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At one time, the NWA Championship was the most coveted championship in professional wrestling. The richest prize in wrestling hit a streak of unfortunate events that should have permanently buried it.
Those events included fiascoes such as the belt being publicly disgraced but not as part of a scripted angle. They also included failed working agreements with WCW, WWE, and TNA. Somehow, the NWA Championship survived through years of mediocrity and uncertainty.
The latest chapter of the NWA Championship saga saw Billy Corgan purchase the rights of the NWA. Corgan’s purchase of the NWA was met with deserving scepticism. Corgan was involved with his own wrestling fiasco in Impact Wrestling.
Many fans thought of Corgan’s time in Impact Wrestling as a complete failure. It wasn’t surprising that his purchase of the NWA raised more than a few eyebrows.
Restoring Prestige
Corgan has started to rebuild the NWA by focusing his attention on restoring the NWA Championship’s prestige. He has done a good job re-establishing some of the core principles that define a classic NWA Champion. During its heyday, the NWA Championship was defended regularly and around the world.
The NWA Champion was a fighting champion and a good in-ring technician. In the early 1980s, Ric Flair defended the NWA Championship against the best contenders from across the globe and many of his matches went over forty minutes. Corgan has found a champion to help restore that old NWA Championship tradition.
Classic Champion
Upon winning the NWA Championship from Tim Storm in September 2017, Nick Aldis brought instant credibility to it. Aldis is a capable wrestler who has held the heavyweight championship of several promotions, most notably TNA.
He also has experience wrestling some of wrestling’s top stars such as Sting, Kurt Angle, and Samoa Joe. Aldis has defended the title against all comers in matches held in several different countries; the United States, England, and China. He represents the NWA Championship tradition in every way.
All In
Corgan’s NWA Championship will take another big step when Aldis defends it against Cody Rhodes at “All In”. The much-anticipated event promoted by Rhodes and The Young Bucks will give the NWA Championship the kind of visibility it needs. Rhodes is also the perfect opponent to challenge Aldis for the title.
He is one of the best wrestlers in the world and his legendary father, The American Dream Dusty Rhodes, is a three-time former NWA Champion. It is a win-win situation for Corgan and the NWA Championship.
Billy Corgan is definitely making efforts to put the NWA Championship back on the pro wrestling map. Aldis has been a key to that effort.
What do you think? Are Corgan and Aldis doing enough to restore prestige to the NWA Championship? Sound off in the comments!
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