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IWA Puerto Rico/Caribbean Heavyweight Championship

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Caribbean Heavyweight Championship
Details
PromotionInternational Wrestling Association of Puerto Rico
Major League Wrestling
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide
Date establishedOctober 13, 2008
Current champion(s)Miguel Pérez Jr.
Date wonApril 15, 2023
Other name(s)
  • IWA Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (2008–2020)
Statistics
Longest reignSavio Vega (592 days)
Shortest reignAsh Rubynski (7 days)
Oldest championMiguel Pérez Jr. (56 years, 358 days)
Youngest championGQ The Ravishing (Richard Rondón) (28 years, 40 days)

The IWA Puerto Rico/Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (Campeonato Peso Pesado del Caribe/Caribeño de la IWA in Spanish) is a regional championship originally defended in the International Wrestling Association of Puerto Rico (IWA-PR), where it was a mid-tier title. For some time it was unified with another secondary accolade, the IWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship. It was later reintroduced as a stand-alone title and deactivated when the promotion entered seven years of inactivity, but was not among the lineup when IWA-PR resumed its shows.

In 2019, the belt was revived and introduced to Major League Wrestling (MLW), as Savio Vega was announced as the “Caribbean Heavyweight Champion” upon making his debut. In 2020, Richard Holliday began a streak of unofficial defenses after taking possession of the belt following a non-title match. Story wise, the Caribbean Heavyweight Championship was not initially sanctioned by MLW, only acquiring affiliation as it became the centerpiece of the promotion's island event market expansion.[1] The current champion is Miguel Pérez Jr. who is in his first reign.

History

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Introduction (2008–2011)

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Championship was announced on October 13, 2008 via IWA's website[2] but it was not until February 14, 2009 at "Noche de Campeones" in Bayamón, Puerto Rico that it was determined a champion.[3] The Inaugural champion was GQ The Ravishing (Richard Rondón), he won a 15 Man Tornado Rumble Match by last eliminating Cruzz.

Unified Puerto Rico Championship (2011–2012)

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The championship would be unified with the IWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship on February 26, 2011. On that match Xix Xavant defeated Romeo to unify the titles.[4]

The Caribbean Heavyweight Championship was brought back in 2012 for the IWA/EWO Clash of the Titans show, a co-promoted one with another Puerto Rican Wrestling promotion called EWO. On this show, the winner of the match was Cyrus who won a 8 Man "Lucha X" Match where he defeated 8 participants who were.

Major League Wrestling (2019–2022)

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Reintroduced as a regional third-party title (simply known as the “Caribbean Heavyweight Championship”) at Major League Wrestling in 2019, with Savio Vega billed as the current champion, the accolade was used to promote his arrival as part of Salina de la Renta’s Promociones Dorado (which he later left by ripping his contract).[5] The incumbent was immediately given an opportunity for the MLW National Openweight Championship against Alexander Hammerstone of The Dynasty in what was branded an opportunity to become a double titlist, but ultimately saw the latter retain by cheating.[6] Vega was given epithets such as “legendary” and “ the king of the Caribbean”, being matched against young performers including the members of latter group and Promociones Dorado.[7][8][9] On January 11, 2020, Richard Holliday took possession of the belt after winning a non-title match, self-proclaiming himself champion.[10]

As the disputed Caribbean Heavyweight Champion, Holliday was portrayed as a cowardly villain, who refused to participate in a titular match at Puerto Rico but was willing to make “defenses” in places such as “St. Barth's or Bermuda”. One such instance had him purportedly retain by defeating one Edwin González at Necker Island, a private island that is part of the British Virgin Islands.[11] An unofficial defense took place at the MLW vs. AAA Super Series at Tijuana (Mexico being part of the larger Caribbean Basin), where Holliday defeated Chessman to give his team an early advantage.[12] The belt played a role in selling the high-end lifestyle of The Dynasty, being taken to places with nudist beaches, “gorgeous women [or] luxurious beachside cabanas“ and having stable members debate whether it was “the more relevant title” in MLW opposite the National Openweight Championship.[13] The group would also visit the Caribbean for less scrupulous reasons, such as purchasing Vega's childhood house at Puerto Rico to turn it into a bed and breakfast.[14]

The storyline evolved to feature Holliday demanding that the Caribbean Heavyweight Championship was incorporated, or “naturalized”, as an official title within MLW and have him recognized as incumbent.[15] In response, “MLW's CEO [Court Bauer] met with Puerto Rican government officials about hosting a Caribbean Heavyweight Championship title fight“ to be held in 2021 (tentatively at the Roberto Clemente Stadium in Carolina).[1][16] During the final week of October 2020, the association between IWA-PR and MLW became a formal alliance.[17] In the lead up to the announcement, Holliday complained twice about not being officially listed in the champions gallery, calling it “misrepresentation” and expressing his desire to “win over” and become “the face” of the region, ultimately threatening to melt the belt.[18] Vega responded by issuing a challenge to a Caribbean Strap Match (a type of contest that he made famous by defeating Stone Cold Steve Austin at In Your House 8: Beware of Dog) for the belt in Puerto Rico.[19]

Following another challenge, the self-proclaimed champion accepted to compete in the specialty match.[20] On January 27, 2021, Holliday defeated Vega due to the intervention of referee Tim Donaghy, beginning his first official reign after 382 days of illegal possession.[21][22] He then migrated to a feud with Gino Medina, a former member of The Dynasty, retaining the belt in April. Since Fall 2020, several talents formally associated with Lucha Underground were brought into MLW as part of the Azteca Underground stable, including César Durán (previously known as Dario Cueto), who became the on-screen owner of IWA-PR.[23] King Muertes (formerly Mil Muertes in Lucha Underground, and known in Puerto Rico as Ricky Banderas) defeated Holliday to win the title in a match with “Caribbean Rules” at Battle Riot III.[23]

At Fightland, he won his first defense by besting former MLW World Heavyweight Champion Tom Lawlor in a casket match. Muertes retained over Holliday in a rematch. On March 31, 2022, he defended the title in a four-way match against eventual winner Octagón Jr., El Dragón and El Hijo de L.A. Park. In his first defense, he retained over Matt Cross at Rise of the Renegades.

Return to IWA-PR (2022–present)

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The Caribbean Heavyweight Championship became a storyline element again in IWA-PR in November 2022, when Khriz Díaz won an opportunity and criticized that a title that represented Puerto Rico was being contested between foreigners. Vignettes were shown where the challenger traveled to Mexico pursuing Octagón Jr., following provocations in Impacto Total and social media. Sneaking backstage at a AAA card, Díaz ambushed the champion in the lockers and took both the belt and his mask. After Octagón Jr. no-showed a scheduled defense at Histeria Boricua 2023, Savio Vega stripped him of the title and announced that the vacancy would be filled in the event. In a match of impromptu contenders, Díaz defeated Alejandro Marrero to win the revamped belt.

Belt designs

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The original design introduced in 2008 was based on the IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, which was designed and crafted by Reggie Parks in 1999, and in itself used the same basic template that this craftsman has used in the 1986 WWE Intercontinental Championship belt and other titles in his line. Like those belts, the Caribbean Heavyweight Championship had a main plate composed by three silver-colored rectangles of receding size. The central area of the design features a geographical map of the Caribbean inside a gilded circle, flanked by the same design of six five-pointed stars grouped together. Above and under are three red-colored ribbons, with the upper one prominently reading “CARIBBEAN” and the inferior pair “HEAVYWEIGHT WRESTLING CHAMPION”. The lower part features two eight-pointed stars, an element that is also present in the Parks belts. The crown of the belt has the company acronym, “IWA”, inside a red oval that is surrounded by leaf motifs. There are two side square silver-colored side plates that depict wrestlers grappling.

In April 2022, a new belt was commissioned as part of an initiative where IWA-PR revamped the design of all its titles.[24] The new design was officially introduced on January 6, 2023, as part of Histeria Boricua.

Reigns

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IWA-PR currently recognizes 12 individual Caribbean Heavyweight Championship reigns. King Muertes is the current champion in his first reign. He defeated Richard Holliday to win the title on July 10, 2021.

The inaugural champion was CQ the Ravishing. The longest reigning champion is Savio Vega, who held the title from June 15, 2019 to January 27, 2021 for a reign of 593 days; he is also the oldest titlist, earning the accolade at the age of 54 years and 309 days. So far, no wrestler has won the title more than once. Ash Rubynski is the shortest reigning champion with a reign that lasted a week. For a period of 162 days in 2011, the title was held concurrently along the Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship.

In MLW, several fictional aspects were added to the background of the title. Despite using the belt and the acronym “IWA” being visible on camera, MLW confabulated it with the longevous WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship by claiming that it had “been won by the likes of Pedro Morales, Gilberto “Gypsy Joe” Meléndez, Abdullah the Butcher, [and] Gorilla Monsoon” (though of these, only the third actually held that title, with the others holding different accolades within the World Wrestling Council). The promotion claimed that “the San Juan Star, El Vocero and Claridad island newspapers have all chastised Holliday's actions”, this despite the first being defunct, the second no longer covering professional wrestling and the third never having done so. The claim that it was sanctioned by the “Sports Ministry of Puerto Rico” is equally fictional, since no such executive department exists and the Puerto Rico Department of Sports and Recreation only oversees promotions as a form of entertainment business.

List of champions

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Key
No. Overall reign number
Reign Reign number for the specific champion
Days Number of days held
+ Current reign is changing daily
No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref.
Date Event Location Reign Days
International Wrestling Association (Puerto Rico)
1 GQ The Ravishing February 14, 2009 Noche de Campeones (2009) Bayamón, Puerto Rico 1 91 Won a 15 Man Tornado Rumble Match by last Eliminating Cruzz to become the inaugural champion. [3]
2 Golden Boy May 16, 2009 Juicio Final (2009) Bayamón, Puerto Rico 1 29 [25]
3 Noel Rodríguez June 14, 2009 IWA Puerto Rico Gurabo, Puerto Rico 1 216 [26]
4 El Diabólico January 16, 2010 IWA Puerto Rico Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico 1 119 [27]
5 Ash Rubynski May 15, 2010 Impacto Total Bayamón, Puerto Rico 1 7 GM Joe Bravo awarded the title to Ash after Diabolico was unable to defend the title in 30 days. [28]
6 Rico Casanova May 22, 2010 IWA Puerto Rico Toa Alta, Puerto Rico 1 137 [29]
— Vacated October 6, 2010 — — — — Stripped by IWA president Miguel Pérez, Jr. for failure to defend in several months. [30]
7 Xix Xavant October 16, 2010 Hardcore Weekend (2010) Bayamón, Puerto Rico 1 133 Defeated Romeo for the vacant title in a Caribbean Strap Match. [31]
— Unified February 26, 2011 — Yabucoa, Puerto Rico — — Xavant defeated Damian to Unify the title with Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship. [4]
8 Cyrus March 7, 2012 IWA/EWO Clash of the Titans Santurce, Puerto Rico 1 101 Won a 8 Man "Lucha X Match" to win the Vacant Title [32]
— Deactivated June 16, 2012 — — — — Title deactivated when IWA-PR entered a seven-year hiatus.
Major League Wrestling (MLW)
9 Savio Vega June 15, 2019 MLW Fusion New York City, New York 1 592 Reactivated at Major League Wrestling. [33]
10 Richard Holliday January 27, 2021 MLW Fusion Orlando, Florida 1 164 [34]
11 King Muertes July 10, 2021 Battle Riot III Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1 264 [35]
12 Octagón Jr. March 31, 2022 Intimidation Games Dallas, Texas 1 281 He defeated King Muertes, El Dragon and El Hijo de L.A. Park in a Four-way match. This was a tape delay that aired on May 12, 2022. [36]
International Wrestling Association (Puerto Rico)
— Vacated January 6, 2023 — — — — Octagón Jr. was stripped by Savio Vega for failure to defend.
13 Khris Díaz January 6, 2023 Histeria Boricua 2023 Juncos, Puerto Rico 1 99 Defeated El Niche in a match to fill the vacancy.
14 Miguel Pérez Jr. April 15, 2023 Juicio Final 2023 Humacao, Puerto Rico 1 478+


References

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  1. ^ a b "MLW exploring island event". MLW.com. 2020-07-11. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  2. ^ Santiago, Luis (2008-10-13). "IWA - Ultima Hora: Nuevo Campeonato en la IWA". IWAPR.tv (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2009-02-01. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
  3. ^ a b Santiago, Luis (2009-02-15). "IWA - Resultados: Noche de Campeones – Bayamón 02/15/09". IWAPR.TV (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2009-02-18. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  4. ^ a b "PRWRESTLING.COM - RESULTADOS COMPLETOS IWA YABUCOA 2/26: Banderas envía mensaje a Rey Fenix; Otros resultados". PRWrestling.com (in Spanish). 2011-02-27. Archived from the original on 2011-03-02. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  5. ^ "Outrage in Puerto Rico over the theft of Caribbean Heavyweight Championship". MLW.com. 2020-02-18. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  6. ^ "National Champion Alex Hammerstone battles Caribbean Champion Savio Vega July 25 in NYC". MLW.com. 2019-07-17. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  7. ^ "FUSION RECAP: Hammerstone Squares Up Against Savio Vega". MLW.com. 2019-08-11. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  8. ^ "Fusion Preview: Bestia 666 vs. Horus, Hammerstone vs. Savio Vega". MLW.com. 2019-08-09. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  9. ^ "Savio Vega making moves behind the scenes". MLW.com. 2019-10-11. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  10. ^ "Caribbean Championship to be recognized by MLW?". MLW.com. 2020-07-07. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  11. ^ "Richard Holliday defends Caribbean Championship on private island". MLW.com. 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  12. ^ Ian Oliver (2020-04-26). "MLW FUSION VIDEO & RESULTS: HART FOUNDATION VS. LOS MERCENARIOS". F4WOnline. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  13. ^ "Powell's MLW Fusion TV Review: Episode 100 with Jacob Fatu vs. Cima for the MLW Heavyweight Championship, Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Jimmy Havoc, and Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Erick Stevens". 2020-03-08. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  14. ^ Jeffrey Harris (2020-05-06). "Various News: Dynasty Visits Savio Vega's Home in the Caribbean, Jay White Reveals His Favorite Entrance". 411Mania.com. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  15. ^ "Holliday demands Caribbean Championship recognized by MLW". MLW.com. 2020-04-13. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  16. ^ "Puerto Rico to host Holliday-Vega showdown?". MLW.com. 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2020-09-02.
  17. ^ "MLW & IWA Puerto Rico form alliance". MLW.com. 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  18. ^ Anthony Piñero (2020-10-27). "Major League Wrestling anuncia alianza con IWA de Puerto Rico" (in Spanish). Súper Luchas. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  19. ^ Joel Torres (2020-11-07). "IWA / MLW: Savio Vega reta a Richard Holliday a un Caribbean Strap Match" (in Spanish). Contralona. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  20. ^ Joel Torres (2021-01-20). "OFICIAL: Caribbean Strap Match entre Savio Vega y Richard Holliday por el título del Caribe en MLW" (in Spanish). Contralona. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  21. ^ Justin Barasso (2021-01-28). "Disgraced NBA Official Tim Donaghy Makes Pro Wrestling Debut as Crooked Ref". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  22. ^ "Holliday recognized as Caribbean Champion". MLW.com. 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  23. ^ a b "MLW confirma su primer combate para Battle Riot III". 18 June 2021.
  24. ^ "IWA Puerto Rico & MLW expanding partnership". MLW.com. 2022-04-12. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  25. ^ El, Jey (2009-06-16). "IWA - Resultados Juicio Final Bayamon". IWAPR.TV (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2009-06-16. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  26. ^ El, Jey (2009-06-18). "IWA - Resultados Gurabo 6/14/09". IWAPR.TV (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2009-06-18. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  27. ^ Santiago, Luis (2010-01-20). "PRWRESTLING.COM - RESULTADOS IWA 1/16 AGUAS BUENAS: Tres Campeonato en Juago; Uno de ellos cambia de mano". PRWrestling.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-20. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  28. ^ Cuadrila, Manolo (2010-05-15). "PRWRESTLING.COM - REPORTE IMPACTO TOTAL: La acción que lleva a la cartelera de esta noche en Bayamón". PRWrestling.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2010-05-18. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  29. ^ "PRWRESTLING.COM - NOTAS DE LA IWA: Cambio de campeonato; Impacto Total en línea; Más". PRWrestling.com (in Spanish). 2010-05-24. Archived from the original on 2010-05-30. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  30. ^ "Ultima Hora: Mensaje del Presidente y 2do. Encuentro Confirmado para Hardcore Weekend". IWAPR.tv (in Spanish). 2010-10-06. Archived from the original on 2010-10-12. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  31. ^ "Resultados: Hardcore Weekend 16 oct. Bayamon". IWAPR.tv (in Spanish). 2010-10-17. Archived from the original on 2012-03-29. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  32. ^ "PRWRESTLING.COM - IWA/EWO CLASH OF THE TITANS 3/17: Nuevo doble campeon Mundial y nuevos campeones en pareja". PRWrestling.com (in Spanish). 2012-03-18. Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  33. ^ "Savio Vega is coming to MLW". MLW.com. 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  34. ^ "MLW Fusion #119: Caribbean Strap Match | AAA World Cruiserweight Title Match | Tag Team Eliminator". YouTube. 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  35. ^ "Noche grande para King Muertes en MLW". 11 July 2021.
  36. ^ Black, Matt (May 12, 2022). "New Caribbean Champion Crowned On 5/12 Episode Of MLW Fusion". Wrestle Zone. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
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