This “From the Pages of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter” edition of the DragonKing Karl Classic Wrestling Show is less of an obituary for Jim Wilson, who was a rather minor footnote in wrestling history, and more of an extensive history of Jim Barnett-era pro wrestling.
Wilson, a college football standout in Georgia, became a pro wrestler and claimed to have been considered as a future NWA World champion. However, he also claimed his career was derailed by Barnett with whom he would feud with and battle in court for the rest of his life. He even wrote a book called Chokehold detailing his experiences.
This story touches on tons of history from Australia to Georgia to WCW. This is an incredible history piece from Dave Meltzer of which I also had some personal involvement.
Hear that and more on this week’s DragonKing Karl show.
The upcoming live edition of NWA Power will feature the finals of the Champions Series which gives the winner future title shots at any time and any place.
The Tuesday, January 31st show from Knoxville, Tennessee, will see Team Rock n’ Roll (Taya Valkyrie, Madi Wrenkowski, Jennacide, Kerry Morton, Ricky Morton, Chris Adonis, Mims, Dak Draper, & Alex Taylor Willoughby) take on Team Tyrus (Samantha Starr, Kayla Kassidy, Allysin Kay, Carnage, EC3, Thrillbilly Silas, Trevor Murdoch, Rolando Perez, & BLK Jeez).
Here’s the current lineup for the show:
Champions Series finals: Team Tyrus vs. Team Rock n’ Roll
Nuff Said PPV contract signing between NWA World Champion Tyrus and Matt Cardona
NWA U.S. Tag Team Champions The Fixers defend against A.J. Cazana & Anthony Andrews
Bully Ray vs. Odinson in a no tables match
Psycho Love (Angelina Love & Fodder) vs. NWA Women’s Champion Kamille & Thom Latimer
Aron Stevens and May Valentine get married
NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion Kerry Morton in action
NWA Women’s Tag Team Champions Pretty Empowered in action
A year after they first announced their All Access plan for FITE, the NWA changed course on Tuesday and will be reverting back to the way they used to do business with both their weekly TV shows and pay-per-views.
Starting on Tuesday, their flagship NWA Power weekly TV show will return to debuting on YouTube at 6:05 PM Eastern while there is no change to their NWA USA show that airs on YouTube on Saturdays.
Monthly and annual All Access plans on FITE are no longer available for purchase. In their release, it was stated that the annual plans (sold for $49.99/year) began being phased out last August and that those who still have active annual subscriptions will be able to watch live PPVs until their subscription expires.
For non-annual subscription users, NWA PPVs will return to being available on FITE for individual purchase.
While not specifically stated, it’s believed the NWA will continue with six yearly PPVs as they added two last year in conjunction with the All Access announcement. The first ever Nuff Said PPV is set for February 11th in Tampa, Florida.
At last month’s NWA Hard Times pay-per-view, Corino unsuccessfully challenged Davey Richards for the MLW National Openweight Championship. Corino defeated AJ Cazana in an NWA Champions Series match on the NWA Power episode that aired on December 13.
BodySlam.net reported last month that Corino wouldn’t be re-signing with the NWA. The report stated that, once Corino became a free agent, he was expected to travel to the WWE Performance Center and get a thorough look from WWE.
BodySlam.net wrote:
According to sources there is a whole lot of interest in Corino from WWE. Additionally, I was told that once Colby is a free agent in January, that it is expected he will be traveling to Orlando, Florida to spend time at the WWE Performance Center, where he will get a thorough look from the company. It was expressed to me that if things go well, we can expect him to sign with WWE and report to NXT.
Corino’s father, former ECW World Champion Steve Corino, works behind the scenes in WWE. Steve tweeted in response to Colby’s free agency announcement:
This week’s Super Power edition of NWA’s weekly TV show saw World Champion Tyrus in action.
NWA Television Champion Jordan Clearwater (w/ Austin Idol) defeated Mercurio to retain
The heel vs. heel dynamic is always a detriment to these matches despite the action being decent in the ring.
The show opened with a TV title match and continued the tradition of NWA booking heel vs. heel matches for some reason, leaving the wrestlers who are making up the fans this week largely silent, even though they are paid to be there.
Outside of the booking, this was actually a decent match. Clearwater sold a fair bit for Mercurio in the four minutes this match lasted. Mercurio was able to show more of his offense then usual, including hitting a nice brainbuster onto his own knee. Austin Idol grabbed Mercurio’s feet to distract him, leading to Clearwater hitting the Midas Touch for the pinfall.
The Mortons (Ricky & Kerry Morton) defeated NWA U.S. Tag Team Champions The Fixers (Jay Bradley & Wrecking Ball Legursky) in a non-title match
In a direct opposite of the first match, this was a classic babyfaces vs. heels match here with the Mortons winning to (hopefully) setup a U.S. tag title match down the line. I suspect it will be on NWA USA, but nonetheless, this was a decent little match to set up a TV title match for later.
Ricky Morton and Jay Bradley started and Ricky was able to get an arm wringer and tag out to Kerry quickly. Bradley fought out of it and slammed Kerry, but missed a knee drop and got hit with a headscissors. I’m not sure if that was a mistake, but Bradley stood right up, hit a knee, and tagged out to Legursky.
Joe Galli claimed Legursky ate seven pizzas in catering earlier and that was just a warmup. Legursky caught Kerry on a crossbody and the Fixers sandwiched him. Bradley beat up on Kerry in front of a cheering Colby Corino as babyface Rush Freeman cheered their tactics. No wonder why I’m confused about who the babyfaces and heels are in this company.
Bradley went for a back body drop, but Kerry tried a cradle. Bradley blocked it and hit a suplex, and the Fixers continued to get the heat on the younger Morton. Legursky missed sitting down on the sunset flip and Kerry was able to tag out to his dad. The Fixers hit a double shoulder tackle on Ricky, though. However, they missed a corner charge and Morton rolled up Legursky for the pin.
Jeremiah Plunkett (w/ Danny Dealz) defeated Traxx & Garrison Creed in a three-way
I really like Plunkett’s work, but his gear is some of the worst in wrestling as a cheetah print singlet does not suit him well.
Plunkett and Creed worked together for parts of this, trying to keep the babyface Traxx at bay. Plunkett and Creed played the dumb heels, accidentally punching each other until they started fighting, leaving Traxx in position to clothesline both men and hit a runaway train (shoulder attacks in the corner.) Creed took out Traxx with a knee but ate a piledriver from Plunkett after a Saito suplex for the pin.
Damage (w/ Aron Stevens) defeated Question Mark II
Stevens distracted Question Mark, leading to Question Mac, I mean Damage, attacking and getting the heat on Question Mark. Damage used a nerve hold~! on Question Mark about 30 seconds into the match and then returned to it again after about a minute. Question Mark hit a throat thrust and a forearm before hitting a kick to the head after powering up his chi. Stevens threw his roll of paper in the ring and hit a loaded glove shot to the back of Mark’s head, leading to the pin.
NWA Women’s Champion Kamille defeated Kenzie Paige by DQ
This match was awesome, and I understand why they didn’t want to beat either one as they are both champions, but holy cow, what a terrible finish. This match was honestly great until the end and I don’t think Paige would have been hurt losing clean to Kamille here.
With Kamille spearing both members of Pretty Empowered after the match, Kamille gets one up on them despite not actually winning, which indicates there is going to be no follow up to this, making the finish even more baffling.
Paige, one half of the NWA Women’s Tag Team Champions, ducked under a lockup and posed in a ridiculous way that was perfect for her heel character. Kamille was not impressed. Kamille threw the Pretty Empowered member around the ring in the early going, including sending Paige flying into the turnbuckle in a way that would make Bret Hart proud.
Paige was able to snap Kamille’s arm over the ropes after rolling to the apron to escape, and Paige did not waste time, attacking the arm and shoulder. Trevor Murdoch, a member of Team Pretty in the Champions Series, was seen encouraging Paige despite this not being a Champions Series match. Murdoch is supposed to be a babyface (I think) and Paige is a heel, so it is a bit confusing again, but at least the team aspect gives it some logic.
Paige yelled “I’m the champ!” as Kamille kept fighting out of her arm attacks. Paige missed a corner charge and Kamille hit an Oklahoma stampede for a two count. Paige went right back to the arm but Kamille fought out of a fireman’s carry and got her in a torture rack before hitting a torture rack bomb for another two count. Murdoch was legitimately marking out for this in the crowd.
Paige blocked a spear by hitting a knee and locked in a crossface. Kamille got the ropes and pushed off them with her feet to roll into a Samoan drop on Paige for another two count. Kamille missed a pump kick, but Kamille countered a wheelbarrow with a rear naked choke.
As Kamille was putting Paige to sleep, Ella Envy jumped into the ring and the referee immediately DQ’d her…even though they have not DQ’d people for simply entering the ring before. Kamille speared Paige and Envy after the match.
Idolmania Sports Management (NWA World Champion Tyrus, NWA TV Champion Jordan Clearwater & NWA National Champion Cyon) defeated NWA Tag Team Champions La Rebelion & Joe Alonzo
Well, they did a good job burying La Rebelion in this match even if it wasn’t intentional. Zlonzo, who they decked out in matching gear, was beat on for the majority of the match, and after a brief 30-second comeback, they lost after Alonzo tagged back in. What a geek.
This was Clearwater’s second match tonight and I’m not sure if the editor noticed as the commentary team wasn’t talking like he wrestled earlier in the night. This was another heel vs. heel match, though Alonzo has been a babyface in other matches, so maybe he is the only babyface in the match.
Idolmania Sports Management got the heat on Alonzo for several minutes with slams with Tyrus trying to do one thing and tagging out before he got gassed. Thankfully, Cyon and Clearwater took the bulk of the work in this match for their team.
Idolmania’s team got the heat for over six of the eight minutes of the match, but Alonzo finally tagged out to Mecha Wolf after a superkick to Clearwater. Mecha Wolf took Tyrus off the apron, who stepped down to the floor slowly before throwing himself into the lap of Aron Stevens who fell out of his chair. This was hilarious at how bad Tyrus was.
Alonzo quickly tagged himself back in and somehow Tyrus got back in the ring and hit the Tongan death grip for the win.
The wrestling on this episode was fine with Paige and Kamille being easily the best match of the night. The rest of it was rather inconsequential other then the Mortons presumably getting a US tag title match down the line.
Ticket information and further details for Nuff Said will be announced soon. The PPV will be available live via Fite as a standalone event or as part of the NWA All Access annual pass.
The PPV is named after NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Tyrus’ catchphrase. Nuff Said was also the name of Tyrus’ show on Fox Nation.
In the main event of Nuff Said, Tyrus will defend his title against Matt Cardona. A contract signing for the match has been announced for a live episode of NWA Power that’s taking place on Tuesday, January 31, 2023.
Tyrus became NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion by defeating Trevor Murdoch and Cardona in a triple threat match at NWA Hard Times last month.
Cardona is a former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion. He won the title this February but had to vacate it in June due to injury.
The NWA has signed two wrestlers to contracts while giving another a pay raise.
On his podcast, Robert Anthony (Cyon in NWA) detailed a conversation he had with NWA director of talent relations Pat Kenney about how he was getting a raise while also revealing that they were offering Missa Kate and Joe Alonzo their own contracts.
Anthony, who had Alonzo and Kate on as guests, said he was allowed to be in the room when both wrestlers got their offers.
Alonzo talked about the different aspects of the deal that sold him which included the ability to be a true independent contractor and work for various indies without needing to get any permission from the NWA, albeit it with some common sense parameters.
Similar to other independent contractors, no taxes are taken out of his check when he gets paid, leaving him responsible for figuring out taxes on his own.
Another aspect of the talent contracts that were revealed is that they get re-evaluated every six months which includes their pay. Anthony compared to that his previous WWE contract where he got paid the same rate no matter how high he went in the company. He preferred the NWA method that allows you to renegotiate based on your standing.
The first challenger for Tyrus’ NWA World Heavyweight Championship will be former champion, Matt Cardona.
The NWA revealed on Friday that Tyrus vs. Cardona will happen on the company’s next pay-per-view, although an official date for the show has yet to be announced.
A contract signing between the two will take place on the NWA’s first-ever live edition of Power on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, from the Knoxville Convention Center in Knoxville, TN. Tickets for the show went on sale today.
Cardona won the title from Trevor Murdoch in February but was forced to vacate it in June after suffering a torn biceps. Murdoch regained the vacated title in a four-way match at Alwayz Ready but then lost it to Tyrus at Hard Times in a triple-threat match that also involved Cardona. Now, Cardona is claiming he was never pinned to lose the title and deserves a one-on-one match with the champion.
“Matt Cardona continues to argue that he is the uncrowned NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion — as even after Hard Times 3’s triple threat match that saw Tyrus crowned the new champion, Cardona has proclaimed: ‘My rematch is still required! I’ve never been pinned to lose the 10 lbs of Gold!!'” NWA’s press release reads.
“NWA President William Patrick Corgan wants to put the matter to rest once and for all, so at the first-ever NWA LIVE Powerrr in Knoxville, TN, the One-on-One rematch between NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Tyrus and former champion Matt Cardona at the NWA’s next Pay-Per-View will be set in stone during the official contract signing in the middle of the ring!!!”
🎟 TODAY @ NOON: https://t.co/Xvf0DNb0Yx! @TheMattCardona says he is the real NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champ. Even after Hard Times 3’s triple threat saw @PlanetTyrus crowned winner Matt proclaimed: I’ve never been pinned to lose the 10 lbs of Gold! The match will be made official! pic.twitter.com/Rl9WXYbmJh
NWA Power opened with Kyle Davis explaining the cursed return of the Champions Series, and I’m sad. The rules are convoluted, and the point scoring is ridiculous. We also had no break down of the teams, with the show jumping into the first match between Bully Ray and Odinson.
This curse of the Champions Series continues, as this thing haunts me. It was horrible the first time as it didn’t make sense, and it still doesn’t make sense. A regular tournament makes far more sense, or a round robin, which would be fun, but they have to over complicate it with different points given for pinfalls, submissions, etc.
Bully Ray & Odinson went to a time limit draw
Bully Ray and Odinson took a while to lock up, with the crowd clapping for it. The wrestlers at the taping made up the crowd this week for some reason, but at least they were loud. Joe Galli explained the two teams so far were “Team Great” and “Team Fixers” so I assume the Fixers are leading Team Fixers. We found out as the match started that Odinson was on Team Fixers and Ray was on Team Great.
Odinson got whipped into the turnbuckle multiple times and Ray worked him over with a nerve hold. Odinson fought out and hit a series of European uppercuts. Odinson hit one more and Ray dropped to the mat, but went to the ropes to get away. Odinson charged Ray but ate a lariat. Ray hit a spear for a 2-count. Odinson grabbed the purpose spray and sprayed it, he then powered up and broke a Bully Bomb and hit a pounce, but the bell rang for a time limit draw.
This was not the exciting ending the announcers said it was.
–May Valentine was with Tyrus and BLK Jeez, and Tyrus talked about being the most viewed NWA champion in history, which is a lie. We also found out Tyrus was leading a team in the Champions Series, and his team was facing Team Brickhouse, which I assume is Kamille’s team.
Thom Latimer defeated EC3 via DQ
Basic brawling opened this match with the crowd of wrestling giving EC3 more of a reaction then he had heard in years. Latimer went for a crossface, but EC3 fought out and hit a Thesz press before ripping at the eyes and mouth of Latimer.
So, Latimer got 1 point for the minor DQ. What a horrible finish.
EC3 defeated Thom Latimer via DQ
Wait. So the match continues after a DQ? Joe Galli scrambled to explain it, but God bless him, he struggled. Galli said that if the DQ rendered the opponent unable to continue, the opponent would be awarded 3 points for an extreme DQ. If it was just a standard DQ, the match could continue. It would have been nice to know this before the match.
EC3 continued to work over the eyes before going for his ugly bulldog/DDT thing. Latimer countered and locked EC3 in a crossface, but EC3 made the ropes. Latimer apparently couldn’t see from the eye pokes, and EC3 gets 3 points. Joe Galli also informed us at this point that only 2 DQs can happen in one match.
Did Vince Russo write this? This is just waiting for Scott Hudson to say “It’s really quite simple” before showing 18 screens of rules.
Rolando Freeman defeated Anthony Andrews, Jeremiah Plunkett, and Sal the Pal in an elimination match
Andrews threw everyone around the ring, making up for his poor performance a few weeks ago. Freeman claimed he was the biggest man in the match, so Andrews used him as a weapon. Freeman turned it into a sunset flip and pinned Andrews to eliminate him. Freeman hit a dropkick off the middle rope on Plunkett.
Sal the Pal was thrown upside down by Plunkett into Freeman. Plunkett ended up throwing Freeman from the ring, letting Sal lock on a figure four leglock on Plunkett. Freeman ran in and hit a back senton on Sal, pinning him, and then hitting the Biggest Boot on Plunkett for the win. Freeman gets first choice to be an alternate on one of the teams.
If the tournament couldn’t get more confusing, they added alternates who could choose their team depending on the order of elimination.
–The Fixers talked about Jay Bradley being the captain of his team. It was fine.
PJ Hawx & Judais defeated Damage & Rush Freeman
If it couldn’t get any more confusing, they added a tag team match to the Champions Series. Damage is Rodney Mack under a mask. Damage and PJ Hawx started the match. It was during this we were informed that Luke Hawx, the father of PJ Hawx, was on a FIFTH TEAM led by Kenzie Paige called Team Pretty.
Judais hit a big boot on Rush Freeman for a two count. PJ Hawx blind tagged in and scolded Judais for being too rough on Freeman. Freeman and Damage took advantage of this with Hawx, beating him down. It was here that we were informed by Joe Galli that an “algorithm” decided who was on each team. All I have is imagery of Billy Corgan feeding names into a Commodore 64 trying to get it to spit out team names.
The story of teams not getting along is so TNA, and it results in Freeman eating a chokeslam from Judais for the win, meaning the team that argued less won
–Cyon was with May Valentine and claimed that his team was having success because Austin Idol coached him. Apparently, PJ Hawx and Judais were members of Team Great. Cyon claimed Austin Idol was on a secret mission for the Champions Series.
–Kamille talked about how she was upset with EC3’s actions for Team Tyrus. Kamille buried EC3 for speaking nonsense.
Thrillbilly Silas defeated Kratos
Kratos and Silas used power offence throughout this match, with Kratos hitting a nice powerslam. Silas kicked out and hit a running shoulder block. Silas hit a running powerslam for a two count. Kratos put Silas on the top rope, but Silas pushed him away and hit a flying shoulder block and two Polish hammers. Kratos blocked a piledriver and hit a hard lariat. Kratos hit a flying forearm in the corner before hitting a suplex that sent Silas across the ring. Silas dodged a corner charge and hit a back suplex, but didn’t get low enough to get his head under Kratos’ arm.
Silas hit an elbow for a two count. Silas went for a thrill ride but Kratos fought out and hit a flying lariat. Silas got his feet on the ropes to break the fall. Silas got up and hit the thrill ride for the pinfall.
This match was fine, but this whole episode was an exercise in frustration. We had no previous indication that this tournament was happening, no idea who the teams were, no idea who was on each team, and no idea what kind of matches would be in the tournament. We often found out about the rules AFTER a violation (in the case of the DQ rules) or during the match. This episode felt completely chaotic, and not in a good way.
I rarely knew what was going on and had a difficult time following who was on what team despite graphics being displayed before the matches. I know of 5 teams in the tournament from paying attention to the commentary and watching the match graphics. I have no idea how many more teams there might be, if there are any.
Each team has to face another team in the tournament until one is eliminated, if we go by the rules from last year, but we have no clear explanation this year if that is the case. The fact that there are only 5 teams known at this point means that there must be at least 1 more team that I don’t know. I also have no idea how many people are on each team. I have written way too much about this trying to explain it when I barely understand it. In fact, I probably don’t understand it! This was so bad. The whole episode was an illogical mess despite good effort in the main event. Add in that an ALGORITHM made the teams and matches according to the announcers. No AI could write a show this dumb. This is on the booker.
A music festival headlined by Billy Corgan’s Smashing Pumpkins is set to feature pro-wrestling next year.
On Wednesday, The World is a Vampire Festival was announced for March 4, 2023 from Mexico City. A translation of a poster for the event advertises, “A never-seen-before clash between” the NWA and AAA, with logos for both promotions featured.
“HUGE announcement!!!! It’s the @nwa vs.@luchalibreaaa in #MexicoCity in March — WITH @smashingpumpkins and many more!! Pre-sale starts Nov 28 at 2pm CT and general on sale is Nov 29 at 2pm CT,” wrote the NWA on Twitter.
The festival shares its name with a lyric from The Smashing Pumpkins single, “Bullets with Butterfly Wings” from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness released in 1995.
Presale tickets go on-sale November 28 with general sale beginning the following day.
Musical acts Interpol, Turnstile, Peter Hook & The Light, Deafhaven, The Warning, Ekkstacy, Chelsea Wolfe, Margaritas Podridas, In The Valley Below, El Shirota, and Acid Waves are also advertised for the festival.
Kyle Davis opened this week’s NWA Power with Thom Latimer and EC3 in the ring in an empty arena. Latimer promised to beat up EC3 in an upcoming tag match. EC3 criticized the booker, saying that it is putting good guys and bad guys in a tag match to delay the payoff. I hated this so much. EC3’s promos and character sucks. He promised they would have their feud-ending match eventually. No buys.
Thom Latimer & Danny Flamingo defeated EC3 & Matt Lancie (w/ Hardy Body Harper)
This sucked, but it was only the fault of one man. EC3 is not good.
EC3 immediately tagged out to Lancie, who locked up with Latimer. Joe Galli informed us that Lancie won the Revolution Rumble, and that it would air on an upcoming episode of NWA USA which spoiled the result. Flamingo was over with the local audience when he tagged in and took it to Lancie.
EC3 ended up bleeding after colliding with Flamingo, so he decided to take out revenge by choking and beating on Flamingo in the corner. EC3 continued to use boring offense to keep control of Flamingo. EC3 did an STO with his arm behind the head of Flamingo instead of in front, and it looked as dumb as it sounds.
Flamingo hit a pump kick on Lacie and tagged out to Latimer, who hit a big spinning back suplex. Latimer demanded EC3 tag in, but he wouldn’t and EC3 hit an inverted STO which also looked bad. EC3 demanded Latimer finish him, and Latimer put Lacie in a crossface for the win.
EC3 then threw Hard Body Harper into the ring and Latimer put a crossface on him too.
– Danny Dealz did an ad for TV shirts with CJ, who he renamed Bubblegum. This was better than anything EC3 did on the show.
– Question Mark II opened a dojo backstage and taught strikes to four different trainees in Mongrovian karate. As he was teaching him, Question Mack and Marshe Rockett, wearing a mask, ran in and attacked while Aron Stevens yelled, “I never lie!” repeatedly. This was also not good. We’re three-for-three in bad segments so far. The ad for NWA merch with Danny Deals and CJ before this was the best thing on the show so far.
Wildkat Sports Revolution Champion Chuck Devine defeated Nate Bradley to retain
This was the best match thus far and that isn’t saying much as it was merely fine.
Bradley was smaller than Devine, but used his considerable speed to drive Devine all over the ring, hitting a running kick in the corner and suplex in the ring. Devine fought back and hit a fisherman’s buster on Bradley. Devine slowed it down, locking his legs in a figure four around the neck.
Bradley broke it by kicking backward over his own head, but Devine body slammed him and took the advantage again. Devine continued to get the heat for the next few minutes. Devine went to the top rope and Bradley jumped up from the mat, hitting a hurricanrana, a missile dropkick, and a standing shooting star press for a two count. Devine broke out of a full nelson and hit a DDT for the pinfall.
– We went to the back (~!) immediately after the match for an interview with Pope and JTG. Pope talked about his history with JTG back when he was getting started in WWE, and that they were going to be Gagz The Gimp on NWA USA.
NWA National Champion Cyon (w/ Austin Idol) defeated Thrillbilly Silas in a non-title match
This show was filled with nothing matches and this was another one. Beating Odinson at the PPV has had no bearing on either man’s story with Silas losing here and Odinson winning last week.
Silas threw Cyon outside the ring to start, but was soon being bitten by Cyon in the corner and beat on in the corner. Silas chopped Cyon hard, and hit a lariat and slam. It didn’t go much longer as Cyon pinned Silas after taking a Snake Eyes from him, but used a jackknife pin on Silas with his feet on the ropes to win.
– May Valentine interviewed Pretty Empowered and talked about how Kenzie Paige was going to be the special guest referee for one of Ella Envy’s upcoming matches.
– Danny Dealz did an ad with the newly renamed CJ (by him) as Bubblegum again. It was more entertaining than some of the matches again.
NWA World Women’s Champion Kamille defeated Jazmin Allure to retain
Kamille tried to give Allure a lot to help put her over in losing, but I’m not sure if this was the match to do that in. Either way, this was probably the best match on the card, but it was not very good.
This started slow until Allure hit a headscissors. Allure went for a second one off the middle rope, but Kamille stopped it and powerbombed her for a two count. Kamille hit two gutwrench suplexes for a two count. Kamille hit a Canadian backbreaker for a two count. Allure dodged a corner charge, but Kamille caught her on a crossbody and hit a powerslam for a two count.
Allure slipped out of an Oklahoma Stampede and hit a backstabber for a two count. Kamille responded with a pump kick and went for the Stampede again, but Allure floated over into a stunner. She went to the top rope but missed a double stomp and Kamille hit a spear to win and retain.
Like last week, this episode of Power felt largely pointless and missable. Nothing on it stood out, and nothing was very good. It’s a bad show when the best thing is a merch ad with Dealz renaming CJ to Bubblegum.
NWA Power opened with Kyle Davis in the ring as he introduced Tyrus to open the show. Idolmania Sports Management all came down to the ring to celebrate their victories at NWA Hard Times 3.
Austin Idol called Davis “Kyle Doofus” and said that he and everyone else doubted Tyrus and the rest of his group. Idol cut this promo with his back to the hard camera to which Davis said, “I’m glad you found the hard cam” which made me laugh.
Tyrus put over Jordan Clearwater for winning the TV title and Cyon for winning the National title. BLK Jeez said that it was what successful men looked like. Tyrus then talked about how there were various contenders already in line for a title shot.
Tyrus also said that Clearwater and Cyon could cash in any time for a title shot, which is news to me. Clearwater needs to win seven in a row with the TV title, and I don’t think the National title has ever been cashed in for a title shot at something else. Tyrus could just be wrong, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they changed the rules and didn’t tell us.
This promo really did nothing to advance any story other than acknowledge Idolmania Sports Management had all the gold. Tyrus said a lot of nothing, but at least Idol was entertaining.
NWA World Television Champion Jordan Clearwater and Mims went to a time limit draw
Yikes, this was not good. Clearwater controlled essentially the entire six minutes and it was boring. With this kind of stipulation, you can’t spend the whole time getting heat just to go to a draw. At least let the babyface have a chance to do something to add a little excitement to it.
The first half of this 6:05 time limit match was Clearwater trying to run the clock down including poking Mims in the eyes and using basic offense to keep him grounded. Mims started to fight back with two minutes left, but Clearwater gouged the eyes again. Clearwater suplexed Mims for a near fall.
Clearwater hit a clothesline after a sunset flip attempt that he kicked out of before going to a chinlock. Mims made a brief comeback before eating a Midas touch big boot from Clearwater. Then, time ran out.
Odinson defeated Ryan Davidson
I thought Odinson was a heel, but Davidson was using heel tactics, so they may have turned him without telling us like they do several other people. Or they’re both heels. Or they just don’t know what they’re doing. This was a nothing match, mainly because the crowd was silent throughout. The confusing heel/babyface thing didn’t help.
Davidson had a brief assault on Odinson to open the match, but he was soon working Davidson over with European uppercuts. The NWA seems to want to establish Odinson as a top guy sooner rather than later, but having him lose to Thrillbilly Silas seemed to cut off any heat this match could have had.
Davidson got the heat on Odinson far too long for someone that the audience doesn’t know. The silence during that part was astonishing, and then about eight people started clapping for Odinson until he hit a nice dropkick. Odinson hit a springboard uppercut for a two count and went for a torture rack, but Davidson attacked the arm and then hit a powerslam for a two count. Odinson countered a fireman’s carry into an irish whip and hit the pounce for the win.
– May Valentine was with Aron Stevens and she asked about him being booked to face Kratos tonight. Stevens claimed he was a manager, not a wrestler, and thought it was stupid. Valentine called him the greatest pro wrestler of all time and that she didn’t want them to hurt him since he was retired. They’re still going with the Stevens/Valentine couple thing.
– AJ Cazana and Anthony Andrews were with May Valentine talking about facing the Fixers for the tag titles on NWA USA. The NWA put the graphic up for Aron Stevens instead of Andrews, which was funny. This is pre-taped, so it’s even funnier.
– Stevens came out to the ring and claimed he was protesting and asked that the fans remain silent to protest him wrestling because he was retired.
Kratos defeated Aron Stevens by DQ
A terrible DQ finish to end what could have been a decent match, but they decided to give us this instead.
Joe Galli said that Stevens would lose his manager’s license if he didn’t wrestle which no one had mentioned until now. Stevens left the ring in fear as Kratos came into the ring. Stevens attempted to load his glove before the match, but the referee forced Stevens to remove it or else be DQ’d. Stevens removed something from the glove before taking it off and put it in his pocket.
Stevens claimed he didn’t have a wrestling license, so if Kratos touched him, he would sue him. Stevens attacked Kratos from behind and then said his license was good for two years, so ring the bell. Stevens turned around into a flying knee. Kratos hit a suplex and then two masked people ran in and attacked, causing the DQ.
The masked men were clearly Rodney Mack and Marshe Rockett. Question Mark II tried to make the save, but Rockett and Mack laid them out too. Stevens put on his glove, loaded it, and punched Kratos in the face. Tim Storm claimed that they had talked about the loaded glove for months, but this is the second time as the first time was at Hard Times 3.
If this is their follow up to NWA Hard Times 3, NWA is in for some hard times. This sucked. There wasn’t a single good match on the show, and the promos were pointless.
Billy Corgan has opened up about his approach to booking the NWA.
Corgan appeared on Stories with Brisco & Bradshaw before NWA Hard Times 3 took place on Saturday. During the discussion, he spoke about his promotion being a mainstream product and why he chooses to book heavyweights in top programs.
“I basically see that old NWA style and in my mind, what draws money, you take two old big hosses and you put them nose and nose,” Corgan said
“Why do the heavyweights traditionally always draw the biggest money? It only really gets subverted when you have a phenom of a talent like a Shawn Michaels or a Conor McGregor.”
“At the end of the day, eight times out of ten, it’s the heavyweights who draw the most money,” he continued.
Later in the show, Corgan continued to talk about putting the biggest and the toughest wrestlers from his roster in main event programs.
“It’s been very hard for the general wrestling community to understand, to me the NWA is a mainstream product. I want to bring back a mainstream, traditional, mainstream wrestling product to television, national television, or international television. It’s not complicated.”
“In terms of the vibe, I like that old shooter vibe. I want you to watch people that you believe can beat your a**, that’s it. I want the toughest to win and I want the toughest to feel like they’re the stars of our company. It’s interesting because as I’ve pivoted to that over the last 18 months and really built the company around the toughest people, not always the biggest but the toughest people, I really see how it’s starting to really click. In essence, I finally connected that passion that I had for Bruiser [Brody] when I was a kid to the modern version of the NWA.”
“A lot of people in the wrestling community – and I know it’s a hotly debated topic – they like what’s going on with, I call it the eight-star [Dave] Meltzer matches and all that stuff and I like that stuff too but if we’re just talking business, just straight business, not fan stuff, I still believe in Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley. And in this upcoming main event (at Hard Times 3), Matt Cardona, who’s recast himself on the independent scene as the star that he is vs. Tyrus, who’s 6’8 375 lbs vs. Trevor Murdoch, who’s 6’3, and another 350 lbs. I want to see that match and if you don’t want to see stuff like that, don’t watch the NWA because that’s what I’m going to give you more and more of that. As we climb, as I’m able to kind of develop younger talent in the mold of the NWA, we will be the toughest, hardest-hitting wrestling promotion in the world. I know there’s the strong style in Japan but to me, that’s a different psychology.”
Corgan also spoke about the NWA having the toughest female wrestlers in the business.
“I make the argument we probably have the toughest women in the business right now. Women who can be strong, beautiful, and vicious. I just think that’s a beautiful combination and with the men, I want the meanest, toughest, elephants in the middle of the ring. If you can’t hang then go impress somebody else somewhere else. My NWA will be if you want to call it old school, you want to call it AWA, you want to call it Florida with Eddie Graham or you call it whatever you want. I put it this way and I say this, of course, respectfully to Mr. Brisco, I want you, or if Bruiser is in heaven, I want you guys to look at what we’re doing and be proud.”
He defeated champion Trevor Murdoch and former champion Matt Cardona in a three-way match in the main event of Saturday’s NWA Hard Times 3 event to win the championship for the first time. The finish had Murdoch giving Cardona a DDT on the cement floor. As he re-entered the ring, Tyrus grabbed Murdoch and put him in the Tongan death grip, chokeslamming him for the victory.
The end of Hard Times 3 saw Tyrus celebrating with the rest of Idol Sports Management.
Cardona, who held the championship earlier this year, had to vacate the title after injuring his biceps. Tyrus failed to capture the title in the main event of the second night of NWA 74 back in August, but received another championship match after he cashed in the NWA Television title, which he had successfully defended seven times.
Other title changes on the show included Jordan Clearwater defeating AJ Cazana to win the Television title and Kerry Morton defeating Homicide to win the NWA Junior Heavyweight title.
The NWA also announced that a live edition of their NWA Power television show will be held on January 31 from the Knoxville Convention Center in Knoxville, Tennessee.
In a tumultuous week due to real-life issues with Nick Aldis, the NWA tries to move on Saturday night with Hard Times 3 from New Orleans, Louisiana.
In the main event, Trevor Murdoch will defend the NWA World title against former World Champion Matt Cardona and now-former TV Champion Tyrus in the main event.
In another triple threat match, long-reigning NWA Women’s Champion Kamille will defend against both Chelsea Green and KiLynn King.
NWA Tag Team Champions La Rebelion defend against Hawk Aerie, Women’s Tag Team Champions Pretty Empowered against defend Madi & Missa Kate, and U.S. Tag Team Champions The Fixers defend against The Spectaculars.
MLW National Openweight Champion Davey Richards defends against Colby Corino while NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion Homicide defends against Kerry Morton.
NWA National Champion Cyon defends against Dak Draper while AJ Cazana and Jordan Clearwater will do battle for the vacant TV title.
Our live coverage begins at 7 PM Eastern with the pre-show.
**********
Preshow
Well, we were off to a good start with the preshow starting halfway through the first match.
Mims defeated Anthony Andrews
I have no idea why the preshow started in the middle of a match, which made it difficult to get into it. Not a good way to sell people on the PPV, but it is likely only the people who bought the PPV watching the preshow anyway.
The match started with Andrews getting the heat on Mims, so we had nothing to really build to getting sympathy for Mims. Andrews hit a neckbreaker, but Mims kicked out at 2, and soon thereafter Mims hit the Big Strong Slam for the pinfall.
Slime SZN (J. Spade & Bu Ku Dao) defeated The Miserably Faithful (Gagz the Gimp & Sal the Pal) to retain the Wildkatz Promotions Tag Team Championship
This was a really bad match. That is all I can really say. Very slow paced, little heat, and both teams had trouble communicating.
Spade and Sal the Pal started the match, with the announcers telling us fans of the NWA would know that Spade as a Junior Heavyweight title shot awaiting him in the future, which I did not know, but I’m sure he’ll have a fine match. Dao tagged in, but Sal the Pal stomped his chest and hit a kick to this face for a 2-count before tagging out to Gagz.
Bu Ku Dao managed to hit some chops on Gagz, but Gagz choked Dao on the ropes while Sal hit a tiger feint kick. Dao shoved Sal away with his legs, sending Sal crashing into a headbutt in Gagz’ lower regions an tagged out, but the camera missed the hot tag. Spade came in but it was a less than warm tag and Gagz hit The Finish on Spade, but the referee caught Sal holding Spade’s feet down and broke the pin. Spade then did a backslide on Gagz after Sal slapped him for the pinfall.
–Thom Latimer was with May Valentine backstage, and she described his match with EC3 as highly anticipated, in what may be the biggest exaggeration tonight. Latimer talked about how he was going to bring Hard Times to EC3 and Kamille was going to dominate her title match.
–Joe Galli and Tim Storm ran down the card, highlighting Homicide and Ricky Morton. They left the graphic up for an uncomfortably long time before switching to the next one, as someone accidentally hit the entrance music for the next match rather than switching the graphic.
The Pope, Anthony Mayweather, & JTG defeated Mercurio, Alex Taylor, & Jax Dane (w/ CJ, & Chris Silvio, Esq., Danny Deals, & Magic Jake Dumas) in a hardcore Team War match
The result of Mayweather finally ending his feud with Jax Dane (after what seems like at least a year), but it would have been far better with just a singles match between the two.
Apparently, Dumas sprained his ankle fighting 42 men on the street of New Orleans, so Alex Taylor replaced him, and we have 3 in ring wrestlers with 3 managers at ringside, 4 if you include Dumas. So much for enforcing the managers license that they talked about a few months ago.
JTG and Alex Taylor started the match, but my main question in this match is if it’s a hardcore match, why doe all the other teammates wait on the floor? It should just break down into a brawl in the match. Dane proved to not be dumb by pulling JTG to the floor and attacking him while his teammates looked on. JTG fought back without help from his teammates, then hit the Brooklyn’s Edge in the ring to eliminate Alex Taylor.
Mercurio was next in the ring and he hit a vertical suplex onto his own knee before going for a springboard moonsault, but missing it. Jax Dane entered the ring and hit his pop the trunk lariat with a chain to the back of JTG’s head, and Mercurio pinned him. Mucurio hit Anthony Mayweather with a book in the back of the head. Pope entered the ring, and hit Mercurio with some cookie sheets and a trashcan.
Joe Galli said that Pope was going back to his ECW days. Well, that is quite the reference. I appreciate the attempt though. Apparently Mayweather was not the legal man, and he was just going after Dane, and Pope used that to his advantage to get after Mercurio. Pope put Mercurio in the tree of woe and dropkicked him in the face with a chair for the pin.
Jax Dane hit Pope with a clothesline with the chain around his fist and pinned him, so Anthony Mayweather and Dane were the last two left. If we wanted to get to this in a street fight, they could have just booked them in a singles match, which probably would have had more heat. Mayweather made a brief comeback with a spinebuster, but Dane low blowed Mayweather.
Dane hit a clothesline with a chain and refused to pin Mayweather, waiting for the referee to count him out. Mayweather stood up and dodged an attack from Dane, driving him headfirst into a chair that was in the turnbuckles. Mayweather followed up with a Death Valley Driver on another chair and then an elbow drop for the pinfall.
–Matt Cardona was with May Valentine, and he talked about how he had to win tonight to save the NWA, because he needed his title back. This was actually very good.
Jordan Clearwater defeated AJ Cazana to win the NWA World Television Championship
Clearwater winning here was the right call. He is a young guy on the rise, and has the look of a superstar. Cazana is quite solid, but is likely better utilized as muscle in a heel stable. That said, I enjoyed this match.
Clearwater went right after Cazana, going after the right arm of Cazana. Cazana noticeably had athletic tape all over his shoulder and an arm brace, and Clearwater made sure to target it, removing a brace. Clearwater did several 12-6 elbows on Cazana’s shoulder for a 2-count. The fans chanted “Who’s your barber?” at Clearwater.
Cazana fired up and hit a shoulder tackle to the leg of Clearwater and hit a spinebuster, but took too much time getting the pin, so Clearwater kicked out. Clearwater attacked the shoulder and hit the Midas Touch for the pinfall.
The preshow ended 5 minutes before the top of the hour, so I have no idea why it started in the middle of the match. Oh well, onto the main card!
Main Show
Joe Galli ran down the entire card, highlighting the stories of every match in the process. Galli is quite good at his job.
Max the Impaler (w/ Father James Mitchell) defeated Natalya Markova in a casket match
Markova and Max tried to make it a wild brawl, but something just didn’t click for me. That said, they tried very hard, and to their credit, the crowd seemed to enjoy it. I can’t fault the effort – they worked very hard. It felt like it was just getting started when it ended, and if it had a few more minutes, this had potential to be good.
The announcers told us that Mitchell came out holding a voodoo crown that Max made to counter Markova’s Queen Bee crown. Markova was not bothered by this and started fighting with Max right away. Max threw Markova across the ring before hitting some crossface blows on Markova.
Joe Galli said some nice things about Taryn Terrell and her announced retirement, welcoming her back anytime, which was lovely. Markova hit a missile dropkick off the top rope, but it did little to stop Max from hitting an inverted powerslam. Mitchell tried to direct Max towards the casket, but Max kept beating Markova around ringside.
Max eventually took Markova up to the stage and slammed her there before tossing her into the casket, but Markova got her feet up. The casket was only opened at the face level, so Markova was crumpled up. Markova hit a tornado DDT off the casket, but as she went to open the casket, Sal the Pal came out of the other end of it, threw “voodoo powder” whatever that is, into Markova’s face. Max then threw Markova into the casket and got the win.
-EC3 was backstage and told May Valentine that he wasn’t about getting Latimer to join CYN, saying that CYN wasn’t a gang or a promotion, but an idea. Well, it is now, since it went out of business. Valentine said, “Thank you” to end the promo, and EC3 said off camera “You’re welcome!” in a happy voice, which actually made me laugh.
MLW Openweight Champion Davey Richards defeated Colby Corino to retain
My goodness, this match was fantastic. It would have been far better with an additional 5-10 minutes, as it had to be about 6 minutes long in total, but what we got was excellent. I wish Corino and Richards were main eventing, as this got a massive reaction from the audience.
Corino and Richards started with some good technical wrestling, as Richards transitioned smoothly into a back suplex for a 1-count, before kicking the chest of Corino hard. Corino spun Richards through the air onto his stomach before hitting a flying forearm off the top rope for a 2-count.
Richards hit Corino with a German suplex, and Corino got right up and hit a flying knee, but he went down from the damage, and the fans went nuts. Corino and Richards hit hard strikes with Corino hitting a superkick and a lariat to drop Richards. Corino went for the sunsetter, but Richards countered into an ankle lock, then a PK, and a double stomp for a 2-count.
Richards nailed a vertical drop brainbuster, but Corino kicked out. Richards went right back to the ankle lock and finally forced the tapout. What a great match. Richards tried to shake Corino’s hand after the match, but Corino refused to a chorus of boos.
Question Mark II (w/ Kratos) defeated Question Mack (w/ Aron Stevens) in a mask vs. mask match
Somehow, I think this got more time than Colby Corino and Davey Richards. Yep.
Well, with Kratos next to Question Mark II, I guess that confirms it is not him. Aron Stevens grabbed a mic and said that Kratos couldn’t be there because he didn’t have a manager’s license. Well, neither did Jake Dumas on the preshow, so that is a bit annoying to enforce it here. If you’re going to enforce that rule, make it consistent.
Question Mack choked Question Mark in the corner. Tim Storm said he couldn’t tell the two men apart, when they had entirely different gear outside of the mask. Question Mark II karate chopped Mack several times, sending him to the floor. Mack and Stevens soon cheated with Stevens choking Question Mark II on the ropes.
Mack did a chinlock on Mark II as the Mark II tried to use his Mongroivan Power~! (as Joe Galli called it) to break out. Aron Stevens tried to get involved, but Kratos came out and chased him off, letting Question Mark II hit the Mongrovian spike on Mack for the pinfall. The fans chanted “Two! Two! Two!” for him as Stevens argued with the referee about Mack losing the mask.
Stevens grew increasingly upset, but did take the mask off him and put a towel over Mack’s head. I guess we still don’t know if it’s Rodney Mack or not for sure.
Kerry Morton (w/ Ricky Morton) defeated Homicide to win the NWA Jr. Heavyweight Championship
Good match here, with Homicide making Kerry Morton look like a star. Ricky Morton helped by taking a beating on the floor for heat, leading to the fans wanting Kerry Morton to win even more. Homicide sold like crazy and made the young talent look great.
Morton hit a dropkick early on that got the crowd behind him quickly. Morton hit a sunset flip for a 2-count, leaving Homicide reeling early on. Morton went right after Homicide’s knee after this, trying to keep him grounded. Homicide ended up blocking a boot from Morton and hit a capture suplex before flipping the crowd off.
Morton hit a DDT on Homicide, but Homicide kicked out at 1. Homicide got up and hit a throat thrust that dropped Morton. Morton low bridged Homicide, but Homicide caught him on a tope and drove him into the apron before going to work on the back. Homicide wrapped Morton in the apron and beat on him, forcing Ricky Morton to intervene. Homicide then dropped Ricky Morton on the floor, and the crowd went nuclear with heat.
Homicide hit a suplex off the top rope on Kerry Morton while taunting Ricky Morton. Turns out all you need to do to get the crowd invested in Kerry Morton winning was to have him defend his dad. Homicide went to the top rope, but Kerry Morton decided to fight fire with fire and bit Homicide. Morton hit a flying knee and then a steamroller before hitting a flying splash for a 2-count.
Homicide dodged a flying knee and hit a Koji Cutter, but Morton kicked out at 2! Homicide went for the cop killa, but Morton flipped out of it. Homicide slapped Morton and went for a big lariat, but Morton ducked and hit a Koji Cutter of his one for the pinfall!
–Joe Galli alluded to the troubles with Nick Aldis, by saying Odinson was up next, but he wasn’t sure what was going to happen.
Odinson joined Kyle Davis in the ring and Odinson said that the whole locker room feared him, but music hit, and Thrillbilly Silas decided he was going to fight Odinson now.
Thrillbilly Silas defeated Odinson
Well, that was not the choice I would have made for this match. The crowd seemed to like the result though, though the rest of the match was a bit quiet.
Silas has shaved his beard, taking away from the gimmick dramatically. Odinson hit some European uppercuts, and Silas clubbered Odinson. Odinson hit a dropkick and Silas ended up with his arms stuck in the ropes, leading to Odinson hitting some more uppercuts and a belly-to-belly suplex.
Silas bit a big boot to the face of Odinson. The crowd was largely dead at this point, as this is a pretty significant step down from Nick Aldis. Odinson dodged an elbow and hit a sliding d lariat. Odinson sprayed “the purpose” from his spray bottle into his face and hit an Asgardian uppercut on Silas.
Silas hit a huge powerbomb on Odinson for a 2-count. Silas grabbed “the purpose spray” and sprayed it into his own face, but the referee got in the way of seeing it. Silas fired up and managed to block the pounce with a black hole slam for a 3-count.
The announcers speculated if the purpose spray was a potion of some kind or just in their head.
NWA United States Tag Team Champions The Fixers (Jay Bradley & Wrecking Ball Legursky) defeated The Spectaculars (Rush Freeman & Brady Pierce) (w/ Rolando Freeman) to retain
This had very little heat, but and I think it was because the Fixers have largely been babyfaces on TV lately, but they were acting like heels in this match.
The Fixers came out with US colours on their gear, matching their title belts, which I actually like. Velvet Sky wondered if Legursky got used to the new title design for the tag belts, but Joe Galli informed her that he rejected the new design, showing that even one of the announcers doesn’t watch NWA USA.
Rush Freeman tried to brawl with Legursky, but Legursky just shoved him to the mat. Legursky picked up Bradley and threw him onto Freeman, which was an impressive show of strength given Bradley’s size. Rolando Freeman tried his best to get the crowd into the match. Brady Pierce was tagged in, but ended up eating turnbuckle after a snake eyes.
Jay Bradley shoved the face of Pierce into the rear of Legursky. Rolando Freeman tried to get involved, and he punted Bradley with a low blow, but he kicked out at 2. Bradley hit a big back suplex on Pierce and tagged out. Legursky threw Freemand and Pierce around the ring. Lehursky hit a world strongest slam on Freeman for a 2-count.
Legursky grabbed Freeman and threw him face first into a headbutt low blow on his own partner before hitting a double chokeslam on Freeman for the pinfall.
NWA National Champion Cyon (w/ Austin Idol) defeated Dak Draper
This had next to zero heat. It wasn’t a terrible match, but the lack of heat hurt it.
Draper’s promo on NWA Power made him seem like a heel, but Cyon is definitely one based on his association with Austin Idol, so this had little heat. Idol did what he could, punching Draper on the floor and driving him shoulder first into the ring post. Cyon took advantage and went right after the arm of Draper with submissions and strikes.
Draper managed to block a corner charge and then hit a missile dropkick and a powerslam, but he couldn’t get the pin due to his shoulder. Cyon took advantage of Draper not being able to pick him up, hitting a Death Valley Driver for the pin.
NWA World Women’s Tag Team Champions Pretty Empowered (Kenzie Paige & Ella Envy) defeated Madi & Missa Kate
In another confusing moment of NWA booking, Madi was a heel on NWA Power, but she is a babyface here. This is not the first time this happened with her, leaving me quite confused as to if this is a heel vs. heel tag match or if Kate and Madi are actually babyfaces. This led to less heat for the match than it would have had if we had a clearer definition of who we were supposed to be cheering for. Then Madi turned heel again, for what seemed like her 10th heel turn in the last 6 months.
Pretty Empowered spent a good part of the first few minutes of the match working over Madi and getting the heat. They got boos when they cheated, but Madi and Kate got little reaction for their attempts at a comeback. To their credit, Kate and Madi kept trying, clapping and slapping the turnbuckle, but it did not work well by the mid part of the match.
Envy hit a knee strike and then Envy came in and they hit a double uranage on Madi for a 2-count. As Envy was taunting Madi, Madi slapped Envy tagged out to Kate. Kate went over Paige in the corner and then hit a superkick. Kate accidentally sent Paige crashing into Madi, and they started fighting a little bit, with Madi refusing to tag in. Envy lifted Kate into the air and Paige hit a running bulldog, in a move that looked a bit like a 3D for the pinfall.
EC3 defeated Thom Latimer via DQ
This was terrible. It’s all I can say. EC3’s character is horrible, and not over, and it is dragging Latimer down as he was just starting to get over as a babyface.
EC3 grabbed a mic after the first few minutes of nothing, claiming that you don’t whine about things online (a clear shot at Nick Aldis), and that Latimer should hit him. Latimer refused, and EC3 claimed that Latimer only hit people when he was drunk.
I really don’t like them playing off Latimer’s real life issues with alcohol. EC3 pretended to drink from the mic, mocking Latimer. He asked to be hit again, and Latimer just shook his head. EC3 claimed he was only good at fighting when he resisted arrest. Latimer laughed at his insults. EC3 told him that he was going to self-destruct and ruin his marriage to Kamille. EC3 said she would never love him, and he finally started fighting back.
Latimer locked on a crossface, and EC3 made the ropes. Latimer refused to break the crossface and when the referee tried to stop him, he threw the referee into the corner and went back to the crossface. Latimer made EC3 pass out. Latimer showed regret afterwards and left the ring.
Hawx Aerie (Luke & PJ Hawx) defeated La Rebelion (Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf) (w/ Damien 666) to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship
This was a good match, but a terrible finish. If there was ever a time to have the babyfaces go over, it was here, and that crowd would have exploded and PJ Hawx would have been elevated. Either way though, this was still a good match.
Hawx Aerie was very over here, as it was the hometown of Hawx Aerie and the show was partnered with Luke Hawx’s promotion. La Rebelion, of course, got the heat on PJ Hawx after a good showing initially from the Hawx family. La Rebelion hit a nice double knee on PJ Hawx, and distracted the referee as Damien 666 attacked the young Hawx. The heat continued for a few minutes with fast paced double team strikes from La Rebelion.
Bestia 666 hit a neckbreaker while Mecha Wolf hit a top rope splash on PJ Hawx. Luke Hawx broke the pin and then hit a 450 splash on Bestia 666 while Mecha Wolf hit a 450 at the exact same time on PJ Hawx. That was fantastic. PJ Hawx popped Bestia 666 into the air and Luke Hawx hit a powerslam, but Damien 666 got in the ring, and the referee broke the count.
The referee sent Damien to the back, but Bestia spit poison mist into the face of PJ Hawx. Hawx kicked out of the cradle after and Luke Hawx washed the mist out of his eyes with water. PJ Hawx countered mark of the beast and tagged his sad in, who hit a moonsault from the apron into the ring. As this happened Mecha Wolf spit poison mist into the face of Luke Hawx and they rolled him up for the pinfall.
NWA World Women’s Champion Kamille defeated KiLynn King & Chelsea Green to retain
Joe Galli told us at the start of the match that Green defeated Angelina Love to win the title shot that was promised to Velvet Sky due to her team winning the Champions Series, as Sky granted it to Love. The Champions Series happened over a year ago and it is still cursing me. Hopefully this is the end of it. The booking of this match actually made Kamille look bad unless they go back to an immediate rematch for King, but the announcers talked like it was going to lead to King and Green feuding with Kamille moving on, so this is terrible booking if they don’t follow up on this. Kamille lost to King here. Clean. The referee just missed it.
King and Kamille wanted this match to be about them only, and Green was upset they were ignoring her, but as soon as they went after her, she bailed from the ring letting Kasmille and King start fighting. Green came in and sent Kamille to the floor with a clothesline before hitting a monkey flip to King.
Green hit a double hurricanrana on King and Kamille, and as Green was pinning Kamille, King went for a senton, but Green moved. King and Green then exchanged a ton of pinfall attempts, but none were successful. Kamille responded by hitting a German suplex on both of them at the same time.
Kamille tried to suplex King into the ring, but King blocked it and but an attitude adjustment in the ring for a 2-count before going to a crossface. Green pulled the referee from the ring and missed when Kamille tapped out. That is not the call I would have made for that. Having Kamille tap out after being undefeated forever is not the kind of thing you want to do, even if the referee missed it. If Kamille wins, she has a tainted win.
Kamille put King in the torture rack, but Green hit a missile dropkick to drop the other two women. She couldn’t pin either one though, and fought with the referee about it. King hit the Excalibuster on Green, but it was broken up by Kamille. Green then hit the Unprettier on King, but Kamille hit a spear on Green and pinned her.
–Bobby Fulton came out in his old vest that he wore as The Fantastics. Fulton spoke saying he survived throat cancer, and he put over the PPV and hyped the main event. This was really nice.
–Cyon ws backstage for an interview, talking about how he and Jordan Clearwater were champions, and that Tyrus had a chance to hold the world title. Cyon said that Idolmania Sports Management was taking over the NWA tonight.
Tyurs (w/ BLK Jeez) defeated Matt Cardona & Trevor Murdoch to win the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship
Through no fault of Murdoch and Cardona, who tried, this match was terrible. The match went 10 minutes, and was nowhere near the standard of any main event matches on any PPV.
As the match started, Trevor Murdoch asked Tyrus for 60 seconds alone with Cardona, but Cardona ran out of the ring. Tyrus went to the outside and walked Cardona down, leading to BLK Jeez throwing Cardoan into the ring. Murdoch started beating on Cardona to nearly no reaction. Tyrus hit an elbow on Cardona and went for the pin, so Murdoch broke it up and they started fighting.
This is where Joe Galli informed us that Tyrus was from New Orleans, so he was in his hometown. Oh no, instead of giving Hawx Aerie the hometown win, they’re going to give it to Tyrus, aren’t they? Cardona broke up a pinfall after the bulldog from Trevor Murdoch, but Tyrus kicked out after Cardona tried to pin him. Cardona tried to headlock Tyrus, but Tyrus hit a back suplex.
Murdoch got back into the ring and tried to pin Cardona, but Tyrus grabbed him and threw him into the ring post. This was the 3rd time Murdoch went into it, injuring his shoulder. Tyrus hit a powerslam on Cardona and a running splash for a 2-count. Chelsea Green came down to distract the referee leading to a low blow from Cardona and a radio silence that saw Tyrus fall right on the leg of Cardona, and I was worried he was injured.
Tyrus kicked out. As Cardona tried to hit Tyrus with the NWA title, Murdoch cut him off and hit a pop-up spinebuster for a 2-count. Tyrus hit a suplex on both men and then ran back and forth in the corners crushing both men. He was gassed immediately. Cardona and Murdoch managed to double suplex Tyrus after countering the Tongan death grip, who had a hard time going up, but he got there eventually.
Cardona hit the reboot to the face of Tyrus, and Murdoch hit a DDT on Cardona. Murdoch and Cardona went to the floor and Murdoch hit a DDT on the floor like Cardona did to him when Cardona stole the title from him. As Murdoch was distracted by Cardona, Tyrus put the Tongan death grip on Murdoch and chokeslammed him with it for the pinfall.
The show went off the air with Idolmania Sports Management celebrating in the ring with all their gold.
I have no words at how terrible this decision is, and I have no idea why Billy Corgan would choose Tyrus over Nick Aldis. Heck, we saw Kratos and Murdoch having a brief brawl in a tag match on NWA Power. They would have had an awesome match. But no, Billy Corgan had to go with a guy who will bring the title on Fox News and draw zero viewers for NWA Power. I do not get it. Horrible decision that will hurt the NWA.
There was some good wrestling on this show, but I cannot recommend this PPV. Most of it was merely average. Kamille, King, and Green tried very hard in their match, but it was far too short. Same with Corino and Davey Richards. The good things on this show were horribly overshadowed by the bad, with the bad matches going far longer than the good ones, and then capping it off with the baffling decision to put the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship on Tyrus of all people.
