National Wrestling Alliance

The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is the oldest professional wrestling governing body in the world, founded on July 18, 1948, in Waterloo, Iowa. The alliance was created to unify various regional wrestling territories under one umbrella, with member promotions recognizing a unified World Heavyweight Champion.

The NWA became the dominant force in American wrestling through the territory era, with member promotions including Jim Crockett Promotions, Championship Wrestling from Florida, Georgia Championship Wrestling, Mid-South Wrestling, and World Class Championship Wrestling. Legendary NWA World Champions include Lou Thesz, Harley Race, Dory Funk Jr., Terry Funk, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, and more.

The Alliance declined in the late 1980s as national promotions like WWF expanded. The NWA name and championships have been revived several times, most recently by Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins frontman) who purchased the NWA in 2017. Today, the NWA produces its flagship show NWA Powerrr and continues to crown NWA World Champions.