Triple Crown (professional wrestling)
The Triple Crown Championship is an accomplishment in professional wrestling. It is a distinction made to a professional wrestler who has won three specific championships. National promotions that officially recognize Triple Crown winners include WWE, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Ring of Honor (ROH), as well as the defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). The three titles typically feature two levels of singles championships (a primary and secondary singles title) and a tag team championship.
WWE
In WWE (formerly known as World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment) the term Triple Crown Champion has traditionally been used to describe a wrestler who has won the WWE Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, and the World Tag Team Championship.[1] For a span of nearly eighteen years, from 1979 up through 1997, these were the three championships of the company, and a competitor who had won all three championships (not necessarily concurrently) was considered a "Triple Crown Champion."[1][2]
On January 19, 2009, CM Punk defeated William Regal for the Intercontinental Championship in Chicago, Illinois on WWE Raw.[3] When CM Punk defeated Regal, Punk became a Triple Crown Champion, having won the World Heavyweight Championship on June 30, 2008[4] and the World Tag Team Championship on October 27, 2008.[5] CM Punk broke the record for completing the Triple Crown Championship (203 days), breaking Kevin Nash's (then known as Diesel) previous record of 227 days.[6][7]
Following the brand extension in 2002, the World Heavyweight Championship and the WWE Tag Team Championship became alternate titles that can compose part of the Triple Crown. WWE has yet to officially declare the WWE United States Championship to be an acceptable substitute for secondary championships in order to complete the Triple Crown or the Grand Slam Championship, this is being that the title did not originate within the WWE as it was from WCW when WWE purchased the rights to the company. [citation needed]
List of WWE Triple Crown Champions
The following is a list of WWE Triple Crown Champions with dates indicating the wrestler's first reign with the respective championship.
| Text | |
|---|---|
| Championships in italics | Indicates the title is an alternate title from the original definition of a Triple Crown Championship. |
| Dates in italics | The wrestler has won that title, but does not contribute to their Triple Crown because they had already won the Triple Crown or they had already won a title at that the same level. |
| Dates in bold | The date the wrestler became a Triple Crown Champion. |
| Names in bold | Indicates the wrestler is also a Grand Slam Champion. |
| Name colors | |
| Won the Triple Crown under the original definition. | |
| Won the Triple Crown with one or more alternate titles. | |
| Won the Triple Crown with one or more alternate titles, but has also won all the titles under the original definition. | |
| Date colors | |
| Won title as a member of the Raw brand. | |
| Won title as a member of the ECW brand. | |
| Won title as a member of the SmackDown brand. | |
| Won title before the WWE Brand Extension. | |
| Notes | |
| 1 ^ The wrestler is not currently employed by WWE or retired from professional wrestling, so future reigns are not possible. | |
| 2 ^ The wrestler is deceased, so future reigns are not possible. | |
| 3 ^ The World Tag Team Championship was unified with the WWE Tag Team Championship on April 5, 2009, so future reigns with this title are not possible. | |
| Champion | Primary Championships | Tag Team Championships | Secondary Championships | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WWE | World Heavyweight |
World Tag Team |
WWE Tag Team |
Intercontinental | |
| Pedro Morales[1][8] | February 8, 1971 | no future reign possible1 | August 9, 1980 (with Bob Backlund) |
no future reign possible1 | December 8, 1980 |
| Bret Hart | October 12, 1992 | no future reign possible | January 26, 1987 (with Jim Neidhart) |
no future reign possible | August 26, 1991 |
| Diesel[6] | November 26, 1994 | August 28, 1994 (with Shawn Michaels) |
April 13, 1994 | ||
| Shawn Michaels | March 31, 1996 | November 17, 2002 | August 28, 1994 (with Diesel) |
December 13, 2009 (with Triple H) |
October 27, 1992 |
| Stone Cold Steve Austin[9] | March 29, 1998 | no future reign possible1 | May 26, 1997 (with Shawn Michaels) |
no future reign possible1 | August 3, 1997 |
| The Rock | November 15, 1998 | August 30, 1999 (with Mankind) |
February 13, 1997 | ||
| Triple H | August 23, 1999 | September 2, 2002 | April 29, 2001 (with Stone Cold Steve Austin) |
December 13, 2009 (with Shawn Michaels) |
October 21, 1996 |
| Kane | June 28, 1998 | July 18, 2010 | July 13, 1998 (with Mankind) |
April 19, 2011 (with The Big Show) |
May 20, 2001 |
| Chris Jericho | December 9, 2001 | September 7, 2008 | May 21, 2001 (with Chris Benoit) |
June 28, 2009 (with Edge) |
December 12, 1999 |
| Kurt Angle | October 22, 2000 | January 10, 2006 | no future reign possible1 | October 20, 2002 (with Chris Benoit) |
February 27, 2000 |
| Eddie Guerrero | February 15, 2004 | no future reign possible2 | no future reign possible2 | November 17, 2002 (with Chavo Guerrero) |
September 5, 2000 |
| Chris Benoit | no future reign possible2 | March 14, 2004 | May 21, 2001 (with Chris Jericho) |
October 20, 2002 (with Kurt Angle) |
April 2, 2000 |
| Ric Flair | January 19, 1992 | no future reign possible1 | December 14, 2003 (with Batista) |
no future reign possible1 | September 18, 2005 |
| Edge | January 8, 2006 | May 8, 2007 | April 2, 2000 (with Christian) |
November 5, 2002 (with Rey Mysterio) |
July 24, 1999 |
| Rob Van Dam | June 11, 2006 | no future reign possible1 | March 31, 2003 (with Kane) |
December 7, 2004 (with Rey Mysterio) |
March 17, 2002 |
| Booker T | July 23, 2006 | November 1, 2001 (with Test) |
July 7, 2003 | ||
| Randy Orton | October 7, 2007 | August 15, 2004 | November 13, 2006 (with Edge) |
December 14, 2003 | |
| Jeff Hardy | December 14, 2008 | June 7, 2009 | June 29, 1999 (with Matt Hardy) |
no future reign possible1 | April 10, 2001 |
| CM Punk[6][7] | July 17, 2011 | June 30, 2008 | October 27, 2008 (with Kofi Kingston) |
January 19, 2009 | |
| John "Bradshaw" Layfield | June 27, 2004 | no future reign possible 1 | May 25, 1999 (with Faarooq) |
no future reign possible 1 | March 9, 2009 |
| Rey Mysterio | July 25, 2011 | April 2, 2006 | no future reign possible3 | November 5, 2002 (with Edge) |
April 5, 2009 |
| Dolph Ziggler | February 15, 2011[10] | April 3, 2006 (with the Spirit Squad) |
July 28, 2010 | ||
| Christian | May 1, 2011 | April 2, 2000 (with Edge) |
September 23, 2001 | ||
World Championship Wrestling
The World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Triple Crown consisted of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, the WCW United States Championship and the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
List of WCW Triple Crown Champions
| Champion | Primary Championships | Tag Team Championships | Secondary Championships |
|---|---|---|---|
| WCW World Heavyweight | WCW World Tag Team | WCW United States | |
| Ric Flair | January 11, 1991 | December 26, 1976 (with Greg Valentine) |
July 29, 1977 |
| Lex Luger | July 14, 1991 | March 27, 1988 (with Barry Windham) |
July 11, 1987 |
| Sting | February 29, 1992 | January 22, 1996 (with Lex Luger) |
August 25, 1991 |
| Diamond Dallas Page | April 11, 1999 | May 31, 1999 (with Bam Bam Bigelow and Kanyon) |
December 28, 1997 |
| Goldberg | July 6, 1998 | December 7, 1999 (with Bret Hart) |
April 20, 1998 |
| Bret Hart | November 21, 1999 | December 7, 1999 (with Goldberg) |
July 20, 1998 |
| Chris Benoit | January 16, 2000 | March 14, 1999 (with Dean Malenko) |
August 9, 1999 |
| Scott Steiner | November 26, 2000 | November 1, 1989 (with Rick Steiner) |
April 11, 1999 |
| Booker T | July 29, 2000 | May 3, 1995 (with Stevie Ray) |
March 18, 2001 |
Extreme Championship Wrestling
The Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) Triple Crown consisted of the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, the ECW World Television Championship and the ECW World Tag Team Championship.1[11]
List of ECW Triple Crown Champions
| Champion | Primary Championships | Tag Team Championships | Secondary Championships |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECW World Heavyweight | ECW World Tag Team | ECW World Television | |
| Johnny Hotbody | April 26, 1992 | April 3, 1993 (with Chris Candido and Chris Michaels) |
August 12, 1992 |
| Sabu | October 2, 1993 | February 4, 1995 (with The Tazmaniac) |
November 13, 1993 |
| Mikey Whipwreck | October 28, 1995 | Auguest 27, 1994 (with Cactus Jack) |
May 13, 1994 |
| Taz | January 10, 1999 | December 4, 1993 (with Kevin Sullivan) |
March 6, 1994 |
| Rob Van Dam | June 13, 20062 | June 27, 1998 (with Sabu) |
April 4, 1998 |
1 ^ All of ECW's Championships are now defunct.
2 ^ Won title as part of WWE's ECW brand.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
In Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), the TNA Triple Crown was an accolade bestowed upon those who won (not necessarily concurrently) all three championships regularly contested in TNA between 2002 and 2007 - the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, the TNA X Division Championship and (one-half of) the NWA World Tag Team Championship.[12]
In May 2007, TNA lost the rights to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and the NWA World Tag Team Championship and introduced the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and the TNA World Tag Team Championship. On July 8, 2007, TNA stated that, should the then-TNA X Division Champion Samoa Joe win the TNA World Tag Team Championship, this would leave him "just one step shy of becoming only the second Triple Crown Champion". This indicates that the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and the TNA World Tag Team Championship are part of the existing Triple Crown accolade.[13]
List of TNA Triple Crown Champions
The following is a list of TNA Triple Crown Champions with dates indicating the wrestler's first reign with the respective championship. Under TNA's definition of the Triple Crown Championship, wrestlers are eligible to be a multiple Triple Crown champion each time they complete a new circuit. So far, only A.J. Styles has won the Triple Crown on more than one occasion.
| Text | |
|---|---|
| Championships in italics | Indicates the title is an alternate title from the original definition of a Triple Crown Championship. |
| Dates in bold | The date the wrestler became a Triple Crown Champion. |
| Names in bold | Indicates the wrestler is also a Grand Slam Champion. |
| Name colors | |
| Won the Triple Crown under the original definition. | |
| Won the Triple Crown with an alternate title. | |
| Champion | Primary Championships | Tag Team Championships | Secondary Championships | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWA World Heavyweight |
TNA World Heavyweight |
NWA World Tag Team |
TNA World Tag Team |
TNA X Division | |
| A.J. Styles | June 11, 2003 | July 3, 2002 (with Jerry Lynn) |
June 19, 2002 | ||
| April 21, 2004 | February 4, 2004 (with Abyss) |
October 23, 2002 | |||
| May 15, 2005 | June 18, 2006 (with Christopher Daniels) |
June 9, 2004 | |||
| Kurt Angle | June 17, 2007 | August 12, 2007 (with no partner) |
August 12, 2007 | ||
| Samoa Joe | April 13, 2008 | July 15, 2007 (with no partner) |
December 11, 2005 | ||
| A.J. Styles | September 20, 2009 | September 24, 2006
(with Christopher Daniels) |
October 14, 2007
(with Tomko) |
January 16, 2005 | |
| Abyss | November 19, 2006 | February 4, 2004
(with A.J. Styles) |
May 16, 2011 | ||
Ring of Honor
The Ring of Honor (ROH) Triple Crown consists of the ROH World Championship, the ROH World Tag Team Championship and the ROH World Television Championship. ROH also accepts the (now defunct) ROH Pure Championship as a substitute for the TV Title to qualify for their version of the Triple Crown.
List of ROH Triple Crown Champions
| Champion | Primary Championships | Tag Team Championships | Secondary Championships | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROH World | ROH World Tag Team | ROH World Television | ROH Pure | |
| Eddie Edwards[14] [15] | March 19, 2011 | April 10, 2009 (with Davey Richards) |
March 5, 2010 | |
See also
References
- ^ a b c Brian Shields (4th Edition 2006). Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s. Pocket Books. p. 199. ISBN 9781416532576.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - ^ "Pedro Morales". WWE. Retrieved 2007-06-03.
Pedro Morales [defeated] Ivan Koloff for the [WWF] Championship...Morales would also go on to become the first Triple Crown winner [upon winning] the Intercontinental Championship and World Tag Team Championship.
- ^ "Official Intercontinental Championship title history". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
- ^ "CM Punk's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ "Punk and Kingston's first reign". WWE. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
- ^ a b c "Punk rocks! C.M. is WWE's triple threat". Daily News. 2009-01-22. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ a b Baines, Tim (2009-01-24). "Rey's ready to Rumble again". Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ "Pedro Morales Hall of Fame biography". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-03-13. [dead link]
- ^ "WWE Legends: Skysports.com looks back at Stone Cold Steve Austin's distinguished career in the first of a series of superstar reviews". Sky Sports. August 1, 2008. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ "History of the World Heavyweight Championship: Dolph Ziggler". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
- ^ Denbaum, Evan (2006-02-27). "Cardona ready to work his way to WWE stardom". World Wrestling Entertainment.
- ^ Banks, B. (2007-03-30). "Ask TNAwrestling.com: New Titles, Great Muta, DVDs & More". TNAWrestling.com. Retrieved 2007-05-14.
Who do you think will be the 2nd man to win the TNA Triple Crown?...Obviously, A.J. Styles was the first to accomplish the feat, capturing the X, Tag Team and World Titles...
- ^ Jevec, R. (2007-07-08). "The TNA Championship Scenarios At Sunday's Victory Road". TNAWrestling.com. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
[Samoa Joe] has been a multi-time X Division Champion...A victory over Team 3D will put yet another championship title around his waist, leaving him just one step shy of becoming only the second Triple Crown Champion in TNA Wrestling history
- ^ "http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/186071". 411mania. Retrieved 10/19/2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); External link in|title= - ^ "MORE SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 2011 UPDATES!". Retrieved 10/19/2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Text "publisherRing of Honor" ignored (help)