NWA Powerrr: Gritty Dane Memorial match quite a ‘Thrill’

Tommy "Milagro" Martinez

NWA Powerrr: Gritty Dane Memorial match quite a ‘Thrill’
Courtesy of the NWA.

As the Dane Memorial Tournament chugs along in the National Wrestling Alliance, a bitter feud emerges as Colby Corino will go up against “Thrillbilly “ Silas Mason. They’ve already tore it up at NWA 75 with Big Daddy Thrill coming out the victor, and he’s confident he can do it again to get the top spot to challenge for the Ten Pounds of Gold. Will there be another Shockwave at Mason’s hands, or can The Prince of Old School come out with an upset victory?

That’ll be later tonight in the main event, but we cut to the NWA World Heavyweight champion Thom Latimer looking out from a patio at the greater Texas downtown area. He cuts a promo on Aron Stevens’s attempts to get under his skin, and he promises that if you stick around later tonight, he’ll have an answer for him.

We come to you from the OC Theatre in Forney, TX. Joe Galli, Billy Corgan, and Danny Dealz have the call, and your First Match of the Night is a title match for the…

NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship: Alex Taylor(c) vs. Slade

Slade earned his number-one contender spot weeks ago, and he’s ready to capitalize against “Too Hot to Trot” Taylor of the Southern Six. Interestingly, there is no Rolando at his side, so things don’t look too spectacular, while Galli and Dealz mention that Taylor’s goal is to hold that title longer than Danny Hodge did.

Right off the bat, Slade shows off his amateur background on Taylor, and there is some great chain wrestling early on. Taylor steps out on the apron edge to take a break, and as he approaches he gives a throat chop to Slade, and Too Hot to Trot lights up his chest. He goes up top for a double axe handle smash but gets caught and Slade launches him with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. He tries to slap on the ankle lock, and Taylor escapes. Slade gives chase and gets stun gunned throat first on the top rope. Taylor turns up the offense and picks apart the Spectacular one, and he attempts to make him submit to Trap City (RIP Jax Dane), but Slade powers through the submission. Unfortunately, a dropkick stops his momentum and Taylor hits the high-rent district. Slade pops up and nails him with a super belly-to-belly suplex and both men are down. Slade recovers first and he stages a comeback, connecting with a T-bone suplex, and…hell, folks! Slade is Suplexalicious™. Now he yells at Taylor to Fear the Gear and sets him up on the top turnbuckle. The Junior Heavyweight champ escapes but Slade stays on top and tries a series of pins but no dice. Now he unlocks the chinstrap on his headgear and gets Taylor in a fireman’s carry, but Taylor rips off the gear, claps his ears and a Green Whistle ends his title aspirations.

Your Winner via Pinfall, and Still NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion: Alex Taylor

Back at the Six Clubhouse, the bartenders get into the gossip on The Southern Six. One of them claims they heard a rumor about one of “Thrillbilly’s” former girls is going out and about with one of the current members and alludes it’s not hard to find out which one since there are only three in the group. The other also can’t help but notice the tensions going on within the Six, and if that doesn’t lay out the foundation of a faction dissolution, then you don’t pay attention to pro wrestling enough.

Now the next match is an…

Empty Arena Match: Ruthie Jay vs. La Rosa Negra

It’s basically a street fight without people, and Corgan explains why he booked it, stating he was worried it would get so out of hand that fans would get caught in the fray. At one point during the match, he notes, “It hurts my heart to see nobody in here.” So allow me to provide my…

(Author’s Rant: To be clear, this is not a dismissal of either Jay or Rosa, as they are both capable of delivering in the ring in front of a crowd. THAT is my problem with this match because it DESERVES to be in front of a crowd, physicality be damned. If that mentality is true of worrying about fan’s safety, the NWA shouldn’t have had an Ultimate Match of Death or any of the recent cage matches. Also, this feud between them feels rushed and there was not enough buildup to have me interested in the match or get a sense of the urgency of why this match had to happen. It’s a shame since both women deserve better. Hopefully, that will happen next time in front of a crowd.)

In any case, the end has Jay jab Rosa with the edge of the steel chair into her midsection and she covers for the pin.

Your Winner via Pinfall: Ruthie Jay

Meanwhile, at a local gym somewhere Kylie Paige is rehabbing her arm, and she asks Burchill nearby to help with her technique. As The Ripper gives the younger Paige some pointers while she tries to flirt with him, she sees Bryan Idol coming in, and his arm is in a sling after the events of The Looks That Kill. He notes she’s acting weird and Kylie asks where Natalia Markova is, and why she is always trying to get in her sister Kenzie’s face about a title shot. Idol’s had enough and decides to do some NWA business.

Paige goes back to Burchill, who looks like every guy in an awkward conversation with a half-deranged chick trying to humor her tantrums. That’s when Markova appears with Idol and gets in her grill, and Kylie claims she is not scared of her and says point blank to her face that the Russian Crush has done nothing to deserve a shot at The Burke. Idol points out her sister’s ducking Markova, and she tells Paige she is here to fight anyone anywhere, either her or her family or anyone at Kross Fire Wrestling. That’s when Kylie gets a brainstorm and tells her she will face none other than…Hunter Drake.

Hey, show me what ya got if this match does happen.

Colby Corino cuts a promo on how he has always had to battle from the ground up and isn’t letting anyone, including Mason, stand in his way of earning a shot at the Ten Pounds of Gold.

So let’s head back to Theatre for the Main Event and it is a…

Dane Memorial Tournament Match: Colby Corino(8) vs. “Thrillbilly” Silas Mason (1)

Once the bell rings, it is a dog fight between the two bitter rivals but Mason shows he has that Rottweiler in him. Corino is no slouch and lights up his chest, and as he sends the big man to the corner he rushes at him, and Mason flapjacks him headfirst to the top turnbuckle. Now he goes for a tackle and Corino ducks away as Mason goes shoulder-first into the ring post. Corino capitalizes with a German suplex, and he heads to the high-rent district, but Big Daddy Thrill brings him down hard with a superplex and covers for a two count, and then…

Ads (I already used my rant earlier, and I’m winded as it is.)

We come back to Mason giving chops that make Corino’s soul want to leap out. They brawl outside on the floor, and after Mason gives the Prince a run for his money he grabs a fan’s water bottle and dumps it on his head. They go back into the ring where Mason stomps his hand and then gives him a head butt. He sets him on the top turnbuckle for a superplex and Corino fights back and head-butts Mason off to send him crashing to the floor, and he follows with a beautiful Swanton. Corino runs at him and eats a big boot. In another high-risk maneuver, both men jockey for position up top of the ring but Corino gains the upper hand and lands an avalanche Corino Cutter. As he goes for the cover, Tyler Franks runs out and gets in the ref’s face. While he deals with Franks, Kerry Morton sneaks up from behind and loads up the Kiss It Goodbye knee strike on Corino, but ends up clocking Mason by mistake. Dazed, he asks Morton what the hell that was for as Corino uses the opportunity to deliver a poison ‘rana on Mason and he covers for the one, two, and three.

Your Winner via Pinfall, and Advancing in the Dane Memorial Tournament: Colby Corino

The Prince of Old School scores the upset win to advance, and Mason has every reason to be upset with his fellow Southern Six member.

We return to Thom Latimer and he lets us know he is not scared. He alludes to all he has had to overcome to be the man he is today and how he managed to climb to the top to become heavyweight champion. He says the only thing that matters more than the Ten Pounds of Gold is his heart, and it’s telling him that when it comes to Aron Stevens the end of days is coming. Latimer walks off as the show draws to a close.

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