- Triple Crown Championship
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This article is about the professional wrestling accomplishment. For the professional wrestling championship in Japan, see AJPW Triple Crown Championship. For other uses, see Triple Crown.
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), and 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.
Contents
WWE
CM Punk, the fastest to win the WWE Triple Crown.
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.
Current WWE wrestlers who are one title away from a Triple Crown include:
- Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, John Morrison. Kofi Kingston, Santino Marella, and William Regal all need a primary (WWE or World) championship.
- Big Show, John Cena, The Miz, and The Undertaker all need the Intercontinental Championship.
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
HeavyweightWorld
Tag TeamWWE
Tag TeamIntercontinental 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
Bret Hart, the first wrestler to win both the WWF and WCW Triple CrownThe 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.[11]
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
Rob Van Dam, the only wrestler to win both the WWE and ECW Triple CrownThe 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[12]
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 August 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.[13]
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.[14].
Current TNA wrestlers who are one title away from a Triple Crown include:
- Eric Young, Douglas Williams, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, Christopher Daniels, and Kid Kash all need the TNA World Championship (as the NWA World Title is no longer under TNA control).
- Sting, Bobby Roode, and James Storm need the X Division Title (which now has a 225 lb. weight limit).
List of TNA Triple Crown Champions
Kurt Angle, the only wrestler to win both the WWE and TNA Triple CrownThe 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 HeavyweightTNA
World HeavyweightNWA
World Tag TeamTNA
World Tag TeamTNA
X DivisionA.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
(No partner)August 12, 2007 Samoa Joe April 13, 2008 July 15, 2007
(No partner)December 11, 2005 A.J. Styles September 20, 2009 September 24, 2006 (with Christopher Daniels)
January 16, 2005 Abyss November 19, 2006 February 4, 2004 (with A.J. Styles)
May 16, 2011 Ring of Honor
Eddie Edwards, the first ROH Triple Crown winnerThe 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.
Current ROH wrestlers who are one title away from the Triple Crown include:
- El Generico needs a ROH World Championship reign.
- Davey Richards and Roderick Strong need the TV Title.
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[15] [16] 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.
- ^ "Pedro Morales". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/wwechampionship/30445418. 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". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/intercontinental/9155998. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
- ^ "CM Punk's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldheavyweight/200806011. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ "Punk and Kingston's first reign". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldtagteam/20081027WorldTagChamps. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
- ^ a b c "Punk rocks! C.M. is WWE's triple threat". Daily News. 2009-01-22. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2009/01/22/2009-01-22_punk_rocks_cm_is_wwes_triple_threat.html. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ a b Baines, Tim (2009-01-24). "Rey's ready to Rumble again". Canadian Online Explorer. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2009/01/24/8133176.html. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ "Pedro Morales Hall of Fame biography". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/superstars/halloffame/pedromorales/bio/. 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. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,14204_3851751,00.html. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ "History of the World Heavyweight Championship: Dolph Ziggler". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldheavyweight/201012192. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
- ^ World Championship Wrestling. WCW: The Ultimate Guide. DK Books. 2000. "...Flair became the company's first Triple-Crown winner".
- ^ Denbaum, Evan (2006-02-27). "Cardona ready to work his way to WWE stardom". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/archive/cardonahired.
- ^ Banks, B. (2007-03-30). "Ask TNAwrestling.com: New Titles, Great Muta, DVDs & More". TNAWrestling.com. http://www.tnawrestling.com/news/fullnews2.php?all=1268. 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. http://www.tnawrestling.com/news/fullnews2.php?all=1437. 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. http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/186071. Retrieved 10/19/2011.
- ^ "MORE SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 2011 UPDATES!". https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/more-survival-fittest-2011-updates. Retrieved 10/19/2011.
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territoryMerchandise Ring of Honor Championships World World (reigns)Secondary Tag Team World Tag Team (reigns) · Shimmer Tag Team (reigns)Other Top of the Class Trophy (reigns) · Triple CrownTalent Roster · AlumniProgramming Ring of Honor Wrestling · Pay-per-viewsMiscellaneous Extreme Championship Wrestling Championships World World Heavyweight (reigns)Secondary Tag Team World Tag Team (reigns)Other FTW Heavyweight (reigns) · Triple CrownTalent Programming Miscellaneous ECW Arena · Video games (Hardcore Revolution · Anarchy Rulz) · The Invasion · The Rise and Fall of ECW · WWE Brand Extension · WWE Brand · One Night Stand (2005 · 2006) · December to Dismember (1995 · 2006) · Mass Transit incident · Extreme MusicGrand Slam and Triple Crown Champions Grand Slam
ChampionshipShawn Michaels · Triple H · Kane · Chris Jericho · Kurt Angle · Eddie Guerrero · Rob Van Dam · Booker T · Jeff Hardy · John "Bradshaw" Layfield · ChristianTriple Crown
ChampionshipPedro Morales · Bret Hart · Diesel · Shawn Michaels · Steve Austin · The Rock · Triple H · Kane · Chris Jericho · Kurt Angle · Eddie Guerrero · Chris Benoit · Ric Flair · Edge · Rob Van Dam · Booker T · Randy Orton · Jeff Hardy · CM Punk · John "Bradshaw" Layfield · Rey Mysterio · Dolph Ziggler · ChristianRic Flair · Lex Luger · Sting · Diamond Dallas Page · Goldberg · Bret Hart · Chris Benoit · Scott Steiner · Booker TROH Eddie EdwardsCategories:- Professional wrestling slang
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling championships
- WWE championships
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