The Triple Crown Championship is an accomplishment in professional wrestling. It is a distinction made to a professional wrestler who has won three specific championships in World Wrestling Entertainment or Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. The three titles typically feature two levels of singles championships and a tag team championship. [edit] World Wrestling Entertainment In World Wrestling Entertainment (formerly the World Wrestling Federation) the term Triple Crown Champion has traditionally been used to describe a wrestler who has won the WWE Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, and the World Tag Team Championship.[1] For a span of nearly eighteen years, from 1979 up through 1997, these were the three championships of the company, and a competitor who had won all three championships (not necessarily concurrently) was considered a "Triple Crown Champion."[1][2] On January 19, 2009, CM Punk defeated William Regal for the Intercontinental Championship in Chicago, Illinois on WWE Raw.[3] When CM Punk defeated Regal, Punk became a Triple Crown Champion, having won the World Heavyweight Championship on June 30, 2008[4] and the World Tag Team Championship on October 27, 2008.[5] CM Punk broke the record for completing the Triple Crown Championship (203 days), breaking Kevin Nash's (then known as Diesel) previous record of 227 days.[6][7] Following the brand extension in 2002, the World Heavyweight Championship and the WWE Tag Team Championship became alternate titles that can compose part of the Triple Crown. WWE has yet to declare the ECW Championship or WWE United States Championship to be acceptable substitutes for Primary and Secondary Championships in order to complete the Grand Slam or Triple Crown Championships, possibly for not having originated in WWE. [edit] List of WWE Triple Crown Champions The following is a list of WWE Triple Crown Champions with dates indicating the wrestler's first reign with the respective championship. | Champion | Primary Championships | Tag Team Championships | Secondary Championships | | WWE | World
Heavyweight | World
Tag Team | WWE
Tag Team | Intercontinental | | Pedro Morales[1][8] | February 8, 1971 | no future reign possible1 | August 9, 1980
(with Bob Backlund) | no future reign possible1 | December 8, 1980 | | Bret Hart | October 12, 1992 | no future reign possible1 | January 26, 1987
(with Jim Neidhart) | no future reign possible1 | August 26, 1991 | | Diesel[6] | November 26, 1994 | no future reign possible1 | August 28, 1994
(with Shawn Michaels) | no future reign possible1 | April 13, 1994 | | Shawn Michaels | March 31, 1996 | November 17, 2002 | August 28, 1994
(with Diesel) | | October 27, 1992 | | Stone Cold Steve Austin[9] | March 29, 1998 | no future reign possible1 | May 26, 1997
(with Shawn Michaels) | no future reign possible1 | August 3, 1997 | | The Rock | November 15, 1998 | no future reign possible1 | August 30, 1999
(with Mankind) | no future reign possible1 | February 13, 1997 | | Triple H | August 23, 1999 | September 2, 2002 | April 29, 2001
(with Stone Cold Steve Austin) | | October 21, 1996 | | Kane | June 28, 1998 | | July 13, 1998
(with Mankind) | | May 20, 2001 | | Chris Jericho | December 9, 2001 | September 7, 2008 | May 21, 2001
(with Chris Benoit) | June 28, 2009
(with Edge) | December 12, 1999 | | Kurt Angle | October 22, 2000 | January 10, 2006 | no future reign possible1 | October 20, 2002
(with Chris Benoit) | February 27, 2000 | | Eddie Guerrero | February 15, 2004 | no future reign possible2 | no future reign possible2 | November 17, 2002
(with Chavo Guerrero) | September 5, 2000 | | Chris Benoit | no future reign possible2 | March 14, 2004 | May 21, 2001
(with Chris Jericho) | October 20, 2002
(with Kurt Angle) | April 2, 2000 | | Ric Flair | January 19, 1992 | no future reign possible1 | December 14, 2003
(with Batista) | no future reign possible1 | September 18, 2005 | | Edge | January 8, 2006 | May 8, 2007 | April 2, 2000
(with Christian) | November 5, 2002
(with Rey Mysterio) | July 24, 1999 | | Rob Van Dam | June 11, 2006 | no future reign possible1 | March 31, 2003
(with Kane) | December 7, 2004
(with Rey Mysterio) | March 17, 2002 | | Booker T | no future reign possible1 | July 23, 2006 | November 1, 2001
(with Test) | no future reign possible1 | July 7, 2003 | | Randy Orton | October 7, 2007 | August 15, 2004 | November 13, 2006
(with Edge) | | December 14, 2003 | | Jeff Hardy | December 14, 2008 | June 7, 2009 | June 29, 1999
(with Matt Hardy) | no future reign possible1 | April 10, 2001 | | CM Punk[6][7] | | June 30, 2008 | October 27, 2008
(with Kofi Kingston) | | January 19, 2009 | | John "Bradshaw" Layfield | June 27, 2004 | no future reign possible 1 | May 25, 1999
(with Faarooq) | no future reign possible 1 | March 9, 2009 | | Rey Mysterio | | April 2, 2006 | | November 5, 2002
(with Edge) | April 5, 2009 |
| Text | | Championships in italics | Indicates the title is an alternate title from the original definition of a Triple Crown Championship. | | Dates in italics | The wrestler has won that title, but does not contribute to their Triple Crown because they had already won the Triple Crown or they had already won a title at that the same level. | | Dates in bold | The date the wrestler became a Triple Crown Champion. | | Names in bold | Indicates the wrestler is also a Grand Slam Champion. | | no future reign possible | The wrestler cannot have a reign with this championship belt. | | Name colors |
| Won the Triple Crown under the original definition. |
| Won the Triple Crown with an alternate title. |
| Won the Triple Crown with an alternate title, but has since won it under the original definition. | | Date colors |
| Won title as a member of the Raw brand. |
| Won title as a member of the ECW brand. |
| Won title as a member of the SmackDown! brand. | | Won title before the WWE Brand Extension. | | Notes | | 1 ^ The wrestler is no longer employed by World Wrestling Entertainment or retired from professional wrestling, so future reigns are not possible. | | 2 ^ The wrestler is deceased, so future reigns are not possible. | [edit] List of potential WWE Triple Crown Champions The following is a list of all WWE contracted wrestlers (with championships won at a minimum of two levels) that can complete the Triple Crown by winning one championship. Those who are deceased, retired, or otherwise not employed with WWE are not listed.  Y | The championship has been won. |  N | The championship has not been won and is needed to complete their Triple Crown. | | unneeded | The championship has not been won but it is not needed to complete their Triple Crown. | [edit] Total Nonstop Action Wrestling In Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), the TNA Triple Crown was an accolade bestowed upon those who won (not necessarily concurrently) all three championships regularly contested in TNA between 2002 and 2007 - the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, the TNA X Division Championship and (one-half of) the NWA World Tag Team Championship.[10] In May 2007, TNA lost the rights to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and the NWA World Tag Team Championship and introduced the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and the TNA World Tag Team Championship. On July 8, 2007, TNA stated that, should the then-TNA X Division Champion win the TNA World Tag Team Championship, this would leave him "just one step shy of becoming only the second Triple Crown Champion". This indicates that the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and the TNA World Tag Team Championship are part of the existing Triple Crown accolade. [11] [edit] List of TNA Triple Crown Champions The following is a list of TNA Triple Crown Champions with dates indicating the wrestler's first reign with the respective championship. Under TNA's definition of the Triple Crown Championship, wrestlers are eligible to be a multiple Triple Crown champion each time they complete a new circuit. So far, only A.J. Styles has won the Triple Crown on more than one occasion. | Champion | Primary Championships | Tag Team Championships | Secondary Championships | NWA
World Heavyweight | TNA
World Heavyweight | NWA
World Tag Team | TNA
World Tag Team | TNA
X Division | | A.J. Styles | June 11, 2003 | | July 3, 2002
(with Jerry Lynn) | | June 19, 2002 | | April 21, 2004 | | February 4, 2004
(with Abyss) | | October 23, 2002 | | May 15, 2005 | | June 18, 2006
(with Christopher Daniels) | | June 9, 2004 | | Kurt Angle | | June 17, 2007 | | August 12, 2007
(with Sting) | August 12, 2007 | | Samoa Joe | | April 13, 2008 | | July 15, 2007 | December 11, 2005 | | A.J. Styles | | September 20, 2009 | September 24, 2006 (with Christopher Daniels) | | January 16, 2005 | | Text | | Championships in italics | Indicates the title is an alternate title from the original definition of a Triple Crown Championship. | | Dates in bold | The date the wrestler became a Triple Crown Champion. | | Names in bold | Indicates the wrestler is also a Grand Slam Champion. | | Name colors |
| Won the Triple Crown under the original definition. |
| Won the Triple Crown with an alternate title. | | Date colors |
| Won while the company had rights to NWA championships. | [edit] List of potential TNA Triple Crown Champions As of November 22, 2009 the following TNA-contracted wrestlers require one more title in-order to be awarded the Triple Crown. | Champion | Primary Championships | Tag Team Championships | Secondary Championships | NWA
World Heavyweight | TNA
World Heavyweight | NWA
World Tag Team | TNA
World Tag Team | TNA
X Division | | Abyss | Y | unneeded | Y | unneeded | N | | A.J. Styles | inactive | N | inactive | Y | Y | | Amazing Red | inactive | N | Y | unneeded | Y | | Christopher Daniels | inactive | N | Y | unneeded | Y | | Eric Young | inactive | N | Y | Y | Y | | Homicide | inactive | N | Y | Y | Y | | Jay Lethal | inactive | N | inactive | Y | Y | | Kaz | inactive | N | inactive | Y | Y | | Sting | Y | Y | inactive | Y | N | | Y | The championship has been won. | | N | The championship has not been won and is needed to complete their Triple Crown. | | unneeded | The championship has not been won but it is not needed to complete their Triple Crown. | | inactive | The championship is no longer in TNA, so potential reigns are not possible. | [edit] See also [edit] References - ^ a b c Brian Shields (4th Edition 2006). Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s. Pocket Books. p. 199. ISBN 9781416532576.
- ^ "Pedro Morales". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/wwechampionship/30445418. Retrieved 2007-06-03. "Pedro Morales [defeated] Ivan Koloff for the [WWF] Championship...Morales would also go on to become the first Triple Crown winner [upon winning] the Intercontinental Championship and World Tag Team Championship."
- ^ "Official Intercontinental Championship title history". World Wrestling Entertainment. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/intercontinental/9155998. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
- ^ "CM Punk's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldheavyweight/200806011. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ "Punk and Kingston's first reign". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldtagteam/20081027WorldTagChamps. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
- ^ a b c "Punk rocks! C.M. is WWE's triple threat". Daily News. 2009-01-22. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2009/01/22/2009-01-22_punk_rocks_cm_is_wwes_triple_threat.html. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ a b Baines, Tim (2009-01-24). "Rey's ready to Rumble again". Canadian Online Explorer. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2009/01/24/8133176.html. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ "Pedro Morales Hall of Fame biography". World Wrestling Entertainment. http://www.wwe.com/superstars/halloffame/pedromorales/bio/. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ "WWE Legends: Skysports.com looks back at Stone Cold Steve Austin's distinguished career in the first of a series of superstar reviews". Sky Sports. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,14204_3851751,00.html. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ Banks, B. (2007-03-30). "Ask TNAwrestling.com: New Titles, Great Muta, DVDs & More". TNAWrestling.com. http://www.tnawrestling.com/news/fullnews2.php?all=1268. Retrieved 2007-05-14. "Who do you think will be the 2nd man to win the TNA Triple Crown?...Obviously, A.J. Styles was the first to accomplish the feat, capturing the X, Tag Team and World Titles..."
- ^ Jevec, R. (2007-07-08). "The TNA Championship Scenarios At Sunday's Victory Road". TNAWrestling.com. http://www.tnawrestling.com/news/fullnews2.php?all=1437. Retrieved 2007-07-19. "[Samoa Joe] has been a multi-time X Division Champion...A victory over Team 3D will put yet another championship title around his waist, leaving him just one step shy of becoming only the second Triple Crown Champion in TNA Wrestling history"
| Links to related articles | | | Grand Slam and Triple Crown Champions | | Grand Slam
Championship | | | Triple Crown
Championship | | | | | |
