The feud between the Dream and the Superstar actually started in Eddie Graham’s backyard. In a rare WWWF title defense outside of the territory, Superstar Billy Graham lost to Rhodes via disqualification in front of a sellout crowd in Miami. After that, Superstar and Rhodes took their battles across Florida, wrestling in Jacksonville, Gainesville, and Orlando before taking their talents to New York City and Madison Square Garden. The Florida events were excellent preparation for the MSG match, which sold out, proving to McMahon that his fans were ready for another round. One month later, Superstar Graham and Dusty Rhodes returned to The Garden, where again the Superstar snuck out with the belt.
Rhodes continued to chase the Superstar’s title across the two territories and even had their rivalry spillover across the border when they headlined a show for Maple Leaf Wrestling in Toronto. Overall, Superstar defended the WWWF title against Rhodes eleven times. The match was such an attraction for both WWWF and CWF that even after Graham dropped the belt to Backlund— if you watch the above promo, you can see how Dusty and McMahon are prepping the audience what’s to come— they continued their feud. Finally, the third MSG match between Rhodes and Graham occurs in August of 1978, six months after Graham lost the title. Without the specter of the championship hanging over the match, the Dream finally defeats the Superstar.