Tag: nwa power

NWA Power opened this week with World Champion Trevor Murdoch being interviewed in the back by May Valentine. He was asked how he feels about Mike Knox being in the promotion and Murdoch responded that since Knox has been here, he’s caused nothing but carnage. Murdoch was asked how he feels about Matt Cardona being in the NWA. He responded by saying that Cardona seems to enjoy showing up in promotions randomly and putting himself on top. He said Cardona was waiting for him, but wants him to come at him face-to-face. 

Joe Gallie, Tim Storm and Velvet Sky were on commentary. 

Thom Latimer promo

Kyle Davis was there to interview Latimer, Kamille and Chris Adonis from Strictly Business. Latimer grabbed the microphone and trash talked Nick Aldis. He said things between he and Aldis will never be over until he reads Aldis’ name in the obituaries. Neither Adonis or Kamille had anything to say apparently. 

Judais and Father James Mitchell promo

Kyle Davis interviewed Judais and Mitchell. Mitchell said there is a conspiracy in the NWA against Judais, that the referee at Hard Times 2 should have disqualified Adonis in their match, and that the Masterlock is an illegal chokehold.

Sal Rinauro then came out from the back with a crazed look on his face. He said that Mitchell is his light and asked if he could join them. Mitchell didn’t seem to be into this idea and the rejection caused Rinauro to go into a bit of a panic. Danny Deals then came out and tried to calm Rinauro down as the camera cut away. 

Aron Stevens & Kratos defeated The Dirty Sexy Boys (JTG & Dirty Dango)

Stevens has been undergoing a more aggressive personality change as of late which his partner, Kratos, seems to be pleased with. That story would play out here. This was also the in-ring debut for JTG and Dirty Dango after they came out together as a team at Hard Times 2. 

After Dango and JTG got in the early offense, Stevens and Kratos ended up isolating Dango with quick tags. Dango then made a hot tag to JTG who got a two count on Kratos with a side slam. Shortly after, Stevens grabbed the microphone and complained that his opponents had no respect for the rules, although it was not clear what rules he felt they had broken.

Stevens then left the ring area and stayed by the interview podium section. Meanwhile, in the ring, Kratos hit a deadlift suplex on JTG and got the pin. After the match, Stevens got on the mic and said that he has been set free and has never been better. Stevens then told everyone to appreciate Kratos. 

Considering it was their debut, I’m a little surprised they had JTG and Dango beaten so cleanly and with one member of the opposing team having left the ring area. They seem to be building Stevens and Kratos up for another run at the tag titles now that Stevens has adopted this new aggressive attitude. 

Valentine interviewed Kratos in the back and asked him what has been going on with Stevens. Kratos said that he pushed to bring the animal out of Stevens and he likes what he has been seeing from him. Winning is what matters to Kratos and he said that he and Stevens are coming for the belts. Stevens then walked in front of the camera, gave a weird little look, and then walked away again. 

Sal Rinauro performs a loyalty test for Father James Mitchell

Since Rinauro wants to join Mitchell and Judais, Mitchell had him perform a loyalty test. He was in the ring with Judais and Mitchell gave orders from the commentary position. Mitchell told Rinauro to bark like a dog and then bow down and kiss the boots of Judais. He did all of these things in order to prove his loyalty. 

Mitchell then told him to allow Judais to chokeslam him and Rinauro obliged. Then the final test was for Rinauro to consume a glass of blood. He did and then sat with a crazed look on his face as the blood dripped down his torso which created an interesting visual.

It looks like we’re getting a new and darker version of Rinauro in the future as Mitchell seems to be building a creepy little stable as well.

Melina promo

Valentine interviewed Melina in the back and asked about her loss at Hard Times 2. She said that just because she lost, it doesn’t mean it’s the end of her going for the title. She admires Kamille, but is motivated to figure out how to beat her. She continued to say she’s going to keep striving to win “The Burke.” Valentine pointed out that she’s no longer in line for a shot at Kamille’s title, but Melina said there are ways for her to get another title shot. She didn’t elaborate on what those ways are, however.  

The End and Jax Dane promo

Kyle Davis tried to interview the End, but Parrow just grabbed the microphone from him. He said he wanted a rematch against Tag Team Champions La Rebellion but apparently the NWA had other ideas. So he went out and found the biggest badass he could to form a trio with he and Odinson: Jax Dane. Dane came out and commented on how he has a title shot owed to him from the Champions Series. 

NWA Women’s Tag Team Champions The Hex (Allysin Kay & Marti Belle) defeated Kiera Hogan & Mickie James to retain

Hogan and James got the early offense by isolating Belle. Kay tagged herself in, but quickly was given a Lou Thesz press and a hurricanrana by James. It was noted on commentary that James is the one calling the shots for her team. When Hogan tagged in, Kay turned the tables by hitting a spinebuster. 

The Hex then isolated and worked on Hogan for a period with double team moves and quick tags. Hogan eventually made the hot tag to James. James went for her DDT finish, but Kay countered. James then tagged out to Hogan and they both went to the top turnbuckle. Kay and Belle knocked them both off the ropes, however. James fell to the floor, leaving Hogan alone with both members of the Hex. They hit Hex Marks the Spot on Hogan for the pin.

The Hex came off as the heels a little bit here and there was a smattering of boos from the live crowd when they won. They didn’t cheat at all and it didn’t feel like the start of a turn, but their double teaming of Hogan came off somewhat heelish and the crowd was clearly behind Hogan and James. The Hex seem like they could hold these titles for a while though and are definitely being built up as a strong team. 

After the match, Latimer and Kamille came out to taunt James.

A bit later, the camera cut back to the ring where James and Hogan were seen arguing. Hogan was upset that James told her to go to the top rope for what ultimately led to the finish of their title match. Hogan then left the ring leaving a sad and disappointed looking James alone. 

Natalia Markova promo

Valentine attempted to ask Markova if she thought it was okay to interfere in the match between Jennacide and Paola Blaze last week. Markova just wanted to congratulate the NWA for signing her, however. She then stormed off when Valentine insisted she answer her question.

Austin Idol, BLK Jeez, Jordan Clearwater, Tyrus Promo and Marshe Rockett promo

Idol presented a name tag for BLK Jeez and announced that he was the new junior executive of Idolmania Sports Management. Jeez said this allows him to sign and scout talent, and announced his first signee to the group: Marshe Rockett. Jeez then promised Cyon that he has something special in store for him next week. 

William Patrick Corgan promo

Kyle Davis interviewed Corgan who said he’s taking heat in the back for bringing in Mike Knox. Corgan talked about Knox injuring Da Pope at Hard Times 2, but stands by his decision to allow him to compete in the NWA.

Matt Cardona and Mike Knox promo

Kyle Davis then interviewed Cardona and Knox. Cardona is doing a disingenuous routine where he is pretending he didn’t have any ill intent coming out at the end of Hard Times 2. He said he was just in the NWA to see “his buddy Trevor.” He talked about how they are old friends, but Murdoch didn’t seem happy to see him recently for some reason. Cardona then called Knox his best friend and that he had to get involved when Da Pope “sneak attacked” him. Cardona said he only picked up the NWA title afterward to see if it really did weigh ten pounds.

Knox said he was supposed to wrestle Da Pope tonight but he’s not there because he’s injured. Instead, Knox issued an open challenge. 

Mike Knox defeated Mims

Knox didn’t expect anyone to answer his open challenge and wanted the referee to just count his non-existent opponent out. Mims then came out to answer the challenge. He trash talked Cardona and Knox and said they disrespected the locker room, the fans, and the NWA. Mims said if Da Pope was there, he would tell him to beat both Cardona and Knox.

Mims got in an early flurry that included a big slam, but Knox quickly turned the tables. Knox worked down Mims for a period until Mims launched a bit of a comeback. As Mims was picking Knox up, Knox raked his eyes and went back on offense. Finally, Knox hit him with a rolling cutter and picked up the win. 

Final Thoughts:

This was a very promo heavy show with many storylines either created or continued. A few of them seem like they could be pretty interesting but the most noteworthy is Cardona and Knox now being the top heels in the promotion. Cardona is coming off like a big deal right now, so building to a match with he and Murdoch feels important. Hogan and James seem like they are going to keep working together, but with Hogan potentially turning heel. That seems like it could be interesting too.

The post-Hard Times 2 edition of NWA Power opened up with footage from the show-closing angle as we saw Matt Cardona’s surprise appearance after NWA World Champion Trevor Murdoch defended against Mike Knox.

Cardona’s distraction allowed Knox to hit a low blow and running boot to the champion. Cardona then held up the 10 pounds of gold briefly before placing it on top of the lifeless Murdoch. 

Joe Galli, Trevor Storm, and Velvet Sky were on commentary.

Colby Corino and The Fixers (Jay Bradley & Wrecking Ball Legursky) defeated Victor Benjamin and OKG (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)

Corino tagged out to Jay Bradley immediately to start the match. He then tagged himself back in after the Fixers had double-teamed Taven for a bit. Taven quickly regained control of the match by dropkicking Corino.

Taven and Bennett worked on Corino for a bit before Legursky made a blind tag. This allowed the Fixers to work Bennett for a period. When Bennett had been beaten up enough, Corino tagged back in. He got a two count after his Colby Crush senton. 

Bennett would later make a hot tag to Benjamin who delivered strikes and a suplex to Corino until the Fixers came in to rescue their teammate. They delivered a double power bomb to Benjamin before OKG came in and took them out. This left Benjamin and Corino alone in the ring together. Corino stomped on Benjamin’s foot before landing his Sunsetter finish for the win.

After defeating Doug Williams at Hard Times 2, that’s two big wins in a row for Corino. It definitely feels as though the NWA is getting behind him. 

Strictly Business promo

Thom Latimer said that while he lost the match to Nick Aldis at Hard Times 2, it was Aldis who was wincing in agony and pain after. He said he’s now in Aldis’ head. NWA Women’s Champion Kamille complained about Melina’s tactics at Hard Times 2, specifically her biting her ear. Chris Adonis then talked about being the most active and greatest NWA National Champion of all time.

Jax Dane promo

Kyle Davis asked Dane about his loss to Mims on the pay-per-view. Dane complained about Anthony Mayweather distracting him at ringside. Dane then said he’s been granted a rematch against Mims, but he will have to put his Champions Series title shot on the line to do so.

Thom Latimer defeated Miguel Robles

Latimer went for the piledriver early when Miguel Robles countered into the same pinning combination Aldis used to beat him at Hard Times 2. This set Latimer off and he was really aggressive afterward. Latimer then hit a bunch of suplexes, other moves, and then his piledriver for the win.

Jennacide defeated Paola Blaze

These two were teammates in the fatal four-way tag team title match at Hard Times 2. Their manager Taryn Terrell was at ringside. Blaze evidently felt it wasn’t a good idea for Jennacide to cash in her Champions Series title shot at Hard Times 2. She wanted to wait for a different opportunity which is what led to this match. 

Blaze offered a handshake to start the match, but Jennacide clamped down hard on her hand and then delivered a couple of knees to her opponent’s midsection. She then pretty much dominated the rest of the way.

Terrell kept saying “we can use her” to Jennacide which I guess was in reference to Blaze. Jennacide hit a chokeslam and appeared to have the match won when Natalia Markova came out of nowhere and distracted the referee. Blaze then rolled up her opponent and got a two count. Jennacide then hit a big side slam for the victory. 

Jennacide is being built up strong. It seems likely she’ll be turning on Terrell pretty soon. 

The Hex, Homicide and La Rebellion promo

May Valentine was standing alongside Women’s Tag Team Champions The Hex, Homicide, and Tag Team Champions La Rebellion. Homicide said he plans on winning the Junior Heavyweight title. La Rebellion said they feel great because they had one of the best matches of the night and retained. Allysin Kay then made several puns on The Hex name. She used the term “Hex-ellent” and said at Hard Times 2, they had to defend the titles against three other teams which was a little “Hex-essive”. Marti Belle said they were fighting champions. 

Tyrus, Austin Idol, Jordan Clearwater and BLK Jeez promo

TV Champion Tyrus talked a lot of trash about having defeated Cyon at Hard Times 2. Davis then told Tyrus that Cyon wanted a little bit of his time. The masked man came out and thanked Tyrus for allowing him to learn something about himself. 

Cyon then casually mentioned he is the son of a former NWA Champion, which drew a confused look from Idol. He said that his father never taught him lessons growing up and so instead, he sought them out by challenging guys like Tyrus. Cyon then asked for a rematch and Idol and Tyrus said they would get back to him. 

So, Cyon is the son of an NWA champion. The mystery deepens. Who is this masked man?

Nick Aldis, Mickie James and Doug Williams promo

Davis interviewed Mickie James and Aldis next. James thanked Kiera Hogan for her match at Hard Times 2 and everyone for being so supportive. 

Aldis then talked about wanting to conquer the tag team division in the NWA. He said he wants to reunite British Invasion to take on the great tag teams in the promotion. James unveiled a British Invasion jacket and Aldis brought out Doug Williams. Williams then accepted Aldis’ invitation to reform their former team. 

And with that, British Invasion will be entering the tag team division and perhaps, we’ll even see them compete in the Crockett Cup in 2022. This seems like a good way to keep Aldis in a prominent position and away from the NWA World title for a bit longer. 

Jax Dane defeated Mims

Anthony Mayweather was on commentary. Dane immediately turned his attention to Mayweather, showing he learned absolutely nothing from what happened on Saturday. This match then started off as pretty much the same match from the PPV. Dane got in all the offense, but kept being distracted with Mayweather. Mims started to make a comeback, but Dane raked the eyes and eventually hit his Pop the Trunk clothesline for the win. 

JTG & Dirty Dango interrupt Hawx Aerie

PJ and Luke Hawx were being interviewed in the back when JTG and Dirty Dango interrupted. JTG said they should be the ones facing British Invasion tonight. Luke said they should watch their match tonight and if they still want a piece after, they know where to find them. 

Trevor Murdoch promo

Murdoch complained that after every win, somebody always hits him from behind. He said if Matt Cardona wants a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, he should come to him directly. This brought out Aron Stevens for some reason. 

Stevens congratulated Murdoch on being a champion Harley Race would be proud of. He again reassured the crowd that he’s “never been better” and that his partner Kratos had helped him see the light. Stevens then just left. Evidently, that was all he wanted to say.

British Invasion (Nick Aldis & Doug Williams) defeated Hawx Aerie (PJ & Luke Hawx)

PJ and Williams started this match off with some technical grappling. Aldis and Luke then sped up the pace when they both entered. PJ tagged in shortly after, but British Invasion ended up isolating him for a period. 

PJ managed to suplex Williams and then tag out to his father. Luke came in and hit a series of moves on Aldis capped off by a spinning heel kick. Alids then tagged out to Williams and British Invasion hit a double neckbreaker on Luke for the near fall. They continued to work on Luke for a period until Aldis and PJ Hawx both ended up fighting on the outside. As that was happening, Williams hit Chaos Theory on Luke for the win.

An Update On Da Pope

Before the show ended, Joe Galli gave an update on Da Pope. He said Pope is recovering from a concussion and won’t be cleared for a few weeks. Galli then sent it to footage of Cardona throwing Pope into the steel steps at Hard Times 2. Although they didn’t actually show the moment when Pope hit the steel steps, they just showed a still shot followed by footage of the aftermath. 

Final Thoughts:

Overall, this was a fun show. I expected a Cardona and Murdoch segment here, but instead we got Aron Stevens interrupting Murdoch’s promo instead. So, it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting Cardona vs. Murdoch right away. Stevens appears to be going back to a type of character he portrayed pre-NWA as well.

The British Invasion reuniting should put emphasis on the tag team division as will JTG and Dirty Dango now working as a team. I think we’ll likely see some more new teams to form or debut.

By Ian Carey for F4WOnline.com

William Patrick Corgan joined the commentary team for this week’s episode.

Nick Aldis defeated NWA National Champion Chris Adonis in a non-title match

The advertised match was Adonis vs. Pope, but that wasn’t the match we got. With Adonis already in the ring, Pope cut a promo and said he had received a phone call from someone recently. That person wanted to come to Power to handle some business: some “Strictly Business” as it was. Pope said he was going to step out of the way and allow this person to do just that. Aldis then ran out from the back and hit the ring to take on Adonis.  

Aldis took it to his former stablemate in the early going, backing him up into the corner with strikes. Adonis tried to counter with a poke to the eyes, but even that didn’t slow down Aldis. Aldis hit a Thesz press and looked to go to the top for his big elbow drop but Thom Latimer, who Aldis will face at Hard Times, came out and drew his attention. The distraction allowed Adonis to dropkick his opponent to the floor. 

Adonis then wore Aldis down with some elbows, choking him on the bottom rope followed by a chinlock before Aldis made a comeback. Aldis hit a belly-to-back suplex, a few clotheslines, a Michinoku driver and then his top rope elbow for a near fall. Aldis then turned his attention to Latimer on the outside which allowed Adonis to lock in the Masterlock.

Aldis got out of the hold by backing Adonis into the turnbuckle, but Adonis kicked Aldis in the face and tried to come off the second rope with some sort of diving move but Aldis countered into the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf. Aldis stared at Latimer on the outside while holding on to the submission and Adonis eventually tapped out. 

Aldis then taunted Latimer, who looked like he was going to hit the ring until Kamille came out and stopped him. 

Thom Latimer defeated Jaden Roller

When we got back from commercial break, Corgan was on the microphone and called for Latimer to come back out. Upset with his interference in the previous match, he told him to get in the ring or he was fired. Corgan said he told the back to send someone out for him to face. And with that, we had an impromptu match.

Latimer hit repeated suplexes, bodyslams and a gutbuster on the top rope before taking some time to taunt Corgan for a bit. When he got back in the ring, Roller made a bit of a comeback until Latimer countered a backslide attempt into a piledriver and got the pin with just one finger pressed on his opponent’s chest. 

Tyrus/Cyon segment

Tyrus and Cyon will clash at Hard Times 2 with Tyrus’ NWA World Television title at stake.

When we got back from commercial break, May Valentine appeared to have both at ringside for an interview. It soon became clear that this was not the real Cyon, however. Rather, it was Jordan Clearwater dressed as Cyon. 

Tyrus grabbed the microphone and asked “Cyon” if this was what he really wanted to do with the title opportunity he earned from being on the winning team in the Champions Series. “Cyon” then said he was very sorry for everything he said. In fact, he was 130% sorry for what he said. Valentine then said “Thanks Jordan” to the man dressed as Cyon as the segment came to an end. 

Kenzie Paige defeated Taryn Terrell by countout in a “social distance” match

Before the match could begin, Terrell announced a special stipulation: a “social distance match.” Kenzie Paige and the commentary team seemed very confused by this as nobody aside from Terrell seemed to know what the rules were.

Terrell then tossed a mask at Paige and put one on herself. She then pulled out a tape measure to make sure she and Paige were six feet apart which seems like it would make a wrestling match difficult. 

The two then sort of mimed locking up from and Paige somehow threw Terrell into the corner without actually touching her. Terrell slapped the air which led to Paige pretending as though she was hit in the face. This continued for a few more moves until Terrell pulled out some hand sanitizer and sprayed it in Paige’s face. Paige then charged at Terrell who promptly ran away. 

Terrell got on the microphone to complain that Paige wasn’t following the rules. While this was going on, the ref counted her out.

JTG & Colby Corino defeated The Rude Dudes (El Rudo, Sam Adonis & Jamie Stanley)

JTG got in some early offense, but it became clear early that he and Corino weren’t entirely on the same page. JTG had Stanley up for a slam but Corino, for some reason, grabbed Stanley’s leg from the outside and prevented JTG from hitting the move and tagged himself in. Corino then hit an olympic slam and a flipping standing senton for a two count. El Rudo then made a blind tag and hit a clothesline on Corino, allowing the Rude Dudes to go on offense for a period.  

After Stanley and Rudo worked on Corino for a while, it seemed as though he had an opportunity to tag out to JTG. Corino looked like he was going to tag out but then decided not to and Rudo promptly kicked him in the face. Rudo and Stanley then went right back to working on Corino while making quick tags. Rudo hit a pop-up sit down power bomb for a near fall. 

Finally, JTG made a blind tag and entered the match for the first time since the very early going. He hit a slingblade on Rudo and a neckbreaker on Stanley for a two count. Corino came back in and took Rudo to the outside, leaving JTG alone with Stanley. JTG then hit the Brooklyn’s Edge for the win. So despite Corino not being the best teammate early in the match, he and JTG did manage to pull it all together in the end. 

Corino then badly missed high-fiving JTG in celebration before the show cut to commercial. 

Jax Dane Interview Segment

When we got back from commercial, Dane was standing with Kyle Davis. Dane was on the winning team of the Champions Series, but Davis announced that if Dane was pinned in the main event later, he would lose his opportunity to cash in on a title shot. Dane said this was all a part of the “Corgan conspiracy” against him. On commentary, Corgan said the reason the stipulation was made is that Dane refused to wrestle on a previous episode of Power. 

NWA World Champion Trevor Murdoch amd Crimson defeated Jeremiah Plunkett and Jax Dane

Crimson took it to Plunkett to start the match. He hit a shoulder tackle and a suplex before tagging out to Murdoch. The champ hit a spinebuster, three bodyslams in a row, chopped his opponent in the corner, and then got a near fall off a Russian leg sweep. Finally, Plunkett managed to tag out.

Dane then came in and hit a series of kicks and headbutts on Murdoch in the corner before tagging out pretty quickly again. Dane was clearly avoiding being the legal man so he didn’t get pinned and lose his title shot. 

Plunkett ended up on offense after raking the eyes. Dane then grabbed Crimson’s legs from the outside and rammed him groin first into the steel post. With Crimson down, Dane was willing to tag back in. Crimson ended up fighting back and tossing Dane into the ring post shoulder first three times in a row. Dane then tagged out again the first chance he got, leaving Plunkett frustrated with his partner. 

Dane then just bailed on the match completely and headed to the back. Crimson chased after him and the two brawled through the curtain. This left Murdoch and Plunkett in the ring alone. Murdoch hit a series of strikes and a bodyslam on his opponent before going to the top rope and hitting his bulldog finisher for the win. Murdoch celebrated in the ring as the show came to a close.

Final Thoughts:

The early part of the show really built up the Latimer vs. Aldis match taking place at Hard Times 2 which feels much more important after what took place here.

There wasn’t much talk of the Murdoch vs. Knox title match on the pay-per-view, but Murdoch looked strong in the main event. This was billed as the season six finale so we’ll likely get a special Hard Times preview show next week on FITE. 

NWA Power opened with Joe Galli and Velvet Sky welcoming World Champion Trevor Murdoch to the announce booth for tonight’s episode.

Hawx Aerie (Luke & PJ Hawx) defeated Sal Rinauro & Mims (w/ Danny Deals) in a Tag Team title eliminator tournament semifinal match

Mims used his power advantage over Luke to take control during the first half of the match. Luke gained momentum with a shoulder tackle on Mims which allowed him enough time to tag in PJ. 

PJ and Rinauro both showcased nice technical wrestling, but Rinauro took control by avoiding an armdrag. PJ used his amateur wrestling prowess to gain multiple near falls on Rinauro. Deals distracted the referee twice, which eventually backfired as PJ claimed another near fall on Rinauro.

After tagging in, Luke landed a series of shoulderbreakers into a running slam to regain momentum for the Hawx family. Deals jumped on the apron for a third time which was finally enough for the referee to eject him from ringside. Rinauro blocked an Irish whip which allowed him to tag in Mims and keep the action in their corner. Mims powerslammed PJ followed by Rinauro hitting an assisted leg drop for another two count. 

PJ reversed an Irish whip with a knee to the midsection of Rinauro. Mims hit the ring but was met by a leg lariat taking him out. PJ locked the Hawx Clutch on Rinauro, who tapped out. Luke and PJ Hawx are moving on to the finals of the tournament.

— Kyle Davis interviewed The Pope on a closed set, which he apparently requested. Pope addressed all the speculation about when he would cash in his opportunity for the NWA World title. He stated he has great respect for Murdoch and was one of the first people to congratulate him after he became champion. Pope said he wouldn’t cash in on an unexpecting Murdoch. 

— Chelsea Green, Melina and Kylie Rae were on set with Davis. Green yelled at the crowd, claiming that everyone knows she should be champion. Melina stated she wanted redemption for getting punched in the face. Rae did her typical “I’m just happy to be here” and “all of us are worthy challengers” gimmick. 

NWA World Television Champion Tyrus (w/ Austin Idol) defeated Jordan Clearwater (w/ BLK Jeez)

The bell rang, but both BLK Jeez and Idol stayed in the ring to exchange pleasantries. On commentary, Galli rightfully acknowledged that the two wrestlers are trying to run out the match time clock. Finally, with 3:30 left, Clearwater landed multiple big boots on a distracted Tyrus which resulted in a two count. 

Clearwater put Tyrus in a figure four leg lock, but Tyrus reached the ropes to force a break. Tyrus recovered while Clearwater argued with Idol at ringside. Tyrus then hit his heart punch for the win.

After the match, May Valentine interviewed Tyrus and Idol. She said that was a weird match which Tyrus agreed with. He stated that no other company in the world makes two team members fight each other for championships. Tyrus then called on everyone to celebrate the new NWA champion: his cousin, Trevor Murdoch. A “Trevor” chant began which prompt Tyrus to storm off the set.

— Back at the podium with Davis was Mickie James who was asked about the success of the Empower show. James thanked Billy Corgan and the NWA for allowing her to put on the best pay-per-view of all time. She stated that Empower was just the beginning of the NWA showcasing women talent. Kiera Hogan interrupted and apologized for previously being a hothead.

Hogan asked James why she’s leaving her off the next Empower show which James explained that she is going to have her on the show. Hogan said she came to the NWA to wrestle James and was getting frustrated that she didn’t want to wrestle her. James said this isn’t how matches are made in the NWA and they could talk about this in private. Both were clearly frustrated and stormed off.

— Kamille and Thom Latimer joined Davis at the podium. Latimer explained his relationship with former NWA champion Nick Aldis. He mentioned how Aldis always made more than him per show in the UK and that he was always second to Aldis no matter where he went. He argued that Aldis used him his entire career to further himself. Latimer brought Aldis’ son into it and said he should apologize to him for everything that’s happened recently.

— James Storm came out to the podium. He claimed that pro wrestling has always been a huge part of his life. He made his intentions and no. 1 goal clear: regaining the NWA National Championship.

The End (Parrow & Odinson) defeated Kratos & Aron Stevens in a Tag Team title eliminator tournament semifinal match

The End attacked Kratos and Stevens as they made their way onto the apron. Stevens made it in the ring and the match officially started. Odinson dominated the beginning of the match while commentary pointed out that Stevens doesn’t seem like himself. 

Kratos and Parrow tagged in and both men hit running lariats on each other with Kratos seeming the least phased by this. Kratos landed a big powerslam on Parrow for a near fall.

Parrow went to attack Stevens in the corner which distracted both him and the referee. While the referee got Stevens back on the tag rope, Odinson landed a dropkick to the back of Kratos’ head. Parrow and Odinson continued to use their signature tag team moves on Kratos, resulting in multiple near falls.

Kratos recovered and hit a devastating forearm on Odinson which allowed him to tag in Stevens. As soon as Stevens entered, he missed a swinging lariat which Odinson reversed into a schoolboy for the pinfall to advance.

The End will meet Hawx Aerie in the finals of the tournament with the winners earning a title shot.

As Galli closed the show, Kratos was seen shoving Stevens at ringside.

Final Thoughts:

During the TV championship match, Murdoch claimed the NWA is all about wrestling. I’m not sure what he meant by that because this show was laced with subpar promos and very little wrestling. The few matches we did get were average at best. I’m not sure who the NWA is targeting for their audience. Seasons one and two of Power were great, but I can’t recommend this show to anyone in its current state.

I hate hearing the NWA is for “old school” fans. Each week, I watch a retro Mid-Atlantic show and they are 10x better than what the NWA is currently putting out. I want the NWA to succeed, but it’s a disaster when they put people on the podium who are clearly not comfortable with it. Subpar matches with excessive talking segments make for a dull show on a weekly basis.

This week’s edition of NWA Power opened up with three good promos to open the show, all building future matches.

Kamille opened this week’s show with Kyle Davis and was asked about how Nick Aldis asked Thom Latimer and Chris Adonis to back down from fighting with Tim Storm last week that set up Storm and Aldis teaming against Latimer and Adonis tonight.

Without elaborating further, the NWA Women’s Champion said it was just some business that the men needed to work out. She then called out Melina, saying that she was too old and would never be the champion but they were still going to face off soon.

World Champion Trevor Murdoch then came out and cut a promo on Jax Dane, calling him a coward for trying to cash in his title shot after Murdoch injured his knee in the tag team main event last week. Murdoch said he wouldn’t back down and would fight him if he asks for it.

Pope came out and joined Murdoch at the podium and promised that if he was going to challenge for the World title, he was going to do it the right way and set a date. Pope promised news about what title he was going to challenge for next week. 

Tag Team Champions La Rebelion (Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf) defeated The Ill Begotten (Rush Freeman & Captain Yuma) and Slice Boogie & Marshe Rockett in a three-way, non-title lucha scramble

This match was awesome. It was a total spotfest where all three teams looked fantastic. La Rebelion has done a great job bringing life to the division since they have joined the NWA. If you watch one match from tonight, make it this one.

This was an elimination match where both members of a team must be eliminated to crown a winner. The champions spent the first part of this match in charge, showing why they are the champs. Yuma got a brief advantage, including hitting a dive to the floor, but Bestia 666 got back into the ring, hit a V Trigger-esque knee on Yuma and then a muscle buster to eliminate him.

Boogie came in and hit a slingshot over the top rope into a German suplex in the ring on Wolf. He then hit a Brooklyn’s Edge on Bestia 666 to eliminate him. Wolf came into the ring with a tornado DDT to pin Boogie.

Freeman hit a blue thunder driver on Wolf and Rockett hit a cutter on Freeman to eliminate him, so the match came down to Wolf vs. Rockett. Both men exchanged hard chops that had the crowd cheering loudly for every blow. Rockett missed a cutter and Wolf hit a 450 to score the win.

— Aron Stevens and Kratos were at the podium and Kyle Davis asked why they were still teaming after losing the Tag Team titles. Kratos took the mic and said his answer hasn’t changed from last time because he believes in brotherhood. If Stevens did, no one could stop them. This was an excellent promo from Kratos here.

James Storm defeated Judias (w/ The Sinister Minister)

I said it last week, but Judias is horrible. Everything he does looks bad and he has less than zero charisma. We know absolutely nothing about him, other than the Sinister Minister is with him for some reason. Storm did everything he could with this one.

Davis announced that there must be a winner in this match, but then announced the 15-minute time limit right after which doesn’t make sense. Judias went for a snake eyes, but Storm slipped out and hit a clothesline that sent Judias to the floor. Storm smashed Judias into the ring steps, but got distracted by the Sinister Minister.

Judias hit an ugly armdrag and then a fallaway slam in the ring. Judias fishhooked Storm and hit a clothesline. He called for a power bomb, but Storm slipped out and hit a superkick for the quick pinfall.

— Kylie Rae was with May Valentine and talked about her upcoming match with Lady Frost. Allysin Kay and Marti Belle came out and Kay said that she was going to make Lady Frost pay for interfering in her match last week and that the NWA already approved the match between them. Kylie Rae asked about her match with Lady Frost, so Kay said she might as well get in the ring too. Thus, we have an impromptu triple threat.

Kylie Rae defeated Lady Frost & Allysin Kay in a three-way

This was an excellent little match here as all three women put forth a great effort.

Rae made Kay regret adding her to the match right away with a superkick. Frost hit a corner kick on her and then did a cartwheel off the back of Rae and hit a dropkick. That was awesome. Kay recovered from the superkick and hit a German suplex on Frost that sent her to the floor.

Rae did a headscissors on Kay into a crossface, but Kay fought out, picked up Rae and hit a samoan drop. Frost came back in and went for a moonsault off the top rope, but Rae superkicked Kay who fell into the ropes, knocking Frost from the ropes. Rae locked on the Charity Case for the tapout.

— Davis was trying to interview the last two teams in the tag team tournament, though I am not sure they are the last two as they have called the matches last week the quarterfinals and semifinals both times in the show. They also had La Rebelion cut a promo on the winners last week before the tournament even ended. Not to mention we have never seen brackets, so I honestly have no idea what is going on with this tournament.

Unfortunately, the promo did not clear it up because TV Champion Tyrus and his crew came out and chased them off. Tyrus then cut a promo on the all the liberals in the crowd, saying they should go vape and watch CNN.

He announced that Jordan Clearwater was going to be his next challenger when Clearwater is in his crew. This promo sucked. If Tyrus stuck to the topic instead of talking about politics, it might have been okay, but it’s clear he is not working for the fans. This was absolutely horrible.

Nick Aldis & Tim Storm defeated Thom Latimer & National Champion Chris Adonis

This was a quick tag match, but did the job of furthering the story between Aldis and Strictly Business with a fantastic closing angle.

Aldis started by wrestling Latimer and soon thereafter tagged in Storm. Storm started to get overwhelmed by Adonis and it wasn’t long before they were working over his knee. Velvet Sky called Aldis ‘Magnus’ on commentary which Joe Galli covered for by saying it was because she’s known him for so long.

Storm hit an elbow, a big boot, and a neckbreaker on Adonis before making the tag to Aldis. Aldis tagged in and ran wild, hitting a Thesz press on Latimer. Aldis hit a Michinoku driver on Latimer, but Adonis broke up the pinfall and started yelling at Aldis about what he was doing. Latimer went for a victory roll on Latimer, but Aldis countered it into a pinfall and got the win.

Latimer shook hands with Aldis after the match and then Storm. Adonis came back in the ring and low-blowed Storm and Aldis was asking what was happening. Latimer then low-blowed Aldis. He grabbed a chair and destroyed Storm and Aldis before piledriving Aldis twice in the ring and then once on the chair. The rest of Strictly Business left Aldis laying in the ring.

Mickie James came out and was at her husband’s side as he was stretchered out of the arena as the show went off the air. This was a fantastic angle to close the show and the crowd booed Strictly Business out of the building.

Final Thoughts:

This was an action-packed episode of NWA Power and one of the best ones they have done in a long time. A lot happened on this show — far more than usual.

It featured both great promos and a huge angle to close the show. Everything clicked, barring Judias.

The rest of the show, however, was good. The in-ring action peaked with the lucha scramble, but the rest of the show held pace for the most part. This was a very good episode of NWA Power.

Colby Corino defeated Marche Rockett

Not a bad opening match here with Corino looking good. I really enjoyed it as it was a simple story with the smaller man being the heel, but it actually worked really well.

Tim Storm called technical ability “technology” at the start and I laughed. Rockett was significantly bigger than Corino which played into the overall story of this match as he threw him all over the ring with ease.

Rockett’s knee was in trouble early. Corino hit a chop block and immediately went for a submission, looking to chop down the bigger man. Rockett went for a side kick, but Corino ducked under, rolled him up, and yanked the tights to get the win.

— Jax Dane was with Gary Horne for an online interview. Dane talked about the slapfight with Crimson on the last episode of Power. Dane blamed everything on Crimson regarding their issues, saying that Crimson was not there when he needed him. Even though he couldn’t blame Crimson for anything, he had to do what was best for himself and for his career.

Dane also talked about wanting to challenge Trevor Murdoch for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Dane claimed that Murdoch called him out a few weeks ago in a promo because he mentioned the “biggest and the baddest in the back” which was referring to him. He promised that he was coming for Murdoch and the title. This was really good.

— Women’s Champion Kamille was with Joe Galli and they were talking about her attack on Melina last week on Power. Kamille claimed she didn’t see Melina as a threat, but she attacked her anyway because she was trash talking and she had enough.

Skye Blue defeated Thunderkitty & Tootie Lynn

This was a quick, but quite entertaining little match. Blue and Lynn have good chemistry and I’d love to see them get a good singles match.

Thunderkitty used her 100 years of experience to keep up with Lynn and Blue. Lynn countered her in the corner and hit some kicks before Blue snuck up from behind and rolled Lynn up for a two count, but Thunderkitty broke it up.

Blue threw Thunderkitty from the ring and Lynn and Blue exchanged strike attempts before kicking each other and collapsing at the same time. Thunderkitty threw Lynn from the ring, but Blue rolled her up and scored the pinfall out of nowhere.

— Murdoch was with Horne and they talked about how Nick Aldis was willing to respect Murdoch as Aldis admitted that Murdoch was the better man right now. Murdoch then moved to talking about all the potential challengers he had including Pope. He talked about the slapfight with Crimson and Dane, saying he enjoys watching a good fight, but he ended up face-to-face with Dane. Murdoch put over all his potential challengers and that he was going to give it his all no matter who he faced. This was also great.

Mims defeated BLK Jeez

This match never really got going the way it should have as both men seemed like they couldn’t get on the same page. It was merely fine.

There was a bit of a miscommunication as Mims went for a go over and Jeez went for a dropkick. I think he legitimately ended up kicking Mims low. Mims hit a back elbow and then, there was a botched monkey flip. Mims slammed Jeez and got a two count. Mims kept control with his size, but they never seemed to get completely on the same page before Mims hit the Hookup for the pinfall.

Final Thoughts:

This was a really easy to watch show with some decent wrestling, and some really good promos from Dane and Murdoch. This was a filler episode before the return of NWA Power next week.