Da Pope is cashing in his Champion Series title match, and he looks to score the Ten Pounds of Gold in Competition. The current NWA Heavyweight champion “Always Ready” Matt Cardona has been successful to-date in his title defenses, but can he stop the Elijah Express that looks to be rumbling his way?
We’ll find out during the main event, but we go to a cold open, as Kyle Davis is backstage with Nick Aldis. The National Treasure states he’s rooting for Pope to win tonight, but Cardona is the main issue and it goes beyond the Ten Pounds of Gold. He promises to get his hands on Cardona one way or another, but offers the best of luck to both men…except for Matt Cardona.
We head to the Skyway Studios in Nashville, TN. Your commentators Joe Galli, Tim Storm and Velvet Sky have the call, and prepare for Sky to get hot and bothered for the First Match of the night between…
Courtesy of the NWA
The Dirty Sexy Boys (JTG and Dirty Dango) vs The Commonwealth Connection (Harry Smith and Doug Williams)
Smith and JTG start the match, and it’s classic Power versus Tha Gawd matchup, but the some of The British Bulldog is able to take it to JTG. Smith tags to Williams to get some offense in, but then JTG gets a tag to Dango, But The Ambassador hits an exploder suplex and tags back Smith to a European uppercut/powerslam combo for a two count. The Commonwealth isolate JTG for the majority of the match, but he fights out and one hot tag to The Dirty One, and he’s a Dango en Fuego. He goes straight at Williams and lands the falcon arrow to cover, but Smith breaks the count. The match devolves to a Pier Four brawl, and Dango limps to commentary, where Nurse Velvet offers to soothe his aches and pains. At that point Storm speaks for all of us, saying “I feel so uncomfortable right now.” Williams drags Dango back in the ring for a modified reverse STF with a bridge to tap, and Dango has no choice but to tap out.
Your Winners via Submission: The Commonwealth Connection
Your Loser: Velvet Sky’s Man Crush
(Seriously, does someone need to have a chat with Bully Ray regarding this?)
There is an NWA USA recap, but you should click here to catch up of Saturday’s offerings.
Kyle Davis is with Austin Idol, and he asks about his interaction with Cyon during the Tyrus Slam Challenge last week. Idol says he knows who his father is, and he was a huge name in the NWA and a main event around the world. Idol takes off glasses, and …he goes full Darth Vader, and says he is Cyon’s father.
*Me, in full Luke Skywalker mode: No. That’s not true! That’s Impossible!!* *NOOOOOOO!!!!*
(end scene)
Also, I think George Lucas is gonna sue somebody. Bookers, Get your lawyers ready.
But it’s time for women’s actions with…
Courtesy of the NWA
“The Majesty of Muscle” KiLynn King vs. Natalya Markova
Huh. No “Crush” for Markova, eh? That’s fine, I guess. But there is a huge pop for King’s return to the NWA. Markova comes swinging as the bell rings, and King returns the receipt. She goes to pick up the Russian, but Markova slams her face down to mat and takes control. She goes for the Beautiful Disaster and misses King, but she manages to connect with a rolling cutter. Markova keeps King grounded, but The Majesty of Muscle has too much power for Markova to overcome. King lands ripcord chops, and gets an impressive flipping knee strike to pin for a two count. King tries to follow up, but Markova blocks for a double arm DDT for a two count, and she is frustrated. She goes up top for a high-risk maneuver, but King stops and pummels her, and nails a big knee strike to a fallaway slam, for a two-count. Markova gets back up top, and hits a splash and goes to cover, but gets another two count. Markova attempts the Beautiful Disaster, and king evades to gets her in a finisher Galli calls the Excali-buster( which is like a modified neckbreaker) that gets The Majesty of Muscle a pin to “Crush” Markova.
Your Winner via Pinfall: KiLynn King
May Valentine is backstage with Big Strong Mims, as he flexes to show off his gun collection (complete with “pew pew” sounds from Mims), and he throws his hat in the Tyrus Body Slam Challenge. Valentine asks about Pope’s challenge tonight in the main event, and Mims gives a Big Strong Think (ha!) with his smart man glasses, and he’s confident Pope will heal the infection of Matt Cardona in the NWA.
Dude, I laughed out loud at that, and I hope Mims continues to add those little things to his “Big Strong” gimmick.
La Rebelión is at The Podium with Kyle Davis, as he notes the champs are marked men. Bestia inquires on The Briscoes and says, “Donde Estás?” They’re scared, says MechaWolf, or tienen Miedo, if you speak Spanish. ‘Wolf says for Dem Boys to take the tag belts, they’ll have to kill them. He boasts that for over 200 days, there has been no one to take them from La Rebelión, and they are the face of the tag division.
It’s time for a May Valentine to have a Heart 2 Heart with Aron Stevens. She asks about Trevor Murdoch’s attack on him last week, and he states he feels betrayed. Murdoch lost the title, and he went to his family’s BBQ to console him. But he has the temerity to accost the temple, Stevens asks. From there, Stevens seems to go what I can only describe as full “Moon Knight” and goes into different personalities, and even Valentine picks up on this. Stevens breaks down the fourth wall and notes he’s done imitations in the past, and that never ends well (double ha!). Valentine is worried about his personality changes, and appreciates that and says he’ll put her on his holiday card list. The complete interview will be on next Monday on YouTube, and that will be something I put straightaway on the “News and Rumors” section when that takes place.
Speaking of strange, it’s time for…
Courtesy of the NWA
Colby Corino and the Fixers (Jay Bradley and “Wrecking Ball” Legurtsky) vs. Miserably Faithful (with The Sinister Minister)
We learn of the growing stable that Davis introduces to the crowd to include Judais, Sal Rinauro (aka “Sal the Pal”), and …Gags the Gimp.
Yes, you read that right, and I was left pondering what in the name of Pulp Fiction is going on here. If some pawnshop hillbillies get involved at any point, I’m out.
In any case, Sal starts of and he soon is realizing “Fixers Rule!” Corino tags himself in thinking Rinauro will be easy pickings, and Judais is tagged in and makes short work of Corino. He then tags in the Gimp (words I never thought I’d type) and that creepy dude goes at him like a gremlin, making Corino a Bastion in Peril. At one point, the Gimp sticks his finger in Corino’s gauged ear, and that looked painful. He makes the hot tag to Legurtsky, and he a Wrecking Ball en Fuego, and he cleans house. Legurtsky goes for Rinauro, and “Sal the Pal” parts the ropes and he flies outside. Bradley is in the ring facing Judais and he gets a chokeslam on the Fixer. He tags the Gimp back in for an assisted high cutter and gets the pin and the win.
Your Winners via Pinfall: Miserably Faithful
Backstage with May Valentine is Jennacide, and she asks if she’s wrestling in singles competition. Jennacide states she thought she’d get there with Taryn Terrell and Paola Blaze, but after all the losses, including her Champion Series title shot being blown, she realized she just needed herself, and she will reach the top of the Women’s division.
And now it’s time for the Main Event, and it’s for the…
NWA World Heavyweight Championship: “Alwayz Ready” Matt Cardona (c) vs. Da Pope
There is a huge pop for Pope as he gets in the ring, and Cardona gets massive boos and chants of “You Tapped Out”, alluding to Aldis getting him in the Kingslayer cloverleaf on Night Two of the Crockett Cup. Also interesting is the fact that Galli says Storm has left commentary at the insistence of Cardona to avoid being blindsided. Galli even drops some history, as he notes the first time both men faced each other was in the WWE, where an erstwhile Zac Ryder lost to the former Elijah Burke. I like that fact that he made that reference because WWE…well, you know.
As Kyle Davis delivers boxing style intros to the crowd, the bell rings and Pope starts with a wrist lock before Cardona goes to the ropes to break the hold. He takes time to give a one fingered Long Island salute to the fans at ringside, but Pope is Pimpin’ on Cardona, daddy. The champ takes a powder, and when he heads back in the ring, Cardona starts swinging at Pope. They fight to the outside of the ring, and Cardona attempts to send him to the steel stairs like last time when he gave Pope a concussion at Hard Time 2, but Pope reverses, and then flies into the champ with a clothesline.
Pope sends him back in the ring but Cardona hits Pope with a knee as he attempts to climb back in, and then knocks him off the ring. The fans chant “Let’s Go Pope!”, but Cardona cuts off the rally by ripping off his tee shirt and he uses it as weapon to choke Pope out. Cardona dominates Pope, but he starts to get another rally going, by sending Cardona to the corner, and he rushes at hit but the champ ducks away and he hits the turnbuckles hard. Pope is out, and Cardona goes up top, but he suddenly pops up and nails a superplex, leaving both men laying in the center of the ring. Pope gets back up first and goes on the attack with a crossbody for a two count. Cardona rakes his eyes, but Pope gets a STO to cover for another two count/
Pope attempts to set up for the Elijah Express, but Cardona is a lifeless carcass. Pope goes down, but he was playing possum, to distract him. Cardona goes up top with a missile dropkick to cover for a two count. But Pope slams him to the mat and gets his legs in a sharpshooter. Cardona fights through to get the bottom ropes, and Pope transitions to a crossface. Cardona is in agony but manages to reach the ropes to break the submission. The ref separate Pope, and Cardona uses the distraction for a codebreaker, but Pope lands three German suplexes and goes up top for a high risk maneuver, but Cardona knocks him off the ropes. Cardona goes for the signature Reboot, and Pope gets out of the way as he lands hard on the bottom rope in his…err, little Cardonas. Now Pope gets his knee pads down for the Elijah Express. He rushes but Cardona pushes ref in the way to slow him down. As Pope gets him out of the way, Cardona gets a thumb to the eye and delivers the Radio Silence finisher to cover for one, two, and three
Your Winner, and Still NWA Heavyweight Champion: Matt Cardona
Cardona slinks away smugly holding the title, as the fans are displeased by the outcome as the show goes to credits.
Final Thoughts:
Mostly the rating is based on the quality of the main event, and rightly so! Both men have come a long way since their time in WWE, and they have made the most of their opportunities. Tonight’s match for The Ten Pounds of Gold highlighted that, and it makes one wonder what’s next for “Alwayz Ready” Matt Cardona.
The rest of the card was solid in ring action, and the Miserably Faithful might be the breakout stable to watch for. King was great (dare I say “all elite?”) in singles competition. As for the Austin Idol reveal…eh, call it IdolMania Strikes Back.
For now, see you in seven!