Before I get into the top ten rankings of the NWA, I want to plug real quick two things.
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Now, a lot has changed as far as rankings go in the NWA since I first wrote about the rankings. Let's take a look at the rankings as I give you my thoughts on the top ten.
10. Chance Prophet- The Current NWA DAWG Pound Heavyweight champion and former NWA National Heavyweight champion, he truly has the ability to challenge for the World Heavyweight title and win it. However, when he was National Heavyweight champion a lot of people including myself thought he was going to become the next champion before he was injured and had to forfeit the National Heavyweight title. While I think his ranking should be a bit higher, right now Chance is under the radar and all it takes is one big win and he is right back as a major name to mention for the title.
9. Antonio Thomas- He has dropped two spots in the rankings but remains in the top ten for his ability in the ring and charisma. How he has not received a title shot is amazing because he is so good and crisp in the ring. Will he ever get noticed by the NWA as a wrestler who is good enough to go for the title or will he just continue to be ignored?
8. Shane Haste- Still the man in Australia, his climb to the top will no doubt continue with each and every [victory. The question must come up of if he wants to challenge for the Worlds Heavyweight title again, will or make the NWA Australia championship his goal?]
7. Sid Sylum- The current NWA Canadian Heavyweight champion, he is no doubt a contender for many other titles in the NWA, mainly the North American Heavyweight title. However, Sylum seems to be the kind of person who will not rush into going for a title and will cherish every single day his reign as the Canadian Heavyweight champion. There hasn't been a Canadian to have held the belt in three years is Sid Sylum the one to bring the World Heavyweight title back to the Great White North?
6. Shinsuke Nakamura- One of the best wrestlers currently in Japan, the fact that he doesn't have a title and is on this list is pretty amazing. It shows how good of a wrestler he truly is. While his focus right now might not be on the World Heavyweight title it must certainly be on the back of his mind. But the only way for him to start chasing that belt in my opinion is to regain the IWGP Heavyweight title from Togi Makabe and then start dominating as champion like he did in his previous reign. It's only a matter of time before he is at the top once again.
5. Charlie Haas- The former WWE superstar sure did give Adam Pearce a run for his money back in August. While that match ended in a double countout, Haas proved to everybody that he has the right stuff to become the World Heavyweight champion. And with his recent victory to become the Texas Heavyweight champion it may help him for a request of another shot at Adam Pearce and the title. While the rematch might not happen in Texas, Haas is certainly a man who deserves a second shot at the title.
4. Oliver John- The summer of 2010 is certainly a summer that Oliver John would soon love to forget. First, he loses the PWR Heavyweight title to Blue Demon Jr. and then loses the Heritage Heavyweight title to Atsushi Sawada, it does hurt his case for a shot at the World Heavyweight title. However, don't let these two loses change your mind as far as a contender goes because any man who can take Blue Demon Jr. to the limit and beyond certainly should have a look at with the title. Will the bad luck of Oliver John stop or will it continue as he could go down the rankings of the NWA?
3. Blue Demon Jr.- The former heavyweight champion right now might be taking a break on his quest to regain the ten pounds of gold but that doesn't mean that he's still keeping his eye out on not only Pearce but all the top contenders because whenever Blue Demon Jr. gets his rematch at the title it could very well be against anybody. He is an experienced wrestler and will study all tapes of whoever the champion might be and when the day comes he will be ready to go once again at the belt.
2. The Sheik- Of any wrestler on this list that deserves the next shot at Adam Pearce it is this man. 2010 has no doubt been his year, being the only wrestler in NWA history to hold a state, territory and continental title at the same time, The Sheik felt that he was being ignored. But when he knocked out Adam Pearce last month in Charlotte he put everybody on notice that he means business when it comes to the world title and that he wants the belt around his waist. But the question is how soon will Sheik get his shot? It depends on the schedule and contenders and hopefully, The Sheik will not be ignored.
1. Phil Shatter- The current NWA National Heavyweight champion still has his sights on Adam Pearce. Despite having two chances at the title within eight days, Shatter still does not have the title that he longs for. He might go down as the greatest National Heavyweight champion of all time and that's a nice feat in itself, but he wants something bigger and if given one more chance, like the old saying goes, maybe the third time will be the charm and he could become the World Heavyweight champion. But until then he will have to wait.
Which of these ten men will make the next move on there quest to becoming World Heavyweight champion? Only time will tell.
