10 Obscure International Wrestling Championships
Bizarre national titles that never graced the top tier of the wrestling world.
It’s long been said that wrestling is a cyclical business and can often be a case of “what’s old is new again” when it comes to both in-ring product and on-screen presentation.
Regional championships were very much commonplace back in the halcyon days of territorial wrestling promotions; however, these area-specific titles have been largely phased out of mainstream wrestling companies with the advent of global television - that is, it seems, until now.
With the new WWE UK Championship a hot topic in the wrestling world, many fans are wondering if this is a sign of things to come for future WWE projects. Will Vince McMahon and Co. decide to expand further into regional markets and could this be the beginnings of a new worldwide territorial venture for World Wrestling Entertainment?
While the NWA has long had its fair share of region-specific titles over the years due to the territorial nature of the National Wrestling Alliance and the countless global NWA affiliates (e.g. NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship, etc), the most prominent companies in wrestling history have all had their fair share of country-specific championships; from the AWA and WCW right the way through to WWE and TNA.
While championships like the WWE United States Title - and to a lesser extent the now-defunct European Championship - are common knowledge amongst modern wrestling fans of the last two decades, there are many regional accolades that will be totally unheard of, even to the most astute of grappling fanatics.
So grab the SatNav and hit the road with us as we explore some of the most obscure and bizarre national titles to ever grace the top tier of the wrestling world.