The 10 Greatest NWA World Champions & extraordinary wrestlers of all time...

Just to clear this up, this isn’t a rundown positioning the Greatness of the real Wrestlers when all is said and done, yet ONLY about how extraordinary they were as NWA World Champions during their title rules.

Here are the 10 NWA Champions with the best rules (not positioned by length):

10. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat

Ricky Steamboat won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship once, when he vanquished Ric Flair at the NWA Chi-Town Rumble 1989 PPV.

He safeguarded the title effectively against Terry Funk and Ric Flair, before losing it back to Flair at NWA WrestleWar 1989.

9. “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes

Dusty Rhodes is a 3 time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, subsequent to winning the title in 1979, 1981 and 1986.

He vanquished “Attractive” Harley Race at his initial two title wins and “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair at his last one.

Find happiness in the hereafter Dusty Rhodes

October 12, 1945 – June 11, 2015

8. Quality Kiniski

Quality Kiniski won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on one ocassion, when he vanquished the incomparable Lou Thesz in 1966.

He would lose the belt to Dory Funk Jr. after 3 years in 1969.

Find happiness in the hereafter Gene Kiniski

November 23, 1928 – April 14, 2010

7. Pat O’Connor

Pat O’Connor won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship once in 1959 by vanquishing at that point champion Dick Hutton.

O’Connor held the belt for 2 and a half years, before losing it to unbelievable “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers.

Find happiness in the hereafter Pat O’Connor

August 22, 1924 – August 16, 1990

6. Terry Funk

Terry Funk won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on one ocassion, when he crushed Jack Brisco in late 1975.

Funk held the title for somewhat longer than a year prior losing it to Harley Race in mid 1977.

Terry is one of 2 Wrestlers on this rundown, who despite everything wrestled in 2015, and we can not preclude one more match in 2016…

5. Dory Funk Jr.

Terry’s Brother Dory Funk Jr. won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship once, when he beat Gene Kiniski in 1969, 6 years before his sibling won the title.

Also, much the same as his sibling years after the fact, Dory lost the belt to the incredible Harley Race.

Like Terry, Dory Funk Jr (age 74) is additionally as yet wrestling in 2015, just he is for the most part contending in 6 man Tag matches for AJPW, where he doesn’t need to do a lot of real ring work.

4. Jack Brisco

Jack Brisco won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on 2 events, once in 1973 and after a year in 1974.

He previously vanquished Harley Race for the belt, at that point lost it to AJPW Promoter Giant Baba in Japan, before winning it once more from Baba just 7 days after the fact.

A year after his subsequent title win, he lost the belt for good when he was crushed by a youthful Terry Funk.

3. “Attractive” Harley Race

Harley Race is a previous multiple times NWA World Heavyweight Champion, subsequent to winning the Championship in 1973, 1977, 1979 (2x), 1980, 1981, 1983 and 1984.

He vanquished some extraordinary Wrestlers for the title, similar to Dory Funk Jr., Terry Funk, Dusty Rhodes, Giant Baba (2x), Tommy Rich, and Ric Flair (2x).

Just 1 individual held the NWA World Title more frequently than Harley Race …

2. “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair

… and that individual is Ric Flair, who won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship a record of multiple times.

Somewhere in the range of 1981 and 1993, Flair crushed adversaries like Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race, Kerry Von Erich, Ron Garvin, Ricky Steamboat, Sting, Tatsumi Fujinami, and Barry Windham.

Pizazz had his last match in 2011, wrestling his archnemesis Sting in TNA.

1. Lou Thesz

Seemingly one of the best Professional Wrestlers ever, Lou Thesz is a 5 time NWA World Heavyweight Champion.

Thesz held the title

from 1949 to 1955,

from 1955 to 1956,

from 1956 to 1957,

again in 1957,

also, one final time

from 1963 to 1966.

Find happiness in the hereafter Lou Thesz

April 24, 1916 – April 28, 2002