OPINION: THE TOP THREE GREATEST NWA CHAMPIONS

NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP 

Before there was WWE, there was the N.W.A  The original National Wrestling Alliance at its peak lasted from 1948 to 1991. For over four decades, the NWA was the gold standard for wrestling with its champions representing the best in the wrestling industry. In this article I want to list the three greatest champions of that era, starting with:

LOU THESZ

Lou Thesz was the man who helped launch the NWA during the 1950's as wrestling moved onto television.Thesz was a great amateur that trained in greco-roman and catch wrestling. He won his first title in 1949 and would hold it until 1956. He would win it another five times by 1963. Thesz would become the prototype for great champions who had a legitimate amateur background like Bob Backlund, Jack Brisco, Kurt Angle, and Brock Lesnar.

The next man on our list didn't have Thesz's wrestling background but he was one of the toughest men to ever hold the championship and that man is: 

HARLEY RACE

Between 1973 and 1984, Harley Race held the NWA World Championship eight different times. During his many reigns, Harley Race traveled across the world to defend his championship. Race wrestled the biggest superstars of his generation including: Andre The Giant, Bruiser Brody, The Von Erichs, Dusty Rhodes, The Funks, and Ric Flair. Harley was a pioneer in cable TV when he appeared on WTBS as champion throughout the 70's and 80's when cable was in its infancy. Ric Flair and Harley Race were the main event on the first wrestling pay-per-view, Starrcade in 1983. 

The next man on our list, like Harley Race, traveled around the world and defended his title against the best and that man is: 

RIC FLAIR

Ric Flair is a 16-time World Champion. During his career he won the NWA World title seven times.  During his seven title reigns, he faced the best of his generation including: Ricky Steamboat, Harley Race,Terry Funk, and Sting. His greatest opponent in the NWA was Dusty Rhodes, The American Dream. Ric Flair and The Four Horsemen (which included Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and Lex Luger) engaged in a feud that launched Jim Crockett Promotions and the NWA into the stratosphere during the mid-1980's. 

For over forty years the NWA was the gold standard in wrestling. It still exists on FiteTV and it appeals to the fans that love old school wrestling. This article reflects three champions that I think were the best of the best in wrestling. 

THE PROFESSOR

OPINION: THE TOP THREE MOST IMPORTANT MATCHES IN WWE HISTORY

The Fox Network posted a question on Instagram according to Cageside Seats asking WWE fans: What is the most important match in WWE history? As a WWE fan for three decades, this made me think about what the most important matches in WWE history are and here are my top 3:

3. HULK HOGAN VS. ANDRE THE GIANT-WRESTLEMANIA III

The date was March 29th, 1987 and Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant were the two biggest stars in the wrestling industry at that time. WWE marketed Andre as being undefeated for 15 years and Hogan had been WWE Champion for three years. Over 90,000 fans came to the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit to see if Hogan could defeat Andre who had never been a World champion. With Andre's defeat at Wrestlemania III, Hogan sealed his legacy as the biggest attraction in wrestling. 

2. HULK HOGAN AND MR. T VS. ROWDY RODDY PIPER AND PAUL ORNDORFF-WRESTLEMANIA I 

The date was March 31st, 1985 and all of New York was in a frenzy for the first Wrestlemania. At Madison Square Garden that evening, history would be made as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper teamed with Paul "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff and Hogan teamed with Mr. T who was the star of the A-Team TV show. Piper and Orndorff lost the match to Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. With the cross promotion of MTV and WWE, pro wrestling was approaching a new level of popularity. With the success of Hulk Hogan and Wrestlemania, Vince McMahon could continue the national expansion of WWE across the United States. 

And now my pick for THE most important match in WWE history is...

1. ROWDY RODDY PIPER VS. HULK HOGAN-THE WAR TO SETTLE THE SCORE ON MTV

After leaving the N.W.A.(National Wrestling Alliance) in 1983, Roddy Piper moved onto WWE in 1984. Piper began his feud with Hulk Hogan after Piper attacked Cyndi Lauper during a special presentation to Capt. Lou Albano. On Feburary 18th, 1985, Hulk Hogan and Piper met in the ring for the WWE Championship with Cyndi Lauper in Hogan's corner. Hogan won by disqualificaton when outside interference from Paul Mr. Wonderful Orndorff and Bob Orton Jr. cost Piper the match. When Cyndi Lauper tried to help, Piper and Orndorff looked to attack her. Mr. T who was also in attendance would hop on the apron to defend Cyndi. This would all lead to the second most important match on this list at the first Wrestlemania. 

The War To Settle The Score event has all the things that people love about wrestling: a hero and a villain, drama, and celebrity involvement. This one match started Hulk Hogan on his path to superstardom which in turn made Vince McMahon and WWE the worldwide leader in sports-entertainment. 

Since the WWE's inception in 1982, there have been many important matches in its history. As a fan of WWE for three decades, this list shows what I think are the top 3 most important matches in WWE history. 

THE PROFESSOR

MY FAVORITE FEUDS WITH BRET "HITMAN" HART

 

BRET "HITMAN" HART

On June 6th A&E aired a biography on the career of wrestling legend Bret Hart. The biography special drew over 600 thousand viewers with a 0.26 rating in the 18-49 demographic according to Fightful. When I became a wrestling fan in 1991, Bret Hart was one of the wrestlers that caught my attention. He seemed cool and confident. He looked like a rockstar and I loved the pink and black color scheme. Bret wasn't an overly muscular man like Hulk Hogan or the Ultimate Warrior so I could relate to him more. In this article, I'd like to look at some of my favorite feuds featuring the Hitman. Let's start with:

1. MR. PERFECT

In 1991, Mr. Perfect was the Intercontinental Champion and Bret Hart was chasing him for the title. Mr. Perfect was billed as the perfect wrestler. Bret was a great opponent for Mr. Perfect since he was a skilled technical wrestler as well and was billed as "The Excellence of Execution." Both men had fathers who were in the wrestling business a generation before so it was definitely a match made in heaven. Bret would defeat Mr. Perfect at Summerslam 1991 and win the Intercontinental title launching Bret to another level in his career. 

2. YOKOZUNA

In 1993, Bret Hart was WWE Champion after defeating Ric Flair in September of 1992. At Wrestlemania 9 he faced Yokozuna, a 500-pound behemoth that had run over the WWE and its top heroes since his arrival in October of 1992. Yokozuna would win the 1993 Royal Rumble and face Bret Hart at that year's Wrestlemania. Bret would lose the title to Yokozuna after his manager, Mr. Fuji interfered. At Wrestlemania 10 in 1994, Bret would win the title from Yokozuna and Bret was marketed as a Rocky Balboa type underdog that overcame monsters with his technical skills. Soon Bret would face another monster that was making waves in WWE at the time. 

3. DIESEL

In June 1993, Diesel (Kevin Nash) entered the WWE as the bodyguard for Shawn Michaels. Diesel was a mountain of a man that stood at seven feet tall and weighed over 300 pounds. At the 1994 Royal Rumble he eliminated seven men in under 18 minutes. By the Summer of 1994, Diesel defeated Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) for the Intercontinental title. Diesel would challenge Bret Hart for the World title at the 1994 King Of The Ring where Bret would have to use his technical skills to overcome a monster villain. Diesel and Bret had great chemistry and their matches had that "David vs. Goliath" psychology. In 1995 Bret and Diesel would face again at Survivor Series for the WWE Championship which Bret won from Diesel.

4.STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN

In 1996, Steve Austin was beginnig his rise in WWE as he challenged Bret Hart at Survivor Series. Austin was a hell-raising villain that didn't trust anybody. Bret was the people's champion that fought against all odds to win. Bret would win at Survivor Series but the feud would continue until Wrestlemainia 13 in 1997. At Wrestlemania 13, Bret Hart and Austin would engage in a classic which saw Hart win the match after Steve Austin passed out in the Sharpshooter. The audience loved Austin after Wrestlemania 13 because he was an anti-hero as Bret became a villain for being a crybaby. Bret and Austin helped launch the attitude era of the WWE after Survivor Series '97. After the Montreal Screwjob, Vince McMahon would become the biggest villain in the WWE and Austin was the defiant hero that wouldn't be tamed. 

Bret Hart was one of the greatest wrestlers of the 80's and 90's. He is one of the greatest champions the WWE ever had. Bret's love and commitment to wrestling is what made him, The Excellence of Execution. Thank you Bret. 

Class Dismissed, 

THE PROFESSOR