Women's World Championship

For the current Women's World Championship in WWE, see Women's World Championship (WWE).
Women's World Championship
Details
Date established1910
Date retired1954
Statistics
First champion(s)Cora Livingston
Final champion(s)June Byers
Most reigns2 reigns:

The Women's World Championship was the first Women's professional wrestling world championship in the world.[1]

History

Cora Livingston defeated Hazel Parker in 1906. Though the contest was for the Featherweight Championship, from that point she billed herself as the first women's champion of the world.[2] She then went to face women's champion Laura Bennett in a champion vs. champion title unification match in 1910. The match saw Cora Livingston victorious and it was at that time she was officially recognized as the first women's world champion.[1][3]

Mildred Burke won a woman's world championship title in 1937 and held it for close to two decades. Mildred Burke won the women's wrestling world championship title defeating Clara Mortenson the inaugural champion.[4][5] Clara had competed for the vacant championship against Barbara Ware, with Clara coming out victorious, following her victory, she was billed as the first women's world champion.[6] On June 14, 1953, June Byers won a 13-woman tournament in Baltimore to claim the belt. She quickly became a popular fan favorite champion.[7] Byers and Burke wrestled a two out of three falls match in 1954 it went to a no contest. Subsequently, Byers was recognized as the NWA World Women's Champion, and Burke went on to create the WWWA World Championship and was recognized as its first champion.[8]

Reigns

Key
No. Overall reign number
Reign Reign number for the specific champion
Days Number of days held
No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref.
Date Event Location Reign Days
1 Cora Livingston October 1910 N/A Kansas City, MO 1 Recognized as the first Women's Champion of the World.
— Vacated 1925 — — — — Livingstone retired as champion in 1925.
2 Clara Mortenson 1932 N/A N/A 1 Defeated Barbara Ware to win vacant title. [when?][citation needed]
3 Mildred Burke January 28, 1937 N/A Chattanooga, TN 1 [5]
4 Clara Mortenson February 11, 1937 N/A Chattanooga, Tennessee 2 Despite having lost the title in 1937, Mortenson was billed as World Champion in her appearance fourteen years later in the 1951 film Racket Girls. [5]
5 Mildred Burke April, 1937 N/A N/A 2 [5]
6 June Byers April 14, 1953 N/A Baltimore, MD 1 Byers won a 13-woman tournament to win the vacant championship. [9]
— Deactivated 1954 — — — — Byers and Burke wrestled a two out of three falls match in 1954. The bout went to a no contest. Subsequently, Byers was recognized as the NWA World Women's Champion, and Burke went on to create the WWWA World Championship and was recognized as its first champion. The Women's World Championship was retired in 1954.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Brian Solomon (2015). Pro Wrestling FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the World's Most Entertaining Spectacle. Hal Leonard. ISBN 9781617136276.
  2. ^ Laprade, Pat; Murphy, Dan (April 11, 2017). Sisterhood of the Squared Circle: The History and Rise of Women's Wrestling. ECW Press. ISBN 9781773050140 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ "Mrs. Bowser Dies; Was Mat Champ". April 11, 2014.
  4. ^ "Mildred Burke". WWE.
  5. ^ a b c d Freedman, Lew (September 7, 2018). Pro Wrestling: A Comprehensive Reference Guide. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781440853517 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "Clara Mortenson - OWW".
  7. ^ June Byers at imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
  8. ^ Malnoske, Andrew. "Mildred Burke". Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  9. ^ Freedman, Lew (September 7, 2018). Pro Wrestling: A Comprehensive Reference Guide. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781440853517 – via Google Books.