
| Date established | 1972 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Title history
editOver the championship's one-year history, there were only two reigns between two champions. Karl Gotch was the inaugural champion with most reigns, at two times. Gotch was also the final champion.
| No. | Overall reign number |
|---|---|
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| Defences | Number of successful defences |
| N/A | Unknown information |
| (NET) | Championship change took place "no earlier than" the date listed |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Defences | ||||
| 1 | Karl Gotch | January 13, 1972 (NET) |
N/A | N/A | 1 | N/A | 0 | Recognized as a champion by NJPW using the belt (or its replica) of AWA World Heavyweight Championship. | |
| 2 | Antonio Inoki | October 4, 1972 | New Golden Series | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 6 | 1 | Won the title via count-out. Lou Thesz was the special guest referee. | [6][7] |
| 3 | Karl Gotch | October 10, 1972 | New Golden Series | Osaka, Japan | 2 | N/A | 0 | [5] | |
| — | Deactivated | October 10, 1972 (NET) |
— | — | — | — | — | The championship was abandoned without any formal announcement. | |
See also
edit- NWF Heavyweight Championship, the championship that succeeded the Real World Championship as the top title in NJPW
Notes
edit- ^ Not to be confused with the AWA World Heavyweight Championship promoted by the Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Alliance.
References
edit- ^ "チャンピオン・ベルト・ギャラリー 新日本プロレス". www.showapuroresu.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-12.
- ^ "AWA World Heavyweight Title (Indiana / Ohio / Colorado)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
- ^ "NJPW New Golden Series - Tag 12 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ^ "PWTorch.com - SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2007 with Details (Updated as needed)". www.pwtorch.com. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
- ^ a b "NJPW New Golden Series - Tag 13 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
- ^ "NJPW New Golden Series - Tag 10 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- ^ "NJPW Sumo Hall Show (Oct '72) at Old Sumo Hall - Kuramae Kokugikan wrestling results - Internet Wrestling Database". www.profightdb.com. Retrieved 2020-06-11.