[2][3] The earliest version of the NWA United States Heavyweight championship was promoted by Fred Kohler Enterprises.
Over the course of its existence, the title was held by well known names such as Bobo Brazil, The Sheik, Wilbur Snyder, Johnny Valentine, and multi-time AWA World Heavyweight Champions Verne Gagne and Dick the Bruiser.
)[5] Over the next three years, versions were also established in the Central States, Hawaii, San Francisco and Toronto territories.
The title, which originated as the American Wrestling Alliance United States Championship and was renamed in 1968, existed from 1960 until 1981.
It existed from 1962 until 1973 when the title was vacated by champion Tiger Jeet Singh after several years of intermittent activity.
[4] In 1966, Texas promoter/wrestler Jack Adkisson (aka Fritz Von Erich) instituted a version of the title for his promotion, World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW).
Von Erich himself mostly held this title apart from losses to Johnny Valentine, Brute Bernard and The Spoiler.
It was created by and defended in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (MACW) run by Jim Crockett Jr.
He defended this as a separate title from his Detroit version, holding it until 1977 except for brief losses to Thunderbolt Patterson in late 1976 and Bobo Brazil in early 1977, after which Maple Leaf Wrestling recognized the Mid-Atlantic version of the title from May 1978 until July 1984 when promoter Jack Tunney allied himself with the WWF.
[4] The closures of the Detroit and San Francisco territories in October 1980 and January 1981 spelled the end for each of their versions of the title, last held by The Sheik and Dusty Rhodes respectively.