IW North American Heavyweight Championship

This is a list of people who held the "North American Heavyweight Title" under the banner of International Wrestling (IW) from 1969 to 1984. The promotion was owned by the Eastern Sports Association from 1969 until 1976. The IW promotion ends with end of 1984 season, and the title was discontinued.

North American Heavyweight Title

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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  The Beast  July 8, 1969  IW show N/A  1  49     
 2  Archie “The Stomper” Gouldie  August 26, 1969  IW show N/A  1  42     
 3  Bobo Brazil  October 7, 1969  IW show N/A  1  224     
 4  Bobby Red Cloud  May 19, 1970  IW show N/A  1  14     
 5  Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie  June 2, 1970  IW show N/A  2  63     
 6  The Beast  August 4, 1970  IW show N/A  2  280     
 7  Eric Pomeroy  May 11, 1971  IW show N/A  1  42     
 8  Leo Burke  June 22, 1971  IW show N/A  1  92     
 9  Gino Brito  September 22, 1971  IW show Halifax, Nova Scotia  1  5     
 10  Leo Burke  September 27, 1971  IW show Halifax, Nova Scotia  2  257     
 11  Killer Karl Krupp  June 10, 1972  IW show N/A  1  N/A     
 12  Eric Pomeroy  July 1972  IW show N/A  2  N/A     
 13  Killer Karl Krupp  July 25, 1972  IW show Halifax, Nova Scotia  2  49     
 14  The Beast  September 12, 1972  IW show Halifax, Nova Scotia  3  N/A     
 15  Jim Dillon  May 1973  IW show N/A  1  N/A     
 16  Killer Karl Krupp  August 1973  IW show N/A  3  N/A     
 17  Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie  September 1973  IW show N/A  3  N/A  In October, the Stomper returned to Stampede Wrestling, and in December won their North American title from Omar Atlas. On February 22, 1974, in Calgary, the Stomper lost the (Stampede) North American Title to Harley Race. ESA may have used this title change to explain Harley Race entering the Maritimes at the start of the 1974 season in possession of the North American belt - omitting that the Stomper had won back the Stampede version in March.  
 18  Harley Race  May 7, 1974  IW show N/A  1  N/A     
 19  Leo Burke  May 1974  IW show N/A  3  N/A     
 20  Great Kuma  May 1974  IW show N/A  1  N/A     
 21  The Beast  June 1974  IW show N/A  4  N/A     
 22  Great Kuma  June 1974  IW show N/A  2  N/A     
 23  Eric Pomeroy  July 1974  IW show N/A  3  N/A     
 24    August 1974  IW show N/A  1  N/A     
 25  Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie  September 1974  IW show N/A  4  N/A     
 26    September 1974  IW show N/A  2  N/A     
 27  Leo Burke  May 6, 1975  IW show N/A  4  84  Was supposedly won in Detroit.  
 28  Bob Brown  July 29, 1975  IW show N/A  1  84     
 29  Leo Burke  October 21, 1975  IW show N/A  5  N/A  Substituting for Pat O’Connor.  
 30  Bob Brown  1975  IW show N/A  5  N/A  Returned to Brown upon appeal.  
 31  Rudy Kay  November 1975  IW show N/A  1  N/A     
N/A N/A N/A  The season ended without notice, leaving Rudy Kay unable to defend within 30 days.  
 32  Tommy Gilbert  April 24, 1976  IW show USA  1  N/A  Won a tournament to be crowned champion.  
 33  The Brute  May 1976  IW show N/A  1  N/A     
 34  Tommy Gilbert  May 27, 1976  IW show Saint John, New Brunswick  2  N/A     
 35  The Brute  June 1976  IW show N/A  2  N/A     
 36  Leo Burke  September 1976  IW show N/A  5  N/A     
 37  Michel Dubois  1976  IW show N/A  1  N/A     
 38  N/A  IW show N/A    N/A     
 39  Steve Bolus  June 9, 1977  TCW show N/A  1  N/A  Arrived as champion  
 40  Frenchy Martin  June 1977  TCW show N/A  1  N/A     
 41  Leo Burke  July 14, 1977  TCW show N/A  6  N/A     
Deactivated  July 1977  TCW show  TCW closed  

There was not a North American Title in the Maritimes again until 1984, when there were two of them.

  1. 84/04 Archie “The Stomper” Gouldie arrived at rival Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling as North American Champion. This was a newly created title for AGPW.
  2. 84/06 Leo Burke arrives at International Wrestling as North American Champion, this title had a history with Toronto's Maple Leaf Wrestling, starting in 1982, when Leo Burke arrived there as Champion, with the old ESA North American belt.
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  Leo Burke  October 1982  MLW show N/A  1 N/A     
 2  Johnny Weaver  April 10, 1983  MLW show Toronto, Ontario  1  49     
 3  Leo Burke  May 29, 1983  MLW show Toronto, Ontario  2  N/A  Maple Leaf Wrestling was sold to WWF in July 1984. Leo Burke returned to the Maritimes as North American Champion.  
 4  Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie  August 1984 N/A N/A  1  The Stomper jumped to International Wrestling, won title unification match over Leo Burke.  
Deactivated  1984  The North American Championship is retired when International Wrestling closes.  

Sources

[edit]

Title history at wrestling-titles.com