The NWA Detroit United States Heavyweight Championship was a version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Title. It was known as the Chicago version from 1953 until 1959 and was later renamed the Detroit version from 1959 until 1980. While the National Wrestling Alliance

National Wrestling Alliance

The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...

 recognized only one World Heavyweight Champion

NWA World Heavyweight Championship

The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...

, there were a number of different versions of the United States Championship recognized in various NWA territories across the country. Most NWA promotions had some version of an "American" or "United States" titles and, like these other titles, the Detroit version was the primary singles championship within the NWA Detroit promotion. Over the course of its existence, the title was held by well known names such as Bobo Brazil

Bobo Brazil

Houston Harris was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Bobo Brazil. He is credited with breaking down barriers of racial segregation in professional wrestling...

, The Sheik

Ed Farhat

Edward George Farhat was an American professional wrestler best known as by his ring name The Sheik...

, Wilbur Snyder

Wilbur Snyder

Wilbur Snyder was an American football player and professional wrestler.-Wrestling career:Snyder's wrestling debut occurred during the 1953 offseason. He was trained by Sandor Szabo and Warren Bockwinkel in Southern California. In 1954, Snyder retired from football completely to pursue a full-time...

, 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...

, and multi-time AWA World Heavyweight Champions

AWA World Heavyweight Championship

The American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship and the highest ranked championship in the defunct American Wrestling Association. All AWA trademarks, including the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, are now owned by WWE...

 Verne Gagne

Verne Gagne

Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne , is a retired American professional wrestler, football player, and professional wrestling trainer and promoter. He was the former owner/promoter of the American Wrestling Association , based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which was the predominant promotion throughout...

 and Dick the Bruiser.

Title history

Wrestler:	Times:	Date:	Location:	Notes:
NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Chicago Version)
Verne Gagne Verne Gagne Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne , is a retired American professional wrestler, football player, and professional wrestling trainer and promoter. He was the former owner/promoter of the American Wrestling Association , based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which was the predominant promotion throughout...	1	September 3, 1953	Chicago, IL	Awarded the title
Wilbur Snyder Wilbur Snyder Wilbur Snyder was an American football player and professional wrestler.-Wrestling career:Snyder's wrestling debut occurred during the 1953 offseason. He was trained by Sandor Szabo and Warren Bockwinkel in Southern California. In 1954, Snyder retired from football completely to pursue a full-time...	1	April 7, 1956	Chicago, IL
Hans Schmidt Hans Schmidt (wrestler) Guy Larose , better known by his ring name of Hans Schmidt, is a retired Canadian professional wrestler famous in the 1950s and '60s.-Wrestling career:...	1	October 19, 1956	Chicago, IL
Wilbur Snyder	2	February 19, 1957	Chicago, IL
Dick the Bruiser	1	December 14, 1957	Chicago, IL
Verne Gagne	2	April 12, 1958	Chicago, IL
splits his own version into Minneapolis version, later renamed AWA United States Championship AWA United States Championship The AWA United States Championship was a short-lived title in the early days of the American Wrestling Association. It was known as the NWA United States Title from 1953 until 1958...
Wilbur Snyder	3	November 15, 1958	Chicago, IL
Angelo Poffo	1	December 27, 1958	Cincinnati, OH
Renamed NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Detroit version)
Wilbur Snyder	4	May 2, 1959	Detroit, MI
Dick the Bruiser	2	May 23, 1959	Detroit, MI
Bob Ellis	1	June 2, 1960	Windsor, Ontario
Dick the Bruiser	3	June 11, 1960	Detroit, MI
Bobo Brazil	1	January 28, 1961	Detroit, MI
Dick the Bruiser	4	February 28, 1961	Detroit, MI
Fritz Von Erich	1	December 1, 1961	Detroit, MI
Wilbur Snyder	5	1962	?
Dick the Bruiser	5	June 2, 1962	Detroit, MI
Lord Athol Layton	1	August 4, 1962	?
Fritz Von Erich	2	June 9, 1963	Detroit, MI
Lord Athol Layton	2	July 20, 1963	Detroit, MI
Fritz Von Erich	3	October 19, 1963	Detroit, MI
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	June 13, 1964	Detroit, MI
The Sheik Ed Farhat Edward George Farhat was an American professional wrestler best known as by his ring name The Sheik...	1	February 6, 1965	Detroit, MI
Bobo Brazil	2	August 1967	?
The Sheik	2	October 1967	?
Bobo Brazil	3	July 29, 1971	Detroit, MI
Pampero Firpo	1	August 12, 1972	Detroit, MI
Bobo Brazil	4	August 19, 1972	Detroit, MI
Pampero Firpo	2	October 28, 1972	Detroit, MI
Bobo Brazil	5	December 23, 1972	Detroit, MI
The Sheik	3	December 30, 1972	Detroit, MI
Bobo Brazil	6	January 13, 1973	Detroit, MI
The Sheik	4	January 27, 1973	Detroit, MI
Johnny Valentine	2	July 7, 1973	Detroit, MI
The Sheik	5	July 21, 1973	Detroit, MI
Johnny Valentine	3	1973	?
The Sheik	6	September 1973	?
Tony Marino Tony Marino Tony Silipini is a former American born Italian professional wrestler who is best known as Tony Marino.-Early career:Tony Silipini was born in 1945. He started wrestling in the 1950s near his hometown of Rochester, NY. He wrestled under a number of names over the years in different areas of the...	1	March 2, 1974	Detroit, MI
The Sheik	7	March 16, 1974	Detroit, MI
Bobo Brazil	7	January 25, 1975	Detroit, MI	Awarded when Sheik no-shows title defenses
Abdullah the Butcher	1	February 8, 1975	Detroit, MI
Bobo Brazil	8	April 19, 1975	Detroit, MI
The Sheik	8	July 5, 1975	Detroit, MI
Mark Lewin Mark Lewin -Career:Mark Lewin broke into wrestling in the early '50s and had great early success in a matinee-idol babyface tag team with Don Curtis, headlining in major territories like New York and Chicago. The team's brief heel turn was a shock to its many fans...	1	September 27, 1975	Detroit, MI
"Bulldog" Don Kent Don Kent (wrestler) Leo Joseph "Joe" Smith Jr. was an American professional wrestler who wrestled as Don Kent and also as The Black Dragon, Doug Kent, Joe Smith and Super Medico III during his 20 years in professional wrestling.Don Kent is one half of The Fabulous Kangaroos alongside partners Al Costello, Bruno...	1	November 1, 1975	Detroit, MI
Mark Lewin	2	December 1975	?
Vacated		February 14, 1976		Title vacant
Bobo Brazil	9	April 21, 1976		Awarded when Brute Bernard Brute Bernard Jim Bernard was a Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known by his ring name, Brute Bernard, and spent much of his career wrestling as part of a tag team with Skull Murphy. He competed for several wrestling promotions associated with the National Wrestling Alliance...  was injured before tournament final
The Sheik	9	May 15, 1976	Detroit, MI
Pampero Firpo	3	July 17, 1976	Detroit, MI
Don Kent	2	October 16, 1976	Detroit, MI
Gino Hernandez Gino Hernandez Charles Eugene Wolfe, Jr. was a professional wrestler better known by his ring name Gino Hernandez. His in-ring nickname was "The Handsome Half-Breed" -Career:...	1	January 8, 1977	Detroit, MI
The Sheik	10	April 2, 1977	Detroit, MI
Ox Baker Ox Baker Douglas A. Baker better known professionally as Ox Baker, is an American former professional wrestler and actor, and was feared for his dreaded finishing move, the Heart Punch, sometimes called the "Hurt Punch", after Baker's famous catchphrase "I love to hurt people!" He has appeared in several...	1	September 1977	Detroit, MI
The Sheik	11	between 1977 & 1980	?
Mighty Igor Mighty Igor Vodic Richard Joseph Garza , better known as Mighty Igor Vodic, or simply Mighty Igor, was a professional wrestler. He is a one time American Wrestling Association World champion. As Mighty Igor, he was frequently billed as the "World's Strongest Wrestler".-Early years:Garza grew up in Michigan and...	1	between 1977 & 1980	?
The Sheik	12	May 3, 1980	Detroit, MI
Title Retired		October 1980		Promotion closes, Sheik takes title to International Championship Wrestling International Championship Wrestling International Championship Wrestling was an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Lexington, Kentucky that operated from 1978 until 1984. It was run by WCW Hall of Famer Angelo Poffo, the father of Randy Savage and "The Genius" Lanny Poffo...