We have a big celebration as every wrestler on the NWA roster is in attendance to pay tribute to the 74 years of wrestling history for the National Wrestling Alliance. Not only do we get a sneak peek into what will take place on the double pay-per-view this weekend, but we’ll also have Ella Envy and Kenzie Paige in action to see who will lead the Pretty Empowered tag team in the future, plus a huge main event that will test the mettle of the newly formed tag team, The Spectaculars, as they go head to head with the current NWA Tag Team champions, The Commonwealth Connection.
We come to you from the Skyway Studios where balloons, streamers, and all sorts of festivities are hanging about. Joe Galli (who we interviewed recently), Tim Storm, and Velvet Sky have the call. Storm notes that no fights broke out, and no tables have been broken. But the night is young. So let’s go to the First Match of the night…
Courtesy of the NWA
“The Ageless One” Caprice Coleman vs. “The Masterpiece” Chris Adonis
As they clear the balloons in the ring and pop them in each man’s direction, once the bell rings, both men lock up and Adonis throws off Coleman with such force that he is left stunned. Coleman tried to shoot the leg to take him off balance, but Adonis gets back up, sends him to the ropes and shoulder tackles him to the mat. Coleman returns with a drop toehold to a hip toss and now gets an armbar in, but Adonis escapes and gets a big backbreaker. Adonis lands three leg drops to cover but Coleman kicks out at two. Adonis goes back to his strength arsenal and clamps in a bear hug but Coleman disrupts his inner ear equilibrium and lands a standing dropkick, but both men are worn down to capitalize. Coleman fires back with rights and a springboard leg lariat, then he follows with a superkick to an axe kick leg drop for a two count. Adonis sends him to the ropes, but Coleman reverses to a floating leg lariat to cover, and that gets another two count. Adonis goes up the top turnbuckle, but Coleman nails the Leap of Faith and calls for the Holy Trinity finisher, but Adonis reverses to cinch in the Masterlock. Coleman is fading, but he tries to fight out and Adonis is just too powerful, and he passes out to the point the ref calls the match.
Your Winner via Referee Stoppage: Chris Adonis
At The Podium with Kyle Davis are KiLynn King, Thom Latimer, and the NWA Women’s World Champion Kamille. As she and King toast with the available champagne, Kamille states she will defend The Burke twice, first on Night One of NWA 74 against Taya Valkyrie, and when she’s done with that, she’ll defend again over who wins the Burke Invitational that same night. Kamille looks dead into the crowd and says whoever steps up to The Brickhouse to bring it. As for Latimer, he had a taste of the championship opportunity at the Alwayz Ready PPV, and he wants more so he and Kamille can truly be a power couple.
Not a lot from King in this segment. Curious as to what that means.
But we’ll speculate later as it’s time for the next match…
Jennacide vs. Kayla Kassidy
This is the debut match of Kassidy, and…yeah, this has squash written all over it. Therefore, here is a Haiku In Review™:
*ahem*
Oh, Poor Kassidy!
Beaten by Jennacide.
Hasta La Vista, Baby.
Your Winner via Pinfall: Jennacide
At The Podium is all The Cardona Family. Kyle Davis asks about the status of Matt Cardona’s injury, but VSK says to show some respect, as he’s still dealing with the trauma. However, he and Mike Knox run down Bully Ray ahead of the Tables Match coming up on Night One of the PPV. Knox grins slyly and promises that Bully Ray will get what’s coming to him. Brian Myers says he’s here because of his best friend, and not because he wanted to be near the NWA. Matt Cardona has a message for the “NWA superstars” tonight: thanks for the well-wishes and cards and he is Almost Ready. How could it be better? The Ten Pounds of Gold, he yells! He loves all his Cardona Family members, including his wife Chelsea Green, but he loves the belt more. He never lost it, and emphatically states he will have it back.
But now, let’s get weird as we head to a three-way elimination tag team match-up between…
Courtesy of the NWA
Gustavo & “The Professional” Rhett Titus vs. Hawx Aerie (Luke and PJ Hawx) vs. The Dirty Sexy Boys (Dirty Dango and JTG)
Velvet Sky is so excited the Boys are back in action, she did not have a wad of dollar bills to make it rain on them entering the ring. Also, Titus and Gustavo are an odd pairing. Even though Gustavo has a Latin Lover gimmick going for him, Titus is not Addicted to Love (see what I did there?). The only team not playing around is Hawx Aerie, as papa Luke is shouting at PJ not to play around.
Luke has a serious chip on his shoulder as he starts for his team against Titus and JTG. There is a skirmish and then JTG and Luke double hip toss Titus. JTG makes the cover but gets pulled off by luke, and then he makes the cover and JTG reciprocates. JTG and Luke trade blows but Tha Gawd gets a dropkick to Luke, then a sling blade to Titus, and follows with a drop toehold to the ropes. He tags in Dango and then slaps Luke on the outside of the ring and Dango kicks his head for good measure. Titus tags in Gustavo and yes Velvet…there is (what I can best describe as) a shimmy off. as each man thrust their hips at the other, I’m surprised Sky hasn’t thrown off her headset and come to the ring throwing balls of dollar bills at the ring. Now Gustavo throws a rose at Dango, and he promptly eats it.
Again, I cannot make any of this up, folks!
Dango nails a clothesline to Gustavo, and the fun is over. Luke uses the distraction to tag in PJ, and he puts on a technical showcase on all the men in the ring, but Dango dropkicks PJ, and then it gets weird.
Like, weirder than the shimmy off.
Dango points to Sky, goes out to see her at the commentary desk, and then leans in for a kiss…and she slaps him, and they liked it too.
(Author’s Note: You’re probably thinking the same thing Tim Storm is thinking, and for that matter so am I. However, if there is one thing I have learned over the years from the good philosopher Hunter S. Thompson is that sometimes when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. Plus: Love is blind; lust is Helen Keller.)
As Dango walks away, PJ uses the opportunity to nail a crossbody on the outside of the ring and he throws Dango back in the squared circle to get a cradle pin to eliminate the Dirty Sexy Boys, much to Sky’s chagrin. As PJ was distracted, Titus tries to roll up but PJ escapes the pin attempt. Titus follows up and gets a rope-assisted belly-to-belly suplex to cover, and Luke breaks hold. From there, PJ nails a floating Northern Lights suplex and crawls to the corner for the hot tag and Luke goes to Gustavo, but Hawx Aerie overcomes with PJ picking up Gustavo to send to Luke with a powerslam for the pin and the win.
Your Winners via Pinfall: Hawx Aerie
Luke and PJ Celebrate in the ring, and he loudly proclaims that Colby Corino and The Fixers are next. Meanwhile, “Wrecking Ball” Legursky is looking around like, “What’d I do?”
And now for a clash of characters, here’s…
Courtesy of the NWA
Ella Envy vs Kenzie Paige
This match came about this past NWA USA, and Envy suggest the match, with the stipulation that whoever wins will have full control of the direction of the tag team champions. Both women try to feel each other out, with Envy attempting to play mind games on Paige. Then, Mercurio comes out to the ring with Hayley Shadows and Jaylee, and he convinces the women to fight for his love.
.So, wait…we have a tag match now? Okay, then.
Envy ends up the worst of this fight, as Shadows and Jaylee fight for Mercurio’s love (pardon me as I try to repel a gag reflex), but a tag to Paige and she is aggressive against both women. A double superkick by Pretty Empowered to Jaylee’s face ends this tag match.
Your Winners via Pinfall: Pretty Empowered
As they grab the tag belts, Envy chooses this time to jaw jack at The Hex members Allysin Kay and Marti Belle sitting at ringside. It isn’t long before they get tired of Envy running her mouth and they quickly climb into the ring and get in their Pretty faces. Envy pie faces Kay, and we have a taste of the King’s Highway street fight that will take place on NWA 74. Envy ducks out, but Paige gets the worst of The Hex’s wrath. I do not like Paige’s chances this weekend.
There’s an NWA USA recap of The Hex tuning up for their PPV fight, and you should read it here to catch up.
Trevor Murdoch is at The Podium with Kyle Davis. As he asks how he’s preparing for his title defense, Murdoch gulps some champagne and says he’s coming home, and he’s bringing hell with him.
Somebody’s channeling their inner Harley Race.
But now we have the Main Event of this Celebration 74, and it’s…
Courtesy of the NWA
The Spectaculars (Rush Freeman & Brady Pierce, with Ronaldo Freeman) vs. The Commonwealth Connection (Doug Williams & Harry Smith)
I’m not gonna lie. My snarky smark-y sense just buried the needle as I looked at Rush Freeman and Brady Pierce’s ring attire and wondered aloud if Marcus “Buff” Bagwell and Scotty Riggs know their gimmick has been appropriated. Either way, this is a huge match for The Spectaculars. They would be guaranteed a shot at their title belts if they win.
“Big brother” Rolando is showing ire at The Commonwealth Connection, and they are amused by the wrath of Rolando as he steps up to their faces. Smith picks up Rolando and sets him down on the ring apron like a little child. Rush uses that opportunity to attack from behind, and now we get to business with Smith hitting a massive suplex. He takes time stretching Rush in the ring like he was working out with grandpa Stu Hart in The Dungeon. Pierce and Williams tag in, and The Ambassador introduces catch wrestling to the promising grappler, peppering Pierce with European uppercuts. Pierce gets a back elbow and then he and Rush double team to a drop toe hold/ elbow drop to cover for a two count. But it isn’t long before the beating continues on Rush, as he is isolated in the Commonwealth corner, and he is Spectacularly in Peril, to the point Rolando shouts encouragement like, “Fight like I taught ya, little brother!”
Rush manages a big boot to a clothesline to Williams and he crawls for the hot tag. Now Pierce is Spectaculary en Fuego as he punches at Williams and lands an elbow drop for two. But Smith comes in the ring with a belly-to-back suplex, then a clothesline by Williams in the corner. Now the Commonwealth Connection has Williams nail a back elbow to send to Smith for a powerslam, then a senton assist. Williams covers, and Rush breaks up the pin count, but that sets up the Commonwealth Connection to deliver with a boot by Smith to Rush into Williams to follow through with Chaos Theory to cover for the one, two, and three.
Your Winners via Pinfall: The Commonwealth Connection
As Rush and Pierce console themselves in the ring from their loss, The Ill-Begotten come out and they jump The Spectaculars. But then The Miserably Faithful enter the ring, and we have ourselves a Pier Nine brawl; the worst of the piers to end this celebration as the show goes to credits.
Final Thoughts:
I had some reservations about the show, but the Envy/Paige simmering issues and now the Ill-Begotten/Spectaculars/Miserably Faithful add a little more intrigue in this Celebration 74. How this will play out at the double PPV is anybody’s guess. So I got some typing to do, plus more NWA interviews to do between now and this weekend, so see you shortly!
