The American Dream

National Wrestling Alliance Champion "The Amercian Dream" Dusty Rhodes (1981)

Japanese NWA Wrestling Collage

The Japanese magazines still do an excellent job of remembering the old NWA champs. These are images from a special section of a recent magazine there that looked back at the history of the NWA World title and presented a special interview with Harley Race.

Nice Collection

Justin Zimmerman Photo

Nice photo by my buddy JZ, who is always so great about popping one of my books into his belt photos on Twitter. He has quite the collection.

These are his replicas of the Ten Pounds of Gold, including a rare "red velvet" replica.

Thanks as always, JZ!

Now We Go to School

Learn the history. Love the hobby. pic.twitter.com/ZwnsC4P4sl

— Dave Hancock (@dhancock110) March 14, 2016

Thanks for the nice photo of my books, Dave!

The Domed Globe

Para Ser el Hombre ...

Para ser el hombre, tienes que vencer al hombre! 

(To be the man, you have to beat the man!) 

No hablo español, but even I could figure this one out.

A great t-shirt featuring a classic early 1980s image of Ric Flair wearing the ten pounds of gold. (Thanks to Scott Bowden for sending us the pic.)

Ex-NWA Champs in the WWF

It broke my heart when the NWA champions of my youth (Jack Brisco, Terry Funk, Harley Race) all left for the WWF in the mid-1980s during the early days of the wrestling wars. I was an NWA loyalist!

But in retrospect, I'm glad they did as it gave all of them an additional run in the spotlight they so richly deserved but might not have received in the remaining NWA territories which, with the exception of Jim Crockett Promotions, were all falling by the wayside.

Here are a few "Piper's Pit" segments that featured the Brisco Brothers and Terry Funk, from 1984 and 1985. Fun stuff.

NWA Champ Dusty Rhodes on the cover of Florida's "Grapevine"

Championship Wrestling from Florida program "The Grapevine"
Dusty Rhodes with the Ten Pounds of Gold
The post first appeared on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Mike Cline: Jack Brisco - The Champ

Check out Mike Cline's great post on former NWA champion Jack Brisco on his website "Mid-Atlantic Grapplin' Greats":

Jack Brisco: The Champ

Somebody Say Somethin' About Ten Pounds of Gold?

Photo courtesy of GeorgeSouth.com

Ten Pounds of Gold (The Book)

In October of 2008, Dick Bourne and Dave Millican had the rare opportunity to inspect and photograph the genuine NWA world heavyweight championship belt worn and defended in the 1970s and 1980s by Ric Flair, Terry Funk, Harley Race, and others. Not long afterwards, Bourne decided to put together a book about the history and construction of the NWA belt, a chance to share with others the opportunity they had been fortunate enough to have. The result was “Ten Pounds of Gold".

This Revised & Expanded Second Edition of the 2009 book contains 70 additional pages of photographs, memorabilia, and historical information, plus a new title history chapter with behind the scenes details, and an expanded chapter on the night the belt was first presented and defended.

Plus all the material in the original book including champion profiles, detailed and close-up photos of the belt itself and a detailed history of how it was made.

Order Your Book Today!

"A fabulous book!"   - James. J. Dillon

"To anyone who cares about the NWA, its history, and, of course, the famous "Ten Pounds of Gold,"

this book really is a necessity."    

- Tim Hornbaker, LegacyOfWrestling.com

"...a love letter to championship belts, ones that have deep meaning and stand for something."

- Greg Oliver, Slam! Wrestling  (slam.canoe.ca)

"From cover to cover, the book is amazing. Any old school wrestling fan out there should order this book today."

- Mark James, MemphisWrestlingHistory.com

"The only thing that could be better would be to hold the actual belt. This book is that good."  

- Eric King, Rural Retreat, VA

"The book, beautifully illustrated and drenched in history, is worth its weight in gold."

- Mike Mooneyham, Charleston Post & Courier

"Now we go to school: Ten Pounds of Gold has everything you always wanted to know about the NWA belt ...but were too much of a mark to ask."    

 -Scott Bowden, Kentucky Fried Rasslin'

Drawing from their interest, experience, and research, Bourne and Millican proudly present the NWA belt as you’ve never seen it before. A belt enthusiast's dream come true. As one of their customers once wrote, "The only thing that could be better would be to hold the actual belt. This book is that good."