{{TitleHistoryLine|13|[[Coloso Colosetti]]|[[Ray Mendoza]]|?<ref>previously listed as 1969.12.19, but [http://superluchas.net/2014/12/19/en-un-dia-como-hoy-anibal-destapa-red-terror-adrian-street-en-mexico/ SuperLuchas] reports that as a successful title defense; title change still must've occurred after</ref>|[[Mexico City]]}}
{{TitleHistoryLine|13|[[Coloso Colosetti]]|[[Ray Mendoza]]|?<ref>previously listed as 1969.12.19, but [http://superluchas.net/2014/12/19/en-un-dia-como-hoy-anibal-destapa-red-terror-adrian-street-en-mexico/ SuperLuchas] reports that as a successful title defense; title change still must've occurred after</ref>|[[Mexico City]]}}
{{TitleDefenseLine|1|[[Rayo de Jalisco]]<ref>[http://superluchas.com/2015/03/20/en-un-dia-como-hoy-coloso-colosetti-vs-rayo-de-jalisco-por-el-campeonato-mundial-semicompleto-nwa/ SuperLuchas]</ref>|[[1970]].[[03.20]]|[[Arena Mexico]]}}
{{TitleHistoryLine|14|[[Ray Mendoza]] [4]|[[Coloso Colosetti]]|[[1970]].[[04.24]]<ref>date had been listed as 1970.03.20, but [http://www.cronicasyleyendasdelaluchalibre.com/?p=10115 poster/recap lists correct date]</ref>|[[Arena Mexico]]}}
{{TitleHistoryLine|14|[[Ray Mendoza]] [4]|[[Coloso Colosetti]]|[[1970]].[[04.24]]<ref>date had been listed as 1970.03.20, but [http://www.cronicasyleyendasdelaluchalibre.com/?p=10115 poster/recap lists correct date]</ref>|[[Arena Mexico]]}}
The NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship was created in the early 1950s. In it's first years, it was a United States title, but was given to EMLL in 1958, and has remained mostly in Mexico for it's lifespan. The NWA name and the long existence of the belt give it a lot of credibility in Mexico, but it's no different from other modern championships in it's many breaks between defenses.
The EMLL promotion broke from the NWA when it renamed itself CMLL in 1991 and declared new world championships for every division. CMLL appeared to plan on unifying the NWA championships, but the unification matches never took place. The NWA Light Heavyweight championship, with over thirty years of history as a major championship in Mexico, was continued to be treated as a major championship of another organization. Despite the NWA itself imploding and restarting multiple times, CMLL continued to act as if there was still an outside NWA governing body sanctioning this championship. CMLL referees would wear shirts with NWA logos for the title matches, as 'proof' of the championship's legitimacy.
In the late 2000, the current version of the NWA began to request CMLL return to this championship and the other related NWA titles. The NWA pointed out CMLL had not been a dues paying member of the NWA for decades. As a promotion, CMLL ignored the requests. When asked, the individual champions declared they'd only give up the belts if they lost them in the ring. The NWA became more insistent on the return of the belts when Blue Demon Jr. joined to start the NWA Mexico promotion. Demon first suggested matches between the CMLL NWA champions and his groups of wrestlers, then repeatedly demanded the belts be handed over. Since Demon was making these claims in Mexico directly, these claims got higher levels of attention.
Finally, on August 12, 2010, CMLL announced a change with the NWA group of championships. The current physical title belts were all retired, replaced by newly belts with a different design. The old belts are now part of CMLL's mobile museum, though copies of them have turned up elsewhere.
CMLL referred to the new championships as the CMLL Historic Championships and said the former NWA champions would be the first champions of the new belts. Outside not getting the physical belt back, that appeared to satisfy the NWA's complaints. However, since within weeks of that press conference, CMLL had changed course. The championships were referred to as NWA World Historic Championships, angering the NWA again.
championship forks when Gory Guerrero leaves EMLL in December 1966; EMLL declares championship vacant, but Guerrero continues to defend his version of the championship until 1972
