10 Times World Champions Invaded WWE

When the WWWF broke away from the National Wrestling Alliance in 1963, Vince McMahon Sr. created his own World Title that survives to this day as the WWE Championship. However, the split didn’t spell the end for the NWA Championship’s association with the WWWF.

After 15 years of separation, the reigning NWA Champion, Harley Race, would make history by defending his title on a number of Vince Sr's shows in the late '70s/early '80s. The first defence came in December of '78 against Tony Garea, while the champ would return in April the following year to make short work of Steve Travis. Race would return a third time in December that year, defending the gold against Dusty Rhodes; however, Race would really make history in September 1980.

In a rare “Title vs. Title” affair, Harley Race put his NWA Championship on the line against WWF Champion, Bob Backlund. With Backlund’s title also on the line, the bout presented a rare unification scenario, with one man set to walk away with both championship belts. However, it was not to be. After half an hour of action, Backlund won by disqualification and both men retained their titles, resuming business as usual in the wake of the encounter.