Harly Race

A seven-time holder of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship between 1973 and 1983, Harley Race set a record that stood until Ric Flair broke it in 1991. To this day, only a handful of individuals can claim to have won more World Championships than Harley Race. He earned those titles at the expense of such greats as Dory Funk Jr., Giant Baba, Terry Funk, Dusty Rhodes and Flair.

During the 1970s and early ’80s, Race was the NWA’s most dominant champion, representing the sport’s oldest World title with pride and defending it with his raw-boned and rugged mat style. His impact was so great that despite having its own World Champion, WWE chose to recognize his title status as well, and he was the first NWA World Champion to engage in title unification matchups against WWE Champions like Superstar Billy Graham and Bob Backlund. He finally joined WWE during the company’s national expansion, and was introduced to a new generation of sports-entertainment fans worldwide as “The King” Harley Race. Clad in regal robes and a crown, he faced the late Junkyard Dog in a memorable encounter at WrestleMania III, and was the one of the earliest King of the Ring winners, years before that event became an annual pay-per-view spectacular.