MCNEILL'S TAKE McNEILL's NWA Showcase on Dish Network Revue (1/23): Dragons and Tigers and Bucks, Oh My Jan 29, 2008 - 6:50:56 PM

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By Pat McNeill, Torch Columnist

Welcome to NWA Wrestling Showcase on Colours TV on the Dish Network. We open with David Marquez interviewing a British wrestler named Sean Denny. It seems Denny is facing "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson(!) on this episode. Denny promises to welcome Danielson to the Mid-Atlantic region.

David Marquez and Rob Conway welcome us to the show, taped in front of a green screen…I mean, from inside the casino at the Plaza Hotel in downtown Las Vegas. Marquez talks about 2008 as the 60th Anniversary of the NWA. Conway says we're about to see the Young Bucks, who are almost as athletic as he is. Let's go to the first match, from Hidalgo, Texas.

(1) The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. Cobra II & Black Tiger IV. Okay, I know the Young Bucks are from PWG in California, and Black Tiger and Cobra are the masked heels. The Bucks hit the masked guys with some stereo offense ending with synchronized topes. The Bucks have dollar signs on their yellow trunks. Cobra and Matt kick us off. The announcers explain that Cobra is from Canada and we don't know a lot about him. Matt makes the blind tag to Nick for a double hiptoss and double dropkick. Nick does a ropewalk armdrag on Black Tiger and cleans house. Tiger cuts off Matt's offense with a clothesline as we go to commercial.

When we return, Cobra is stomping away on Matt, and goes to the chinlock. Matt gets a near fall off a crucifix. The announcers mention the previous Black Tigers without mentioning the identity of the current Tiger (Ring of Honor tag team champion Rocky Romero). Cobra hits a kneedrop after Tiger's belly-to-back suplex. He then baits Nick into the ring to distract the referee while he chokes Matt with athletic tape. Ah, the classics. Matt ducks a running shoulderblock, which sends Cobra flying through the ropes. Hot tag to Nick, who cleans house. All four men come in. The heels catch Nick with a Hart Attack, but Nick kicks out. The Bucks rally and set up Cobra for a Matt Jackson moonsault. Nick distracts the ref for what seems like forever, and Tiger throws powder in Matt's eyes, enabling Cobra II to pin Matt Jackson in 9:16 of what was shown. Good match with an indy-tastic finish.

We get a commercial for the weekend's NWA show in Covina, California. When we return, David Marquez is interviewing One Man Gang at the Mid-Atlantic FanFest. Gang's been signing autographs for four hours. He's still upset about never receiving a shot at the NWA World Title back in the day. We then get an ad for the NWA in Lodi, New Jersey on February 2nd.

Speaking of the FanFest, Marquez tells us the next match, Danielson vs. Denny, was taped at the FanFest show in Charlotte. Conway says that while Danielson has been wrestling all over the world, it doesn't count until you wrestle for the NWA. Right.

(2) Sean Denny vs. Bryan Danielson. Denny's the one with the British flag on his trunks. Kennelly explains that Danielson actually beat Adam Pearce in the last NWA title tournament, while Denny wants to prove the NWA made a mistake in leaving him out. We start with some chain wrestling and a Greco-Roman knuckle lock as we get another crawl across the bottom of the screen plugging the TV tapings in Vegas. Danielson gets the advantage in a mat wrestling sequence and the crowd applauds. To the break!

When we return, Danielson and Denny are trading armlock reversals. Danielson gets free and hits a dropkick. Another sequence, but this time Denny hits the dropkick. Danielson goes heel and chokes Denny in the corner. Danielson performs a surfboard into a dragon sleeper, but Denny makes the ropes. Danielson gets a near fall off a running kick to the chest. Then Danielson tries for a submission off a crossface, and when that doesn't work, he traps Denny in the corner and gives him a series of slaps to the face. Denny rallies with a big backdrop and a series of clotheslines. Danielson blocks a suplex and takes over with a flurry of offense. He tries for the Cattle Mutilation submission, but Denny floats over and Danielson ends up pinning himself at 8:33 of what was shown. Danielson throws a fit, attacking Denny after the bell until a wrestler named Chance Prophet makes the save. Who's Chance Prophet? They don't tell us. To the break! Here's an ad for the NWA in Salt Lake City, headlined by NWA Utah State Champion Tristan Gallo.

Back in Vegas, Marquez tries to throw it to a match featured "Sexy" Sonny Sampson, but Conway overrules us in order to show a match starring himself.

(3) Don Juan vs. Rob Conway. This match was taped in Houston, and we're just in time to see the heel Conway jawing with the ringside fans. Don Juan is a local Texas wrestler who made a few appearances for Full Impact Pro back in the day. Conway pushes Don away from a lockup twice and gets in the fan favorite's grill. Don Juan finally grabs a headlock and cranks it in. Conway escapes, but gets shoulderblocked out of the ring. Commercial time.

We return and Don Juan still has the advantage, hitting a hiptoss that sends Conway rolling out to the floor. Rob comes back in and does a leapfrog, but Don Juan counters the second leapfrog with an atomic drop, which Conway oversells for a bit. Conway takes charge with a variety of dirty tactics, and goes to the chinlock. Don fights out, but Conway moves into a sleeperhold. Unfortunately for Rob, that move never works, and he has to fight out when Don Juan reverses the hold. Don Juan sets for the Ace Crusher, but Conway shoves him off and counters with the spear. Conway wins cleanly with a slingshot reverse neckbreaker at 9:38 of what was shown. We go to break immediately following yet another advertisement for Adam Pearce's NWA title defense against Damian Wayne in Saluda, Virginia. No, there's still no date given for the show, nor contact information.

We return with Marquez and Conway hyping this week's main event of Sean Waltman defending the NWA Heritage title against Adam Pearce. Conway thinks both wrestlers are really good. Next week on the Showcase, Rayo de Jalisco, Hidaka, Gene Dinsmore and much more. To the match.

(4) Adam Pearce vs. Sean Waltman – NWA Heritage Title. This is from El Paso, Texas. Announcers Kennelly and Kloss inform us that Pearce is the champion and Waltman is the challenger. Okay, then. C. Edward Vanderpyle is in Pearce's corner. Pearce attacks Waltman before the bell. Waltman starts dominating, sending Pearce to the floor, hitting a slingshot plancha, and firing Pearce into the barricades. Pearce counters by crotching Waltman into the ringpost and distracting the ref so Vanderpyle can work over Waltman. Waltman beats the count, but Pearce is there, going for the pinfall after a backdrop and scoring a near fall. (No, really. A backdrop.) After a couple hope spots, Pearce gets another near fall with a powerslam and hits the chinlock. Waltman sets for an enziguiri, buts Pearce counters with a leglace takedown and works the leg. Time for a commercial break.

When we return, Pearce applies the figure-four leglock. Vanderpyle supplies leverage from the outside. Finally, the official sees Vanderpyle and forces Pearce to break the hold. Waltman rallies with a series of kicks and a broncobuster. Waltman hits the "6-Factor" faceslam, but Vanderpyle hops onto the apron and distracts the ref. After that gets sorted out, Waltman blocks a superplex attempt and Pearce counters a high crossbody block. Pearce tries the figure-four again, but Waltman rolls Pearce up for the pinfall at 8:19 of what aired. We have a NEW NWA Heritage Champion. Mind you, I have no idea what that means. I do know that the NWA Heritage Title is not the same thing as the NWA World Title, but Waltman's nice enough to celebrate as if he won something important. See you next week!

***

My rating? 5.5 out of a possible 10. There's nothing insulting about the show, but the wrestling doesn't match the best stuff from the major American promotions, and there's no underlying theme to the shows to give them context. Hopefully that will change when we start get footage from the Las Vegas taping. As it is, there's a nice WWF 1985 vibe to everything.

The full show can be viewed on the NWA Wrestling website.

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