Title Histories Part 6-NWA World Heavyweight Title

Orville Brown # 40/07<
Holder of the Midwest Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title in Kansas City, recognized as a world champion in Des Moines, IA by Pinkie George, who later founds the current version of the NWA in 48; said to have been the "National Wrestling Alliance" World champion for seven years before losing to Sonny Myers in 47/11.
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Ed Virag 43/06<
Holder of the Wichita-based National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title, recognized as champion in Des Moines, IA by Pinkie George in 43/06 and 43/08.
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Ray Steele 43/11<
Started being recognized as champion in Des Moines sometime between 43/10/06 and 43/11/03; may have defeated Virag in a disputed decision between those dates.
Dave Levin 44/05/10 Des Moines, IA
Lee Wyckoff # 44/06/29 Topeka, KS
Defeats Levin for MWA title; may not be recognized as NWA champion in Des Moines.
Orville Brown 44/08/16 Kansas City, KS
Defeats Wyckoff for MWA title; recognized as champion in Des Moines sometime before 46/03/04; some reports say Ronnie Etchison defeats Brown, billed as "National Wrestling Association" champion, in Montana in 46.
Sonny Myers 47/11/03 Des Moines, IA
Orville Brown [2] 48/01/05 Des Moines, IA
Pinkie George founds the current version of National Wrestling Alliance in 48/07 in Waterloo, IA with 5 other promoters and recognizes Brown as the world heavyweight champion.
Lou Thesz 49/11/27
Unifies following titles to become the Undisputed World Heavyweight champion :
National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight title, having defeated Bill Longson on 48/07/20 in Indianapolis, IN
National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight title, awarded on 49/11/27 when champion Orville Brown is injured in an automobile accident on 49/11/01 before a unification match scheduled on 49/11/25 in St. Louis, MO
Also defeats American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight (Boston) champion Gorgeous George on 50/07/27 in Chicago, IL (AWA title not on line).
Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium version of the world title, defeating Baron Michele Leone on 52/05/21 in Los Angeles, CA.

Whipper Billy Watson 56/03/15 Toronto, ON
Wins by count out.
Lou Thesz [2] 56/11/09 St. Louis, MO
Edouard Carpentier # 57/06/14 Chicago, IL
Wins when Thesz cannot continue due to a back injury.
Lou Thesz # 57/07/24 Montreal, QC
Defeats Carpentier by disqualification; NWA initially continues to recognize Carpentier as the champion; however, Carpentier withdraws his claim to the title when Montreal promoter Eddie Quinn leaves NWA; NWA voids all recognition of Carpentier as champion; Carpentier continues to be recognized as world champion in Omaha and by World Wrestling Association in Los Angeles to legitimate the lineages of their world titles.
Dick Hutton 57/11/14 Toronto, ON
Pat O'Connor 59/01/09 St. Louis, MO
Buddy Rogers 61/06/30 Chicago, IL
Bobo Brazil # 62/08/18 Newark, NJ
Wins when Rogers claims a groin injury; Brazil refuses the victory; however, it is announced on 62/09/06 that Brazil is the new champion because nothing has been found wrong with Rogers by the doctor.
Buddy Rogers # 62/10/30 Toledo, OH
Killer Kowalski defeats Rogers on 62/11/21 in Montreal, QC after Rogers' ankle is broken in first fall; Kowalski is recognized as champion in some places including Texas; Rogers defeats Kowalski on 63/01/21 in New York, NY, but Kowalski claims the match is not for the title.
Lou Thesz [3] 63/01/24 Toronto, ON
Promoters in northeast refuse to recognize Rogers's one-fall loss to Thesz and start World Wide Wrestling Federation with Rogers as the first WWWF World Heavyweight champion; Thesz defeats Rogers in a two-out-of-three-falls rematch on 63/02/07 in Toronto, ON; defeats Kowalski on 63/02/01 in Houston, TX.
Gene Kiniski 66/01/07 St. Louis, MO
Dory Funk Jr. 69/02/11 Tampa, FL
Harley Race 73/03/24 Kansas City, MO
Jack Brisco 73/07/20 Houston, TX
Giant Baba 74/12/02 Kagoshima, JAPAN
Jack Brisco [2] 74/12/09 Toyohashi, JAPAN
Terry Funk 75/12/10 Miami, FL
Harley Race [2] 77/02/06 Toronto, ON
Dusty Rhodes 79/08/21 Tampa, FL
Harley Race [3] 79/08/26 Orlando, FL
Giant Baba [2] 79/10/31 Nagoya, JAPAN
Harley Race [4] 79/11/07 Amagasaki, JAPAN
Giant Baba [3] 80/09/04 Saga, JAPAN
Harley Race [5] 80/09/09 Ohtsu, JAPAN
Tommy Rich 81/04/27 Augusta, GA
Harley Race [6] 81/05/01 Gainsville, GA
Dusty Rhodes [2] 81/06/21 Atlanta, GA
Ric Flair 81/09/17 Kansas City, MO
Wrestles to a double count-out against WWF Heavyweight champion Bob Backlund on 82/07/04 in Atlanta, GA; around 82 in DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, Flair allows himself to be pinned by Jack Veneno to avoid the riot from the audience, but the title is returned to Flair; Midnight Rider (Dusty Rhodes under mask) defeats Flair on 83/02/09 in Miami, FL but returns the belt when asked to indentify himself by NWA president Bob Geigel.
Carlos Colon # 83/01/06 San Juan, PR
Ric Flair # 83/01/10<
Harley Race [7] 83/06/10 St. Louis, MO
Ric Flair [2] 83/11/24 Greensboro, NC
Harley Race [8] 84/03/21 Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
Ric Flair [3] 84/03/23 Kallang, SINGAPORE
Kerry Von Erich 84/05/06 Irving, TX
Ric Flair [4] 84/05/24 Yokosuka, JAPAN
Wrestles to a double count-out against AWA World heavyweight champion Rick Martel on 85/10/21 in Tokyo, JAPAN.
Dusty Rhodes [3] 86/07/26 Greensboro, NC
Ric Flair [5] 86/08/09 St. Louis, MO
Ronnie Garvin 87/09/25 Detroit, MI
Ric Flair [6] 87/11/26 Chicago, IL
Ricky Steamboat 89/02/20 Chicago, IL
Ric Flair [7] 89/05/07 Nashville, TN
Sting 90/07/07 Baltimore, MD
Ric Flair [8] 91/01/11 East Rutherford, NJ
Tatsumi Fujinami 91/03/21 Tokyo, JAPAN
Ric Flair [9] 91/05/19 St. Petersburg, FL
Stripped 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.
Masahiro Chono 92/08/12 Tokyo, JAPAN
Defeats Rick Rude in tournament final to win the vacant title.
Great Muta 93/01/04 Tokyo, JAPAN
Barry Windham 93/02/21 Ashville, NC
Ric Flair [10] 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 Douglas 94/08/27 Phiadelphia, PA
Defeats Too Cold Scorpio in tournament final but refuses the belt; ECW immediately announces their withdrawal from the NWA.
Chris Candido 94/11/19 Cherry Hill, NJ
Defeats Tracy Smothers in tournament final.
Dan Severn 95/02/24 Erlanger, KY
Naoya Ogawa 99/03/14 Yokohama, JAPAN
Gary Steele 99/09/25 Charlotte, NC
Defeats Ogawa and Brian Anthony in a three way dance.
Naoya Ogawa [2] 99/10/02 Thomaston, CT
Vacates on 00/07/02.
Mike Rapada 00/09/19 Tampa, FL
Defeats Jerry Flynn in 8-man tournament final.
Sabu 00/11/14 Tampa, FL
Mike Rapada [2] 00/12/22 Nashville, TN
Steve Corino 01/04/24 Tampa, FL
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 01/12/15 McKeesport, PA
Defeats Corino and Gary Steele in a round-robin triangle match.
Dan Severn [2] 02/03/09 Tokyo, JAPAN
Referee gives a fast count; stripped on 02/05/28 by unanimous vote of the NWA Board of Directors for not being able to schedule a title defense on 02/06/19 in Huntsville, AL.
Ken Shamrock 02/06/19 Huntsville, AL
Defeats Malice after the two become the finalists of a battle royal; Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is given a control of the title by the NWA Board of Directors after this point.
Ron Killings 02/08/07 Nashville, TN
Jeff Jarrett 02/11/20 Nashville, TN
Defeats Sting 03/05/25 in Auckland, NEW ZEALAND to unify World Wrestling All-Stars World Heavyweight Title.
A. J. Styles 03/06/11 Nashville, TN
Jeff Jarrett [2] 03/10/22 Nashville, TN
A. J. Styles [2] 04/04/21 Nashville, TN
Ron Killings [2] 04/05/19 Nashville, TN
Defeats Styles, Chris Harris, and Raven in a 4-way match.
Jeff Jarrett [3] 04/06/02 Nashville, TN
A. J. Styles [3] 05/05/15 Orlando, FL
Raven 05/06/19 Orlando, FL
Defeats Styles, Sean Waltman, Monty Brown, and Abyss in a "King of the Mountain" match.
Jeff Jarrett [4] 05/09/15 Oldcastle, ON
Rhino 05/10/23 Orlando, FL
Jeff Jarrett [5] 05/10/25 Orlando, FL
Christian Cage 06/02/12 Orlando, FL
Jeff Jarrett [6] 06/06/18 Orlando, FL
Defeats Cage, Sting, Abyss, and Ron Killings in a "King of the Mountain" match.
Sting [2] 06/10/22 Plymouth, MI
Abyss 06/11/19 Orlando, FL
Wins by DQ.
Christian Cage [2] 07/01/14 Orlando, FL
Defeats Abyss and Sting in a 3-way match.