NWA International Heavyweight Championship was created in 1957.

Nobody can really know where the first wrestling world championship appeared. Pro wrestling has always existed in many forms.

The oldest surviving world championship, however, is the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. It has gone through a lot of changes throughout history, but its lineage can be traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, held by Georg Hackenschmidt in 1905.

The current holder of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship is former ROH star Adam Pearce.

* All Star Pro Wrestling ** NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[84] * All Japan Pro Wrestling ** NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[84] * Central States Wrestling ** NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[84] * Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling / Jim Crockett Promotions / World Championship Wrestling ** NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (4 times)[85] ** NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Rip Hawk (1), Greg Valentine (1) and Big John Studd (1)[86] ** NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Championship (1 time)[87] ** NWA Television Championship (1 time)[87] ** NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (5 times)1[88] ** NWA World Heavyweight Championship (7 times)2[84] ** NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (3 times) - with Greg Valentine (2) and Blackjack Mulligan (1)[89] ** WCW International World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)3[90] ** WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[88] ** WCW World Heavyweight Championship (8 times)[91] * National Wrestling Alliance ** NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2008) World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment *** World Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Batista (2) and Roddy Piper (1)[102] *** WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time)[102] *** WWF Championship (2 times)[102] *** Royal Rumble (1992)[102] *** WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2008) *** Thirteenth Triple Crown Champion *** Slammy Award for Match of the Year (2008) vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania

WWE first established the WWE World Heavyweight Championship back in 2002. It was actually established under the RAW brand instead of SmackDown as it is today. There are other stories which say it relates back to the 1980's in NWA, but the actual World Heavyweight Championship was established 11 years ago.

He has held these titles: NWA Heavyweight Championship, NWA World Television Championship, WCW International World Championship, WCW United States Championship, WCW World Heavyweight Championship, WCW World Tag Team Championship, TNA World Heavyweight Championship, TNA World Tag Team Championship, UWF World Tag Team Championship and the WWA World Heavyweight Championship.

He has been a World Heavyweight Champion 13 times - 6 time WCW Champion, 2 time WCW International World Heavyweight Champion, 2 time TNA Champion, 1 time NWA Champion (Jim Crockett Promotions), 1 time NWA Champion (TNA) and 1 time WWA Champion.

He has held 7 Tag Team Titles - WCW Tag Team Champion 3 time (once with Lex Luger, once with the Giant and once with Kevin Nash), 1 time TNA Tag Team Champion (with Kurt Angle) and 3 time UWF Tag Team Champion (twice with Eddie Gilbert and once with Rick Steiner).

He held the NWA World Televisions Championship once and the WCW United States Championship twice.

In addition to this he also won the Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament with Lex Luger in 1988, the NWA Iron Man Tournament in 1989, the WCW Battlebowl Battle Royal in 1991, the WCW King of Cable Tournament in 1992 and the WCW European Cup in 1994 ad 2000.