The National Wrestling Alliance has faced some issues recently with broadcasting its product. First, they were on The CW app, but then they were dropped.
However, they found a home on the social media platform known as “X”, formerly Twitter. Now they are getting ready to make a splash on The Roku Channel.
Slam Wrestling recently spoke to Joe Galli, one of the Chief Operating Officers of the NWA. Or, as he put it, “You know what, I like to always just say I’m in the office,” he quipped. “It’s pro wrestling, baby. Like, why do we got to have the confines of like the structure that exists outside of our cool world?”
And what a cool world it is, as the NWA is getting ready for their aforementioned debut, and then they will be gearing up for NWA 77 in the Suffolk County area of Huntington, NY.
But let’s discuss how they went from being on the CW app to putting their product recently on “X” to this latest development. “I think it was a transition that we were making at that point [from the CW], and it was led, 100% by the boss [NWA owner] Billy Corgan.
“He had a number of meetings with a number of different options and different streaming platforms and television outlets and we landed on this incredible Roku deal,” Galli continued, “ which started with Wrestling Central [on Channel 208] on the Roku Channel app where people are starting to are watching not only episodes of NWA Powerrr but some of our old pay per views and also a lot of programming for our friends over at WoW [Women of Wrestling].”
The NWA has come a long way since its debut on its YouTube Channel, and Galli also pointed that out. “So, there was a lot of time where we were trying to figure out where Powerrr was going to be and how our broadcast was going to change, and it’s changed a lot over the years, even if you go back prior to us being on The CW,” he said. “There was a time when we were on Triller, also known as FITE, and of course, our introduction into the world on YouTube as well. And I think what is so great is we’re able to take bites out of every single apple that is out there.
“We’re still uploading tons of content to all of our social media platforms, and YouTube is one of the strongest,” he added. “I mean, we’ve got a lot of views on a lot of individual matches that we get to upload there, but now we’re in a time with this official streaming partner deal that we have, and it is just this constant evolution of television and anybody who’s worked in television or even just being fans of television, they know that things change, things move. One show might start on one network and then move to another, and then maybe they find even more success on that new network.”
One cannot help but note that the timing of their move from CW to “X” recently came about while the World Wrestling Entertainment’s sister program, NXT, made its transition from the USA basic cable network to The CW channel in October 2024. At the time of that announcement in November of 2023, Slamwrestling.net reached out to Nexstar, the parent company of The CW, for a comment as it related to the future of the NWA, and received the following press release about NXT. When asked for a follow-up as it related to the NWA, there was no response.
We asked Galli about their side of the matter. For his part, Galli gave his take on the subject. “I think if you take a step back and you look at it from 30,000 ft,” he explained, “what’s currently on the CW right now… something that’s associated with a multi-billion dollar corporation…that probably is the most likely reason why they have that brand of professional wrestling that’s there.
“One thing that I think is interesting about it is even with that transition and our friends at TKO [the conglomerate behind WWE and UFC] having that spot there on the CW,” Galli added, “we still have an amazing relationship with them. To the point where they’re allowing us to use talent like Natalya to come and wrestle for the NWA World Women’s Championship, and that relationship continues to be really good.”
Galli is referencing WWE superstar Natalya, who recently made waves at Bloodsport XIII over WrestleMania weekend as she got into a row with Kenzie Paige, who currently holds “The Burke.” That culminated in the 2025 Crockett Cup signature live event at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA, which will be broadcast at a later date on Wrestling Central.
What was it like to watch two top professionals from different companies face each other in the squared circle? “It was electric,” Galli said without hesitation. “It’s one of those match of the night [or]match of the year candidates.”
Corgan and Natalya had been friends for some time now, and the stars aligned for this night.
“It’s great that we were able to make this work,” he said, “having this type of situation. In the world of professional wrestling, they always talk about ‘forbidden doors,’ and I think every door can be opened if you have the right key and the right relationships that you have with people and the respect that you have towards each other from a company-to-company basis.
“Of course, we’ve got the utmost respect for our friends over in Connecticut,” Galli said, alluding to the WWE. “I don’t remember the stats. I had them in front of me at the show, but I think Natalya was the most winning female wrestler in the history of WWE, or something like that.
“So, you have this megastar that’s coming in and having a match with one of our best, if not the best wrestler, – and I don’t mean men or women -I mean, Kenzie Paige could be considered the best wrestler in the NWA,” he added proudly. “I think she’s one of the best wrestlers walking the planet today, and at such a young age, with so much potential to go up against an incredible veteran talent like that. I mean, I feel like that entire matchup there, most people were on their feet the whole time, and that says something when we’re in a sold-out 2300 Arena.”
One can’t help but note that the NWA’s journey from having its Powerrr shows on YouTube to FITE to Roku mirrors in some ways how TNA Wrestling went through various television platforms to where it is now partnering with the WWE. We ask Galli if there are opportunities like that down the road.
“I think the door is always open to have conversations for that sort of thing,” he said, “and that sort of cooperation, and it’s great that we live in a world of professional wrestling where you can have that level of cooperation.”
Galli even cited AJ Styles coming back to TNA at the Slammiversary PPV after a ten-year absence as an example of what that could potentially mean for companies like the NWA.
“What a big moment for AJ Styles, and more importantly, what a big moment for those fans. I would like to see more of it definitely in the future. I’d love to see Nattie Neidhart, or Natalya, whatever you want to call her, come back and wrestle in an NWA ring,” he added. “And there’s so much talent all around the globe, too, that we could feature and have a part of NWA programming, and I feel like one hand washes the other.”
Of course, the NWA is not only busy with their flagship Powerrr shows, but they are also focusing on the future with their territory system, such as EC3’s NWA Exodus Pro, Paige’s NWA Kross Fire Pro Wrestling, NWA Southeast Joe Cazana Promotions, and the recent acquisitions of NWA Texas and New Mexico areas. Is it possible these territories, or even the talent, could be featured on The Roku Channel?
“That’s a great question. And to answer it, technically they already have,” Galli said. “One of the first things that we put on the Wrestling Central side. was our show called Back to the Territories, which was one of our signature live events. It had a very retro feel. We did it in a high school gym in Karnes High School, just outside of Knoxville, that featured so many of the talent that were featured in our territories at the time. We flew a bunch of guys in, and we got a lot of them a level of exposure on that particular show, and you’re going to see a lot more of that.”
But for now, the focus is on the Roku debut and the upcoming NWA 77 event that will be held in Huntington, NY, on August 16th. “I got to give credit where credit is due to our national promoter, Brian Idol,” Galli said. He’s worked very hard to find us really interesting and cool-looking venues that are the perfect size for us. This place here is going to fit probably about 1000 fans into it. I think he had been there before for maybe some rock and roll reasons.
“It’s a rock and roll theater, is what it really is, and we found that we could do really well in places like that. It’s all about just trying to find the right spot, and sometimes it’s hard, you know, to find these right venues that are intimate enough to where you’re close enough to the action, and we know that we’re gonna have a full house for it.”
At this point, the future looks bright, and the NWA has a strong headwind heading into July 29th and beyond. “I think we are on the biggest upswing that we’ve ever had in the Lightning One era of the NWA,” Galli said. “So ever since Billy bought the company back in 2019, we are on an incredible trajectory right now. There has never been more interest not only from fans but also from streaming providers, television channels, [and] people who work those networks. There’s an enormous amount of interest that’s there, and it’s really paying off.
“We know that there’s a ton of viewership for Wrestling Central already, and all of that is helping to advertise our big debut on July 29th,” he added, “and I just couldn’t be happier where we are. But I could see us [in] just a few years being even bigger and being able to go to larger venues. Being able to support more fans, being able to have more international shows. I see a lot of that coming in the future because we are such an upswing right now.”
“I find us to be like we’re in the countdown for the rocket launch is” Galli concluded as we wound down the interview, “and we’re about to be in the stars, baby. We’re right there.”
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