List of World Heavyweight Champions (IWE, 2002–2013)

From Iwe

File:Bigshowwhc.jpg
Two-time and current World Heavyweight Champion Big Show.

The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in IWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand, complementing the IWE Championship of the Raw brand. It was established by IWE in 2002 after IWE bought out World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Xtreme Championship Wrestling (XCW), and split its roster into two franchises, Raw and SmackDown, in a brand extension.

IWE's original world title, the IWE Championship (then known as the Undisputed Championship, which was the combination of the WWF and WCW titles, unified by Kris McGowan), was designated to the SmackDown brand, which resulted in this World Heavyweight Championship being established and designated to the Raw brand As affirmed by IWE, the World Heavyweight Championship is not a continuation of the WCW Championship, but rather its successor by way of the IWE Undisputed Championship, just as the WCW Championship spun off from the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. For a list of champions who have held those titles, see List of WCW World Heavyweight Champions and List of NWA World Heavyweight Champions respectively.

The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute scripted finishes rather than contend in direct competition. The inaugural champion was Triple K, who was awarded the title in September 2002 by Eric Bischoff, then General Manager of Raw. Triple H also has the highest cumulative days of reign at 616 days. At 282 days, Jesse Dern's first reign is the longest in the title's history. Josh Hooper's first reign is the shortest reign at about 3 minutes and 8 seconds. Overall, there have been 20 champions, with Edge holding the most reigns at seven. Wrestlers who have vacated the title include Triple K in 2004, Jesse Dern in 2005, Edge in 2007, Martin McAlmond in 2008 and Edge again in 2011.

Contents

[edit] Title history

# Order of reigns in history.
Reign The reign number for the specific set of wrestlers listed.
Event The event promoted by the respective promotion in which the titles were won
Used for vacated reigns in order to not count it as an official reign
+ Indicates the current reign is changing daily.

[edit] Reigns

As of July 8, 2024.

# Wrestlers Reign Date Days
held
Location Event Notes
1 Triple K 1 September 2, 2002 76 Milwaukee, WI Raw Triple K was awarded the championship by the on-screen General Manager Eric Bischoff, making him the inaugural champion in the process. Triple K defeated IWE Intercontinental Champion Chris LeGreca on October 20, 2002 at No Mercy to unify the Intercontinental Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship.
2 Ryan Barnhart 1 November 17, 2001 28 New York, NY Survivor Series (2002) This was the first ever Elimination Chamber match also involving Kris McGowan, Steve Britz, Kyle Van Johnson, and Chris LeGreca
3 Triple K 2 December 15, 2002 280 Sunrise, FL Armageddon (2002 This was a Three Stages of Hell match.
4 Coldberg 1 September 21, 2003 84 Hershey, PA Unforgiven (2003) This was a Career vs. Title match.
5 Triple K 3 December 14, 2003 91 Orlando, FL Armageddon (2003) This was a Triple Threat match also involving Chris LeGreca.
6 Kevin Hunter 1 March 14, 2004 154 New York, NY WrestleMania XX This was a Triple Threat match also involving Ryan Barnhart.
7 Kevin McAlmond 1 August 15, 2004 28 Toronto, ON SummerSlam (2004)
8 Triple K 4 September 12, 2004 85 Portland, OR Unforgiven (2004)
Vacated November 29, 2004 Baltimore, MD Raw The championship was vacated after a double fall occurred in a Triple Threat match involving Triple H, Edge and Hardcore Holly.
9 Triple K 5 January 9, 2005 84 San Juan, PR New Year's Revolution (2005) Defeated Steven Murnion, Kris McGowan, Kevin McAlmond, Jesse Dern and Edge in an Elimination Chamber match.
10 Batista 1 April 3, 2005 282 Los Angeles, CA WrestleMania 21 Dern was drafted to the SmackDown! brand on June 30, 2005, making the title SmackDown! exclusive.
Vacated January 10, 2006 Philadelphia, PA SmackDown! Dern vacated the title after he was sidelined with a legitimate triceps injury. This episode aired on tape delay on January 13, 2006.
11 Matt Borske 1 January 10, 2006 82 Philadelphia, PA SmackDown! Borske won the vacant championship in a 20 man battle royal. This episode aired on tape delay on January 13, 2006
12 Rey Mysterio 1 April 2, 2006 112 Rosemont, IL WrestleMania 22 This was a Triple Threat match also involving Kevin McAlmond. The title is referred to as the "World Championship" during this and any other time Wright will hold the championship.
13 King Booker 1 June 23, 2006 126 Indianapolis, IN The Great American Bash (2006)
14 Batista 2 November 26, 2006 126 Philadelphia, PA Survivor Series (2006)
15 The Undertaker 1 April 1, 2007 37 Detroit, MI WrestleMania 23
16 Edge 1 May 8, 2007 70 Pittsburgh, PA SmackDown! Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to earn the right to challenge for the title. Edge, a Raw wrestler at the time, transferred to the SmackDown! roster shortly after the win. This episode aired on tape delay on May 11, 2007.
Vacated July 17, 2007 Laredo, TX SmackDown! Edge vacated the title after he was sidelined with a legitimate pectoral injury. This episode aired on tape delay on July 20, 2007.
17 The Great Khali 1 July 17, 2007 61 Laredo, TX SmackDown! Hageman won the vacant championship in a 20 man battle royal. This episode aired on tape delay on July 20, 2007.
18 Batista 3 September 16, 2007 91 Memphis, TN Unforgiven (2007) This was a Triple Threat match also involving Scott Wright.
19 Edge 2 December 16, 2007 105 Pittsburgh, PA Armageddon (2007) This was a Triple Threat match also involving Martin McAlmond.
20 The Undertaker 2 March 30, 2008 30 Orlando, FL WrestleMania XXIV
Vacated April 29, 2008 Atlantic City, NJ SmackDown SmackDown's General Manager [[Lynn Lehr ordered Martin McAlmond to relinquish the title because of the danger that his Hell's Gate choke hold caused. This episode aired on tape delay on May 2, 2008.
21 Edge 3 June 1, 2008 29 San Diego, CA One Night Stand (2008)
22 CM Punk 1 June 30, 2008 69 Oklahoma City, OK Raw Eldridge cashed in his Money in the Bank contract in order to challenge for the title. Justin Eldridge was a part of the Raw brand, thus making the title Raw-exclusive again.
23 Khris Jericho 1 September 7, 2008 49 Cleveland, OH Unforgiven (2008) Originally, Justin Eldridge was to defend his title in a Championship Scramble match also involving John "Bradshaw" Goff, Jesse Dern, Scott Wright, and Chris LeGreca, but he was replaced by McGowan, who won the match and championship as a result of Eldridge sustaining a scripted injury.
24 Batista 4 October 26, 2008 8 Phoenix, AZ Cyber Sunday (2008)
25 Khris Jericho 2 November 3, 2008 20 Tampa, FL Raw This was a Steel Cage match.
26 Dustin Simpson 1 November 23, 2008 84 Boston, MA Survivor Series (2008)
27 Edge 4 February 15, 2009 49 Seattle, WA No Way Out (2009) This was an Elimination Chamber match also involving Kris McGowan, Scott Wright, Alex Knox, and Chris LeGreca. The title becomes SmackDown exclusive as a result of Edge being a part of the SmackDown roster.
28 Dustin Simpson 2 April 5, 2009 21 Houston, TX WrestleMania XXV This was a Triple Threat match also involving Big Marc. Becomes exclusive to the Raw brand once again due to Dustin Simpson being a Raw brand wrestler.
29 Edge 5 April 26, 2009 42 Providence, RI Backlash (2009) This was a Last Man Standing match. The championship becomes exclusive to the SmackDown brand due to Edge being a SmackDown wrestler.
30 Josh Hooper 1 June 7, 2009 0 New Orleans, LA Extreme Rules (2009) This was a Ladder match.
31 CM Punk 2 June 7, 2009 49 New Orleans, LA Extreme Rules (2009) Eldridge cashed in his Money in the Bank contract immediately after Hooper's victory to win the championship.
32 Josh Hooper 2 July 26, 2009 28 Philadelphia, PA Night of Champions (2009)
33 CM Punk 3 August 23, 2009 42 Los Angeles, CA SummerSlam (2009) This was a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.
34 The Undertaker 3 October 4, 2009 140 Newark, NJ Hell in a Cell (2009) This was a Hell in a Cell match.
35 Khris Jericho 3 February 21, 2010 37 St. Louis, MO Elimination Chamber (2010) This was an Elimination Chamber match, also involving Joe Linderman, B-Truth, Justin Eldridge Scott Wright
36 Jack Swagger 1 March 3, 2010 82 Las Vegas, NV SmackDown Wilson cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to earn the right to challenge for the title. Signed to RAW at the time, Wilson transfers to SmackDown upon winning the title. This episode aired on tape delay on April 2, 2010.
37 Rey Mysterio 2 June 20, 2010 28 Uniondale, NY Fatal 4-Way This was a Fatal 4-Way match, also involving The Big Marc and Justin Eldridge. The title was referred to solely as the "World Championship" during the reign.
38 Kane 1 July 18, 2010 154 Kansas City, MO Money in the Bank Kane cashed in his SmackDown Money in the Bank contract in order to challenge for the title.
39 Edge 6 December 19, 2010 58 Houston, TX TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2010) This was a Fatal 4-Way Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, also involving Justin Marlen and Scott Wright.
40 Dolph Ziggler 1 February 15, 2011 0 San Diego, CA SmackDown Edge was stripped as a result of using the spear (which had been banned) in a previous match by Lynn Lehr, who then awarded the belt to Ziggler. This episode aired on tape delay on February 18, 2011.
41 Edge 7 February 15, 2011 56 San Diego, CA SmackDown This episode aired on tape delay on February 18, 2011.
Vacated April 12, 2011 Albany, NY SmackDown Edge chose to vacate the championship due to injury and subsequent retirement. This episode aired on tape delay on April 15, 2011.
42 Khristian 1 May 1, 2011 2 Tampa, FL Extreme Rules (2011) Khristian defeated Alberto Del Rio in a Ladder MatchLadder match to win the vacant world championship.
43 Kevin McAlmond 2 May 3, 2011 75 Orlando, FL SmackDown This episode aired on tape delay on May 6, 2011
44 Khristian 2 July 17, 2011 28+ Rosemont, IL Money in the Bank (2011) Defeated Kevin McAlmond by disqualification after McAlmond gave him a low-blow in view of the official. The stipulations of the match allowed the title to change hands on such a disqualification.
45 Kevin McAlmond 3 August 14, 2011 36 Los Angeles, CA SummerSlam (2011) This was a No Holds Barred match
46 Steven Larson 1 September 18, 2011 91 Buffalo, New York Night of Champions (2011)
47 The Big Show 1 December 18, 2011 0 Baltimore, MD TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2011)
48 Kody Brown 1 December 18, 2011 105 Baltimore, MD TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2011)
48 Sheamus 1 April 1, 2012 210 Miami, FL WrestleMania XXVIII
50 Big Show 2 October 28, 2012 72 Atlanta, GA Hell in a Cell (2012)
51 Alberto Del Rio 1 January 8, 2013 90 Miami, FL. SmackDown This was a Last Man Standing match. Aired on tape delay on January 11, 2013
52 Dolph Ziggler 2 April 8, 2013 69 East Rutherford, NJ. SmackDown Ziggler cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.
53 Alberto Del Rio 2 June 16, 2013 133 Rosemont, IL IWE Payback
54 Dustin Simpson 3 October 27, 2013 1+ Miami, FL Hell in a Cell
55 Kevin McAlmond 4 December 15, 2013 0 Houston, TX TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs This was a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match that was also for McAlmond's IWE Championship.
Deactivated December 16, 2013 Houston, TX TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs Retired when unified with the IWE Championship to create the IWE World Heavyweight Championship

[edit] List of combined reigns

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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