Opinion: Why Cody Rhodes is set to make history at All In
On the 21st August, 1979, WWE Hall of Famer, the late Dusty Rhodes won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.
Rhodes would go on to win one of the oldest World Championships in pro-wrestling a further two times in 1981 and 1986.
On the 1st September 2018, his son, Cody Rhodes has the opportunity to do the same thing and make history, as the first father and son to win the same World Championship--with Cody possibly doing so at the All In event in Chicago.
Although the NWA World Title no longer has the allure it possessed back when Dusty Rhodes held it and other legendary names such as Ric Flair and Harley Race reigned as Champion, it would still be a significant historical moment and another feather in the cap for Rhodes's career outside of WWE.
Rhodes departed WWE when the company refused to accede to his request to drop the "Stardust" character he was being forced to play as a tribute of sorts to his brother, Dustin Rhodes's "Goldust" gimmick.
Following Dusty Rhodes's death in June 2015, his son wanted to drop the "Stardust" character and once again use the Rhodes name as a tribute to his late father.
WWE were committed to the comic mid-card "Stardust" character and did not see Rhodes as a main event star in the making. Rhodes disagreed and on May 21, 2016, he announced that he had requested his release from WWE and the company had granted it.
Since then, Rhodes has embarked on an incredibly successful career as an Independent wrestler. Rhodes did the rounds in a number of smaller promotions such as Evolve, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and others, before pitching up at the largest of the American Independents, Ring of Honor.
It was here where Rhodes soon gathered the most mainstream attention when he won the first World Championship of his career, becoming ROH World Champion, defeating Christopher Daniels.
From there, Rhodes' star continued to soar with New Japan Pro Wrestling wherein he was billed as "The American Nightmare". Joining the hit stable, Bullet Club, Rhodes became one of the biggest stars in the promotion along with allies Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks.
When in May 2017, Wrestling Observer journalist, Dave Meltzer remarked that no Independent wrestling show could sell 10,000 tickets, Rhodes decided to take the comment as a challenge and set to work on proving Meltzer wrong.
Rhodes and The Young Bucks against all odds self-funded an event called All In, which sold over 10,000 tickets in less than half an hour.
The All In event will be historic in of itself. When Rhodes lifts the NWA World Championship, which he surely will as a much bigger star than incumbent, Nick Aldis, it will also play host to one of the most historic moments in pro-wrestling history.
Dusty Rhodes will no doubt be looking down from the great beyond at his son holding the belt that made him famous nearly 30 years ago. What a moment it will be.