FIGHTS: NWA Wrestling- What's the Rush? PLEASE DO NOT crown a new champ Nov. 2nd in NJ

by Bowie Ibarra

Lou Thesz, Buddy Rogers, Tony Nese

The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title has a long and storied tradition, going back officially to the late '40s.  Names like Harley Race, Ric Flair, Buddy Rogers, Bobo Brazil, The Funks, Giant Baba, Tommy Rich among others have earned the title.

Its for this reason that fans of pro-wrestling who respect the history of the belt should question the decision to immediately fill the vacant title with a very rushed title tournament featuring some random wrestlers of note.  What is the rush, NWA?  Why does the title need to be carried so fast without some sort of qualifying event for all of the fledgling NWA territories across the US and the world?  If this title is such a big deal as you claim it is, where's the build up?  Where's the information about the wrestlers, and what did they do to deserve a shot so fast?  I mean, who are these guys?

Bobo Brazil, Gene Kiniski, Lance Erikson

ZombieBloodFights.com implores you:  Please, do not crown a champ Friday, November 2nd in New Jersey.  Let that event find a contender from that region, and allow your other territories to do the same.  This would be a big chance for the NWA to showcase the talent across the country and the world, and have them compete in a great big tournament for the title.  The UK and Australia should be included as well.  Let their best come here to compete against the best of the best in the NWA from around the world.

Rushing in to crown a new NWA Champion in such a short period of time is doing a huge disservice to the tradition of the title and the true pro-wrestling champions who held it.  It's also doing a disservice to the many regional promotions across the nation and the globe who have talent who deserve a shot at one of the most coveted titles in pro-wrestling history.

Rick Flair, Harley Race, Biggie Biggs

I've seen some of the talent of the Texas wrestlers who have competed for the NWA in the Lone Star State.  Texas wrestlers such as 'Showtime' Scot Summers, Mike Dell, Jax Dane, Ray Rowe, Ryan Genesis, among others, are worthy contenders.  I imagine true fans of wrestling across the country who support NWA shows can name the same for their region, and deserve to have their territorial/regional contenders compete for the title as well.

And considering the progressive nature of wrestling in Texas, there are also some females who have competed in NWA like Rachel Summerlyn who would give some of the talent a run for their money.  Don't think a girl could compete?  Follow that link and check out that match.

And if NWA really wanted to be progressive, then they could even consider the immense talent of the crowd favorite and ring technician Ann Dromeda for the title.  She is an amazing wrestler with a sparkling personality fit for the wrestling world.

The potential for female wrestlers might be the same elsewhere across the world.  If the NWA would like to 'get with the times' as some people demand, this would be a great step forward into the future Colt Cabana accused the organization of ignoring when he vacated the title.

Jack Brisco, Giant Baba, Chance Prophet

This would also prove a great opportunity for fans across the globe to see the other wrestlers in the collective NWA talent pool.  The region Biggie Biggs or Chance Prophet run in might know how great they are.  But what about other regions?  This kind of tournament could provide new fans for the wrestlers across the world, and opportunities for promoters to bring in wrestlers for a show (and a payday).

In the end, I implore the NWA to not crown a champion tomorrow night.  Don't rush finding a new champ.  Take your time and allow all of the talent around the world earn a shot at the title.  Honor the competitors Friday night by making the winner of the tournament qualify for a future TRUE world title tournament.

If you respect the tradition and history of that belt, please consider this desperate plea to show respect to its hallowed past.

Jack Briscoe, Dusty Rhodes, Jason Kincaid

Tommy Rich, Kerry von Erich, Papadon

Sting, Tatsumi Fujinami, Damien Wayne

What do you think?  Is this a reasonable plea? 

Also, who are some regional NWA talent in your area that you think are worthy of a shot at the NWA Heavyweight Title?  Leave your thoughts, video footage, and comments below.  This is the kind of conversation that needs to happen to keep the tradition of the NWA championship alive.

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Bowie V. Ibarra is the author of the 'Down the Road' zombie horror series from Permuted Press and Simon and Schuester.  His combat sports themed book,Pit Fighters: Baptism by Fire , features a lucha libre expert  who transitions to mixed martial arts competition.

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You can network with Bowie and explore his other titles at his personal website, ZombieBloodFights.com.