10 Unrecognised Wrestling Championship Reigns

7. Bobo Brazil - NWA World Champion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyK9ToorinI Ron Simmons -- more commonly known as Farooq -- holds the distinct honor of being the first-ever African American World Heavyweight Champion. On August 2, 1992, Simmons toppled Big Van Vader to win the WCW World title after acting as a replacement for the injured Sting. It€™s a wonderful honor that Simmons will likely cherish for the rest of his time. However, there€™s some dispute in regard to that claim. Bobo Brazil was an extremely popular wrestling superstar in the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, and he continued competing until 1993. Bobo is often heralded for breaking down racial barriers in the world of professional wrestling, becoming one of the most popular black superstars of all time -- and one of the most loved competitors in general. On August 18, 1962, Brazil challenged the original Nature Boy, Buddy Rogers, for the coveted NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The the shock and delight of fans, Brazil defeated the Nature Boy, becoming the first African American World Champion in history. However, Bobo refused to accept the title in the aftermath of the contest, as Rogers claimed he had injured his groin. However, on September 6th of that year, doctors determined that Rogers had suffered no such injury, and the belt was awarded to Brazil. Bobo laid claim to the title until October 30th, when Rogers defeated him in a rematch. Despite this, Brazil€™s reign has never officially been recognized. In an interesting twist, it seems that there may be some grounds for Brazil€™s title win being declared invalid. If Killer Kowalski€™s aforementioned reign was ever recognized, then that means that Rogers would not have been champion at the time of his encounter with Bobo. Regardless, neither Kowalski or Brazil€™s reigns are officially acknowledged to this day.