According to the Observer Newsletter, the upcoming Kenny Omega vs. Rich Swann title vs. title match will only be the 2nd time in wrestling history that two world titles from different companies were on the line for a live PPV show in the US.
Would have been the 4th time but two of those matches didn't fit the criteria because of how the matches were handled.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
When AEW champion Kenny Omega faces Impact champion Rich Swann in a match with both championships at stake, it will only be the second time on U.S. live PPV that a match with the world champions of two different companies facing off with both belts at stake.
But from an historical standpoint, a similar dynamic drew some of the biggest crowds and were among the most famous matches in history.
The first and only time such a match happened on a live U.S. PPV was on the Superclash III PPV show on December 13, 1989, before just under 2,000 fans in Chicago. Jerry Lawler, the AWA champion, and Kerry Von Erich, the World Class champion wrestled to determine the Unified world champion. Unified being a funny word since the WWF and NWA championships existed on larger television platforms. Lawler won the match via blood stoppage, the unify what could be called the No. 3 and No. 4 world titles in the U.S. market. However, both organizations no longer existed just a few years later.
It’s unlikely, given the ownership of AEW and its television deal, and the ownership of Impact, which outright bought a television station to get them back on the air in a substantial number of homes, the latter part of the pattern will continue.
There were also two matches on WCW PPV shows in 1991 involving Ric Flair and Tatsumi Fujinami, where the IWGP, NWA and WCW belts were all at stake. But the first match was on a taped PPV from Japan, and the rematch was only billed as for the WCW title on the U.S. broadcast.
|