| No. |
Champion |
Championship change |
Reign statistics |
Notes |
Ref. |
| Date |
Event |
Location |
Reign |
Days |
| 1 |
D'Lo Brown |
January 5, 1996 |
HWA |
Fort Wright, KY |
1 |
64 |
Defeated Bobby Blaze in the tournament final to become inaugural champion. |
[1] |
| 2 |
Bobby Blaze |
March 9, 1996 |
HWA |
Ashland, KY |
1 |
7 |
|
[2] |
| 3 |
D'Lo Brown |
March 16, 1996 |
HWA |
Lima, OH |
2 |
77-106 |
|
[3] |
| Title became inactive from June 1996 to May 2000 |
| 4 |
Race Steele |
May 25, 2000 |
3rd Annual Brian Pillman Memorial Show |
Cincinnati, OH |
1 |
246 |
Steele defeated Chip Fairway in the tournament final to win vacant title. |
[4] |
| 5 |
Chad Collyer |
January 26, 2001 |
HWA |
Rising Sun, IN |
1 |
32 |
|
[5] |
| Chad Collyer stripped of title on February 27, 2001. |
| 6 |
Shark Boy |
February 27, 2001 |
HWA |
Cincinnati, OH |
1 |
17 |
This was a Battle Royal match for the vacant title. |
[6] |
| 7 |
Race Steele |
March 16, 2001 |
HWA |
Rising Sun, IN |
2 |
113 |
|
[7] |
| 8 |
Cody Hawk |
July 7, 2001 |
HWA |
Cincinnati, OH |
1 |
28 |
|
[8] |
| 9 |
Race Steele |
August 4, 2001 |
HWA |
Batavia, OH |
3 |
5 |
|
|
| 10 |
Nick Dinsmore |
August 9, 2001 |
4th Annual Brian Pillman Memorial Show |
Cincinnati, OH |
1 |
9 |
|
[9] |
| 11 |
Race Steele |
August 18, 2001 |
HWA |
Dayton, OH |
4 |
88 |
|
[10] |
| Championship was held up on September 30, 2001 |
| 12. |
E. Z. Money |
November 14, 2001 |
|
Dayton, OH |
1 |
56 |
Defeated D'Lo Brown in tournament final. |
|
| 13. |
Charlie Haas |
January 9, 2002 |
|
Dayton, OH |
1 |
20 |
Defeated Val Venis in tournament final; Stripped of title January 29, 2002. |
|
| 14. |
E. Z. Money |
January 29, 2002 |
|
Dayton, OH |
2 |
45 |
Was awarded title after Charlie Haas was stripped. |
|
| 15. |
Rico Constantino |
March 15, 2002 |
|
Dayton, OH |
1 |
2 |
|
|
| 16. |
Stevie Richards |
March 17, 2002 |
|
Jeffersonville, IN |
1 |
3 |
|
|
| 17. |
Race Steele |
March 20, 2002 |
|
Cincinnati, OH |
5 |
49 |
|
|
| 18. |
Johnny the Bull |
May 8, 2002 |
|
Dayton, OH |
1 |
11 |
|
|
| 19. |
Lance Cade |
May 19, 2002 |
|
Jeffersonville, IN |
1 |
62 |
|
|
| 20. |
Johnny the Bull |
July 20, 2002 |
|
Batavia, OH |
2 |
<1 |
|
|
| 21. |
Lance Cade |
July 20, 2002 |
|
Batavia, OH |
2 |
1 |
|
|
| 22. |
Cody Hawk |
July 21, 2002 |
|
Jeffersonville, IN |
2 |
58 |
|
|
| 23. |
Matt Stryker |
September 17, 2002 |
|
Cincinnati, OH |
1 |
53 |
|
|
| 24. |
Chet Jablonski |
November 9, 2002 |
|
Batavia, OH |
1 |
55 |
|
|
| 25. |
Matt Stryker |
January 3, 2003 |
|
Batavia OH |
2 |
80 |
|
|
| 26. |
Cody Hawk |
March 24, 2003 |
|
Wilmington, OH |
3 |
5 |
|
|
| 27. |
Matt Stryker |
March 29, 2003 |
|
Wilmington, OH |
3 |
17 |
|
|
| 28. |
Ala Hussein |
April 15, 2003 |
|
Cincinnati, OH |
1 |
17 |
|
|
| 29. |
Chad Collyer |
May 2, 2003 |
|
Aurora, IN |
2 |
127 |
Won the title by winning a Royal Rumble type match. |
|
| 30. |
Nigel McGuinness |
September 6, 2003 |
|
Batavia, OH |
1 |
119 |
|
|
| 31. |
Hoss |
January 3, 2004 |
|
Batavia, OH |
1 |
3 |
|
|
| 32. |
Nigel McGuinness |
January 6, 2004 |
|
Cincinnati, OH |
2 |
71 |
|
|
| 33. |
El Temor |
March 17, 2004 |
|
Cincinnati, OH |
1 |
13 |
|
|
| 34. |
Rory Fox |
March 30, 2004 |
|
Cincinnati, OH |
1 |
360 |
|
|
| 35 |
Shawn Osborne |
March 25, 2005 |
|
Dayton, OH |
1 |
84 |
|
|
| 36. |
Matt Stryker |
June 17, 2005 |
|
Cincinnati, OH |
4 |
98 |
|
|
| 37. |
Cody Hawk |
September 23, 2005 |
|
Cincinnati, OH |
4 |
39-68 |
Cody Hawk was stripped of championship after testing positive for steroids in November 2005. |
|
| 38. |
Pepper Parks |
January 1, 2006 |
|
Cincinnati, OH |
1 |
128 |
Defeated Jon Moxley in tournament final for vacant championship. |
|
| 39. |
Jon Moxley |
May 9, 2006 |
|
Cincinnati, OH |
1 |
126 |
|
|
| 40. |
Chad Collyer |
September 12, 2006 |
|
Cincinnati, OH |
3 |
56 |
|
|
| 41. |
Pepper Parks |
November 7, 2006 |
|
Cincinnati, OH |
2 |
28 |
Pepper Parks vacated the HWA Heavyweight Championship on December 5, 2006 after being "Called Up". |
|
| 42. |
Jon Moxley |
December 30, 2006 |
|
Dayton, OH |
2 |
3 |
Defeated JT Stahr, "Buffalo Bad Boy" Brian Jennings, and Matt Stryker in a fatal 4 way for the vacant title. |
|
| 43. |
Brian Jennings |
January 2, 2007 |
|
Cincinnati, OH |
1 |
381 |
|
|
| 44 |
B. J. Whitmer |
January 18, 2008 |
|
Dayton, OH |
1 |
145 |
Stripped of the title on June 11, 2008. |
|
| 45. |
Jake Crist |
July 11, 2008 |
|
Cincinnati, OH |
1 |
407 |
Defeated Jon Moxley in playoff match. |
|
| 46. |
Richard Phillips |
August 22, 2009 |
|
Norwood, OH |
1 |
119 |
|
|
| 47. |
Aaron Williams |
December 19, 2009 |
|
Norwood, OH |
1 |
18 |
|
|
| 48. |
Jon Moxley |
January 6, 2010 |
|
Middletown, OH |
3 |
189 |
Jon Moxley cashed in his Pick Your Poison title shot. |
|
| 49. |
Gerome Phillips |
July 14, 2010 |
|
Middletown, OH |
2 |
248 |
|
|
| 50. |
B. J. Whitmer |
March 19, 2011 |
|
Norwood, OH |
2 |
161 |
|
|
| 51. |
Jesse Emerson |
August 27, 2011 |
|
Norwood, OH |
1 |
112 |
|
|
| 52. |
Jake Crist |
December 17, 2011 |
|
Hamilton, OH |
2 |
307 |
Jake Crist cashed in his Pick Your Poison title shot. |
|
| 53. |
Ron Mathis |
October 19, 2012 |
|
Hamilton, OH |
1 |
281 |
Ron Mathis cashed in his Pick Your Poison title shot, after Crist had already defended the title against Jesse Emerson. |
|
| 54. |
Chance Prophet |
July 27, 2013 |
|
Hamilton, OH |
1 |
343 |
Chance Prophet won the championship against Ron Mathis at the Tournament of B.E.S.T. after Prophet was made the booker of HWA. |
|
| 55. |
Dustin Rayz |
July 5, 2014 |
|
Middletown, OH |
1 |
— |
Dustin Rayz won the championship against Chance Prophet at Cyber Clash 7.0: Egos Rising. This was after the writing/booking duties were removed from Prophet. |
|
| Retired in 2015 |