Five Times Pearce Defended the NWA Title against Future WWE Superstars.

Adam Pearce spent 1078 days as Worlds Heavyweight Champion. Through five reigns, he defended the title a total of 87 times. Scrap Iron faced some of the best free agents in professional wrestling as champion, including against several future WWE Superstars.

A retired wrestler, turned authority figure, isn’t the ideal opponent for WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble. But this isn’t any suit entering into the ring. WWE’s Big Dog will be facing “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce. Pearce is a five-time NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship. He was the face of the NWA from 2007 until 2012. He left at the conclusion of the Seven Levels of Hate, a best of seven series between him and Colt Cabana. It ended with both men leaving the NWA brand. Pearce kept the title relevant. He defended the title across the globe; including Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia.

Early days with the World Wrestling Entertainment

Pearce’s first appearance on WWE programming goes back to 1997. When teaming with Rod Bell to take on the Nation of Domination (Crush and Savio Vega) on March 31st, 1997. When in the Midwest, Pearce would work enhancement matches with the WWE. With his next match being against Tiger Ali Singh on August 23rd, 1997, for WWF Shotgun Saturday Night.

Pearce would find success on the Independents in early 2000. By 2003 he was working as the UPW Heavyweight Champion, a WWE developmental promotion. He would then move on to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla where he’d become their world champion. Later he would win the NWA Heritage Championship. That title is still recognized by Championship Wrestling from Hollywood as the Heritage Championship. In the mid-2000s, Pearce would reach high levels of success with Ring of Honor both in front and behind the camera.

From Coach to the Authority

Pearce had several coaching experiences with WWE. Pearce joined the Performance Center full-time in 2015. From there Pearce made the transition from Coach to Agent and Producer. As a producer, he would help coordinate talent for their matches. Pearce would mold future WWE Superstars, although he was never in the main event of a WWE Pay-Per-View.

Five Times Pearce defended his Worlds Heavyweight Title against a Future WWE Superstar

He spent 1078 days as Worlds Heavyweight Champion. Through five reigns, Pearce defended the title a total of 87 times. Pearce faced some of the best free agents in professional wrestling as champion. Pearce defended his title against several future WWE Superstars.

  • Seven years passed between title defenses in Pennsylvania. On January 19th, 2008, “Scrap Iron” traveled to McKeepsort, Pennsylvania. Appearing at PWX Genesis to face Corey Graves. Graves wrestled under the name Sterling James Keenan. This match featured on Grave’s podcast After the Bell. Pearce’s first reign as Worlds Heavyweight Champion started when TNA and NWA split. After the delineation, the NWA, it was up to Pearce to face the biggest names representing the NWA and Graves was one of them. Pearce would win the match, but Graves would debut with WWE Development in August 2011.
  • On June 11th as part of Nexus Stable, Daniel Bryan choked out the ring announcer Justin Roberts with his own tie. The WWE fired Bryan for being “too violent” when the group ransacked Monday Night Raw and Bryan had a history with Pearce as he defeated Pearce to win a spot in the finals of the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Title Tournament, a spot he had to lose, due to a legitimate injury he suffered in Ring of Honor. Now that he was a “free agent” Bryan challenged Pearce for the title at the NWA Legends Fan Fest in Charlotte, North Carolina on August 6th, less than two months after his release. The WWE was quick to hire back the former American Dragon, but not after he would take a loss to Adam Pearce.
  • When Adam Cole was introduced as Adam Pearce’s opponent by legendary manager Jim Cornette at Ring Warriors, Cole had already amassed quite the reputation in independent wrestling competing all across the country for top indie promotions like Ring of Honor, Combat Zone Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, and more. Pearce would be tested, but in the end it would be his trademark piledriver to put the Young Cole away. Adam Cole would make his WWE debut on September the 14th, 2017 and almost immediately after would join the Undisputed Era.

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