Secondary championships in WWE

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Johnny Valentine, the inaugural, final, and record five-time NWA United States Television Champion, shown here with the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship

The American

NWA Television Championship. Whenever the WWE brand extension
has been implemented (2002–2011; 2016–present), separate secondary championships have been created or allocated for each brand.

WWE currently promotes three secondary championships. The secondary championships include the WWE Intercontinental Championship and the WWE United States Championship on the main roster brands, Raw and SmackDown, respectively, and the NXT North American Championship for WWE's developmental brand, NXT.

This article covers all secondary championships contested in WWE throughout its history, not those acquired by the company and never contested under its banner, although WWE may recognize some titles from outside the company for championship records.

Overview of titles

No. Name Years
1 NWA United States Television Championship 1957 – 1962
2 WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship 1960 – 1976
3 WWF North American Heavyweight Championship 1979 – 1981
4 WWE Intercontinental Championship 1979 – 2002, 2003 – present
5 WWE United States Championship 1975 – 2001, 2003 – present[a]
6 NXT North American Championship 2018 – present
7 NXT UK Heritage Cup 2020 – 2023[b]
8 NXT Women's North American Championship 2024 – present

Summary of championships

NWA United States Television Championship (1957–1962)

Main article: NWA United States Television Championship

The

NWA World Heavyweight Championship of the National Wrestling Alliance, which was considered the CWC's premier title. The first champion was Johnny Valentine, who may have won the title during a tournament in 1957, or by defeating Verne Gagne
in 1958. Valentine was also the final champion as the title was retired on July 25, 1962, during his fifth reign.

WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship (1960–1976)

Main article: WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship
Bobo Brazil, the longest-reigning WWWF United States Heavyweight Champion, holding the title from 1971 to 1976.

The

World Wide Wrestling Federation between 1960 and 1976. During the variable periods in which it was used, the title served as the promotion's secondary singles championship to the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship. This title has no connection to the current WWE United States Championship, the lineage of which dates back to the NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Championship originally created in 1975 in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. The inaugural champion was Buddy Rogers and the final champion was Bobo Brazil
.

WWF North American Heavyweight Championship (1979-1981)

Main article: WWF North American Heavyweight Championship

The

World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) from 1979 until 1981.[1] It was established as the WWWF North American Heavyweight Championship on February 13, 1979, before the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) was renamed to WWF the following month. The title replaced the WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship as the promotion's secondary championship. The inaugural champion was Ted DiBiase and the final champion was Seiji Sakaguchi.[2]

WWE Intercontinental Championship (1979–2002, 2003–present)

Main article: WWE Intercontinental Championship
Inaugural WWE Intercontinental Champion Pat Patterson, shown here carrying the 2011-2019 design of the championship.

The

Pat Patterson
as the inaugural champion.

In 2002, after the first brand split had begun and the WWF was renamed WWE, the title was renamed to the WWE Intercontinental Championship, and Raw general manager Eric Bischoff began unifying his brand's singles championships. On September 30, 2002, Bischoff scheduled a match to unify the Intercontinental Championship with the recently created Raw-exclusive World Heavyweight Championship. The unification match took place at No Mercy the following month and saw then-World Heavyweight Champion Triple H defeat then-Intercontinental Champion Kane, making him the Raw brand's sole male singles champion.[4] Over Bischoff's objections, Raw co-general manager Stone Cold Steve Austin reactivated the Intercontinental Championship on the May 5, 2003 episode of Raw and declared any former champion on the Raw roster eligible to enter a battle royal at Judgment Day for the title. Christian won the battle royal to win the championship and restore a secondary singles title for Raw wrestlers to compete for. The first brand extension ended on August 29, 2011, allowing the Intercontinental Championship, as well as all other titles, to be defended on both Raw and SmackDown.

In July 2016, WWE reintroduced the brand split. During the

2016 draft, then-Intercontinental Champion The Miz was drafted to SmackDown, thus making the title exclusive to SmackDown. During the following year's Superstar Shake-up, Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose was moved to the Raw brand, making the title exclusive to Raw. Two years later during the 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up, Intercontinental Champion Finn Bálor moved to SmackDown, making the title exclusive back to SmackDown. Four years later during the 2023 draft, Intercontinental Champion Gunther
moved to Raw, making the title exclusive back to Raw.

WWE United States Championship (2001, 2003–present)

Main article: WWE United States Championship
Inaugural NWA United States Champion Harley Race.

The

World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 2001, the then-WCW United States Championship was defended in the WWF until it was unified with the Intercontinental Championship at that year's Survivor Series
.

In July 2003, a year after the

WCW Cruiserweight Championship had also become a WWE title, it was not deactivated and reactivated; it replaced the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship during the Invasion storyline). Eddie Guerrero became the first champion after its reactivation by winning a tournament at that year's Vengeance, defeating Chris Benoit in the final match. This was done shortly after the Intercontinental Championship was recommissioned by the Raw brand, making the title its equal counterpart. The first brand extension ended on August 29, 2011, allowing the United States Championship, as well as all other titles, to be defended on both Raw and SmackDown
.

In July 2016, WWE reintroduced the brand extension; during the

Rusev was drafted to the Raw brand,[5] thus making the title exclusive to Raw.[6] On April 11, 2017, United States Champion Kevin Owens, along with the title, moved to SmackDown as a result of that year's Superstar Shake-up. Owens was already scheduled to defend the title against Chris Jericho at the Raw-exclusive pay-per-view Payback on April 30. Then-SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan declared that regardless of who won at Payback, the United States Championship would remain on SmackDown; Jericho defeated Owens for the title at Payback and he transferred to SmackDown.[7] During the 2018 Superstar Shake-up, the title briefly returned to Raw when champion Jinder Mahal was drafted to the brand. However, it was immediately returned to SmackDown after Jeff Hardy defeated Mahal for the title and was drafted to SmackDown the next night.[8][9] The championship definitively returned to Raw in 2019 when champion Samoa Joe was drafted to the brand during that year's Superstar Shake-up.[10] Four years later during the 2023 draft, United States Champion Austin Theory
moved to SmackDown, making the title exclusive to SmackDown again.

NXT North American Championship (2018–present)

Main article: NXT North American Championship
Inaugural NXT North American Champion Adam Cole.

The NXT North American Championship is the secondary championship established for WWE's developmental brand, NXT. The title was established in April 2018 and the inaugural champion was Adam Cole.[11][12][13][14] In September 2019, the title became one of WWE's three main secondary titles when NXT became WWE's third major brand,[15][16] however, it reverted to a developmental brand in September 2021.[17] In January 2022, the NXT Cruiserweight Championship was unified into the North American Championship. At the special New Year's Evil episode of NXT on January 4, 2022, reigning North American Champion Carmelo Hayes defeated Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong. The Cruiserweight Championship was retired with Hayes going forward as North American Champion.[18][19][20][21] Whenever the title is held by a main roster wrestler, it occasionally gets defended on main roster shows, such as when SmackDown wrestler Solo Sikoa defended it on SmackDown in September 2022.[22] Raw wrestler "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio has also defended it on Raw during his first reign in 2023.[23][24][25]

NXT UK Heritage Cup (2020–2023)

Main article: NXT Heritage Cup

The

A-Kid. The title is defended just like any other championship but has a special stipulation in which all matches are contested under British Rounds Rules. However, after the closing of the brand in late 2022, instead of being unified or retired like the other NXT UK-branded championships, it transferred to the NXT
brand in April 2023, and was then simply renamed to the NXT Heritage Cup, removing association with the retired NXT UK brand. The championship was then recognized as NXT's specialty championship, no longer being recognized as secondary.

NXT Women's North American Championship (2024–present)

Main article: NXT Women's North American Championship

During Stand & Deliver on April 6, 2024, the WrestleMania week event for WWE's developmental brand NXT, the NXT Women's North American Championship was announced by the brand's General Manager Ava. This will be the equivalent to the men's NXT North American Championship, marking the first-ever secondary women's championship in WWE.[26][27] The method in which the inaugural champion is being determined has not been announced yet.

Champions

Current champions

The following list shows the wrestlers that are currently holding all active secondary championships in WWE.

Championship Champion Reign Date won Days held[28] Location Notes
WWE Intercontinental Championship Sami Zayn 4 April 6, 2024 20+
Philadelphia, PA
 Defeated Gunther on Night 1 of WrestleMania XL.
WWE United States Championship Logan Paul 1 November 4, 2023 174+
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
 Defeated Rey Mysterio at Crown Jewel.
NXT North American Championship Oba Femi 1 January 9, 2024 108+
Orlando, FL
 Defeated Dragon Lee on NXT by cashing in his Breakout Tournament contract.
NXT Women's North American Championship
TBD
 1 TBD TBD TBD The method in which the inaugural champion is being determined has not been announced yet.

Retired championships

The following list shows retired secondary championships and the final title holders before the belts were deactivated or abandoned by WWE.

Championship Final champion Reign Date retired Days held Notes
NWA United States Television Championship Johnny Valentine 5 July 25, 1962 N/A[c] The
CWC
abandoned the title on July 25, 1962 without a formal announcement.
WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship Bobo Brazil 7 March 1, 1976 1,837 Brazil was awarded the title by the WWWF. The WWWF abandoned the title.
WWF North American Heavyweight Championship Seiji Sakaguchi 1 April 23, 1981 532 The WWF abandoned the title.

Inaugural championship holders

The following list shows the inaugural holders for each secondary championship created and/or promoted by WWE.

Championship Holder(s) Date Notes
NWA United States Television Championship Johnny Valentine 1957 / 1958 It is uncertain who Valentine defeated to become the inaugural champion. Sources suggested that Valentine won the title during a tournament in 1957, or by defeating Verne Gagne in 1958 in Chicago, IL.
WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship Buddy Rogers April 20, 1960 Rogers was recognized as the inaugural holder of the Northeast version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship.
WWF North American Heavyweight Championship
Ted DiBiase
 February 13, 1979 Awarded the title when he signed with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF).
WWE Intercontinental Championship Pat Patterson September 1, 1979 Patterson became the first champion as a result of defeating Ted DiBiase to win the WWF North American Heavyweight Championship on June 19, 1979 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and defeating Johnny Rodz in a fictional tournament final in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to unify the North American Heavyweight Championship with the fictional South American Heavyweight Championship to create the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship.
WWE United States Championship Harley Race January 1, 1975 Defeated Johnny Weaver in a tournament final to become the inaugural NWA United States Heavyweight Champion for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. Booker T was the reigning champion when the title was acquired by the WWF.
NXT North American Championship Adam Cole April 7, 2018 Defeated EC3, Killian Dain, Lars Sullivan, Ricochet, and The Velveteen Dream in a six-way ladder match to become the inaugural champion.
NXT UK Heritage Cup
A-Kid
 November 26, 2020 Defeated Trent Seven 2–1 in the tournament final to become the inaugural champion. WWE officially recognizes that A-Kid won the title on November 26, 2020, when the match aired on tape delay. The title was recognized as a secondary championship at this time.
NXT Women's North American Championship
TBD
 TBD The method in which the inaugural champion is being determined has not been announced yet.

Superlative reigns

  • (+) - indicates the reign is ongoing.

Ten longest

The following list shows the ten longest secondary championship reigns in WWE history.

Longest-reigning secondary champion of the modern era, Gunther, who held the WWE Intercontinental Championship for 666 days.
No. Champion Title Reign Length
(days) 		Notes
1 Bobo Brazil WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship 7 1,837
2 Bobo Brazil WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship 3 1,335
3 Bobo Brazil WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship 6 687
4 Gunther WWE Intercontinental Championship 1 666
5 Seiji Sakaguchi WWF North American Heavyweight Championship 1 532
6 Lex Luger WWE United States Championship 3 523 During this reign, the title was known as the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship.
7 Johnny Valentine NWA United States Television Championship 2 458
8 The Honky Tonk Man WWE Intercontinental Championship 1 454 During this reign, the title was known as the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship.
WWE recognizes this reign as lasting 453 days.
9 Buddy Rogers WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship 1 436 During this reign, the title was known as the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship.
10 The Sheik WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship 1 429

Longest per championship

The following list shows the longest reigning champion for each secondary championship created and/or promoted by WWE.

No. Champion Title Reign Dates held Length
(days) 		Notes
1 Bobo Brazil WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship 7 February 19, 1971 – March 1, 1976 1,837
2 Gunther WWE Intercontinental Championship 1 June 10, 2022 – April 6, 2024 666
3 Seiji Sakaguchi WWF North American Heavyweight Championship 1 November 8, 1979 – April 23, 1981 532
4 Lex Luger WWE United States Championship 3 May 22, 1989 – October 27, 1990 523 During this reign, the title was known as the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship.
5 Johnny Valentine NWA United States Television Championship 2 April 7, 1959 – July 8, 1960 458
6 Noam Dar NXT UK Heritage Cup 2 July 7, 2022 – June 13, 2023 341 During this reign, the NXT UK brand was retired, and the championship became exclusive to the NXT brand, under the name NXT Heritage Cup. Due to this change, the title was no longer recognized as secondary, but as a specialty championship instead.
WWE recognizes this reign as lasting 292 days due to tape delay.
7 Wes Lee NXT North American Championship 1 October 22, 2022 – July 18, 2023 269

Most per championship

The following list shows the wrestlers with the most reigns for each secondary championship created and/or promoted by WWE.

Record nine-time WWE Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho, shown here with the 1998–2011 design of the championship
No. Champion Title No. of reigns Notes
1 Chris Jericho WWE Intercontinental Championship 9 During his first four reigns, the title was known as the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
2 Bobo Brazil WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship 7
3 Ric Flair WWE United States Championship 6 During his first five reigns, the title was known as the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship. During his sixth reign, the title was known as the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship. His fifth reign as United States Champion is not typically recognized by WWE, but a WWE.com article recognized him as a 6-time champion.[29]
4 Johnny Valentine NWA United States Television Championship 5
5 Johnny Gargano NXT North American Championship 3
Noam Dar NXT UK Heritage Cup During his first reign and most of his second reign, the title was still recognized as a secondary championship.
6 Pat Patterson WWF North American Heavyweight Championship 1
Seiji Sakaguchi
Ted DiBiase
 During the first month of this reign, the title was known as the WWWF North American Heavyweight Championship.

Most total reigns

The following list shows the wrestlers who have the most secondary championship reigns in total, combining all titles they have held as recognized by WWE. This list also shows the titles that they won to achieve this record (minimum five secondary championship reigns).

No. Champion Titles No. of Reigns Notes
1 Chris Jericho 11 During his first four reigns as Intercontinental Champion, the title was known as the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
2 The Miz 10
3 Chris Benoit 9 During his first three reigns as Intercontinental Champion, the title was known as the WWF Intercontinental Championship. During his first two reigns as United States Champion, the title was known as the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.
Jeff Jarrett During his six reigns as Intercontinental Champion, the title was known as the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship. During his three reigns as United States Champion, the title was known as the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.
5 Bobo Brazil 8 During his reign as WWE United States Champion, the title was known as the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship.
Dolph Ziggler
7 Bret Hart 7 During his two reigns as Intercontinental Champion, the title was known as the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship. During his four reigns as United States Champion, the title was known as the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.
Kofi Kingston
Ric Flair During his six reigns as United States Champion, the title was known as the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship. His fifth reign as United States Champion is not typically recognized by WWE, but a WWE.com article recognized him as a 6-time champion.[29]
10 Edge 6 During his first four reigns as Intercontinental Champion, the title was known as the WWF Intercontinental Championship. During his reign as United States Champion, the title was known as the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.
Jeff Hardy During his first reign as Intercontinental Champion, the title was known as the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
Johnny Valentine During his reign as WWE United States Champion, the title was known as the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship.
Razor Ramon
 During his two reigns as United States Champion, the title was known as the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.
Rob Van Dam During his first reign, the title was known as the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
15 Bobby Lashley 5
Booker T During his first reign as United States Champion, the title was known as the WCW United States Championship.
Dustin Rhodes During his three reigns as Intercontinental Champion, the title was known as the WWF Intercontinental Championship. During his two reigns as United States Champion, the title was known as the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.
Lex Luger During his first four reigns as United States Champion, the title was known as the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship. During his fourth reign, the title was renamed to WCW United States Heavyweight Championship; during his fifth reign, the title was known under this name.
John Cena
Kevin Owens
Rey Mysterio
Ricky Steamboat During his reign as Intercontinental Champion, the title was known as the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship. During his first three as United States Champion, the title was known as the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship. During his fourth reign as United States Champion, the title was known as the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.
Triple H During his first four reigns as Intercontinental Champion, the title was known as the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
Wade Barrett
Wahoo McDaniel During his five reigns as United States Champion, the title was known as the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Became WWE property in 2001.
  2. ^ The NXT UK Heritage Cup was established in 2020 and is still active today as the NXT Heritage Cup; however, it was only regarded as a secondary championship during its time on the NXT UK brand, from 2020 to 2023.
  3. ^ The length of Valentine's 5th title reign is too uncertain to calculate.

References

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  2. ISBN 978-1-4165-5890-3
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  4. ^ "No Mercy 2002 results". WWE. Retrieved December 7, 2007.
  5. ^ WWE.com Staff (July 19, 2016). "2016 WWE Draft results: WWE officially ushers in New Era". WWE. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  6. ^ Caldwell, James (July 24, 2016). "7/24 WWE Battleground Results – CALDWELL'S Complete Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  7. ^ Keller, Wade (April 11, 2017). "Keller's WWE SmackDown Report 4/11: Superstar Shake-up Night 2 details". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  8. ^ Powell, Jason (April 16, 2018). "WWE Raw Live TV Review: The Superstar Shakeup Night One, Sasha Banks vs. Bayley, Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt vs. The Revival for a shot at the vacant Raw Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  9. ^ Keller, Wade (April 17, 2018). "Keller's WWE SmackDown Report 4/17: Superstar Shake-up concludes, tracking which Raw wrestlers will be added to Smackdown roster". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  10. ^ Powell, Jason (April 22, 2019). "4/22 WWE Raw Results: Powell's review of the first episode following the WWE Superstar Shakeup". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  11. ^ Johnson, Mike (March 7, 2018). "SPOILER: NEW WWE CHAMPIONSHIP CONFIRMED, HOW FIRST CHAMPION WILL BE CROWNED". PWInsider. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  12. ^ Powell, Jason (March 7, 2018). "NXT introducing new title belt during WrestleMania weekend (non match result TV taping spoiler)". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  13. ^ "Breaking news: NXT to debut a new championship (CAUTION: SPOILER)". WWE. March 7, 2018. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  14. ^ Moore, John (7 April 2018). "4/7 Moore's NXT Takeover: New Orleans live review – Andrade Almas vs. Aleister Black for the NXT Title, Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women's Championship, Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa in an unsanctioned match, ladder match for the new North American Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
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  16. ^ Rollins, Khadrice (August 19, 2019). "NXT moving to cable TV on Sept. 18". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  17. ^ Currier, Joseph (December 3, 2021). "Preview and Predictions for 'NXT WarGames'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  18. Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online
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  19. ^ Holder, James (December 29, 2021). "NXT Cruiserweight Championship Set To Be Retired". Inside the Ropes. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  20. ^ Moore, John (January 4, 2022). "1/4 NXT 2.0 results: Moore's review of Tommaso Ciampa vs. Bron Breakker for the NXT Title, Walter, Fabian Aichner, and Marcel Barthel vs. Riddle and MSK, Mandy Rose vs. Raquel Gonzalez vs. Cora Jade for the NXT Women's Title, Carmelo Hayes vs. Roderick Strong in a title unification match, AJ Styles confronts Grayson Waller". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  21. Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online
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  22. ^ "SmackDown results, Sept. 16, 2022: Brawling Brutes win the right the challenge The Usos in chaotic Fatal 4-Way Match". WWE. September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  23. ^ Barnett, Jake (July 21, 2023). "WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (7/21): Barnett's review of Roman Reigns and Jey Uso set the rules of engagement, LA Knight vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Sheamus vs. Cameron Grimes in a U.S. Title Invitational four-way". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  24. ^ Bhat, Varun Anand (July 22, 2023). "Did Dominik Mysterio accidentally create history following SmackDown appearance? What you might have missed!". Sportskeeda. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  25. ^ Keller, Wade (July 24, 2023). "WWE Raw Results (7/24): Keller's report on Seth-Balor contract signing, Logan Paul-Ricochet face-to-face, Stark vs. Lynch, Drew-Gunther face-to-face". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  26. ^ Currier, Joseph (April 6, 2024). "WWE introducing Women's NXT North American Championship". Wrestling Observer. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  27. ^ Moore, John (April 6, 2024). "NXT Stand & Deliver results: Moore's live review of Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes, Ilja Dragunov vs. Tony D'Angelo for the NXT Title, Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez for the NXT Women's Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  28. ^ As of April 26, 2024.
  29. ^ a b "WWE United States Championship official history". WWE. Archived from the original on 2012-04-22. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
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