Tag: NWA Crockett Cup 2022

The NWA returns to pay-per-view Saturday for the first of two straight nights of Crockett Cup action.

The annual tag team tournament dates back decades and was revived by Billy Corgan over the last few years. Last year’s tournament was won by The Briscoe Brothers.

24 teams will be involved over the next two days with 16 teams vying to join the eight teams who have already earned a first-round bye.

Some of the more well-known teams include NWA Champion Tyrus & Chris Adonis, Ricky & Kerry Morton, the Hughes twins (sons of D-Von Dudley), Myzteziz Jr. & Octagon Jr, Toxin & Arez, Trevor Murdoch & Mike Knox, NWA Tag Team Champions La Rebelion, and more.

In addition to the first few rounds of the tournament, the evening will feature NWA National Champion EC3 defending against the “Thrillbilly” Silas Mason, and an eight-woman Hardcore Team War tag team match.

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Pre-Show:

They got straight into the action, but said that “they got some matches out of the way before they went live.” If you wanted to find those result, you had to go to Twitter.

• Judais & Max the Impaler (w/ Father James Mitchell) defeated The NOW (Hale Collins & Vik Dalishus) in an NWA Crockett Cup first round match

• Magnum Muscle (Dak Draper & Mims) defeated The Spectaculars (Brady Pierce & Rush Freeman) (w/ Rolando Freeman) in an NWA Crockett Cup first round match

• Control Your Narrative (Flip Gordon & Fodder) defeated Sent2Slaughter (Dan Maff & Shawn Donovan) in an NWA Crockett Cup first round match

Donovan and Fodder started and Control Your Narrative took the early advantage. They even took a break long enough to each get a kiss from Angelina Love who was ringside. Maff finally got his tag and they worked on Fodder. After some work by Maff, Gordon hit a Samoan drop and moonsault onto Donovan for the win. They move on to face the NWA Tag Team Champions and the no. 1 seeds, La Rebelion.

SVGS (Jax Dane & Blake “Bulletproof” Troop) (w/ Chris Silvio, Esq.) defeated TNT (Terrence Hughes & Terrell Hughes) in an NWA Crockett Cup first round match

Terrell Hughes started with Troop. They went back and forth a little bit and when Terrence went for a secret tag, the referee didn’t call it until TNT was hitting their double-team Pele kick. Jax Dane got his own tag and went to work on Terrence and even got a little help on the outside from Silvio. Terrell got the hot tag so SVGS tried to even the odds but it did not work. 

There was a weird spot where Silvio distracted the ref from seeing a tag by TNT so the illegal man on TNT got caught in a figure-four leglock, courtesy of Troop so he tapped out. SVGS moves on to face the 4th-seeded, Jinetes del Aire.

The Outrunners (Turbo Floyd & Truth Magnum) defeated Daisy Kill and Talos; The Miserably Faithful (Sal the Pal & Gaagz the Gymp) and Eric Jackson and Jeremiah Plunkett (w/ Danny Dealz) in a four-way elimination match for the 24th seed in the NWA Crockett Cup

They didn’t even show this whole match, just a little highlight reel, because it took place before the pre-show went live. The Miserably Faithful went out first, then Jackson and Plunkett, and last were Daisy Kill and Talos.

The Brothers of Funstruction (Yabo the Clown & Ruffo the Clown) defeated The Fixers (Jay Bradley & Wrecking Ball Legursky) in an NWA Crockett Cup first round match

The Fixers looked really tough, but they’re against two clowns, so it only worked so much. The Fixers attacked both clowns right as the bell rang they dominated this entire match. Ruffo made his way into the match after Yabo was getting destroyed. He got one clothesline in, but that was it. 

Jay Bradley went for a moonsault but he came down wrong on his knee and he had to roll out. Wrecking Ball came in to finish the job but Ruffo went to the top and stopped the firemen’s carry slam and rolled up Wrecking Ball. He’s so big his shoulders never even really touched the floor, but he got the three count. Not sure what the deal is with that. The Brothers of Funstruction move on to face #5 A Cut Above.

Los Vipers (Arez & Toxin) defeated The Heatseekers (Elliott Russell & Matt Sigmon) in an NWA Crockett Cup first round match

This one is a little interesting since Arez usually teams with Komander in AAA, but he’s with Toxin for this tournament. Both teams went back and forth with their own double-team moves. Toxin got a hot tag and did a cool spot where Sigmon lifted him up and he hit a dropkick onto Russell but Toxin fell right on his head. They both then took out each member and Arez hit the double stomp and northern lights suplex onto Matt Sigmon for the win. Los Vipers move onto the next round where they will face the 6th-seeded Mortons, Ricky and Kerry. 

After the match, they showed some highlights from the matches that took place before the pre-show. It was a quick match between Judais and Max the Impaler. They move on to face #2, Tyrus and Chris Adonis.

The War Gods (Kratos & Odinson) defeated Brian Brock & “Magic” Jake Dumas (with Christi Jaynes) in an NWA Crockett Cup first round match

I can’t help but think about the famous God of War series on PlayStation when I see The War Gods. They each got a spray of their Chrome Spray that was supposed to get them locked in and they started.

Dumas started trying a magic trick but Odinson was not impressed. Brock and Dumas eventually fought back against Kratos, but Dumas was on the ring apron showing off when Brock threw Kratos into him on the apron. They got the timing wrong though and he was standing there for ages. Off the mistake though, Kratos hit his finishing move and Odinson tackled Dumas like he was playing football. Kratos pinned Brock for the win. They move on to face the #7 seeded Country Gentlemen. 

After the match, they showed Magnum Muscle’s post-match interview after beating The Spectaculars before the pre-show.

The Outrunners (Turbo Floyd & Truth Magnum) defeated Idolmania Sports Management (Cyon & Jordan Clearwater) (w/ Austin Idol) in an NWA Crockett Cup first round match

The Outrunners got into this match by winning the play-In match that took place before the show. If they want to win this tournament they have to win five matches over 2 days.

This match started as just a flexing contest between the two. Just flexing all over the arena. They finally got to the action which Cyon dominated. Both of ISM worked over Truth Magnum. Floyd pulled the legs of his own teammate to avoid Clearwater and the Outrunners turned it around. Clearwater was able to fight back a bit and counter an elbow, a knee, and a frog splash, moving out of the way of all of them. When Clearwater went for the tag, a masked man ran out and pulled Cyon off the apron. The Outrunners got Clearwater up for the finish and got the upset.

The mystery man kept attacking Cyon. He was doing it in a black Cyon mask. Austin Idol just kinda sat there confused while the mystery man walked away. Idol then looked at his son Cyon and walked away himself. The crowd started chanting Austin Idol’s name and Tim Storm said they were, “stunned.”

Main Card:

Blunt Force Trauma (Carnage & Damage) (w/ Aron Stevens) defeated The Outrunners (Turbo Floyd & Truth Magnum) in an NWA Crockett Cup second round match

I guess to add insult to injury, The Outrunners are fighting their third match of the night and second match in a row. BFT dominated Magnum in the early going, but when Carnage went for something extra, Floyd got the hot tag and the Outrunners took out both of BFT. Carnage and Damage got the advantage back with a couple of dropkicks and they hit the double flat liner onto Floyd for the win. 

The War Gods (Kratos & Odinson) defeated NWA United States Tag Team Champions The Country Gentlemen (AJ Cazana & Anthony Andrews) in an NWA Crockett Cup second round match

The Country Gentlemen attack the Gods before the bell due to them already having a match tonight. Odinson is able to fight back and get Kratos into the match. He hit Andrews with a big forearm and power slam, but the champions turned it around quickly. The Country Gentlemen showed such great teamwork. Odinson took Cazana by surprise with another football tackle and Kratos came in and hit Andrews with the finish for the surprise win.

Joe Alonzo (w/ Jamie Stanley) defeated Alex Taylor (w/ Danny Dealz) for a spot in night 2’s six-way scramble

They locked up to get going and went back and forth. Alonzo got thrown out and Alex Taylor went for a dive but Stanley interfered. Danny Dealz came with his own interference after Alonzo got the heat back. While Taylor was on the outside, Alonzo distracted the ref so Stanley could drive Taylor into the post. 

Alonzo worked over Taylor’s shoulder and elbow. Taylor got the advantage with a dropkick and a tope. Back in the ring, Alonzo tried to roll him up and when Taylor got out Stanley distracted him again right in front of the referee. Alonzo connected on a superkick and DDT for a near fall. Such a near fall that Alonzo’s music started playing. Soon after, Alonzo locked an armbar onto Taylor and he had to tap. 

After the match, Bobby Fulton came out to the ring and talked up the Crockett Cup and talked about how he won the first tournament and this tournament separates men from boys. The Mortons made their way out during the interview. Kerry Morton put over Fulton and himself.

The Mortons (Ricky Morton & Kerry Morton) defeated Los Vipers (Arez & Toxin) in an NWA Crockett Cup second round match

Kerry and Toxin got the match started and they had a great-looking sequence. The Mortons had the advantage though because Toxin went for an arm drag and didn’t grab his arm. 

After working over Arez a little bit it went back to the great back-and-forth wrestling from the beginning but Kerry was a lot more tough. He hit Arez with a big knee and instead of tagging in Ricky he walks to the outside and grabs his belt and says the champ does whatever he wants. Ricky was able to stop him, but it resulted in a roll-up for a near fall. Kerry hit another knee and grabbed the belt again, but Ricky stopped him again. Ricky went to help Arez up while Kerry distracted the referee, but Ricky went full heel and smacked Arez with the belt for the win.

The Brothers of Funstruction (Yabo the Clown & Ruffo the Clown) defeated A Cut Above (Thom Latimer & Rhett Titus) in an NWA Crockett Cup second round match

Latimer and Titus kinda laughed this one off. You could tell they weren’t taking it seriously. But Yabo was able to lock in a headlock after some catch wrestling. Titus somehow ended up with a big red clown nose which really pissed him off. Ruffo got the tag after Latimer got his own tag, but he just started juggling. 

They started actually wrestling and Latimer hit Ruffo with a dropkick so hard his wig fell off. A Cut Above kept dominating the two clowns. The clown shoes were a big part of this match because all the clowns used were kicks and leg drops. Latimer actually took a lot from the two clowns but he found an opening and hit a moonsault onto both of them. Titus got the tag and when he went for the slam onto Yabo he fell back and got rolled up by Ruffo the Clown for the upset. 

Kamille Interview

After the match, A Cut Above kind of admitted to losing, and when they went for an interview with The Brothers of Funstruction, NWA World Women’s Championship Kamille made her way out and forced them out of the ring. She tried to remind Latimer that this was about tag teams and that he needed to focus on the NWA TV Title and getting the lucky seven. She then put herself over compared to Tyrus. 

She called herself the real main event and the real champion. She then repped Durham with a hand sign and called the crowd lazy for not doing it. Kamille followed with a promo on Natalia Markova who she is facing on Night 2. This really dragged and was out of place on a show with 19 matches to get through.

Jinetes del Aire (Myzteziz Jr. & Octagón Jr.) defeated SVGS (Jax Dane & Blake “Bulletproof” Troop) (w/ Chris Silvio, Esq.) in an NWA Crockett Cup second round match

SVGS attacked Jinetes del Aire right as the bell rang and when they went back for revenge, SVGS rolled out. They kept the advantage throughout the early going. Myzteziz Jr. got the hot tag and you could tell Troop was really gassed or something was bothering him. Octagon set him up in the corner and hit a slingshot moonsault but the pin was broken up. Troop then locked in a really ugly figure-four that was broken up by a Myzteziz frog splash. Octagon just pinned Troop and got the win. They move on to the Quarterfinals where they will be against The Brothers of Funstruction.

Ruthie Jay, Samantha Starr & M95 (Madi Wrenkowski and Missa Kate) (w/ Baby Doll) defeated Pretty Empowered (Ella Envy, Kenzie Paige, Kylie Paige & Roxy) in a Hardcore Team War match

Ruthie Jay, Starr, and M95 came out with different weapons like a chain, can of gas, cookie sheet, and 2×4 piece of wood. Ruthie Jay is replacing La Rosa Negra who was supposed to be in tonight’s match but there was a car crash apparently. Pretty Empowered came out with their own weapons that included, batons, chairs, and a pink hockey stick. 

Apparently, this is an elimination match where you can get pinned, submitted, or thrown over the top rope. Missa Kate and Roxy started the match. The only way other people can come in is if someone is eliminated, but Ella Envy interfered leading to Roxy pinning Kate and eliminating her. Madi Wrenkowski came in for the babyface team. Pretty Empowered kept dragging out the opposing team and destroying them with weapons. But Madi came back in and hit Roxy with the reality check stomp for the elimination. 

Kylie Paige came in for Pretty Empowered and hit Wrenkowski with the hockey stick but Wrenkowski fought back with a cookie sheet. Paige locked in a cross-face, but Wrenkowski grabbed the hockey stick and locked in her own cross-face with the stick for the tap. Kenzie Paige ran in quickly with her own cookie sheet and pinned Wrenkowski immediately. Ruthie Jay came in and had a great sequence with Kenzie but some powder from the outside helped Kenzie get the roll-up. Kenzie went to celebrate but Starr immediately came in and threw her over the top rope.

Ella Envy came into the ring with some trash can lids and went to work on Starr. They wrestled quite a bit to end this match with the one on one. They went back and forth and even fought on the outside by going through the middle rope. Baby Doll even helped and gave Starr a coal miners glove made famous by Jake Roberts. She used the glove to club Envy in the face and win the match.

Mike Knox & Trevor Murdoch defeated Magnum Muscle (Dak Draper & Mims) in an NWA Crockett Cup second round match

Knox and Murdoch went straight on the attack before the bell. Maybe about the 100th time, somebody has done that just tonight. Draper and Knox started the match when it actually got started, but they turned it around quickly. It actually went back and forth a little bit, but Knox and Murdoch were in control for most of it. It was really unbelievable how much they dominated. Probably the most out of anyone on the show. They went high and low on Mims and got the easy pin. They move on to the Quarterfinals to face The Mortons.

The Midnight Riders (Tyrus & Chris Adonis) defeated Judais & Max the Impaler (w/ Father James Mitchell) by DQ in an NWA Crockett Cup second round match

This match did feel a little bit bigger than the rest just because of the NWA World Title and the sheer size of everyone in the match. It was somewhat of a standoff in the early going, but it was fun. They put Max the Impaler over by having them faceoff with Tyrus and having him run away to tag out.

Adonis was able to get some offense in, but Judais and Max cut off the ring. Throughout the night, the camera work and commentary have been less than great I would say. It’s like watching Roman Reigns’ reaction to AJ Styles in 2016 at the Royal Rumble, but like all night. They really worked over Adonis; it almost lasted 10 minutes. 

Tyrus finally got the hot tag and tackled Judais but for some reason, kissed Max the Impaler. This really pissed them off and they ran into the ring, but when the referee tried to stop Max, the ref got shoved out of the ring. It took a really long time, but he called for the DQ. The Midnight Riders advanced by default and they will face off against The War Gods.

EC3 defeated “Thrillbilly” Silas Mason (with Pollo Del Mar) to retain the NWA National Heavyweight Championship

Davy Crockett replaced Velvet Sky on commentary for the last two matches. 

They tied up early and Mason locked in a Kimura. EC3 got the ropes and was able to reset. They got back to it and when Mason went for a dropkick he almost missed and jumped right over top of him but EC3 rolled out and tricked Mason to get the upper hand. He also used Pollo Del Mar on the outside as a human shield and connected with Mason on a backdrop onto this cement where there is no padding. 

EC3 worked back in the ring and worked on Mason with a knee. It was dominance by the champ. He rolled the outside and even yelled at Del Mar which was enough distraction for Mason to hit a sidewalk slam onto the ring apron. He made his comeback in the ring with chops and spears but EC3 drove Mason’s head into the apron which brought on a near fall. After another near fall, EC3 went to grab the belt and leave but he got back in the ring. Pollo Del Mar tried to stop him but Mason went for a forearm and hit Del Mar off the apron. After hitting his own valet, he gets rolled up by the champion to retain his title. After the match, Silas Mason was leaving and stepped over Pollo Del Mar.

NWA Tag Team Champions La Rebelión (Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf) defeated Control Your Narrative (Flip Gordon & Fodder) in an NWA Crockett Cup second round match

Before the match began, the commentary team hinted at Fodder not being medically cleared. Kyle Davis came to the ring and reiterated this point, but Mecha Wolf grabbed the mic and made fun of Fodder for having to miss the match. Instead of being named the winners due to forfeit, the bell rang and they were going to count out Control Your Narrative but Flip Gordon came out to stop the count. This was a call back to last year’s Crockett Cup when La Rebelion had a handicap match.

They actually started the match as a handicap match and Flip Gordon got the early advantage by throwing both members out of the ring. But they turned a DDT into an assisted suplex. They continued to dominate Flip Gordon as you would expect. Gordon was able to counter a few things but it was really just a spot show. He then hit a dropkick and springboard cutter to get going, but right as he started getting hot again, they shut him down. La Rebelion went up to the top for a double superplex that Flip was able to fight off for a second, but they did it.

This is when Fodder came out selling his leg with Angelina Love. As he got the tag, Love gave him a kendo stick and he used it on Bestia 666. The referee didn’t DQ him and Love actually pulled him out of the ring. Still no DQ. The legendary Vampiro then ran in and attacked both Fodder and Gordon. Still no DQ. Mecha Wolf hit a frog splash onto Gordon and got the pin. They’ll face BFT in the Quarterfinals.

I love the Crockett Cup idea, but 19 matches in one night during a two-night event is too much. The show also lasted just over four hours which is way too long but there were some fun matches sprinkled throughout.

The 2022 Crockett Cup tournament winner will be decided Sunday alongside six title matches as the NWA concludes their second night of pay-per-view action from Nashville, Tennessee.

Night one saw four teams advance to the semifinals as current Tag Team Champions La Rebelion (Mecha Wolf & Bestia 666) face The Commonwealth Connection (Doug Williams & Harry Smith) while ROH Tag Team Champions The Briscoes will face The Cardonas (VSK & Mike Knox).

Six championships will be on the line, headlined by NWA World Champion Matt Cardona defending against former champion Nick Aldis as another former champion in Jeff Jarrett will be special guest referee.

NWA Women’s Champion Kamille will defend against both Kylie Rae and Chelsea Green in a triple threat while Women’s Tag Team Champions The Hex ((Allysin Kay and Marti Belle) will defend against Pretty Empowered (Ella Eny and Kenzie Page).

NWA National Champion Anthony “Crimson” Mayweather defends against rival Jax Dane while longtime TV Champion Tyrus defend against Rodney Mack.

Finally, a new NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion will be determined in a four-way with Austin Aries vs. Homicide vs. Darius Lockhart vs. Colby Corino.

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The Preshow

The Commonwealth Connection joined Kyle Davis at the podium after stopping to look at the Crockett Cup. Doug Williams spoke first, saying that he was a little banged up and sore, but he was ready to make it to the finals with Harry Smith. Smith is new to the NWA, but teaming with Doug Williams was a good start.

Williams also talked about Nick Aldis going for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, and promised that he would be there to back Nick up if shenanigans with The Cardonas go down. Harry Smith indicated that him and Williams were aiming for NWA gold, and they were going to win the Crockett Cup.

Mims defeated AJ Cazana

Solid match to open the preshow tonight. Mims is proving to be on the rise in NWA yet again, and I like seeing him develop. I hope there is gold in his future, as he quite great.

Mims and Cazana exchanged shoulder tackles with neither getting the advantage, but Mims did a drop down to trip him and locked on a headlock. Mims hit him with two clotheslines, but turned it into a Stun Gun when Mims went for another one. Cazana got the heat for the next few moments. Every time Mims tried to get back into it, Cazana had an answer, but Cazana’s mistake was chopping Mims hard. Mims fired up and hit some hard chops that popped the crowd.

Cazana went right for the throat and worked back to a sleeper hold on the mat. Mims got out with a jawbreaker but Cazana fired back with a German suplex for a 2-count. Cazana went for a bearhug, but Mims hit a headbutt and then a corner back splash and a lariat. Mims hit the Big Strong Slam for the 3-count.

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Darius Lockhart was backstage with May Valentine and he talked about how he was going to overcome all his opponents to win the NWA Jr. Heavyweight Championship.

Cyon & The OGK (Mike Bennett & Matt Taven) defeated Team Gold Rush (Jordan Clearwater, Marche Rockett, & BLK Jeez) (w/ Austin Idol) & Magic Jake Dumas & The Fixers (Wrecking Ball & Jay Bradley) in a Team War Match

This was a good match. I love the OGK as a tag team, and Bennett did a good job with his selling to set the stage for Taven to come in at the end and win, even though there were no tags in this match. This was great stuff.

Cyon came face to face with Austin Idol again before the start of this match, implying again tht Idol might be his father. Cyon and BLK Jeez started the match, with Jeez trying to remove the mask of Cyon. Cyon did not take kindly to this, and hit a tilt-a-whirl on Jeez. Jeez used his speed to take the advantage, hitting a dropkick off the top rope before going to the floor and sending Cyon into the guardrail. Cyon then sent Jeez into the front row of chairs, and this broke down fast. Cyon ran up to the stage and then charged full speed into a flying elbow over the guardrail, sending Jeez back 5 rows.

Austin Idol came to the announce desk at that and screamed at Tim Storm that it should have been a DQ. Back in the ring, Jeez did manage to counter Cyon into a flatliner for a 2-count. Cyon dodged a double stomp from Jeez and hit a Death Valley Driver on Jeez for the pinfall. The Fixers and Dumas haven’t gotten into the match yet, but Marche Rockett came in to avenge Jeez. Unfortunately, it did not work and Cyon almost immediately tapped him out with a crossface.

Clearwater rushed in and hit a big boot on Cyon and put his feet on the ropes to cheat and scored the pinfall on Cyon. Clearwater was then attacked by Jake Dumas, but it didn’t work well for Dumas, with the exception of when Dumas put his cigarette into Clearwater’s mouth and superkicked him. He then charged at Clearwater who threw him over the top rope, and thus eliminated him.

Wrecking Ball, powered by sugary cereal, came into the ring and killed Jordan Clearwater with a powerbomb and a Wrecking Ball Splash for the 3-count to eliminate Team Gold Rush. Mike Bennett came in, but Wrecking Ball lived up to his name sake and continued to wreck things. Bennett had no quit though, hitting hard chops and attempting to do submissions, but the power of Wrecking Ball kept him on top of the action.

Bennett hit two superkicks to the face and a third to the knee before hitting a huge running forearm to the face of Wrecking Ball to pin him. Jay Bardley came in and ate Benett’s chops and hit a huge side slam pin Bennett. Matt Taven rushed in and hit Climax on Bradley before hitting a frog splash for the pinfall.

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Jax Dane was with May Valentine, and he reminded us that he still had a title shot promised due to the Champions Series. He also talked about Anthony Mayweather and how he let Dane down. Dane was going to treat him as a stepping stone to climb back up to being the best in pro wrestling.

PJ Hawx defeated Alex Taylor (w/ Captain Yuma)

Because this was on the preshow and relatively short, this will go under the radar, but this was a great match. Alex Taylor is really good and PJ Hawx shows way more poise that he should for someone his age. Excellent match.

Despite their recent issues. Captain Yuma still seems to be supporting all of the Ill Begotten, accompanying Alex Taylor to the ring. Taylor and Hawx engaged in technical wrestling to open the match, with Hawx showing off a little bit of his amateur wrestling background. Yuma came up onto the apron to coach Taylor, but the referee cut him off and Hawx hit a gutwrench suplex on Taylor.

Yuma got back up on the apron again, and as the referee tried to get him down, Taylor was able to use an illegal closed fist to turn it around and lock Hawx in a chinlock. Hawx responded with his good wrestling skills, hitting a beautiful suplex, but missed a superkick. Taylor hit a heel kick and a falcon arrow for a 2-count. Hawx hit a back suplex and then a type of cloverleaf submission for the victory.

Captain Yuma tried to talk to Taylor after the match, but Taylor punched him and then hit a low blow before hitting the Landslide on Yuma and leaving the ring.

Main Show

The show opened with Joe Galli running down the main card, and then moved right into the Crockett Cup.

The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe) defeated The Cardonas (Mike Knox & VSK) in a Crockett Cup Semi-Finals Match

Great match here. The Briscoes are fantastic workers, and it showed here. VSK was in the ring for the majority of the match because there was no way Knox could keep up with Mark or Jay Briscoe. He’d tag in, do a power move, tag out, which was perfect.

VSK and Mark Briscoe started the match fast paced, with Mark Briscoe doing some redneck kung-fu before Jay Briscoe hit a huge running boot on VSK, driving him to the mat. Jay and Mark worked over VSK for a good part of the match, which was wise booking because there was no way Knox could keep up with the pace of the other 3. When VSK pulled the ropes down and sent Mark Briscoe to the floor, Knox came in and they started to get the heat on Jay Briscoe.

Mark Briscoe came in with the hot tag and hit some redneck palm strikes on VSK. VSK shrugged them off and sent Mark towards Knox, but Mark jumped into the air and hit a flying dropkick on Knox before taking out VSK again. VSK hit a ushigoroshi on Mark Briscoe, but Jay got fed up and pulled Knox from the apron, which distracted VSK, and it led to The Briscoes hitting a Doomsday Device on VSK for the pinfall.

The Commonwealth Connection (Doug Williams & Harry Smith) defeated La Rebelion (Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf) in a Crockett Cup Semi-Finals Match

The botch towards the end hurt this match a bit, but honestly, it was a good tag match. La Rebelion are really good, and Smith and Williams are good workers, so this was a mostly good match outside of that one instance. I was worried Williams got rocked, but he was up right way.

Harry Smith slammed Bestia around the ring in the opening segment of the match to the delight of the crowd. Mecha Wolf and Bestia acted as the heels in this match, which makes sense, because there is no way Doug Williams is getting booed on this show. Harry Smith was well liked too, so it was wise to let La Rebelion acts heelish in this match, cutting Smith off and working over his leg with kicks and submissions.

Even with Williams eventually tagging in, La Rebelion stayed on top of the action. La Rebelion missed Mark of the Beast on Williams with a botch. Not sure what happened there, but they recovered fast enough. Harry Smith shoved Mecha Wolf to the floor and Harry Smith hit a huge power slam off the top ropes on Bestia for the pinfall.

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Pope came out to talk with Kyle Davis and called him “Textile Kyle” which I don’t understand, but I accept. Pope talked about his concussion issues brought on by the attack from Mike Knox and Cardona. Pope did promise that he would cash in his title shot from the Champions Series soon enough, and it was going to be at exactly the right time.

Anthony Mayweather defeated Jax Dane to retain the NWA National Championship

I liked the finish of this match a lot. Mayweather sold the knee really well, and Dane played the monster perfectly.

Mayweather went right after Dane, hitting a big splash. Dane was left backing up for the first few minutes of the match, including eating a suicide dive and many other attacks before Dane was finally able to hit an attack on Mayweather’s knee. Dane began to work over the knee and chop Mayweather down, smashing the leg on the apron and hitting chop blocks.

Every time Mayweather tried to mount a comeback, Dane would cut him off with cheap tactics, including sending the ref into the ropes to crotch Mayweather on the top turnbuckle. Dane continued the beatdown as Mayweather’s knee gave out, and Dane started throwing elbows onto the knee, but as he rested on the leg of Mayweather, Mayweather countered into an armbar, MMA style, and tapped Dane out immediately.

Jax Dane was smiling after the match and gave a slight nod before winking at the camera. Dane ran after the people helping Mayweather to the back and attacked him, dragging him back to the ring. Dane pulled a spare turnbuckle out from under the ring and smashed it into Mayweather’s knee before calling Kyle Davis over and cashing in his Champions Series title match.

Jax Dane defeated Anthony Mayweather to win the NWA National Championship

I liked this booking here. Dane proved to be a despicable heel, but it was technically a clean win because the beatdown happened after the match, but was still heelish because of it. This was great.

Dane immediately called for the bell, hit a huge lariat on Mayweather and pinned him to win the NWA National Championship.

The Hex (Allysin Kay & Marti Belle) defeated Kenzie Paige & Ella Envy to retain the NWA World Women’s Tag Team Championship

Not a bad match at all. Marti Belle is quite great at selling, so that is what she has mostly done in her tag team with Allyisn Kay. Kay carried the bulk of the offence while Belle is the one they get the heat on, and it worked perfectly here. Ella Envy is talented and Kenzie Pagie is a future star.

The Hex got the early advantage over Kenzie Paige, but Ella Envy tried to do twin magic with Paige. The problem with this plan is that they look nothing alike, despite similar hairstyles, so Allysin Kay was not tricked and elbowed Kenzie Paige as she tried to sneak back into the ring behind her. She is a smart babyface, and the heels are dumb, though the referee is even dumber because he didn’t notice a difference. I love wrestling tropes.

Paige and Envy were eventually able to get the advantage over Marti Belle by pulling her hair. Paige hit some hard kicks on Belle, and Belle fired back with some hard chops. It seems that NWA has finally learned the winning formula for Hex matches – have Marti Belle sell mostly without offence, and have Allysin Kay handle the bulk of that. Perfect way to maximise the strengths of each member and hide the weaknesses.

Belle ducked a kick from Envy and she accidentally hit Paige. Belle hit a hard forearm and Envy before tagging out to Allysin Kay who came in and destroyed Ella Envy. The Hex hit Hex Marks the Spot and pinned Envy to retain.

**********

A hype video aired recapping the NWa Jr. Heavyweight Tournament, which highlighted all the action leading into the finals.

Homicide defeated Colby Corino (w/ The Fixers), Darius Lockhart, & Austin Aries For the NWA Jr. Heavyweight Championship

This was a great match. Homicide wins as a birthday present, because babyfaces winning in their hometown or on their birthday is always great for the fans. The NWA got this one right. Lockhart and Corino will still be in the picture and hold the title in the future if things go well.

The Fixers were sent to the back before the match started. The match started fast with Aries hitting a dive to the floor on Lockhart. Homicide was going to do a suicide dive on Aries, but Corino hit a spear, then Lockhart hit a missile dropkick on Corino. Lockhart countered a tilt-a-whirl slam form Corino into a splash for a 2-count. Corino hit an Olympic Slam on Lockhart, but Lockhart hit a lariat turning Corino inside out.

Homcide and Aries isolated both younger men in opposite corners and decided to have a chop battle. Homicide won when he bit Corino and Aries yelled “I’m a vegan!” and refused to bite Lockhart. That was funny. Corino put a Lockhart in a sharpshooter while Aries put Homicide in a Last Chancery, but Lockhart and Homicide made the ropes.

Lockhart hit a flip over face crusher on Corino, but Aries broke up the pinfall. Aries hit a huge rolling forearm on Lockhart before hitting his corner dropkick and a brainbuster, but Homicide broke it up. Homicide hit a Koji Cutter on Aries before hitting the Cop Killa on Corino for the pinfall.

**********

Trevor Murdoch came out to be interviewed by Kyle Davis and talked about how he was sitting home in concussion protocol, and while he was originally okay with Nick Aldis getting the title shot. However, it only took Aldis a minute, while blood was leaking out of his head, that Aldis tried to step over him to get a title shot, and that didn’t sit right with him.

Murdoch then turned to Cardona, saying that Cardona has talked a lot about Murdoch and the NWA all over the media about how the NWA sucked and Murdoch was worthless, and he was coming for Cardona. Murdoch was also upset the fans cheered Cardona when he lost, but he was done pulling punches and that whoever won tonight would have to be ready to face him.

This was an excellent promo, and could have been a heel turn or could have been riding that babyface line of righteous anger. I think it was the latter, but this was compelling either way. Murdoch is a really good promo.

Kamille defeated Kylie Rae & Chelsea Green to retain the NWA World Women’s Championship

This was an awesome match. Kamille has improved tremendously over the last year and carried herself very well in this match. Kylie Rae and Chelsea Green are great, and they brought the best out of each other and Kamille in this one. This was probably Kamille’s best match aside from the match with Leyla Hirsch.

Chelsea Green hit some forearms on Kamille and sent her to the floor. Rae hit some armdrags on Green, quietly told Kamille to stay on the floor. Kamile did not listen and came in and hit a side walk slam on Rae for a 2-count. Green tried to steal a pin after a gutwrench suplex, but Kamille dumped her to the floor.

Kamille missed a corner charge, and Kylie Rae hit several stomps in the corner then said “She’s strong!” to the audience before trying to Irish whip her. Kamille floated over the top rope and then popped back in and took Rae out with a big boot. Kamille is really getting good at this. Kamille and Green seemed to see Rae as the weak link, with Green constantly trying to pin her.

Green hit double elbows on Kamille and Rae and continued to try and go after Kamille while hitting the occasional move on Rae to keep her away. Green it a curb stomp onto the bottom turnbuckle on Kamille, but she kicked out. Rae did a headscissors into a crossface on Green, but saw Kamille coming, hit a drop toe hold on her, and locked a crossface on both women, who managed to drag themselves to the ropes.

Chelsea Green hit a tower of doom powerbomb on Kamille, who suplexed Rae into the ring. Green covered Rae, but Rae kicked out at two. Kamille and Rae chopped Green at the same time to drop her, and Rae high fived Kamille before super kicking her and saying “Oops!” to a huge pop from the crowd.

Green threw Rae out of the ring, but Kamille hit the Radio Silence on Green to a huge pop. Green grabbed the bottom rope to escape. Kamille hit a torture rack powerbomb on Green but took out the ref when it happened. Rae sent Kamille to the floor and hit the TKO on Green, but Green kicked out at 2. As Rae got up to go after Green again, Kamille ran in and speared Rae for the pinfall.

**********

Austin Idol went to the podium and shared that he discussed with Tyrus before the match that Tyrus was going to be going at this one alone, because he didn’t need Idol to win. Idol proceeded to continue to yell into the mic through Tyrus’ music, which made me laugh.

Tyrus defeated Rodney Mack to retain the NWA Television Championship

Man, this match sucked. What a contrast with the previous match. This was not good at all. Tyrus was in better shape, but that just meant he was just being bad faster.

Tyrus actually looked in slightly better shape than his previous matches, but I’m not optimistic this will be good given history. There’s not a lot I can write about this match because it is pretty much exactly what you imagine if you picture it in your mind’s eye. Tyrus did slow, plodding offence, and Rodney Mack did basic brawling.

Tyrus was moving better in this one due to being in better shape, but that just meant he still wasn’t good, just faster. Tyrus tried to climb the top ropes to hit something but only got one foot on the top rope. Mack went onto the middle rope and managed to suplex him in. Mack struggled to roll Tyrus over, and Tyrus struggled to roll with him. He was too close to the ropes, so the ref broke the pinfall. Tyrus stood up and hit a heart punch and pinned Rodney Mack.

**********

Aron Stevens was with May Valentine and talked about how upset he was to not be in the finals of the Crockett Cup. Valentine asked him if he was going to be a singles competitor or a tag team wrestler, and he said he could be whatever he wanted. The only thing he cared about the finals of the Crockett Cup was that he should be in it, and he was going to redefine himself so he would be back to winning again.

The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe) defeated The Commonwealth Connection (Doug Willams & Harry Smith)

This was a fantastic match. The Briscoes looked excellent in this one, as they are still one of the better tag teams in the world today. Williams and Smith did a great job despite their first time teaming. This was an excellent tournament, and the Briscoes finally won the NWA Crockett Cup.

David Crockett joined the commentary team for this match with Pope and Joe Galli, and Crockett actually offered insight into the two teams, saying they were both very different, with Doug Williams having the most experience, but the Briscoes having the most experience as a team and working a very different style.

Mark Briscoe and Doug Williams started the match with Mark Briscoe showing a surprising technical ability, but it wasn’t long before the Briscoes used their speed and synergy as a team to drop and isolate Williams in their corner. Smith tagged in and threw the Briscoes around for a bit, to the delight of David Crockett. Jay Briscoe hit a big boot on Smith, but Smith fire back with a Saito Suplex on Jay Briscoe.

Willaims came in and they began to ground Jay Briscoe in their corner with Smith focusing on strikes and power moves while Williams hit punishing suplexes and forearms. Smith headbutt Briscoe until he couldn’t get up and stomped the midsection. Briscoe showed toughness and hit a huge dropkick on Williams before tagging out. Mark Briscoe came in and hit chops, strikes, and a dropkick the floor on Smith.

Jay Briscoe and Doug Williams brawled on the outside as Harry Smith hit a huge superplex on Mark Briscoe. Williams came in and hit a Tiger Driver on Mark Briscoe for a 2-count. Jay Briscoe took out Williams with a big boot, and Smith took out Jay with a forearm. Mark leveled Smith and all 4 men were down.

Doug Williams and Mark Briscoe exchanged hard forearms in the middle of the ring. Jay Briscoe hit a Death Valley Driver on Williams and Mark Briscoe flew in with a Froggy Bow for a 2-count. Jay went for the Jay Driller, but Williams went behind and Smith hit a big boot that drove Jay Briscoe into a German suplex from Williams for a 2-count. The Briscoes quickly dumbed Smith from the ring and Jay Briscoe hit Williams with the Jay Driller, and Mark Briscoe hit the Froggy Bow for the pinfall.

A hype video aired for Matt Cardona and Nick Aldis, which was fantastic.

Matt Cardona defeated Nick Aldis via DQ to retain the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship

Special Guest Referee: Jeff Jarrett

This was a great match until the awful DQ finish. To be honest, in a vacuum, this was a decent heat finish, but we have seen so many Dusty finishes over the years that it leaves a sour taste, especially with how often WWE relies on them. Taking it in context, this was a decent heat finish, but the truth is, fans are going to feel screwed that we didn’t get a decisive winner. I would have preferred Cardona winning after interference to the DQ.

As Kyle Davis introduced Jeff Jarrett, one fan yelled “Let me see that Fargo strut!” which Jeff Jarrett did not comply with. Cardona attacked Aldis before the bell rung, and Jarrett separated them before letting Cardona going back after the bell rang. Aldis hit a Thesz press on Cardona, which made him spill out to the floor. Aldis chopped Cardona in the corner and did 10 punches. Cardona went for a dropkick off the middle rope, but Aldis casually walked away like Samoa Joe would to a big pop from the crowd.

Aldis sent Cardona to the floor again. Cardona went to the announce table and flipped off Tim Storm, which fired Storm up. Cardona grabbed the title and tried to leave. Jarrett said he wasn’t counting him out demanded that Cardona get back in the ring. Tim Storm grabbed Cardona and sent him back into the ring to a massive pop from the crowd.

Aldis rolled him up for a 2-count but Cardona rolled out again when Aldis went for the Kingsland Cloverleaf. Aldis and Cardona brawled into the crowd. Cardona shoved Jarrett when they were on the stage and went for a DDT on Aldis, but Aldis hit a back body drop on Cardona before suplexing him on the stage.

Cardona shoved Aldis into the ring post as they went back towards the ring. Cardona then hit a Russian legsweep into the guardrail to drop Aldis. Cardona shoved Jarrett again in the ring. I worry is match is ending with Jarrett turning on Aldis with the way they are playing this up. I’m feeling TNA nightmares coming back. Cardona hit a DDT on Aldis on the floor, doing exactly what he did to Trevor Murdoch at NWA Power Trip.

Cardona hit a flying forearm for a 2-count on Aldis. Cardona tried to choke out Aldis with his wrist tape, but Jarrett pulled him off. Cardona hit a neckbreaker on Aldis for a 2-count. Cardona continued to be in control with sleeper holds and strikes for the next few minutes. Cardona shoved Jarrett again, but turned around into a forearm from Aldis.

Aldis and Cardona exchanged strikes ending when Aldis hit a clothesline and a Michinoku driver on Cardona for a 2-count. Cardona hit a Code Breaker and then went for a Figure 4, but Aldis reversed and locked on one of his own. Jarrett kicked Cardona’s hand off the ropes, which wasn’t exactly unbiased. Cardona hit the Unprettier on Aldis for a 2-count.

Cardona grabbed the title and went to hit Aldis with it, but Jarrett stopped him, letting Cardona hit a tombstone and a flying elbow on Cardona for a 2-count. Cardona grabbed the title, but Jarrett ripped it away, which gave Cardona a chance to low blow Aldis, hit the Reboot, and then the Radio Silence for a 2-count. Aldis dumped Cardona to the floor when he went for another Reboot and The Cardonas came down to the ring to check on Cardona.

Jeff Jarrett kept them away while The Commonwealth Connection ran out to try and protect Aldis. Harry Smith went Suzuki-gun on Knox and beat him all over the ringside area with hard strikes. In the chaos, Chelsea Green came out and low blowed Jeff Jarrett. Mickie James ran in and took out Green. Nick Aldis powerbombed Cardona and got him to tap out to the Kingsland Cloverleaf, and Jarrett called for the bill. Jarrett thought it was Mickie James that low blowed him, so he DQ’d Aldis and Cardona won by DQ.

Final Thoughts

This was a great professional wrestling show. I want to emphasize that before I highlight the negatives. This was absolutely worth watching if you want good tag team action, and an absolutely fantastic women’s title match. The Jr. Heavyweight match was also excellent. The only match on the card that was terrible was Tyrus and Rodney Mack. Everything else was good to great.

That said, the DQ finish really sucked the excitement out of my living room. I understand what they are trying to do in setting up further stories, but there are ways to extend the feud without the Dusty finish. The Dusty finish is overdone, and while it can be effective when its done right, if done too often it creates the wrong kind of heat.

This is the second PPV in a year that ended that way, which is not very often, but it is nonetheless often enough for me to remember it. The last time was Aldis vs. Murdoch in their first match, and ultimately paid off with Murdoch winning the Title at the Chase Ballroom. Because that one worked out, I am going to do my best to withhold judgement here and trust that they have a plan in mind, but I do not like Dusty finishes.

Otherwise, this show was excellent. If you are on the fence about buying NWA All Access because the TV can be hit or miss at times, I would say the PPVs alone are worth it. This was a great show with great wrestling. Kamille, especially, has improved so much. She is becoming a great wrestler, and it’s really cool to see her starting to put it all together. Kylie Rae is due for a title run eventually, and Chelsea Green will likely have one too down the line, but Kamille has been a fantastic champion.

So, if you are asking “Should I watch this show?” I suggest you absolutely should. It was an excellent night of professional wrestling.