Harley Race
Titles Won:
- NWA World Heavyweight Championship (8 times)
- AWA World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Larry Hennig
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship
- NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship (9 times)
- NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (7 times)
- NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2005)
- King of the Ring (1986)
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2004)
He is a former professional wrestler, and current promoter and trainer. During his career as a wrestler, he worked for all of the major wrestling promotions, including the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
He held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship eight times, and was the first NWA United States Heavyweight Champion, which is now known as the WWE’s United States Championship. Race is one of six men inducted into each of the WWE Hall of Fame, the NWA Hall of Fame, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.
On March 1, 2019, Race’s close friend Ric Flair announced that Race was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. One day later, CWFH promoter Dave Marquez said he was diagnosed with lung cancer, but it was not terminal. On August 1, 2019, it was revealed by long time friend Dustin Rhodes that Race had died. He was 76 years of age.
Notable Feuds
vs. Ric Flair
vs. Terry Funk
w/ Larry Hennig vs. Dick the Brusier & The Crusher
vs. Verne Gagne
vs. Dory Funk
vs. Dusty Rhodes
vs. Pat Patterson
vs Angelo Poffo
vs. Junkyard Dog
vs. Hulk Hogan
vs. Jim Duggan
Other Notable Achievements
NWA United National Championship
PWF World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Cauliflower Alley Club Iron Mike Mazurki Award (2006)
NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Central States version) (2 times) – with Baron von Raschke (1), Roger Kirby (1)
NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Roger Kirby (2), Bob Roop (1)
NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version)
NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
IW North American Heavyweight Championship
NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship
NWA Macon Tag Team Championship – with Buddy Colt
Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2013
PWI Match of the Year (1973) vs. Dory Funk, Jr. on May 24
PWI Match of the Year (1979) vs. Dusty Rhodes on August 21
PWI Match of the Year (1983) vs. Ric Flair on June 10
PWI Stanley Weston Award (2006)
PWI Wrestler of the Year (1979)
PWI Wrestler of the Year (1983)
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
Class of 2004
Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship
Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame
St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 2007)
Tokyo Sports Match of the Year Award (1978) vs. Jumbo Tsuruta on January 20
IWA World Tag Team Championship – with Larry Hennig
WCW Hall of Fame (Class of 1994)
WWA World Heavyweight Championship
WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship
Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards: Wrestler of the Year (1980, 1981)
Match of the Year (1983) vs. Ric Flair at Starrcade
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)