Following the name of the champion(s): Indicates the number of times the wrestler has held that title at that point.
[...]
Indicates a gap in the listing where title changes are not known.
*
If used next to the names of the wrestlers, they may, in fact, not have held the title in the period indicated. If used next to the dates or places, either they are possibly wrong or the title changes are fictitious.
<
Title was held or changed hands no later than this. In these cases, it is known that a wrestler held the title at a certain time but not when he/she won it.
+
Broadcast date; the actual recording date is unknown.
@
Order uncertain. Different titleholders may be known for the same year, for example, but it is not known who held the title before whom.
#
Unofficial or disputable claims. These are usually matches that certainly took place, but where there is doubt that the wrestler shown should be recognized as a true title holder. These listings are also italicized in HTML files
Billed as champion in Sandusky, OH; also billed as champion in Buffalo, NY as of 87-02 (Buffalo Express, 87-02-16) and in Portland, OR as of 89-12-23; still champion in Ohio as of 90-01-22; may be vacant when Faulkner holds American Middleweight Title later in 90; passes away on 94-05-02.
Adon Butler
1888-12
American champion, starts claiming the world title sometime between 88-12-08 and 88-12-20; still champion as of 90-01-06; has "never lost or relinquished" the title (The Republican-Northwestern, Belvidere, IL, 1907-02-01); most likely retires as champion.
Lucien Marc Christol
1892-12-08<
Recognized in various states including Arizona, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Texas.
Has defeated Len Lanius on 94-05-26 in Cincinnati, OH for the Graeco-Roman title; starts claiming the catch-as-catch-can title later in the year; recognized in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana, and possibly other states; also holds the World Welterweight Title as of 95-01-26 and as late as 97-08-15 ;scheduled to wrestle another claimant George Bothner on 1902-01-17 in New York, NY, but Bothner refuses to complete unless the strangle hold is barred; also defeats title claimants John Billiter on 07-04-29 in Kansas City, KS (see below) and George Bothner on 07-09-09 in Kansas City, MO; loses to Eugene Tremblay on 10-02-14 in Chicago, IL but continues to claim the title.
Blliter still/again continues to claim the title as late as 19-03-20, even after losing to Milton Harnden on 14-06-12 in Bellingham, WA.
John Makie
1914-12-22
Lincoln, NE, USA
Owen Daily [2]
1915-01-27
Lincoln, NE, USA
Loses to another claimant Milton Harnden on 17-02-13 in Bellingham, WA but continues to defend the title in Nebraska (see below); defeats another claimant Jack Fisher on 17-04-19 in Minden, NE when Fisher leaves the town before the match; Daily no longer billed as champion in Lincoln as of 19-02-19.
Has claimed the title in northwestern states including Washington and Utah as early a 13-08-14; also has defeated title claimant Johnny Billiter on 14-06-12 in Bellingham, WA; also defeats title claimant Eugene Tremblay on 17-11-15 in Bellingham, WA; still/again champioin as of 20-12 and 25-10-21; former champion as of 25-12-03.
Harvey Parker
1901-11<
Wrestles another title claimant George Bothner to a draw on 02-03-22 in New York, NY.
Defeats Ernest Maxwell to be recognized as North American champion; later claims the world title; also recognized in Washington, DC and Toledo, OH; still/again champion as of 05-12-19.
Wrestles another title claimant Harvey Parker to a draw on 02-03-22 in New York, NY; also billed as American champion as of 03-04; has been presented Police Gazette title belt in 1899; also holds World Welterweight Title from 11; loses to Eugene Tremblay on 07-04-06 in Montreal, QC and to Max Luttbeg on 07-09-09 in Kansas City, MO but continues to defend the Lighweight title until 15.
Jean Paradis defeats Tremblay on 14-04-01 in Montreal, QC, but the decision is later over-turned when Paradis is proven three pounds overweight; defeats Paradis on 15-04-21 in Montreal, QC; loses to another claimant Milton Harnden on 17-11-15 in Bellingham, WA but continues to defend the title (see above).
United States champion defeats William Morrison, billed as English champion; also defeats Walter Morrison on 07-03-19 to be recognized in Kansas City, KS; loses to Max Luttebeg on 07-04-29 in Kansas City, KS but continues to claim the title (see above); also recognized in Dallas, TX as of 09-01.
Has also defeated Max Luttbeg on 12-03-03 in St. Louis, MO (see above); loses to Matty Matsuda on 12-06-06 in Toledo, OH but continues to claim the title (Matsuda possibly exceeding the weight limit).
Defeats Al Wasem; has "the best claim" (The Boston Post, 23-10-14); still/again claims the title in Baton Rouge, LA as of 24-08-22; former champion as of 33-09-19.
Young Miller
1909-01-25
St. Paul, MN, USA
Defeats Fred Bartle and claims the title.
Walter Keegan
1912-11-10<
Claims the title in Nebraska; still/again champion as of 18.
Bert Kincaid
1912-11-15<
Recognized in Nevada; still champion as of 13-08-26.
Billed as champion in Eaton, OH based on his win over Johnny Billiter on 12-06-06 in Toledo, OH; still recognized in Alabama and Kentucky as late as 17-03-05; recognized as the welterweight champion in Ohio from 18-01.
Defeats Breedlove and holds the title for four years before vacating it when he can not longer maintain the weight limit (Brownsville Herald, Brownsville, TX, 28-06-24; Sedalia Capital, Sedalia, MO, 30-02-06).
Also recognized in Kansas City, MO as of 30-03-22; listed as NWA champion in 32-08 (The San Antonio Light, 32-08-10); still/again champion as of 33-05-26; still/again claims lightweight, featherweight, and bantamweight titles as of 35-04-01; former lightweight champion as of 35-10-27 (Kansas City Star, 35-10-27).
Bobby Roscoe
1923-10-12<
Claims the title in Kansas (The Chronicle, Leavenworth, KS, 23-10-12); also listed as one of claimants in Boston, MA (The Boston Post, 23-10-14); still champion as of 23-11-21.
Jack Forbes
1923-12-19
Toronto, ON, CAN
Canadian champion, defeats Steve Graf to claim the world title (The Gazette, Montreal, QC, 23-12-20).
Young Lewis
1924-11-07<
Claims the title in Winchester, NH; also billed as champion in Greenfield, MA as of 24-12-17.
Everett Woods
1925-06-02
Brattleboro, VT
Leroy Ferguson
1935-09-24<
Liverpool, Merseyside, ENG *
Reporeted in Paris, TX to have won the title from "Terrible Jap".
