TheIWA Puerto Rico Championship (Campeonato de Puerto Rico de la IWA in Spanish) is a regional championship originally defended in theInternational Wrestling Association of Puerto Rico (IWA-PR), where it was a mid-tier title. When it was originally known as theIWA Caribbean Championship, it was some time unified with another secondary accolade, the originalIWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship. It was later reintroduced as a stand-alone title and deactivated when the promotion entered seven years of inactivity in 2012.

In 2019, the belt was revived and introduced toMajor League Wrestling (MLW), asSavio Vega was announced as the “Caribbean Heavyweight Champion” upon making his debut. In 2020, Richard Holliday began a streak of unofficial defenses after taking possession of the belt following a non-title match. Story wise, the Caribbean Heavyweight Championship was not initially sanctioned by MLW, only acquiring affiliation as it became the centerpiece of the promotion's island event market expansion.^[1]

In 2023, IWA rebranded theIWA PR/Caribbean Championship title as theIWA Puerto Rico Championship.

The current champion is Pedro Portillo III, who is in his first reign.

Championship was announced on October 13, 2008 via IWA's website^[2] but it was not until February 14, 2009 at "Noche de Campeones" in Bayamón, Puerto Rico that it was determined a champion.^[3] The Inaugural champion was GQ The Ravishing (Richard Rondón), he won a 15 Man Tornado Rumble Match by last eliminating Cruzz.

The championship would be unified with theIWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship on February 26, 2011. On that match Xix Xavant defeated Romeo to unify the titles.^[4]

The Caribbean Heavyweight Championship was brought back in 2012 for the IWA/EWO Clash of the Titans show, a co-promoted one with another Puerto Rican Wrestling promotion called EWO. On this show, the winner of the match was Cyrus who won a 8 Man "Lucha X" Match where he defeated 8 participants who were.

Reintroduced as a regional third-party title (simply known as the “Caribbean Heavyweight Championship”) atMajor League Wrestling in 2019, with Savio Vega billed as the current champion, the accolade was used to promote his arrival as part ofSalina de la Renta’s Promociones Dorado (which he later left by ripping his contract).^[5] The incumbent was immediately given an opportunity for theMLW National Openweight Championship againstAlexander Hammerstone ofThe Dynasty in what was branded an opportunity to become a double titlist, but ultimately saw the latter retain by cheating.^[6] Vega was given epithets such as “legendary” and “ the king of the Caribbean”, being matched against young performers including the members of latter group and Promociones Dorado.^[7][8][9] On January 11, 2020,Richard Holliday took possession of the belt after winning a non-title match, self-proclaiming himself champion.^[10]

As the disputed Caribbean Heavyweight Champion, Holliday was portrayed as a cowardly villain, who refused to participate in a titular match at Puerto Rico but was willing to make “defenses” in places such as “St. Barth's orBermuda”. One such instance had him purportedly retain by defeating one Edwin González atNecker Island, a private island that is part of theBritish Virgin Islands.^[11] An unofficial defense took place at the MLW vs. AAA Super Series atTijuana (Mexico being part of the largerCaribbean Basin), where Holliday defeatedChessman to give his team an early advantage.^[12] The belt played a role in selling the high-end lifestyle of The Dynasty, being taken to places with nudist beaches, “gorgeous women [or] luxurious beachside cabanas“ and having stable members debate whether it was “the more relevant title” in MLW opposite the National Openweight Championship.^[13] The group would also visit the Caribbean for less scrupulous reasons, such as purchasing Vega's childhood house at Puerto Rico to turn it into abed and breakfast.^[14]

The storyline evolved to feature Holliday demanding that the Caribbean Heavyweight Championship was incorporated, or “naturalized”, as an official title within MLW and have him recognized as incumbent.^[15] In response, “MLW's CEO [Court Bauer] met with Puerto Rican government officials about hosting a Caribbean Heavyweight Championship title fight“ to be held in 2021 (tentatively at theRoberto Clemente Stadium in Carolina).^[1][16] During the final week of October 2020, the association between IWA-PR and MLW became a formal alliance.^[17] In the lead up to the announcement, Holliday complained twice about not being officially listed in the champions gallery, calling it “misrepresentation” and expressing his desire to “win over” and become “the face” of the region, ultimately threatening to melt the belt.^[18] Vega responded by issuing a challenge to a Caribbean Strap Match (a type of contest that he made famous by defeatingStone Cold Steve Austin atIn Your House 8: Beware of Dog) for the belt in Puerto Rico.^[19]

Following another challenge, the self-proclaimed champion accepted to compete in the specialty match.^[20] On January 27, 2021, Holliday defeated Vega due to the intervention of refereeTim Donaghy, beginning his first official reign after 382 days of illegal possession.^[21][22] He then migrated to a feud with Gino Medina, a former member of The Dynasty, retaining the belt in April. Since Fall 2020, several talents formally associated withLucha Underground were brought into MLW as part of the Azteca Underground stable, includingCésar Durán (previously known as Dario Cueto), who became the on-screen owner of IWA-PR.^[23] King Muertes (formerly Mil Muertes inLucha Underground, and known in Puerto Rico asRicky Banderas) defeated Holliday to win the title in a match with “Caribbean Rules” atBattle Riot III.^[23]

AtFightland, he won his first defense by besting formerMLW World Heavyweight ChampionTom Lawlor in a casket match. Muertes retained over Holliday in a rematch. On March 31, 2022, he defended the title in a four-way match against eventual winnerOctagón Jr., El Dragón andEl Hijo de L.A. Park. In his first defense, he retained overMatt Cross atRise of the Renegades.

The Caribbean Heavyweight Championship became a storyline element again in IWA-PR in November 2022, when Khriz Díaz won an opportunity and criticized that a title that represented Puerto Rico was being contested between foreigners. Vignettes were shown where the challenger traveled to Mexico pursuing Octagón Jr., following provocations in Impacto Total and social media. Sneaking backstage at a AAA card, Díaz ambushed the champion in the lockers and took both the belt and his mask. After Octagón Jr. no-showed a scheduled defense at Histeria Boricua 2023, Savio Vega stripped him of the title and announced that the vacancy would be filled in the event. In a match of impromptu contenders, Díaz defeated Alejandro Marrero to win the revamped belt.

The original design introduced in 2008 was based on theIWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, which was designed and crafted byReggie Parks in 1999, and in itself used the same basic template that this craftsman has used in the 1986WWE Intercontinental Championship belt and other titles in his line. Like those belts, the Caribbean Heavyweight Championship had a main plate composed by three silver-colored rectangles of receding size. The central area of the design features a geographical map of the Caribbean inside a gilded circle, flanked by the same design of six five-pointed stars grouped together. Above and under are three red-colored ribbons, with the upper one prominently reading “CARIBBEAN” and the inferior pair “HEAVYWEIGHT WRESTLING CHAMPION”. The lower part features two eight-pointed stars, an element that is also present in the Parks belts. The crown of the belt has the company acronym, “IWA”, inside a red oval that is surrounded by leaf motifs. There are two side square silver-colored side plates that depict wrestlers grappling.

In April 2022, a new belt was commissioned as part of an initiative where IWA-PR revamped the design of all its titles.^[24] The new design was officially introduced on January 6, 2023, as part of Histeria Boricua.

IWA-PR currently recognizes 18 individual Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (Former name) / IWA Puerto Rico Championship reigns (Current name).

The inaugural champion was CQ the Ravishing. The longest reigning champion is Savio Vega, who held the title from June 15, 2019 to January 27, 2021 for a reign of 593 days; he is also the oldest titlist, earning the accolade at the age of 54 years and 309 days. So far, no wrestler has won the title more than once. Ash Rubynski is the shortest reigning champion with a reign that lasted a week. For a period of 162 days in 2011, the title was held concurrently along the Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship.

In MLW, several fictional aspects were added to the background of the title. Despite using the belt and the acronym “IWA” being visible on camera, MLW confabulated it with the longevousWWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship by claiming that it had “been won by the likes ofPedro Morales,Gilberto “Gypsy Joe” Meléndez,Abdullah the Butcher, [and]Gorilla Monsoon” (though of these, only the third actually held that title, with the others holding different accolades within theWorld Wrestling Council). The promotion claimed that “theSan Juan Star,El Vocero andClaridad island newspapers have all chastised Holliday's actions”, this despite the first being defunct, the second no longer covering professional wrestling and the third never having done so. The claim that it was sanctioned by the “Sports Ministry of Puerto Rico” is equally fictional, since no such executive department exists and thePuerto Rico Department of Sports and Recreation only oversees promotions as a form of entertainment business.

As of February 16, 2026.

• MLW Caribbean Heavyweight Championship Title History at Cagematch.net
• MLW Caribbean Heavyweight Championship Title History at Wrestling-Titles.com

• Major League Wrestling championships
• International Wrestling Association (Puerto Rico) championships
• North American professional wrestling championships

• CS1 Spanish-language sources (es)
• Articles with hCards