The World Heavyweight Championship that has recently been carried by such greats as Batista and Triple H got its start in WWE back in 2002. But its prestigious lineage can actually be traced back all the way to George Hackenschmidt and 1904. For years, it was known as the NWA Championship; then when WCW pulled out of the NWA in the early 1990s, Ric Flair was recognized as the first-ever WCW Champion. Since that time, top names such as Hulk Hogan, Ron Simmons and Bret Hart carried the championship prior to WCW's demise.
WCW World Championship
| CHAMPION | DEFEATED | LOCATION | DATE | VIDEO |
| Ric Flair | Sting | East Rutherford, NJ | 01-11-91 | |
| Lex Luger | Barry Windham | Baltimore, MD | 07-14-91 | |
| Sting | Lex Luger | Milwaukee, WI | 02-29-92 | |
| Vader | Sting | Albany, GA | 07-12-92 | |
| Ron Simmons | Vader | Baltimore, MD | 08-02-92 | |
| Vader | Ron Simmons | Baltimore, MD | 12-30-92 | |
| Sting | Vader | London, England | 03-11-93 | |
| Vader | Sting | Dublin, Ireland | 03-17-93 | |
| Ric Flair | Vader | Charlotte, NC | 12-27-93 | |
| Hulk Hogan | Ric Flair | Orlando, FL | 07-17-94 | |
| The Giant | Hulk Hogan | Detroit, MI | 10-29-95 | |
| Randy Savage | n/a | Norfolk, VA | 11-26-95 | |
| Ric Flair | Randy Savage | Nashville, TN | 12-27-95 | |
| Randy Savage | Ric Flair | Las Vegas, NV | 01-22-96 | |
| Ric Flair | Randy Savage | St. Petersburg, FL | 02-11-96 | |
| The Giant | Ric Flair | Albany, GA | 04-22-96 | |
| Hulk Hogan | The Giant | Sturgis, SD | 08-10-96 | |
| Lex Luger | Hulk Hogan | Detroit, MI | 08-04-97 | |
| Hulk Hogan | Lex Luger | Sturgis, SD | 08-09-97 | |
| Sting | Hulk Hogan | Washington D.C. | 12-28-97 | |
| Sting | Hulk Hogan | San Francisco, CA | 02-22-98 | |
| Randy Savage | Sting | Denver, CO | 04-19-98 | |
| Hulk Hogan | Randy Savage | Colorado Springs, CO | 04-20-98 | |
| Goldberg | Hulk Hogan | Atlanta, GA | 07-06-98 | |
| Kevin Nash | Goldberg | Washington, D.C. | 12-27-98 | |
| Hulk Hogan | Kevin Nash | Atlanta, GA | 01-04-99 | |
| Ric Flair | Hulk Hogan | Louisville, KY | 03-14-99 | |
| Diamond Dallas Page | Ric Flair | Tacoma, WA | 04-11-99 | |
| Sting | Diamond Dallas Page | Fargo, ND | 04-26-99 | |
| Diamond Dallas Page | Sting | Fargo, ND | 04-26-99 | |
| Kevin Nash | Diamond Dallas Page | St. Louis, Mo. | 05-09-99 | |
| Randy Savage | Kevin Nash | Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. | 07-11-99 | |
| Hulk Hogan | Randy Savage | Jacksonville, Fla. | 07-12-99 | |
| Sting | Hulk Hogan | Winston-Salem, N.C. | 09-12-99 | |
| Bret Hart | Chris Benoit | Toronto, Ontario | 11-21-99 | |
| Bret Hart | Goldberg | Baltimore, Md. | 12-20-99 | |
| Chris Benoit | Sid Vicious | Cincinnati, Ohio | 01-16-00 | |
| Sid Vicious | Kevin Nash | Los Angeles, Calif. | 01-24-00 | |
| Sid Vicious | Kevin Nash | Las Vegas, Nev. | 01-26-00 | |
| Jeff Jarrett | Diamond Dallas Page | Chicago, Ill. | 04-16-00 | |
| Diamond Dallas Page | Jeff Jarrett | Rochester, N.Y. | 04-24-00 | |
| David Arquette | Eric Bischoff | Syracuse, N.Y. | 04-25-00 | |
| Jeff Jarrett | David Arquette | Kansas City, Mo. | 05-07-00 | |
| Ric Flair | Jeff Jarrett | Biloxi, Miss. | 05-15-00 | |
| Jeff Jarrett | Ric Flair | Grand Rapids, Mich. | 05-22-00 | |
| Kevin Nash | Jeff Jarrett | Saginaw, MI | 05-24-00 | |
| Jeff Jarrett | Ric Flair | Salt Lake City, UT | 05-29-00 | |
| Ric Flair | n/a | Salt Lake City, UT | 05-29-00 | |
| Booker T | Jeff Jarrett | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | 07-09-00 | |
| Kevin Nash | Booker T | Las Cruces, NM | 08-28-00 | |
| Booker T | Kevin Nash | Buffalo, NY | 09-17-00 | |
| Vince Russo | Booker T | Uniondale, NY | 09-25-00 | |
| Booker T | Jeff Jarrett | San Francisco, CA | 10-02-00 | |
| Scott Steiner | Booker T | Milwaukee, WI | 11-26-00 | |
| Booker T | Scott Steiner | Panama City, FL | 03-26-01 | |
| Kurt Angle | Booker T | Pittsburgh, PA | 07-24-01 | |
| Booker T | Kurt Angle | Philadelphia, PA | 07-30-01 | |
| The Rock | Booker T | San Jose, CA | 08-19-01 | |
| Chris Jericho | The Rock | St. Louis, MO | 10-21-01 | |
| The Rock | Chris Jericho | Uniondale, NY | 11-05-01 | |
| Chris Jericho | The Rock | San Diego, CA | 12-09-01 |