NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship
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The NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship was the secondary singles championship in the National Wrestling Alliance's St. Louis Wrestling Club and Central States Wrestling promotions in the 1970's and 1980's. It was usually dominated by the area's top star, Harley Race, and as such it was considered a "stepping stone" to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (although only Race, Terry Funk, Kerry Von Erich and Ric Flair made it; Gene Kiniski and Dory Funk, Jr. were already former World Champions upon winning the Missouri title). Previous versions existed in 1934, 1947, 1950, and 1955, but it was only in 1972 that a serious championship was established. It was shelved in 1986, as the Central States promotion was being consolidated under Jim Crockett Promotions in order to counter the WWF expansion. NWA Midwest brought it back in 2002 and still uses it.
[edit] Title history
| Wrestlers: | Reigns: | Date: | Place: |
| Billy Wolf | 1 | 1934 | 1st Champion |
| Vacated | between 1934 & 1947 | Title vacant | |
| Ron Etchison | 1 | October 17, 1947 | St. Joseph, MO |
| Vacated | November 1947 | Title vacant | |
| Sonny Myers | 1 | November 7, 1947 | St. Joseph, MO |
| Vacated | between 1947 & 1950 | Title vacant | |
| Tommy O'Toole | 1 | March 10, 1950 | St. Joseph, MO |
| Bob Orton | 1 | February 1954 | Missouri (Records unclear as to whom he defeated) |
| Ron Etchison | 2 | January 1955 | Missouri |
| Vacated | between 1955 & 1972 | Title shelved | |
| Harley Race | 1 | September 16, 1972 | St. Louis, MO (defeated Pak Song in tournament final) |
| Held Up | December 16, 1972 | Held up after match against Johnny Valentine | |
| Johnny Valentine | 1 | January 19, 1973 | St. Louis, MO (wins rematch) |
| Terry Funk | 1 | February 10, 1973 | St. Louis, MO |
| Gene Kiniski | 1 | March 16, 1973 | St. Louis, MO |
| Harley Race | 2 | October 13, 1973 | St. Louis, MO |
| Dory Funk, Jr. | 1 | May 24, 1974 | St. Louis, MO |
| Harley Race | 3 | February 21, 1975 | St. Louis, MO |
| Bob Backlund | 1 | April 23, 1976 | St. Louis, MO |
| Jack Brisco | 1 | November 26, 1976 | St. Louis, MO |
| Dick Slater | 1 | August 12, 1977 | St. Louis, MO |
| Ted DiBiase | 1 | February 12, 1978 | St. Louis, MO |
| Dick Murdoch | 1 | February 26, 1978 | St. Louis, MO |
| Dick the Bruiser | 1 | July 14, 1978 | St. Louis, MO |
| Dick Murdoch | 2 | March 17, 1979 | St. Louis, MO |
| Dick the Bruiser | 2 | May 18, 1979 | St. Louis, MO |
| Dick Murdoch | 3 | July 13, 1979 | St. Louis, MO |
| Kevin Von Erich | 1 | November 23, 1979 | St. Louis, MO |
| Ken Patera | 1 | April 25, 1980 | St. Louis, MO |
| Ted DiBiase | 2 | November 21, 1980 | St. Louis, MO |
| Jack Brisco | 2 | October 2, 1981 | St. Louis, MO |
| Ken Patera | 2 | October 23, 1981 | St. Louis, MO |
| Dick the Bruiser | 3 | January 1, 1982 | St. Louis, MO |
| Harley Race | 4 | September 17, 1982 | St. Louis, MO |
| Kerry Von Erich | 1 | January 23, 1983 | St. Louis, MO |
| Jerry Blackwell | 1 | April 15, 1983 | St. Louis, MO |
| Harley Race | 5 | May 13, 1983 | St. Louis, MO |
| Vacated | June 10, 1983 | Race won NWA World Title | |
| Ric Flair | 1 | July 15, 1983 | St. Louis, MO |
| David Von Erich | 1 | September 16, 1983 | St. Louis, MO |
| Harley Race | 6 | January 6, 1984 | St. Louis, MO |
| Jerry Blackwell | 2 | November 16, 1984 | St. Louis, MO |
| Harley Race | 7 | August 2, 1985 | St. Louis, MO |
| Title Retired | February 1986 | Title abandoned | |
| NWA Midwest revived the title | |||
| Gary Jackson | 1 | July 27, 2002 | Robert, MO (defeated Steve Stone) |
| Stripped | June 3, 2003 | Lack of title defenses | |
| Shane Somers | 1 | June 17, 2003 | Rolla, MO |
| Stripped | June 17, 2003 | Somers used illegal choke hold to win title | |
| Shane Somers | 2 | June 17, 2003 | Rolla, MO (wins tag team match for title) |
| Ricky Murdock | 1 | October 10, 2003 | Parkersburg, WV |
| Shane Somers | 3 | March 27, 2004 | Plato, MO |
| Vacated | ????? 2005 | ||
| Abyss | December 7, 2005 | Lawrence, Kansas (Title revived in NWA Midwest: Central Sates Wrestling. Abyss defeats Tyler Cook for vacated title.) |
