10 Greatest NWA World Heavyweight Champions

One of professional wrestling's first long term, top heel World Champions, Gene Kiniski wore the hatred of crowds with pride. Billing himself as 'Canada's Greatest Athlete', Kiniski terminated Lou Thesz's third and final NWA World Heavyweight Championship reign in 1966 much to the horror of the NWA faithful.

The vainglorious Kiniski, blending dastardly heel showmanship with strong technical wrestling skills, travelled the world as a despicable heat magnet champ. His run on top was glorious news for NWA All-Star, a Vancouver territory in which Kiniski owned a stake. He frequently brought major title bouts into the area that it otherwise would have likely missed out on.

The former Canadian gridiron stud went international too, travelling through Japan with his title at stake. Back in the States, he headlined and defended the gold in Los Angeles, an area the NWA had frequently struggled to secure any real footing in.

Of his many strengths, few were more beneficial to bookers than Kiniski's knack for keeping babyfaces looking strong in defeat. Not only was he an effective crowd puller but also a safe hand in keeping each territory's top guy looking like a top guy. Hurt, tired and in dire need of a break, the natural baddie finally fell to a babyface hero in 1969 when Dory Funk Jr. began his own epic run on top.