Everybody knows Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, and so when you hear his name associated with someone from another sport or industry, you know right off the bat, this person must have made history and they were probably the first black somebody, somewhere. That’s the case here as Bobo Brazil was often referred to as the Jackie Robinson of pro wrestling because of his accomplishments. When the legendary Ric Flair won his first major singles title, Brazil is the man who put him over. Let’s talk wrestling.
Key Facts at a Glance
Date
July 29, 1977
Venue
Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia
Title
NWA United States Heavyweight Championship
Winner
Ric Flair, age 28
Previous champion
Bobo Brazil
What Happened On July 29, 1977?
Flair beat Brazil at the Richmond Coliseum to take the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship. It was the first genuinely major singles title of his career, and it began a run of five U.S. title reigns over the next three years, with feuds against Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka and Greg Valentine.
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It was not, strictly, his first singles championship — he’d beaten Paul Jones for the Mid-Atlantic Television Championship in February 1975. And it was not a world title. Flair wouldn’t reach that until September 17, 1981, when he beat Dusty Rhodes in Kansas City.
Why Was Flair Even In Position For It?
Because he shouldn’t have been wrestling at all. In October 1975 Flair was in the plane crash near Wilmington, North Carolina that killed the pilot and paralyzed Johnny Valentine. He broke his back in three places and was told at 26 he would never wrestle again. He was back inside a year, having traded power brawling for the grappling style that became the Nature Boy.
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Jim Crockett Jr. was grooming him as the promotion’s future top star. The Brazil match was where that plan got its first real payoff.
Who Was Bobo Brazil?
Brazil passed away in 1998 at the age of 73. His given name was Houston Harris, which sounds pretty cool to me. I’m not even sure he needed a wrestling name. In any case, he is considered one of the first black professional wrestlers to become a marquee name in North America. Brazil was a massive man at 6-foot-6 and listed at 270 pounds. When you see videos of him, he looks every inch and pound.
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Why Does This Match Still Matter?
Because of who was on both sides of it. Brazil had spent a career being matched against other Black wrestlers by promoters who wouldn’t book him otherwise, and got over anyway. By 1977 he was the veteran being asked to elevate a 28-year-old who’d nearly died two years earlier.
Flair went on to become a 16-time world champion by WWE’s count. This is where the climb started.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jul 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the Wrestling section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
