The MWA World Heavyweight Championship was an American professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the Kansas City, Kansas-based Midwest Wrestling Association (MWA). It was the direct predecessor of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight Championship, and a successor of sorts to the early world heavyweight championships. The title was created in 1940, and first held by Bobby Bruns that January.
At an unknown period, Brown won the Kansas Heavyweight Champion and had a match against 4-time World Heavyweight Champion Ed "Strangler" Lewis. On November 8, 1933, Brown defeated Chief Chewchki in St. Louis, Missouri in 7 minutes. On April 11 and May 16, 1934, he fought George Zaharias (of Colorado) and "Ray Steele" (Peter Sauer) in the same city to thirty-minute draws. On May 29, 1936, Brown was specified by Jim Londos in the Houston Post as the strongest grappler he had ever faced, and that he had wrestled him "a few nights ago" to a two-hour draw in Detroit. On September 21, 1936 Brown was named one of the top twenty contenders for the World’s Heavyweight Championship in Houston, Texas by the members of the National Wrestling Association. On June 1, 1937, Bruns unsuccessfully challenged World Champion Everette Marshall at the Public Hall in Cleveland, Ohio. The match ended in 44:48 when Bruns was laid out and unable to recover. In September 1937, John Pesek was awarded Londos' National Wrestling Association world title. On October 28. 1937, Brown lost an important Columbus, Ohio match to Everette Marshall, the recognized holder of one of the World Championships. It drew 10,000 people, setting a city record. He lost one other, but then managed to tie Marshall in a third match on December 16. On January 1, 1938, Brown wrestled Pesek to a 90-minute draw. On August 17, 1938 Pesek was stripped of the NWA world title and immediately awarded the MWA world title (Marshall's old title) instead. On November 10, 1939, Bruns defeated Maurice Boyer in Bridgeport, Connecticut for the World Light Heavyweight Championship (the Jack Pfeffer version).
The title lasted until the MWA joined the newly formed NWA in October 1948, with the MWA champion, Orville Brown, recognized as the first NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
Title history MWA World Heavyweight Championship (Kansas) Key SymbolMeaning#The overall championship reignReignThe reign number for the specific set of wrestlers listed.EventThe event promoted by the respective promotion in which the title changed hands —Used for vacated reigns in order to not count it as an official reign #WrestlerReignDateDaysheldLocationEventNotes1Kansas City, KansasLive eventDefeated fellow contender Orville Brown to win the vacant championship.Wrestling-Titles: Orville Brown - biography: "On Nov. 10, 1939 at Bridgeport, Conn., Bobby Bruns defeated Jack Pfefer's world light heavyweight champion Maurice Boyer. From that point forward in New England and the Atlantic Coast, the title changed to a heavyweight title and Pfefer billed Bruns as heavyweight world champion .. On Jan. 18, 1940, Bruns defended this title in a clean win over Brown."LegacyOfWrestling Bobby Bruns Wrestling History: "On January 11, 1940, Bruns beat Andy Mexiner in two-straight falls in Kansas City. A week later, he returned to the Memorial Hall to wrestle Orville Brown for the vacant World Heavyweight Title, recognized by the state of Kansas and by promoter George Simpson. He won the first in 40:30 and then the 3rd in 5:00 to capture the championship."LOW Orville Brown Wrestling History1Kansas City, KansasLive event 1Kansas City, KansasLive event2Kansas City, KansasLive event 1Kansas City, KansasLive event 3Kansas City, KansasLive eventEd Lewis won a disputed decision over Brown on November 5, 1942.1Kansas City, KansasLive eventDefeated Brown in a rematch.2Kansas City, KansasLive event4Kansas City, KansasLive event 103Great Bend, KansasLive event 115Kansas City, KansasLive event 121Kansas City, KansasLive event 136Kansas City, KansasLive eventDave Levin defeated Brown in a one-fall match on April 27, 1944 in Kansas City, Kansas, and laid claim to the title. However, Brown claimed that the title could only change hands in a two-out-of-three falls match.141 Live eventDefeated Brown in a rematch.154Topeka, KansasLive event167Topeka, KansasLive event 172Kansas City, KansasLive event 188Kansas City, KansasLive event 191St. Joseph, MissouriLive event 201St. Joseph, MissouriLive event 219Kansas City, KansasLive event 221St. Joseph, MissouriLive event 2310St. Joseph, MissouriLive event 243Kansas City, KansasLive eventWon the title by disqualification.2511Kansas City, KansasLive event
Reigns by combined length Key SymbolMeaning¤The exact length of at least one title reign is uncertain, so the shortest possible length is used. RankWrestler# of reignsCombined days 11 ¤ ¤ 10
Splinter titles MWA World Heavyweight Championship (Ohio)
See also Heart of America Sports Attractions National Wrestling Alliance NWA World Heavyweight Championship List of early world heavyweight champions in professional wrestling
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