NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship
The NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship was a secondary professional wrestling singles title defended in Johnny Doyle's NWA Los Angeles from 1951 to 1959. The title was defended in the same area during the 1960s under promoters Gene and Mike LeBell.
Title history
[edit]An (n) indicates that a title changes occurred no later than the listed date.
| Wrestler: | Times: | Date: | Days | Place: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Pazandak | 1 | June 28, 1951 | 295 | First champion. | |
| Sandor Szabo | 1 | April 18, 1952 | 249 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Zebra Kid | 1 | December 23, 1952 | 42 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Sandor Szabo | 2 | February 3, 1953 | 26/56 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Vacated | March 1953 | - | When the television program of the promotion is cancelled and Szabo continues to be billed as the "Beat the Champ" title holder in other cities at least until April 2, 1959. | ||
| NWA International Television Championship | |||||
| Sandor Szabo | 3 | November 30, 1953 | 21 | Los Angeles, CA | Defeats Lord James Blears. |
| Mr. Moto | 1 | December 21, 1953 | 21 | Hollywood, CA | |
| Wilbur Snyder | 1 | January 11, 1954 | 355/385 | Los Angeles, CA | Defeated The Great Bolo for the title and still champion as of November 6, 1954. |
| Nick Bockwinkel | 1 | January 1955 (n) | 25/55 | ||
| Sandor Szabo | 4 | February 25, 1955 | 213 | Still champion as of March 18, 1955. | |
| Hard Boiled Haggerty | 1 | September 26, 1955 | 35 | Haggerty is still champion as of October 24, 1955. | |
| Rocky Valentine | 1 | October 31, 1955 | 35 | ||
| Red Berry | 1 | December 5, 1955 | 8 | ||
| Rocky Valentine | 2 | December 13, 1955 | 6/12 | ||
| Nick Bockwinkel | 2 | December 1955 | 13/19 | Sometime between December 19, 1955 and December 25, 1955. | |
| Wilbur Snyder | 2 | January 7, 1956 | 1/22 | ||
| Rocky Brown | 1 | January 1956 | 22/1 | ||
| Oyama Okato | 1 | January 30, 1956 | 21 | ||
| Don Leo Jonathan | 1 | February 20, 1956 | 14 | Hollywood, CA | [1] |
| Oyama Okato | 2 | March 5, 1956 | 26 | ||
| Wilbur Snyder | 3 | March 31, 1956 | 9 | ||
| Don Leo Jonathan | 2 | April 9, 1956 | 14 | ||
| Rito Romero | 1 | April 23, 1956 | 150 | Sometime after April 16, 1956. | |
| Sandor Szabo | 5 | September 20, 1956 | 70/102 | ||
| Vacated | December 1956 | 9/41 | Sometime after November 28, 1956. | ||
| Al Kashey | 1 | January 9, 1957 | 63 | Los Angeles, CA | Defeats Lord James Blears for the title. |
| Sandor Szabo | 6 | March 13, 1957 | 19 | ||
| Leo Garibaldi | 1 | April 1, 1957 | 2 | ||
| Shag Thomas | 1 | April 3, 1957 | 59/87 | Los Angeles, CA | Still champion as of June 22, 1957. |
| Bobo Brazil | 1 | June 1957 (n) | 1/29 | ||
| Mr. Moto | 2 | June 1957 (n) | 91/120 | ||
| Sandor Szabo | 7 | September 1957 (n) | 253/282 | ||
| Lee Grable | 1 | June 10, 1958 | 21 | Wilmington, CA | Title held up on June 26, 1958 against Sandor Szabo. |
| Sandor Szabo | 8 | July 1, 1958 | 204 | Wilmington, CA | Won the rematch. |
| Mr. Moto | 3 | January 21, 1959 | 126 | Los Angeles, CA | Defeats Reggie Siki for the title. |
| Black Zorro | 1 | May 27, 1959 | 3402
(max.) |
Los Angeles, CA | |
| NWA Beat the Champ Television Championship (Hollywood) | |||||
| George Cannon | 1 | September 18, 1968 | 168 | Los Angeles, CA | Defeats the Medic in tournament final to become the first champion. |
| Chris Markoff | 1 | March 5, 1969 | 1/26 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Vacated | March 1969 (n) | 10/35 | When Markoff is suspended. | ||
| Black Gordman | 1 | April 10, 1969 | 195 | Bakersfield, CA | Defeats Alfonso Dantes after the two become the last men remaining in a battle royal on April 2, 1969 in Los Angeles, California and may be a repeat of the match on previous day. |
| Pepper Martin | 1 | September 17, 1969 | 63 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Great Kojika | 1 | November 19, 1969 | 28 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Pepper Martin | 2 | December 17, 1969 | 49 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Don Carson | 1 | February 4, 1970 | 49 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Rocky Johnson | 1 | March 25, 1970 | 51 | Los Angeles, CA | Held up after a match against Fred Blassie on April 15, 1970 in Los Angeles, CA. |
| Rocky Johnson | 2 | May 15, 1970 | 63 | Los Angeles, CA? | Wins rematch. |
| Les Roberts | 1 | June 17, 1970 | 40 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Great Kojika | 2 | August 26, 1970 | 21 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Great Goliath | 1 | September 16, 1970 | 84 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Takachiho | 1 | December 9, 1970 | 9 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Great Goliath | 2 | December 18, 1970 | 14/42 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Vacated | January 1971 (n) | - | When Beat the Champ moves to Channel 13. | ||
| The Professional | 1 | January 30, 1971 | 14 | Los Angeles, CA | Defeats Takachiho in tournament final. |
| Suni War Cloud | 1 | February 13, 1971 | 49 | ||
| Kinji Shibuya | 1 | April 3, 1971 | 63 | ||
| Earl Maynard | 1 | June 5, 1971 | 49 | ||
| John Tolos | 1 | July 24, 1971 | 52 | ||
| Black Gordman | 2 | September 14, 1971 | ? | ||
| John Tolos | 2 | August 21, 1971 | ? | ||
| Kinji Shibuya | 2 | November 27, 1971 | 49 | ||
| Dory Dixon | 1 | January 15, 1972 | 49 | [2] | |
| Masa Saito | 1 | March 4, 1972 | 21 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Don Carson | 2 | March 25, 1972 | 33 | ||
| Kinji Shibuya | 3 | April 27, 1972 | 1/21 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Mr. Wrestling | 1 | 1972 (n) | 1/21 | ||
| Kinji Shibuya | 4 | May 19, 1972 | 22 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| John Tolos | 3 | June 10, 1972 | 35 | ||
| Kinji Shibuya | 5 | July 15, 1972 | 28 | ||
| Eric Froelich | 1 | August 12, 1972 | 35 | ||
| Masa Saito | 2 | September 16, 1972 | 35 | ||
| Peter Maivia | 1 | October 21, 1972 | 72/83 | Hollywood, CA | |
| Ripper Collins | 1 | 1973 (n) | 1/12 | ||
| Earl Maynard | 2 | January 13, 1973 | 1/293 | ||
| Tony Rocco | 1 | 1973 (n) | 1/293 | ||
| Raul Mata | 1 | November 3, 1973 | 21 | Hollywood, CA | |
| Great Yamamoto | 1 | November 24, 1973 | 7 | Hollywood, CA | |
| Duane Allen | 1 | December 1, 1973 | 35 | Hollywood, CA | |
| John Tolos | 4 | January 5, 1974 | 56 | Hollywood, CA | |
| Pantera Negra | 1 | March 2, 1974 | 14 | Hollywood, CA | |
| Butcher Brannigan | 1 | March 16, 1974 | 77/106 | Hollywood, CA | |
| John Burich | 1 | June 1974 (n) | 6/35 | ||
| Mr. California | 1 | July 6, 1974 | 56 | ||
| Manny Soto | 1 | August 31, 1974 | 7 | Hollywood, CA | |
| Man Mountain Mike | 1 | September 7, 1974 | 34 | Hollywood, CA | |
| Victor Rivera | 1 | October 11, 1974 | 22 | Los Angeles, CA | Immediately held up. |
| Man Mountain Mike | 2 | November 2, 1974 | <1 | Given belt back. | |
| Dennis Stamp | 1 | November 2, 1974 | 241/271 | ||
| Greg Valentine | 1 | July 1975 (n) | 1/30 | ||
| Dennis Stamp | 2 | July 1975 (n) | 63/92 | ||
| Inferno #3 | 1 | October 2, 1975 (n) | 29 | ||
| Greg Valentine | 2 | October 1975 (n) | Defeats Reno Tuufuli. | ||
| Tom Jones | 1 | ||||
| Black Gordman | 3 | ||||
| Don Fargo | 1 | ||||
| Larry Zbyszko | 1 | ||||
| The Hangman | 1 | ||||
| Black Gordman | 4 | ||||
| Mando Guerrero | 1 | 1978 (n) | 668/1032 | ||
| Battleship Johnson | 1 | October 29, 1980 | 1/122 | Los Angeles, CA | Defeats Butcher Brannigan in a tournament final; still champion as of November 23, 1980. |
| The Assassin | 1 | 1/122 | |||
| Chris Adams | 1 | March 1981 (n) | 31/61 | ||
| Peter Maivia | 2 | May 1, 1981 | 335/364 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Victor Rivera | 2 | April 1982 (n) | 43/72 | Still champion as of May 23, 1982. | |
| Mr. Go | 1 | June 12, 1982 (n) | 50/80 | ||
| Killer Kim | 1 | August 1982 (n) | 59/89 | ||
| Billy Anderson | 1 | October 29, 1982 | 38 | ||
| Vacated | December 6, 1982 | - | Title become inactive when the promotion closes. | ||
See also
[edit]- SMW Beat the Champ Television Championship, which operated under a similar system in the 1990s
References
[edit]- General
Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "LOS ANGELES: Beat the Champ International TV Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 293. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- Specific
- ^ Hoops, Brian (January 20, 2019). "Pro wrestling history (01/20): HHH returns, wins 2002 Royal Rumble". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ^ Hoops, Brian (January 15, 2019). "Pro wrestling history (01/15): Big John Studd wins 1989 Royal Rumble". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 18, 2019.