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When Nick Aldis defends the National Wrestling Alliance Worlds Championship against Ring of Honor’s Cody Rhodes at All In, it could be more than just a battle for the oldest active title in wrestling today. A May 26 confrontation between the superstars added a potentially landmark stipulation to the match!
At ROH Honor United: London, Aldis called out “The American Nightmare” to sweeten the deal — for himself and wrestling fans alike. Though always scheduled to put his NWA belt on the line, Aldis demanded should Rhodes regain the ROH title in the interim, both belts be defended in Chicago!
Suddenly an already highly anticipated match assumed even greater meaning. If Rhodes can defeat Dalton Castle between now and September — a big “if,” though seemingly likely, despite a hot streak from “The Peacock” — All In could offer a historic inter-promotional match with two World titles at stake.
In the ‘80s, talk of such fantasy matches was at its height. Popular magazines covering wrestling were filled with speculation — even going so far as to fictionalize accounts — of what might happen should its two biggest names, then-World Wrestling Federation star Hulk Hogan and the NWA’s Ric Flair, square off. (By the time these icons eventually did battle, during Hogan’s later World Championship Wrestling career, excitement remained high though both had passed peak popularity.)
In 1988, however, fans received a rare chance to see one such “dream match.” As the WWF and NWA/WCW dominated, Minneapolis staple American Wrestling Association and southern-based World Championship Wrestling Association — an amalgamation of Jerry Jarrett’s Memphis-focused Continental Wrestling Alliance and Dallas mainstay World Class Championship Wrestling — battled for third. Though neither had the media presence of “The Big Two,” both were respected names, well-recognized by fans…and each had a globally beloved champion.
Next Page: At ‘All In’ Rhodes & Aldis Could Succeed Where Lawler & Von Erich Failed 30 Years Ago (cont.)
