Less than 24 hours ago, wrestling fans saw history made at NWA EmPOWERRR, and this is night two of another history making moment for the National Wrestling Alliance. So many matches, but the big one is the Main Event, where Trevor Murdoch puts up his career for another chance at Nick Aldis and the vaunted Ten Pounds of Gold. Is the deck stacked against Murdoch by The Dealer of the NWA, or will Aldis finally lose “Sweet Charlotte?” We will find out as we are live at the Khorasan Ballroom at The Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis, MO.
Your commentators Joe Galli, Velvet Sky, and Conrad Thompson have the call, and are wearing sweet NWA blazers and I want one! Tim Storm is “on assignment” at the moment, but let’s not waste time, as we have a…
Preshow
May Valentine is with Jax Dane at ringside, and Dane is glad that his tag partner has a chance to get out from under his shadow, as he has won multiple belts with the NWA. Hmmm, this has the subtlety of an anvil being dropped from the sky. Very Anvillicious, if you wish.
The Hex/Lady Frost vs Taryn Terrell/Jennacide/Paola Blaze
Nice match with the newly crowned NWA Women’s Tag Team champions. This match was all Hex all the time, but a blind tag by Frost to Kay, and she climbed up the top turnbuckle and deliver an ice cold moonsault that secures the win.
Your Winners: The Hex/Lady Frost
PJ Hawx vs Colby Corino
We at Slam!Wrestling talked to Colby Corino, and the match is a classic with technical wizardry (Hawx) versus super-douchery (Corino). Hawx prevails by getting Corino’s legs into the Hawx Clutch submission for the win.
Your Winner via Submission: PJ Hawx
This goes to a promo from 1968 from the NWA Tag Team Champs, “Shooter Stevens” and “Krusher Kratos”:
Then we get a John Goodman narrated clip (yep, *that* John Goodman!)
The show now starts proper with your First Match…
Thom Latimer vs Crimson vs Tim Storm in a Brawl in the Lou match
As Crimson comes out last, his War King tag partner, Jax Dane, Pearl Harbors him from behind, and DVDs Crimson on a ladder, and beats him some more outside. Medical staff rush to take Crimson back stage, but in the ring, Latimer beats down Storm with a steel chair before the bell rings. Now the bell rings and one, two…kick out by Momma Storm’s baby boy. Storm reciprocates with a garbage can, and then goes outside to pull out a bigger ladder (so size matters in this case), but Latimer hits Storm with a garbage can lid. Latimer gets a guardrail and props it perpendicular to the entranceway in front of the ladder, and places Storm on the guardrail. Latimer goes up and a somersault senton, and appropriate “Holy Sh**!” chants come from the crowd. Now Crimson is back, and spinebusters Latimer while hurt, and keeps up the carnage with a DVD on steel chairs. Crimson covers Latimer for one, two…and Storm pulls the ref out. Storm and Crimson go toe-to-toe with “Yay/Boo” shots, then their belts come off (and the ref’s belt, too), and they’re whipping each other like a guv’ment mule (to quote the philosopher Jim Ross), and then they proceed to whip Latimer. Crimson with a DVD to Storm, and Crimson crumpled unable to cover. Perfect Storm delivers Time Storm and gets the W.
Your Winner via Pinfall: Tim Storm
Storm goes up top the ring, leading the crowd with chants of NWA.
This leads to a match of Hardcore Country versus The Queen of Smile Style…
Mickie James vs Kylie Rae
Chants of “Thank You Mickie” echo throughout the ballroom. Handshake to start by both women, and it follows an intense lockup but James is dominant, and Rae is no slouch. Rae feigns a kick, but James is a veteran that connects with her kick, but Rae has submission to The Hardcore Country legend. Match is back and forth, until Rae gets a crossface locked, but James rolls out. A cannonball to the corner by Rae misses, but James nails a hang time DDT, and she gets the three.
Your Winner via Pinfall: Mickie James
After the match, a masked woman rushes the ring and attacks James, and it’s Deonna Purrazzo who hits the Virtuosa Package Piledriver until Rae runs her off. This is far from over, and more will follow on the next IMPACT shows.
Tim Storm joins back at commentary, and Thompson heads back to the timekeepers table, and this leads to the next match…
NWA Television Champion Tyrus/ The Masked Scion/ Jordan Clearwater (with Austin Idol) vs Da Pope/ The End (Parrow/OdinSon)
Now The Masked Man (or Son of The Question Mark ™, if you follow my work, as you should) has a new name, and I can’t help but wonder what prompted the update. In any case, Idol leads the men with a couple beauties on his arm and someone carrying an Idolmania flag. Bell rings, and it’s Tyrus and Parrow to start…until he quickly tags in Clearwater. The Golden Boy is fired up…before being knocked down by Parrow. Clearwater is brutalized by all three men, with OdinSon slammed Parrow on him, followed by Pope. Now Scion in, and Pope takes out both men with a double Blockbuster and Tyrus takes advantage clubbing back of Da Pope. Tyrus works over Pope, and all three of Idolmania makes sure he is Da Pope In Peril.
Now Scion is in with a tilt-a-whirl front slam, but it’s not enough as Pope escapes and tags OdinSon goes full Viking Experience (What? Copyright issues?! Fine, it’s dumb anyway!) on Idolmania, until a tag to Tyrus, and it’s back to working over OdinSon with sweet tag precision. Tyrus misses a Double stomp, and OdinSon hot tags his End partner, and he is a Parrow En Fuego. Now it’s a Pier six brawl, where Pope takes out Tyrus, and Clearwater and Scion are hit with a supercollider by The End. The End try to set up a Doomsday Device, but Black Jeez comes out and pushes OdinSon off the top rope. Parrow gives chase, and Tyrus comes in and nails a heart punch to OdinSon, but Scion blind tags Tyrus to pin OdinSon.
Your Winners via Pinfall: Idolmania
End of the match had Scion stare daggers at Tyrus, and I’m disappointed I never got Son of The Question Mark ™ trending enough. Ah, well! C’est La Vie!
Speaking of opportunities, here is the first of your title matches. You say you didn’t want it? Well, sorry…about your damn luck! Because it’s time for…
The NWA National Championship: Chris Adonis(c) vs “Cowboy” James Storm
Storm comes down the runway with a beer in hand (naturally) toasting the crowd on the way to the ring (and the show is sponsored by Busch Beer. Sigh! At least it’s not Coors) and Adonis is a pose-tastic Masterpiece, if you will (and is something of a collector, if you want to check the interview we did recently).
Start of the match is a collar and elbow, and Adonis shows his physique and physicality to get in the Cowboy’s headbut Storm has got some moves, too. Like when Adonis sends Storm out of the ring, he skins the cat, and pounds away at Adonis. Outside the ring, Storm works over Adonis to the crowd in attendance, but Adonis pushes Storm to the ring post. Back in the ring, Adonis axe handles and gives a Russian leg sweep to Storm for a two count. He follows up with a textbook double underhook suplex, and it’s another two count for Adonis.
Frustrated, Adonis rams Storms headfirst to the top turnbuckle, but Storm “Cowboys up” and throws bombs, and nails an atomic drop and clothesline to The Masterpiece. Adonis stops the assault, goes up top, but Cowboy kicks him, and now he goes up top, and delivers a Cowboy-acarana. Cowboy hits the Eye of the Storm finisher for one, two…no! Storm is in disbelief. Storm answers with a codebreaker, and signals the Last Call Superkick, and a spinebuster by Adonis just gets a two count. Adonis signals for the Masterlock, and cinches it in. Cowboy escapes and Adonis pulls him back in for a full nelson slam for another two count. Now Adonis is frustrated, and grabs the beer (oh, Hell naw!!), and now the Last Call hits Adonis square with a beautiful spit take. Covers and Adonis drapes a leg on the rope to break the count, but Cowboy thought that was three. Adonis rolls up Storm, and with the power of douchenozzlery gets his feet on the ropes, but ref cannot see and counts to three.
Your Winner via Pinfall: Chris Adonis
Chants of “Thank you, Cowboy!” reverberate through the ballroom, and hopefully this isn’t the end of the Cowboy. May I suggest some better beer to keep him around, or a bourbon or ten? NWA, reach out to me for marketing.
Kyle Davis is in the ring, and introduces “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, and fans go unglued “Woo-ing” away. Now normally, I would just let them talk in their own voice, but to quote Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride, “No, there is too much. Let me sum up.” Flair spoke for 12 minutes (I’ll transcribe it on request only), but the main points are he thanks all the wrestling stars from HHH, Shawn Michaels, Austin, Harley Race, Vince McMahon, and a whole host of others; but the NWA is where everyone first watched professional wrestling, and the NWA is home in St. Louis, once again.
12-man Battle Royale for the number one contendership for the NWA National title
Again, so little humanity in the ring, and so much time (Strike that! Reverse it), with the rules are if anyone in the ring can be eliminated if one foot touches floor, regardless of how they exit the ring. There is a lot to take in, so here are the entrants: Sal Rinauro, El Rudo, Slice Boogie, JTG, Luke Hawx, Captain YUMA, Jeremiah Plunkett, Jamie Stanley, Marshe Rockett, Rush Freeman, “The Heartthrob” Jaden, and Mims. Big pop for fan favorite JTG, and Danny Deals at ringside channels his inner “Quintessential Studmuffin” Joel Gertner, and helps give a bigger pop for Your Pal Sal. But a familiar music hits and we get a surprise entrant led by Father James Mitchell with his new protégé, Judais.
It is just a mess of humanity, but the big spots of the night was Rudo/Slice/Rockett tried to give Rinauro/Hawx/Plunkett a suplex. They were evenly matched, until JTG joins and lifts the first three for the advantage. Next is a Tower O’ Doom spot, where Rudo is suplexed by Mims/JTG, as Judais powerbombed all the men involved, and they just avoided nailing Hawx. The final four in the ring is Judais, Mims, JTG, and Hawx.
All three gang up on Judais, to no avail. Mims gets kicked out of the ring by Judais. Then Judais goes up top with a flying forearm to Hawx, who gets sent out the ring. Now it’s JTG and Judais left, and they slug away to “Yay/Boo” chants. Judais gets caught on the ropes, as JTG shoulder tackles him to no avail. JTG goes up top, and Judais choke slams JTG while balancing on the ropes. JTG on the outside of the ring apron, and Judais grabs him by the neck. JTG is balanced on the middle ropes while getting hammered with forearm blows to the neck that finally send him tumbling to the floor.
Your Winner, and Number One Contender for the NWA National Championship: Judais
As Commentary marvel as Judais’ statement match against the other twelve men, It’s time for the next title match…
NWA Women’s Championship: Kamille (c) vs the winner of the NWA EmPOWERRR Women’s Invitational Cup, Chelsea Greene
As Kyle Davis delivers the boxing style intros, this is a big opportunity for Greene to go for The Burke. Both women lock up and there is no quarter asked and none given, as Greene gets a full nelson by Kamille to a sit out slam to a leg submission. This leads to back and forth pin attempts to cheers from the crowd. Kamille sends Greene face first to the top turnbuckle and a gut wrench suplex that almost doesn’t rotate completely. Kamille with a Samoan drop to Greene to cover for a one count. The match is all Brickhouse, but Greene tries an elbow drop using her casted arm and misses the mark.
Kamille smells blood and now works on that weakness, hammering away at her bad wing. Kamille with a Torture Rack, and Greene elbows out and hits a cutter, and both women are down. Ref starts the ten count, and both women are up at eight, and Greene is feeling like a Hot Mess on Fire. Greene goes up top, but Kamille knocks her down. Now Kamille goes up to club away, and Greene shoves the champ down, and hits a missile drop kick to cover for a two count. Kamille with a leg drop lariat to cover for two, and the champ showing signs of frustration. Kamille with a neckbreaker and goes for a spear. Greene dodges and gets a suplex, but Kamille hits the spear to cover, and Greene gets her foot on the rope to break the count. Greene tries the Unprettier finisher, but Kamille knees her and gets her casted arm in a move that resembles Nigel McGuiness’ London Dungeon submission, and Greene has no choice but to tap.
Your winner via Submission, and Still NWA Women’s Champion: Kamille
That was impressive that Kamille gets more tools to add to her arsenal in the future. Now it’s time for some big tag team action for the …
NWA Tag Team Championship: Aron Stevens/ Kratos (c) vs La Rebelión (Bestia 666/MechaWolf)
Fans hear a familiar gunshot intro music and La Rebelión are led by Konnan, so this may play differently with some outside shenanigans. Bestia and Stevens start, but La Rebelión double teams right away, but Stevens fights them off and it looks like he and Kratos are finally on the same page. Stevens tags to Kratos, and he hits an impressive deadlift one armed suplex to MechaWolf. Tag back to Stevens, and Bestia gets a thumbs to his eye, and it’s a double team (triple if you count Konnan) in La Rebelión corner. Stevens fights off, but Bestia chop blocks and now Aron is your Stevens in Peril.
Stevens fights and goes to tag in Kratos, but MechaWolf pulls him away, and La Rebelión grind him down some more. Stevens tries to make a last ditch tag attempt, but MechaWolf takes Kratos out and La Rebelión just wear down Stevens with quick tags. Stevens sends MechaWolf crashing down, and a hot tag to his partner makes this a Rage of Kratos. He launches MechaWolf from one side of the ring to the other with a suplex, and Kratos sends Bestia out. He goes to continue the beatdown on MechaWolf. Now Stevens goes up top with Bestia, but with a distraction by Konnan to the ref, and Bestia hits a low blow to Stevens to take the fight out of him. Then it’s an Asai Moonsault by Bestia to Kratos on the outside, and Stevens succumbs to the Mark of the Beast, and history is made again with the three count.
Your Winners, and New NWA Tag Team Champions: La Rebelión
Konnan gets on the stick, and says this to the St. Louis faithful:
“What a great time to be a wrestling fan, because years ago you wouldn’t see promotions working together and giving you interpromotional matches. And you know what? To me, it’s a beautiful thing to see a Mexican and a Puerto Rican as Tag Team Champions. Last night, the women came in here for the first time ever, did an all-women’s show, and they killed it. And let me tell you why that’s important; because when I broke into the business, there were not that many women, not that many Latinos, not that many African Americans, no [LGBTQ]. But today it’s inclusive for all of us. And if I’m still here after 30 years, and you’re still here is because we all love professional wrestling! The NWA is professional wrestling! Orale! Arriba La Raza!”
As Always, Konnan keeps it 100, and the folks in St. Louis are 100% pumped up for The Main Event of the night…
NWA Heavyweight Championship: “The National Treasure” Nick Aldis (c) vs Trevor Murdoch
Murdoch enters the ring wearing a blue/red jacket like his mentor, Harley Race, and Aldis is mentioned by Galli as being at 1044 days as NWA champion.
(Author’s Note: Once again, if you’re gonna quibble that Aldis isn’t a true champion and didn’t defend “Sweet Charlotte” enough in the time of COVID…please know I think you’re the world’s biggest jackass, and I look forward to something horrible to happen to you!)
Yep, the “Genius Juice” of my Oaxacan Old Fashioned just snuck into the medulla oblongata, so let’s get to the point of this screed, and deliver the people what they want to read.
Senior Referee Robert King to both men they are now wrestling in same ring as their trainer/mentor, Harley Race, and wants a clean fight. There is a big fight feel in St. Louis, and as Murdoch goes to give his jacket to his family sitting at ringside, Aldis blindsides Murdoch and both men brawl to the outside and goes into the crowd, and bell hasn’t even rung. Murdoch channels his bar fight skills (don’t ask how I recognize it…at least, not without my lawyer present), but Aldis shows he’s The Dealer, and rams Murdoch to the guardrails. They brawl to the stage, and Aldis spinebusters Murdoch to the hardwood floor. This brings out Pat Kenney and owner Billy Corgan to protest, and Aldis keeps up the fighting.
Aldis drags Murdoch’s carcass back into the ring and *now* the bell rings to officially start match, and Murdoch fights back. Aldis measures Murdoch with an Olympic Slam, and Sky and Storm recognize that move when he was once part of the Main Event Mafia with Kurt Angle.
(Note to Self: There are lots of IMPACT references. Something bigger in the works, methinks. What? Oh, right…the Main Event!)
Aldis chops Murdoch in the corner, and he goes up top but Murdoch cuts him off at the pass, and sends him down the hard way, a la Ric Flair. Now Murdoch goes up top the high rent district for a dropkick, but is swatted away and Aldis teases a Figure Four, but Murdoch reverses, and Aldis writhes in pain, and reaches the ropes to break the hold. Murdoch rushes at Aldis, but The Dealer dodges the attack, and Murdoch’s momentum hits the ring post. Aldis gets Murdoch in an abdominal stretch, slapping at his face and pulling his beard. He grabs rope for leverage to cause Murdoch more pain, but King misses it each time. Aldis grabs the ropes once more, and now King catches him red-handed, and kicks his hand off for Murdoch to hip toss him. Aldis shoves at King, and King shoves back, because you don’t touch the senior referee! Murdoch goes for a clothesline, but knocks out King in the process.
With King out cold, Aldis hits a low blow (or, as Tim Storm says, he was “dealing from the bottom of deck.”), and we go back outside the ring, and Aldis steps up attack, now in front of Murdoch’s son and family. Aldis is losing it, and he knocks out the timekeeper and Davis, grabs the table, places Murdoch on the table and the elbow drop hits the mark, and explodes the table and leaves Murdoch a broken mess. Now a second referee rushes in as Aldis in in the ring and covers on Aldis to cover for a two count. Both men are pulling all the stops, and Murdoch hits the high rent district again, and Aldis cuts him off and nails a tombstone piledriver. Now Aldis goes up for another elbow drop (how very Savage) and covers for one, two…another close kick out! It’s Murdoch with Aldis up the top rope and he delivers a superplex to cover for a two count. Fans are on their feet, with chants of “This Is Awesome!” Murdoch goes for a flying bulldog, but Aldis gets out of the way, and gets Murdoch in the Kingslayer cloverleaf submission, but Murdoch reaches ropes to break the hold. Both men are giving their all, and Murdoch delivers a Harley Race-style piledriver to Aldis, and then goes back up top and nails the flying bulldog finisher to cover for one, two, and three!
Your Winner, and New NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Trevor Murdoch
As Murdoch’s family start coming into the ring to celebrate, with Storm sound hoarse from the color commentary and Sky becoming very emotional and Galli yelling “Daddy is the champ!” out comes Ric Flair again, this time to congratulate the new champ and tells him this:
“Walking out here tonight, in Harley Race’s colors; representing Harley Race, who was the baddest man alive. You, now, are the NWA World Champion. Congratulations!
Hey, you are a champion. Champions lead by example. Tonight, you two guys put on a clinic in wrestling. Congratulations. Honored to know you. The NWA champion…the World Champion: Trevor Murdoch. Congratulations, guys, thank you.”
Now Kyle Davis comes in to interview the new champ (and I know, this is starting to be like Lord of The Rings, where it ends like seventeen times. But, don’t worry, the champ gets the last word), and Murdoch takes the mic and says this:
“You guys got to give me a second. This fat boy is breathing hard.
I never dreamed this moment would happen, but standing here in front of you is exactly how I dreamed it. You are the reason why I kept going. Listening to you guys share my name and push me on social media, told me…oh, hey, Jack. How you doing buddy? You guys…You guys are the ones that kept me going. You’re the ones that continue to believe in me, even this butthole over here that says all the rules. He still believes in me, I guarantee it. I just want to sit here and say that I don’t know what’s in my future. Except for the fact that every single day, I’m going to represent this title the best of my ability. I just got to hear it one more time. The man who brought me to this show, his name was Harley Race.”
Chants of “Harley” fill the ballroom.
“I hope someday I am as good as him. But this is one hell of a start, isn’t it? Thank you everybody. Thank you for coming. Thank you for supporting the NWA, and thank you for supporting me!”
Final Thoughts:
Another solid card from top to bottom. This PPV not only tied in the history and prestige of the NWA, but it also advanced some great matches, title changes, and angles to come.
The cherry on top was the Main Event with Nick Aldis and Trevor Murdoch. I will die on this hill when I say Murdoch is a modern day Dusty Rhodes, and his win in St. Louis proves The American Dream lives on in The NWA.
In any case, see ya this Tuesday for NWA POWERRR.
