NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship

[6.0] "In my opinion this is the most prestigious title in the history of wrestling held by the likes of ric flair the sheik terry funk dusty rhodes lou thez aj styles sting giant baba and many more. some of the best matches ever were for this title but id say once ECW left the NWA the title was never the same it did gain some prestige back when the title was under TNA but after that it was not that great it had some great champions like nick aldis and adam pierce but the NWA was so stuck in its ways that the title was only defended in NWA territories but by 2007 there was so little territory's that it was mainly getting defended in NWA Hollywood. nowadays the title is a shell of its former self it still has some value but the way the NWA is right now verry little since nick aldis lost the title a few years ago it has been held by tyrus and trever murdoc and ec3 and as of writing Silas Mason no offence to any of these guys but its not the same. the NWA title is the definition of an ever changing wrestling landscape and it shows. I'm giving it a 6 because of the state of the title since 2007"

[5.0] "Once upon a time, this belt was the pinnacle of professional wrestling success. However, in the current era it's a belt with a history tarnished by lackluster champions as part of Billy Corgans NWA.Things could improve for this belt once again, but it seems unlikely with the NWA being a shell of it's former self."

[7.0] "At its apex, this was once the most important wrestling title in the entire world. Today, it's perhaps the fourth or fifth-most important world championship in United States/Canada and frankly shares about the same level prestige as MLW's World Title instead of the WWE's (or even TNA's.) Perhaps the legacy of this belt is meant to serve as a cautionary tale of how political battles with promotions ultimately do more to harm a title's prestige than enhance it. For historical context - This was a global league title from its inception until 1993 (earning a 10 rating during that era), a national level title from 2002-2007 (with a then-rating of 8), a minor league title from 2021 to current, and a regional league/AAA-independent promotion level title throughout the rest of its post-WCW run (with a then-rating of 6)."

[6.0] "How far the mighty have fallen. This was a belt that was so important and had so much prestige but it has become a joke. The title hasn't been relevant since it dropped affiliation with TNA and even then it had lot some prestige, but when you put the belt on Tyrus.....how low can the prestige of a belt fall. 9 or 10- in its best days 3- Now"

[6.0] "A championship that had it's highs and it's lows, now we are at the deepest lows of the lowest lows. Since the departure of Nick Aldis we had Murdoch (great) Cardona (not so great) Tyrus (horrendous) EC3 (irrelevant) and now Thomas Latimer (intrascendent) I hope it gains back some prestige, but nowadays it is only a 6"

"Look I get that a title has prestige based on its history etc and that means alot. But come on. This belt has been nothing and has been held by nothings for how long now? Idc who held it 10 years ago, I care about who has it now. Since I want to be entertained now. With this being a World championship not a middle card belt it's quite important who the active champion is. We had Trevor Murdoch for 100+ days ? Fine I can let it slide, atleast he is a good wrestler, then we had the almost year long title reign of Tyrus? Then somehow we managed to get the 1 person in this world who is just as awful as Tyrus and gave EC3 the belt for almost 400 days, and then to crown it off we currently have a 300 just shy of 300 days reign by a glorified tag team wrestler. This belt is horrible, its holders is horrible, NWA is horrible. No ifs and buts. 1/10"

[10.0] "I can't rate this anything less than 10, this has been the most prestigious title in the world from the 50s to the 80s. So many grats has held it, Lou Thesz, Buddy Rogers, Harley Race, Jack Brisco, Dory and Terry Funk, Giant Baba, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair... Sadly this title won't ever be as prestigious as it was in the past but I liked when Aldis was champion and his feud with Cody sparked my interest."

[7.0] "This was the biggest prize in wrestling recognised by most of the USA, Canada and by the major Japanese promotions for a long time, with legendary champion after legendary champion. But its been irrelevant since the early 90s except for when TNA had the belt. It's in a bad way and has had some dreadful champions."

[5.0] "Yeah, I dunno man. It's the Ten Pound of Gold, one of the oldest and most recognizable titles in the history of the sport. Thesz, the Funks, Flair, Harley, Steamboat, on and on and on with the names. Fine. Cool. Then after the WCW split ECW became its flagship promoti-- and it's gone, thank you Shane Douglas. Then Dan Severn holds the belt for literally four fucking years and nobody could care less. Popped up in WWE for about as long as a Taco Bell fart, and then back to obscurity until Tits N Ass took over as a mainstream (as it could be) flagship promotion, for the first time in a decade. It was fine, I guess. TNA was very hit and miss during its first 5 years. But only five years, and TNA somehow outgrew the NWA. Then back to indie obscurity despite some great title matches with guys like Pearce and Cabana. And then guys like Jax Dane, and Kahagas, who allegedly was chosen because he had connections to get free airfare and it made him cheap for promoters to bring in. Yeah. And then Billy Corgan. Fuck me. What happened here? Nick Aldis, Magnus of all people, was chosen to be the ringbearer to carry this cursed gold to Mount Doom, and by god he actually did a good job growing into a respectable champion. And then Covid fucked shit up. Like really bad. Goodbye Alids, hello Matt Cardon-- nevermind he's injured, how about Trevor Murdoch and fucking TYRUS instead. Fucking Brodus Clay, the big fat dinosaur dude from 2012, co-anchor of a right-wing propaganda program, transphobe, and all-around shithead Tyrus. Billy, you went from firing Jim Cornette over joking about starving Africans to putting TYRUS in the spotlight for like a year? And you think people want to watch your programming? EC3, who fucking sucks, was still a monumentally better choice than Tyrus. And now it's, uh, *checks notes*, Thom Latimer. Bram. Kamille's wife. Just... fuck, man. It's like Billy Corgan just stopped watching wrestling in 2016. This belt truly is cursed."

[5.0] "It gets 5 points for its legacy only because I have absolutely no clue as to why Billy Corgan is deciding to put this title on the worst people, how are we seeing the oldest active world championship with the likes of Thesz, Flair, Dusty then deciding to put it on the immobile antidraw Tyrus and then EC3 who hasn't ever been relevant in his career and many other flops of the big leagues only to wind up wrestling on the indie scene trying to squeeze whatever money they can out of their TNA/WWE appearances which no one could care about."

[4.0] "This title has truly fallen from grace. Once regarded as a symbol of prestige and excellence, it has recently been dragged down by atrocious booking choices, leading to some of the most forgettable and bizarre reigns in its history. Champions who should never have held the belt have diminished its value, and what once carried decades of honor has become a laughingstock. The legacy built over many years has been reduced to almost nothing, and fans no longer see it as a serious or coveted prize. Its prestige has been completely erased, turning it into a joke."

[10.0] "Impossible to give anything less than a 10 simply because of importance and legacy. On the Wikipedia article for the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship, there is a diagram showing the ties of this championship with many of the most important belts in American professional wrestling. There wouldn't have been the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, and especially the WWE Championship. This is also not mentioning it's involvement in other promotions, such as briefly in ECW and for years in TNA as their main gold. There have been a countless amount of legends that have held this title, and I honestly don't think it's more recent history with the latest version of the NWA can 100% tarnish that, no matter how many Tyrus-esque reigns they could do. Oh, but Billy Corgan has absolutely tried, that's for certain."

[8.0] "A beautiful design and an undoubtedly iconic belt, sure its had a few rocky moments in the modern era with the new NWA but this belt is still iconic and brings to mind many great champions and moments."

"Despite its recent history, in my opinion this still has to be the most prestigious title in wrestling history. It's crazy to see some of the people who have held it. I know it's been a few months since he's lost it but the fact that Tyrus ever touched this belt is mind blowing."

[7.0] "The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is definitely the most historically prestigious title around. Its lineage has some of the greatest people to ever wrestle in it. That being said, the way it's handled today is just so poor, the fact Billy Corgan is in charge of its booking is just sad. We seriously went from Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, and Terry Funk to Tyrus and EC3. Unless Corgan gets out of the NWA, this belt may never see the prestige it got back in the glory days."

[8.0] "For nearly 50 years The NWA World Heavyweight Championship was arguably the top title in pro wrestling, with several decades there would have been no argument against that. But it's impossible to ignore the poor state The NWA has been in since WCW left the alliance and Shane Dougals threw down the belt. We may never see a return to its glory days, or even as a top title in the 2nd top promotion like it was in TNA."

[8.0] "I truly believe this belt is one of the most prestigious championship in wrestling due to its history and lineage alone. It has champions like Terry Funk, Ric Flair, Harley Race, Jack Briscoe, Dusty Rhodes and so many others. Amazing matches were delivered for that championships and many promotions hold it and defended it during several decades. Even in its current state, it's hard to overlook that belt and its presence in the North American scene. Unfortunately, for every good period, there's also a bad following it. The 90s and 2000s has been less than gracious to its prestige, but recent years fared well to treat it like it should be treated: with respect. While the NWA of the 2000s and 2010s lacked the infrastructure to properly showcased his belt, numerous wrestlers like Adam Pearce, Satoshi Kojima, Jax Dane and Tim Storm made what they could to respect it like it should be. All of this is without mentioning Nick Aldis' amazing works for numerous years, Cody's very own treatment of the belt in 2018, Trevor Murdoch doing his best to properly celebrate its past champions in 2021-2022 and Cardona trying to elevate it further in 2022. The champions and their works are out there, but its unfortunate that it was rarely seen and appreciated by the owners of this championship. Of course, the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship had its fair share of bad times and bad champions, and more so in recent years, but the good surpasses the bad and I'm impatient to see what's next with it in future years."

[4.0] "A long history, long forgotten by the madness that happened from 1990 to 2022. In the later years, matt Cardona was easily the best champ. 2023 edit: lol Brodus Clay won the title now. This is not the same title that was used by guys like Thesz, Race, Flair and JJ"

[6.0] "We went from guys like Harley Race, Jack Brisco, Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, to *checks notes* Tyrus."

[6.0] "A title that had a great history for many years, nothing but the best of North America (& Giant Baba), but eventually became a husk of an arrogant organisation. Once WCW created its own belt it was doomed, at first they were basically the same thing, but eventually they truly split, and while at first it was a downgrade but not too bad in 1992, but by the mid 1990s it became a joke, a title the indy companies tried and failed to prop themselves up with. However Jeff and Jerry Jarrett brought it back to prominence with NWA:TNA, and although the booking was not great at many times, it was never too farsical - at least not on the level the WCW Title became by the end, it was the top belt in the 2nd biggest company in America, the gap between the WWE and TNA was large, but it was still a huge upgrade. However there was a split between the NWA and TNA, similar to what happened with WCW. However it bounced back better than it had done in the 1990s. Although a big part of it not falling as bad was due to the indie scene being much better, but irregardless it was treated quite well, and managed to pop up in bigger indies like RoH from time to time. Unfortunately, for the belt, the NWA, decided to change the way it did business, so it lost the support of the companies that shouldered it, and the board angered the guys carrying it, Pierce and Cabana, which just destroyed the credibility it had, and cemented the NWA as a backwards organisation, and the title was dragged down with it. The level of indies that worked with it and the wrestlers who held it were lower, the previous era never had the top guys of the scene - the most substancial name was probably Blue Demon Jr. but his NWA Mexico never really went anywhere, however the guys who held it were generally still good, and always tried their hardest when it came to the belt, and trying to re-establish it. The 2012 to 2017 era was horrible, nobodies and has beens throughout, the best part of it for the title was the New Japan guys, they were utalised weakly and they were not the best guys, but at least it was defended and won in front of tens of thousands of people, it may have been as part of the mid card that very few if any cared about it, but it was still the best part of it. Lightning1 era: In some regard it was better than the previous eras, it was a lot more visible and Nick Aldis was good, if not spectacular champion, and Cody was a good get, and there were a few good defences. After the pandemic the roster was depleated and the booking got 1000x worse, and eventually they lost Aldis and now their champion is fucking Tyrus, having a bigger spotlight only humiliates the linegae further. All the titles that split off from it (barring the WCW Title), were better and more respected, such as the Impact World Championship, but they created the worst timeline and now it is better off death, the peak is the highest highs, but they are at the lowest low."

"I think the idea of "rating" a Title to be quite difficult, because so often a belt's credibility and importance is often tied to who holds it and in which company it is being defended in. There was a period in time where the NWA Heavyweight Title was the most prestigious belt in world wrestling, with legends such as Lou Thesz, Harley Race, Ric Flair, Giant Baba and Terry Funk amongst the names that held it during it's peak years. These days the belt has lost a lot of its lustre, but some truly exceptional matches have taken place over the years with the belt on the line and some of wrestling's greatest in-ring performers have held it. In the 70's and 80's you could easily give this belt a "10" rating due to how important it was. These days you'd have to give it less, but that doesn't change how rich the belt's history is"

[7.0] "Title made careers and had a ton of prestige in the territory era and early WCW and TNA. Hit a low point in the 2010s but Nick Aldis and Billy Corgan worked hard and it has regained value in the modern day."

[4.0] "Adequate as the centerpiece of the current NWA, but it really isn't a top tier title anymore. Aldis and Cody made it more relevant than it had been in decades, but that seems to have been more of a Cody thing than an NWA thing judging by each one's success."

[10.0] "To be frank, I couldn't care less about what happened to the belt now in its current state. For decades, this has been THE definitive World's Heavyweight Championship wrestling belt, held by countless legendary wrestlers you wouldn't imagine. I can't help but give this anything less than a ten."

[10.0] "The "heaviest" title in the history of the sport. The only title that has been held by the greatest of all time, and to this day, a piece of history that will never be forgotten. Nick Aldis is a great champion, and has brought NWA & NWA Powerrr to the mainstream. It's incredibile to think that in 2020 this is still really important."

[10.0] "Far and away, the most prestigious and storied championship in wrestling history. In an industry that prides itself on tradition, nothing comes near the championship held by such luminaries as Ric Flair, Harley Race, Lou Thesz, Terry Funk, and RIcky Steamboat. Cody winning the title was a great nod to that history. Nick Aldis currently carries the belt with the same level of honour and pride as the champions of old, and that is exactly what the belt needs to regain its prominence."

[10.0] "By far the most historically prestigious title in the wrestling world, the NWA World Title has taken many shapes and forms over the years. Though many of these shapes were not pleasing, to say the least, the history and lineage of the title still make it the greatest wrestling title of all time."

[8.0] "A title that was once of great value and important, then plummeted into an afterthought. I can almost call the fall of the NWA and its World Championship a tragedy in the world of wrestling. We all know the stories, the history, the matches and the legacy behind this championship. Since the late 80's and early 90's it began fading into obscurity, being defended in small and unknown promotions, with little to no mention of defenses going around. It wasn't until the 2017 purchase of the NWA by Billy Corgan that this title began its resurgence. Today, I find the NWA World title to be the most important title in pro wrestling. It's lineage, history and what's happening with it today are legendary. My rating is partially based on its history, as I wasn't around to watch every title defense and pay attention. I watched random old school matches here and there to get the idea, but its the title today that I am more familiar with. Its the title today that I consider to be a World title worth chasing."

[9.0] "Right now, the NWA world title is a 4, maybe a 5 if you're being very generous. But overall, it's one of the most historic titles in wrestling. If not for there being such a long period where it meant nothing, it would be a 10."

[6.0] "Probably the title with the richest history in wrestling but it was pretty much redundant for long periods of time. I am curious how it can be utilized with the new ownership."

[8.0] "Great importance to wrestling history's via reigns from Flair, Funk, Race, Lou Thesz, Dusty Rhodes, Sting, etc. Known to have deteriorated through the 1990-2000s, though it provided legacy boosts in that time to Corino, Douglas, Severn, Candido and Sabu. The title also found a notable home again in TNA where past and future notables like AJ Styles, Ken Shamrock, Raven and Christian were able to capture it. After this, we've seen liked wrestlers like Colt Cabana and Adam Pearce have runs, ROH and NJPW respectively have adopted the championship for periods but increasingly names like Conway, Dane and Storm have dominated the scene and not necessarily been huge motivators to fans. Though the NWA should have its own style and stars, it's hard to believe that there were no hotter or younger names willing to carry that championship for them over the past decade (Galloway, Lethal, Cole, Danielson, Strong, Omega, Scurll, Joe Coffey, Ospreay, etc etc). Today, under Billy Corgan's ownership, the title has had some renewed interest, seemingly with a more focus behind the title. Storm has just dropped the belt to a safe choice of Nick Aldis, this is not something that will set the scene ablaze but he could become a recognisable heel to set up notable challengers. Hard to say if this will begin an upward trend for the title or the NWA but if you support wrestling, you should support the survival of a potentially credible world championship."

[9.0] "A belt with a terrific lineage, but obviously been on the downslide since WCW separated from the NWA in the early 90s."

[10.0] "I'm not certain what were grading here. Are we grading the magnitude of this titles importance? If so we at (10) only b/c they're is no higher rating. This title is the definition of pro wrestling every other title is a descendant no matter how great. This is ground zero."

[10.0] "With the new champion Rob Conway and its interactions with NJPW, I think this belt finally started to get what it deserved for the long history. I give 10 points for that haul."