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NWA Into the Fire
December 14, 2019

by Samoa Rowe

From GPB Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. Our hosts are Joe Galli and Stu "Well, I'm afraid I've got some BAD NEWS" Bennett.

Eli Drake vs. Mr. Anderson

Bell rings and they aggressively lock up. They seem determined to have a good old fashioned ‘wrasslin' match as they trade hammerlocks and headlocks. Clothesline by Anderson followed by powerslam and elbow drop gets a 2 count. Drake looks lost as Anderson delivers a running boot to the face. Drake desperately flap jacks Anderson on the ropes and hits a neckbreaker for 2. CUE THE CHINLOCK! Crowd chants "Eli" as Anderson breaks the chinlock but Drake slams him down for a leaping elbow drop for a surprisingly good 2 count. Drake continues cooking with a slingshot shoulder tackle for 2. Chinlock #2, but this time Drake traps the arm too. Anderson escapes, but Drake's twisting neckbreaker gets a good nearfall. Chinlock #3 by Drake, who seems determined to ruin Anderson's neck. They slug it out and Anderson wins the exchange, hitting a neckbreaker of his own. Anderson hits the Steamroller for 2! Anderson blocks the Gravy Train but Drake leaps to the top rope to tease a superplex, and reverses a sunset flip bomb to trap the shoulders for a pinfall at 9:18! This was so simple it was almost refreshing, and it gets extra points for the novel finish, ***¼.
Winner: Eli Drake

Dave Marquez interviews NWA World Champion Nick Aldis at the desk. Crowd LOVES Aldis, who tells the story that until recently the NWA was a thing of the past, but now people from 40 different countries are watching NWA live on PPV. This earns a standing ovation and "NWA" chant from the fans. Aldis goes on to say that he and James Storm have the chance to live forever, but he's going to show his challenger why he's the National Treasure and the real World's champion. Marquez wants to know where Kamille is, so he remind us that she has the night off. Marquez welcomes James Storm to the desk for a rebuttal. Storm argues that the NWA resurgence is a team effort, and puts over the fans for making it happen. Storm can drink beer all night long with the best of them, but tonight he's going to be crowned the new World's champion, so "Sorry 'bout your DAMN luck." This segment was complete joy.

Video recap of Melina debuting and helping Thunder Rosa and Marti Belle leave Allysin Kay down and out on the ring canvas.

Tasha Steelz vs. Thunder Rosa

I last saw Steelz having an ice cold match with Kelly Klein at ROH Summer Supercard but I hope this is a greener pasture for her. Not to suggest she's a cow or something. That would be rude. I actually like her upside quite a bit. That's more of a knock on ROH. I digress. Bell rings and the crowd is pretty into this from the get-go. Rosa chops the back and chest. Steelz counters with a spinning headscissors but Rosa answers with a short arm clothesline. Rosa sets up a Tree of Woe for some disrespectful heel kicks to the head and running dropkick to the head. Steelz' chops go nowhere, as Rosa drop toe holds her down for a mean surfboard variation, but she loses her grip before she can swing Steelz into the buckles. Steelz rallies "FOR THE CULTURE" and plants Rosa for 2. Rosa hits a series of running dropkicks and nails a double stomp to the back for the win at 4:19. Turned into a glorified squash for Rosa, but this got over big time with the live crowd, **.
Winner: Thunder Rosa

Rosa is a sore winner and beats the crap out of Steelz after the bell. Ashley Vox runs in for a save but Rosa delivers a sick shoulder breaker onto her knee. Rosa delivers a deadly looking armbar, which could threaten Vox's ability to compete later.

Fan favorite Question Mark and hated villain Aron Stevens come to the ring for Mark's match. Stevens is wearing a martial arts outfit and is carrying some kind of flag. Stevens tells the fans to shup up because the Question Mark wants to perform a "Mongrolian flag ceremony." Stevens says Mark is a karate expert AND Mongrolian karaoke champion. Stevens unveils the "Mongrolian" flag while Question Mark sings the national anthem, which is a comical series of grunts. The anthem is interrupted by the disrespectful Trevor Murdoch, who simply has no respect for the great nation of "Mongrolia" (or is it "Mongrovia," ah, who cares).

?The Question Mark? (with Aron Stevens) vs. Trevor Murdoch

Murdoch recently liked one of my Tweets, so that's going to earn him at least an extra half star going forward. Mark backs him into a corner and connects with a karate chop. Murdoch connects with a series of blows, with a powerslam for the exclamation mark. The fickle crowd chants "One more time" and encourages Murdoch to hit a second and third power slam. Murdoch goes for the mask, but Mark saves himself with a palm strike. Murdoch forearms the back of the head but Mark retaliates with a kung fu strike to the throat for 2. Murdoch absorbs some punishment but turns it around with knife edge chops. Mark answers with a missile dropkick, but Murdoch saves himself via rope break. Mark misses a leg drop and Murdoch hits a spinebuster. Murdoch disrespects the Mongrovian flag, and a Stevens distraction allows Question Mark to hit another spike thrust to the throat for the win at 5:57. This wasn't "good" but I thoroughly enjoyed it, **¼.
Winner: The Question Mark

Replay of the Rock N Roll Express turning back father time to claim their ninth World Tag Team Championships against the Wild Cards on Powerrr.

NWA Tag Team Championship:
The Rock N Roll Express © (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) (with Eddie Kingston and Homicide) vs. The Wild Cards (Thomas Lattimer and Royce Issacs) (with the Dawsons)

It's a little funny that the RnR Express are booked and Outlaw Inc are not, but I'll let it go. Crowd gives RnR a standing ovation at the opening bell. Morton starts against Lattimer and uses his wits to avoid a quick double team attempt. Instead, RnR Express hit a double elbow. Isaacs tags and thrusts the throat of Gibson, but the veterans outmaneuver him to set up Morton's suicide dive! Wild Cards cut Gibson off with a cheap shot knee to the back, and hit a DVD/Powerbomb combo to take control. Gibson gets a quick hot tag, and forces Wild Cards to hurt eachother with miscalculated assaults. Morton interferes with a Canadian Destroyer! Meanwhile, the Dawsons and Outlaw Inc start brawling. The confusion allows the RnR Express to hit a double dropkick to retain the gold at 5:03. Again, this wasn't "good' but the fans were red hot for the entire thing and it's hard not to feel good about Gibson and Morton's comeback, **.
Winners and still NWA Tag Team Champions: The Rock N Roll Express

Joe Gallie announces that the NWA returns to PPV on January 24th and Stu Bennett reveals the return of the NWA TV Championship. Cool!

David Marquez interviews Eli Drake at the desk. Drake disrespects Marquez and speculates that he was called out just to predict a winner between Aldis vs. Storm. Drake is in the James Storm camp, but it doesn't make a difference, because he plans on facing the winner at the next PPV. Ken Anderson was a speed bump who tried to PUMP HIS GAS, but NO ONE PUMPS HIS GAS! Anderson has heard enough and ambushes Drake with a steel chair, and Pillmanizes the poor guy against the ring post. Anderson fights off security and hits the Mic Check into a standing chair. THIS FEUD MUST CONTINUE AND I AM TOTALLY OKAY WITH IT!

NWA Women's Champion Allyskin Kay and ODB vs. Melina and Marty Belle

Ashley Vox was supposed to be Kay's partner, but she was injured by Thunder Rosa earlier during a botched save for Steelz. ODB is a last minute surprise participant and the fans are jazzed to see her. Bell rings and Melina runs away from Kay. Belle bails her out with a tag, but Kay dominates her early on. Kay would rather beat up Melina and slings her into the ring for a powerbomb attempt, but Belle capitalizes with a drive by knee. Kay gets isolated, as Melina is willing to make tags when her enemy is in a vulnerable state. Melina misses a running boot and falls into a split, allowing ODB to get the hot tag. ODB runs wild through Belle, hitting a fallaway slam and avalanche in the corner. Belle collapses into position for the Bronco Buster! Melina breaks a pinfall, but Kay cut her off with a reverse piledriver. ODB kills Belle with a Death Valley Driver variation for the win at 7:22. This was decent, but business really picked up after ODB's hot tag, **½.
Winners: Allysin Kay and ODB

NWA National Championship:
Colt Cabana © vs. Ricky Starks vs. Aron Stevens (with The Question Mark)

Stevens is in full "Damien Sandow" mode for this, with the "hallelujah" theme and flesh colored tights. Starks and Cabana welcome Stevens with double team strikes. Colt throws Stevens' leg into Starks, and lets them take each other down in the confusion before sneaking a pin attempt. Stevens crawls away and hides behind the Christmas tree besides commentary. Colt shows off his technical prowess on Starks, who answers with a brute shoulder tackle. Starks' flying crossbody gets 2. Stevens returns only to suffer another 2 on 1 beatdown. Colt tosses Starks, who rushes back in to eat a body drop, but Stevens low blows Cabana! Stevens hits Starks with a discus clothesline for a scary close nearfall. Stevens picks Starks apart while Colt recovers his manhood at ringside. Stevens cuts off Colt's return, but Starks mounts a comeback, hitting sling blade! Starks throws Stevens into Colt's Atomic Drop, and Colt returns the favor. Stevens gets his legs snapped chicken wing-style. The 2 on 1 attack on Stevens continues until Stevens hits a desperation dropkick on Cabana, but Starks nearly steals a pin on him. Starks catches Colt in an abdominal stretch, but Colt reverses into the Billy Goat's Curse! Stevens is comedically hiding under a sheet at ringside. Colt's sunset flip on Starks is reversed, and Starsk' backslide pin gets a great 2 count. Starks survives a pinning predicament to hit a nice tornado DDT! Colt goes for a Superman pin, but Question Mark interferes with a Mongrovian spike! Stevens sneaks back to steal the pinfall at 12:24! Crowd HATES this, but in a good way. Great triple threat with crisp action and tons of uncertainty over the outcome until the very end, ***½.
Winner and NEW NWA National Champion: Aron Stevens

Stevens gloats about winning via the "power of karate!" I hate and love Stevens so much.

I still feel like the show just started, but it's already main event time. David Marquez hosts Tim Storm at the desk. Storm is Nick Aldis' chosen referee for the second fall in the World title match. Storm says it's an honor and a privilege to be a part of this title match. He has so much respect for Aldis and Storm and will do everything he can to do right by them. This promo just SCREAMS heel turn later on, but that's okay.

NWA World Championship: (2 / 3 Falls):
Nick Aldis © vs. James Storm

James Storm chose Brian Hebner to be referee for the first fall, Nick Aldis chose Tim Storm for the second fall. If a third fall is necessary, a coin flip will decide the ref. I predict that Tim Storm turns heel and helps Aldis retain the title, but I'm eager to see the outcome either way. Crowd chants "NWA" at the opening bell. Some chain wrestling leads to an Aldis shoulder block, but they resume a grappling exchange until reaching a stalemate. Kamille shows up by surprise and Aldis orders her away. Storm capitalizes with a Last Call for the first fall at 2:20!

Storm replaces Hebner and the second fall is underway. Aldis is still stunned as Storm picks him apart. Crowd chants "NWA" as Storm batters Aldis through the crowd and suplexes him onto the floor. Aldis reverses an Irish whip to send Storm crashing through the Christmas tree! Crowd chants "Merry Christmas" while Storm hangs on to control by smashing Aldis into the desk. Back to the ring, Storm elbow drops the knee and clubs the head. Aldis counters with an overhead belly to belly suplex! Aldis tries to rally, but Storm cuts him off with the Eye of the Storm for a scary nearfall. Storm gets a steel chair, but referee Tim Storm talks him out of it. Instead, Aldis scores a pinning predicament for the second fall at 11:10!

Tempers flare, but Hebner and Storm separate them until a coin toss reveals that Brian Hebner will be the ref for the 3rd fall. The match restarts with a slugfest and Aldis' Michinoku Driver gets 2! Storm answers with a jawbreaker, but cannot hit a backstabber. Storm tries again and a successful backstabber only gets 2. Aldis answers with a superplex but STORM KICKS OUT! Storms blocks another superplex with head butts and nails a flying elbow for a great nearfall! Storms hits a Codebreaker but Aldis reverses the Last Call into a pin attempt, but Storm reverses into a Figure Four! Aldis nearly gets pinned before reversing the hold for a break! Aldis nails a Tombstone Piledriver and perches on the top rope for a flying elbow drop, but STORM KICKS OUT! Match continues and Storm ducks a clothesline and referee Brian Hebner is wiped out! Tim Storm seemingly hesitates before replacing Hebner and counts a scary close 2 count on Aldis' roll-up. James Storm hits a desperate Last Call! Aldis unties a buckle and thrusts storm into the exposed steel! Aldis rolls storm into a Sharpshooter and Storm calls for the bell when Storm appears to be unconscious at 21:55! This was an excellent, heated showdown with lots of drama, and that finish leaves lots of questions that will have to be answered on future episodes of Powerrr. Can't ask for much more, ****¼.
Winner and still NWA World Champion: Nick Aldis

James Storm is carried out to a standing ovation. David Marquez interviews Aldis at the desk. Aldis says that a younger version of himself would have declared this to be his ring, but now he's a man who declares this to be "our" ring where men like him and Storm prove themselves. Crowd chants "Real world's champ." Aldis feels more confident than ever saying that no man can take his NWA title away. The lights go out and some familiar music hits, and MARTY SCURLL IS IN THE BUILDING! NO F'N WAY!!!! I've got serious goose bumps right now! Crowd chants "Holy sh!t" and I couldn't agree more. Scurll meets Aldis in the ring and gets right in his face with an umbrella. Aldis backs off as the fans chant for Scurll.

Final Thoughts: This was an easy to watch, breezy, show , and it was greater than the sum of it's parts, and a shocking debut from Marty Scurll. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to feel happy watching professional wrestling.

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