with the belt while in
Georgia Championship Wrestling, 1982 The NWA National Heavyweight Championship was the top singles title in the
NWA-affiliated promotion,
Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), from 1980 until 1986. Contrary to its name, the title was defended almost exclusively in just one state, Georgia. When the
World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) purchased GCW in July 1984 (an event referred to as
Black Saturday), then-champion
The Spoiler signed with the WWF (which briefly recognized the title). Soon thereafter,
Championship Wrestling from Georgia—started by former GCW booker
Ole Anderson—launched and gained NWA affiliation. The title was awarded to
Ted DiBiase. In 1985,
Jim Crockett Promotions purchased the weekend
TBS timeslots for wrestling from the WWF, producing its own version of the "World Championship Wrestling" TV show. JCP had also purchased Championship Wrestling from Georgia (taking over its Saturday morning time slot, as well), and began recognizing CWG's championships. Eventually, Crockett held a unification match between his company's NWA United States Champion
Nikita Koloff, and NWA National Champion
Wahoo McDaniel, which Koloff won. The National title was deactivated afterwards. At that point, all pre-existing NWA affiliation agreements with other promotions were ended; most NWA-branded championships (including the National) would be vacated in the months that immediately followed. The only two championships not vacated were the
NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, and
NWA World Women's Championship. Corgan transformed the NWA from a governing body, to a wrestling promotion—one seeking to proudly revive and preserve the mood, look, and feel of the 1970s/1980s, Georgia/Mid-Atlantic era of wrestling. In October 2018, the NWA announced the National title would be rebooted on the
NWA 70th Anniversary Show, with an eight-man, championship tournament featuring:
Jay Bradley;
Colt Cabana;
Sammy Guevara;
Mike Parrow;
Scorpio Sky;
Sam Shaw;
Ricky Starks; and
Willie Mack. The championship was officially renamed the "NWA National Championship". ==Reigns==