10 Things You Didn't Know About The NWA World Heavyweight Championship

9. 15% Of All Champions Held The Title For Over 1000 Days...

Cody Ron Killings
WWE.com

The complicated and unique history of the NWA World Heavyweight Title has resulted in rays of light often being required to break through dark clouds, but the in-built prestige of the belt itself has survived the rigours of the industry more so than many performers themselves.

For much of the NWA World Heavyweight Title's history, it's been held by one man so long due to rampant trust issues and financial decisions from wrestlers than so often broke bonds.

The 1000 club is almost entirely made up of men carrying the strap for the good of it, not themselves. Lou Thesz, Ric Flair, Harley Race, Dory Funk Jr, Dan Severn, Gene Kiniski and Adam Pearce were all - in their own times - vital cogs in somehow keeping the NWA machine moving.

Jeff Jarrett is perhaps a more controversial final member of the four-digit club, but it's worth considering the relevance of the title during his reigns. TNA represented something of a rebirth for the belt, with the organisation at least having the perception of being a North American Number Two, even if things were really much sh*ttier than that. Jarrett himself may have not been the most honourable Champion, but the belt itself did at least regain a modicum of presence.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett