NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (Calgary version)
Encyclopedia
The Calgary version of the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship
was established in 1946, and became the top championship in Stampede Wrestling
when that promotion opened in 1948; it held that status until 1972, when the title was vacated and later abandoned after the last champion, Dave Ruhl, was injured.
NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship was the top singles title in Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1978 until 1984, when it was abandoned after the Toronto promotion partnered with the WWF. The title was reinstated as the present-day, NWA Board-controlled version of the NWA Canadian Heavyweight...
was established in 1946, and became the top championship in Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
when that promotion opened in 1948; it held that status until 1972, when the title was vacated and later abandoned after the last champion, Dave Ruhl, was injured.
Title history
| Wrestler: | Times: | Date: | Location: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Mills | 1 | November 1, 1946 | Calgary, AB | Defeats Chief Thunderbird |
| Ski Hi Lee Ski Hi Lee Robert E. Leedy was a heavyweight professional wrestler who began his career around the end of the Second World War and was active for some twenty years. He is best known as Ski Hi Lee. His name is sometimes written as Ski-Hi Lee, Sky Hi Lee, Sky-Hi Lee or Sky High Lee and there may be other... |
1 | February 26, 1951 | Edmonton, AB | |
| Al Mills | 2 | March 6, 1951 | Edmonton, AB | |
| Jack McDonald | 1 | May 1, 1951 | Edmonton, AB | |
| Al Mills | 3 | 1951 | ? | |
| Ski Hi Lee | 2 | January 29, 1952 | Edmonton, AB | |
| Al Mills | 4 | February 5, 1952 | Edmonton, AB | Recognized as champion in the '52 Official NWA Newsletter |
| Bob Langevin | 1 | May 13, 1952 | Edmonton, AB | Wins by forfeit when Mills no-shows |
| Mr. X] | 1 | June 10, 1952 | Edmonton, AB | |
| Al Mills | 5 | circa 1953 | ? | |
| Lou Newman | 1 | October 18, 1955 | Edmonton, AB | |
| George Gordienko George Gordienko George Gordienko was a Canadian professional wrestler and artist. Born of first generation Ukrainian and Cossack-Canadian parents in North Winnipeg, Manitoba, by age 17 Gordienko had received numerous awards for his physical prowess... |
1 | April 11, 1956 | Regina, SK Regina, Saskatchewan Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox... |
|
| Johnny Valentine Johnny Valentine Johnny Valentine was a professional wrestler with a career spanning almost three decades. He has been inducted into four halls of fame for his achievements in wrestling... |
1 | circa December 1956 | ? | Unknown whom Valentine defeated for the title |
| Vacant | Title vacated sometime before 1958 | |||
| Whipper Billy Watson Whipper Billy Watson William John Potts, O.Ont was a Canadian professional wrestler best known by his ring name Whipper Billy Watson, and was a two-time world heavyweight wrestling champion.-Early life:... |
1 | 1958 | ? | Wins tournament |
| Johnny Valentine | 2 | circa January 1959 | ? | Unknown whom Valentine defeated for the title |
| Vacant | 1959 | Title vacated | ||
| John Foti | 1 | June 5, 1959 | Calgary, AB | Defeats Charro Azteca in 8-man tournament final |
| Vacant | 1959 | Title vacated | ||
| Dave Ruhl Dave Ruhl Dave Ruhl was a Canadian professional wrestler who during his near 30-year career competed in North American regional promotions in Western Canada and the Canadian Prairies as well as in Japan and other international promotions... |
1 | November 13, 1959 | Calgary, AB | Defeats Al Mills |
| Ed Francis Ed Francis Ed Francis was a professional wrestler and wrestling promoter in Hawaii in the 1960s. Many wrestlers who came through Hawaii in the '60s and '70s were bound to come across the name Ed Francis... |
1 | circa January 1961 | ? | Unknown whom Francis defeated for the title |
| John Smith | 1 | February 24, 1961 | Calgary, AB | |
| John Foti | 2 | June 9, 1961 | Calgary, AB | |
| Killer Kowalski Killer Kowalski Władek "Killer" Kowalski was a Canadian professional wrestler. Kowalski wrestled for numerous promotions during his career, including the NWA and WWF, and was a known heel wrestler... |
1 | November 17, 1961 | ? | Recognized as N.A.W.A. Canadian champion; unknown whom Kowalski defeated for the title |
| Czaya Nandor | 1 | March 9, 1962 | Calgary, AB | |
| Alexis Bruga | 1 | March 1962 | ? | |
| Czaya Nandor | 2 | March 23, 1962 | Calgary, AB | |
| Killer Kowalski | 2 | July 6, 1962 | Calgary, AB | |
| Czaya Nandor | 3 | May 12, 1963(?) | Calgary, AB | |
| Waldo Von Erich Waldo Von Erich Walter Paul Sieber was a Canadian professional wrestler under the ring name Waldo Von Erich. He was billed as the brother of Fritz Von Erich, but was not actually related to Fritz or the rest of the Von Erich family.... |
1 | July 6, 1964 | ? | Unknown whom Von Erich defeated for the title |
| Don Leo Jonathan Don Leo Jonathan Don Heaton , also known as Don Leo Jonathan, is an American former professional wrestler.-Professional wrestling career:... |
1 | 1964 | ? | Unknown whom Jonathan defeated for the title |
| Stan Stasiak Stan Stasiak George Stipich , better known by his ring name Stan Stasiak, was a Canadian professional wrestler and fifth World Wide Wrestling Federation Champion. He is the father of professional wrestler Shawn Stasiak.-Career:... |
1 | 1965 | ? | |
| Don Leo Jonathon | 2 | 1965 | ? | |
| Sweet Daddy Siki Sweet Daddy Siki Reginald Siki is a former professional wrestler and was born on June 16 in Montgomery, Texas.Sweet Daddy Siki started wrestling in 1955 in Artesia, New Mexico. He also did some training in Los Angeles with Sandor Szabo and Ray Ortega... |
1 | 1965 | ? | |
| Dave Ruhl | 2 | 1966 | ? | |
| The Beast The Beast (wrestler) Yvon Cormier was a Canadian professional wrestler. Competing primarily under the ring name The Beast, he and his three wrestling brothers made up the Cormier wrestling family. He wrestled in many countries but regularly returned to Canada, where he competed for the Eastern Sports Association and... |
1 | 1966 | ? | |
| Dave Ruhl | 3 | 1967 | ? | |
| Stan Stasiak | 2 | 1967 | ? | |
| Luther Lindsay Luther Lindsay Luther Jacob Goodall was an American professional football player and wrestler, known by his ringname Luther Lindsay or Lindsey, who competed throughout the United States with the National Wrestling Alliance as well as international promotions such as All-Japan Pro Wrestling, Joint Promotions and... |
1 | 1967 | ? | |
| Stan Stasiak | 3 | 1967 | ? | |
| Dave Ruhl | 4 | July 4, 1967 | Calgary, AB | |
| Danny Lynch | 1 | December 26, 1969 | Calgary, AB | |
| Dave Ruhl | 5 | January 9, 1970 | Calgary, AB | |
| Abdullah the Butcher Abdullah the Butcher Lawrence Robert "Larry" Shreve best known as Abdullah the Butcher, and also at times The Madman from the Sudan, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler known as one of the most brutal or "hardcore" professional wrestlers of all-time... |
1 | January 30, 1970 | Calgary, AB | |
| Dave Ruhl | 6 | 1971 | ? | |
| Vacant | 1972 | Ruhl is injured; title abandoned. | ||