The professional wrestling world is mourning the loss of one of its most beloved figures, as news broke Thursday that nine-time world champion Harley Race passed away at the age of 76 due to complications from lung cancer, according to WWE.
Race rose to prominence in the American Wrestling Association in the late 1960s before moving to the National Wrestling Alliance, where he would go on to become a seven-time world heavyweight champion. Race’s battles with Ric Flair were legendary.
Race was involved in three matches that earned Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Match of the Year award, and was named the wrestler of the year in 1979 and 1983. Race eventually landed in WWF in 1986, where he never won a title, but did become the 1986 King of the Ring. Race was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.
Many pro wrestlers shared their memories of Race on social media.
