If Cody Rhodes Becomes NWA Champion...

[Spidey Revivey]

The special is tomorrow and I figured some of us had this on our minds.

On one hand, I genuinely think that if Cody defeats Nick Aldis at All In, it would be the shot in the arm the whole franchise desperately needs. I know it is an uphill battle for William Patrick Corgan to make NWA popular again, but if there's one wrestling story out there that catches my imagination, it's this one. Cody has made a name for himself outside of WWE, and there's a lot going on for both parties if Cody wins. He could do what many of us wanted to see CM Punk do when his contract expired as the WWE Champion. Cody has his thumb in a lot of pies, and it would do NWA some good to have him defend the belt in various organizations to get their name back up there.

On the other, I do think I'm dreaming. When Corgan bought NWA, I had high hopes that he could turn it all around in a year or two. I even started working on a feud review between Tim Storm (then NWA champ) vs. Jocephus Brody as I thought both characters were interesting, but it occurred to me by their matches that nobody under Corgan was that good except Nick Aldis. So it does feel like Cody is pulling some charity work but like I said, if Cody beats Nick Aldis, something could be gained by it. I don't think much will be had if Nick retains, especially on a stage that is making history on its own.

What do you guys think? Is it too little too late for the once prestigious company to reclaim their fame? Could Cody give NWA a pulse?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Well the "shot in the arm" scenario is pretty much the driving force for the match anyway. For the past several y ears, the Bullet Club has been the biggest non-WWE bit in pro wrestling and Cody coming away as NWA World Heavyweight Champion is probably the most obvious outcome to a match, any match, in 2018. Nick Adlis, or Aldis as I've seen it spelled both ways in lots of articles, is a good wrestler but he hasn't been particularly hot for a very long time and the only logical reason to have this match and to have anyone remotely give a crap about it or the NWA WHC is to have Cody win it and carry it around for a good, long while.

Cody makes some appearances for New Japan every so often and it'd be a nice novelty for him to be featured on a New Japan card with the NWA WHC. He's primarily in Ring of Honor and he can still get use out of carrying around the irrelevant title for several months, defending it at ROH ppvs, defending it on ROH TV and eventually drop it to someone Billy Corgan deems worthy whenever he ultimately gets his shit together for what he's going to do with the National Wrestling Alliance.

In it's own way, it'll be something of a historic moment as, if I'm not mistaken, Cody winning the title tomorrow night would make him and Dusty the only father & son to have ever been NWA World Heavyweight Champion.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

A shot in the arm for a little bit is all.

As much as I like Cody he won't move numbers for long. The NWA is nothing more than a glorified indy fed and unless someone the likes of Autsin, Cena or Rock shows up to wrestle i don't see that changing ever.

 

[JoeMallard]

A shot in the arm for a little bit is all.

As much as I like Cody he won't move numbers for long. The NWA is nothing more than a glorified indy fed and unless someone the likes of Autsin, Cena or Rock shows up to wrestle i don't see that changing ever.

Yeah, that's why ROH has been packing houses more than they ever have since he signed....

 

[Hyorinmaru]

Yeah, that's why ROH has been packing houses more than they ever have since he signed....

Good for him, let him he ROH Champion then.

The question was whether Cody as NWA Champion would help the company.

My answer was in the short term but seeing how NWA has been on life support since Shane Douglas all but pissed on the NWA title back in the early 90s whatever hype he may bring as champion won't be the defibrillator the company needs to stay alive.