UWN Prime Time Live will not be running any shows for the rest of the year
United Wrestling Network President Dave Marquez announced during tonight’s show that the live pay-per-view events will be taking a break after tonight’s show.
Marquez stated that due to the pandemic and specific restrictions taking place in California, where UWN produces their shows, they will be suspending PPV events until 2021, when they plan on running shows again.
A planned UWN title match between Mike Bennett and Chris Dickinson will take place sometime in 2021.
Prime Time Live, which features a combination of NWA and United Wrestling Network talent, started its run on September 15. Significant title changes that took place on the program include Serena Deeb defeating Thunder Rosa for the NWA Women’s title, Trevor Murdoch defeating Aron Stevens to win the NWA National Heavyweight championship, and Elijah Burke defeating Zicky Dice to win the NWA World Television championship.
A new NWA Television Champion was crowned on this week’s edition of UWN Primetime Live.
The Pope (Elijah Burke) defeated Zicky Dice on Tuesday’s Primetime Live to win the NWA TV title. The Pope overcame a pre-match attack by Dice and was able to get the win before the 6:05 time limit expired.
The Pope is the third wrestler to hold the NWA TV title since it was reintroduced this January. Ricky Starks and Dice are the former champions.
“Shout out to @nwa President @Billy for giving Pope an opportunity to accomplish this great achievement,” The Pope wrote about his title win. “Shout out to The Congregation for always believing such a day would come. Thank You All! ~PHS #NWA #TVChampion #NWAPowerrr #Pope4TheGold”
The NWA has partnered with the United Wrestling Network for the weekly Primetime Live pay-per-view series. There’s been one other NWA title change on the series since it debuted in September, with Trevor Murdoch defeating Aron Stevens to win the NWA National Championship.
In an Instagram post last month, Billy Corgan gave an update on the status of NWA Power. Corgan wrote that they’re currently talking about bringing the weekly series back very soon, even if fans can’t be in attendance yet.
This week’s episode opened with a promo montage, serving as a nice way to introduce the new wrestlers that will be on the show this week. It’s a small, yet simple way to get the audience invested.
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Levi Shapiro (w/ Howdy Price) defeated Bryan Idol
Idol started the match quick, leaving Shapiro on the defensive right away. Idol hit a series of headlock takeovers and then a sling blade and a charging forearm. Idol hit a suicide dive, but as he celebrated, Shapiro got up and hit a throat thrust. Idol brought Shapiro in the hard way and then hit a butterfly suplex.
Shapiro got the heat for a bit, choking Idol on the ropes and then tossing him to the floor. Shapiro distracted the ref and his manager started stomping on Idol. Shapiro hit a bulldog off the middle rope for a two count. Shapiro hit a powerslam and then went for the claw, but Idol countered out. Idol hit a flatliner coming into the ring, and after an exchange, he hit a superkick and then hit a springboard moonsault.
Price threw a boot into the ring to distract the referee and as the ref was turned away, Shapiro loaded his glove and nailed Idol for the pinfall victory.
This was a solid opening match here. I’d like to see more of Idol, as he looked quite good.
FSW Nevada Ladies Champion Lacey Ryan defeated Viperess
Viperess used some power moves early on, hitting suplexes and slams to ground Ryan. The video feed cut out in the middle of the match to a standby screen. When it came back, both women were exchanging chops in the middle of the ring. Ryan hit a clothesline and then a few kicks before hitting the ropes, Viperess ducked under and hit a German suplex.
Ryan stood right up and hit a half nelson suplex and running knee on Viperess for two. Ryan went for a 450 splash, but Viperess moved and locked on a rear naked choke in the middle of the ring. Ryan floated backwards into a pinfall, but Viperess kicked out. Viperess managed to get behind her again with a sleeper, but Ryan spun out, hit a V-Trigger and the Knee Exploder for the pinfall victory.
This was a pretty standard match with both women looking good. Ryan is quite talented, and it proved to be a good showcase for her. I was quite impressed with her overall athleticism and I can see her going places eventually.
4 Minutes of Heat (Ricky Gibson & Eddie Pearl) defeated Beef Candy (Ricky Mandell & Richie Slade) w/ Flex
Pearl has a magnificent mullet. Gibson and Pearl got the shine (rather than 4 Minutes of Heat) for the first few minutes, but on the outside, Flex threw candy at Gibson to distract him. Slade and Mandell proceeded to beat on Gibson for the next few minutes with the occasional Flex cheap shot. Beef Candy hit a backslide into an Alabama Jam for two that looked pretty cool.
Gibson managed to tag out and Pearl ran wild, catching Slade on the middle rope, rocking him like a seesaw and sending his feet into his own partner’s crotch. It was a ridiculous spot, but it made me laugh. Gibson came in and then 4 Minutes of Heat hit the Power Ballad for the pin.
This was a surprisingly fun tag match. You can tell both teams have a solid understanding on the fundamentals of tag team wrestling. Plus, Pearl’s magnificent mullet is really astonishing in 2020.
Chris Dickinson defeated Max Caster
Caster sung a rap in an inset promo which was entertaining. Dickinson went for a death valley driver right away, but Caster fought out of it and posed for the camera. Dickinson responded with a back suplex and then a half crab. Caster didn’t stay down though and hit a flying elbow for two. Caster went for a second one, but Dickinson cut him off and hit a superplex. He then hit the death valley driver for the pinfall.
My recap really doesn’t do this match justice. Dickinson was selling his left arm throughout the match and a bit of Caster’s offense focused on it. Everything that Dickinson did looked great. After the match, Dickinson said to the camera, “We’re getting there!” giving props to Caster as his competition. This was the first opponent that Dickinson seemed impressed with.
Wolf Zaddies (Che Cabrera & Bad Dude Tito) defeated The Bodega (Danny Limelight & ‘King Fatboy’ Papa Esco)
Tito started the match with Fatboy and the two big guys had a mean guy match (~!) in the opening, but the pace of the match really picked up when Cabrera and Limelight got in there. Limelight had a beautiful floatover on Che’s back into a headlock. Fatboy launched Limelight across the ring into a dropkick on Tito on the apron.
However, Fatboy ended up inadvertently distracting the ref, and the Zaddies hit a series of powerful double team moves on the smaller Limelight, turning around their fortunes quickly. The Zaddies isolated Limelight in the corner, but he managed to launch into a dropkick on Tito. Cabrera cut him off and Tito hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for two.
Limelight dodged a corner charge, walked across the middle rope, and hit a springboard into a clothesline on Tito and then hurricanrana before tagging out to Esco. Limelight hit a kick on Cabrera while Fatboy hit a powerslam, but Cabrera rolled to the outside. Limelight then hit a corkscrew dive to the floor. Tito caught a second dive attempt back in the ring and hit a spinebuster before rolling Limelight into Zadisfatction for the pinfall victory.
The Pope & Watts defeated NWA TV Champion Zicky Dice & Effy
Effy started the match with Watts and screamed “I got your nipple!” as he grabbed Watts’ nipple. Watts did not like this. He overpowered Effy, but Effy did a go behind and raked Watts’ eyes before tagging out to Dice. Dice and Effy proceeded to get the heat through a lot of chokes and other cheap shots. They managed to keep Watts in their corner, but Dice tried to slam Watts and couldn’t pick up the bigger man.
Watts slammed Dice and tagged out to Pope who ran wild on both men, hitting a kick to Dice and an inverted atomic drop and running mafia kick on Effy. Effy dropped Pope on the ropes neck first and then Dice fishhooked him, choking him on the middle rope. Pope almost made a comeback, but Effy dropped him with a huge clothesline and the heat on Pope continued.
Pope managed to tag out and Watts hit a big chokeslam on Effy. Watts picked him up and Pope hit the Doomsday Device, but Pope wasn’t the legal man. As Watts came back in, Dice distracted him and Effy took out Watts’ knee. Effy worked over the knee and tagged out to Dice. The two hit a double suplex on Watts that got two.
Dice hit the Snake, Rattle, & Roll on Watts and instead of going for a cover, he climbed to the top rope. He went for an axehandle to Watts, who was laying down so that clearly wasn’t going to work. Watts got his foot up and tagged out to Pope who hit a flying forearm on Effy and a series of Bionic Elbows to both Dice and Effy. Pope then invited the fans at home to clap before hitting a flying crossbody on Effy for a two count.
Dice dumped Watts to the floor and held Pope, but Pope ducked and Effy nailed Dice by accident. Pope then hit the Elijah Express on Effy for the pin and win. Dice attacked Pope after the bell, but Watts chased him off.
This wasn’t a bad tag match at all, but Watts had a hard time keeping up with the other three men. Dice and Effy made for a good team, and Pope looked pretty good.
Pope cut a good promo after the match on Dice, saying they needed each other so they could both make money in 2020. He was offended that Dice spit on tradition when he attacked Pope and cheated. Pope said he was going to try and take the NWA Television Championship from Dice because he was standing up for tradition.
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Final Thoughts:
This was probably the weakest of the first four episodes of Primetime Live, but it was still a very easy to watch 90 minutes. UWN went off the air promising a huge announcement for next week.
One thing this show is missing is the strong promos that we saw from NWA Power, which often made the show stand out. UWN Primetime Live suffers a bit from trying to bring several different wrestling products together, so it doesn’t have much storyline development week to week outside of the very simple winners/losers dynamic of the matches. There is nothing wrong with that, but if you are watching this show expecting the angles and storylines that we got from NWA Power, it might come across as a disappointment.
This episode, in particular, was hurt by the lack of NWA stars with Pope and Dice being the only real ones there. But, it is nice to see the efforts they are putting into Levi Shapiro, Danny Limelight, and others. With that being said, it is absolutely refreshing to be able to sit down and simply watch 90 minutes of wrestling with a very simple product to follow.
If you are looking for an easy to digest and simple wrestling program, this show is for you.
UWN continued with their opening promo montage, continuing the 80s wrestling show feel. I like this little touch as it gives a reason for all the matches happening and helps us get to know the characters we might not be familiar with yet.
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UWN World Tag Team Champions SoCal Distancing (Andy Brown and Adrian Quest) defeated Real Money Brothers (Big Money Clutch and RMB Suge)
Brown and Quest got the heat on Suge in the early portion of the match. Quest used fast paced striking and offense while Brown was able to control Suge with power. Suge hit a big powerslam on Quest and then made the hot tag to Clutch. Suge tried to hit a double team suplex off the top rope on Quest, but Brown cut them off and SoCal Distancing hit a combo double stomp and death valley driver that got a two count.
Suge hit a full nelson into a flatliner for two. He tried to suplex Quest again, but Brown made the save and Quest hit the 40 Ounce Bounce on Clutch. Brown hit Finish Him on Suge which was followed with a phoenix splash by Quest for the pin.
This was a solid opening tag match that was set up by the Real Money Brothers defeating Friendship Farm last week. I like Brown and Quest as they showed a lot of good ring positioning and an understanding of how to structure a tag match.
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Trevor Murdoch cut a simple promo about the main event, saying that he was going to walk away with the NWA National Championship.
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Papadon defeated Remy Marcel
As Marcel came out, the announcers implied that he has taken people out to the desert to bury them on behalf of criminals running casinos. Well, then. Marcel appeared to be the babyface in this match. Well, then…again. Papadon claimed Marcel pulled his hair when he has no hair. I was briefly distracted by how much tape Marcel has on his shoulders, making me think he is close to having his arms fall off.
Marcel hit a slingshot senton from the apron into the ring, but ate a hotshot from Papadon who then started hitting a series of elbows to his head. Papadon hit a neckbreaker for a two count. Papadon hit a clothesline and argued with the official about the count, which was clearly two.
Papadon hit a suplex and a few kicks to the chest of Marcel. Marcel hit a headscissors takeover, a flying crossbody, and a Northern Lights suplex for two. Papadon hit a clothesline that turned Remy inside out and then hit a really nice spike piledriver for the finish.
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Chris Dickinson told the interviewer to shut up and told the world that he was angry and bitter because he had something to prove. Dickinson said he was professional wrestling and called Gentleman Jervis an insult to professional wrestling. He said that he could keep talking all day and that they would need to send someone to shut him up. Anthony Idol showed up and cut a very 80s style promo, challenging Dickinson to a match and that they could fight tonight.
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Chris Dickinson defeated Anthony idol
Idol and Dickenson collided with shoulder tackles and were unable to knock each other over. Idol hit a back elbow and dropped Dickinson before hitting a back drop for two. Dickinson hit a hard chop and blocked a corner charge with a kick. Dickinson dropped Idol with a DDT and started to trash talk him.
Dickinson went for an armbar, but Idol stacked him and hit a spinebuster for a near fall. Idol hit a chokeslam for two and tried for a few more power moves, but Dickinson managed to hit a death valley driver for the win.
Dickinson continued to call for more competition. I think setting up a match between he and NWA World Champion Nick Aldis might be something that could draw eyes for the NWA and UWN.
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Allysin Kay defeated Nicole Savoy
Kay took Savoy over and they grappled on the mat for a little bit. Savoy invited Kay into her guard and as Kay reached in, Savoy rolled into an armdrag in a nice spot. Kay took out the legs and continued to roll for submissions. Savoy countered into a triangle choke, but her shoulders were down so she had to let it go. Savoy hit a butterfly suplex on Kay, but Kay managed to continue to attack Savoy’s leg.
Savoy hit a Saito suplex and went for a waist lock, but Kay countered with a rolling kneebar. Kay caught a kick and took out Savoy’s knee again. Savoy and Kay exchanged forearms in the middle of the ring, but Savoy hit an uppercut palm strike and a German suplex. Savoy went for a fireman’s carry, but her knee gave out.
Savoy hit a knee to Kay for two. She went for a figure four, but Savoy kicked Kay out of it and rolled her up for a two count. Kay was able to counter into a pin of her own to win the match.
This was pretty good. I liked that they tried to make it mostly submission based and it gave the impression that with one little adjustment, Savoy could have gotten the win.
Kay pointed at the camera and called out NWA Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa — a rematch that should be a big one if they build it right. So far, so good.
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Aron Stevens cut a quick promo about the main event. It’s interesting to note that May Valentine is now doing these interviews. I wonder what her role will be now that Royce Isaacs has left the NWA.
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Ruby Raze defeated Cece Chanel
Chanel jumped into the air to grab Raze’s hand in a test of strength and locked on a wrist lock. Chanel hit a series of hard forearms and then a kick to Ruby’s head. Cece butterfly locked the arms, but was unable to lift Raze. Raze, however, had not been able to get any offense in until she hit a back elbow to Cece’s face.
Raze hit a shoulder tackle and then blocked another butterfly suplex attempt. Raze took the next few minutes using power moves to keep the smaller Chanel down. Chanel dodged a chop, hit a few strikes, and went for a butterfly suplex again, but Ruby countered and hit a Strong Zero for the win.
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Robert Bates defeated Jack Cartwright
Bates came out wearing a painted Storm Trooper helmet that screamed indie geek, complete with goofy facials when he took off his helmet in the match. Cartwright has gymnastics experience and was not afraid to show it. Bates spent the early portion of the match hitting a series of power holds. Cartwright managed to hit a power slam, but missed a shooting star press attempt. Bates then locked on a cobra clutch for the win.
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Trevor Murdoch defeated Aron Stevens to become the new NWA National Champion
Stevens charged right away and Murdoch dropped him with a huge right hand. Every time Stevens tried something, there would be a series of counters that ended with Murdoch dropping Stevens with a punch. Both men exchanged strikes in the corner, charged for clotheslines, and then Murdoch hit another big right hand.
Murdoch slammed Stevens’ head into the ring steps and dropped him again in the middle of the ring with a clothesline. Murdoch hit a second and a third, but Stevens kicked out at two. They spilled on to the entrance ramp and Murdoch threw Stevens off the ramp and toward the wall. Stevens grabbed a spotlight and shone the light in Murdoch’s face to blind him.
Stevens then began to get the heat by hitting a series of elbows in the corner. Stevens choked Murdoch with his black belt in Mongrovian Karate. I don’t know how the ref couldn’t see it as it was clearly hanging there around Murdoch’s neck. Stevens hit the ropes, but Murdoch hit a spinebuster and both men were down. Murdoch got up first and went to the top rope and hit a flying cross body for two.
Murdoch tried to float over in the corner, but Stevens took out his knee and began to attack it with submission attempts. Murdoch shoved Stevens through the ropes and onto the ramp before bringing him in the hard way and hitting a huge full nelson slam.
Murdoch went to the top rope for the bulldog again, but Stevens ducked down and Murdoch crashed to the mat. Stevens hit a rolling elbow, but Murdoch kicked out. Stevens went for a sunset flip, but Murdoch sat down and got the pinfall victory to win the title
I expect that this was where NWA Power was going before the pandemic hit, and it would have been nice to see this happen with a crowd as Murdoch’s story was actually quite nice. He cut a promo after the match about how he did this for his kids and had tears in his eyes. That was great. UWN and the NWA sent us home with a happy ending for the evening which I can’t help but feel great about.
The show ended with a series of highlights from all the matches and credits for all the staff that worked on it. That all felt very old school.
Overall, this wasn’t a bad episode, though not as good as last week.
Serena Deeb is off next Tuesday’s edition of the United Wrestling Network’s Primetime Live after coming into contact with someone who later tested positive for COVID-19.
Deeb was scheduled to face Allysin Kay on Primetime Live next Tuesday (September 29). Kay will now face Nicole Savoy on the show.
“Earlier this week, I came into contact with an individual who later tested positive for COVID-19. I am taking extra precaution and will be self quarantining for 10 days,” Deeb said in a statement. “Due to this, I unfortunately have to postpone the match at Primetime Live next week with Allysin Kay. I offer my utmost apologies for this. This is a serious matter, and the health and safety of everyone involved always comes first.”
The NWA has partnered with UWN for the weekly Primetime Live pay-per-view series. The NWA tweeted about Deeb being off next Tuesday’s show: “Allysin Kay is going to have a hell of a battle on her hands with Nicole Savoy at Prime Time Live on 9/29! We wish Serena Deeb all the best & look forward to when we can reschedule.”
Deeb worked as a coach for WWE prior to April’s roster cuts. She made her AEW in-ring debut earlier this month. It was announced this week that she’s signed with AEW.
The show opened with a series of inset promos from Thunder Rosa, Priscilla Kelly, Karl Fredricks, Eli Drake and others. This was a very old school opening and I loved the throwback feel.
Kevin Martenson defeated Danny Rivera
Both men locked up, but Martenson slammed Rivera right away and went to the top rope but Riva rolled away before he could do anything. Rivera went for a DDT, but Martenson countered. Rivera hit a hurricanrana and a northern lights suplex, followed by a dive to the floor. The dive looked a bit dangerous as he almost got caught on the top rope, but he managed to clear it.
Martenson kicked the legs out from under Rivera and then hit a double stomp to his head. Martenson hit a spear by sliding in between the corner post and under the bottom rope to the floor. That looked quite dangerous. Back in the ring, Martenson went for a pop-up powerbomb, but Rivera countered into a hurricanrana.
Martenson hit a kick while Rivera was on the apron to send him to the floor, but missed a dive. Martenson went for a charge, Rivera backdropped him into the ropes and then Martenson went crashing to the floor which looked brutal. Rivera walked the ropes and hit a springboard clothesline for a two count. The move looked a little botched as he jumped a bit too high for Martenson.
Rivera went for the symbiote DDT, but Martenson countered and gave him a splash mountain bomb over the top rope onto the entrance ramp. Martenson went for a splash from the corner on to the ramp, but Rivera got his knees up. Martenson then hit a brainbuster on the ramp and rolled Rivera into the ring for the pin.
Oh my goodness, these two killed each other in this match. There were a bunch of bumps on the concrete floor and ramp. Both men put in a fantastic performance, but I think they would be better off not taking the crazy bumps they did. Regardless, this was a great match.
– David Marquez interviewed Aron Stevens who is facing Trevor Murdoch next week. In a very good promo, he promised that he was going to remain the 3rd Degree NWA National Champion.
Eli Drake defeated Watts
Watts and Drake started the match by saying they could hear the fans at home chanting their name. I couldn’t. They started slow, trying to one up one another. They did shake hands at the start of the match, but on a second handshake attempt, Drake pulled him in for a go behind. It was kind of a heelish move, which is perplexing as Drake is a babyface.
Watts hit a big sidewalk slam, a fallaway slam, and then several shoulders in the corner. Watts caught Drake and hit another fallaway slam. He Irish whipped Drake into the corner hard before kicking him in the corner. Watts went for a third Irish whip, but Drake countered with a clothesline. Drake went for a dive off the top rope, but Watts countered with an overhead belly-to-belly for a two count.
Drake went for a headscissors takedown, but Watts botched the forward roll and ended up planting himself on his head into the mat. Drake went up the ramp, ran down, and jumped over the top rope with a clothesline. Drake hit a Russian leg sweep and then a powerslam for two.
Watts went for a chokeslam, but Drake fought out and hit the ropes, but Watts hit a pump kick. Watts hit a choke bomb for two. Drake couldn’t get up, so Watts called for his music and went for a power bomb, but Drake countered and hit the Gravy Train for the pinfall.
While the work was fine, this was way too slow for a show with no crowd as what they did largely depended upon getting reactions from the audience.
– Priscilla Kelly cut a promo about how everything is on the line for her tonight as she spent months wondering if her career was going to continue because of the pandemic. This was a very good promo as it felt real. I don’t doubt for a second that she had hard days during the past six months.
Real Money Brothers (RNB Suge & Big Money Clutch) defeated Friendship Farm (Gentleman Jervis & Sweet Robin Shaw)
Jervis locked up with Suge and tried to tickle him, but ended up attacking with a drop toe hold and then hit a big uppercut before tagging out to Shaw. Shaw is a larger man and was wearing flesh colored tights. That was a bad idea — a very bad idea. Shaw hit a legdrop on Suge who then tagged out to Clutch. Clutch hit a pounce on Shaw and then they proceeded to get the heat on him.
Shaw eventually hit what looked like a spear and then tagged out to Jervis, who tried to hit the Rock-A-Bye suplex on Suge and Suge almost fell asleep, but Clutch saved him. They hit their finish (which I missed the name of) for the win.
Karl Fredricks defeated Slice Boogie
Fredricks, coming fresh from NJPW Strong, started by chopping the crap out of Boogie. He went for an armbar, but Boogie tried to block it. Both men tried to exchange holds here, but were unable to top each other. Boogie hit a shoulder tackle and yelled, “I’m not a young lion, I’m a grown man!” He hit the ropes and Fredricks hit a crossbody.
Fredricks hit some hard forearms and a jumping elbow for two. Fredricks hit the ropes and Boogie hit a pump kick, followed by a legdrop for two. Boogie Shit a snap german suplex for two. Slice hit a chop in the corner and Fredricks gave a Shibata like no-sell. Boogie hit a few more chops and a forearm, but Fredricks no sold it again. Boogie hit a uranage for two.
They exchanged some forearms, but Fredericks hit a Pele kick and a series of hard forearms in the corner before hitting the Shibata style corner dropkick for a two. He countered an inverted suplex with some knees, but Boogie hit the 21st Street Special for two.
Fredricks countered the Statute of Misery with a spinebuster and then hit an implant DDT for the pinfall victory.
This match was awesome. Fredricks looks so much like Shibata in the ring that it’s kind of scary. You can tell that Shibata has trained him, and my goodness, he has trained him well.
– Joe Galli was with some of Thunder Rosa’s fans at an indie show including Rosa’s number 1 fan, a young girl. The fans talked about how Rosa was one of the best in the world and that Kelly would have a hard time against her tonight.
NWA Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa defeated Priscilla Kelly
Instead of the standard lockup, Kelly and Rosa went to the mat right away and exchanged submission attempts. Both women rolled on the mat, ending with Rosa locking on a half crab. Kelly countered and locked on a Boston crab. Rosa fought out and hit some hard strikes before going for an ankle lock.
Rosa hit a series for armdrags and then a dropkick before missing a corner charge. Kelly hit an uppercut and then a PK for two. Kelly then hit a flying kick to Rosa to drop her. She hit some hard kicks and tied Rosa up in the ropes before hitting a knee to the back. Kelly sent Rosa to the floor and wrapped her arms around the ring post. Rosa slammed Kelly’s head into the steps and started to choke her on the floor.
Rosa hit a chop to Kelly’s back as the ref tried to get both women back into the ring. They started to exchange strikes on the floor. Rosa sent Kelly back into the ring, but was out of position for a dive so Kelly adjusted and jumped from the apron with a flying kick. This was a smart adjustment while moving, and it didn’t look like a mistake.
Rosa hit a neckbreaker in the ring for a two. She choked Kelly on the ropes before hitting a kick to Kelly’s head. She hit a snapmare and then a dragon sleeper. When she couldn’t get the tapout, she landed some elbows to Kelly’s face instead. Kelly countered a headscissors into a jackknife pin for two.
Kelly hit an armdrag and then locked on an armbar but Rosa escaped and went for a heel hook. Kelly responded with kicks to the face, and then they exchanged a series of pinfall attempts before Rosa locked on a pendulum. Kelly managed to fight back to her feet and hit a hard superkick. Rosa got a drop toehold that sent Kelly into the corner which she followed with flying knees and then a dropkick for two.
Kelly went for a half nelson suplex, but Rosa countered and hit a neckbreaker. Both women fought out on to the ramp and started hitting each other hard. Kelly managed to lock on the octopus stretch on the entrance ramp, but Rosa fought out and hit a death valley driver on the entrance ramp. Kelly managed to kick out when Rosa went for the pinfall.
Rosa went for the Thunder Driver, but Kelly countered into a back suplex for two. Both women exchanged some hard forearms and then Rosa hit a flying knee, but Kelly hit the ropes and hit a pump kick. Kelly then hit Crippling Depression for a very close two.
Kelly locked on a submission, but Rosa countered out into a Samoan drop for two. They started to exchange chops and Kelly floored Rosa with a kick. Rosa ducked a second kick and hit a flying knee and then hit the Thunder Driver for the pin and win to close a fantastic match.
Both gave it their all. It went for nearly 25 minutes, and I didn’t notice once that there was no crowd. They worked a very fast paced match and just kept going, hitting each other with harder and harder moves. Both women put in a performance that might have been the best of their careers. I cannot recommend this match enough.
Final Thoughts:
This was a very good 90 minutes of wrestling. Week one was very shaky due to all the technical issues, but week two was a huge improvement with zero streaming issues and some truly great matches.
The main event felt like an epic title match worth of the NWA name while Fredricks vs. Boogie was a very NJPW style match that didn’t disappoint. The rest of the card was quite good, too. The only thing that stood out as bad was Drake vs. Watts and even that wasn’t that bad. Overall, this was an excellent show.
This was the first of four weekly pay-per-views from UWN which will also feature some talent from the NWA.
The show opened with David Marquez running down the card when Chris Dickinson made his way in and cut a promo about how he was going to take every opportunity in front of him and that he doesn’t care about the UWN or NWA and was here to make a statement. There were some technical issues during the promo, but the majority of it was quite good.
West Coast Pro Wrestling Champion Alex Hammerstone defeated EJ Sparks to retain
Hammerstone took down Sparks with a waist lock. Sparks was able to comeback with some strikes and a springboard forearm. Sparks went for a corner go-over, but Hammerstone cut him off with a back rake and a Spinal Countdown. Hammerstone sent Sparks into the corner and he dropped as he hit the turnbuckles very hard.
Hammerstone hit a backbreaker, a few shoulders to the stomach in the corner and an overhead belly to belly. He locked on an abdominal stretch, but Sparks fought out and hit a kick. Hammerstone no sold it, but Sparks hit a DDT and eventually got a near fall. Hammerstone eventually picked up Sparks and hit the Nightmare Pendulum for the win.
This match was perfectly fine from what I was able to see, but technical issues with the stream constantly freezing made it difficult to enjoy.
— Joe Galli from the NWA greeted the fans and thanked them for tuning in and spending money to watch the show in a nice touch. I love his announcing.
— Nick Aldis cut a good promo, saying that he has nothing left to say. He talked about how the World title meant the world to Mike Bennett and it meant the world to him, and that Bennett was not going to make his name at Aldis’ expense.
Jordan Clearwater defeated Will Allday
Allday went for a headscissors, but Clearwater countered into a neckbreaker. Clearwater hit a huge clothesline for a two count. Allday hit a frog splash for a two count and then a suplex before missing with a PK. He turned around and landed a kick to the back of Clearwater’s head and then a double stop for two. Clearwater hit a bulldog for two. Allday hit a suicide dive, but ate a Midas Touch, giving Clearwater the win.
This was nearly unwatchable due to more feed glitches and freezing, but I liked what I saw from Clearwater.
Kamille defeated Heather Monroe
Kamille used her power to block an armdrag immediately and then knocked Monroe over with a shoulderblock. Monroe used a sleeper, but Kamille powered out and hit a running elbow. She hit several European uppercuts and a gutwrench suplex and set up for a spear, but Monroe rolled to the outside. Kamille went for a fireman’s carry on the floor, but Monroe got out and shoved her into the ringpost and started to work over her arm.
Once they were back in the ring, Kamille managed to hit a Samoan drop, but sold her arm afterward. Monroe continued to work over the arm, while Kamille’s power kept her in the match. Kamille ducked a kick and went for the torture rack, but couldn’t lock it on due to her shoulder. Kamille hit a neckbreaker instead, but Monroe kicked out. Monroe hit a knee and went for Dress to Kill, but Kamille powered out and hit a spear for the win.
— Eli Drake cut a promo about how the world was locked down for the last few months, but he was so happy to be back and able to talk to the people. The rest of the promo was hard to make out due to more feed freezes.
— Dan Joseph cut a promo about keeping the United Television title.
Wolf Zaddies and The Tribe went to a no contest.
This match was unwatchable due to the glitches in the stream. Both teams exchanged their finishers but the other teammate broke up the pinfall, eventually ending in a no contest. Both teams brawled to the back afterward.
Chris Dickinson defeated Jordan Cruz
Dickinson attacked right away and clotheslined Cruz on the entrance ramp before going back to the ring and grabbing a mic to introduce himself. He cut a promo about how he needed better competition as Cruz crawled back to the ring and decided to fight. Dickinson made him pay, hitting a series of hard kicks and stomps.
Dickinson locked on a half crab and stomped on Cruz’s back while he had the submission on. He let it go and hit a suplex for a two count. Cruz hit a hurricanrana, but it wasn’t enough for the win. Dickinson blocked a running bulldog before hitting a huge death valley driver for the pinfall victory.
United Television Champion Dan Joseph defeated Levi Shapiro
Shapiro wore a glove, which he has loaded in the past. The announcers pointed out that he also uses the claw with that gloved hand and it is super powered because he had an injury that caused the tendons to heal more tightly, giving his hand even more strength. I love how wacky that is. Joseph hit a dropkick and the ref botched the count and counted three despite the kickout. The match ended in complete chaos.
Well, that was something. The finish was all sorts of weird. The stream also started freezing again right at the end of the match, which just added to the weirdness.
NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis defeated Mike Bennett (w/ Maria Kanellis) to retain
This match started fast with Bennett taking it right to Aldis with a series of hard chops and forearms. Bennett went for a spear, but Aldis dodged and the referee was taken out. He went to grab the title belt, but Maria stopped him. Kamille then came out to drive Maria away, and Bennett hit a flying crossbody off the ramp onto Aldis, but the camera missed it. Back in the ring, Aldis hit the MDD for a two count.
Bennett floated over another MDD attempt and hit a superkick and a discus clothesline on Aldis for two. Bennett hit a series of elbows to the neck, but Aldis fought back and hit a tombstone and then a flying elbow for two. Bennett hit a superplex and then a spear, but Aldis kicked out. Bennett hit another superkick and then hit a piledriver.
Bennett crawled over to make the cover, but Aldis got his foot on the rope for a very close near fall. Maria grabbed the title and handed to Bennett who thought about using it as a weapon, but he put it down and went for the piledriver again. Aldis countered, but Bennett went for a dive off the middle rope and Alids countered into the Texas clover leaf.
Bennett screamed “I need this!” as he tried to make it to the ropes, but Aldis kept dragging him back to the middle of the ring and he went unconscious, giving Aldis the successful title defense.
This was a perfectly solid match, but more glitches in the stream at the start of the match hurt it a bit. Bennett was determined to show that he could go, and Aldis looked quite good, all things considered.
After the show, Aldis cut a promo that was exclusive to FITE.tv. He said he was tested to his limits tonight, and Bennett was tough. Aldis said it was 51-49 and he didn’t like those odds tonight, but he was happy to continue to hold the title and put it up against the best competition. He finished saying that Bennett is absolutely a pro wrestler but he wasn’t “The National Treasure.”
Final Thoughts:
The show as a whole would have been a very solid and fun professional wrestling card but the streaming issues hurt it badly, making the first two thirds almost unwatchable. I’m still interested to see some of the matches next week, especially Thunder Rosa’s match against Priscilla Kelly. Hopefully, they iron out the glitches before then.
