On February 6, 1977 Harley Race beat Terry Funk for the NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) World Heavyweight Championship.
The NWA World Heavyweight Championship, also known as Ten Pounds of Gold, was the most prestigious championship in the world for years by the time Harley Race and Terry Funk wrestled this time around.
Continuing greatness
At the time, the NWA’s Board of Directors (various promotion heads and bookers from the territories) required a $25,000 deposit before the new title holder could win and take possession of the belt. That only added to the legacy of the Ten Pounds of Gold until then, and the men that carried it filled in the rest.
Each champion carried it with grace and dignity through the years, with the belt only changing hands when the Board decided it was necessary. That didn’t mean they were the only ones.
Vince McMahon Senior was the head of the northeaster territory, and according to Harley Race, he was the deciding factor.
Special thanks to @Awrestlinghistorian for the excerpt.
Harley Race’s Story
“After one and a half years on the road, Funk was eager to get back to his Doublecross Ranch. It was time for the NWA officials to pass the belt. Once again, I was waiting in the wings, ready and willing to carry the NWA banner. But politics often enter the NWA’s decision-making process and I wasn’t about to enter that fray. Luckily, others did.
“Vince McMahon Sr. was a powerful and well respected promoter of the northeast territory. He wasn’t on the NWA’s championship selection committee, but he wasn’t afraid to use his influence when he felt strongly about something. In a speech to the committee, which was divided on who should get the belt, Vince Sr. reportedly went to bat for me.
“I was told he said something to the effect of: “I think this kid deserves a shot and the opportunity to take the belt and run with it.” Whatever he said, it worked. The committee needed five of the nine members to agree on a new champion. I was the unanimous choice.
“The match took place on February 6, 1977 in Toronto, Canada. After some 30 minutes, Funk went for the pin by using his trademark finishing move: the spinning toehold, but I was able to reverse it and put him in an Indian Deathlock. He surrendered in the middle of the ring, giving me the win by submission.
“In winning, I became the only champion to take the belt from a pair of brothers: Dory and Terry. Funk was glad to get his life back and I was ready to sacrifice part of mine for the only career I had ever known.” – Harley Race, King Of The Ring book
This isn’t only an awesome story, but informative on Harley Race’s relationship with the McMahon’s going forward.
As a kid, I remember seeing Race wrestle in his purple cloak and crown, Bobby Heenan at his side. There was a certain air about him I could feel even through the television. You could feel respect he exuded and demanded, and it made watching him all the more exciting.
Then last year, there was a breakdown in funding where he couldn’t be transferred from one facility to another in the last hours of his life. With a single phone call, Vince McMahon paid for the transportation so Race could spend his final hours where he was comfortable.
Respect goes both ways, and Race and Funk are throwbacks to an era that’s legendary for all the right reasons.
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