| Champion | Won Title | Location | Lost Title |
| Harley Race | 05/01/1975 {1} | Tallahassee, FL | 07/03/1975 |
| Johnny Valentine | 07/03/1975 | Greensboro, NC | 10/04/1975 {2} |
| Terry Funk | 11/09/1975 {3} | Greensboro, NC | 11/1975 |
| Paul Jones | 11/1975 | 03/16/1976 | |
| Blackjack Mulligan | 03/16/1976 | 10/16/1976 | |
| Paul Jones [2] | 10/16/1976 | Greensboro, NC | 01/1977 |
| Blackjack Mulligan [2] | 01/1977 | 1977 | |
| Bobo Brazil | 1977 | Norfolk, VA | 07/29/1977 |
| Ric Flair | 07/29/1977 | Richmond, VA | 11/11/1977 |
| Rick Steamboat | 11/11/1977 | Richmond, VA | 02/1978 |
| Blackjack Mulligan [3] | 02/1978 | 03/1978 | |
| Tim Woods | 03/1978 | Greensboro, NC | 04/09/1978 |
| Ric Flair [2] | 04/09/1978 | Charlotte, NC | 12/18/1978 |
| Rick Steamboat [2] | 12/18/1978 | Toronto, ON | 04/01/1979 |
| Ric Flair [3] | 04/01/1979 | Greensboro, NC | 08/12/1979 {4} |
| Jimmy Snuka | 09/01/1979 {5} | Charlotte, NC | 04/19/1980 |
| Ric Flair [4] | 04/19/1980 | Greensboro, NC | 07/26/1980 |
| Greg Valentine | 07/26/1980 | Charlotte, NC | 11/24/1980 |
| Ric Flair [5] | 11/24/1980 | Greenville, NC | 01/27/1981 |
| Roddy Piper | 01/27/1981 | Raleigh, NC | 08/08/1981 |
| Wahoo McDaniel | 08/08/1981 | Greensboro, NC | 09/1981 {6} |
| Sgt. Slaughter | 10/04/1981 {7} | Charlotte, NC | 05/21/1982 |
| Wahoo McDaniel [2] | 05/21/1982 | Richmond, VA | 06/07/1982 |
| Sgt. Slaughter [2] | 06/07/1982 {8} | Greenville, NC | 08/22/1982 |
| Wahoo McDaniel [3] | 08/22/1982 | Charlotte, NC | 11/04/1982 |
| Greg Valentine [2] | 11/04/1982 | Norfolk, VA | 04/16/1983 |
| Roddy Piper [2] | 04/16/1983 | Greensboro, NC | 04/30/1983 |
| Greg Valentine [3] | 04/30/1983 | Greensboro, NC | 12/14/1983 |
| Dick Slater | 12/14/1983 | Shelby, NC | 04/21/1984 |
| Rick Steamboat [3] | 04/21/1984 | Greensboro, NC | 06/24/1984 |
| Wahoo McDaniel [4] | 06/24/1984 | Greensboro, NC | 07/1984 {9} |
| Wahoo McDaniel [5] | 07/10/1984 {10} | Charlotte, NC | 03/23/1985 |
| Magnum T.A. | 03/23/1985 | Charlotte, NC | 07/21/1985 |
| Tully Blanchard | 07/21/1985 | Charlotte, NC | 11/28/1985 |
| Magnum T.A. [2] | 11/28/1985 | Greensboro, NC | 05/29/1986 {11} |
| Nikita Koloff | 08/17/1986 {12} | Charlotte, NC | 03/11/1987 |
| Arn Anderson | 03/11/1987 | Greensboro, NC | 04/15/1987 |
| Roddy Piper [3] | 04/15/1987 | 05/07/1987 | |
| Magnum T.A. | 05/19/1987 | 06/04/1987 | |
| Roddy Piper [4] | 06/04/1987 | 07/01/1987 | |
| Magnum T.A. | 07/01/1987 | 07/04/1987 | |
| Pete Jackson | 07/04/1987 | Atlanta, GA | 03/19/1988 |
| Lex Luger | 03/25/1988 | 05/02/1988 | |
| Roddy Piper [5] | 05/02/1988 | 07/04/1988 | |
| Lex Luger | 08/25/1988 | 09/02/1988 | |
| Roddy Piper [6] | 09/02/1988 | 09/11/1988 | |
| Lex Luger | 09/11/1988 | 11/10/1988 {14} | |
| Sting | 11/10/1988 | 11/26/1988 | |
| Pete Jackson | 11/26/1988 | 04/21/1989 | |
| Ric Flair | 04/21/1989 | 05/20/1989 | |
| Awesome Al | 05/20/1989 | ||
| Dick Slater | 05/04/1990 | ||
| Rick Steamboat | 12/24/1991 | 01/11/1992 (z) | |
| Steve DiSalvo | 03/21/1992 | 05/25/1992 | |
| Ted DiBiase | 08/12/1992 | 09/01/1992 | |
| Steve DiSalvo | 09/01/1992 | 10/01/1992 | |
| Roddy Piper [7] | 5/21/1993 | Greensboro, NC | 6/28/1993 |
| Bret Hart | 6/28/1993 | 07/18/1993 (v) | |
| Rick Rude | 07/28/1993 | 9/1/1993 | |
| Ric Flair | 9/1/1993 | 10/21/19993 | |
| Roddy Piper [8] | 10/21/1993 | Greensboro, NC | 11/26/1993 |
| Ricky Steamboat | 12/24/1993 | 12/29/1993 | |
| Roddy Piper [9] | 12/29/1993 | Greensboro, NC | 01/19/1994 (v) |
| Curt Henning | 01/19/1994 | 05/27/1994 | |
| Randy Savage | 07/20/1994 | ||
| John Raddison | 09/01/1994 (c) | 11/26/1994 | |
| 04/01/1995 (z) | |||
| Jimmy Anderson | 10/04/1997 {16} | Uniondale, NY | 07/04/1998 |
| Adam Riggs | 07/04/1998 | Tampa Bay, FL | 08/16/1998 |
| Trent Phillips | 08/18/1998 | Knoxville, TN | 09/13/1998 |
| Gary Brown | 09/13/1998 | New York, NY | 09/14/1998 {17} |
| Trent Phillips [2] | 09/20/1998 {18} | Richmond, VA | 10/31/1998 |
| Gary Brown [2] | 10/31/1998 | Portland, OR | 12/28/1998 |
| Boog-Man | 12/28/1998 {19} | Seattle, WA | 12/28/1998 |
| Stephen Greer | 12/28/1998 | Seattle, WA | 02/21/1999 |
| Slim Dragger | 02/21/1999 | Memphis, TN | 03/12/1999 |
| Matt Tulio | 03/12/1999 | South Padre Island | 03/20/1999 |
| Apollo | 03/20/1999 | Toronto, Ontario | 04/23/1999 |
| 'Natural' Mike Bell | 04/23/1999 | Chicago, IL | 06/20/1999 {20} |
| 'Prince' Julian LeMonie | 06/20/1999 {22} | Tampa, Florida | 10/31/99 |
| Sabu | 10/31/99 | Las Vegas, NV | 11/09/99 {23} |
| "Stone Cold" Steve Austin | 1/10/00 {24} | Boston, Ma | - |
| {1} | tournament final over Johnny Weaver to become first champion. |
| {2} | vacant when Valentine is in a plane crash |
| {3} | tournament final over Paul Jones |
| {4} | Vacant after winning the NWA World tag title |
| {5} | tournament final over Rick Steamboat |
| {6} | vacant when injured by Abdullah the Butcher |
| {7} | tournament final over rick Steamboat |
| {8} | Awarded when McDaniel is injured |
| {9} | vacant due to Tully Blanchard's interference in the title change to McDaniel. |
| {10} | tournament final over Manny Fernandez |
| {11} | stripped for attacking NWA president Bob Geigel |
| {12} | defeats Magnum T.A. is a best-of-7 series |
| {13} | stripped for attacking Jim Crockett |
| {14} | tournament final over Nikita Koloff. |
| {15} | vacant after WCW pulls out of NWA in full. |
| {16} | tournament final over Johnny Blayze to become new champion. |
| {17} | title held up due to controversy in 09/13 match. |
| {18} | defeated Gary Brown and Terrance Garvin in a triangle match to claim title. |
| {19} | via forfeit due to Brown being suspended. |
| {20} | vacant after winning NWA World Heavyweight Title. |
| {21} | triple threat tournament final over Vincent Valari and Darnell Jenkins. |
| {22} | Unified with WCW United States title with NWA U.S Title. |
| {23} | Title Vacated when Sabu left the NWA. |
| {24} | triple threat tournament final over "Big Sexy" Kevin Nash and The Rock |