On this page, you find the full Title History for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, with all Championship Info, Statistics, the Belt Design changes through the years, and the full list of Title Reigns, along with dates, events, and reign durations.
The WCW World Heavyweight Championship was a World Title contested in World Wrestling Entertainment, World Championship Wrestling and National Wrestling Alliance, by men wrestlers.
The championship was first established on January 11, 1991, and the inaugural champion was Ric Flair.
The prestigious lineage of the World Heavyweight Championship can be traced back all the way to George Hackenschmidt and 1904. For years, it was known as the NWA Championship; then when WCW pulled out of the NWA in the early 1990s, Ric Flair was recognized as the first-ever WCW Champion. Since that time, top names such as Hulk Hogan, Ron Simmons and Bret Hart carried the championship prior to WCW's demise.
The WCW International World Heavyweight Championship was previously unified into this championship.
The WCW World Heavyweight Championship was retired on December 9, 2001, when it was unified into the WWE Championship, with the final champion being Chris Jericho.
A similar championship, the World Heavyweight Championship ('02-'13), has been later introduced, which does not share the lineage with this title.
WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Title History
WWF
NWA-
Championship Names & Belt Designs
-
-
World Championship November 19, 2001 December 9, 2001 - WCW Championship June 24, 2001 November 18, 2001
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship March 14, 1999 June 23, 2001
-
WCW World Heavyweight Championship (nWo - Hollywood Hogan) January 4, 1999 March 13, 1999 - WCW World Heavyweight Championship July 6, 1998 January 3, 1999
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship (nWo - Hollywood Hogan) April 20, 1998 July 5, 1998
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship December 18, 1997 April 19, 1998
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship (nWo - Hollywood Hogan) August 9, 1997 December 17, 1997
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship August 5, 1997 August 8, 1997
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship (nWo - Hollywood Hogan) August 12, 1996 August 4, 1997
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship June 24, 1994 August 11, 1996
-
WCW World Heavyweight Championship July 15, 1991 June 23, 1994 -
WCW World Heavyweight Championship July 14, 1991 July 14, 1991 - WCW World Heavyweight Championship January 11, 1991 July 13, 1991
-
For the Title History of the newer version of this championship, see the page for the World Heavyweight Championship ('02-'13).
For the Title History of the championship in which this title was unified into, see the page for the WWE Championship.
WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Title Reigns
-
N. Image Champion Reign World Wrestling Entertainment Unified into the WWF Championship
- December 9, 2001
- San Diego, CA
- 8382+ days
After defeating The Rock for the World Championship, Chris Jericho defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin to unify the World Championship into the WWF Championship. The World Championship was retired.62 
Chris Jericho 2
- December 9, 2001
- San Diego, CA
- | WWF Vengeance 2001
- 0 days
0- days
61 
The Rock 2
- November 5, 2001
- Uniondale, NY
- | Raw Is War
- 34 days
The title was referred to as World Championship from November 19, 2001, after the demise of The Alliance.34- days
60 Chris Jericho 1
- October 21, 2001
- St. Louis, MO
- | WWF No Mercy 2001
- 15 days
15- days
59 The Rock 1
- August 19, 2001
- San Jose, CA
- | WWF SummerSlam 2001
- 63 days
63- days
58 
Booker T 5
- July 30, 2001
- Philadelphia, PA
- | Raw Is War
- 20 days
20- days
57 
Kurt Angle 1
- July 26, 2001
- Pittsburgh, PA
- | SmackDown!
- 4 days
4- days
56 Booker T 4
- March 26, 2001
- Panama City, FL
- | WCW Nitro
- 122 days
This was the final episode of Nitro, as WCW had been purchased by WWF on March 23, 2001. The title was then defended on WWF programming, where it was referred to as WCW Championship.122- days
World Championship Wrestling 55 
Scott Steiner 1
- November 26, 2000
- Milwaukee, WI
- | WCW Mayhem 2000
- 120 days
120- days
54 Booker T 3
- October 2, 2000
- San Francisco, CA
- | WCW Nitro
- 55 days
Defeated Jeff Jarrett in a San Francisco 49ers match for the vacant title.55- days
Vacant
- October 2, 2000
- San Francisco, CA
- | WCW Nitro
- 0 days
Vince Russo decided he was not a wrestler and he did not want the title, so he vacated it.0- days
53 
Vince Russo 1
- September 25, 2000
- Uniondale, NY
- | WCW Nitro
- 7 days
7- days
52 Booker T 2
- September 17, 2000
- Buffalo, NY
- | WCW Fall Brawl 2000
- 8 days
8- days
51 
Kevin Nash 5
- August 28, 2000
- Las Cruces, NM
- | WCW Nitro
- 20 days
20- days
50 Booker T 1
- July 9, 2000
- Daytona Beach, FL
- | WCW Bash at the Beach 2000
- 50 days
Earlier that night, Hollywood Hulk Hogan faced Jeff Jarrett for the title in a controversial match that ended in a shoot. In reality, Vince Russo wanted Hogan to lose to Jarrett, who would then lose to Booker T. However, Hogan refused to job to Jarrett, so Russo told Jarrett to just lie down and let Hogan win. Jarrett lay down and Russo threw the belt in the ring at a confused Hogan, telling Hogan to take the belt. After Hogan pinned Jarrett and was declared new champion, he called out Russo for his poor booking decisions before walking out of WCW. Russo reversed the decision, declaring that Jarrett was still champion. Jarrett then lost the title to Booker T in an impromptu match.50- days
49 
Jeff Jarrett 4
- May 29, 2000
- Salt Lake City, UT
- | WCW Nitro
- 41 days
41- days
48 
Ric Flair 7
- May 29, 2000
- Salt Lake City, UT
- | WCW Nitro
- 0 days
Kevin Nash / Diesel gave the title to Flair.0- days
47 Kevin Nash 4
- May 24, 2000
- Saginaw, MI
- | WCW Thunder
- 5 days
5- days
46 Jeff Jarrett 3
- May 22, 2000
- Grand Rapids, MI
- | WCW Nitro
- 2 days
Vince Russo awarded the vacant title to Jarrett.2- days
Vacant
- May 22, 2000
- Grand Rapids, MI
- | WCW Nitro
- 0 days
Vince Russo stripped Ric Flair of the title.0- days
45 Ric Flair 6
- May 15, 2000
- Biloxi, MS
- | WCW Nitro
- 7 days
7- days
44 Jeff Jarrett 2
- May 7, 2000
- Kansas City, MO
- | WCW Slamboree 2000
- 8 days
8- days
43 
David Arquette 1
- April 26, 2000
- Syracuse, NY
- | WCW Thunder
- 11 days
This was a tag team match pitting Arquette & Diamond Dallas Page against Eric Bischoff & Jeff Jarrett, in which whoever scored the fall would become champion. Arquette pinned Bischoff to win Page's title.11- days
42 
Diamond Dallas Page 3
- April 24, 2000
- Rochester, NY
- | WCW Nitro
- 2 days
2- days
41 Jeff Jarrett 1
- April 16, 2000
- Chicago, IL
- | WCW Spring Stampede 2000
- 8 days
Defeated Diamond Dallas Page in tournament final for the vacant title.8- days
Vacant
- April 10, 2000
- Denver, CO
- | WCW Nitro
- 6 days
All WCW titles were declared vacant by Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff after WCW was rebooted.6- days
40 
Sid Vicious 2
- January 26, 2000
- Las Vegas, NV
- | WCW Thunder
- 75 days
75- days
39 Kevin Nash 3
- January 26, 2000
- Las Vegas, NV
- | WCW Thunder
- 0 days
As Commissioner, Nash awarded himself the title.0- days
Vacant
- January 26, 2000
- Las Vegas, NV
- | WCW Thunder
- 0 days
Sid Vicious was stripped of the title by Commissioner Kevin Nash / Diesel due to Sid pinning the wrong Harris Brother.0- days
38 Sid Vicious 1
- January 24, 2000
- Los Angeles, CA
- | WCW Nitro
- 2 days
Defeated The Harris Brothers for the right to face Kevin Nash / Diesel, then defeated Nash for the vacant title.2- days
Vacant
- January 17, 2000
- Cincinnati, OH
- | WCW Nitro
- 7 days
In storyline, Chris Benoit was stripped of the title because he won the match although Sid Vicious' foot was under the rope during the submission. In reality, Benoit forfeited the title and left for WWF after dispute with management.7- days
37 
Chris Benoit 1
- January 16, 2000
- Cincinnati, OH
- | WCW Souled Out 2000
- 1 day
Defeated Sid Vicious for the vacant title.1- day
Vacant
- January 16, 2000
- Cincinnati, OH
- | WCW Souled Out 2000
- 0 days
Hart vacated the title due to a legitimate injury that eventually forced him to retire nine months later.0- days
36 
Bret "The Hitman" Hart 2
- December 20, 1999
- Baltimore, MD
- | WCW Nitro
- 27 days
Defeated Goldberg in a rematch for the vacant title.27- days
Vacant
- December 20, 1999
- Baltimore, MD
- | WCW Nitro
- 0 days
Hart vacated the title due to the controversial end to a match with Goldberg at Starrcade.0- days
35 Bret "The Hitman" Hart 1
- November 21, 1999
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- | WCW Mayhem 1999
- 29 days
Defeated Chris Benoit in a tournament final for the vacant title.29- days
Vacant
- October 25, 1999
- Phoenix, AZ
- | WCW Nitro
- 27 days
Sting was stripped of the title after losing an unsanctioned match against Goldberg and attacking referee Charles Robinson at Halloween Havoc.27- days
34 
Sting 6
- September 12, 1999
- Winston-Salem, NC
- | WCW Fall Brawl 1999
- 43 days
43- days
33 
Hulk Hogan 6
- July 12, 1999
- Jacksonville, FL
- | WCW Nitro
- 62 days
62- days
32 
"Macho Man" Randy Savage 4
- July 11, 1999
- Ft. Lauderdale, FL
- | WCW Bash at the Beach 1999
- 1 day
1- day
31 Kevin Nash 2
- May 9, 1999
- St. Louis, MO
- | WCW Slamboree 1999
- 63 days
63- days
30 
Diamond Dallas Page 2
- April 26, 1999
- Fargo, ND
- | WCW Nitro
- 13 days
13- days
29 Sting 5
- April 26, 1999
- Fargo, ND
- | WCW Nitro
- 0 days
0- days
28 Diamond Dallas Page 1
- April 11, 1999
- Tacoma, WA
- | WCW Spring Stampede 1999
- 15 days
15- days
27 Ric Flair 5
- March 14, 1999
- Loiusville, KY
- | WCW/nWo Uncensored 1999
- 28 days
28- days
26 Hollywood Hogan 5
- January 4, 1999
- Atlanta, GA
- | WCW Nitro
- 69 days
This was The Fingerpoke of Doom: Hogan (leader of nWo) poke Nash in the chest with his index finger, prompting Nash to theatrically throw himself onto the mat and allow Hogan to pin him.69- days
25 Kevin Nash 1
- December 27, 1998
- Washington, D.C.
- | WCW/nWo Starrcade 1998
- 8 days
8- days
24 
Goldberg 1
- July 6, 1998
- Atlanta, GA
- | WCW Nitro
- 174 days
174- days
23 Hollywood Hogan 4
- April 20, 1998
- Colorado Springs, CO
- | WCW Nitro
- 77 days
77- days
22 
"Macho Man" Randy Savage 3
- April 19, 1998
- Denver, CO
- | WCW/nWo Spring Stampede 1998
- 1 day
1- day
21 
Sting 4
- February 22, 1998
- San Francisco, CA
- | WCW/nWo SuperBrawl VIII
- 56 days
Defeated Hollywood Hogan in a rematch for the vacant title.56- days
Vacant
- January 8, 1998
- Daytona Beach, FL
- | WCW Thunder
- 45 days
Sting was stripped of the title due to the controversy over the finishes of the Starrcade match and the rematch which took place the following night.45- days
20 Sting 3
- December 28, 1997
- Washington, D.C.
- | WCW Starrcade 1997
- 11 days
11- days
19 Hollywood Hogan 3
- August 9, 1997
- Sturgis, SD
- | WCW Road Wild 1997
- 141 days
141- days
18 
Lex Luger 2
- August 4, 1997
- Auburn Hills, MI
- | WCW Nitro
- 5 days
5- days
17 Hollywood Hogan 2
- August 10, 1996
- Sturgis, SD
- | WCW Hog Wild 1996
- 359 days
During this reign, the title was often announced as the nWo/WCW World Heavyweight Championship, though never officially renamed.359- days
16 
The Giant 2
- April 29, 1996
- Albany, GA
- | WCW Nitro
- 103 days
103- days
15 Ric Flair 4
- February 11, 1996
- St. Petersburg, FL
- | WCW SuperBrawl VI
- 78 days
78- days
14 
"Macho Man" Randy Savage 2
- January 22, 1996
- Las Vegas, NV
- | WCW Nitro
- 20 days
20- days
13 Ric Flair 3
- December 27, 1995
- Nashville, TN
- | WCW Starrcade 1995: World Cup of Wrestling
- 26 days
26- days
12 "Macho Man" Randy Savage 1
- November 26, 1995
- Norfolk, VA
- | WCW World War 3 1995
- 31 days
Won the first-ever World War 3 match to win the vacant title.31- days
Vacant
- November 6, 1995
- Jacksonville, FL
- | WCW Nitro
- 20 days
The Giant was stripped of the title due to the controversial finish of the Halloween Havoc match (he won the title via DQ due to a contract clause, after some interferences).20- days
11 The Giant 1
- October 29, 1995
- Detroit, MI
- | WCW Halloween Havoc 1995
- 8 days
8- days
10 
Hulk Hogan 1
- July 17, 1994
- Orlando, FL
- | WCW Bash at the Beach 1994
- 469 days
469- days
9 
Ric Flair 2
- December 27, 1993
- Charlotte, NC
- | WCW Starrcade 1993: 10th Anniversary
- 111 days
During this reign, a title match between Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat ended in a double pin, which resulted in the title being vacated. Flair then defeated Steamboat in a rematch for the vacant title, but WWE recognizes this as a single reign. During this reign in June 1994, Flair also unified the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship into this title.111- days
8 
Vader 3
- March 17, 1993
- Dublin, Ireland | House show
- 285 days
During this reign, in September 1, 1993, WCW conclusively left NWA.285- days
World Championship Wrestling & National Wrestling Alliance 7 
Sting 2
- March 11, 1993
- London, England | House show
- 6 days
6- days
6 Vader 2
- December 30, 1992
- Baltimore, MD | House show
- 71 days
71- days
5 
Ron Simmons 1
- August 16, 1992
- Baltimore, MD | Main Event
- 136 days
Due to injury, Sting was unable to have a rematch with Vader, so a raffle was done to take Sting's place as the number one contender; Ron Simmons won the raffle.136- days
4 Vader 1
- July 12, 1992
- Albany, GA
- | WCW The Great American Bash 1992
- 35 days
35- days
3 Sting 1
- February 29, 1992
- Milwaukee, MI
- | WCW SuperBrawl II
- 134 days
134- days
2 
Lex Luger 1
- July 14, 1991
- Baltimore, MD
- | WCW The Great American Bash 1991
- 230 days
Luger was originally the number one contender to face Ric Flair, but after Flair left WCW for WWF and the title declared vacant, Barry Windham was named the number two contender. Luger defeated Windham in a steel cage match for the vacant title.230- days
Vacant
- July 1, 1991
- 13 days
Flair left for WWF and was stripped of the title.13- days
1 
Ric Flair 1
- January 11, 1991
- East Rutherford, NJ | House show
- 171 days
Defeated Sting for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, and WCW also began recognizing Flair as WCW World Heavyweight Champion while still using the NWA belt (the Big Gold Belt). WWE recognizes this as a single World Championship reign, counting the NWA reign but not the WCW one.171- days
WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Statistics
- Promotion
World Championship Wrestling - Gender Male
- Title Type Primary Title
- Date Established January 11, 1991
- Date Retired December 9, 2001
- Unified With
WCW International World Heavyweight Championship - Unified Into
WWF Championship - Followed By
World Heavyweight Championship ('02-'13)
- First ChampionRic Flair
- Final ChampionChris Jericho
Most Number of Reigns
| Rank | Wrestler | Reigns |
|---|---|---|
| Ric Flair | 7 | |
| Hulk Hogan | 6 | |
| Sting | 6 | |
| Booker T | 5 | |
| Kevin Nash | 5 |
Most Combined Days
| Rank | Wrestler | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Hulk Hogan | 1177 | |
| Ric Flair | 421 | |
| Vader | 391 | |
| Booker T | 255 | |
| Sting | 250 |
Longest Reigns
| Rank | Wrestler | Reign | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hulk Hogan | July 17, 1994 - October 29, 1995 | 469 | |
| Hollywood Hogan | August 10, 1996 - August 4, 1997 | 359 | |
| Vader | March 17, 1993 - December 27, 1993 | 285 | |
| Lex Luger | July 14, 1991 - February 29, 1992 | 230 | |
| Goldberg | July 6, 1998 - December 27, 1998 | 174 |