The National Wrestling Association was an off-shoot of the National Boxing Association, formed to sanction professional wrestling

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...

. This NWA is not the same organization as the National Wrestling Alliance

National Wrestling Alliance

The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...

, which was formed in 1948.

The National Wrestling Association recognized a World Heavyweight Champion from 1929 until 1949, at which time then-champion Lou Thesz

Lou Thesz

Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz was a United States professional wrestler and 18-time world heavyweight champion, most notably holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times. Combined, he held the NWA Championship for 10 years, three months and nine days , longer than anyone else in history...

 was chosen as the National Wrestling Alliance's World Heavyweight Champion

NWA World Heavyweight Championship

The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...

 (this title had been vacated when champion Orville Brown

Orville Brown

Orville Brown was a professional wrestler. Born in Sharon, Kansas, Brown was a former NWA Champion, and was recognized as the first NWA champion in 1948. Brown's pro-wrestling career ended on November 1, 1949, when he suffered severe injuries in an automobile accident.-Biography: Orville Brown was...

 had sustained career-ending injuries in an automobile accident). The promotion was the oldest major promotion of professional wrestling to be founded by far.

Championships

• NWA World Heavyweight Championship
  World Heavyweight Championship (National Wrestling Association)
  The World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship of the National Wrestling Association , an offshoot of the National Boxing Association...
  
  
• NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship
  World Junior Heavyweight Championship (National Wrestling Association)
  The National Wrestling Association World Junior Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Association, an offshoot of the National Boxing Association, and was contested for by wrestlers weighing between 175 lb and 190 lb...
  
  
• NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship
  World Light Heavyweight Championship (National Wrestling Association)
  The National Wrestling Association World Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Association, an offshoot of the National Boxing Association , and was contested for with a weight limit of 175 lb...
  
  
• NWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship
• NWA World Middleweight Championship
  World Middleweight Championship (National Wrestling Association)
  The National Wrestling Association World Middleweight Championship was a professional wrestling title sanctioned by the National Wrestling Association, an offshoot of the National Boxing Association...
  
  
• NWA World Junior Middleweight Championship
• NWA World Welterweight Championship
• NWA World Lightweight Championship

External links

• National Boxing/Wrestling Association Championship Histories