Tracking The World Champions
Welcome to a brand new feature for our Premium Investors for Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel. Tracking The World Champions in a series where we run down the working schedules of the known world champions in our relative time frames we are tracking in the territory era of pro wrestling. (40-years, 50 years, 60 years, etc.). Each month we will track the previous month’s activity for the world champions. All data is based on the known research we have available in databases in our present time.
For each World Champion, we will designate the year of the current stage of the territory era framework, the current age of the champion and the amount of title defenses they made that month. We will list all of the matches the champion was involved in for the month, as those matches were also part of the busy schedule, as well as the singles title defenses and if known, television appearances as well.
January 1986:
Stage of Territory Era: Year 2 of Disintegration
NWA World Champion: Ric Flair age: 36 (23 title defenses)
**Tony Note: Flair’s current reign began (officially recognized as his 3rd) on May 24, 1984, when he defeated Kerry Von Erich in Yokosuka, Japan, and would continue until July 26, 1986, making it one of his longest at 793 days total. By January 1986, Flair had held the belt for over 600 days, solidifying his role as the NWA’s top draw and a quintessential heel champion known for his flamboyant promos, technical prowess, and ability to elevate opponents.
Flair’s championship was still represented by the classic “domed globe” belt (nicknamed the “Ten Pounds of Gold”) at this time, as the iconic Big Gold Belt design did not debut until February 14, 1986, at the Battle of the Belts II event in Florida, where Flair defended against Barry Windham. The new belt made its national TV debut on February 22, 1986, on NWA World Championship Wrestling.
Flair was deeply entrenched in heel antics as part of the Four Horsemen stable, which had formed in late 1985 (with the earliest on-air reference to the “Four Horsemen” occurring on October 26, 1985). In January, Flair’s primary feuds revolved around Ronnie Garvin, Harley Race and Dusty Rhodes, three rugged babyfaces who embodied the working-class hero archetype contrasting Flair’s “Nature Boy” persona.
Jan 1st, 1986: Ric Flair (ch) vs Harley Race ended as a DDQ at the Arena in St. Louis, Missouri
Jan 1st, 1986: Dusty Rhodes & The Road Warriors defeated Ric Flair, Ole & Arn Anderson by DQ at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia
Jan 2nd, 1986: Ric Flair (ch) vs Harley Race ended as a DDQ at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas
