The Light-Heavyweight Domed Globe

The NWA Lightheavyweight Championship Belt (1975-1988, 1992-1996)

Thanks to Yuhki Kihara and Atsushi Kanie for the following information:

This NWA World Light Heavyweight belt is "The Third Race Model" which was entrusted to Mexico EMLL(CMLL). It was used during the years 03/07/1975-1988, and 04/18/1992 - 08/1996, though another versionwas used in the period between 1998-1992. (Please refer to http://www.wrestling-titles.com/nwa/world/nwa-lh.html for more information about the successive champions.)

In 04/08/1997, Chavo Guerrero Challenged Harley Race who was NWA World Heavyweight Champion. The "Dome Globe" is like a legacy in Mexico. 

News of Rich's NWA title win in Japan

Thanks to Scott Bowden (Kentucky Fried Rasslin') for sending us this image from a Japanese magazine in 1981. 

Sonny Fargo holds the NWA title

A friend forwarded this photo to me he came across on Facebook. One of my favorite referees growing up was Sonny Fargo. Always dressed in colorful attire, Sonny is pictured here in a fan snapshot holding the ten pounds of gold up before the a match between Ric Flair and Blackjack Mulligan, Jr. (Barry Windham.)

NWA Referee Sonny Fargo

(We don't know the origin of the photograph. 

If you know who took the photo, we'd love to post credit here.)

www.TenPoundsOfGold.com

Harley Race Japan Covers

Japanese Magazine Covers of Harley Race wearing the Ten Pounds of Gold.

Ten Pounds of Gold (book cover)

TEN POUNDS OF GOLD

This book is a complete history of this belt, the famous ten pounds of gold, including who made it, where it was made, how it was delivered that first night it was presented, and the ceremony that awarded it to the first champion to wear it.

Plus a look at the eight NWA champions who wore it, and a complete title history of this belt from 1973-1986.

Featuring rare photographs provided by Harley Race and champion portraits from some of wrestlings great local photographers. 

www.TenPoundsOfGold.com

More Great Pretenders

...pretenders to the throne, that is.

Last September (2012), we posted some cool photos of some great pro-wrestlers who came close to getting the ten pounds of gold, but in the end fell just a bit short. Each of those wrestlers were photographed holding the gold, and as we stated before, no doubt that some fans may have left the buildings that night thinking the title had changed hands.

We came across one more, thanks to our friend Brian Rogers, who found this photo of the famous Jumbo Tsuruta with the belt after a match with Harley Race in a Japanese wrestling magazine.

Tommy "Jumbo" Tsuruta

Don't miss the other pictures that we featured in that post last September, including Bruiser Brody, Mr. Wrestling II, Wahoo McDaniel, Jerry Lawler, and Buddy Landel. (Great Pretenders)

* * * * *

I know there have to be more photos like this out there. If you have a photo similar to these of someone who came close to winning the NWA title (1973-1986) and want to forward it to us, please do so using the mail link on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway or send to us via Facebook.

Check out Ten Pounds of Gold, the book that takes a close look at the 1973-1986 NWA title belt: www.TenPoundsOfGold.com

Dr. Tom Prichard: The Night Brisco Became Champion

Tom Prichard's ticket stub for wrestling at the
Sam Houston Coliseum, July 20, 1973

     While surfing the internet, I came across a great article by pro-wrestling superstar Tom Prichard on his "Doctor's Note" blog.   In his article "Harley Race vs. Jack Brisco: The Night Brisco Became NWA World Champion", Prichard looks back at the significance the date July 20, 1973 had for him in several ways, not the least of which was the historic title change between Race and Brisco, also the night the belt known as "the ten pounds of gold" was first presented to the champion.

     Prichard, who grew up in El Passo, TX, watching wrestling out of the Amarillo territory, was there in Houston that night and the pomp and circumstance surrounding the big night left a lasting impression on him. I greatly enjoyed his first hand account.

     Included in the article are images of the actual newspaper reports that week (not reproductions) as well as programs, magazines, and his row 12, seat 8 ticket stub. All very cool, indeed.

     Many of the clippings seen in Prichard's post are also featured in the "Ten Pounds of Gold" book, copies of which were provided to us by Harley Race.

     Click the link the below to go to Tom Prichard's blog and relive the night history was made in Houston.

"Harley Race vs. Jack Brisco: The Night Brisco Became NWA World Champion" 

 

Dr. Tom's blog is "The Doctor's Note" and is located here:

http://drtomprichard.blogspot.com/

 

Republished on the Domed Globe and the Mid-Atlantic Gateway in February of 2022.

Rick Rockwell Reviews

Thanks to Rick Rockwell for his great review of the "Ten Pounds of Gold" which can be found on both Examiner.com and ProRasslin.com.

Excerpt:

The 2nd edition features an additional 70 pages that includes these great photos and more chapters of informative details. However, if you still want to get the 1st edition, which is a hard cover with colored pictures, then you can order either or at the official website.

The authors do a great job setting the stage for why the belt was created, how it was introduced and who the major players were behind the title's creation. In fact, you get a detailed account on the belt's construction and all of the tweaks that were made over its existence.

Perhaps, my favorite part of the book was the introduction of the belt in 1973. The unveiling of the belt took place right before a world title match between Harley Race and Jack Brisco in Houston. The new belt received almost as much media attention as the match itself.

In addition to the details about the title's unveiling, the book also has numerous copies of newspaper articles about the championship match and the world title. I found it highly enjoyable reading the old newspaper clippings and applaud the authors for putting these clippings in the book.

Another nice feature of the book was the timelines of the wrestlers who wore the belt, the exchanging of the world title and all of the repairs done to the belt. It was a quick and easy way to peruse through wrestling history.       (FULL REVIEW)

TV Ad with Ric Flair and The Belt

A cool little TV ad from 1984 featuring Ric Flair and the Ten Pounds of Gold. (Clipping courtesy of Carroll Hall at "All Star Championship Wrestling" blog.)

"Drenched in History": Mooneyham plugs "Ten Pounds of Gold"

Thanks to Mike Mooneyham for his kind words about "Ten Pounds of Gold" at the end of his weekly column on the Charleston Post & Courier website:

A revised and expanded second edition of “Ten Pounds of Gold: A Close Look at the NWA World Championship Belt” has been released.

The book, written by Dick Bourne of the popular Mid-Atlantic Gateway website along with veteran beltmaker Dave Millican, contains a wealth of information about pro wrestling's most revered title.

This version of the 2009 volume 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.

The 151-page book takes a close look at a belt that was defended by the likes of Harley Race, Jack Brisco and Ric Flair, and examines its origin, construction and evolution.
It's a must for longtime NWA fans and old-school wrestling fans in general.

The book, beautifully illustrated and drenched in history, is worth its weight in gold.
For more information, visit www.TenPoundsOfGold.com or www.midatlanticgateway.com. The book also is available on Amazon.com.

Mike Mooneyham's excellent wrestling column appears every week in the Charleston Post & Courier newspaper, and online at http://www.postandcourier.com. His column is frequently one of the featured links on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

The column from which this plug appeared can be found here.

Reach Mike Mooneyham at 843-937-5517 or mooneyham@postandcourier.com, or follow him on Twitter at @ByMikeMooneyham and on Facebook at Facebook.com/MikeMooneyham.

NWA Champ Kerry Von Erich vs. Terry Gordy

In the image above, Kerry Von Erich hands the "ten pounds of gold" to referee Bronko Lubich before his NWA title defense against Terry Gordy in May 1984. Lubich knows the belt well; he was the referee who was first handed the new belt to Jack Brisco when it was introduced on July 20, 1973 in Houston, TX. 

In the video below, Kerry defends the NWA world championship against Terry Gordy in Ft. Worth, Texas during his three week reign as champion.

The match took place at a "Championship Sports" taping, the weekly two hour wrestling show that aired on KTVT-11 out of Fort Worth. The commentator is Marc Lowrance.

www.TenPoundsOfGold.com