“The Natural” Dustin Rhodes was scheduled to face Ricky Steamboat in January 1993 to decide which wrestler would be considered the number one contender to Rick Rude’s United States Championship. However, when Rick Rude failed to defend the title within the allotted time period, WCW stripped the champion of the title. The Rhodes–Steamboat match then became a title match to fill the vacancy. Rhodes won and held the title until May 1993 when he was stripped of the title after a controversial double pin occurred during a match between he and Rick Rude.