NWA World Heavyweight Title
NWA World Heavyweight Title
| Champion | Won Title | Location | Lost Title |
| Orville Brown | 7/14/48 {1} | 11/1/49 {2} | |
| Lou Thesz | 11/27//49 {3} | St. Louis, MO | 3/15/56 |
| Whipper Billy Watson | 3/15/56 | Toronto, Canada | 11/9/56 |
| Lou Thesz [2] | 11/9/56 | St. Louis, MO | 11/14/57 |
| Dick Hutton | 11/14/57 | Toronto, Canada | 1/9/59 |
| Pat O'Connor | 1/9/59 | St. Louis, MO | 6/30/60 |
| Buddy Rogers | 6/30/60 | Chicago, IL | 1/24/63 |
| Lou Thesz [3] | 1/24/63 | Toronto, CA | 1/7/66 |
| Gene Kiniski | 1/7/66 | St. Louis, MO | 2/11/69 |
| Dory Funk Jr. | 2/11/69 | Tampa, FL | 3/24/73 |
| Harley Race | 3/24/73 | Kansas City, MO | 7/20/73 |
| Jack Brisco | 7/20/73 | Houston, TX | 12/2/74 |
| Giant Baba | 12/2/74 | Kagoshima, Japan | 12/9/74 |
| Jack Brisco [2] | 12/9/74 | Toyohashi, Japan | 12/10/75 |
| Terry Funk | 12/10/75 | Miami, FL | 2/6/77 |
| Harley Race [2] | 2/6/77 | Toronto, Canada | 8/21/79 |
| Dusty Rhodes | 8/21/79 | Tampa, FL | 8/26/79 |
| Harley Race [3] | 8/26/79 | Orlando, FL | 10/31/79 |
| Giant Baba [2] | 10/31/79 | Nagoya, Japan | 11/7/79 |
| Harley Race [4] | 11/7/79 | Amagasaki, Japan | 9/4/80 |
| Giant Baba [3] | 9/4/80 | Saga, Japan | 9/9/80 |
| Harley Race [5] | 9/9/80 | Ohtsu, Japan | 4/27/81 |
| Tommy Rich | 4/27/81 | Augusta, GA | 5/1/81 |
| Harley Race [6] | 5/1/81 | Gainesville, GA | 6/21/81 |
| Dusty Rhodes [2] | 6/21/81 | Atlanta, GA | 9/17/81 |
| Ric Flair | 9/17/81 | Kansas City, MO | 6/10/83 |
| Harley Race [7] | 6/10/83 | St. Louis, MO | 11/24/83 |
| Ric Flair [2] | 11/24/83 | Greensboro, NC | 3/21/84 |
| Harley Race [8] | 3/21/84 | Wellington, New Zealand | 3/23/84 |
| Ric Flair [3] | 3/23/84 | Kallang, Singapore | 5/6/84 |
| Kerry Von Erich | 5/6/84 | Irving, TX | 5/24/84 |
| Ric Flair [4] | 5/24/84 | Yokosuka, Japan | 7/25/86 |
| Dusty Rhodes [3] | 7/25/86 | Greensboro, NC | 11/27/86 |
| Ric Flair [5] | 11/27/86 | Atlanta, GA | 5/5/87 |
| Roddy Piper | 5/5/87 | Charlotte, NC | 6/2/87 |
| Barry Windham | 6/2/87 | St. Louis, Mo | 11/26/87 |
| Roddy Piper [2] | 11/26/87 | Chicago, Il | 12/25/87 |
| Steve Williams | 12/25/87 | Norfolk, Va | 12/31/87 |
| Barry Windham [2] | 12/31/87 | St. Louis, Mo | 11/11/88 {5} |
| Lex Luger | 11/11/88 | 11/11/88 | |
| Roddy Piper [3] | 11/11/88 | Greensboro, NC | 2/2/89 |
| Barry Windham [3] | 2/2/89 | Baltimore, Ma | 3/15/89 {6} |
| Greg Valentine | 4/19/89 {7} | Detroit, Mi | 11/24/89 |
| Barry Windham [4] | 11/24/89 | Atlanta, Ga | 7/28/90 |
| Roddy Piper [4] | 7/28/90 | Tampa, Fl | 8/15/90 |
| Owen Hart | 8/15/90 | Indianapolis, In | 9/1/91 {8} |
| Ric Flair [6] | 9/17/91 {9} | Greensboro, NC | 11/24/91 |
| Roddy Piper [5] | 11/24/91 | Charlotte, NC | 1/11/92 |
| Rick Steamboat | 1/11/92 | San Francisco, Ca | 2/13/92 |
| Barry Windham [5] | 2/13/92 | Charlotte, NC | 5/25/92 {10} |
| Steve DiSalvo | 5/25/92 {11} | Nashville, Tn | 7/4/92 |
| Ted DiBase | 7/4/92 | Macon, Ga | 8/3/92 |
| Nikita Koloff | 8/3/92 | Greensboro, NC | 8/21/92 {12} |
| Roddy Piper [6] | 10/12/92 {13} | Tokyo, Japan | 10/20/92 {14} |
| Barry Windham [6] | 4/22/93 {15} | Tokyo, Japan | 7/18/93 |
| Bret Hart | 7/18/93 | Atlanta, Ga | 9/15/93 |
| Sid Vicious | 9/15/93 | Kansas City, Mo | 11/25/93 |
| Barry Windham [7] | 11/25/93 | Orlando, Fl | 1/19/94 {16} |
| Jon Stewart | 2/5/94 {17} | Atlanta, Ga | 6/4/94 |
| Barry Windham [8] | 6/4/94 | St. Louis, Mo | 4/1/95 {18} |
| Pete Jackson | 7/1/95 {19} | St. Louis, Mo | 7/30/95 |
| Dan Severn | 7/30/95 | Pittsburg, PA | 1/20/96 |
| Great Muta | 1/20/96 | Tokyo, Japan | 2/17/96 |
| Dan Severn [2] | 2/17/96 {20} | Kansas City, Mo | 7/3/96 {21} |
| Tommy Cairo | 7/21/96 {22} | Newark, NJ | 8/7/96 |
| Frans Joule | 8/7/96 | Berlin, Germany | 1/22/97 {23} |
| Terry Funk [2] | 1/22/97 {24} | Los Angeles, Ca | 1/22/97 |
| Randy Savage | 1/22/97 | Los Angeles, Ca | 4/23/97 |
| Roddy Piper [7] | 4/23/97 | Las Vegas, Nv | 7/1/97 |
| Frans Joule [2] | 9/1/97 {25} | Berlin, Germany | 11/23/97 {26} |
| Chris Worrall | 11/25/97 {27} | Houston, TX | 12/18/97 |
| Richard Barron | 12/18/97 | Osaka, Japan | 3/8/98 |
| Siva the Warrior | 3/8/98 | Las Vegas, Nv | 6/7/98 |
| Roddy Piper [8] | 6/7/98 | St Louis, Mo | 8/17/98 (28) |
| Adam Riggs | 9/13/98 (29) | New York, NY | 10/31/98 |
| Dan Severn [3] | 10/31/98 | Portland, Or | 12/28/98 |
| Nightmare | 12/28/98 | Seattle, WA | 3/20/99 |
| Stephen Greer | 3/20/99 | Toronto, Ontario |
{1} recognized as first NWA World Heavyweight
Champion
{2} relinquishes title after being injured in car accident
{3} awarded title
(5) Barry Windham was injured in a car wreck. the NWA board
named then US Champion Lex Luger World Champion.
{6} stripped of the title after attacking NWA President Bob
Geigal.
{7} Won a 36 man torny over Micheal Hayes.
{8} Owen Hart won the NWA, WWF, AWA World Titles and retained the
WWA Worlds Title to become the Undisputed World Heavyweight
Champion. The NWA stripped Hart of the NWA title on 9/1/91, the
AWA folded on 10/5/91, and the WWF was sold to Time-Warner on
1/1/92 who merged it with the NWA. At that point, Hart was only
the WWA Worlds Champion.
{9} Flair won a 8 man torny over Ron Garvin
{10} quit the NeWA and gave up the title.
{11} beat Ted Dibase in a one match torny to win the title
{12} stipped of title and banned from the NWA for life after a
number of actions
{13} won a 36 man torny over Ted Dibiase, This Torny was held by
the IWGP was never offically approved by the NWA Board
{14} NWA shut down and Piper is stripped of the title
{15} won a 18 man torny over Ric Flair
{16} stripped of the title after attemping to blind Roddy Piper
{17} won a one match torny over Richard Barron
{18} Paramount Sports, who owned both the WWA and NWA at this
point, decided to unify both World titles. Barry Windham decided
to retire instead. At that point the NWA belt was merged with
the WWA title. However the NWA Board was later reconvened and
decided to bring the NWA World Title back. The WWA and Paramount
(now Viacom) still claim that they own the NWA World Title and
its linage and that the current day NWA is "bogus".
{19} Jackson won a 12 man torny over Dan Severn
{20} Then NWA World Champion Dan Severn defeated Barry Windham
to win the WWA World Title on June 1, 1996 at the Battle at Busch
in St Louis to be Undisputed World Champion. This title was also
accepted by the PWA. (This was all a failed attempt to bring some
peace between the NWA, WWA and the PWA.)
{21} Dan Severn was believed to have died while in Japan, (which
of course was not true, but a "Stunt" pulled by Severn)
He is stripped of both titles.
{22} won a one match torney over Roddy Piper
{23} stripped for refused to defend the title against Terry Funk
{24} awarded belt by NWA Board
{25} won a tournament final over Roddy Piper
{26} left the NWA after a dispute with Front Office
{27} defeated Siva in a one match tourney to win the title.
(28) retired from wrestling as champion
(29) won a torney over Dan Jesser