The AWA World Heavyweight Championship was a world heavyweight championship and the highest ranked championship in the defunct American Wrestling Association (AWA).
Reigns:[]
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | ||||
| 1 | Pat O'Connor | May 18, 1960 | N/A | N/A | 1 | 90 | Recognized as the first AWA World Champion in May 1960, but was given ninety days to defend the title against Verne Gagne or be stripped of the title. | |
| 2 | Verne Gagne | August 16, 1960 | N/A | N/A | 1 | 329 | Gagne was awarded the championship after Pat O'Connor failed to defend the title. | |
| 3 | Gene Kiniski | July 11, 1961 | Live event | Minneapolis, MN | 1 | 28 | ||
| 4 | Verne Gagne | August 8, 1961 | Live event | Minneapolis, MN | 2 | 154 | ||
| 5 | Mr. M | January 9, 1962 | Live event | Minneapolis, MN | 1 | 224 | ||
| 6 | Verne Gagne | August 21, 1962 | Live event | Minneapolis, MN | 3 | 322 | ||
| 7 | The Crusher | July 9, 1963 | Live event | Minneapolis, MN | 1 | 11 | ||
| 8 | Verne Gagne | July 20, 1963 | Live event | Minneapolis, MN | 4 | 7 | Gagne won both the AWA Championship and the Omaha Championship. | |
| 9 | Fritz Von Erich | July 27, 1963 | Live event | Omaha, NE | 1 | 12 | ||
| 10 | Verne Gagne | August 8, 1963 | Live event | Amarillo, TX | 5 | 100 | ||
| 11 | The Crusher | November 16, 1963 | Live event | Saint Paul, MN | 2 | 28 | ||
| 12 | Verne Gagne | December 14, 1963 | Live event | Minneapolis, MN | 6 | 140 | ||
| 13 | Mad Dog Vachon | May 2, 1964 | Live event | Omaha, NE | 1 | 14 | ||
| 14 | Verne Gagne | May 16, 1964 | Live event | Omaha, NE | 7 | 157 | ||
| 15 | Mad Dog Vachon | October 20, 1964 | Live event | Minneapolis, MN | 2 | 207 | ||
| 16 | Mighty Igor Vodic | May 15, 1965 | Live event | Omaha, NE | 1 | 7 | ||
| 17 | Mad Dog Vachon | May 22, 1965 | Live event | Omaha, NE | 3 | 91 | ||
| 18 | The Crusher | August 21, 1965 | Live event | Saint Paul, MN | 3 | 83 | ||
| 19 | Mad Dog Vachon | November 12, 1965 | Live event | Denver, CO | 4 | 365 | ||
| 20 | Dick the Bruiser | November 12, 1966 | Live event | Omaha, NE | 1 | 7 | ||
| 21 | Mad Dog Vachon | November 19, 1966 | Live event | Omaha, NE | 5 | 99 | ||
| 22 | Verne Gagne | February 26, 1967 | Live event | Saint Paul, MN | 8 | 538 | ||
| 23 | Dr. X | August 17, 1968 | Live event | Bloomington, MN | 1 | 14 | ||
| 24 | Verne Gagne | August 31, 1968 | Live event | Minneapolis, MN | 9 | 2625 | ||
| 25 | Nick Bockwinkel | November 8, 1975 | Live event | Saint Paul, MN | 1 | 1714 | ||
| 26 | Verne Gagne | July 18, 1980 | Live event | Chicago, IL | 10 | 305 | Gagne retired while still the champion. | |
| 27 | Nick Bockwinkel | May 19, 1981 | N/A | N/A | 2 | 467 | Bockwinkel was awarded the championship when Verne Gagne retired. | |
| 28 | Otto Wanz | August 29, 1982 | Live event | Saint Paul, MN | 1 | 41 | ||
| 29 | Nick Bockwinkel | October 9, 1982 | Live event | Chicago, IL | 3 | 501 | The championship is held up on December 27, 1982 after a match with Jerry Lawler; it was given back to Bockwinkel after defeating Lawler in a rematch on January 10, 1983. Bockwinkel is retroactively recognized as having continued been champion during the period the title was held up. | |
| 30 | Jumbo Tsuruta | February 22, 1984 | Live event | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 81 | ||
| 31 | Rick Martel | May 13, 1984 | Live event | Saint Paul, MN | 1 | 595 | ||
| 32 | Stan Hansen | December 29, 1985 | Live event | East Rutherford, NJ | 1 | 181 | ||
| 33 | Nick Bockwinkel | June 28, 1986 | Live event | Denver, CO | 4 | 308 | Bockwinkel was awarded the championship when Stan Hansen left the AWA. | |
| 34 | Curt Hennig | May 2, 1987 | SuperClash 2 | Daly City, CA | 1 | 373 | ||
| 35 | Jerry Lawler | May 9, 1988 | Live event | Memphis, TN | 1 | 256 | ||
| — | Vacated | January 20, 1989 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 36 | Larry Zbyszko | February 7, 1989 | Live event | Saint Paul, MN | 1 | 368 | Zbyszko won a battle royal, last eliminating Tom Zenk to win the vacant championship. | |
| 37 | Mr. Saito | February 10, 1990 | Super Fight in Tokyo Dome | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 57 | ||
| 38 | Larry Zbyszko | April 8, 1990 | SuperClash 4 | Saint Paul, MN | 2 | 248 | ||
| — | Vacated | December 12, 1990 | — | — | — | — | The championship was stripped when Larry Zbyszko left the inactive AWA. | |
| — | Deactivated | January 12, 1991 | — | — | — | — | The championship was deactivated when AWA closed on January 12, 1991. | |