WCWA World Light Heavyweight Championship

The WCWA Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship promoted by the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex area-based World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA) promotion from September 13, 1987 until May 1989. The championship was for wrestlers under 230 pounds (100 kg) pounds, the maximum limit of the "Light Heavyweight" division at the time. As it is a professional wrestling championship, it is won not by actual competition, but by a scripted ending to a match.[lower-alpha 2]

WCWA World Light Heavyweight Championship
The championship belt
Details
PromotionWorld Class Wrestling Association
Date established1987[1][2]
Date retired1989[1][2]

According to WCWA, inaugural champion Eric Embry won the championship by defeating Peter Vander Graling (or "Vandergraling") on a show in South Africa on September 13, 2019,[2] however no sources have confirmed the validity of the claim, leading to the belief that this was simply a storyline by WCWA to explain how Embry became champion.[1] Embry won WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship on April 7, 1989,[8] followed by the WCWA World Light Heavyweight Championship being declared vacant in May, after which it was never promoted again.[1][2] Embry holds the record for most championship reigns, with five in total, the longest individual reign (295 days) and the longest combined reigns (approximately 518 days). Cactus Jack's five day reign, from December 30, 1988 to January 4, 1989, is the shortest reign of any champion.[1][2]

Title history
Key
No. Overall reign number
Reign Reign number for the specific champion
Days Number of days held
No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref.
Date Event Location Reign Days
1 Eric Embry September 13, 1987 Live event South Africa 1 73 Supposedly defeated Peter Vander Graling, posibibly a fictitious match [1][2]
2 Shaun Simpson November 25, 1987 WCWA Live event Dallas, Texas 1 30 [1][2]
3 Eric Embry December 25, 1987 Christmas Star Wars Dallas, Texas 2 295 [1][2][9]
4 Jeff Jarrett October 15, 1988 5th Cotton Bowl Extravaganza Dallas, Texas 1 27 Highlights aired on the October 22 episode of WCCW's weekly television show (E356) [1][2][10][11][12]
5 Eric Embry November 11, 1988 WCWA Live event Dallas, Texas 3 13 [1][2]
6 Jeff Jarrett November 24, 1988 WCWA Live event Jackson, Tennessee 2 19 [1][2][13]
7 Eric Embry December 13, 1988 SuperClash III Chicago, Illinois 4 17 [1][2][14][15]
8 Cactus Jack December 30, 1988 WCWA Live event Dallas, Texas 1 5 [1][2][16][17]
9 Eric Embry January 4, 1989 WCWA Live event Dallas, Texas 5 [lower-alpha 3] [1][2][18]
— Deactivated May 1989 — — — — Embry won Texas Championship on April 7, 1989,[8] the light heavyweight championship was vacated in May 1989. [1][2]

Reigns by combined length
Key
Symbol Meaning
¤ The exact length of at least one title reign is uncertain, so the shortest possible length is used.
Rank Wrestler No. of Reigns Combined Days
1 Eric Embry5518¤ [lower-alpha 3]
2 Jeff Jarrett246
3 Shaun Simpson130
4 Cactus Jack15

Footnotes
  1. Wrestler's age when they won the championship:
    • Cactus Jack - 23 years, 206 days[3]
    • Eric Embry - First reign: 28 years, 197 days, last reign: 29 years, 311 days[4]
    • Jeff Jarrett - first reign: 21 years, 93 days, second reign 21 years, 133 days[5]
    • Shaun Simpson - 21 years, 126 days[6]
  2. Hornbaker (2016) p. 550: "Professional wrestling is a sport in which match finishes are predetermined. Thus, win/loss records are not indicative of a wrestler's genuine success based on their legitimate abilities – but on now much, or how little they were pushed by promoters"[7]
  3. The exact date on which the championship was abandoned is uncertain, which means the title reign lasted between 117 and 147 days.

References
  • Hornbaker, Tim (2016). "Statistical notes". Legends of Pro Wrestling - 150 years of headlocks, body slams, and piledrivers (Revised ed.). New York, New York: Sports Publishing. ISBN 978-1-61321-808-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  1. Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Texas: WCWA Light Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 397. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  2. "World Class Wrestling Association World Light Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  3. "Mick Foley Biography". IGN. Archived from the original on September 4, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2008.
  4. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500 – 1992: 37 Eric Embry". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States: Sports and Entertainment publications LLC. August 1992. p. 15. October 1992.
  5. "Jeff Jarrett". WWE.com. WWE. 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  6. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500 – 1992: 376 Shaun Simpson". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States: Sports and Entertainment publications LLC. August 1992. p. 67. October 1992.
  7. Hornbaker 2016, p. 550.
  8. Will, Gary; Duncan, Royal (2000). "Texas: NWA Texas Heavyweight Title [Von Erich]". Wrestling Title Histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  9. Hoops, Brian (December 25, 2019). "Pro Wrstling History (12/25): Christmas day wrestling cards". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  10. "Jeff Jarrett". SLAM! Wrestling. February 5, 2005. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
  11. "5th Cotton Bowl Extravaganza". Pro Wrestling History. October 15, 1988. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  12. "Historical Cards: 5th Cotton Bowl Extravaganza (October 15, 1988. Dallas, Texas)". PWI Presents: 2007 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts. Kappa Publications. p. 172. 2007 Edition.
  13. Hoops, Brian (November 24, 2019). "Daily Pro Wrestling history (11/24): The First Starcade". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  14. "Historical Cards". 2007 Wrestling Almanac and Book of Facts. Kappa Publications. p. 159. 2007 Edition.
  15. "SuperClash III". Pro Wrestling History. December 13, 1988. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  16. "Mick Foley". SLAM! Wrestling. November 18, 2004. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
  17. Hoops, Brian (December 30, 2018). "Daily pro wrestling history (12/30): Vader wins WCW World Title". Figure Four Wrestling Observer Online. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  18. Hoops, Brian (January 4, 2016). "Daily pro wrestling history (1/4): Huge history of Tokyo Dome shows. Fingerpoke 'Doom". Figure Four Wrestling Observer Online. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
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