The OVW Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling World heavyweight championship owned by the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) promotion. The original championship was designed and created in 1997 by Reggie Parks. The title was introduced on August 17, 1997, at an OVW live event, then known as the NWA-OVW Heavyweight Championship due to OVW's relationship with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) governing body. OVW eventually parted ways with the NWA in October 2001, and the title was renamed the OVW Heavyweight Championship. OVW later became a developmental territory for the World Wrestling Entertainment organization, but their partnership eventually ceased on February 7, 2008. The title has no known weight-limit, even though it is a heavyweight championship. The title has also went through almost 3 different versions in its current twenty-five year run. With The first being made by Reggie Parks in 1997, which was then retired and vacated in early 2012. The second version would then be made by Reggie Parks and Dave Millican for OVW. The current version however was designed and created by Top Rope Belts, and ended up being used from 2012 to the present day.

Title changes happen mostly at OVW-promoted events. The inaugural champion was a man known as Trailer Park Trash. His reign began on August 17, 1997, but ended in a vacancy for unknown reasons; it is also unknown how he became the first champion. Nick Dinsmore holds the record of most reigns, with ten. At 322 days, Rocco Bellagio's reign is the longest in the title's history. Rob Conway's fourth reign, Chet the Jett's second reign, and Vladimir Kozlov's only reign are all tied for the record of shortest reign in the title's history at less than one day each. Nick Dinsmore's combined ten reign lengths add up to 529 days—the most of any wrestler. The current champion is Dustin Jacson; he was given the title after then-champion Kal Herro attacked him, violating an agreement with OVW management. Overall, there have been 147 reigns shared between 80 wrestlers, with 15 vacancies. One of those vacancies was due to then-champion Matt Cappotelli being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, and thus he chose to vacate the championship.

Title history

Names

NameYears
NWA-OVW Heavyweight ChampionshipAugust 17, 1997 – 2001
OVW Heavyweight ChampionshipOctober 2001 – present

Reigns

Key
No.Overall reign number
ReignReign number for the specific champion
DaysNumber of days held
N/AUnknown information
<1Reign lasted less than a day
+Current reign is changing daily
No.ChampionChampionship changeReign statisticsNotesRef.
DateEventLocationReignDays
1Trailer Park TrashAugust 17, 1997Live eventJeffersonville, IN176Trailer Park Trash defeated Vic the Bruiser to become the inaugural champion.
—VacatedNovember 1, 1997————
2Bill DundeeNovember 16, 1997Live eventJeffersonville, IN17Dundee won a battle royal to win the vacant championship.
3Rip RogersNovember 23, 1997Live eventJeffersonville, IN1192
4Nick DinsmoreJune 3, 1998Live eventJeffersonville, IN17
5David C.June 10, 1998Live eventJeffersonville, IN125David C. won the championship by forfeit.
6Doug BashamJuly 5, 1998Live eventJeffersonville, IN170
7Rip RogersSeptember 13, 1998Live eventJeffersonville, IN2107
8Doug BashamDecember 29, 1998Live eventLouisville, KY25
9Rip RogersJanuary 3, 1999Live eventLouisville, KY330
10Rod SteeleFebruary 2, 1999Live eventLouisville, KY175Nick Dinsmore defeated Steele on February 7, 1999 at a live event, but returned the title to Steele after learning of outside interference during their encounter.
11Nick DinsmoreApril 18, 1999Live eventJeffersonville, IN210
12Rob ConwayApril 28, 1999Live eventJeffersonville, IN19
13Nick DinsmoreMay 7, 1999Live eventNew Albany, IN332
14DamajaJune 8, 1999Live eventLouisville, KY170
15Rob ConwayAugust 17, 1999Live eventLouisville, KY285
16Rico ConstantinoNovember 10, 1999Live eventLouisville, KY146
17Flash FlanaganDecember 26, 1999Live eventLouisville, KY142
18Rico ConstantinoFebruary 6, 2000Live eventLouisville, KY211
19Flash FlanaganFebruary 17, 2000Live eventJeffersonville, IN247
20DamajaApril 4, 2000Live eventLouisville, KY250
21Nick DinsmoreMay 24, 2000Live eventJeffersonville, IN445
22Flash FlanaganJuly 8, 2000Live eventJeffersonville, IN327
23Nick DinsmoreAugust 4, 2000Live eventLouisville, KY533
24Rob ConwaySeptember 6, 2000Live eventJeffersonville, IN349
25Nick DinsmoreOctober 25, 2000Live eventJeffersonville, IN6125
26Rico ConstantinoFebruary 27, 2001Live eventLouisville, KY336
27Flash FlanaganApril 4, 2001Bluegrass BrawlLouisville, KY4112
28Doug BashamJuly 25, 2001OVW TV TapingsJeffersonville, IN3126OVW breaks away from the NWA in October 2001. The championship is renamed the OVW Heavyweight Championship.
29LeviathanNovember 28, 2001OVW TV TapingsJeffersonville, IN184
30The PrototypeFebruary 20, 2002OVW TV TapingsJeffersonville, IN184
31NovaMay 15, 2002Live eventJeffersonville, IN1175
32DamajaNovember 6, 2002Live eventLouisville, KY3105
33Nick DinsmoreFebruary 19, 2003Live eventLouisville, KY746
34Doug BashamApril 6, 2003OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY4115
35DamajaJuly 30, 2003OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY414This was a Loser Leaves Town match.
36Rob ConwayAugust 13, 2003OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY4<1
37Johnny JeterAugust 13, 2003OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY163
38Mark MagnusOctober 15, 2003OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY156
—VacatedDecember 10, 2003————The championship was vacated due to Mark Magnus being pinned by both Nick Dinsmore and Johnny Jeter in a three-way match on December 3.
39Nick DinsmoreJanuary 7, 2004OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY898Dinsmore defeated Johnny Jeter to win the vacant championship.
40Matt MorganApril 14, 2004OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY1182
41Chris CageOctober 13, 2004OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY149
42Chad TolandDecember 1, 2004OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY17
43Elijah BurkeDecember 8, 2004OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY1126
44Matt MorganApril 13, 2005OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY214
45Brent AlbrightApril 27, 2005OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY198
46Johnny JeterAugust 3, 2005OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY298
47Matt CappotelliNovember 9, 2005OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY191
—VacatedFebruary 8, 2006Live eventLouisville, KY——Matt Cappotelli vacated the championship after announcing that he had a brain tumor.
48Brent AlbrightMarch 1, 2006OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY263Albright defeated CM Punk in a tournament finals to become the new champion.
49CM PunkMay 3, 2006OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY1119This was a strap match
50Chet the JettAugust 30, 2006OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY156
51Jacob DuncanOctober 25, 2006OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY149
52Chet the JettDecember 13, 2006OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY2<1
53Paul BurchillDecember 13, 2006OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY166
54Cody RunnelsFebruary 17, 2007Live eventElizabethtown, KY11
55Paul BurchillFebruary 18, 2007Live eventLouisville, KY224
56Aaron StevensMarch 14, 2007Live eventLouisville, KY156
57Paul BurchillMay 9, 2007Live eventLouisville, KY314
—VacatedMay 23, 2007Live eventLouisville, KY——The championship was vacated after a double pin in a contest between Paul Burchill and Idol Stevens.
58Jay BradleyJune 1, 2007Live eventLouisville, KY126Bradley defeated Paul Burchill and Aaron Stevens in a three-way match to win the vacant championship.
59Paul BurchillJune 27, 2007Live eventLouisville, KY431
60Vladimir KozlovJuly 28, 2007Live eventElizabethtown, KY1<1
61Michael Washington KruelJuly 28, 2007Live eventElizabethtown, KY1130Pinned at backstage
62Matt SydalDecember 5, 2007Live eventLouisville, KY170Sydal is the last OVW Heavyweight Champion while OVW is a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) developmental territory.
63Jay BradleyFebruary 13, 2008Live eventLouisville, KY27Bradley became the first OVW Heavyweight Champion since OVW and WWE parted ways.
64Nick DinsmoreFebruary 20, 2008Live eventLouisville, KY9126
65Anthony BravadoJune 25, 2008Live eventLouisville, KY1115
66RybackOctober 18, 2008Live eventLouisville, KY114
67Anthony BravadoNovember 1, 2008Live eventLouisville, KY228
68Aaron StevensNovember 29, 2008Live eventLouisville, KY249
69Vaughn LilasJanuary 17, 2009Live eventLouisville, KY121
70ApocFebruary 7, 2009Live eventLouisville, KY177
71Vaughn LilasApril 25, 2009Live eventLouisville, KY222
72ApocMay 17, 2009Live eventLouisville, KY262
73Low RiderJuly 18, 2009Live eventLouisville, KY1172
74MooseJanuary 6, 2010OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY152
—VacatedFebruary 27, 2010————Moose was stripped of the championship due to attacking officials.
75Brent WellingtonFebruary 27, 2010Live eventLouisville, KY191Wellington won a battle royal to win the vacant championship.
76Mike MondoMay 29, 2010Live eventLouisville, KY118
77James ThomasJune 16, 2010OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY245Thomas is formerly known as Moose.
78Low RiderJuly 31, 2010Live eventLouisville, KY2161
79Cliff ComptonJanuary 8, 2011Live eventLouisville, KY156This was a three-way match, also involving Mike Mondo.
80Mike MondoMarch 5, 2011Live eventLouisville, KY260This was a three-way ladder match, also involving Low Rider.
—VacatedMay 4, 2011OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY——The championship was vacated after Mike Mondo attacked OVW president Danny Davis.
81Cliff ComptonMay 14, 2011Live eventLouisville, KY211This was a brass knuckles on a pole match against Mike Mondo with Danny Davis served as the special guest referee.
82Elvis PridemooreMay 25, 2011OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY17
—VacatedJune 1, 2011OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY——Pridemoore vacated the championship after finding out that he had won it due to outside interference from Mike Mondo.
83Jason WayneJuly 1, 2011OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY1117Wayne defeated Mike Mondo in a tournament final to win the vacant championship.
84Nick DinsmoreOctober 26, 2011OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY107
85Rudy SwitchbladeNovember 2, 2011OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY1122Switchblade defeated Adam Revolver, James Thomas, Jason Wayne, Mike Mondo, Nick Dinsmore, Rocco Bellagio and Ted McNaler and in an Eight Man Melee.
86Johnny SpadeMarch 3, 2012Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY170
87Rob TerryMay 12, 2012Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY146
—VacatedJune 27, 2012OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY——OVW Board of Directors member Ken Wayne vacated all OVW championships.
88Johnny SpadeJuly 7, 2012OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY267Spade defeated Rob Terry in the finals of a ten men gauntlet match to win the vacant championship.
89CrimsonSeptember 12, 2012OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY180
90Rob TerryDecember 1, 2012OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY260
91Doug WilliamsJanuary 30, 2013OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY170
92Jamin OlivenciaApril 10, 2013OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY1238
—VacatedDecember 4, 2013N/ALouisville, KY——The championship was vacated by OVW owner Danny Davis over inappropriate actions on OVW TV.
93Jamin OlivenciaDecember 7, 2013OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY228Olivencia defeated Johnny Spade to win the vacant championship.
94Marcus AnthonyJanuary 4, 2014OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY1126
95Jamin OlivenciaMay 10, 2014OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY356
96Marcus AnthonyJuly 5, 2014OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY228this was a Last Man Standing match.
97Melvin MaximusAugust 2, 2014OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY163
98Cliff ComptonOctober 4, 2014OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY363This was a three-way match, also including Marcus Anthony.
99Adam RevolverDecember 6, 2014OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY163
100Mohamad Ali VaezFebruary 7, 2015OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY181
101Eddie DiamondApril 29, 2015OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY186
102Chris SilvioJuly 24, 2015OVW Friday Night Fights 2Louisville, KY1134
103Ryan HoweDecember 5, 2015OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY14
104Rob ConwayDecember 9, 2015OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY524
105Ryan HoweJanuary 2, 2016OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY277
106Devin DriscollMarch 19, 2016Live eventElizabethtown, KY128
—VacatedApril 16, 2016Live eventElizabethtown, KY——The championship was vacated by OVW founder Danny Davis.
107Big JonApril 16, 2016Live eventElizabethtown, KY128Jon defeated Rocco Bellagio to win the vacant championship.
108Rocco BellagioMay 14, 2016OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY1322This was a No Holds Barred match.
109Big JonApril 1, 2017OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY291This was a steel cage match.
110Adam RevolverJuly 1, 2017OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY263Michael Hayes served as the special guest referee.
111Tyler MatrixSeptember 2, 2017OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY163
112Michael HayesNovember 4, 2017OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY1102This was Hayes War Games cash in match.
113Randy RoyalFebruary 14, 2018OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY117
114Michael HayesMarch 3, 2018OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY2126This was a three-way elimination match, also including Chris Silvio.
115AmonJuly 7, 2018OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY118This was a casket match.
116AbyssJuly 25, 2018OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY17Abyss became champion after Amon gave him the championship.
—VacatedAugust 1, 2018OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY——The championship vacated by Dean Hill.
117AbyssOctober 10, 2018OVW 1000Louisville, KY2112Abyss defeated Justin Smooth in a tournament final to win the vacant championship.
118Tony GunnJanuary 30, 2019OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY177
119DimesApril 17, 2019OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY17This was a gauntlet match also for the OVW Television Championship including Amon, Brandon Wolfe, Drew Hernandez and William Lutz.
120Justin SmoothApril 24, 2019OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY121This was a three-way match, also including Amon.
121Michael HayesMay 15, 2019OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY317The championship was awarded to Hayes by Dean Hill after Smooth got disqualified at the Saturday Night Special.
122Justin SmoothJune 1, 2019OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY2245This was a No Disqualification match.
123Maximus KhanFebruary 1, 2020OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY135This was a 3-Way Dance, also including Ca$h Flo.
124Tony GunnMarch 7, 2020OVW Saturday Night SpecialLouisville, KY2273
125Brian Pillman Jr.December 5, 2020OVW Christmas ChaosLouisville, KY128This was a Steel Cage Match.
—VacatedJanuary 2, 2021N/AN/A——Pillman vacated the championship due to his AEW commitments.
126Omar AmirJanuary 9, 2021OVW Nightmare Rumble 2021Louisville, KY1117Won the 2021 Nightmare Rumble to become the new OVW Heavyweight Champion.
127Ca$h FloMay 6, 2021OVW TV TapingLouisville, KY151
128Omar AmirJune 26, 2021Saturday Night Special - Chained Carnage 2021Louisville, KY2103This was a Chained Carnage match.
—VacatedOctober 7, 2021N/AN/A——
129Ryan HoweOctober 21, 2021OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY3224This was 20-man battle royal for the vacant championship.
130Omar AmirJune 2, 2022OVW TV: All Systems GoLouisville, KY335
131Jack VaughnJuly 7, 2022OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY135
132Omar AmirAugust 11, 2022OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY416
133James StormAugust 27, 2022OVW The Big OneLouisville, KY147
134Ca$h FloOctober 13, 2022OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY242This match was also for Storm's OVW National Heavyweight Championship.
135Mahabali SheraNovember 24, 2022OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY1210
136Ca$h FloJune 22, 2023OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY335
137Jack VaughnJuly 27, 2023OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY2133
138Tony GunnDecember 7, 2023OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY349nZo served as the special guest referee.
139Jack VaughnJanuary 25, 2024OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY350
140Tony GunnMarch 16, 2024OVW March MayhemLouisville, KY412This was a Double Jeopardy Tag Match between the team of Gunn and Luke Kurtis and the team of Vaughn and OVW National Heavyweight Champion EC3, where if either Vaughn or EC3 were pinned, the man who pinned them would win their respective title. Gunn pinned Vaughn.
141Luke KurtisMarch 28, 2024OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY135
142Tony EvansMay 2, 2024OVW Double CrossedLouisville, KY128
143CrixusMay 30, 2024OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY1105
—VacatedSeptember 12, 2024N/AN/A——
144Ca$h FloSeptember 12, 2024OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY421This was a gauntlet match that also involved AJZ, Dalton McKenzie and Tony Gunn.
145Mt. KhadeemOctober 3, 2024OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY1252
—VacatedJune 12, 2025OVW TV TapingsLouisville, KY——Khadeem announced unforeseen health concerns and vacated the title.
146Kal HerroJuly 1, 2025OVW Independence RageLouisville, KY1173Herro defeated Crixus in a tournament final for the vacant championship.
147Dustin JacksonDecember 11, 2025OVW RiseLouisville, KY1126+Kal Herro was forced to forfeit the title to Dustin Jackson after attacking him, violating an agreement with OVW management.

Combined reigns

Nick Dinsmore (pictured under his Eugene persona), is a record ten-time champion and holds the record for longest combined days as champion, with 529
†Indicates the current champion(s)
¤The exact length of at least one title reign is uncertain, so the shortest possible length is used.
<1Indicates that the combined total is less than one day.
RankWrestlerNo. of reignsCombined days
1Nick Dinsmore10529
2Tony Gunn4411
3Low Rider2333
4Rip Rogers3329
5Jamin Olivencia3322
Rocco Bellagio1322
7Doug Basham4316
8Ryan Howe3305
9Omar Amir4271
10Justin Smooth2266
11Mt. Khadeem1252
12Michael Hayes3245
13Damaja4239
14Flash Flanagan4228
15Jack Vaughn3218
16Mahabali Shera1210
17Matt Morgan2196
18Nova1175
19Kal Herro1173
20Rob Conway5167
21Brent Albright2161
Johnny Jeter2161
23Marcus Anthony2154
24Ca$h Flo4149
25Anthony Bravado2143
26Apoc2139
27Johnny Spade2137
28Paul Burchill4135
29Chris Silvio1134
30Cliff Compton3130
Michael Washington Kruel1130
32Dustin Jackson †1126+
33Adam Revolver2126
Elijah Burke1126
35Rudy Switchblade1122
36Abyss2119
Big Jon2119
CM Punk1119
39Jason Wayne1117
40Rob Terry2106
41Aaron Stevens2105
Crixus1105
43Moose/James Thomas297
44Rico Constantino393
45Brent Wellington191
Matt Cappotelli191
47Eddie Diamond186
48Leviathan184
The Prototype184
50Mohamad Ali Vaez181
51Crimson180
52Mike Mondo278
53Trailer Park Trash176
54Rod Steele175
55Doug Williams170
Matt Sydal170
57Melvin Maximus163
Tyler Matrix163
59Chet the Jett156
Mark Magnus156
61Chris Cage149
Jacob Duncan149
63James Storm147
64Vaughn Lilas243
65Luke Kurtis135
Maximus Khan135
67Jay Bradley233
68Brian Pillman Jr.128
Devin Driscoll128
Tony Evans128
71David C.125
72Amon118
73Randy Royal117
74Ryback114
75Bill Dundee17
Chad Toland17
Dimes17
Elvis Pridemoore17
79Cody Runnels11
80Vladimir Kozlov1<1

See also

Specific

General

  • Westcott, Brian; Dupree, Jim. . Solie.org.
  • . OVWrestling.com. Archived from on 2011-04-13.

External links

  • at Cagematch.net