The 5 best Harley Race matches

#1 Harley Race vs. Dory Funk Jr - 1973

Harley Race wins his first NWA World title

Few things are as challenging as trying to choose the most iconic match in Harley Race’s career. Everyone has their own opinion and it would be impossible to find a match that satisfies everyone. However, I believe that I have found a match that could satisfy most of his fans.

Harley Race vs. Dory Funk Jr for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on 24th May 1973. This was the night when Harley Race won his first World Championship in a stunning upset that went a long way in establishing Race as a legitimate champion.

One of the greatest moments of the match was when Harley Race used the ropes to avoid getting pinned after Dory Funk had delivered the butterfly suplex. Dory looked shocked and the crowd couldn’t believe their eyes. After this Harley managed to reverse a side headlock into a back body drop but he missed a diving head butt and it seemed that he had lost all his momentum.

Harley managed to persevere and when Dory was complaining to the referee, Harley took advantage and hit a vertical suplex. After that the rest was history and Harley went on to become a household name among fans of the NWA.