NWA Roster in 1961: Full List of Wrestlers, Teams, Champions

National Wrestling Alliance: Rosters History Database

On this page you find the full NWA Roster in the year 1961. This includes the list of all NWA Wrestlers, division between Men and Women Rosters, active Tag Teams & Stables, the current reigning Champions, as well as Managers, Announcers, Authority figures, Producers and other personalities in National Wrestling Alliance.

Our complete Pro Wrestlers Database allows you to travel through time and see the NWA Roster by Year or any specific Date in history. Simply use the filters below! You even have the option to view a breakdown of the rosters split by Face and Heel divisions.

See Roster by Date

1961

NWA: All (86)

"Blond Bomber" Ray Stevens

"High Chief" Peter Maivia

Hiro Matsuda

J. Wellington Radcliffe

"Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers

Men

Women

Teams

Champions

NWA World Heavyweight Championship		"Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers Won: June 30, 1961 Chicago, IL \| House show During this reign, Bruno Sammartino defeated Rogers but refused to accept the title because Rogers had wrestled with an injury, so the title was returned to Rogers. Also Bobo Brazil refused the title because of a groin injury that Rogers had claimed to have; however Brazil was then declared champion because a doctor had determined that Rogers had not suffered an injury, but this title change is not recognized by NWA (and neither Rogers' rematch win). Also Killer Kowalski defeated Rogers after Rogers broke his ankle; NWA does not recognize any of Rogers' losses.	184+ days
NWA World Heavyweight Championship		Pat O'Connor Won: January 9, 1959 St. Louis, MO \| House show During this reign, Gene LeBell defeated O'Connor, but then he struck a Texas wrestling commissioner with the title belt and the decision was reversed. The title was returned to O'Connor and these two title changes were not recognized.	903 days

NWA United States Heavyweight Championship		Vacant Won: June 30, 1961 Buddy Rogers vacated the championship after defeating Pat O'Connor for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.	184+ days
NWA United States Heavyweight Championship		"Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers Won: April 20, 1960 Rogers was recognized as the inaugural holder of the Northeast version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship.	436 days

NWA International Heavyweight Championship

Antonino Rocca

Won: July 2, 1959 New York, NY | House Show

Defeated Buddy Rogers to win the new title.

913+

days

NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship

Tor Yamata

Won: April 24, 1958 Chattanooga, TN | House show

The title history is unrecorded from 1958-04-24 to July 1971.

1347+

days

NWA United States Television Championship

Johnny Valentine

Won: September 22, 1960 Richmond, Virginia | CWC House show

465+

days

NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Championship	Waldo Von Erich Won: August 31, 1961 Texas \| House show	122+ days
	Stu Gibson Won: August 1, 1961 Texas \| House show It is not clear who Gibson defeated to win the championship	30 days
	Tony Martin Won: July 13, 1961 Texas \| House show It is not clear who Martin defeated to win the championship	19 days
	Bull Curry Won: December 10, 1960 Beaumont, Texas \| House show	215 days

NWA United States Tag Team Championship

The Fabulous Kangaroos Al Costello & Roy Heffernan

Won: December 8, 1960 Washington, D.C. | House Show

Defeated Chief Big Heart & Johnny Valentine to win the titles.

388+

days

NWA World Tag Team Championship

Antonino Rocca and Miguel PérezAntonino Rocca & Miguel Pérez

Won: March 30, 1957 New York City, NY | Manhattan Wrestling Enterprises

This was two-out-of-three falls match, in which Rocca and Pérez won 2–1.

1524

days

NWA United States Tag Team Championship

The Dusek Family Ernie Dusek & Emil Dusek

Won: December 6, 1942 Houston, Texas | House Show

The Duseks were billed as “team match champions of the nation”, listed as a possible predecessor to the American Tag Team Championship

6965+

days

NWA Texas Tag Team Championship	Nick Roberts & Stan Kowalski Nick Roberts & Stan Kowalski Won: November 16, 1961 Amarillo, Texas \| House show May only be recognized in Amarillo.	45+ days
	Ricky Romero & Eric Rommel Ricky Romero & Eric Rommel Won: November 1, 1961 Texas \| House show	15 days
	The Mighty Yankees Mighty Yankee 1 & Mighty Yankee 2 Won: October 2, 1961 Ft. Worth, Texas \| House show	30 days
	Dick Hutton & Sam Steamboat Dick Hutton & Sam Steamboat Won: September 18, 1961 Ft. Worth, Texas \| House show Defeated Duke Keomuka and Kojika Saito in 4-team tournament final.	14 days
	Vacant Won: July 1, 1961 championship vacated for undocumented reasons	79 days
	Pepper Gomez & Dory Dixon Pepper Gomez & Dory Dixon Won: June 1, 1961 Houston, Texas \| House show	30 days
	Angelo Poffo & Bronko LubichAngelo Poffo & Bronko Lubich Won: May 12, 1961 Houston, Texas \| House show	20 days
	Pepper Gomez & Dory Dixon Pepper Gomez & Dory Dixon Won: February 24, 1961 Houston, Texas \| House show	77 days

View All Reigns

NWA World Tag Team Championship	Dalton Brothers Jack Dalton & Jim Dalton Won: November 1, 1961 Texas \| House show	60+ days
	Pepper Gomez & Dory Dixon Pepper Gomez & Dory Dixon Won: June 16, 1961 Houston, Texas \| House show	138 days
	Duke Keomuka & Tony Martin Duke Keomuka & Tony Martin Won: May 26, 1961 Houston, Texas \| House show	21 days
	Rito Romero & Dory Dixon Rito Romero & Dory Dixon Won: May 5, 1961 Houston, Texas \| House show	21 days
	Pepper Gomez & Wilbur Snyder Pepper Gomez & Wilbur Snyder Won: September 1, 1960 Blanco gave his half to Snyder	246 days

NWA Mid-Southern Tag Team Championship	Jackie Fargo & Lester WelchJackie Fargo & Lester Welch Won: November 30, 1961 Chattanooga, Tennessee \| House Show	31+ days
	Dante & Mephisto Dante & Mephisto Won: November 28, 1961 Chattanooga, Tennessee \| House Show	2 days
	Jackie Fargo & Lester WelchJackie Fargo & Lester Welch Won: October 17, 1961 Nashville, Tennessee \| House Show	42 days
	Dante & Mephisto Dante & Mephisto Won: September 23, 1961 Chattanooga, Tennessee \| House Show	24 days
	Tex Riley & Len RossiLen Rossi Tex Riley Won: September 16, 1961 Chattanooga, Tennessee \| House Show	7 days
	Dante & Mephisto Dante & Mephisto Won: September 5, 1961 Nashville, Tennessee \| House Show In Chattanooga, Tennessee Riley and Rossi defend the title on September 9, 1961, although Mephisto and Dante are recognized prior to the match on September 16, 1961.	11 days
	Tex Riley & Len RossiLen Rossi Tex Riley Won: August 22, 1961 Nashville, Tennessee \| House Show	14 days
	Dante & Mephisto Dante & Mephisto Won: March 12, 1961 Memphis, Tennessee \| House Show In Chattanooga, TN, Tex Rileyand Len Rossi are announced as having defeated Mephisto and Dante for the title "last week".	163 days

View All Reigns

NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship

Danny Hodge

Won: July 22, 1960 Oklahoma City, OK | House show

527+

days

NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship

Gory Guerrero

Won: July 30, 1960 Mexico City, Mexico | Live event

519+

days

NWA World Middleweight Championship		Antonio Posa Won: December 2, 1961 Mexico City, Mexico \| Live event	29+ days
NWA World Middleweight Championship		René Guajardo Won: October 13, 1960 Monterrey, Nuevo León \| Live event	415 days

NWA World Welterweight Championship

Karloff Lagarde

Won: January 31, 1958 Mexico City, Mexico | EMLL show

1430+

days

NWA Women's Championship

The Fabulous Moolah

Won: September 18, 1956 Baltimore, MD | Live Event

During this reigns the following title changes took place: Bette Boucher, then The Fabulous Moolah, then Yukiko Tomoe, then The Fabulous Moolah, then Evelyn Stevens, then The Fabulous Moolah; however, WWE recognizes Moolah's reign as being uninterrupted until 1984. The title was known as the NWA World Women's Championship until May 19, 1984, when Moolah sold the rights to the championship to the WWF, and the title was renamed to WWF Women's Championship.

1930+

days

NWA Women's Championship

The Fabulous Moolah

Won: September 18, 1956 Baltimore, MD | Live event

Won a 13-Woman Battle Royal to win the vacant title.

1930+

days

NWA United States Women's Championship	Kathy Starr Won: October 4, 1961 Honolulu, HI \| Live event The title history is unrecorded from 1961-10-04 to 1965-05-01.	88+ days
	Judy Glover Won: September 24, 1961 Live event The title history is unrecorded from 1959-07-07 to 1961-09-24. According to The Honolulu Advertiser, Glover won a tournament to win the title.	10 days
	Nell Stewart Won: July 7, 1959 Knoxville, TN The title history is unrecorded from 1957-12-03 to 1959-07-07, and then from 1959-07-07 to 1961-09-24.	810 days

NWA World Ladies Tag Team Championship		Adrienne Ames & Pat Lyda Won: November 23, 1961 Harvey, LA \| Live event The titles history is unrecorded from 1958-12-04 to 1961-11-23, and then from 1961-11-23 to 1967-11-02.Lyda were billed as "NWA titlists" when they defeated Chris Clark & Ann Regan (holders of the Southern Women's Tag Team Championship) to become "undisputed women's tag team champions".	38+ days
NWA World Ladies Tag Team Championship		Kay Noble & Lolita Martinez Won: December 4, 1958 Amarillo, TX \| Live event The titles history is unrecorded from 1958-06-16 to 1958-12-04, and then from 1958-12-04 to 1961-11-23. As of 1959-02-24, Penny Banner is listed as a co-holder of the titles, since she wasn't involved in losing them.	1085 days

Extras

The profile of each NWA wrestler features their Career History, Ring Names, Face / Heel Turns, Accomplishments, Pictures, Bio and more information and statistics.

Also, check out these useful articles we put together:

9614 Comments
Login
- This site
- Facebook
- Google
- Twitter

Newest
- Best
- Popular
- Newest
- Oldest

Loading comment... The comment will be refreshed after 00:00.

This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
Max · 4 hours ago
Mason Rook is upper card as he is number one contender for the nxt championship
- 4 Up 0 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
Texas Steve · 5 hours ago
You might as well put Shawn Spears,Niko Vance,& Reina Volcán on Inactive since they haven't been seen in a while
- 1 Up 0 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
Wright · 9 hours ago
What are you guys's opinion on my top five WWE favorites?

Sol Ruca
Bron Breakker
Matt Cardona/Zack Ryder
Big Cass
Tank Ledger
- 4 Up 2 Down
- This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
  Fergus · 4 hours ago
  
  @Wright Sol Ruca: Great talent with tons of potential
  
  Bron Breakker: Underused but is amazing in ring
  
  Matt Cardona: Who doesn’t love this guy! Talented, funny and an underdog
  
  Big Cass: Good upper mid card heel, great since his return
  
  Tank Ledger: Haven’t seen much of him but he’s pretty good from what I have seen
  
  1 Up 0 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
Haley McCrary · 9 hours ago
Kale dixon and brooks jensen is on evolve full time
- 3 Up 1 Down
- This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
  Texas Steve · 5 hours ago
  
  @Haley McCrary & Harlem Lewis
  
  0 Up 0 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
PrimusVsUnicron · 18 hours ago
XWF Alumni Page needs to be worked on
- 1 Up 2 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
Annia S. Barrón · 18 hours ago
Hi so, a few notes I was thinking....

For the AAA roster Pimpinela Escarlata right now is inactive due to her being in the mexican TV program ''La Granja'' (for those curious, is like big brother but in a farm)
LWO (Joaquin and Cruz) and Lady Shani I think should be tweeners as they have both played heels and faces depending on the rivalry, Adelicious should be face as well as the rest of the psycho circus (Panic , Dave and Murder Clown)
At this point I think both Rey and Dragon Lee shouldn't even be considered part or the LWO lol, it has been ages since the last time they interacted with Joaquin and Cruz
As for the events
-They have confirmed a title match at MITB : LA Knight vs Roman Reigns (c) for the World Heavyweight Champion
- Worlds Collide also has a title match: La Catalina (c) vs Roxanne Perez for the Reina de Reinas. I know there isn't a graphic but the 4-way match at this triplemania was a conteder match
- 1 Up 1 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
Constance Affinito · 21 hours ago
Wow! Raw was AMAZING! Raw of the year so far!
- 1 Up 4 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
Mr Eliezer Mbuku the Rock: HIT THE SUMELL · 1 days ago
The Creed Brothers are fully here at main NXT roster, and Kam Hendrix done with Evolve and now he's fully here at main NXT roster.
- 1 Up 2 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
Mr Eliezer Mbuku the Rock: HIT THE SUMELL · 1 days ago
Updated render photos for Akira Towaza, Blake Monre, Brooks Jensen, Channing Stacks Lorenzo, EK Prosper, Finn Balor, Julius Creed, Kam Hendrix, Kevin Owens, Lexis King, Randy Orton, Reina Volcan, Ricky Saints and Uriah Connors for Current WWE Roster for WWE Website tonight!!!!
- 1 Up 4 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
TheGreatplaidmoose · 1 days ago
Nino Hamburguesa is back in AAA.
- 2 Up 2 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
Davey Castegnaro · 1 days ago
Ilja Dragunov is coming to AEW!!! Inactive for the time being.
Can we also get a profile for Janai Kai? She's signed to AEW now.
- 2 Up 2 Down
- This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
  Constance Affinito · 20 hours ago
  
  @Davey Castegnaro Why do all the former WWE guys go to AEW? There's so many other companies, but they always pick AEW. I'll be honest, Ilja Dragunov would've been excellent in NJPW
  
  1 Up 3 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
MrAicrow · 1 days ago
Roman Retains, Expected, But that match was stellar!
- 1 Up 5 Down
- This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
  Sus · 1 days ago
  
  @MrAicrow Two words, I'm disappointed.
  
  1 Up 7 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
Rhea Ripley Fan · 1 days ago
What happened to my name
- 0 Up 7 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
MrAicrow · 1 days ago
The pop for El Grande Americano in Mexico was like a Linda McMahon Wrestlemania Level Pop, Oh my god!

Also Penta v Roman is about to go so hard
- 0 Up 3 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
Wright · 1 days ago
When Je'Von Evans won the Money in the Bank qualifier, I legitimately said out loud, "Who could have f*cking guessed?"

Bad match.
- 1 Up 4 Down
- This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
  Draysin Martin · 1 days ago
  
  @Wright Agreed because Big Cass's Big O'Ass is breaking the ladder the moment he steps on it & for Austin Theory, Bron Breakker already qualified.
  
  2 Up 3 Down
- This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
  Sus · 1 days ago
  
  @Wright I still wonder, why Je'Von? Genuinely if they wanted to make Big Cass a threat, why have him take the pin?
  
  1 Up 2 Down
- This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
  Wright · 1 days ago
  
  @Draysin Martin I wonder why they keep showcasing Je'Von Evans and all the PLEs if he hasn't even won a title. He has the talent to back it up but they just won't pull the trigger for him at all. Should have been Cass. At least he has veteran history and is a big man and can cause mayhem. I don't hate Je'Von at all, please don't get me wrong, But it's frustrating seeing him showcased everywhere if he doesn't win. I'm also very biased because I'm a huge fan of Cass.
  
  2 Up 0 Down
- This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
  MrAicrow · 1 days ago
  
  @Wright It isn't Big Cass, Which is probably for the best
  
  Also Je'von in Money in the Bank is going to be a fever dream
  
  2 Up 0 Down
- This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
  Constance Affinito · 20 hours ago
  
  @Wright The match wasn't that bad, it was still good. Also, just imagine what Je'Von Evans could do in a MITB ladder match!
  
  1 Up 0 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
Texas Steve · 1 days ago
All I want for my birthday is Lola Vice qualifying for Money in the Bank
- 2 Up 3 Down
- This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
  Wright · 1 days ago
  
  @Texas Steve Happy birthday, Mr. Steve.
  
  2 Up 1 Down
- This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
  MrAicrow · 1 days ago
  
  @Texas Steve And your Birthday wish came true!
  
  1 Up 0 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
Wright · 2 days ago
It seems quite implausible to seriously consider the possibility that Penta could defeat and dethrone Roman Reigns, particularly during a just an episode of Raw.

Even though this event is scheduled to take place in Mexico City, a location known for its energetic crowds, and it is sure to be a match of such significant caliber that is more suitable for a major Premium Live Event....

This is Roman Reigns we are talking about.
- 2 Up 5 Down
- This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
  Sus · 2 days ago
  
  @Wright Well, anything can happen. 946/OTM can interfere and cost Roman, and like what we saw with Vaquer beating Liv for the title at a live event, Penta can possibly dethrone Roman if that certain interference happens. Like I said, it's possible but not guaranteed.
  
  0 Up 1 Down
- This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
  Max · 1 days ago
  
  @Wright That’s reasonable but I feel like that they will do Roman vs Sami at crown jewel because of the history between them
  
  2 Up 0 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
Sus · 2 days ago
Sami Zayn and Stephanie Vaquer getting their second reigns simultaneously was something I didn't expect. If it's the breath of fresh air finally coming to the champions, and especially Chelsea Green holding the championship, I'm just happy we're finally getting new champions. Hopefully Penta dethrones Roman Reigns.
- 2 Up 2 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
Davey Castegnaro · 2 days ago
These names should come off the active AAA roster: Chris Carter, Noisy Boy, Kento, Nobu San, Takuma, Andy Panda Jr., DMT Azul, Vampiro, Dinámico, Chessman, Cibernético, Black Andrómeda, Colmillo de Plata, Garra de Oro, Epydemius Jr., Dulce Kanela, Jessy Queen, Reina Dorada, Sussy Love, Jessy Jackson, Lady Maravilla, Aero Star, El Texano Jr., Negro Casas, El Mesías, and Monster Clown. Most of them are just multi-man filler, legends, or barely appear on the actual shows.
- 0 Up 3 Down
- This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
  Sus · 2 days ago
  
  @Davey Castegnaro Dinamico was at a dark match in Triplemania 34 where he lost against El Fiscal.
  
  1 Up 0 Down
- This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
  TheGreatplaidmoose · 1 days ago
  
  @Davey Castegnaro Chris Carter, Kento, Takuma, Dinamico, El Texano, Jr. and El Mesias just wrestled at Triplemania. Nobu San is still part of Tokyo Bad Boys and as far as I know Lady Maravilla is still part of Las Toxicas. Aero Star wrestles at house shows regularly still and so does Andy Panda, Jr. it has only been a few months since Epydemius Jr. wrestled too so maybe just move them to inactive? I wouldn’t remove them from the roster yet. Noisy Boy just wrestled at Ola de Calor so he’s definitely active. So are Colmillo de Plata and Garra de Oro. The rest are question marks but so far Monster Clown, DMT Azul, Negro Casas, Black Andromeda, Dulce Kanela, Jessy Queen and Reina Dorada have yet to show up at in TV or a PLE since WWE partnered with them so it would probably be fair to remove them.
  
  1 Up 0 Down
This commment is unpublished, pending moderation.
Roy · 2 days ago
Lola Vice should be mid card starting 14 September.
- 2 Up 1 Down