Championship Unification Match

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(Created page with ''''Championship unification''' is the act of combining two or more separate professional wrestling championships into a single title. ==History== In professiona…')
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===Notable events===
===Notable events===
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The first two prominent unifications of titles in the U.S. were done by [[Nikita Koloff]]. In 1986, he unified the '''[[NWA National Heavyweight Championship]]''' into his '''[[IWE United States Championship|NWA United States Heavyweight Championship]]''' by defeating [[Wahoo McDaniel]], and in 1987 he unified the (Mid-South) '''[[UWF Television Championship]]''' into his '''[[WCW World Television Championship|NWA World Television Championship]]''' by defeating [[Tarry Taylor]]. In both cases, the unification process was started by Nikita's home promotion, [[Jim Crockett Promotions]], upon absorbing another promotion ([[Georgia Championship Wrestling]] and the Mid-South UWF, respectively), and in both cases the titles from the absorbed promotions were abandoned.
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*The '''[[AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship]]''' was created with the unification of the '''[[NWA International Heavyweight Championship]]''', the '''[[PWF World Heavyweight Championship|PWF Heavyweight Championship]]''' and the '''[[NWA United National Championship]]''', when the NWA International Heavyweight Champion [[Jumbo Tsuruta]] defeated the PWF Heavyweight and NWA United National Champion [[Stan Hansen]] on April 18, 1989.
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*The '''[[AWA World Heavyweight Championship]]''' was unified with the '''[[World Heavyweight Championship (Omaha)|Omaha World Heavyweight Championship]]''' (a belt created by promoters in Omaha, Nebraska) twice when Omaha World Champion [[Ray Lisowski|The Crusher]] defeated AWA World Champion [[Verne Gagne]] in Omaha, Nebraska on July 9, 1963 and then the titles was unified again on September 7, 1963 when AWA World Champion Verne Gagne defeated Omaha World Champion [[Fritz Von Erich]] in Omaha, Nebraska. The Omaha version was abandoned after absorb with the AWA World title.
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*The '''AWA World Heavyweight Championship''' and the '''[[WCWA World Heavyweight Championship|WCCW Heavyweight Championship]]''' were unified to create the '''[[USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship]]''' at [[WCW SuperClash#SuperClash III|SuperClash III]], when the AWA World Heavyweight Champion [[Jerry Lawler|Jerry "The King" Lawler]] defeated the WCCW Heavyweight Champion [[Kerry Von Erich]]. The WCCW World Heavyweight Title was quickly abandoned, and later the [[American Wrestling Association|AWA]] stripped the AWA World Heavyweight Title from Jerry Lawler.
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*The '''[[J-Crown]]''', a combination of several lightweight championships from various wrestling promotions (including the '''[[IWF Light Heavyweight Championship]]'''), was defended mostly in Japan and Mexico.  The title has since been abandoned and all belts returned to their home promotions.
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*The '''[[WCW International World Heavyweight Championship]]''' was unified with the '''[[WCW World Heavyweight Championship]]''' when WCW Champion [[Ric Flair]] defeated International Champion [[Sting|Cting]] at [[WCW Clash of the Champions#Clash of the Champions XXVII|Clash of the Champions XXVII]].  The International Championship was immediately abandoned, though the physical belt was used as the WCW Championship.
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*The '''[[XCW World Heavyweight Championship]]''' was unified with the '''[[XCW FTW Heavyweight Championship|FTW Heavyweight Championship]]''' (an unrecognized title created by [[Tazz]]) on March 21, 1999 at [[XCW Living Dangerously|Living Dangerously]] when XCW World Champion Taz defeated FTW Champion [[Sabu|Jason]]. The FTW title was abandoned when Taz continued to defend the XCW title.
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*The '''[[XCW World Heavyweight Championship]]''' and the '''[[XCW World Television Championship]]''' were unified when TV Champion [[Rhino|Peter]] defeated World Champion [[Jim Sandy|The Sandman]] at [[XCW Guilty as Charged#2001|XCW Guilty as Charged]] in January 2001. The Television title was abandoned upon [[Xtreme Championship Wrestling|XCW]]'s demise soon after.
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*The '''[[IWE Cruiserweight Championship|WCW Cruiserweight Championship]]''' was briefly unified with the '''IWF Light Heavyweight Championship''' on July 30, 2001 when Light Heavyweight Champion [[Sean McCurry|X-Pac]] defeated Cruiserweight Champion [[Kevin Kidman]]. The titles continued to be defended separately and X-Pac lost the Light Heavyweight Championship to [[Yoshihiro Parki|Parki]] a week later.
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*The '''[[IWE United States Championship|WCW United States Heavyweight Championship]]''' was unified with the '''[[UWE Intercontinental Championship|IWF Intercontinental Championship]]''' at [[IWF Survivor Series (2001)|Survivor Series 2001]] when US Champion [[Kevin Adams Copeland|Edge]] defeated IC Champion [[Andrew Sekora|Test]].  The United States title was abandoned, then revived in 2003 by [[Brittany McMahon]] as a [[IWE SmackDown|SmackDown!]]-exclusive title.
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*The '''[[WCW World Tag Team Championship]]''' was unified with the '''[[World Tag Team Championship (IWE)|IWF Tag Team Championship]]''' at Survivor Series 2001, when the WCW Tag Team Champions, [[Dudley Boyz]], defeated the IWF Tag Team Champions, [[Hooper Boyz]]. The Dudleys won the IWF Tag Team Championships, and their WCW Tag Team Championship was absorbed into the IWF titles and abandoned. The Titles had previously been unified at Summerslam 2001 when WCW Tag Team Champions The [[Brothers of Destruction]] defeated IWF Tag Team Champions [[Diamond Dallas Cage]] & [[Khris Canyon]], although at that time both belts were held together instead of becoming one championship.
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[[Image:KKK_after_winning_the_IWE_Undisputed_Championship.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Triple K holding the unified WCW and IWF Championships]]
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*The '''[[WCW World Heavyweight Championship|WCW Championship]]''' and the '''[[IWE Championship|IWF Championship]]''' were unified to create the '''Undisputed WWF Championship''' at [[IWF Vengeance (2001)|Vengeance 2001]] when [[Kris McGowan]] defeated IWF Champion [[Stone Cold Steve Johnson]] and WCW Champion [[Sam Simkins|The Rock]] in the same night. Essentially, the IWF Championship became the Undisputed Championship while the WCW Championship was retired, although the belts used to represent the two championships would adorn the Undisputed Champion for several months afterwards. After the brand extension, which split the IWF roster into two brands ([[IWE Raw|Raw]] and [[IWE SmackDown|SmackDown!]]), the Undisputed title served as the prime championship for both groups. The title again became "disputed" when champion [[Brock Lesnar|Rob Lesnar]] announced he would only defend the belt on SmackDown! The following week, Raw General Manager [[Eric Bischoff]] announced the creation of the '''[[World Heavyweight Championship (IWE)|World Heavyweight Championship]]'''.
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*The '''[[IWE European Championship]]''' was unified with the '''IWE Intercontinental Championship''' in July 2002, when Intercontinental Champion [[Rob Van Dam|Kyle Van Dam]] defeated European Champion [[Josh Hooper]] on Raw in a title unification match.  The European title was abandoned as a separate championship.
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*The '''[[IWE Hardcore Championship]]''' was unified with the '''IWE Intercontinental Championship''' in August 2002, when Intercontinental Champion Kyle Van Dam pinned Hardcore Champion [[Tommy Brown]]. The Hardcore Championship was abandoned soon after.
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*The '''IWE Intercontinental Championship''' was unified with the '''[[World Heavyweight Championship (IWE)|World Heavyweight Championship]]''' at [[IWE No Mercy (2002)|No Mercy]] when World Champion [[Triple K]] defeated Intercontinental Champion [[Glenn McAlmond|Kane]].  The Intercontinental Championship was immediately abandoned, then revived in May 2003 by Raw [[Authority Figures#Raw Brand Authorities|Co-General Manager]] [[Stone Cold Steve Johnson|Steve Johnson]].
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*The '''[[WWA World Heavyweight Championship]]''' was unified with the '''[[NWA World Heavyweight Championship]]''' when NWA Champion [[Jeff Jarrett]] defeated WWA Champion [[Sting|Cting]] on May 25, 2003 in Auckland, New Zealand in an inter-promotional match.
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*The '''[[ROH World Championship]]''' was unified with the '''[[ROH Pure Championship]]''' when ROH Pure Champion [[Desmond Wolfe|Damian Lufborough]] lost to ROH World Champion [[Kody Brown]] in Liverpool, England on August 12, 2006, in a match contested under pure wrestling rules with the stipulation that both championships could be lost by disqualification or count out.
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*The [[International Wrestling Association]] unified the '''[[IWA World Heavyweight Championship]]''' with the '''[[WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship]]''' when the [[World Wrestling Council]]'s champion abandoned the company and participated in a unification match which was recognized by the [[National Wrestling Alliance]], in the process creating the first Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion in Puerto Rico.
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*The IWE Championship was unified with the [[XCW World Heavyweight Championship|XCW Championship]] on June 13, 2006 on the inaugural episode of [[XCW (IWE)|XCW on SyFy]] when figurehead [[Paul Heyman]] awarded the recommissioned XCW title to [[Rob Van Dam|Kyle Van Dam]] for winning the IWE title from [[Dustin Simpson]] at [[IWE One Night Stand (2006)|One Night Stand]].  Heyman originally intended for the IWE title to "become" the XCW title, but KVD chose to defend both titles separately. The titles separated on the July 3, 2006 episode of [[IWE Raw|RAW]] after [[Kevin Adams Copeland|Edge]] won the IWE title in a triple threat match that also included Simpson.
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*The [[NJPW]] version of the '''[[IWGP Heavyweight Championship]]''' unified with the '''[[Inoki Genome Federation|IGF's]]''' version of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship when NJPW IWGP Champion [[Shinsuke Nakamura]] defeated IGF IWGP Champion [[Matt Borske]] in Tokyo on February 17, 2008. The titles are unified due to a working agreement between [[Total Nonstop Action Wrestling|TNA]] and [[New Japan Pro Wrestling]] in which Borske wrestles for TNA.
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*In a [[Dark Match|dark match]] before [[IWE WrestleMania 25|WrestleMania XXV]], the '''[[IWE Tag Team Championship]]''' was unified with the '''[[World Tag Team Championship (IWE)|World Tag Team Championship]]''' when IWE Tag Team Champions [[The Farrys]] ([[Michael Ferry|Michael]] & [[David Ferry|David]]) defeated World Tag Team Champions [[Joe Linderman and Joe Smith]] in Houston, Texas on April 5, 2009 to become the "'''[[IWE Tag Team Championship|Unified IWE Tag Team Champions]]'''". On the August 16, 2010 edition of ''Raw'', the World Tag Team Championship was retired and a new set of tag team championship belts for the IWE Tag Team Championship were introduced.
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*At IWE [[Night of Champions (2010)|IWE Night of Champions]] pay-per-view in September 2010, the '''[[IWE Divas Championship]]''' was unified with the '''[[IWE Women's Championship]]'''. IWE Divas Champion [[Denise Lynn|Denise]] faced self-professed co-IWE Women's Champion [[Amanda Johnson]] in a [[Lumberjack Match|Lumberjill match]]. Amanda Johnson won the match due to interference from [[Victoria Lehr|Victoria]] to unify the two titles. Following the win, the Women's Championship was retired after 54 years, with the official recognized champion, Victoria, being the final champion.

Current revision as of 08:42, 22 December 2011

Championship unification is the act of combining two or more separate professional wrestling championships into a single title.

[edit] History

In professional wrestling, championships may be unified to consolidate the number of championships in a given promotion, or to add legitimacy and prestige to a certain title's lineage. In a title-for-title match, one of four things will happen:

  • The lesser championship will be dropped.
  • A brand new championship will be created (very rare, but AJPW's Triple Crown and Double Cup titles are prominent examples).
  • Both championships retain their identity and may be defended and lost individually.
  • Both championships will be remain active and be defended and lost together under one name, but title changes will reflect each individual title's history.

[edit] Notable events

The first two prominent unifications of titles in the U.S. were done by Nikita Koloff. In 1986, he unified the NWA National Heavyweight Championship into his NWA United States Heavyweight Championship by defeating Wahoo McDaniel, and in 1987 he unified the (Mid-South) UWF Television Championship into his NWA World Television Championship by defeating Tarry Taylor. In both cases, the unification process was started by Nikita's home promotion, Jim Crockett Promotions, upon absorbing another promotion (Georgia Championship Wrestling and the Mid-South UWF, respectively), and in both cases the titles from the absorbed promotions were abandoned.

  • The J-Crown, a combination of several lightweight championships from various wrestling promotions (including the IWF Light Heavyweight Championship), was defended mostly in Japan and Mexico. The title has since been abandoned and all belts returned to their home promotions.
  • The WCW Cruiserweight Championship was briefly unified with the IWF Light Heavyweight Championship on July 30, 2001 when Light Heavyweight Champion X-Pac defeated Cruiserweight Champion Kevin Kidman. The titles continued to be defended separately and X-Pac lost the Light Heavyweight Championship to Parki a week later.
File:KKK after winning the IWE Undisputed Championship.jpg
Triple K holding the unified WCW and IWF Championships
  • The WCW Championship and the IWF Championship were unified to create the Undisputed WWF Championship at Vengeance 2001 when Kris McGowan defeated IWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Johnson and WCW Champion The Rock in the same night. Essentially, the IWF Championship became the Undisputed Championship while the WCW Championship was retired, although the belts used to represent the two championships would adorn the Undisputed Champion for several months afterwards. After the brand extension, which split the IWF roster into two brands (Raw and SmackDown!), the Undisputed title served as the prime championship for both groups. The title again became "disputed" when champion Rob Lesnar announced he would only defend the belt on SmackDown! The following week, Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff announced the creation of the World Heavyweight Championship.
  • The IWE European Championship was unified with the IWE Intercontinental Championship in July 2002, when Intercontinental Champion Kyle Van Dam defeated European Champion Josh Hooper on Raw in a title unification match. The European title was abandoned as a separate championship.
  • The IWE Hardcore Championship was unified with the IWE Intercontinental Championship in August 2002, when Intercontinental Champion Kyle Van Dam pinned Hardcore Champion Tommy Brown. The Hardcore Championship was abandoned soon after.
  • The IWE Championship was unified with the XCW Championship on June 13, 2006 on the inaugural episode of XCW on SyFy when figurehead Paul Heyman awarded the recommissioned XCW title to Kyle Van Dam for winning the IWE title from Dustin Simpson at One Night Stand. Heyman originally intended for the IWE title to "become" the XCW title, but KVD chose to defend both titles separately. The titles separated on the July 3, 2006 episode of RAW after Edge won the IWE title in a triple threat match that also included Simpson.
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