10 Wrestling Matches That Broke All The Rules

3. Cody Vs. Nick Aldis - ALL IN

Mankind Undertaker Hell In A Cell
FiteTV

Stardust Vs. Brutus Magnus stole a non-WWE show, in 2018, held in front of 10,000+ fans and contested for a title that was consigned to the dustbin a quarter of a century prior.

Wrestling is an industry that evolves in constant, fascinating flux. What's recent is rendered ancient, but at ALL IN, what was old was made new again. With a superb build that restored (to an extent) the old importance of the gold, and Cody's ability to attune himself to his audience, he presented a steadfast, old school World('s) Heavyweight Title match in front of an audience that grew up perceiving it as a joke.

The rule applied to the non-WWE audience AEW has cultivated is that they only like modern wrestling and its pejorative connotations: Cody broke it by commanding the loudest, most emotional atmosphere on a night of wild celebration using the old tricks and the most classic, timeless psychology.

There was one flaw, but it hardly mattered: Cody took an age to gig his forehead, but his people were so behind him that they waited patiently for him to cut himself, just so that they could support his comeback.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!