Forgotten Titles

​​Chapter Six: NWA (JCP) Western States Heavyweight Title

#PWHS #Article #ForgottenTitles #FT #NWA #JCP #UWF #Watts
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July 12, 1987 - Salisbury Daily Times

​When Bill Watts' finances were getting on top of him and he could no longer continue trying to hang with the other territories charging towards a national dominance, there was only one thing for him to do. Sell his Universal Wrestling Federation to Jim Crockett Jr., the owner of Jim Crockett Promotions. Even though the UWF was still presented as a separate product following the purchase in April 1987, the changes being main could be seen with talent swapping over, etc.. 

With Crockett looking to truly present himself as a national force on the scene being able to fully move into a more western area was a big a deal for his company. A few months prior both the NWA National Heavyweight Championship (JCP Version) and the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship were retired. By the end of the year the UWF World Television Championship would also be retired when it was unified with the NWA World Television Championship (JCP Version). In the mean time it was felt they needed another a title which could be built up. 

The new title, as I'm sure you can guess by the header of this article was the NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship (JCP Version). The title even though it featured the National Wrestling Alliance logo on the plates was portrayed as a UWF title. Not only would it give an extra tool to be used in storylines to keep all the extra talent Crockett had now acquired busy, but, it also was a way to announce the western takeover that was taking place. 

So, Who Held It?

"Just The Two Of Us"

On June 20, 1987 the UWF/JCP held a show out of Houston Summit in Texas. It featured a tournament to crown the brand new NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship (JCP Version). The brackets looked like this: 
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​Quarter Finals
Black Bart def. Sting 
Shaska Whatley def. Buddy Roberts 
Rick Steiner Vs. Terry Gordy,
Double Disqualification
Barry Windham def. Chris Adams 

Semi Finals
Black Bart - Bye
Barry Windham def. Shaska Whatley

Final
Barry Windham def. Black Bart

​After three matches in one night, Windham picked up the final victory in nine minutes. For the most part Windham's new laurels were defended and featured on the UWF shows which were still being run. At Starrcade '87 Windham's title wasn't even on the line, but, he did have a match where he faced off against the UWF Heavyweight Champion, Steve "Dr. Death" Williams. Williams won. By the end of the year the UWF was fully faded out and only the NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship (JCP Version) remained as a reminder of it's existence with a handful of stars being utilized regularly in JCP. 

Bunkhouse Stampede on January 24, 1988 saw Windham defend the title for the first time on a JCP pay-per-view. It'd also be his last time as Larry Zbyszko took the belt in a little over nineteen minutes - in my opinion this was a very underrated match - not only was this the last time Windham defended the title though, it was the last time there'd be a new champion.

For the first six months or so Zbyszko defended the title regularly at TV tapings and on house shows. Starting with bouts against Windham, normally ending in some form of double count-out or disqualification. Then against other stars such as Sting, Nikita Koloff, Kendall Windham and others. Then the defenses got further apart and Zbyszko was busying himself with other on-air matters. It's worth noting from the time he won it until it was effectively retired, the title was not defended at a single pay-per-view or Clash of the Champions television special. 

Seemingly some life was going to be put back into the title around autumn of 1988 when an angle between Dusty Rhodes and Zbyszko was going to be set up all centered around Zbyszko's valet, Baby Doll, however, Doll refused to go along with plans, got fired and scuppered the whole deal up. From that point on the title was dead. A few random defenses happened, the last one being on January 1, 1989 for JCP's The Main Event to be aired on January 21. The rest of his time was filled up teaming with Al Perez under the guidance of his new manager, Gary Hart. 

Around the end of January 1989 Zbyszko packed his bags and left JCP to return to Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association. Upon leaving Zbyszko took the physical title belt with him and it was never spoken of again, well, apart from the fact it still appeared in certain promo videos such as the opening to Clash of the Champions. With not even a two year existence those who do remember the title seem to mainly consider it a failure. But, it's very easy to see Crockett's thinking behind bringing it in and may-be if the big story with Dusty had panned out as it should, the history of this title could have been very different indeed. 

List Of Champions

01 - Barry Windham, June 20, 1987
02 - Larry Zbyszko, January 4, 1988
// - Retired, January 1989

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Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.

Forgotten Titles: Chapter  Six.
Author: Jimmy Wheeler.
Published:  September 8, 2014.
Article: #65.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.

​As with the majority of NWAlliance titles, this was a title that bore the brand, but was not officially sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance board. It was controlled and recognized only by the territory it was from.

Forgotten Titles: Chapter Seven - Read Here.

Forgotten Titles: Chapter  Five - Read Here.

Other articles by Jimmy can be Read Here.