number of world title question

[django]

Someone please give me some help, is the number of NWA champions start at George Hackenschmidt? If that is the case then the NWA should be coming up on 100 real soon, since if I counted correctly Jarrett is 97. Maybe the NWA should do something special but thats just me.

[Crowbar King]

Um, Dan... A little help here, please?

[edgehead1984]

The list would start at Orville Brown in 1947. George Hackenschmidt was not a NWA champion. That count is 62.

[Dan Poutsma]

Actually, Abraham Lincoln was the first NWA World champion

Seriously though, Orville Brown was awarded recognition as champion by the modern day NWA upon it's formation in 1948, although new information recently obtained says that he had already been the champion of a National Wrestling Alliance that involved Pinkie George (the first president of the modern NWA), Haywood Allen, and possibly others.

[django]

I am confused because i thought I saw somewhere that Dory Funk Jr. was the 42nd champion.

[Dan Poutsma]

Once upon a time, the NWA perpetuated the myth that Frank Gotch was crowned their first world champion back in 1905 (even though he died long before the organization was even formed and didn't actually win the World heavyweight title until 1908), which is where that number comes from. In short though, any alledged "NWA" title history prior to Orville Brown being awarded the championship in 1948 (with the exception of the new information that I previously mentioned) is a total work.

[django]

thank you very much.