NWA World Heavyweight Championship The National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) World Heavyweight Championship is the primary title in the NWA . Its lineage has been traced from the first " World Heavyweight Championship , " which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt ' s 1905 title and Frank Gotch ' s 1908 version . With many " territories " appearing across the United States , the NWA was formed in 1948 as an overall governing wrestling body . Like franchises , these territories had the option of NWA membership . The promotion owners had to recognize the NWA heavyweight , junior heavyweight , and light heavyweight champions as world champions while retaining their own ownership and top champion . History . Early history . Every year , the NWA World Heavyweight Champion would travel to each territory and defend the title against the territories ' top contender or champion . The purpose of the world champion was to make the top contender look good and still hold the title . The NWA board of directors , comprised mostly of territory owners , decided when the title changed hands via a vote . By the late 1950s , however , the system began to break down . As Lou Thesz continued to hold the title , other popular wrestlers such as Verne Gagne became frustrated over the lack of change . There were also disputes over the number of appearances the champion would make in different regions . On June 14 , 1957 in Chicago , Lou Thesz defended the world title against Canadian wrestler Édouard Carpentier in a two out of three falls match . Thesz and Carpentier split the first two falls . In the third fall , Thesz was disqualified by referee Ed Whalen who raised Carpentier ' s hand in victory . The NWA later voided the title change based on the disqualification . Thesz defeated Carpentier by disqualification in a Montreal rematch on July 24 . It had been planned that the NWA would present Thesz and Carpentier as rival champions in different cities following a similar pattern to the successful title dispute matches between Thesz and Leo Nomellini . Carpentier would also be able to make appearances in the US as champion while Thesz was on an overseas tour . However as a result of various disputes within the NWA , Carpentier ' s manager , wrestling promoter Eddie Quinn , left the organization in August making Carpentier unavailable to the NWA . The organization dealt with the situation by announcing 71 days after Carpentier ' s win in Chicago that it did not recognize Carpentier ' s win and had never recognized it . Quinn started promoting Carpentier as the true NWA world champion based on the match with Thesz . In 1958 , Quinn started shopping Carpentier around to promoters interested in leaving the NWA . A victory over Carpentier could give a local champion a credible claim to the world championship of wrestling . Verne Gagne who had been trying to become NWA World Heavyweight Champion for some time wrestled a match in Omaha , Nebraska on August 9 , 1958 . The title change was recognized by those NWA affiliate promotions that would later evolve into the American Wrestling Association ( AWA ) in 1960 . This disputed version of the NWA World Heavyweight Title was later known as the World Heavyweight Championship ( Omaha version ) . The title was unified with the AWA World Heavyweight Championship on September 7 , 1963 . The AWA title continued to exist until the AWA ceased operations in 1991 . The Boston NWA affiliate known as the Atlantic Athletic Commission arranged a match between Killer Kowalski and Carpentier in 1958 . Kowalski ' s victory created what was after known as the ACC World Heavyweight Title and later the Big Time Wrestling ( Boston ) World title which was active until 1975 . The NAWA / WWA in Los Angeles recognized Carpentier as NWA champion in July 1959 as part of gradually splitting from the NWA . On June 12 , 1961 , Carpentier lost a match to Freddie Blassie which created the basis for the WWA World Heavyweight Championship in Worldwide Wrestling Associates . The title ceased to exist when WWA returned to the NWA on October 1 , 1968 . World Wide Wrestling Federation . The World Wide Wrestling Federation ( WWWF ) , which later evolved into World Wrestling Entertainment , was the major wrestling promotion in the northeast United States in the early 1960s . Vincent J . McMahon ' s Capitol Wrestling Corporation , the precursor to the WWWF , seceded from the National Wrestling Alliance for a variety of reasons including the selection of the NWA World Heavyweight Champion and the number of dates wrestled by the champion in the promotion . Ostensibly , the dispute was over " Nature Boy " Buddy Rogers losing the NWA World Heavyweight Championship to Lou Thesz in one fall instead of a best - of - three — the format in which NWA World Heavyweight Championship matches were traditionally decided at the time . Capitol Wrestling Corporation executives held majority control over the NWA while in NWA board of directors at the time . Following Lou Thesz ' s World Heavyweight Championship win , Capitol Wrestling Corporation seceded from the National Wrestling Alliance and became the World Wide Wrestling Federation . " Nature Boy " Buddy Rogers was then recognized as the first WWWF World Heavyweight Champion . World Championship Wrestling . When Ric Flair won the NWA World title in 1981 , he traveled to other NWA territories and defended the belt . He would drop the belt and regain it , as the NWA board of directors decided . On more than one occasion , Flair lost and regained the belt without the official sanctioning of the NWA . In most cases ( such as the case of Jack Veneno ) , these " switches " are ignored . However , as of 1998 , the NWA recognized the Flair - Race switch that had occurred in 1984 in New Zealand and Singapore . As the 1980s drew to a close , Jim Crockett Promotions ( the main NWA territory ) made a failed bid to go national and almost filed for bankruptcy in an attempt to compete with the WWF . Ted Turner purchased the company , because it was a high rated program on his WTBS cable station . Completing the deal in November 1988 , Turner began changing the company to his World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) vision . WCW stayed in the NWA , but Turner slowly phased out the NWA name . The NWA organization existed only on paper at this point ; on television it was portrayed that the NWA World Heavyweight Championship simply became the WCW World Heavyweight Championship . Due to a falling out with WCW Executive Vice - President Jim Herd , Flair was fired from WCW in 1991 while still being recognized as the NWA Champion . Flair took the NWA belt with him , because it was his belt ( It was a design JCP had ordered for him in 1985 , when he started displaying it ) , as well the fact that WCW and Herd had the $ 25 , 000 bond Flair had paid on it . A match was held for the vacated WCW World Heavyweight Championship within two weeks of the departure , but no mention was made of the NWA title . Flair was stripped of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship by the NWA board of directors shortly after he signed with the WWF in September 1991 ; a board had been reconstituted , as most members had gone out of business or been bought out by JCP / WCW . Flair displayed the " Big Gold Belt " on WWF television , calling himself the " Real World ' s Heavyweight Champion . " After winning the WWF Championship , the " Real World ' s Heavyweight Champion " angle was dropped . WCW , which had subsequently filed a lawsuit against the WWF to prevent them from using the Big Gold Belt on television , eventually dropped the action . Flair stated on the 2008 released " Nature Boy Ric Flair : The Definitive Collection " DVD that the $ 25 , 000 he initially deposited with additional interest totaling $ 38 , 000 was never paid back to him , and as a result , Flair kept the " Big Gold Belt " . During Flair ' s departure from WCW , the company had made a new WCW World title belt . After a year hiatus , the NWA board authorized WCW and New Japan Pro Wrestling to hold a tournament to decide a new NWA World Champion using the a new Big Gold Belt , now owned by WCW . Turner ' s company still maintained its WCW World Championship , thus having two World Heavyweight titles present in the same promotion . The tournament was won by Japanese wrestler Masahiro Chono . From 1992 to 1993 , the NWA belt was defended in Japan and on WCW television . Flair returned to WCW in March 1993 and regained the belt from Barry Windham in July 1993 ; that same year , WCW recognized the Ric Flair - Tatsumi Fujinami NWA title changes in 1991 . Disputes between WCW management and the NWA Board reached the breaking point in the summer of 1993 over a variety of issues , not the least of which was a storyline by WCW to have the title switched to Rick Rude . On September 1 , 1993 , WCW withdrew their membership from the NWA but kept the title belt which they owned . A court battle decided that WCW could not continue to use the letters NWA to describe or promote the belt , but it did possess a right to the physical title belt and its historical lineage by a goodwill agreement between prior boards of directors and WCW ( and its prior incarnation Jim Crockett Promotions ) . Per this ruling , the title belt dropped the recognition as being the NWA World Heavyweight title but continued to be billed as the World Heavyweight Championship by WCW . Soon after , the Big Gold Belt was defended without any company affiliation , even being referred to as the Big Gold Belt for a short time , until it became known as the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship . This title was recognized as the championship of a fictitious entity known as " WCW International " , which served as a replacement for the NWA Board , until the title was unified match . Ric Flair WCW World Champion defeated Sting WCW International Word Champion on June 23 , 1994 . Despite losing WCW as its flagship program , the NWA picked up new members and remained in existence as a legal entity . After nearly a year , the organization scheduled a tournament to crown a new champion , and brought back the " Domed Globe " belt from the ' 70s to early ' 80s to represent this new champion . Eastern / Extreme Championship Wrestling . After WCW withdrew from the NWA , their Eastern Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) territory became the most televised wrestling show still within the NWA . As such , the NWA decided to hold the tournament for the vacated NWA World Heavyweight Championship through ECW . The tournament was held at the ECW Arena in August 1994 and won by ECW Heavyweight Champion Shane Douglas . ( At the time , the ECW title was considered a regional title ) . Douglas appeared proud to become NWA World Heavyweight Champion , until he turned and threw the belt down and started slandering the NWA , then picked up the ECW Heavyweight title and proclaimed himself ECW World Heavyweight Champion . Almost immediately thereafter ECW withdrew from the NWA and became Extreme Championship Wrestling . In the 2005 , ECW documentary " Forever Hardcore " , Douglas claimed that part of the reason that he decided to toss down the NWA title was because of derogatory and slanderous comments that then - NWA head Dennis Coralluzzo had allegedly been making regarding his professionalism . Smoky Mountain Wrestling and United States Wrestling Association . Despite this blow to the organization , the NWA held another tournament in November 1994 ; in Cherry Hill , New Jersey hosted by promoter Dennis Coralluzzo and Smoky Mountain Wrestling . This tournament was won by Chris Candido and the title soon was recognized and defended in such independent promotions as Smoky Mountain Wrestling and the United States Wrestling Association . Holding the belt for a few months , he dropped the belt to Ultimate Fighting Championship ' s ( UFC ) Dan Severn in February 1995 . Severn held the belt continuously for four years , but only made sporadic defenses due to his UFC commitments . Although Severn had attempted to go the " traveling champion " route done by former champions Thesz , Dory Funk , Jr . , Harley Race , and Terry Funk , the competition level was relatively minor due to the lack of strong territories . World Wrestling Federation . In 1998 , Dan Severn became part of Cornette ' s NWA faction in the WWF . Trying to get back in the national spotlight , the NWA made a deal with Vince McMahon Jr . to appear on WWF television . Part of Cornette ' s NWA stable was NWA North American Champion Jeff Jarrett , winning the vacant title by defeating Barry Windham on " Monday Night Raw " . The NWA ' s deal with the WWF never accomplished its intended purpose and McMahon ended it . The NWA belt went back to being defended on the independent circuit and remaining NWA territories . Independent circuit . In 1999 , Severn lost the title to former Olympic judoka Naoya Ogawa , and the title picture became slightly more competitive . The champions nonetheless remained wrestlers from independents , regardless of whether they were from North America ( Severn , Mike Rapada , Sabu ) , Asia ( Ogawa , Shinya Hashimoto ) , or Europe ( Gary Steele ) . The situation continued until early 2002 , when Severn was able to regain the title from Hashimoto in Japan , albeit with controversy . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . In 2002 , Jeff and Jerry Jarrett formed NWA : Total Nonstop Action ( NWA : TNA ) . The Jarretts worked out a licensing deal with the NWA and affiliated their promotion with the NWA World Heavyweight and Tag Team titles . While working out a cable deal , the Jarretts put NWA : TNA on weekly pay - per - view . Due to booking conflict with a mixed martial arts card , the NWA World Heavyweight Champion at the time , Dan Severn , was unable to appear on the inaugural TNA card , and he was stripped of the NWA title . Ken Shamrock was then declared the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion after winning a battle royal . In 2004 , NWA : TNA withdrew from the NWA , but retained the rights to use the NWA World Heavyweight and Tag Team titles on their shows while being obliged to adhere to rulings of the NWA board of directors . The agreement ended on May 13 , 2007 with the TNA creating its own Championship Titles . Reclaiming the Glory . On May 22 , 2007 , the NWA announced through a statement on their official website , and through a video posted on YouTube , a tournament , entitled " Reclaiming the Glory " , to fill the title vacancy left after the end of the NWA ' s relationship with TNA Wrestling . Sixteen men competed for the championship , with Adam Pearce finally winning the belt by defeating Brent Albright on September 1 , 2007 in Bayamón , Puerto Rico . Pearce was active in defending the championship , but suffered from the same problems that had plagued the " new " NWA in the past . A lack of stable promotions within the NWA made it difficult to have a traveling champion , so most of Pearce ' s defenses took place in the NWA Pro promotion owned by David Marquez and John Rivera . Pearce ' s main foe in early defenses was Sean " XPac " Waltman , and the two wrestled numerous times over the title . Later , Pearce resumed his feud with Albright , which is yet ongoing today with both men exchanging the Number One Contendership . Ring of Honor . On June 7 , 2008 at the Ring of Honor ( ROH ) pay per view , Pearce revealed the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at the conclusion of his match , making it officially recognized in Ring of Honor . Following the event it was announced that on June 27 , Ring of Honor World Champion , Nigel McGuinness would take on NWA World Heavyweight Champion , Pearce title for title at " Battle For Supremacy " in Dayton , Ohio . The match ended in a disqualification when the NWA rule of throwing an opponent over the top rope was enforced , therefore both men retained their respective titles , causing the crowd in Dayton to chant " Dusty Finish " . Brent Albright defeated Adam Pearce in New York , New York at the ROH " Death Before Dishonor VI " event on August 2 , 2008 to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship . This was the first time that the title changed hands in New York City . Then on September 20 , 2008 , Pearce began his second reign as champion by defeating Albright at the Ring of Honor " Glory by Honor VII " event in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . He would lose the title one month later to Blue Demon , Jr . . Reigns . The NWA currently recognizes 89 individual World Heavyweight Championship reigns . Ric Flair holds the record with ten championships . Lou Thesz holds the record for most cumulative days as champion , with his three reigns totaling 3 , 749 days . Thesz ' s first reign is the longest in the history of the title , as he held the title for 1 , 941 days . Shane Douglas holds the record for shortest reign , as he vacated the championship immediately after winning it in favor of the newly created ECW World Heavyweight Championship in 1994 ; Douglas was the reigning NWA - Eastern Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Champion and the action split ECW from the NWA . Tim Storm is the current champion in his first reign . He defeated the former champion Jax Dane on October 21 , 2016 , at an NWA Texoma Wrestling show in Sherman , Texas . With his win , Storm has become the oldest wrestler to hold the championship at the time of his title win at age 51 , edging previous record holder Lou Thesz ( who was 49 years , 8 months old when he lost the title to Gene Kiniski on January 7 , 1966 ) .