NWA Wrestling Showcase
by SamoaRowe
February 7th 2008
-David Marquez and Rob Conway open the show yet again from the Plaza Hotel Casino in Vegas. Next week they are making their way to the ballroom, which suggests that the show will have more structure and won't just feature random NWA matches.
NWA World Heavyweight Championship:
Adam Pearce © (with C. Edward Vanderpyle) vs. Sean
Waltman
On a recent episode of the Showcase, we saw Waltman
take the Heritage title from Pearce. Can lightning
strike twice? Pearce jumps Waltman while the referee
is checking for foreign objects. Waltman fires back
with chops, but Pearce rebounds. Pearce bounces off
the ropes and pounds on the back. Waltman is either
injured or selling the knee really well, as Pearce
keeps up with the ground and pound offense. The injury
must be legit, as the match seems to be off it's game
plan. Waltman manages to elevate Pearce over the ropes
and hit's a desperate springboard plancha. Waltman is
clutching his knee again at ringside. They return to
the ring, and Pearce applies the chinlock. Waltman
fights to his feet and drops Pearce with a back
suplex. Waltman limps into the bronco buster and nails
the X-Factor! Waltman goes for the cover, but
Vanderpyle is on the apron distracting the ref. The
Real American Heroes run in and attack Waltman,
earning him the disqualification win at 4:57. The
injury threw the match off, but they covered for it
nicely, *.
Winner by DQ: Sean Waltman
-Pearce celebrates as if he had actually won the match. He grabs a microphone and calls the crowd inbred. He tells them to "suck it" and poses with the belt.
-The world's longest wrestling convention continues with James J. Dillon. Dillon reminisces on cutting his teeth in the business in the old NWA territories. Dillon thinks back to wrestling the Funks and Jack Brisco for the World title. "The NWA was very special and what I think is something that's been lost is that the title had prestige and meant something, and I'd like to see those days come back again." Damn right, Dillon! Dillon puts over Christopher Daniels as a guy who would make a great NWA Champion. Dillon says he would try to stay with a territory for about a year, his whole life was devoted to wrestling, and he thinks that aspect is missing as well. When asked for his advice to young wrestlers looking for a full-time job, Dillon says that it won't be easy and since the options are limited that only the best will make it. Dillon says that he wasn't the biggest wrestler in the world, but no one had a bigger heart for it and that he's living proof that dreams can come true. Excellent, excellent segment, well worth watching.
-Marquez and Conway are discussing the Pearce/Vanderpyle partnership. Conway says they are the smartest duo in wrestling, and cites Pearce holding onto the NWA title as evidence.
"The Canadian Bomber" Nelson Creed vs. "Sexy" Sonny
Samson
Nice, I was hoping that Creed would show up on this
program at some point. For those of you who don't
know, Samson has a pot belly, so the "sexy" aspect of
his name is sarcastic. Creed catches a waist lock, but
it's broken by Samson in the ropes. Samson is wearing
a ridiculous looking head-band. Samson rakes the eyes
and hit's a shoulder tackle. Creed leap frogs over
Samson and hit's a series of arm drags and applies the
arm bar. Samson breaks, but gets hit with a European
uppercut and another arm drag. Cover by Creed gets 2.
More uppercuts by Creed, hard Irish whip, but gets
dropped on the apron. Creed drapes Samon's arm over
the rope, but misses a top rope bulldog. Cover by
Samson gets 2. Chinlock by Samson. Creed breaks free
and hit's a flying cross body and rolls up for a cover
attempt. Elbow shot by Samson gets him a cover for 2.
Creed nails a series of clotheslines and a leg lariat.
Creed hit's a running power slam and gets a cover for
only 2. Backbreaker by Samson and a cover for 2. Creed
blocks a double underhook suplex and hit's the
Northern Lights Out (lariat) for the win. Cookie
cutter match, *¼.
Winner: Nelson Creed
-Back at the convention, we are treated to NWA Legend, Judy Martin. She finds his event amazing, as Bobby Eaton walks in for a hug. Martin held several titles while she was an in-ring competitor. She thinks back to when she and Judy Grable were the first two women wrestlers to get in the ring against the men. She misses the closeness of the old NWA and the interactions with fans.
-Elsewhere at the convention is Manny Fernandez. He's also having a good time at the convention. He's glad to see the good shape that a lot of his old friends are in. I hope Marc Mero is watching. Fernandez puts over the NWA title as something special.
-Marquez and Conway introduce the next match, featuring Puma. Conway throws in the inside joke that he would like to see Puma take on TJ Perkins (for those who don't know, they are the same person).
Puma vs. Disco Machine
Wow, the building they are performing in is
depressingly empty. Disco Machine corners Puma, but
gets caught with a drop-kick. Disco throws a fit and
decides to entertain us by shaking his ass. Puma
applies a side headlock, and keeps it held despite
lots of thrashing by Disco. Puma lets go, Disco leap
frogs and dances, and gets caught by the leg by Puma.
Puma hands the leg off to the referee and uses the
confusion to go for a roll-up. Disco tosses Puma into
the ropes, who hangs on dumps Disco to the floor. Puma
bows, and rightfully so because that last sequence was
tons of fun. The match restarts with Puma working the
hammerlock. Puma claps his hand on Disco's, which is
quite the way to get the fans into the match. Puma
applies the Mexican surfboard. European uppercut by
Puma, who leaves Disco in the ropes, and then hit's a
spear! Disco trips Puma to ringside. Disco wastes time
dancing, but finds time to hit an elbow drop for a
cover for almost 2. Disco takes control with some
choking and chopping. Hard Irish whip by Disco, who
still can't stop showboating. Puma blocks the hard
Irish whip and hit's a springboard cross body for a
cover for 2. Backbreaker by Disco for a cover for 2.
More showboating by Disco, who then goes high risk and
misses a tumbleweed. Puma somersaults to dodge a
clothesline and springs up after a shot from Disco
Machine. Puma catapults himself onto Disco and gets
another 2 count. Disco hit's a power slam, but the
cover only gets 2. Puma blocks a superplex, misses a
splash but rolls through, and Disco gets a cover with
his feet on the ropes for the cheap victory at 8:22.
Another cookie cutter match, but Puma brought some
fresh fun, *½.
Winner: Disco Machine
-Marquez and Conway hype up the main event, a steel cage match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship! Conway puts over the cage match as the most dangerous match in all of wrestling.
Cage match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship:
Real American Heroes © (with C. Edward Vanderpyle) vs.
Los Luchas
Shoving contest starts off the match. The Heroes
aggressively pound on Los Luchas. The Heroes double
team Phoenix Star, but Zokre rebounds and tries to
save his team mate. Zokre hit's a moonsault off the
corner and Phoenix Star returns for the double team.
Los Luchas hit a series of double team offense on the
Heroes. Joey Ryan is planted on the turnbuckle, and
Los Luchas force Karl Anderson to fall into Ryan's
crotch head-first. Los Luchas go for stereo cover
attempts, but both Heroes kick out. Los Luchas are in
control with stereo turnbuckle punches. Anderson
catches Zokre in mid-air and hit's a power slam.
Phoenix Star tries to save his partner, but Ryan hit's
a German suplex! The Heroes are now in control with
stereo pounding. Anderson goes after Zokre's mask,
while Ryan takes a breather. Anderson hit's a press
slam into the cage on Zokre. The Heroes turn their
attention to Phoenix Star, with face rakes. Anderson
grabs the Mexican flag and mockingly waves it before
nailing Phoenix Star with it. Anderson rakes Zokre's
face into the cage while Joey Ryan sends Phoenix Star
hurtling into the steel. Anderson tosses Zokre into
the cage, who then lands head-first onto the apron.
The assault by the Heroes continues while Vanderpyle
looks very "fat and happy" at ringside. Anderson chops
Phoenix Star, whose mask is ripping. Phoenix Star
rebounds with a head-scissors and Zokre tosses Ryan
into a spear! Los Luchas flap-jack one of the Heroes
into the cage as we head to commercial.
After the break, Los Luchas are still in control.
Zokre is on top of the cage and hit's a moonsault on
Anderson! Zokre gets the cover, but Ryan makes the
save. Vanderpyle tosses handcuffs over the cage to
Ryan. Ryan handcuffs Phoenix Star to the top ring
rope. The referee tries to help Phoenix Star, while
the Heroes are double teaming Zokre. The mark in me is
outraged by these events! Superkick by Ryan and spine
buster by Anderson should have finished Zokre, but
Anderson breaks his cover to continue dishing out
punishment. Anderson and Ryan hit a double team power
bomb on Zokre, but Anderson pulls himself out of
another cover. The Heroes double team for a spike
piledriver, and I think Zokre is dead. Ryan goes for
the cover, but pulls himself off again. An NWA
official makes his way to ringside and tells the
Heroes to end the match or be stripped of the NWA tag
titles. Anderson hit's a spine buster and uses a cocky
pin to defeat Zokre at 11:50. Holy crap, as far as
storytelling goes, this match was AWESOME! The Real
American Heroes are excellent heels and I genuinely
want to see Los Luchas get some revenge, ***½.
Winners and still NWA World Tag Team Champions: The
Real American Heroes
-We're out of time, but Marquez and Conway hype next week's show, which will take place in a casino ballroom.
Final Thoughts: It looks as though everything on this show is starting to fall into place for next week. We've seen the rivalries between Adam Pearce and Sean Waltman, and The Real American Heroes and Los Luchas. Next week is hinting that the show will be held in a single venue. Things could get very interesting from here on out. Most of the wrestling this week was filler, but lacked the obnoxious goofiness of Cassandro and "Special E" from last week. And that cage match was absolutely tremendous storytelling, I really hope that angle for the tag titles keeps heating up.
Thumbs up.
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