Since I apparently review TV wrestling now, I thought I’d give the first episode of NWA Powerrr a watch. It’s a studio wrestling show which is going for an old school vibe, so I’ve no idea how I’ll react to it. I guess there is only one way to find out.
Jesus, if you showed me a clip from this and told me it was from the 80s, I wouldn’t question you for a second. I’d also forgotten that Jim Cornette is on commentary, so that’s going to annoy me (although, to be fair, he is a good commentator even if he’s a garbage human). He opened the show with Joe Galli before we went to Nick Aldis for a promo where he put over the company, the belt and himself before hyping his match with Tim Storm. He had a valet with him, but I don’t think she was even named and just stood there silently. I did later learn that she’s Kamille.
Zane and Dave Dawson defeated Billy Buck & Sal Rinauro
We cut straight to the ring where everyone was already out. What followed was a straightforward squash for the Dawsons, who are two big boys. After getting the pin, they cut a quick heel promo describing themselves as the guys who steal your lunch money. That got good heat from the crowd who seem happy to follow the vibe the NWA is looking for.
Verdict: Two Stars
We got an advert for Austin Idol’s Universal Wrestling College which was hilarious in its cheesiness. Love it or hate it, they are nailing this held together by sellotape 80’s aesthetic.
It was Eli Drake’s turn to cut a promo as he delivered his Rock-lite shtick where he complained that the rest of the wrestling industry was dominated by children while the NWA featured real men (that will delight Cornette). He then promised to win the title before heading straight to the ring for a match with Caleb Konley.
Eli Drake defeated Caleb Konley
Konley wasn’t squashed quite as quickly as Rinauro and Buck, but he was out there to make Drake look good. In that sense, this did its job. Drake took a bit of offence without ever looking like he was in trouble and while Konley showed off some nice high-flying, he was ultimately kicked out of the air on a Moonsault before being dropped with The Gravy Station.
It was a better match than the opener, but it still went less than five minutes and was designed to make Eli look good. While I guess it worked, he’s someone I’m always going to struggle to care about.
Verdict: Two And A Quarter Stars
A quick vignette for Tim Storm vs Nick Aldis set-up the stipulation of Storm agreeing to never challenge for the belt again if he lost. Back in the studio, Jocephus turned up demanding Tim Storm and ended up getting something close to what he wanted as James Storm came out. He said Jocephus was pretending to be tough and that he couldn’t walk a mile in Storm’s shoes. They then had a quick pull-apart brawl.
The Wildcards (Tom Latimer and Royce Isaacs) defeated Danny White and Mims in a non-title match
Bram/Tom Latimer is a piece of shit who I have no interest in reviewing. It was a squash, so at least he wasn’t on my screen for long, but the NWA putting their tag belts on him and his shitty attempt at a kilt is not the way to get me to watch every week.
Verdict: Fuck Tom Latimer
In what’s becoming a recurring theme, The Wildcards cut a promo post-match. That brought out Eddie Kingston who pissed about with their names before telling them that while they’re all jacked up and tanned, that means nothing to him. Homicide then arrived and God, I hope they beat the shit out of Latimer. Kingston is (and always has been) a fantastic promo, by the way.
As things were getting tasty, Storm and Jocephus arrived behind them still brawling. James Storm chased Joscephus around the arena before they ended up in the ring where this became official.
James Storm defeated Jocephus
Storm Superkicked Jocephus for the win as they somehow managed to do an even shorter match. He beat Jocephus up a bit afterwards, eventually knocking him out, shoving his thumb in his mouth, and leaving him sleeping. Ach, you could moan about that, but it made me chuckle.
Verdict: NA
Our last video package for Storm vs Aldis put over Tim Storm as a working-class guy living his dream. All of these videos are well put together, which should be no surprise to anyone who has watched any of the YouTube material they’ve released.
Pre-match, Storm came out and cut a promo about how much the NWA means to him and mentioned not being able to tell his Mum (who is in her 90s) that he’s wrestling because she’d worry about him. He got fired-up and said he can’t lose because nothing is more important to him than that title.
Nick Aldis defeated Tim Storm to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Title
Storm showed more of that fire early on, responding to an Aldis chop with one of his own before having to be dragged away from beating on him in the corner. They were setting-up Storm as having more power while Aldis had a cardio and speed advantage.
Which explains why Storm got more desperate the longer this went. He started going high risk, flying off the top rope with an ugly Crossbody before missing a Somersault Senton. It’s worth mentioning he’s fifty-four, so these moves are not a regular part of his arsenal.
That missed Senton would nearly prove decisive as Aldis locked in a Cloverleaf after an Elbow Drop to the back. Somehow, Storm powered-up, and as the fans chanted Mama Storm, he crawled to the ropes. I can’t imagine Mama would have praised Storm’s next move, though, as with the ref distracted he saw an opportunity, and took it, his desperation leading to a low blow followed by a Boss Man Slam.
It wasn’t enough, and Aldis kicked out. The champ would then accidentally Lariat Kamille (Storm ducked) before reversing a Suplex into a Small Package and sneaking out with the belt, leaving Tim Storm to never challenge for it again.
Storm and Aldis wrestled a simple match with a simple story. Tim Storm wanted this more than anything, and he gave his all, but in the end, he didn’t have enough. While no-one will call it a classic, for what it was, it worked.
Verdict: Three Stars
Aldis put over Storm in his post-match promo before refusing to let Kamille talk for herself when Galli asked her about the bump she took.
Overall Show
Honestly, I don’t think this show was for me. It wasn’t bad, and I’d call it an easy watch, but that old-school vibe doesn’t excite me like it does others. They literally used a Dokken song for the credits and, I mean, come on. Having not grown up on this stuff, it all came across as a bit lame. The NWA is aiming to get a particular demographic back, and it will probably work for them, but I can happily put it down as something that I don’t need to spend time on.
Watch NWA Powerrr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSHCTJS2P4Hvu_reLKtiT6g
Ramblings About Wrestling 
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