Home > NWA World Heavyweight Championship

With many "territories" appearing across the USA, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) was formed in 1948, as an overall governing wrestling body. Like franchises, these territories had the option of NWA membership, while retaining their own ownership and top champion.

Every year, the NWA World Champion would travel to each territory and defend the title against the territories' top contender. The purpose of the world champ was to make the top contender look good and still hold the title. The NWA Board of Directors decided when the title changed hands; with the former champ regaining the title days to weeks later. With controversy of Lou Thesz not dropping the title, Verne Gagne protested by withdrawing his American Wrestling Assosciation from the NWA and declaring the AWA Belt a World Title. His withdrawal was a forerunner to the World Wide Wrestling Federation (now WWE) and Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling (WCW) pulling out years later.

When Ric Flair won the NWA Title in 1981, the NWA enjoyed more popularity than before. Despite Vince McMahon Jr's. WWF/WWE gaining steam and growing in 1984, Flair's reign kept the "World" in the NWA World Title. Like the champs before, he traveled to other NWA territories and defended the belt. He would drop the belt and regain it, as the NWA Board of Directors decided.

As the 1980s drew to a close, Jim Crockett Promotions (main NWA Territory) almost filed for bankruptcy. Spending money it did not have, it failed keeping up with the WWF/WWE. Ted Turner bought the company, because it was a high rated program on his WTBS cable station. Completing the deal in 1989, Turner began changing the company to his WCW vision. WCW stayed in the NWA, but Turner slowly phased out the NWA name. Due to a falling out with WCW Executive Vice-President Jim Herd, Flair left WCW in 1991. Flair took the NWA Belt with him, because he had his $25,000 bond on it.

The NWA allowed Flair to keep the belt because of his bond and he displayed it on WWF/WWE Television, calling himself "the Real World's Champion". After winning the WWF/WWE World Title, the NWA "stripped" Flair of the title when WCW gave Flair his deposit, plus interest, of $35,000.

Since WCW kept its NWA membership at this time, it allowed the NWA to hold a tournament to decide a new champ. The tournament was won by Japanese wrestler Masa Chono . From 1992 to 1993, the NWA belt was defended on WCW television. Flair returned to WCW and regained the belt from Barry Windham . Two months later, he dropped the belt to Rick RudeRichard Erwin Rood better known by his stage name of Ravishing" Rick Rude ( December 7, 1958 April 20, 1999) was a professional wrestler who performed for many promotions, but is most remembered for his work in WWF/WWE and WCW in the 1980s and 1990s.. At this time, Turner withdrew WCW from the NWA and renamed the belt as the WCW International Title . Despite losing WCW as its flagship program, the NWA remained in existence and brought back the belt from the 70's to early 80's.

Looking to Todd Gordon 's Eastern Championship Wrestling , the NWA held another tournament for a new Champion. Shane DouglasShane Douglas (born Troy Martin on November 21, 1964 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a professional wrestler who competed in the WWE as Dean Douglas . He also performed in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling, and was the first won the tournament. However, he threw the belt down. He rejected the belt for the new ECW World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe top title of the Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion. Last holder Rhyno Professional wrestling championships. the Extreme Championship Wrestling World Title. Despite the second rejection, the NWA held another tournament in late 1994; in Jim Cornette's Smokey Mountain Wrestling (SMW). This tournament was won by Chris "Skip" Candido . Holding the belt for a few months, he dropped the belt to Ultimate Fighting ChampionshipUltimate Fighting Championship is series of competitions in mixed martial arts, a fighting sport which is a combination of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, boxing, wrestling and other martial arts. Ultimate Fighting Championship events have become very popular in pla's (UFC) Dan Severn .

Severn held the belt off and on in the late 90's and became part of Cornette's NWA faction in WWF/WWE. Trying to get back in the national spotlight, the NWA made a deal with Vince McMahon Jr. to appear on WWF/WWE television. Part of Cornette's NWA stable, was NWA North American Champion Jeff Jarrett. The NWA's deal with WWF/WWE never accomplished its intended purpose and McMahon ended the deal. The NWA belt went back to being defended on the independent circuit and remaining NWA territories.

In early 20012001 is a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar), and also: The International Year of the Volunteer The United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations Events January January 1 A black monolith measuring approximately nine feet tall ap, McMahon bought a bankrupt WCW from AOL-Time Warner and ECW (in 20032003 is a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar), and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Summary Perhaps the defining global event of the year 2003 was the Invasion of Iraq launched by the U). After failing to revive WCW, he created his own competition, by splitting the WWE in half. He made RAWWWE RAW is the Monday night professional wrestling show for World Wrestling Entertainment. It currently airs live on Spike TV every Monday night at 9:00pm to 11:00pm EST, since it is a live broadcasting, the show might have an overrun. It also airs live i and SmackDown! their own brands/federations; with their own World Titles. However, wrestling purists wanted true competition; not the WWE watering down its "monopoly". Enter former NWA North American Champion Jeff Jarrett.

In 2002, Jeff talked his father Jerry Jarrett into starting a new wrestling promotion. Jerry and Jeff worked out a deal and affiliated their new business with the NWA. NWA-TNA ( Total Nonstop Action) was born. While working out a cable deal, the Jarretts put NWA-TNA on weekly pay-per-view; for $9.95 a week. Because of his refusal to be on NWA-TNA, Dan Severn was "stripped" of the NWA belt and a battle royal was held. Former UFC fighter Ken Shamrock won and was declared the new NWA World Champion. While not recognized as a World Title by "Pro-Wrestling Illustrated", the NWA World Heavyweight Title is back on television. With the Jarretts' cable TV. deal on FOX Sports Net, the NWA and NWA World Title looks to regain the prestiege of the Crockett/territorrial days.