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NWA POWER TV REPORT
OCTOBER 29, 2019
ATLANTA, GA. AT GPB STUDIOS
REPORT BY MICHAEL TAYLOR, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Jim Cornette, Joe Galli
-The show opened with a video package focusing on Tim Storm and his loss to NWA World Heavyweight champion Nick Aldis. The focus changed to Eli Drake asking Storm to be his partner against The Dawsons. The package ended showing Storm and Drake losing to The Dawsons and Aldis attending to Storm after the loss. “Into the Fire” by Dokken played and the NWA Power intro video began.
-The camera showed a quick shot of the crowd before landing on Jim Cornette and Joe Galli. Cornette and Galli were not at the announcer’s desk but stood in the interview booth. As they ran down the card for the evening, they were interrupted by NWA National Heavyweight champion James Storm. Storm said he was sick of having to prove himself to the NWA and claimed both Nick Aldis and Colt Cabana were avoiding a confrontation with him. Cabana made his way to the booth and said the National Heavyweight title was rightfully his. Eli Drake entered and said the National Heavyweight title was the only ticket to the NWA Heavyweight title. This caused Nick Aldis to come out from the back. Drake said he didn’t have a problem with Aldis and said he thought Aldis should grant Storm a title shot. Aldis said he knew Storm liked to drink and blamed alcohol on Storm’s recent challenges. He claimed Drake’s only vice was wanting to be just like him. Aldis challenged Storm to a six-man tag match and stated that if his team won, Cabana would get a shot at the National title. Storm agreed but said if his team won, he would get a shot at the Heavyweight title. Aldis accepted on the condition that if Storm received a shot at the Heavyweight title, he would have to vacate the National title. Storm agreed and left the interview booth.
(Taylor’s Analysis: Everyone carried themselves well here, but this was a lot of match stipulations to introduce in an interview segment that featured four people at once. Pre-taped segments would have worked better here with each team responding to the other’s challenges. The format of everyone walking out one at a time felt a little like WWE lite and I hope NWA doesn’t do this often.)
-Replays were shown of Joe Galli attempting to interview Kamille, and Kamille repeatedly refusing to answer Galli’s questions.
-A commercial for NWA TV tapings aired noting they had all been sold out.
-The show returned with Josh Marquez interviewing Trevor Murdoch. Marquez noted he knew Murdoch for almost 25 years. Murdoch said he had to earn everything he ever had in his career including his spot on the NWA roster. He called out Jocephus for throwing powder in Colt Cabana’s eyes last week and challenged him to a match. Jocephus entered the booth and accepted Murdoch’s challenge. The two made their way to the ring and Jocephus attacked Murdoch from behind. A referee who was already in the ring rang the bell and the match began.
(1) TREVOR MURDOCH vs. JOCEPHUS
Jocephus hit several strikes before Murdoch took control with a clothesline. Jocephus took a bag of powder from his tights. As he went to throw it, Murdoch countered and knocked the powder into Jocephus’ eyes. Murdoch then hit a bulldog from the second rope for the win.
WINNER: Trevor Murdoch via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: Murdoch came off as authentic and likable in the pre-match interview. He has a lot to offer and his persona fits on the show perfectly.)
-A video package aired for the debut of Thunder Rosa.
-The show returned with Joe Galli in the interview booth. Arron Stevens walked out as Galli reminded the crowd to avoid making eye contact with Stevens. Galli asked when Stevens would debut in the ring which brought out Ricky Starks. Starks offered his hand to Stevens to kiss but Stevens refused. Starks then slapped Stevens and told him he talked too much.
-A replay was shown of the altercations between The Wild Cards, The Dawsons, and Eddie Kingston and Homicide.
-A commercial for Austin Idol’s wrestling school aired. It featured what Idol called the “Kayfabe Cocktail” and said it was his secret to his success with women.
-A video package for The Midnight Express aired highlighting their recent matches.
(2) THE DAWSONS vs. EDDIE KINGSTON & HOMICIDE – No Disqualification
-The Dawsons made their ring entrance but were attacked from behind by Kingston and Homicide. The bell rang and the two teams fought each other all over the studio. The Wild Cards were shown watching the match from the interview booth. Zane Dawson threw several steel chairs into the ring. Homicide set a chair up in the ring and slammed Zane onto it face-first before hitting a modified cutter. The Dawsons then slammed Kingston onto three chairs that also had been set up the ring. The Dawsons then beat Homicide with a chair before piling several more chairs on top of him. Zane scaled the top rope, but The Wild Cards entered the ring and attacked both teams. Royce Issacs the slammed Kingston onto a chair and dragged Dave Dawson on top of him for the win.
WINNERS: The Dawsons via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: Had this match gone on any, it probably would have fallen flat with the crowd due to the size restrictions of the studio space. There wasn’t much room for hardcore brawling on the outside of the ring. The interference was acceptable given it was a no DQ match. However, this should not lead to a triple threat match between all three teams. The less triple threat matches, the better.)
-A video package aired for a mystery wrestler and asked “Who is the ? Mark?”
-An interview with Marti Belle was shown. Belle stated she deserved another shot at NWA Women’s title.
(3) MARTI BELLE vs. ASHLEY VOX
Before the bell rang the NWA Women’s champion Allysin Kay entered the interview booth. Kay said Belle wasn’t ready for another title shot, and that Vox would have to prove herself against Belle. The match began and Belle quickly took control. The pace quickened until Vox hit a running dropkick for a one count. Belle attacked Vox in the corner before hitting two consecutive suplexes and a neck breaker. From there, Belle attempted a Pearl River plunge but was countered by Vox into a jackknife cover for the win. As Belle recovered in the ring, Thunder Rosa entered and offered a handshake to Belle. As both women stood there, the sound of drums grew louder in the background. Belle refused the offer and left the ring.
WINNER: Ashley Vox via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: Kay has already beaten both Vox and Belle, so a match between the two felt somewhat pointless. The debut of Thunder Rosa should have been saved for a bigger moment, and the post-production drums were odd. It’s good to see the women’s roster developing more, however.)
-A parody commercial for Tony Falk’s Waffle and Tire Iron store aired.
-The show returned and the announcer’s hyped the six-man tag match main event.
(4) ARRON STEVENS vs. TONY STARKS
-With Starks already in the ring, Stevens made his ring entrance. The bell rang and Starks quickly took control. On commentary, Cornette talked about how Stevens had a terrible work ethic who insisted on taking shortcuts. Stevens crotched Starks on the middle rope and then kicked it causing Starks to fall to the mat in pain. From there, Stevens aggressively attacked Starks with strikes. Stevens performed curtsey in the middle of the ring and winked directly into the camera. Starks rallied before faking a slap to Stevens’ face and then rolled him from behind for the win.
WINNER: Tony Starks via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: While the backbone of Stevens’ character is comedy, he is succeeding at being unlikable which is great. His obvious nod to Triple H during the match was entertaining, to say the least.)
-The crowd was shown standing in excitement as Team Storm made their ring entrance. James storm was followed by the NWA Tag Team champions The Wild Cards. After that, Nick Aldis made his ring entrance followed by Colt Cabana and Ken Anderson.
(5) JAMES STORM & THE WILD CARDS vs. NICK ALDIS & COLT CABANA & KEN ANDERSON
-The match began with Aldis and Tom Latimer. Both men traded holds until Aldis hit a clothesline followed by an arm drag. Anderson tagged in and kept the pressure on Latimer. Issacs tagged in as did Cabana. Latimer quickly tagged back in and The Wild Cards attempted to double team Cabana. Eventually, Latimer took control before tagging in Storm. Team Storm isolated Cabana in their corner and kept control with several tags. Eventually, Cabana rallied and tagged in Anderson who entered the ring and cleaned house. Chaos ensued as all six men entered the ring and brawled. The crowd started an “NWA!” chant. After a slam from Aldis, Cabana hit a Superman pin on Latimer for the win. The announcer’s noted that Cabana earned a shot at the NWA National Heavyweight title. Cabana stared down Storm as the Team Aldis celebrated their victory and the show ended.
(Taylor’s Analysis: The match itself was simply a backdrop for the stipulations announced earlier in the show. James Storm and Colt Cabana are very different characters, but I want to see Cabana take his title shot seriously in the weeks to come to maximize his win or his defeat once their match is over).
FINAL THOUGHTS: Another solid, albeit a bit more chaotic, episode of NWA Power. The card for Into the Fire should continue to take shape over the next few weeks with effective weekly matches and promos.
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