3. Harley Race
There are few Superstars to ever lace a pair of boots tougher and more respected than former NWA world heavyweight champion Harley Race. Early in his wrestling career, Race was involved in a car accident that nearly caused his leg to be amputated and, sadly, killed his first wife. The emotional effect of such a tragedy eclipses the physical, making it even more impressive that Race got back on the road and in the ring, chasing greatness and championship glory. Former territorial and WWE star Dr. Tom Prichard relived another story of Race's toughness over at his official website,
drtomprichard.com.
In the days before WWE being the dominant organization, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) boasted of having the longest lineage to the real world championship. Anyone who held the title during that time would travel from territory to territory defending the belt. Prior to the match against Slatton, Harley got a call from then-president Bob Giegel telling him to watch his back because the Lawman was looking to steal the title. Harley assured Giegel that no such thing would ever take place, much less attempted. Both men were to be chained together at the wrist by a 10 foot chain. The only way to win is to drag your opponent around the ring and touch all four corners in succession. This was the Lawmans specialty match and had never lost one! No problem. They would do something where the champ squeezed by. But it was the wild, wild west in those days and sure enough Don Slatton tried to pull a fast one by saying he simply forgot what was supposed to happen. When the time came for the finish to take place Slatton slipped and it looked as though he touched all four corners, therefore winning the match and the world title. Harley wasnt that stupid and even though Slatton had immediately taken the chain off his wrist and gone back to the dressing room, Harley went through the crowd, kicked in the door and drug Don Slatton through the people and threw him back in the ring. He then proceeded to wrap the chain around him and touched all four corners so there was no doubt in anyones mind who was the world champion.
Whether he was preventing screwjobs and preserving the legacy of the world title or pulling a gun on Hulk Hogan, every one of his peers knew not to test the eight-time world champion. And he is rumored to have the hardest handshake in wrestling history, further adding to his reputation as one of the toughest and most legitimate badasses of all time.