The National Wrestling Alliance is synonymous with professional wrestling history. Many modern wrestling fans will immediately associate the NWA with its current ownership under Billy Corgan, but there was once a time when it was the cornerstone of wrestling in North America. To be more specific, it served as the governing body of a number of regional promotions; the owners of said promotions served as the NWA’s board of directors. Together, these companies operated under one umbrella, and while each company had its own champions, there would be one world champion that not only defended the title across various promotions but effectively served as the figurehead of the National Wrestling Alliance. This begs the question, who is the longest-reigning NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion of all time?
The Longest Reigning NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion
A Brief History of the NWA World Title
The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship was formally established in 1948, the same year as the National Wrestling Alliance itself. As mentioned earlier, the NWA world titleholder was the figurehead. With this title came responsibility, as the champion traveled from one territory to the next, competing against other champions and routinely defending the NWA world title. One may look at this system as the precursor to today’s independent wrestling scene, where world champions in other promotions would wrestle elsewhere, even if they didn’t showcase their titles. In any event, when the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion came to town, it was treated as a landmark event not to be missed.
As the years went on, the National Wrestling Alliance would lose companies, either due to said companies closing their doors or breaking away to become their own entities separate from the NWA; World Championship Wrestling was an example of the latter. In fact, by 2017, the NWA served not as professional wrestling’s governing body but as its own promotion where the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship was its top title. With a history spanning over 70 years, it should go without saying that the title comes with prestige. Let’s discuss statistics starting with the longest NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship reign.
Who Has the Longest NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship Reign?
Since 1948, there have been 101 NWA world title reigns recognized by the National Wrestling Alliance. Lou Thesz holds the distinction as the longest-reigning NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion at 2,300 days. He held “The 10 Pounds of Gold” a total of 3 times during his career, but his first was his longest-standing. The first NWA world titleholder, Orville Brown, was forced to relinquish the gold in 1949, retiring from competition due to injuries sustained in a car accident. Thesz’s title reign wasn’t without controversy, however; due to the length of said reign, frustration mounted and the desire to see someone else carry the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship increased. Across his 3 reigns, Thesz was NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion for 3,749 days – over 10 years for context.
See other wrestlers with extensive NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship reigns below.
The Top 10 Longest NWA Worlds Heavyweight Title Reigns
- Lou Thesz (2,300 days – 1st reign)
- Dory Funk, Jr. (1,563 days)
- Dan Severn (1,479 days – 1st reign)
- Gene Kiniski (1,131 days)
- Lou Thesz (1,079 days – 3rd reign)
- Nick Aldis (1,043 days – 2nd reign)
- Harley Race (926 days – 2nd reign)
- Pat O’Connor (903 days)
- Ric Flair (793 days – 3rd reign)
- Blue Demon, Jr. (505 days)
Who Has the Most NWA Worlds Heavyweight Title Reigns?
The man with the most NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship reigns is “The Nature Boy,” Ric Flair. From 1981 to to 1993, Ric Flair held the NWA worlds title 9 times, part of his 16 world title reigns recognized by World Wrestling Entertainment to boot. He first captured “The 10 Pounds of Gold” in September of 1981, besting Dusty Rhodes at a Kansas City event. Who else held the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship on multiple occasions?
The Top 5 Wrestlers With the Most NWA Worlds Title Reigns
- Ric Flair (9)
- Harley Race (8)
- Jeff Jarrett (6)
- Adam Pearce (5)
- Lou Thesz (3)
Read More: Who Is the Longest Reigning WWE Champion of All Time?
Header Image Credit: Stanley Weston/Getty Images
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