5 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (July 13)
3. The NWA Is Actually Back
The NWA governed the North American landscape for several decades as wrestling took shape in the post-war era.
Its World Heavyweight Champion travelled the arduous, far-reaching territory circuit in what was a fruitful symbiotic relationship. With the hometown star taking the likes of Harley Race and Ric Flair to their limits, he used his new warrior aura to prop up that town until the cycle began anew. Meanwhile, the NWA itself and its affiliate promoters benefitted from the arrangement; it was a carefully orchestrated means of rehabilitating wrestling's chequered image following the outlaw years of multiple, diluted regional Champions. The framework lent wrestling both a legitimacy and a shared wealth.
Once the WWF expanded and put those promoters out of business, the paradigm was dead long before an enterprising Shane Douglas threw the ten pounds of gold to the canvas like it was a piece of garbage. In doing so, he begat an era of garbage Champions either side of the TNA-absorbed lineage.
There was more chance of Nailz entering WrestleMania X-Seven's Gimmick Battle Royal than there was of the organisation returning to prominence. That was until Cody set his sights on the prize once contested for so fiercely by his father. That's how its association with All In resonated, at first: like a vanity project.
Until this week...
Flip Gordon has petitioned to become All In for months in an hilarious crusade, most recently chancing his luck by offering to take the place of the "deceased" Joey Ryan at the event. (Fear not: he's only dead in Being The Elite's fictional universe, and the fever dreams of Jim Cornette). Brilliantly, he did so at his funeral. As brilliant were Cody's stern, merciless refusals.
In the meantime of reality, Flip has failed in his crusade, losing several matches across several promotions and, in the process, his chance to get booked at the event. But now, via the storyline meddling of Billy Corgan, current holder Magnus is set to defend against Flip, surely confirming Gordon Vs. Cody on September 1.
In its own weird way, it was a reversion to the mentality of the old NWA. Several platforms (BTE, WrestlePro, Ring Of Honor) benefitted from the All In association and stipulation. Cody is coalescing (and growing) the fractured Indy scene under the NWA umbrella, to a degree. It's crazy stuff, really, that speaks to his promotional genius.
A guy who much like the NWA itself was flattened by the WWE machine, and a flippy flat earther, have somehow conspired to elevate the NWA World Heavyweight Championship once more.