Welcome to NWA Wrestling Showcase on Colours TV on the Dish Network. This show is put together to promote the NWA television tapings in Las Vegas, run by David Marquez and several other people. It airs every Wednesday night at 9 PM, and it is time for the first episode.
Adam Pearce introduces himself with a short heel promo. He is the NWA World Heavyweight Champion, and the NWA has returned to television on Dish Network. "Welcome home to the NWA."
After an ad for the Wrestling Society X DVD, David Marquez and Rob Conway welcome us to the show, taped in front of a green screen…I mean, from the Plaza Hotel in downtown Las Vegas. Marquez introduces Conway as a big wrestling star who even has his own action figure(!). Marquez starts to talk about Adam Pearce and the NWA World Title. Rob's goal is to win the NWA World Title.
Our opening match was taped in Houston. Todd Kennelly and Kris Kloss have the call. This doesn't bode well. Kris Kloss has called more bad wrestling matches than Sean Mooney. The sound mix is a bit off, and I can barely hear Kloss.
(1) Hidaka vs. T.J. Perkins. T.J. is the artist formerly known as "Puma" in TNA and Ring of Honor. We start with some chain wrestling, and then Hidaka ties Perkins up with a neat variation on the abdominal stretch. The announcers talk up Hidaka's Japanese experience and Perkins' youth. They take turns throwing each other out of the ring. Perkins busts out a pendulum submission, and ties Hidakd up for a near fall. Perkins goes up for a crossbody from the top rope, and Hidaka catches him with a dropkick. Kloss goes all Don West on us. Hidaka hits a double stomp from the second rope as we get a crawl across the bottom of the screen with information and phone numbers for the first taping at the Plaza. Hidaka's gone full metal heel, and he goes to the sleeper. Perkins comes back with a huge flurry of offense, and nearly wins with a tornado DDT. T.J. goes for a senton, Hidaka moves, and Perkins rolls through. Hidaka catches him a jumping back kick.
We have more near falls, Perkins goes for a frog splash, but Hidaka gets the knees up. Hidaka gets a sitout powerbomb for a near fall. After a series of counters, Perkins pins Hidaka with the O'Connor roll at 9:56. Perfectly good opener.
After the match, Perkins gets attacked after the bell by Joey Ryan and Karl "Machine Gun" Anderson. Los Luchas come out and make the save, and then Adam Pearce joins the heels with the attack on Los Luchas. To the back!
Just kidding. We actually cut to a brief ad for NWA Anarchy in Georgia, and then back to David and Rob in Las Vegas, who narrate the replay of the postmatch attack. Marquez sort of explains that Ryan and Anderson are "The Real American Heroes". Conway thinks the heels were provoked. We now go to our next match, taped at the Orleans Arena in Vegas.
(2) Los Luchas vs. Real American Heroes (Flag Match). This match can end by pinfall, submission, or capturing the flag. Back to Kennelly and Kloss, who give us the history. The Luchas won the prestigious Copa de Lucha trophy and had it stolen from them by the Real American Heroes. Okay, it's a short history. Kloss apologizes for any anti-Latino comments the heels have made. The flags are set up in the neutral corners. Lucha #1, "Phoenix Star", gets the better of Ryan, and Ryan goes off to hug Anderson. Kloss finally mentions that Lucha #2 is named "Zokre". Karl gets the better of Zokre, but spends too long preening and misses the big legdrop. Zokre hits the top rope rana and throws Anderson over the top rope, but the big man skins the cat. Zokre clotheslines him out. The heels tease a walkout, then sneak back in as the Luchas are going for the Mexican flag. The Heroes block a double sunset flip and get their trunks pulled down for a double moon. They double up and knock Phoenix Star out of the ring. Zokre keeps Anderson from getting the flag. The Heroes do more traditional tag team stuff on Star. Star almost scores a pin with a sunset flip, but Anderson works him over outside the ring. Zokre finally gets the hot tag for some serious high-flying.
Finally all four men are in. Star hits a tumbleweed (which the cameras miss) followed by Zokre's springboard flip from the top rope. Back inside for more brawling. The Luchas hit a double senton. The heel manager, C. Edward Vanderpyle, jumps up on the apron, distracting the ref as Phoenix Star grabs the Mexican flag. Adam Pearce runs in and grabs the flag, then lays out both Luchas. Ryan covers Phoenix for the pinfall at 13:32. Vanderpyle grabs the American flag and starts celebrating with the heels.
To the break! Here's an advertisement for NWA New Jersey, the home of Judas Young.
We return with David Marquez interviewing former Mid-Atlantic announcer Bob Caudle at the Mid-Atlantic FanFest last year. Bob is having a good time reminiscing with everyone. Back to the Orleans for more wrestling!
(3) Ricky Vega vs. Cassidy O'Brien. Ricky is the former Machete from TNA. Cassidy is no one in particular. Vega pins O'Brien with a Samoan drop into a faceslam at 1:09. That was quick. Todd offers Vega some lovely parting gifts. Ricky's finisher gets a name, the "San Juan Slam".
We go to the break with a "Meet The Champions" graphic for NWA Ladies' Champion Amazing Kong. We come back with another graphic advertising Adam Pearce's title defense against Damien Wayne in Saluda, Virginia. When? It didn't say!
(4) El Hijo del Santo & Rey Mysterio Senior vs. Blue Demon Jr. & Nicho (formerly Psicosis). Kloss tells us this is a "battle of legends". Nicho is the only wrestler without a mask. Nicho and Demon are the heels. Kennelly explains that Senior is the uncle of WWE's Rey Mysterio. Senior runs roughshod over the smaller heels first, then Hijo del Santo is too quick for them. The bad guys bail, so Santo and Rey catch them with a double tope suicida. To the break!
When we return, Nicho and Demon catch the babyfaces on the apron. They opt to send Hijo del Santo to the floor and work over Rey inside the ring. Rey gets crotched against the ringpost, giving Demon and Nicho time to go after Santo. Demon lays Santo out for Nicho's top rope legdrop. Blue Demon tries to take off Hijo del Santo's mask, but wastes time and Santo tags in Rey. Rey gets more of the same. Nicho has Rey pinned, but pulls him up instead. Rey winds out going outside the ring and tagging Santo in from the floor. Santo gets worked over for a while so the heels can do tag spots. Rey makes it back in. Santo does a senton on Nicho, then bounces up into a tope suicida on Blue Demon. Senior then hits Nicho with a high cross body onto the ringside floor. Another break!
We come back just in time for Demon to pin Santo with a low blow in 8:36 of what was shown. Wow. Decent match, but there's something about seeing middle-aged guys hit those aerial spots that ruins the mystique of the high-flying style.
Back to Marquez and Conway for the conclusion. Next week, Marquez promises a main event of Adam Pearce against Sean Waltman.
***
My rating? 6.0 out of a possible 10. There's a lot of quality control that needs to be done, but if you go in with no expectations, you'll probably enjoy it. I liked the idea of showing up the heat between Los Luchas and the American Heroes, rather than trying to explain it to us. It's the wrestlers of 2008 doing the wrestling of 1988 with the production values of 1988.
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