The Last Match: NWA World Champions

The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship was at one time the premier championship in all of wrestling.  The championship originated in 1948 with Orville Brown as the inaugural title holder, but it's lineage can be traced back to 1905.

In this post we are looking at the Last Match of former NWA World champions.

Seven time NWA World Champion for 1,799 combined days

"Handsome"Harley Race
Last Match: November 28, 1993 Jacksonville, FL for WCW
Race battled "Nature Boy" Ric Flair at a house show he was filling in for Big Van Vader

Race was a 7 time champion holding the title for 1,799 days in total.

Two Time NWA World Champion
July 7, 1990 - January 11, 1991
October 22, 2006 - November 19, 2006

Sting
Last Match September 20, 2015 Houston, TX WWE Nigh of Champions PPV
was defeated by WWE World Champion Seth Rollins

Sting was a 2 time champion with his second reign coming 25 years after his first.

Jack Brisco
Last Match February 9, 1985 Baltimore, MD WWE House Show
lost a $50,000 Tag Team Battle Royal and then later teaming with Jerry Brisco lost to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Bob Orton Jr.

Jack Brisco was 1 time champion from June 20, 1973  - December 10, 1975 he passed away February 1, 2010

"American Dream" Dusty Rhodes
Last Match: July 22, 2007 San Jose, CA WWE Great American Bash PPV
lost to Randy Orton in a Texas Bullrope match

The Dream was a three time NWA World Champion and passed away June 11, 2015.

"Scrap Iron" Adam Pearce
Last Match Taped December 21, 2014 airing January 31, 2015 Port Hueneme, CA
lost to Colt Cabana at Championship Wrestling from Hollywood

Pearce is a former 5 time NWA World Champion and currently works at a trainer at the WWE Performance Center.

If you wondering why I didn't include such champions as Lou Thesz, Pat O'Connor, or "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers you can read about them in my post about The Last Match: Legends of the Ring

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment, check out my other blogs, and like my blogs Facebook page.

Later Readers!

NJPW Dominion 6.19 from Osaka jo-Hall

June 19th was not only Father's Day here in the states but a big day for Professional Wrestling with WWE presenting Money in the Bank and NJPW presenting Dominion 6.19 from Osaka jo-Hall.  And I must say after watching both cards New Japan but on a much better show from top to bottom.

Dark Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Manubu Nakanishi, & Satoshi Kojima defeated Jay White, David Finlay, & Juice Robinson 

An excellent showing by Jay White who is leaving New Japan for an indefinite leave to Ring of Honor to gain experience.  I'm excited to see him this September, I hope he is on the card.

Bullet Club: Bad Luke Fale, Yujiro Takahashi, & Hangman Page defeated Hunter Club: Captain New Japan & Yoshitatsu and Togi Makabe

This was Page's debut for NJPW and he made a big impact hanging both Tatsu and later Captain New Japan.  He also scored the fall pinning Captain New Japan.

Chaos: Tomohiro Ishii & Toshi-Hashi defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon: Bushi & Sanada

Solid match with both Ishii and Hashi applying submission holds to Bushi and Sanada for the tap out victory.

Hirooki Goto defeated Evil

Goto's finish the GTR is so sick!  It's a downward lariat into a back breaker, devastating!

Four Way Tag Team Elimination Match: The Young Bucks: Nick & Matt Jackson defeated IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions: Richochet & Matt Sydal, reDRagon: Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly, Roppongi Vice: Trent Beretta & Rocky Romero to win the titles

Elimination could occur by being thrown over the top rope and to the floor or a pinfall on one member would eliminate both.  Roppongi Vice & reDRagon where both thrown to the floor with reDRagon coming back in and attacking Sydal and Ricochet.  Finish came when they hit Sydal with the Meltzer Driver to become the 5 time Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.  The most reigns of any single tag team.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion: Kushida defeated Will Ospreay

Kushida retained after a hard fought contest. I'm not a fan of Kuchida, he just doesn't impress me much in the ring.  Kushida worked the left arm all match getting the submission with his version of the kimura the hoverboard lock.

The Briscoe Brothers: Jay & Mark defeated IWGP Tam Team Champions: Guerrillas of Destiny: Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa to win the titles

I'm not a fan of the Briscoe's either.  After the match Hangman Page and Takahashi attacked the new champions through Jay to the floor where GoD worked him over and Page hung his third victim of the night.  Page and Takahashi then held up the titles letting their actions show that are challenging the new champions.

Katsuyori Shibata defeated NEVER Openweight Champion: Yuji Nagata to win the championship

This was the best match of the night!  I'm talking both WWE and NJPW's shows.  People say strong style left when Shinsuke Nakamura departed NJPW, but Nagata & Shibata showed that it was alive and well!  The amount of punishment that 48 year old Nagata dished out and received was truly not believable!  Both of these men delivered a hellacious beating to one another with Nagata getting busted open in the mouth.  This topped the viciousness of Shibata vs. Ishii from WrestleKingdom 10.

I will be watching this match a couple more times at least!

Ladder Match: Michael Elgin defeated IWGP Intercontinental Champion: Kenny Omega to win the title

The first ever ladder match in NJPW's history.  No disrespect to Michael Elgin but I think the match would have had more significance if Tanahashi had been healthy or if another Japanese wrestler replaced him.  It was a great match, right at the beginning red shoes found the Young Bucks under the ring and sent them to the back giving them the suck it sign.  It didn't prevent them from returning to interfere later.

This was a very western style match with multiple ladder spots, a table spot, trash cans and other.  The finish was the Young Bucks handcuffed Elgin to the ring post, Hangman Page and Takahashi, Yoshitatsu, Captain New Japan, Ricochet, & Matt Sydal all interfered as well.  Omega was climbing to get the belt when Elgin broke free and tipped the ladder over sending Omega onto all those that had run in.  He then climbed to retrieve the gold.

Kazuchika Okada defeated IWGP Heavyweight Champion: Tetsuya Naito to win the title

Okada is so good in the ring, TNA really wasted his talent of both of these men when they went through the company.  match was decent, I've seen better from both but still a solid match.  That drop kick of Okada's is so good.

Thanks for reading, please take a moment to leave a comment and like my blogs Facebook page.  Also check out the other posts.

Later Readers!

The Fabulous Freebirds unique WCW Championship reign

Recently while researching my blog post One Day Champions I came across a very odd match listing and I just had to share it here.

On February 18, 1991 in Montgomery, Alabama The Fabulous Freebirds: Michael PS Hayes and Jimmy "Jam" Garvin lost the WCW World Tag Team Championships to Rick and Scott The Steiner Brothers.

I know what you are thinking, one team losing tag titles to another team isn't that unusual, in fact it has happened several times.  What makes this unique is the next entry in the title lineage.

February 24, 1991 Wrestle War 91 Phoenix, AZ Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin (w/ Big Daddy Dink) defeated WCW Tag Team Champions Doom (w/ Teddy Long) to win the titles at 6:57 when Garvin pinned Simmons after Reed accidentally hit his partner with a foreign object thrown in the ring by Long, with Dink then shoving Garvin onto Simmons for the win; prior to the bout, the challengers were escorted to the ring by Diamond Dallas Page who then introduced Dink as the Freebirds' "road boss" before leaving ringside; after the match, DDP and the Diamond Dolls returned ringside and celebrated with the new champions as Reed assaulted Simmons with the weapon and left the ring with Long

Yes you read that correctly they lost the titles 6 days before they won them making the Fabulous Freebirds that only Champions whose title run was negative days.  It was literally over before it began!

I realize that the match that was held on February 18th was taped for television and didn't air until March 9th, however they still technically lost the titles before even winning them.

This incident is a result of WCW and they odd televisions taping schedule for their syndicated shows which they taped several weeks in advance.  I recall reading in Mick Foley's book about how he watched the team of Pretty Wonderful: Paul Roma & Paul Orndorff cutting a promo about beating Cactus Jack & Kevin Sullivan for the tag team championships before Cactus and Sullivan had even won them.

What's even more interesting to me is that according to The History of WWE Doom would defend the titles at house shows between the 18th & 24th while The Freebirds were billed as tag team champions at house shows between the February 24th and March 9th.

At the end of the day though,officially the Fabulous Freebirds were Tag Team Champions for negative six days.

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment, like my blogs Facebook page and check out my other pages.

Later Readers!

The entire television taping held on February 18, 1991 thanks to www.thehistoryofwwe.com

WCW @ Montgomery, AL - Civic Center - February 18, 1991 (1,500)
TV taping:
Included the debut segments of the Diamond Mine, Larry's Legends, and the first appearance of Tracy Smothers & Steve Armstrong as the Young Pistols
Bobby Eaton defeated Buddy Landel via disqualification when Terry Taylor interfered; after the bout, Tom Zenk made the save only to be knocked down by Eaton
Tom Zenk & Bobby Eaton defeated Terry Taylor & Buddy Landel
Sting & WCW US Champion Lex Luger defeated two unknowns; the bout didn't air due to a blown spot in which Luger was to have press slammed Sting onto the opponents outside the ring; Sting hit the apron on the way down and the two opponents were out of position to make the catch
Worldwide - 3/9/91:
Sting & El Gigante vs. Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker & Lt. James Earl Wright
Dan Spivey vs. Tim Parker
Tracy Smothers & Steve Armstrong vs. Jim Boss & Pat Rose
Sid Vicious vs. David Isley
Bobby Eaton vs. Terrence Taylor
Barry Windham vs. Brad Armstrong
WCW World Champion Ric Flair vs. Tim Horner
Pro - 3/9/91 - featured Tony Schiavone & Larry Zbyzsko on commentary:
Rick & Scott Steiner defeated WCW Tag Team Champions Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin to win the titles at 4:06 when Scott pinned Garvin with the Frankensteiner after Rick hit a clothesline on Garvin, knocking Garvin backwards into Hayes on the top, causing Hayes to crotch himself; Hayes & Garvin did not win the titles until 2/24
Worldwide - 3/16/91:
Bobby Eaton & Tom Zenk vs. Terrence Taylor & Buddy Landel
WCW Tag Team & US Tag Team Champions Rick & Scott Steiner vs. Rob Morgan & John Peterson
Big Josh, & WCW Six-Man Tag Team Champions Ricky Morton, Tommy Rich, & the Junkyard Dog vs. Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker, Lt. James Earl Wright, & Magnum Force
Ron Simmons vs. Joe Bruce
Tracy Smothers & Steve Armstrong vs. Doug Vines & Jeff Sword
Sid Vicious vs. Larry Santo
El Gigante vs. Joe Cruz
3/91 - featured Lance Russell & Diamond Dallas Page on commentary:
Brian Pillman defeated WCW TV Champion Arn Anderson via disqualification in a non-title match at 3:04 when Barry Windham and Sid Vicious interfered after Pillman hit a clothesline off the top; Pillman's shoulder was taped as a result of his injury sustained by the Horsemen; after the bout, Pillman fought off Anderson and Vicious, and avoided Vicious' powerbomb, but was eventually beaten down
Dark match: Barry Windham & WCW TV Champion Arn Anderson defeated Doom in a streetfight after Butch Reed accidentally hit Ron Simmons with a shoulderblock; after the bout, the two partners brawled around ringside