Harley Race is often cited as one of the most legitimately tough wrestlers to ever step foot inside of a wrestling ring. As a nine-time World Heavyweight Champion, Harley Race etched his name in the history books as one of the premier athletes from the National Wrestling Alliance. In their heyday, they trusted Harley Race to carry the company as a strong wrestler who could have a great match with just about anyone in front of him. In fact, had it not been for Harley Race's strong run in the NWA, there may not have been a Ric Flair or Ricky Steamboat to help carry the company in the future.

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A company requires a strong presence to help carry them through business, and there was no more trusted wrestler than Harley Race. At a time with so many up-and-coming talents who were ready to take over the top tier of the company, Race was trusted to hand over his championship to wrestlers who would wind up being the future of the business. Race was a very strong champion who helped build the future of the wrestling industry.

6 Tommy Rich

Harley Race's career wins include some of the biggest names in wrestling history, which has helped solidify his legacy as one of the best. Race traded the NWA World Championship with some of the best through his eight reigns, but the one blip on his radar is Tommy Rich. Despite his popularity in the Georgia territory, Rich was never considered to be someone on the same level as the likes of Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes.

Tommy Rich's single NWA World Heavyweight Championship run lasted only four days and is a small footnote in the NWA history books. With so many meaningful championship runs occurring in the 1980s for the NWA, this one is a strange piece of history that did not move the needle for the business because it lasted for such a short amount of time.

5 Dick The Bruiser

Prior to Harley winning his final NWA World Championship in 1984, he travelled to the American Wrestling Association off-shoot in Indianapolis and won the World Wrestling Association World Championship in 1982. Already a big star from his NWA Championship runs, Race came into the company in their latter days to breathe some star power onto their shows.

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The WWA was held together by Dick the Bruiser, who was the cornerstone of the company in the ring and also one of the promoters. During his time with the company, Bruiser had won the WWA World Championship on a total of thirteen occasions, and defeated Race to end his only run with the title. Unfortunately, the Bruiser never became a big name outside of the WWA and AWA territories, and is not remembered as one of the big names that took on Race in his career.

4 Giant Baba

As one of the most popular and beloved figures in Japan, Giant Baba is fondly remembered for his fighting spirit and gentle nature outside of the ring. His stature made him a true larger-than-life superstar in Japanese wrestling, and his legacy in building All Japan Pro Wrestling has etched him in the history books. Had it not been for Giant Baba's vision, Japanese professional wrestling would not be what it is today.

As a truly renowned World Championship, each time the NWA would travel to Japan, the champion would cross paths with Giant Baba in AJPW. In what may have been a clever way to excite the Japanese crowds, Baba won the championship on three different Japanese tours, only to drop the title back to the American titleholder before they returned home. Race and Baba traded the championship back and forth on two occasions, each of which sent the fans home happy every time.

3 Dusty Rhodes

By the mid-1980s, it became clear that Dusty Rhodes was a legend in the making and would help carry the NWA in the future. As an incredibly beloved figure in the company, Rhodes captivated fans in his pursuit of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, and Harley Race was the one standing in his way. As an imposing figure and a hated bad guy, Race tried to stop Rhodes from winning the big one at every turn.

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Rhodes would wind up defeating Race on two occasions for the World Championship and finally achieved his dream. This would wind up being a very important part of wrestling history, as his second loss to Rhodes would spark the infamous Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair feud, which is considered one of the greatest in each of their legacies.

2 Jack Brisco

As a wrestler who is widely considered to be of the best pure wrestlers of his era, Jack Brisco defended his World Championship with pride and had the skills to defeat any opponent put in front of him. The NWA was known for its emphasis on technical wrestling ability in comparison to WWE's focus on showmanship, and Brisco exemplified that with his in-ring style.

Jack Brisco taught Harley Race an important lesson as he began his main-event level career. Following Race's first championship win in 1973, he was defeated by Brisco after a short reign due to Brisco's technical abilities. While Race would win the title on several more occasions, his clash with a veteran like Jack Brisco showed why he was considered one of the absolute best.

1 Ric Flair

If there are two wrestlers who exemplify the National Wrestling Alliance in their heyday, it is Harley Race and Ric Flair. The two collided during the infamous Flair for the Gold leading up to the first Starrcade event, which would ultimately lead to the hottest period of Ric Flair's career. Had it not been for his clashes with Race, Flair might not have reached the level of superstardom that he did in his prime.

Harley Race had enough legitimate clout as a wrestler to push Flair into the top tier of the NWA, and by handing over the title to him in 1983, he helped create a star. However, Flair reached a level of stardom in the wrestling industry that no one had ever seen before, and he has a legitimate claim to being considered one of the best of all time.