title: NWF North American Heavyweight Championship
text: # NWF North American Heavyweight Championship
  
  The NWF North American Heavyweight Championship was a secondary singles title in the American professional wrestling promotion, the National Wrestling Federation. The title started in 1968 as a National Wrestling Alliance title, named the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Buffalo/Cleveland version) until the NWF was founded in 1970. It was then renamed with the NWF name. The NWF would close in 1974, and the title migrated to New Japan Pro-Wrestling. The title was then retired in 1981, after announcement of the IWGP, a new governing body, which would promote their own-branded championships.
  
  ## Title history
  
  Key :
  
  | No. | Overall reign number |
  | - | - |
  | Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
  | Days | Number of days held |
  | No. | Champion | Championship change | Championship change | Championship change | Reign statistics | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. |
  | No. | Champion | Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Notes | Ref. |
  | | NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Buffalo/Cleveland version) | NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Buffalo/Cleveland version) | NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Buffalo/Cleveland version) | NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Buffalo/Cleveland version) | NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Buffalo/Cleveland version) | NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Buffalo/Cleveland version) | NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Buffalo/Cleveland version) | NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Buffalo/Cleveland version) |
  | 1 | Moose Cholak | October 1968 (NLT) | NWF show | N/A | 1 | | Still champion as of December 11, 1968. | |
  | 2 | Johnny Powers | 1968 (NLT) | NWF show | N/A | 1 | | | |
  | 3 | Bulldog Brower | 1969 (NLT) | NWF show | N/A | 1 | | | |
  | 4 | Johnny Powers | May 1969 (NLT) | NWF show | N/A | 2 | | | |
  | 5 | Bulldog Brower | January 1, 1970 | NWF show | Cleveland, OH | 2 | | | |
  | 6 | Johnny Powers | July 1, 1970 (NLT) | NWF show | N/A | 3 | | | |
  | 7 | Bulldog Brower | July 2, 1970 | NWF show | Cleveland, OH | 3 | | | |
  | | NWF North American Heavyweight Championship | NWF North American Heavyweight Championship | NWF North American Heavyweight Championship | NWF North American Heavyweight Championship | NWF North American Heavyweight Championship | NWF North American Heavyweight Championship | NWF North American Heavyweight Championship | NWF North American Heavyweight Championship |
  | 8 | Ernie Ladd | December 5, 1970 | NWF show | Akron, OH | 1 | 117 | | |
  | — | Vacated | April 1, 1971 | — | Cleveland, OH | — | — | Championship vacated after a match between Ladd and Tex McKenzie | |
  | 9 | Johnny Powers | April 3, 1971 | NWF show | Cleveland, OH | 4 | 5 | | |
  | 10 | Ernie Ladd | April 8, 1971 | NWF show | Cleveland, OH | 2 | 49 | | |
  | 11 | Waldo Von Erich | May 27, 1971 | NWF show | Cleveland, OH | 1 | 174 | | |
  | 12 | Johnny Powers | November 17, 1971 | NWF show | Buffalo, NY | 5 | 289 | | |
  | 13 | Johnny Valentine | September 1, 1972 | NWF show | Cleveland, OH | 1 | 21 | | |
  | 14 | Johnny Powers | September 22, 1972 | NWF show | Cleveland, OH | 6 | 0 | | |
  | — | Vacated | September 22, 1972 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated pending a review of the match. | |
  | 15 | Johnny Valentine | October 1972 (NLT) | NWF show | N/A | 2 | | Won the rematch. | |
  | 16 | Ernie Ladd | November 22, 1972 | NWF show | Buffalo, NY | 3 | 1 | | |
  | 17 | Johnny Powers | November 23, 1972 | NWF show | Cleveland, OH | 7 | 72 | | |
  | 18 | Karl Von Krupp | February 3, 1973 | NWF show | Akron, OH | 1 | 14 | | |
  | 19 | Johnny Powers | February 17, 1973 | NWF show | Akron, OH | 8 | 77 | | |
  | 20 | Eric the Animal | May 5, 1973 | NWF show | Cleveland, OH | 1 | 11 | | |
  | 21 | Johnny Powers | May 16, 1973 | NWF show | Buffalo, NY | 9 | 31 | | |
  | 22 | J.B. Psycho | June 16, 1973 | NWF show | Buffalo, NY | 1 | 8 | | |
  | 23 | Johnny Powers | June 24, 1973 | NWF show | Akron, OH | 10 | 221 | | |
  | 24 | Ernie Ladd | January 31, 1974 | NWF show | Cleveland, OH | 4 | | | |
  | 25 | Ox Baker | March 1974 (NLT) | NWF show | N/A | 1 | | | |
  | 26 | Ernie Ladd | March 14, 1974 | NWF show | Cleveland, OH | 5 | 4 | | |
  | 27 | Johnny Powers | March 18, 1974 | NWF show | Akron, OH | 11 | | | |
  | | Super Pro-Wrestling North American Heavyweight Title | Super Pro-Wrestling North American Heavyweight Title | Super Pro-Wrestling North American Heavyweight Title | Super Pro-Wrestling North American Heavyweight Title | Super Pro-Wrestling North American Heavyweight Title | Super Pro-Wrestling North American Heavyweight Title | Super Pro-Wrestling North American Heavyweight Title | Super Pro-Wrestling North American Heavyweight Title |
  | 28 | Dominic DeNucci | April 1974 (NLT) | NWF show | N/A | 1 | | | |
  | 29 | George Steele | May 31, 1974 | NWF show | Pittsburgh, PA | 1 | | | |
  | 30 | Dominic Denucci | June 21, 1974 (NLT) | NWF show | N/A | 2 | | | |
  | 31 | Stan Stasiak | July 27, 1974 (NLT) | NWF show | N/A | 1 | | Sometime between July 5, 1974 and July 27, 1974. | |
  | 32 | Ox Baker | August 20, 1974 | NWF show | N/A | 2 | 7 | | |
  | 33 | Ernie Ladd | August 27, 1974 | NWF show | N/A | 6 | 62 | | |
  | | IWA North American Heavyweight Championship | IWA North American Heavyweight Championship | IWA North American Heavyweight Championship | IWA North American Heavyweight Championship | IWA North American Heavyweight Championship | IWA North American Heavyweight Championship | IWA North American Heavyweight Championship | IWA North American Heavyweight Championship |
  | 34 | Tarzan Tyler | October 28, 1974 | NWF show | N/A | 1 | 70 | On January 1975 billed as champion upon promotion startup. | |
  | 35 | Ox Baker | January 6, 1975 | NWF show | Savannah, GA | 3 | | | |
  | — | Vacated | May 1975 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated when Baker left the promotion. | |
  | 36 | Bulldog Brower | July 1975 | NWF show | N/A | 4 | | Awarded, or possibly by defeating Mighty Igor or Johnny Powers after Baker leaves the promotion; still champion as of August 1977. | |
  | | NWF North American Heavyweight Championship | NWF North American Heavyweight Championship | NWF North American Heavyweight Championship | NWF North American Heavyweight Championship | NWF North American Heavyweight Championship | NWF North American Heavyweight Championship | NWF North American Heavyweight Championship | NWF North American Heavyweight Championship |
  | 37 | Johnny Powers | January 1979 (NLT) | NWF show | N/A | 12 | | Billed as champion for a tour of Japan. | |
  | 38 | Seiji Sakaguchi | January 26, 1979 | NWF show | Okayama, Japan | 1 | 238 | | |
  | 39 | Tiger Jeet Singh | September 21, 1979 | NWF show | Sendai, Japan | 1 | 608 | | |
  | — | Deactivated | April 23, 1981 | — | — | — | — | The championship retired after announcement of the IWGP. | |
  