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| === Potential Champions === | === Potential Champions === | ||
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As of December 7, 2006, the following active (or semi-active) wrestlers are potential Triple Crown Champions: | ||
| *], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ] all need a world title reign. | *], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ] all need a world title reign. | ||
Revision as of 18:28, 7 December 2006
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- This article deals with the achievement as understood in professional wrestling in the United States. For the Japanese championship, which is counted as a single title, see AJPW Triple Crown Championship.
In professional wrestling, a Triple Crown Champion is a term describing a wrestler who has won the three most prestigious belts of their promotion - typically a heavyweight belt, a tag team belt, and a second-tier belt. It is considered a great accomplishment to have won a triple crown. A "multiple triple crown" distinction also exists, with having won the three constituent titles at least a specified number of times.
WWE Triple Crown
In World Wrestling 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 Tag Team Championship within one year. For a span of nearly 18 years, from 1979 up through 1997, these were the three championships of the WWF, and a wrestler who had won all three championships (not necessarily concurrently) was considered a "triple crown champion."
In 1997, a fourth title, the European Championship was introduced. The European Championship, a singles title beneath the world and intercontinental titles, did not count for the purposes of designating triple crown champions, although a wrestler who had won all three primary titles and the European Championship would be recognized as a grand slam champion.
Following the brand extension in 2002 and the introduction of two titles (the World Heavyweight Championship, WWE Tag Team Championship), the WWE Triple Crown was expanded to include these new titles, due to the fact that they have achieved Grand Slam status.
There are also variations for strictly the three older belts or the three newer belts. Likewise, the inclusion of the defunct European Championship (along with any Triple Crown Combination) can lead to various Grand Slam combinations.
List of WWE Triple Crown Champions
The following is a list of WWE Triple Crown Champions, in the most general form. Only the WWE-era World Championship reigns are considered as part of the WWE Triple Crown. Only the date in which the wrestler's first title was won is indicated. Dates in bold indicate the title that was used to complete the Triple Crown. Championships in italics indicate that they are alternate titles, not part of the original definition. Dates in italics indicate that the wrestler has won the title, but does not contribute to their Triple Crown, because they had already won a title at that level. Names in bold are also Grand Slam Champions.
- --won Triple Crown under the original definition
- --won Triple Crown with an alternate title
- --Won title as a member of the RAW brand.
- --Won title as a member of the SmackDown! brand.
- --Won title as a member of the ECW brand.
Potential Champions
As of December 7, 2006, the following active (or semi-active) wrestlers are potential Triple Crown Champions:
- Shelton Benjamin, Test, Val Venis, Jeff Hardy, Roddy Piper, William Regal, Johnny Nitro, and Marty Jannetty all need a world title reign.
- The Undertaker, Batista, Rey Mysterio, Hulk Hogan, and Mick Foley need an Intercontinental or United States title reign.
- John Cena needs a tag team title reign.
- Chris Benoit needs the WWE title to be a Double Triple Crown Champion.
- Shawn Michaels and Triple H need a WWE Tag Team Championship reign to be a Double Triple Crown Champion.
- Edge and Rob Van Dam need a World Heavyweight Championship reign to be a Double Triple Crown Champion.
ECW Triple Crown
The Extreme Championship Wrestling version of the Triple Crown consists of the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, ECW Tag Team Championship, and the ECW World Television Championship.
List of ECW Triple Crown Champions
The following is a list of ECW Triple Crown Champions. Only the date in which the wrestler's first title was won is indicated. Dates in bold indicate the title that was used to complete the Triple Crown. Winning of the ECW World Heavyweight Championship in the WWE doesn't count towards being an ECW Triple Crown Champion nor a WWE Triple Crown as well.
| Name | ECW World Heavyweight Championship | ECW World Tag Team Championship | ECW World Television Championship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny Hot Body | 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 could be "considered" for the Triple Crown, as he won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, but Van Dam won it when it was part of the revived ECW brand of WWE.
TNA Triple Crown
Although Total Nonstop Action Wrestling does not have its own heavyweight or tag team championship, TNA recognizes and has the exclusive rights to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and NWA World Tag Team Championship belts (despite not being a National Wrestling Alliance territory) to form two-thirds of its Triple Crown. The third belt is the TNA X Division Championship. The X-Division championship is unique among major Triple Crowns in that it draws parallels with cruiserweight championships, as opposed to second-tier championships in other promotions, even though there is no weight limit (Samoa Joe or Sonny Siaki are examples of this).
List of TNA Triple Crown Champions
The following is a list of TNA Triple Crown Champions. Only the date in which the wrestler's first title was won is indicated. Dates in bold indicate the title that was used to complete the Triple Crown. Currently, only one wrestler, A.J. Styles has achieved this.
- In TNA Wrestling, it is possible to be a multi-time Triple Crown Champion (in different years), as noted by Mike Tenay and Don West alluding to Styles as a 2-Time, then a 3-time Triple Crown Champion. Styles is credited for winning the Triple Crown once in 2003, once in 2004, and once in 2006. Styles had another reign with Christopher Daniels as the NWA World Tag Team Champions from September 24, 2006 to October 22, 2006 and as the X-Division Champion after winning the title form Chris Sabin on the November 2, 2006 (taped October 24) edition of iMPACT and held it until the November 16, 2006 edition of iMPACT when he lost it to Christopher Daniels in a 3-Way Match in which Sabin also participated. Styles could become a 4-time Triple Crown Champion if he were to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship again.
Potential Champions
As of November 2006, the following wrestlers are potential Triple Crown Champions:
- Christopher Daniels, Amazing Red, Kid Kash, Senshi and Jerry Lynn each need an NWA World Heavyweight Title reign.
- Ron Killings, and Abyss need an X Division Title reign.
- Ric Flair needs to win the TNA X Division Championship, but is currently under long term contract with World Wrestling Entertainment.
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling has a hierarchy similar to WWE, with a Heavyweight, Television, and Tag Team titles. This is a less notable triple crown, because it is technically on the independent circuit, but is possible to make an impressive resume for a wrestler.
List of OVW Triple Crown Champions
The following is a list of individuals who have won the OVW Heavyweight, Television, and Tag Team titles.
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