NWA: The Era of Aldis Begins!
Saturday Night marked the return of the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion to New Jersey. Tim Storm had wrestled in New Jersey earlier in the year when he defeated Rodney Mack to retain his Worlds Heavyweight Championship. However, this return to New Jersey wouldn’t bare the succulent fruit of victory. In hostile territory, Tim Storm was challenged by nearly everyone on the roster.
The first was Matt Tremont. Followed by Ethan Page, then Maxwell Jacob Friedman, and even Austin Idol for some bizarre reason. Yes, that Austin Idol. But it would be Nick Aldis who would get his shot. The match lasted less than four minutes. The Mountain Top that Tim Storm stood came toppling down. And the Aldis Era began. For Nick Aldis, he joins the ranks of Ric Flair, Chris Candido, and Tokyo Monster Kahagas as men who would win the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship in the Garden State.
Congratulations goes out to Aldis, who mirrored the values of the NWA, bet on himself, stepped away from Impact Wrestling and became the Worlds Heavyweight Champion. But Tim Storm is deserving of some credit.
Tim Storm as champion, kept the belt out of obscurity. Having successfully defended that championship nearly 20 times. Storm held off advances from Matt Riviera, Big Daddy Yum Yum, Rodney Mack, former Sumo Wrestler Ryota Hama, and the King Jerry Lawler. At a time when the NWA struggled to stay relevant, the champion defended in Tennessee, New Jersey, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Oregon, Kentucky, California and Tokyo. Tim Storm should be extremely proud of the work he put into the NWA. And if this is it, we thank the champion for carrying the Worlds Heavyweight Championship with the class and dignity it deserved.
With only 20 days left in the New Year, I doubt there will be any more title matches in 2017. But 2018 promises to be a big year for the rebrand. It will mark the 70th Anniversary of the historic brand, plus the promises of a live wrestling show streamed on social media sites. The era of Aldis begins.