NWA Powerrr – October 29, 2019: The Most Watchable Wrestling On TV Today
IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance
NWA Powerrr
Date: October 29, 2019
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Joe Galli, Jim Cornette
We’re rolling along with this series, which has yet to have a really bad show. Things can be a little bit up and down but what matters most is they’re having the shows and doing some good things. They need to establish themselves as anything beyond the joke that they have been for the better part of twenty years and these shows have been some nice first steps. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
We open with a recap of last week with Tim Storm teasing retirement but getting talked into a tag team with Eli Drake. The Dawsons beat them but there seems to be more to this one.
Opening sequence.
The announcers welcome us to the show but here’s James Storm in a hurry. He’s tired of having to prove himself while Nick Aldis ducks him all the time. Then he has Colt Cabana running around talking about the National Title. Cue Cabana to say the title belongs to him but now he’s healthy and ready to go. Eli Drake comes out to say Cabana is disrespecting him so here’s Aldis to say Storm’s complaints are alcohol fueled.
Drake on the other hand has no vices, except for wanting to be Nick Aldis of course. A six man tag is set for later, with the four of them finding another partner. The stipulations are on too: if Aldis’ team wins, Cabana gets a National Title shot. If Storm’s team wins though, he gets a World Title shot, providing that he vacates the National Title. Storm insults Aldis’ Jaguar and it’s on.
We recap the Kamille doesn’t talk deal.
Trevor Murdoch says he has worked for everything in this business and the NWA is no different. He doesn’t think Jocephus should be banned for forty five days for throwing powder in Cabana’s face. Instead, Jocephus should have to face Murdoch here. Jocephus comes out to say that his spiritual advisor has allowed a beating on Murdoch Trevor (what he said) tonight.
Jocephus vs. Trevor Murdoch
Jocephus gets in a posting to start so Trevor hits a few early clotheslines. Trevor gets dropped onto the buckle so Jocephus pulls out some powder. That’s kicked into his face though and Trevor finishes with a middle rope bulldog at 1:08.
Thunder Rosa is coming.
Here’s Aron Stevens for a chat. We get a Tropical Pirates reference but here’s Ricky Starks to interrupt. Stevens: “You want to be my stunt double?” Stevens says he looks ridiculous so Starks slaps him in the face and says Stevens talks too much.
We recap the Dawsons interfering in Eddie Kingston/Homicide vs. the Wild Cards, sending Kingston over the edge.
Austin Idol thinks you need a kayfabe cocktail.
The Rock N Roll Express is coming. Works for me.
Dawsons vs. Eddie Kingston/Homicide
No DQ. It’s a brawl on the floor to start with Kingston chopping the post as Homicide and Dave fight in the ring. The two of them head back outside so Homicide can choke with a camera cord. Cue the Wild Cards to watch as the Dawsons take over on the floor and throw some chairs inside. Homicide is up in the ring though and wedges one in the corner. Dave gets sent into it and a cutter gives Homicide two.
Some chairs are stacked up in the ring and Kingston gets slammed down onto the bridged chair for two. Homicide gets back up and takes a chairing of his own as the champs are getting more interested. The chairs are stacked on top of Homicide but the Wild Cards come in and knock Zane silly with the title. An AA onto the chairs knock Homicide silly and Dave is dragged on top for the pin at 5:50.
Rating: C. If you can do it right, a three way feud can be quite interesting and that’s more or less what they’re doing here. Give the champs a reason to explain their actions and they could be in business. The No DQ part made sense here and it’s a lot better than having the referee get bumped or something goofy like that. Telling logical stories can get you rather far and they’re on the right path.
Who is the Question Mark?
Marti Belle is Allysin Kay’s friend but she’s coming for the title.
Marti Belle vs. Ashley Vox
Allysin comes out to wish them both luck because she’s beaten both of them before. Marti takes her down to start and grabs a seated Blockbuster. Ashley can’t get anywhere on the arm as the announcers talk about Aron Stevens. Back up and Marti rolls some suplexes into a Russian legsweep for two but Ashley sweeps the leg. Allysin doesn’t seem to have a favorite here as Ashley misses a springboard headscissors and gets sent into the corner. Ashley’s chickenwing is broken up but she’s fine enough to jackknife cradle Belle for the pin at 3:34.
Rating: D+. I don’t think it’s any secret that Kay is the star of the division and the best woman going around here today. Marti and Ashley aren’t much in the ring but they’re passable enough and haven’t been completely overexposed on TV. Marti was in Impact for a bit but she was never a star. Vox is pretty much new to the national scene so it’s not like she has anything to lose.
Come to Tony Falk’s house of waffles and tire irons. This week: buy three pancakes, get four tire irons free. Sounds like a good deal, assuming I can find a use for three waffles.
Ricky Starks vs. Aron Stevens
Stevens snapmares him down to start but misses an early elbow drops. That lets Starks send him face first into the buckle a few times and a dropkick gets two. Starks gets in a dropkick and goes to the ropes, only to have said rope kicked low. Stevens hammers away and hits the Russian legsweep into the wind up elbow. A lot of trash talk and a slap to the face cause Starks to hammer away. Starks teases his own slap and scares Stevens, setting up a rollup to give Starks the pin at 3:23.
Rating: C-. Stevens continues to be much more about character than anything else and that’s fine. The actor deal is actually working for him and I’m curious to see where he can take it. Then you have Starks, who isn’t the biggest guy but he has the athleticism to make everything work for him. Good enough match here, though it felt more like angle advancement than anything else.
Stevens sits on the mat and gets into a NO/YES argument with the fans.
Nick Aldis/Colt Cabana/Mr. Anderson vs. James Storm/Wild Cards
I thought they announced Eli Drake as Storm’s partner. If Storm’s team wins, he gets a World Title shot, provided he vacates the National Title. If Aldis’ team wins, Cabana gets a National Title shot. Storm stalls to start as Team Aldis decides who should go first. It’s Aldis himself but Latimer tags himself in to go after a wristlock on the World Champ.
You don’t do that to Aldis, who hits some clotheslines into an armbar before handing it off to Latimer. It’s off to Cabana for a double clothesline on the Wild Cards, plus a Bionic elbow for a bonus. Storm comes back in and hammers away on Cabana with Isaacs getting in his own shots to the face. Cabana blocks a middle rope dive with a raised boot and the hot tag brings in Anderson to clean house.
A neckbreaker gets two on Latimer as Storm has been knocked to the floor. Everything breaks down and it’s a double clothesline to put Storm and Aldis down. Cabana gets the tag and runs over Latimer in the corner, leaving Storm to superkick Isaacs by mistake. Storm plants Latimer and the Superman cover gives Cabana the pin at 6:54.
Rating: C. This was exactly what it needed to be with the action based match that didn’t come close to overstaying its welcome. You don’t need a five minute shine, another five minute heat segment and then a five minute match to tell the same story. They didn’t do too much here and we got a perfectly watchable tag match that served its purpose perfectly well and set up the next title match.
Roll credits.
Overall Rating: C+. The best thing that the NWA has going for it is its accessibility. You can jump straight into any episode and instantly get everything that is going on. That was on full display here as the recaps, promos and matches all explained who people were and what was going on every time. You don’t need to do that forever, but for these early shows, it’s the best thing you can do. This isn’t a show where the wrestling is the top priority and that isn’t a bad thing. Good show here and the most watchable hour of wrestling going today.
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