On February 25, the wrestling world lost Joseph Hudson, known as Jocephus and The Question Mark in NWA.
NWA President Billy Corgan said at the time that Jocephus passed away due to an undiagnosed medical issue.
Speaking to Steel Chair Magazine ahead of NWA When Our Shadows Fall, Nick Aldis spoke about Jocephus' impact in the NWA and revealed that he passed away due to a congenital heart defect.
“You never really prepare for a situation like that. It’s not something you ever think about when you’re thinking of your career. Will I have to make a tribute show to a friend and a colleague who passed away? So, I think it was important we all got together and did what we thought would be something that reflected how much he meant to the whole team but also to our audience. As far as Aron (Stevens) being in the main event and having a title match, I thought that was the most fitting way to give tribute to Joseph and, in the end, it was a tough moment but also rewarding knowing we had done something for a guy who truly deserved it and passed away under freak circumstances. It was a congenital heart defect just so sad and unfortunate and undetectable or unpredictable. We felt like he deserved to be recognised, and that was the best way we felt we could do it," he said.
NWA paid tribute to Jocephus at NWA Back For The Attack, their first pay-per-view after taking a hiatus due to the pandemic. The show was headlined by Aron Stevens challenging Aldis for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship.
Aldis said about the event, "He really meant a lot to Aron because he had a really bad taste in his mouth for wrestling, but being involved in the NWA and working with Joseph and seeing how much passion Joseph had for what he was doing and helping be a part of that. To take someone like Joseph, who was probably not going to have much conventional success, but Aron got to show a guy like Joseph you can channel your talent and brains and ability into something people will really like. We saw that with the Question Mark, and it’s not easy to get a character like that over. Not to mention, he had a completely different character before that and made it engaging too. It was a testament to his intelligence and creativity. I know it was difficult for Billy. I think that’s one of the reasons he chose not to be there and stayed in Chicago. It would have been very difficult for him to be there when we did all that because he was close with Joseph. It was a tough night, but I’m proud of what we did. I feel we did it the right way. I don’t think we were over the top but tasteful and paid a nice tribute to him.”
Aldis successfully defended the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship against Trevor Murdoch at When Our Shadows Fall, retaining the title by DQ.
If you missed anything from NWA When Our Shadows Fall, check out Fightful's full report on the show by clicking here.
