10 Things You Didn't Know About The NWA World Heavyweight Championship
2. 60% Of Title Changes Took Place On House Shows
This statistic isn't perhaps as mind-blowing as it first reads, but considering the fact that the NWA World Heavyweight Title was twice in the possession of organisations running pay-per-views at least quarterly - and at the most, monthly - it does highlight how the Championship has at least been partially preserved as a ticket-selling tool first and foremost.
Pre-dated pay-per-view by decades, the belt was often shifted on events never taped for local television affiliates, with news travelling as it often did by sports reports and an embryonic wrestling magazine scene. Ric Flair's touring schedule throughout the 1980s provided several switches designed to sell televised of purchase-only rematches - the story as much being about how the Champion had possibly lost it, and what he might do in order to reclaim it.
This technique was deployed to differing success throughout the 2000s, with indie stalwart (and current WWE backstage official) Adam Pearce kickstarting two of his 300+ day runs in front of no cameras at all.
Tim Storm was the last to accomplish this in 2016, but the critical acclaim dished out for ALL IN's title scrap should ensure the belt remains worthy of the spotlight in the years to come.