Harley
Race passed away on the 1st at age 76 due to complications
from lung cancer.
This
wrestling death has hit me particularly hard for a
number of reasons. No, I was not a personal friend
of Harley, but I did interview him via telephone and
email back in 2003.
At
the age of 10 my late father told me the tale of Race
vs Terry Funk, in a call by call fashion, and even
demonstrated some basic holds, and made it abundantly
clear that some of these would actually work in a
real fight and for "self defense", if ever
required...Dad was right. Now, dad was a rough and
tough bloke who used to surf and play rugby league,
and he also happened to drive trucks on the Sydney
Waterfront, and one of his mates from trucks just
happened to be 'The Balmain Tiger' George Barnes -
another master of the craft. Back then Australian
wrestlers generally needed to do more than wrestle
to earn a decent income, regardless of how great they
were, and Barnes was one of the best.
It
feels like a little bit of me died, when Harley passed,
as wrestling (and in particular Race, Funk, Ric Flair,
Don Muraco, Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan) were such
a big part of my Dad and I bonding when I was a youngster
developing into a man. It was Mum and Dad, beach,
surfing, farm, wrestling and trucks. Then Australia
started getting WWF 'Superstars Of Wrestling' and
also some matches on Channel Nine's 'Wide World Of
Sports (usually Madison Square Matches), and later
'Wrestling Challenge. Dad and I together watched Race
and other mat legends up until the time of my Dad's
passing.
Harley
Race was a NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) World
Heavyweight Champion eight times. Very few men have
won more World Heavyweight Championships than the
handsome (a handle) one aka 'The King' (with respect
to fellow Kings including Jerry Lawler and Triple
H).
It
was in the 1970s and early 1980s, that Race was the
National Wrestling Alliance’s most prominent
and recognized champion, winning the sport's arguable
most prestigious World Heavyweight Championship from
the creme le de crème including Dory Funk Jr.,
Giant Baba, Terry Funk, Dusty Rhodes and 'The Nature
Boy' Ric Flair - who is widely acknowledged as the
man Race passed the torch to.
The
tough-as-nails Race was so universally respected that
WWE, despite having seceded from the NWA and having
its own World Heavyweight Champion, chose to recognize
Race's title status as well. As a result, Race was
the first NWA Champion to engage in title unification
matchups against WWE Champions like "Superstar"
Billy Graham and Bob Backlund. These battles sold
out Madison Square Garden in New York.
Race
jumped ship to the then World Wrestling Federation
in 1986 during the company's national expansion, in
a move that surprised many. The big pay packets that
Race was enjoying at the NWA was on the slide and
Race being out of pocket, joined the New York machine
under the McMahon's. After taking out The King of
the Ring tournament, well before it being broadcast,
Race was decked out in King like attire. Race nor
the McMahon top brass appeared to care that there
was another 'King' in the Memphis territory - Jerry
'The King' Lawler.
“King”
Harley Race was managed by Bobby “The Brain”
Heenan and was reborn and presented to the world via
the global media machine the WWE and its partners
had established - even exploited.
Race
went to war with dozens of the WWE's best (as well
as besting hundreds of journeymen competitors. His
most famous match in the WWE’s was vs Junkyard
Dog at WrestleMania III, perhaps followed by the match
against Hulk Hogan at Madison Square Garden circa
1987, where Race leaped from the apron of the ring,
headbutting a table near the announcers and fans,
and landing badly, which as a contributing factor
is Race's departure from the WWE and eventually retirement.
Race
did go on to became a manager in competitor, WCW (World
Championship Wrestling), taking Vader (Leon White)
to the World Championship.
Harley
Race was simply one of the greatest professional wrestlers
of all time, crossing a number of eras, multiple countries
and he carried the championship with great respect.
Race was a defender of professional wrestling and
he was dangerously skilled and as real as it gets,
in wrestler circles. One look at the man and one knew
not to mess with the king, and the list in the know
went up all the way to the legendary Andre The Giant
(who Race slammed!), well before WWF put an Andre
slam into the booking sheet of the first WrestleMania.
Wrap
Up
Harley
Race. A champion in so many ways. The world lost one
of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time
as well as one of the most important figures in the
history of wrestling. He faced the best on the planet
and in most cases he won. He oversaw the transformation
of wrestling from sport to sports entertainment. Race
vs Terry Funk made my late father a fan, and in turn,
I got hooked on wrestling and appreciating the NWA
style - the name on the Marquee says WRESTLING and
next to it HARLEY RACE. A recognized champion across
all continents and respected around the world. Thank
you Harley for all that you gave the world over the
decades. Condolences to friends and family of Mr Race..a
foundation of what we know as professional wrestling.
Thank you.
Harley
Race vs. Terry Funk | NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship
(FULL MATCH)
