| No. | Won By | Won From | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Pat O'Connor | N/A* | N/A | 5/18/60 |
| 2. | Verne Gagne | N/A** | N/A | 8/16/60 |
| 3. | Gene Kiniski | Verne Gagne | Minneapolis, MN | 7/11/61 |
| 4. | Verne Gagne | Gene Kiniski | Minneapolis, MN | 8/8/61 |
| 5. | Mr. M | Verne Gagne | Minneapolis, MN | 1/9/62 |
| 6. | Verne Gagne | Mr. M | Minneapolis, MN | 8/21/62 |
| 7. | The Crusher | Verne Gagne | Minneapolis, MN | 7/9/63 |
| 8. | Verne Gagne | The Crusher | Minneapolis, MN | 7/20/63 |
| 9. | Fritz Von Erich | Verne Gagne | Omaha, NE | 7/27/63 |
| 10. | Verne Gagne | Fritz Von Erich | Amarillo, TX | 8/8/63 |
| 11. | The Crusher | Verne Gagne | St. Paul, MN | 10/28/63 |
| 12. | Verne Gagne | The Crusher | Minneapolis, MN | 12/14/63 |
| 13. | Mad Dog Vachon | Verne Gagne | Omaha, NE | 5/2/64 |
| 14. | Verne Gagne | Mad Dog Vachon | Omaha, NE | 5/15/64 |
| 15. | Mad Dog Vachon | Verne Gagne | Minneapolis, MN | 10/20/64 |
| 16. | Mighty Igor Vodic | Mad Dog Vachon | Omaha, NE | 5/15/65 |
| 17. | Mad Dog Vachon | Mighty Igor Vodic | Omaha, NE | 5/22/65 |
| 18. | The Crusher | Mad Dog Vachon | St. Paul, MN | 8/21/65 |
| 19. | Mad Dog Vachon | The Crusher | Denver, CO | 11/12/65 |
| 20. | Dick the Bruiser | Mad Dog Vachon | Omaha, NE | 11/12/66 |
| 21. | Mad Dog Vachon | Dick the Bruiser | Omaha, NE | 11/19/66 |
| 22. | Verne Gagne | Mad Dog Vachon | St. Paul, MN | 2/26/67 |
| 23. | Dr. X | Verne Gagne | Bloomington, MN | 8/17/68 |
| 24. | Verne Gagne | Dr. X | Minneapolis, MN | 8/31/68 |
| 25. | Nick Bockwinkel | Verne Gagne | St. Paul, MN | 11/8/75 |
| 26. | Verne Gagne | Nick Bockwinkel | Chicago, IL | 7/18/80 |
| 27. | Nick Bockwinkel | N/A*** | N/A | 5/19/81 |
| 28. | Otto Wanz | Nick Bockwinkel | St. Paul, MN | 8/29/82 |
| 29. | Nick Bockwinkel | Otto Wanz | Chicago, IL | 10/9/82 |
| 30. | Jumbo Tsuruta | Nick Bockwinkel | Tokyo, Japan | 2/22/84 |
| 31. | Rick Martel | Jumbo Tsuruta | St. Paul, MN | 5/13/84 |
| 32. | Stan Hansen | Rick Martel | East Rutherford, NJ | 12/29/85 |
| 33. | Nick Bockwinkel | N/A**** | Denver, CO | 6/28/86 |
| 34. | Curt Hennig | Nick Bockwinkel | San Francisco, CA | 5/2/87 |
| 35. | Jerry Lawler | Curt Hennig | Memphis, TN | 5/9/87 |
| 36. | Larry Zbysko | won battle royale***** | St. Paul, MN | 2/7/89 |
| 37. | Masa Saito | Larry Zbysko | Tokyo, Japan | 2/10/90 |
| 38. | Larry Zbysko | Masa Saito | St. Paul, MN | 4/8/90 |
*O'Connor was recognized as first champion after the AWA split from the NWA.
**When O'Connor failed to defend the title in 90 days, Gagne was awarded the belt.
***Gagne retired from active competition while still the champion, and the belt was awarded to Bockwinkel.
****Bockwinkel was awarded the title when Hansen left the AWA.
*****Lawler was stripped of the title when the CWA split with the AWA. A battle royale was held to determine the new champion.
Title Defenses:
29. Nick Bockwinkel
---beat Hulk Hogan by DQ, Super Sunday: 4/24/83
30. Jumbo Tsuruta
---N/A
31. Rick Martel
---DDQ against Stan Hansen, SuperClash: 9/28/85
32. Stan Hansen
---beat Nick Bockwinkel by DQ, WrestleRock: 4/20/86
---pinned Leon White, Rage in a Cage: 4/26/86
---lost to Jerry Blackwell by DQ, Battle by the Bay: 6/28/86
33. Nick Bockwinkel
---beat Curt Hennig by DQ, Brawl in St. Paul: 12/25/86
34. Curt Hennig
---N/A
35. Jerry Lawler
---N/A
36. Larry Zbysko
---time limit draw against Greg Gagne, War in Windy City: 6/23/89