Source: Moose Jaw Times Herald
“Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce is the current and four-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and he has the belt to prove it.
The best part of being world champion is obvious.
“Waking up every morning, when I open my eyes, looking at the 10 pounds of gold that sits on my shelf,” Pearce said. “Having my name attached to that lineage is something that I’ll always be proud of.”
The belt dates back to the start of the NWA in 1948 and once belonged to legendary wrestlers like Lou Thesz, Ric Flair and Harley Race.
Pearce first won the title in September 2007, just more than 10 years after his debut match.
He has defended his current reign nearly 30 times throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, England and Germany.
“I guard it with my life,” Pearce said. “It’s a whole lot more than a prop to me. It is the godfather to all modern wrestling championships and I treat it with the respect that it deserves.”
Pearce is putting the belt on the line during his three-stop mini-tour through Canada that will bring him to Moose Jaw for Gold Dragon Wrestling on Sunday (Timothy Eaton Gardens, 6 p.m.).
Pearce’s challenger is “Mr. Intensity” Mike Posey.
Pearce had some choice words about Posey’s chances at winning the belt.
“I wouldn’t say he has a chance — although every dog has their day. Anyone who follows sports knows that you’re always only one punch away from being knocked out.”
Pearce, 33, was born in Lake Forest, Ill. and resides in San Diego with his wife and two children. He admits that he is on the downhill side of his career but loves to be able to wrestle in front of audiences internationally.
“Some would say (I have) nothing (left to prove). But there’s always cementing your legacy. Mine looks good — to be modest, at that,” said Pearce. “I still have to make a living and I have something to prove to myself personally. Carrying the World Heavyweight Championship means touring and defending the title.”
Recently Pearce had to reevaluate the risks and rewards that come with being a professional wrestler.
Last year in February, he sprained his neck and had a doctor tell him it was broken. Thankfully for Pearce, the reading of the x-ray was misguided by a shadow and he has been able to recover.
He has also had a crushed brachial plexus. It’s a major nerve hub that’s underneath the collarbone. Pearce crushed the right one and couldn’t feel his right arm for a portion of four months.
He told the Times-Herald that currently he’s feeling pretty good but he had different thoughts when going through rehabilitation.
“I wasn’t thinking about wrestling. I was thinking about throwing a football to my son and carrying my baby girl. I can’t even put it into words, man. The most scared I’ve ever been in my life,” Pearce said.
For now, Pearce is focused on “giving back to the industry that’s given me so much.”
Touring, defending his championship and putting on exciting shows are the priorities.
“I realize that as a professional wrestler, I provide a service,” Pearce said. “The truth is, when I see the look on their faces and hear the boos or the adoration (of the crowd), and they know that whatever they spent on their ticket was well spent, that’s the perfect moment for me.”
