Triple Crown (professional wrestling)
- 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 the duals to each of the three titles (the World Heavyweight Championship, WWE Tag Team Championship, and the WWE-era WWE United States Championship), the WWE Triple Crown was expanded to include these new titles, as illustrated by WWE's Championship chart. [1]
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 and United States 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
- White indicates Triple Crown was won before brand extension
- --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.
- Note-- Chris Benoit is the only wrestler who has won all 3 of WWE's Brand Extension-era Championships.
Potential Champions
As of November 13, 2006, the following active (or semi-active) wrestlers are potential Triple Crown Champions:
Wrestlers currently working for or making appearances in WWE:
- Shelton Benjamin, Test, Johnny Nitro, Val Venis, Jeff Hardy, Roddy Piper, and William Regal all need a world title reign.
- The Undertaker, Batista, Hulk Hogan, Mick Foley, and Rey Mysterio need a secondary title reign.
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. Note that the ECW World Heavyweight Championship is the only ECW title currently active.
TNA Triple Crown
In Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), the TNA Triple Crown is an accolade bestowed upon those who win (not necessarily concurrently) all three championships regularly contested in TNA - the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, the TNA X Division Championship and (one-half of) the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
List of TNA Triple Crown winners
As of December 2006, there has been only one Triple Crown winner, A.J. Styles. 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 a 3-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, 6-time TNA X Division Champion and 4-time NWA World Tag Team Champion, making him a three-time Triple Crown winner. He completed his first Triple Crown in June 11, 2003 by winning his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship. To become a four-time TNA Triple Crown Champion, A.J. Styles needs to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship again.
| Name | NWA World Heavyweight Championship | NWA World Tag Team Championship | TNA X Division Championship |
|---|---|---|---|
| A.J. Styles | June 11, 2003 | July 3, 2002 (with Jerry Lynn) | June 19, 2002 |
| A.J. Styles | April 21, 2004 | February 4, 2004 (with Abyss) | October 23, 2002 |
| A.J. Styles | May 15, 2005 | June 18, 2006 (with Christopher Daniels) | June 9, 2004 |
Potential Champions
The following wrestlers require one more title in order to be awarded a Triple Crown. It should be noted that this list excludes NWA World Heavyweight Champions who held a pre-1975 version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
The following wrestlers are potential Triple Crown Champions:
Wrestlers currently working for or associated with TNA:
- Christopher Daniels, Senshi, and Jerry Lynn each need an NWA World Heavyweight Title reign.
- Ron Killings, Abyss, and Shane Douglas need an X Division Title reign.
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.
Reference
[2] WWE's Championship Chart.