The National Wrestling Alliance has had its share of ups and downs since returning in the Lightning One era. That said, it has found a new home on The CW streaming TV app, built up new territories under the NWA banner, and despite the name, it is looking beyond Hard Times.
SlamWrestling.net caught up with Kyle Davis, who we profiled last year. Things have been busy between him and Joe Galli running things with the NWA.
“At this stage, Joe and I just have gone to operations for everything, since we have to do everything on camera [and] backstage operations,” Davis said. “You need it done? I’ll be one of those people that makes it happen for you.”
Davis offered to take the call as Galli was en route to Dothan, Alabama, for the Hard Times TV tapings (more on that later). As for the NWA owner, Billy Corgan, he is currently getting ready to produce new music.
“Smashing Pumpkins will be touring this year with Green Day,” Davis explained, “But currently, Smashing Pumpkins are in the studio, working on some stuff right there as a follow-up to last year’s ATUM album. So, we’ll see what happens.” Davis added that the hope is that there will be NWA wrestling at at least some of the shows, as there was with the recent World is a Vampire tour.
During our interview, Davis alluded that they’re in the process of getting ready for Hard Times as a live signature event, similar to the PowerrrTrip episodes previously on YouTube. “It’ll be taped to air in future episodes of NWA POWERRR on CW,” said Davis.
Previously, Hard Times was one of the NWA’s tentpole pay-per-views found on FITE.TV (now Triller TV) in years past. So, it makes one wonder why they switched it up. “All the TV tapings, as we’re on The CW, that changes the dynamic of what we do,” Davis said. “And for the time being while we’re dealing with the dynamic of the transition, our contract with FITE ran its course, which is all well and good.”
“Instead of not having any of these shows while we find the next distribution, ‘Will it be on CW?’ ‘Will it be on another thing?’ ‘Will it be on an actual pay-per-view?’,” Davis mused, “We thought, ‘Why wait?’ We have programming that we want to have filled, and we want to have these events. So, for the time being right now, Hard Times 2024, this year’s version of it is going to be a live event that will be taped for future viewing for the fans to watch anywhere; on CW.TV or the CW app.”
That means the NWA does not currently have a contract with FITE/Triller for PPVs?
“We are open to working with them in the future,” said Davis. “But at this time, our content is not on their platform.”
Since the transition from YouTube to The CW, there are certain things more noticeable watching an episode of NWA POWERRR.
“The greatest part about being on CW is the quality,” said Davis. “You notice the detail, you notice the sound quality, the lighting, and everything of that aspect.”
As of this writing, The CW is only available to be seen in North America. “We are in talks with a number of places to see where we can get that content for international non-American viewership,” he assured.
There is a What Could Have Been? aspect to it all.
“It just still boggles my mind [that] people always joke about, ‘Oh, I wonder what would happen if you guys didn’t have that Samhain thing with the Sinister Minister.’”
Davis is referencing last year’s NWA PPV that showed a brief spot of Father James Mitchell having a moment with Sal Rinauro and Gaagz the Gymp returning to his fold and celebrating with a powdery substance going up his nostrils. Other wrestling sites picked up on it and reported that this affected the deal with The CW and instead of being on the CW TV channel proper and the app, it was now limited to the latter.
Kyle Davis (right) does his best “Just Say No!” campaign as he rebukes Father James Mitchell’s “Herbal Regimen.”
For his part, Davis said this for the record. “James Mitchell had absolutely nothing to do with anything. The truth is when you make a deal with a company or a TV station like CW, you are doing what they want with that programming, and CW currently, like every other company that does entertainment, is trying to get more people to the streaming platform and so we are one of those things that they put on the streaming platform as an incentive for people to be looking at it right now.
“I wish I could say, ‘Hey, people, our Jim Mitchell thing affected everything,’” he continued. “But the truth of the matter is fans feel like it affected everything, but it had no effect on anything that was already in talks.”
One of the things not affected is the reality series based on Corgan running the NWA that was recently announced. The as-yet-untitled show covered Corgan running the NWA and Smashing Pumpkins, along with life with his family. “We’ve had cameras with us off and on for the last year,” Davis recalled. “So, you’ll see the ups, the downs, the ins, the outs, and the personality dynamics that go on behind the scenes from it. I’d like to say that we all get along fantastically, but there’s also every now and then, like any work situation or anybody in actual life and day to day… you know, personalities conflict at times.”
Any way you look at things, and the way Davis is explaining, things are looking good for the expanding NWA, adding under its banner EXODUS Pro and Joe Cazana Promotions (now NWA Southeast).
“The other thing that just happens [to be] NWA Chicago, right in Billy Corgan’s own backyard,” Davis said . That show is coming up on March 8th and Davis added the following on NWA Chicago. “The initial debut of our third territory right in the backyard of William Patrick Corgan, the NWA president himself.”
Other dates are coming up that Davis mentioned, such as the upcoming Crockett Cup and NWA 76, which he hinted would be live “from an area that nobody’s seen the NWA in a while.”
Director Billy Trask and Kyle Davis Behind the Scenes at NWA 75. Credit: Tommy “Milagro” Martinez
But NWA isn’t the only game in town. It was recently announced that NXT, WWE’s secondary promotion, will also be coming to The CW in October of this year.
Davis urged perspective. “I think that anything that gets eyes on The CW will do nothing but help every one else that’s on there, and that’s us. We don’t have the giant national campaigns, the money, and everything else of giant network TV,” he said. “I mean, they’ve had a lot of big things in the last few months that I won’t touch base on, but attention is attention.”
“I’m not worried about NXT coming to CW,” Davis continued, “because I know that just means more people are gonna start watching CW and that means more people will be like, ‘Hey, I want more wrestling. What’s this thing’s here? Oh, NWA. I’m gonna give that a shot.’ It’s a trickle-down effect. I do believe that them being on the CW will do nothing but help us.”
TOP PHOTO: Kyle Davis and Billy Corgan. NWA photo
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- Nov. 8, 2022: Kyle Davis finds a home at NWA’s podium