The National Wrestling Alliance is ready to deliver Hard Times to Dothan, Alabama on The CW. This first episode will not only have Colby Corino putting the NWA Junior Heavyweight title on the line, but Pretty Empowered has another shot at the Women’s Tag Team titles currently held by The King Bees. Can Danni Bee and Charity King hang on to their tag straps against the veteran team of Ella Envy and Kylie Paige?
It looks like the action will be Pretty Brutal in the main event on this NWA POWERRR, and we get all of Pretty Empowered in a promo stating the Bees aren’t even in their league, and on Tuesdays, everyone wears pink and stop making “fetch” happen.
Oh, wait. I got that mixed up with Mean Girls. Eh, it’s an asy mistake.
We come to you from the Dothan Civic Center as Joe Galli and Danny Dealz have the call, and your First Match of the Night is for the…
Courtesy of the NWA. Credit: Hiban Huerta
NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship: Colby Corino(c) vs. “Mr. NWA” Joe Alonzo
It’s been a while since we saw The Last Bastion, and this is Alonzo’s next chance to take the tile from Corino. He offers his hand in a smirking show of “respect,” and Corino kicks it away. From there we are off to the races as Alonzo eats a dropkick by Corino and then runs the ropes and mounts Mr. NWA with a Thesz Press. He lands a Tiger Driver for a two count, and then Alonzo takes a breather and Corino dives at him on the outside, but he sends him face first to the guardrail and then throws him to the steel steps. Corino fights back and attempts to step in the ring, and Alonzo kicks the middle rope right into his…err, little Bastions and then dives after him on the floor. He sends Corino back in to cover but gets a two count.
Alonoz connects with a vertical suplex and goes up top for a high-risk maneuver, but Corino catches him with a knee strike. They battle up top, Alonzo gives him a DDT to the top turnbuckle that makes Corino land awkwardly on his jaw, and he covers the champ for another two count. He attempts a springboard offense and Corino counters with a springboard side Russian Legsweep that makes him slip on the middle rope and he gets it as bad as Alonzo on the way down. An elbow by Corino and he rushes to the corner. Alonzo sends him over the ropes but he lands on his feet on the apron edge and then connects with a clothesline to crash hard on the ring edge. From there, Corino lands a twisting senton from the camera steps onto Alonzo, and sends him back into the ring. He climbs up top for a stomp but moves away but Corino changes up and gives him a Spanish Fly. The Last Bastion is unloading everything including a Styles Clash but he still can’t put Mr. NWA away. Alonzo gets a superkick and follows with a springboard offense but gets a clothesline for his trouble. Corino has him in a waistlock, and then Alonzo pushes the ref into the corner to get stunned by turnbuckles. That opens the opportunity to give Corino a mule kick and he delivers The Stroke and pins Corino down for the count.
Your Winner, and New NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion: Joe Alonzo
Alonzo celebrates his title victory as the student has become the master of The Power of Douchenozzlery™.
Let’s turn to tag team action in the women’s division between…
Courtesy of the NWA. Credit: Hiban Huerta
La Rosa Negra and Ruthie Jay vs. Tiffany Nieves and Reka Tehaka
This is Negra’s first match since she was involved in a car accident in Puerto Rico, and Tehaka is making her NWA debut. Tehaka first got her start in professional wrestling in my home state of Utah with Devotion Championship Wrestling, and until recently was a fixture in WoW (Women of Wrestling). Galli notes she is the first female Samoan in the NWA, which is an interesting fact.
Nieves and Jay start and already La Princesa gives off with the disrespect. There is early offense by the Five Star Athlete, but Nieves stomps on her toes, and Tehaka tags in. For some reason, Nieves argues with her tag partner, and that bad-mouthing throws off Tehaka’s game. Negra tags in hits an arm drag, and works her over. Nieves tags and she tries to get back on track, and Jay comes in and she sends La Princesa to the corner. Tehaka comes back in as does Jay and she sends her to the ropes. Nieves grabs Jay by the waist and Tehaka lands a headbutt on Jay. Now they get her isolated in their corner and Jay is in Peril as they give her a Five Star beatdown. Tehaka picks her up, heads butts Jay in the small of her back, and ties her up in the Tree of Woe so she and Nieves can stomp her some more. There’s more attitude from La Princesa pie facing Tehaka, and as she turns to Jay they collide in the ring and Jay crawls to the corner. She gets the hot tag and Negra is a Boricua en Fuego on both Nieves and Tehaka. The end comes as Jay nails Tehaka with an off-balance Meteora and Negra delivers with a frog splash for the pin and the win.
Your Winners via Pinfall: Ruthie Jay and La Rosa Negra
Up next in singles action, it’s…
Courtesy of the NWA. Credit: Hiban Huerta
“Magic” Jake Dumas vs. Spenser Slade (with Rolando Freeman )
Galli notes during Slade’s intro to the ring that he has a hearing impairment, thus the amateur headgear he wears. Also of note is that this is the second time Dumas has come to the ring with his valet CJ or his Magic, Inc. partner Cody James. Also interesting is that the Alabama crowd is fully behind the Magic Bastard.
They tie up and the ref tries to separate them, and Slade shows off his power. He goes for a waistlock takedown twice over Dumas and he celebrates his amateur background. A wristlock by Dumas but Slade showcases his Spectacular technical skills to escape the hold. The fans chant for Dumas even as Slade one-ups him at every turn. in the match. He picks him up on a fireman’s carry and Dumas escapes and gets more aggressive ramming his head into the turnbuckles and follows with a snapmare to a dropkick to Slade’s face. He goes from an atomic drop to a knee strike and nails a TKO but Slade kicks out. He rushes at the Magic Bastard and Dumas pulls the top rope for Slade to tumble down to the floor. As he goes after him, Rolando gets in his face and Dumas pie faces him into the steps. Slade goes after him, and Dumas flapjacks him into the apron edge and then picks him and connects with a fallaway slam into the ring. Dumas starts to climb back in and Rolando gets on the top rope wearing his magician’s top hat. Dumas pushes him off and that allows Slade to come from behind and deliver an avalanche slam and he gets the tainted win.
Your Winner via Pinfall: Spencer Slade
What a Spectacular win for Slade, with some help from Rolando.
Now for the Main Event and it’s a two out of three falls match for the…
Courtesy of the NWA. Credit: Hiban Huerta
NWA Women’s World Tag Team Championship: The King Bees (Charity King and Danni Bee)(c) vs. Pretty Empowered (Ella Envy and Kylie Paige)
Envy and Bee start the match and she manages to get the Pretty Empowered one in a quick rollup for the first fall in less than five seconds.
Your Winners of The First Fall: The King Bees
That was seriously a “blink and you missed it” pin and now Pretty Empowered is behind the eight ball. Paige comes in and The King Bees are in full control with a trip-up/senton combo followed by a double suplex. Then it’s double knees by Bee and King is tripped by Envy who drags her out of the ring. Paige stomps at Bee and she and Envy are feeling Pretty Empowered for the first time in this match. They land a double hip attack and Bee is a Tag Champion in Peril. Envy gloats at King and Paige tags in and connects with a running dropkick in the corner and covers Bee for the second fall.
Your Winners of The Second Fall: Pretty Empowered
Now we’re tied up at one apiece and Pretty Empowered is in the driver’s seat, much to the chagrin of the fans. Paige rushes at her and Bee escapes and kicks Envy. She goes up top, lands a crossbody, and crawls to her corner. A hot tag to her tag partner and King unleashes a flurry of offense on Envy and Paige. She nails a fisherman’s suplex and a Samoan drop to cover Envy, but Paige breaks up the count. Bee comes back in and nails a codebreaker with King following up with a Michinoku Driver to cover and now Envy breaks it up. From there it is pandemonium as the ref tries to restore order. King and Paige get sent out of the ring and Envy goes to cover Bee with her legs on the ropes for extra leverage and the ref spots it and stops the count. As he and Envy argue, King comes from behind and delivers the King’s Kiss front slam to cover for the one, two, and three.
Your Winners in Two of Three Falls, and Still NWA World Women’s Tag Team Champions: The King Bees
This is a huge victory for Bee and King as they hold their titles aloft as this first part of Hard Times draws to a close with the show going to the credits.
NWA Powerrr-Hard Times: 04/09/2024
Final Thoughts:
While I wish this was a pay-per-view, I do like the build-up throughout the show. Alonzo was a surprise in claiming the Junior heavyweight belt, but it makes sense that a heel should hold the title. Tehaka was good in her debut (even though I am biased when it comes to Utah wrestlers), and The King Bees are becoming my favorite Tag tandem in the women’s division.
For now, we’ll see ya next Tuesday from The CW.
