# NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship

The NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship was a singles championship in the National Wrestling Alliance's St. Louis Wrestling Club and Central States Wrestling promotions in the 1970s and 1980s. It was considered a "stepping stone" to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (although only Race, Terry Funk and Kerry Von Erich made it; Gene Kiniski, Dory Funk, Jr.,Jack Brisco and Ric Flair were already former World Champions upon winning the Missouri title). A version of the Missouri Championship has been documented to exist in 1899, 1921, 1933 to 1934, 1937, 1947, 1950, and 1954 to 1955, but it was only in 1972 that a serious championship was established. Prior to the creation of the NWA the championship was not recognized outside of the region and used by regional promoters, it is even possible that competing Missouri Heavyweight Championships existed. The championship was abandoned in 1986, as the Central States promotion was being consolidated under Jim Crockett Promotions in order to counter the World Wrestling Federation's national expansion.

## Pre National Wrestling Alliance Title history

Key :
| No. | Overall reign number |
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Championship change | Championship change | Reign statistics | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. |
| No. | Champion | Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Notes | Ref. |
| 1 | George Baptiste | October 1899 (NLT) | Missouri show | | 1 | | Records are unclear as to whom he defeated. | |
| | Championship history is unrecorded from October 1899 (NLT) to 1921. | Championship history is unrecorded from October 1899 (NLT) to 1921. | Championship history is unrecorded from October 1899 (NLT) to 1921. | Championship history is unrecorded from October 1899 (NLT) to 1921. | Championship history is unrecorded from October 1899 (NLT) to 1921. | Championship history is unrecorded from October 1899 (NLT) to 1921. | Championship history is unrecorded from October 1899 (NLT) to 1921. | Championship history is unrecorded from October 1899 (NLT) to 1921. |
| 2 | Jake Reed | 1921 | Missouri show | | 1 | | Defeated Lloyd Carter to win the championship. Unclear if Carter was the champion or if this was a tournament final. | |
| | Championship history is unrecorded from 1921 to March 6, 1930. | Championship history is unrecorded from 1921 to March 6, 1930. | Championship history is unrecorded from 1921 to March 6, 1930. | Championship history is unrecorded from 1921 to March 6, 1930. | Championship history is unrecorded from 1921 to March 6, 1930. | Championship history is unrecorded from 1921 to March 6, 1930. | Championship history is unrecorded from 1921 to March 6, 1930. | Championship history is unrecorded from 1921 to March 6, 1930. |
| 3 | Jake Ross | March 6, 1930 | Missouri show | Chillicothe, Missouri | 1 | 705 | Defeated Charles Santen to win the championship, unclear if Santen was the champion or if this was a tournament final. | |
| 4 | Fred Peterson | February 9, 1932 | Missouri show | | 1 | | | |
| 5 | Billy Wolf | March 1934 | Missouri show | | 1 | | | |
| 6 | Lou Thesz | June 18, 1937 | Missouri show | Kansas City, Missouri | 1 | | Defeated Warren Bockwinkel to win the championship | |
| — | Deactivated | N/A | — | — | — | — | Uncertain when the championship was abandoned | |

## National Wrestling Alliance Title history

Key :
| No. | Overall reign number |
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Championship change | Championship change | Reign statistics | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. |
| No. | Champion | Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Notes | Ref. |
| 1 | Tommy O'Toole | March 10, 1950 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Joseph, Missouri | 1 | 35 | Defeated Sonny Myers in a 10-man tournament final. | |
| 2 | Sonny Myers | April 14, 1950 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Joseph, Missouri | 1 | 273 | | |
| 3 | Ron Etchison | January 12, 1951 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Joseph, Missouri | 1 | 14 | | |
| 4 | Sonny Myers | January 26, 1951 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Joseph, Missouri | 2 | 7 | | |
| 5 | Ron Etchison | February 2, 1951 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Joseph, Missouri | 2 | 7 | | |
| 6 | Ray Eckert | February 9, 1951 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Joseph, Missouri | 1 | 20 | | |
| 6 | Ron Etchison | March 1, 1951 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Joseph, Missouri | 3 | 99 | | |
| — | Vacated | June 8, 1951 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated, reason undocumented | |
| 8 | Sonny Myers | February 1, 1952 | CSW/SLWC show | | 3 | 14 | | |
| 9 | Joe Dusek | February 15, 1952 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Joseph, Missouri | 1 | 273 | | |
| 10 | Sonny Myers | November 14, 1952 | CSW/SLWC show | | 4 | 42 | | |
| 11 | Ron Etchison | December 26, 1952 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Joseph, Missouri | 4 | 155 | | |
| — | Vacated | May 30, 1953 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated, no reason documented | |
| 12 | Sonny Myers | December 18, 1953 | CSW/SLWC show | | 5 | 14 | | |
| 13 | Bob Orton | January 1, 1954 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Joseph, Missouri | 1 | 63 | | |
| 14 | Ray Eckert | March 5, 1954 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Joseph, Missouri | 2 | 33 | | |
| — | Vacated | April 7, 1954 | — | — | — | — | Championship held up due to a controversial ending of a match against Sonny Myers | |
| 15 | Sonny Myers | April 9, 1954 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Joseph, Missouri | 6 | 43 | Defeated Ray Eckert to win the vacant championship. | |
| 16 | Larry Hamilton | May 22, 1954 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Joseph, Missouri | 1 | 167 | | |
| 17 | Ron Etchison | November 5, 1954 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Joseph, Missouri | 5 | 308 | | |
| — | Vacated | September 9, 1955 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated, reason not documented | |
| 18 | Joe Dusek | April 1956 | CSW/SLWC show | Sedalia, Missouri | 2 | | | |
| — | Vacated | September 19, 1956 | — | — | — | — | Championship inactive. | |
| 19 | Harley Race | September 16, 1972 | Wrestling at the Chase | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 91 | Defeated Pak Song in a tournament final for the revived championship. | |
| — | Vacated | December 16, 1972 | — | — | — | — | Championship held up after a match against Johnny Valentine | |
| 20 | Johnny Valentine | January 19, 1973 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 22 | Defeated Harley Race in a rematch. | |
| 21 | Terry Funk | February 10, 1973 | Wrestling at the Chase | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 34 | | |
| 22 | Gene Kiniski | March 16, 1973 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 211 | | |
| 23 | Harley Race | October 13, 1973 | Wrestling at the Chase | St. Louis, Missouri | 2 | 223 | | |
| 24 | Dory Funk, Jr. | May 24, 1974 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 273 | | |
| 25 | Harley Race | February 21, 1975 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 3 | 427 | | |
| 26 | Bob Backlund | April 23, 1976 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 217 | | |
| 27 | Jack Brisco | November 26, 1976 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 259 | | |
| 28 | Dick Slater | August 12, 1977 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 184 | | |
| 29 | Ted DiBiase | February 12, 1978 | Wrestling at the Chase | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 14 | | |
| 30 | Dick Murdoch | February 26, 1978 | Wrestling at the Chase | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 138 | | |
| 31 | Dick the Bruiser | July 14, 1978 | Wrestling at the Chase | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 246 | | |
| 32 | Dick Murdoch | March 18, 1979 | Wrestling at the Chase | St. Louis, Missouri | 2 | 61 | | |
| 33 | Dick the Bruiser | May 18, 1979 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 2 | 56 | | |
| 34 | Dick Murdoch | July 13, 1979 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 3 | 133 | | |
| 35 | Kevin Von Erich | November 23, 1979 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 154 | | |
| 36 | Ken Patera | April 25, 1980 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 210 | | |
| 37 | Ted DiBiase | November 21, 1980 | Wrestling at the Chase | St. Louis, Missouri | 2 | 315 | | |
| 38 | Jack Brisco | October 2, 1981 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 2 | 21 | | |
| 39 | Ken Patera | October 23, 1981 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 2 | 70 | | |
| 40 | Dick the Bruiser | January 1, 1982 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 3 | 259 | | |
| 41 | Harley Race | September 17, 1982 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 4 | 128 | | |
| 42 | Kerry Von Erich | January 23, 1983 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 82 | | |
| 43 | Jerry Blackwell | April 15, 1983 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 28 | | |
| 44 | Harley Race | May 13, 1983 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 5 | 28 | | |
| — | Vacated | June 10, 1983 | — | — | — | — | Championship vacated when Champion Harley Race won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | |
| 45 | Ric Flair | July 15, 1983 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 63 | Defeated David Von Erich in a tournament final. | |
| 46 | David Von Erich | September 16, 1983 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 1 | 112 | | |
| 47 | Harley Race | January 6, 1984 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 6 | 315 | | |
| 48 | Jerry Blackwell | November 16, 1984 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 2 | 259 | | |
| 49 | Harley Race | August 2, 1985 | CSW/SLWC show | St. Louis, Missouri | 7 | | | |
| — | Vacated | February 2, 1986 | — | — | — | — | Championship retired when Jim Crockett Promotions bought the St. Louis Wrestling Club. Crockett also bought Central States Wrestling in September. | |