Harley Leland Race was an American professional wrestler, promoter, and trainer.
71 Facts About Harley Race
2.
Harley Race was an eight time world champion, having won the WWA World Heavyweight Championship once and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship seven times and was the first NWA United States Heavyweight Champion.
3.
Harley Race is one of six men to have been inducted into each of the WWE Hall of Fame, the NWA Hall of Fame, the WCW Hall of Fame, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.
4.
Harley Race was born in Quitman, Missouri on April 11,1943.
5.
Harley Race was an early fan of professional wrestling, watching programming from the nearby Chicago territory on the DuMont Television Network.
6.
Harley Race then became the driver of Happy Humphrey who was too large to drive at the time.
7.
Harley Race was seen as a rising star in the business until a car accident put him out of action, with his leg nearly being amputated.
8.
Undaunted, Harley Race endured grueling physical therapy for several months and made a full recovery.
9.
Harley Race next went on to work for Jack Pfefer and Tony Santos in the Boston territory as the Great Mortimer in 1963.
10.
Harley Race returned to the ring in 1964, wrestling for Dory Funk's Amarillo, Texas, territory.
11.
Two weeks after winning the titles, Harley Race was involved in an altercation at The Chestnut Tree, a restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
12.
Harley Race was allowed to choose a new partner and retain the AWA World Tag Team Championship.
13.
Harley Race's choice was Chris Markoff, but the duo was defeated in their first title defense match against the team of Pat O'Connor and Wilbur Snyder in November 1967.
14.
In March 1968, after Hennig's return to the ring, he and Harley Race were back together, though the two never again won the AWA World Tag Team Championship.
15.
Harley Race returned to the AWA in 1984 to wrestle Curt Hennig.
16.
Harley Race wrestled former AWA World Heavyweight Champion Rick Martel as part of WrestleRock in April 1986.
17.
Harley Race jumped between National Wrestling Alliance territories in the early 1970s, renewing his rivalry with Funk in Amarillo, Texas and winning a regional title.
18.
Harley Race was seen as a gifted territorial wrestler, not quite ready for the worldwide spotlight, until 1973.
19.
Harley Race started what would be many tours to Japan in All Japan Pro Wrestling where he faced Giant Baba.
20.
Harley Race worked with All Japan from 1973 to 1989.
21.
Harley Race frequently wrestled for the Kansas City-based Central States Wrestling.
22.
In 1973, Harley Race took the nickname "Mad Dog" and faced NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk Jr.
23.
Harley Race emerged from the battle as the new world champion in what was perceived by fans as a stunning upset.
24.
Harley Race, a known tough street fighter, was under orders from the NWA not to let Funk leave the ring as champion that night.
25.
Harley Race finally got his wish in 1977, facing familiar rival Terry Funk, who had become the champion since their previous encounters, in Toronto.
26.
Harley Race won the title by submission with the Indian death lock, a rarely used submission move but one that put great pressure on Funk's injured leg.
27.
The NWA, AWA and WWF were on good terms, and Harley Race engaged in title versus title matches with WWF Heavyweight champions Superstar Billy Graham and Bob Backlund, as well as AWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel.
28.
Harley Race toured extensively all over the country and the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and many stints in Japan, where he was already well known from his visits with Larry Hennig.
29.
On October 13,1978, Harley Race body slammed Andre the Giant.
30.
Rhodes lost the title to up-and-coming star Ric Flair, though Harley Race was able to defeat Flair in St Louis in 1983 for his seventh reign as champion, breaking the record previously held by Lou Thesz.
31.
Harley Race regained the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for a two-day reign in New Zealand in 1984, after many years, it is a recognized title change, but his loss to Flair at Starrcade was largely seen as the torch-passing from Harley Race to Flair.
32.
Flair would go on to credit Harley Race for igniting his career.
33.
Later, Harley Race left the NWA because NWA president Sam Muchnick was "losing his capabilities".
34.
Harley Race participated in a notable feud with the Junkyard Dog, culminating in a match at WrestleMania III at the Pontiac Silverdome, in which Race cleanly pinned JYD after a belly-to-belly suplex.
35.
Hogan moved out of the way and Harley Race impacted the table inwards.
36.
The metal edge forced its way up into Harley Race's abdomen giving him a hernia.
37.
Harley Race returned in late 1988, joining Heenan's team at Survivor Series.
38.
Harley Race left the WWF in early 1989, following a brief comeback from hernia surgery and an attempt to regain his crown from the new King, Haku, at the Royal Rumble.
39.
Harley Race made his return to the promotion at The Great American Bash on July 7,1990 when he defeated former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Tommy Rich.
41.
Harley Race would continue a program with Rich through the rest of the summer, as well as facing Brian Pillman and Wendell Cooley.
42.
Harley Race made his first subsequent appearance six months later as a guest referee during a house show on June 14,1991 in St Louis, Missouri.
43.
Harley Race managed Luger throughout his title run, as well as acquiring the contract for Mr Hughes from Alexandra York.
44.
In 1992, Harley Race began to add other wrestlers to a stable that would include Big Van Vader, Super Invader and Vinnie Vegas.
45.
On June 9,1993 at a TV taping in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Harley Race began managing The Colossal Kongs, and on July 7 at the WorldWide tapings in Orlando, Florida, Yoshi Kwan joined the stable.
46.
Harley Race returned to the ring a final time on a trio of Florida house shows, when he substituted for an injured Vader to face Flair.
47.
Harley Race continued to manage Vader in the following months in rematches against Flair, and on May 22,1994, he was inducted into the WCW Hall of Fame during the Slamboree PPV.
48.
Harley Race has appeared at Vader's side through the rest of the year.
49.
Harley Race required hip replacement surgery, which, along with injuries accumulated after years in the ring, prevented him from even being a manager.
50.
Harley Race would make a few independent appearances against Flair, but his inability to work was just too great.
51.
Harley Race would make one last return to WCW television in October 1999 as the ring announcer for the Bret Hart vs Chris Benoit tribute to Owen Hart match in his hometown of Kansas City.
52.
Harley Race returned to WWE television in 2004 shortly after being inducted into their Hall of Fame.
53.
Harley Race returned again for Raws WWE Homecoming episode in October 2005, marking the show's return to the USA Network.
54.
In 2004, Harley Race was recruited to be a part of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a member of their NWA Championship Committee.
55.
Harley Race made an appearance at Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Lockdown pay-per-view in 2007 as the special guest gatekeeper for the main event.
56.
Harley Race made a special guest appearance at the second night of Ring of Honor's Glory by Honor VI: Night Two at the Manhattan Center on November 3,2007 in New York City.
57.
On January 4,2014, Harley Race took part in New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome event, participating in the title presentation before a match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and punching out defending champion Rob Conway's manager Bruce Tharpe.
58.
Harley Race was enraged, famously confronting Hulk Hogan and the Funk brothers at a WWF event in Kansas City.
59.
Harley Race lost over $500,000 as an owner of the Kansas City territory, and despite his championship years being at an end and wishing to retire from active competition, was forced to rely on continuing to wrestle to make a living.
60.
Harley Race continued to travel in the United States and abroad, and signed with McMahon's WWF in 1986.
61.
Harley Race spent several years away from the business, working briefly as a process server before retiring with his wife in small-town Missouri.
62.
Harley Race's events are family-oriented, and usually raise funds for local charities.
63.
Harley Race is credited with training Trevor Murdoch who was then known as Trevor Rhodes, and NOAH veterans Ace Steel, Superstar Steve, Brian Breaker, Jon Webb, Jason Jones, Curtis Deierling, Tommaso Ciampa, and Jack Gamble.
64.
Harley Race died five weeks after their wedding in the same car crash in which Race nearly lost a leg.
65.
Shortly after Vivian's death, Harley Race married Sandra Jones, who he briefly mentioned in his 2004 autobiography King of the Ring.
66.
Harley Race often traveled with Race until she died of pneumonia.
67.
Harley Race continued running World League Wrestling and his wrestling camp in Eldon, Missouri.
68.
Harley Race would continue to promote WLW until his death whilst in rehab.
69.
Harley Race was buried next to his parents and one brother at Quitman Cemetery along Highway 113 in Quitman, Missouri.
70.
Harley Race's face was covered to conceal his identity as he broke kayfabe and discussed the inner workings of the business.
71.
Harley Race played himself as the distinguished ring announcer for a tag team match involving Mil Mascaras and El Hijo del Santo in the 2007 film Mil Mascaras vs the Aztec Mummy.