Wikipedia

Championship unification

This article is about the term in professional wrestling. For the term in professional boxing, see undisputed champion. For undisputed champions in professional wrestling, see Undisputed championship.

Championship unification is the act of combining two or more separate professional wrestling championships into a single title.

History

In professional wrestling, championships may be unified to consolidate the number of championships in a given promotion, or to add legitimacy and prestige to a certain title's lineage. In a title-for-title match, one of three things will happen:

  • One of the championships is dropped
  • A brand new championship is created
  • Both championships remain active and are defended and lost together under one name, but title changes reflect each individual title's history

Notable events

Triple H holding the WCW and WWF Championships as the Undisputed WWF Champion
Randy Orton was the inaugural WWE World Heavyweight Champion
  • The Inoki Genome Federation version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship unified with the New Japan Pro Wrestling's version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship when NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Champion Shinsuke Nakamura defeated IGF's IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle in Tokyo on February 17, 2008. The titles are unified due to a working agreement between Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling in which Angle wrestles for TNA.[16]
  • The World Tag Team Championship was unified with the WWE Tag Team Championship, in a dark match before WrestleMania XXV, when WWE Tag Team Champions The Colóns (Carlito and Primo) defeated World Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz in Houston, Texas on April 5, 2009 to become the "Unified WWE Tag Team Champions". Both titles, however, would remain independently active until the World Tag Team Championship was formally decommissioned in August 2010. The WWE Tag Team Championship continued and dropped the "unified" moniker.[17]
  • The original WWE Women's Championship was unified with the WWE Divas Championship at the Night of Champions pay-per-view in September 2010. Divas Champion Melina faced self-professed co-WWE Women's Champion Michelle McCool in a lumberjill match. McCool won the match due to interference from Layla to unify the two titles.[18] Following the win, the Women's Championship was retired after 54 years and the Divas Championship became briefly known as the "Unified WWE Divas Championship".
  • The World Heavyweight Championship was unified with the WWE Championship to create the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in December 2013. WWE Champion Randy Orton defeated World Heavyweight Champion John Cena in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match to unify both championships and become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. The new championship retained the lineage of the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship was retired, although the championship belts used to represent the two championships would adorn the WWE World Heavyweight Champion for several months afterwards, up until a single championship belt was introduced to Brock Lesnar in August 2014 on the Raw after SummerSlam.[19]
  • The GFW Global Championship was unified with the Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship (former TNA World Heavyweight Championship) to create the Unified GFW World Heavyweight Championship at Slammiversary XV in July 2017. GFW Global Champion Alberto El Patron defeated Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion Lashley to unify both championships and become the Unified World Heavyweight Champion. The new championship retained the lineage of the TNA/Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship and the GFW Global Championship was retired, although the championship belts used to represent the two championships would adorn the Unified GFW World Heavyweight Champion.[20]
  • The GFW Women's Championship was unified with the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Championship (former TNA Knockouts Championship) to create the Unified GFW Knockouts Championship at Slammiversary XV in July 2017. GFW Women's Champion Sienna defeated Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion Rosemary to unify both championships. The new championship retained the lineage of the TNA/Impact Wrestling Knockouts Championship and the GFW Women's Championship was retired.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "NWA National Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  2. ^ "411MANIA". Going Old School: Starrcade ’87. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  3. ^ Emelett, Ed (September 1995). "Japan's Triple Crown: "It's the Most Important Title in the World!"". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. London Publishing Co.: 28. ISSN 1043-7576.
  4. ^ "World Heavyweight Title (Omaha)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  5. ^ Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  6. ^ "J-CROWN Octuple Title Unification Tournament". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  7. ^ "411MANIA". The Chrononaut Chronicles: Clash of the Champions XXVII. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  8. ^ "ECW Living Dangerously 1999 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  9. ^ a b c "The complex history of WWE's era of unification". WWE. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  10. ^ The World Wrestling Entertainment Yearbook 2003 Edition. Simon and Schuster. 30 June 2008. ISBN 9780743480628. Retrieved 7 February 2019 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ "WWE RAW #483 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  12. ^ "WWE No Mercy". www.prowrestlinghistory.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  13. ^ "WWA World Heavyweight Title (Australia)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  14. ^ "Title History". web.archive.org. 10 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-10. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  15. ^ "IWA - Historica Unificacion en la IWA". web.archive.org. 17 February 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-02-17. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  16. ^ "WWE News, RAW Results, Smackdown Results". Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  17. ^ "WWE: Inside WWE > Title History > World Tag Team > 20090405 - Carlito & Primo". web.archive.org. 8 April 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-04-08. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  18. ^ "Divas Championship". WWE. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  19. ^ "CALDWELL'S WWE TLC PPV RESULTS 12/15: Live, in-person coverage of Cena vs. Orton unification match from Houston". www.pwtorch.com. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  20. ^ a b "7/2 Powell's GFW/Impact Wrestling Slammiversary live review: Lashley vs. Alberto El Patron to unify the GFW and Impact Wrestling Championships, Scott Steiner and Josh Mathews vs. Jeremy Borash and Joseph Park, Sonjay Dutt vs. Low Ki in a best of three falls match for the X Division Championship". prowrestling.net. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
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