Following is the most complete accounting of the history of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Compiled by Dory Funk Jr. and Bob Ryder.
1905 - Frank Gotch defeated George
Hackenschmidt
1906 Fred Beel defeated Gotch
1996 Gotch defeated Beel
1913 Gotch retired as world heavyweight champion.
1914 Charley Cutler defeated Henry Ordeman and
Jesse Westegard
in a tournament to fill the vacant title.
1915 Joe Stecher defeated Cutler.
1917 Earl Caddock defeated Stecher.
1920 Stecher defeated Caddock.
1921 Ed (Strangler) Lewis defeated Stecher.
1922 Stanislaus Zbyszko defeated Lewis.
1922 Lewis defeated Zbyszko.
1925 Wayne Munn defeated Lewis.
1925 Zbyszko defeated Munn.
1925 Stecher defeated Zbyszko on a match at the
old Federal
League field on St. Louis, Missouri.
1928 Lewis defeated Stecher at the Coliseum in
St. Louis,
Missouri.
1929 Gus Sonnenberg defeated Lewis in Boston,
Massachusetts.
1931 Ed Don George defeated Sonnenberg in Boston,
Massachusetts.
1931 Lewis defeated George in Los Angeles,
California.
1931 Henry DeGlane defeated Lewis in Montreal,
Canada.
1931 George defeated DeGlane in Boston, Mass.
In the meantime, Dick Shikat had defeated Jim Londos in Pennsylvania in a 1929 bout and had claimed the title.
1930 June 6th, Londos defeated Shikat in
Philadelphia,
Penn. Then in 1932, Lewis pinned Shikat in a match billed as the "world
championship" in New York, New York.
1933 Jim Browning defeated Lewis in New York, New
York.
1934 Londos defeated Browning in New York, NY.
1935 June 27 - Danno O'Mahoney defeated Londos in
Boston,
Mass.
1935 June 30 - O'Mahoney defeated Ed Don George in Boston, Mass. The latter had been claiming the title since his 1931 defeat of DeGlane. By his victories, O'Mahoney became the undisputed world champion.
1936 Shikat defeated O'Mahoney in New York, NY.
1936 Ali Baba defeated Shikat in Detroit,
Michigan.
1936 Ali Baba was disqualified in a New Jersey
bout against
Dave Levin, but the state athletic commission reversed the decision and
permitted Ale Baba to keep the title.
1936 June 25 Everett Marshall defeated Ali
Baba in Columbus,
Ohio.
1937 De. 29 Lou Thesz defeated Marshall in St.
Louis,
Missouri.
1938 Feb. 11 Steve Crusher Casey defeated Thesz
in Boston,
Mass.
1938 The National Wrestling Association, at its convention in Montreal, recognized Marshall as the champion for two reasons: Casey, the erstwhile champ, was out ot the country; and Marshall had been disqualified in his bout with Casey because Casey had been thrown out of the ring. The decision was reversed because as Marshall's manager, Billy Sandow, pointed out, "the action was not deliberate."
1939 Feb. 23 - Thesz defeated Marshall in St.
Louis, Missouri.
1939 June 23 - Bronco Nagurski defeated Thesz in
Houston,
Texas.
1940 March 7 - Ray Steele defeated Nagurski in
St. Louts,
Missouri.
1941 March 11 - Nagurski defeated Steel in
Minneapolis,
Minnesota.
1941 June 5 - Sandor Szabo defeated Nagurski in
St. Louis,
Missouri.
1942 Feb. 19 - Bill Longson defeated Szabo in St.
Louis,
Missouri.
1942 Oct. 7 - Yvon Robert defeated Longson in
Montreal,
Canada.
1942 Nov. 27 - Bobby Managoff defeated Robert in
Houston,
Texas.
1942 Feb 19 - Longson defeated Managoff in St.
Louis,
Missouri.
1947 Feb 21 - Whipper Billy Watson defeated
Longson in
St. Louis, Missouri.
1947 Apr. 25 - Thesz defeated Watson in St.
Louis, Missouri.
1947 Nove 21 - Longson defeated Thesz in St.
Louis, Missouri.
1948 July 20 - Thesz defeated Longson in
Indianapolis,
Indiana.
1949 - The National Wrestling Alliance at its
St. Louis
convention, recognized Thesz as its world champion. Orville Brown, who
had been recognized by the NWA since its organization in July, 1948,
relinquished
his claim because he was forced to retire from the ring due to injuries
received in an automobile accident. He had
been macthed with Thesz in a title bout.
1956 Mar. 15 - Watson defeated Thesz in
Toronto, Canada.
Lou Thesz defeated Watson November 9, 1956
Saint
Louis, Missouri
Dick Hutton defeated Thesz November 14,
1957 Toronto,
Ontario, Canada
Pat O'Connor defeated Hutton January 9,
1959 Saint
Louis, Missouri
Buddy Rogers defeated O'Connor June 30,
1961 Chicago,
Illinois
Lou Thesz defeated Rogers January 24, 1963
Toronto,
Ontario, Canada
Gene Kiniski defeated Thesz
January
7, 1966 Saint Louis, Missouri
Dory Funk Jr. defeated Kiniski February
11,
1969 Tampa, Florida
Harley Race defeated Dory Funk Jr. March
24,
1973 Kansas City, Missouri
Jack Brisco defeated Race July 20, 1973
Houston,
Texas
Giant Baba defeated Brisco December
2, 1974
Kagoshima, Japan
Jack Brisco defeated Baba December 9,
1974
Toyohashi, Japan
Terry Funk defeated Brisco December
10, 1975
Miami, Florida
Harley Race defeated Terry Funk
February
6, 1977 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Dusty Rhodes defeated Harley Race
August
21, 1979 Tampa, Florida
Harley Race defeated Rhodes August
26, 1979
Orlando, Florida
Giant Baba defeated Race October 31,
1979
Nagoya, Japan
Harley Race defeated Baba November 7,
1979
Amagasaki, Japan
Giant Baba defeated Harley Race
September
4, 1980 Saga, Japan
Harley Race defeated Giant Baba
September
9, 1980 Ohtsu, Japan
Tommy Rich defeated Harley Race April
27,
1981 Augusta, Georgia
Harley Race defeated Tommy Rich May
1, 1981
Gainsville, Georgia
Dusty Rhodes defeated Harley Race
June 21,
1981 Atlanta, Georgia
Ric Flair defeated Dusty Rhodes
September
17, 1981 Kansas City, Missouri
Jack Veneno defeated Ric Flair 1983
Dominica
Ric Flair defeated Jack Veneno
1983
Dominica
Victor Jovica defeated Ric Flair 1983
Trinidad
Ric Flair defeated Victor
Jovica 1983
Trinidad
Harley Race defeated Ric Flair
February 10,
1983 Saint Louis, Missouri
Ric Flair defeated Harley Race
November 24,
1983 Greensboro, North Carolina
Harley Race defeated Ric Flair
March
21, 1984 Wellington, New Zealand
Ric Flair defeated Harley Race March
23,
1984 Kallang, Singapore
Kerry Von Erich defeated Ric Flair
May 6,
1984 Irving, Texas
Ric Flair defeated Kerry Von Erich
May 24,
1984 Yokosuka, Japan
Dusty Rhodes defeated Ric Flair
July
25, 1986 Greensboro, North Carolina
Ric Flair defeated Dusty Rhodes
August
7, 1986 Saint Louis, Missouri
Ronnie Garvin defeated Ric
Flair September
25, 1987 Detroit, Michigan
Ric Flair defeated Ronnie Garvin
November
26, 1987 Chicago, Illinois
Ricky Steamboat defeated Ric
Flair
February 20, 1989 Chicago, Illinois
Ric Flair defeated Ricky Steamboat
May 7,
1989 Nashville, Tennessee
Sting defeated Ric Flair July
7, 1990
Baltimore, Maryland
Ric Flair defeated Sting
January 11,
1991 East Rutherford, New Jersey
Ric Flair is Stripped of the NWA title on 91/09/08 when Flair
signs
with WWF, where he claims the "Real World Heavyweight Title"; NWA World
Heavyweight Title is vacant for the first time in its history; Flair
wins
WWF World Heavyweight Title on 92/01/19 in Albany, NY; some reports say
Lex Luger, who has won the
vacant WCW World Heavyweight Title by defeating Barry Windham on
91/07/14
in Baltimore, MD, is
briefly given recognition as NWA World champion by the NWA board,
controlled
by WCW
Vice
President Jim Herd; Luger is not recognized by NWA as a former
champion.
When Ric Flair jumped to the WWF in 1991. He and WCW's Jim Herd had a dispute over contract renewal terms and Flair left with the belt. The title was declared vacant, and Flair showed up on WWF television as the "Real World Champion" and carried the belt to the ring with him. A legal dispute forced the WWF to blur the image of the belt. The NWA Title was won by Masahiro Chono in a tournament in Japan (beating Rick Rude).
Masahiro Chono 92/08/12 Tokyo, JAPAN Defeats Rick Rude in
tournament
final to win the vacant title.
Great Muta defeate Chono 93/01/04 Tokyo, JAPAN
Barry Windham defeats Great Muta 93/02/21 Ashville, NC
Ric Flair defeats Barry Windom 93/07/18 Biloxi, MS
Recognition dropped by NWA in 93/09 after WCW withdraws from NWA; WCW continues to recognize "WCW International" World Heavyweight title with Flair as the champion.
Shane Douglass defeats Too Cold Scorpio in a tournament to declare a new champion then threw down the belt saying the real world champion was the ECW Champion. That was the change from Eastern Championship Wrestling to Extreme Championship Wrestling. ECW immediately withdraws from the NWA.
The NWA title then remained vacant until Chris Candido wins another tournament in Cherry Hill New Jersey on 11/19/94 defeating Tracy Smothers in the finals of the tournament.
Dan Severn defeated Chris Candido
February
24, 1995 Erlanger, Kentucky
Naoya Ogawa defeated Dan Severn
March
14, 1999 Yokohama, Japan (Referee, Dory Funk Jr.)
Gary Steele defeated Naoya Ogawa and
September
25, 1999 Charlotte North Carolina
Naoya Ogawa defeated Gary Steele,
Brian Anthony
(Three Way) October 2, 1999 Thomaston, Connecticut
Naoya Ogawa vacates the title on 7/2/00
Mike Rapada wins an eight man tournament
on
September 19, 2000 Tampa, Florida
Sabu defeated Mike Rapada
November
14, 2000 Tampa, Florida
Mike Rapada defeated Sabu
December
22, 2000 Nashville, Tennessee
Steve Corino defeated Mike
Rapada April
24, 2001 Tampa, Florida
Title held-up after a match against Shin'ya Hashimoto on 01/10/13 in St. Petersburg, FL when Corino is unable to continue due to injury.
Shin’ya Hashimoto Defeats Corino and Gary
Steele in a
round-robin triangle match December 15, 2001 McKeesport, Pennsylvania.
Dan Severn defeated Shin’ya Hashimoto
March
9, 2002 Tokyo, Japan
Dan Severn stripped of the title on 5/7/02, Failure to schedule a title defence on 6/19 in Huntsville, Al.
Ken Shamrock defeats Malice (aka The Wall)
Finals of a
battle royal, Nashville, Tennessee 06/19/02.
Ron Killings defeated Ken Shamrock August
7, 2002
Nashville, Tennessee
Jeff Jarrett defeated Ron
Killings
November 20, 2002 Nashville, Tennessee
A.J. Styles defeated Jeff Jarrett
June
11, 2003 Nashville, Tennessee
Jeff Jarrett defeated A.J. Styles
October 22,
2003 Nashville, Tennessee
Christian Cage defeated Jeff Jarrett February 12, 2006 in Orlando, Florida
February 11, 1969 in Tampa, Florida was a day that changed my life as I won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Gene Kiniski. Only one day later in the year 2006, February 12 and a 100 miles away in Orlando, Florida, I watched as Christian Cage won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Jeff Jarrett. I was his Coach in the "Dory Funk Method" for one year 1998 - 1999.
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Sunday January 25th 2004 in Ocala, Florida at the
Dory
Funk Arena.
Dory Funk Jr. vs Jeff Jarrett - World Title
Match
- Sanctioned by NWA
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