Cody Rhodes' 10 Best In-Ring Rivals Post-WWE
5. Nick Aldis
To be perfectly honest, there was no reason for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship match between Cody Rhodes and Nick Aldis at All In to be as good as it was.
After all, neither of them were known for producing instant classics in their respective companies (WWE and TNA) before branching off onto the independent scene in 2016. Cody's rise to super stardom has been well documented, though Aldis should be commended for reinventing himself as well and becoming the crown jewel of the relaunched National Wrestling Alliance promotion.
Cody and Aldis planted the seeds for their one-on-one encounter at the historic All In event months earlier, and to their credit, they did an amazing job of getting fans invested in the outing leading up to it. The story they told with Cody wanting to follow in his father's footsteps by becoming the NWA champion for the first time in his career was simple yet stellar.
Their All In match was way better than most assumed it would be, and aside from the excessive amount of ballyhoo (did Diamond Dallas Page really need to get involved?), it was an unexpected gem. Cody's emotional title win was merely the icing on the cake.
Aldis regained the gold in a rematch at NWA's 70th Anniversary Show two months later, leaving fans eagerly awaiting a rubber match.