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Welcome to the NWA Powerrr on the CW App report!
With this week being the premiere episode, I am filling in for Cory Strode this week since his schedule wouldn't allow him to review the show until later in the week. He will be back regularly with NWA reports!
We open with a video feature on NWA Champion EC3 vs. Matt Cardona in the "Ultimate Match of Death" for the NWA Championship, just like Lou Thesz and Geoge Hackenschmidt back in the day! Cardona promised everyone would know why he's the death match king.
They then went into the opening video package for the series, closing with shots of the promotion's champions.
Joe Galli welcomed everyone to the start of a new era with Danny Deals, welcoming to everyone to "The NWA on the CW."
We are in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
NWA Tag Team Champions Blunt Force Trauma with Aron Stevens vs. Tim Storm and Jax Dane.
Storm and Dane are former NWA Champions. Blunt Force Trauma attack them before the bell. All four battled inside the ring. The challengers gain control of the ring but go to grab Stevens. He escapes, so they go back to stomping the champions and whip them into each other. They hit stereo slams. Storm went for the Iron Claw but was unsucessful.
They ran graphics for Hard Times 2024 in Dothan, Alabama
The match finally officially started and Damage (the former Rodney Mack, now masked) tossed Dane into the ring steps outside and stomped away at him. He tagged in Carnage (Marshe Rocket, also now masked), who worked over Dane with right hands. He cinched in a side chinlock, trying to control the ring. The crowd was all over the champions, chanting that they sucked. Dane finally nailed a Samoan Drop on Carnage and worked towards making the hot tag. Storm and Damage met in the center of the ring with Storm getting the better of the exchange. Storm nailed a pair of big boots on the champions.
Storm sent Damage to Dane for another Samoan Drop but the referee was hit by Damage as Dane spun him around and went down. Stevens hit the ring and nailed Dane but Storm went to use the Claw. Stevens ran off. Storm used the Claw on Carnage but Stevens interfered again. Storm put the claw on his hand as Stevens screamed. Storm was rolled up and pinned.
Your winner and still NWA Tag Team Champions, Blunt Force Trauma!
Too short to really be anything of note. Stevens is always entertaining.
They noted the Hard Times event would be a "CW Taping."
Aftter a commercial, NWA Television Champion Mims cut a promo talking about how Jim Mitchell walked into the NWA Officers to get Women's TV Champion Max The Impaler a match with Mims. He said there aren't many people who have beaten him and he's won five title defenses. He said he knows what he needs to do and doesn't need the Women's belt. He can win it and relinquish it so it can go back to the women in the NWA locker room. He said that he needs one more win and then he can look towards who is holding the NWA Championship. He wants to start the tradition where he goes from TV Champ to NWA Champ. Really good promo, but that's the norm for Mims.
May Valentine interviewed Matt Cardona about why he accepted EC3's challenge for tonight. He cut an impassioned promo saying he came here to save the NWA and is the Real World Champion and that after tonight, everyone will know he's the Death Match King. Cardona always does great 80s style promos and this was no exception.
NWA Women's Champion Kenzie Paige vs. Tiffany Nieves.
Nieves is a recent signing here from NYC. She's a regular with OVW with a great personal back story. Nieves grabbed the belt before the bell and paraded around with it. Nieves controlled Paige's arm early on and took her to the mat. They battle back and forth, grappling. They each go for an armdrag at the same time but blocked the other, ending up in a faceoff. They grappled around the ring with a collar and elbow tie-up. Paige nailed an armdrag and played to the audience. They started to get more frustrated with the other.
Paige went for a backslide but Nieves rolled through. They exchanged near falls and rolled over each other, reversing a small package over and over before breaking the clinch. The crowd changed for Tifany. Paige offered a handshake but Nieves didn't fall for it. Nieves played to the crowd on the ropes after knocking Paige down but was tossed off the ropes. Paige measured her with hard chops and sent her into the buckles. Paige used her feet to drill Nieves to th mat.
Graphics announced Mims vs. Max the Impaler to Unify the Men's and Women's NWA TV Championships, Trevor Murdoch & Mike Knox vs. The Southern Six, and NWA National Champion Thrillbilly Silas Mason vs. Paul Burchill for next week.
Paige showed her arrogance, strutting around the ring. Paige went for a headscissors but was caught and transitioned into a sidewalk slam. Nieves scored a two count and cinched in a body scissors on the mat. Paige drilled her in the face with a back elbow. Paige drilled her with a series of kicks in the corner. Paige took her down and fishhooked her face. Paige charged but Nieves avoided her in the corner and used a rana to take her out of the corner.
Paige and Nieves fired back and forth with chops. Paige kicked her and went to rebound off the ropes but was caught with a spinebuster. Nieves went for a Texas Cloverleaf but Paige grabbed the ropes, forcing the break. Paige struck her in the throat and went to use the NWA Women's title as a weapon. The referee took it away but as he was engaged returning the belt, Paige sprayed Nieves in the face with hairspray and used a cutter for the pin.
Your winner and still NWA Women's Champion Kenzie Paige!
They worked hard and this had enough time to let viewers see what they can do. Paige has a good heel arrogance to her. Nieves looked solid and had the crowd behind her. This felt like a legit fight at times where they were trying to win not just perform for the crowd and that made it feel unique. The finish has been seen so many times in the last 25 years of pro wrestling and should be retired by everyone for awhile, but it was fine as a way to show Paige will do anything to get the win as a character.
May Valentine interviewed EC3, the reigning NWA Champion. He said that everyone must die. He and Cardona are cut from the same cloth and who have controlled their narratives. They are going to spill the same blood in the same mud. Like that line. He said in a twist of fate, it's the Ultimate Match of Death and it's Fight Night in the NWA. He said if he was to die today, he would rise in three days, because "I'm over, man."
NWA Champion EC3 vs Matt Cardona in the Ultimate Match of Death.
They each had long entrances. Weapons all over the ringside area. Some are painted gold for EC3 since he wears the gold.
The crowd went back and forth chanting for each and they were pretty hot for them.
The began trash-talking each other before charging and battling. EC3 nailed some hard chops and screamed, "Time to die!" He nailed Cardona again and went to the floor, grabbing a few gold-painted steel chairs and then a golden door. The announcers noted the door wasn't forbidden in this match. EC3 left himself open to be nailed by Cardona with the chair but absorbed it and called for another, because he's insane. They battled over the chair. EC3 won the battle and smashed Cardona across the back.
The door set up in the corner and Cardona was backdropped through it. The crowd lost their minds for that and chanted "Holy sh**." Cardona called for time out but that doesn't matter in death matches so EC3 worked him over on the floor. The challenger was tossed back into the ring but kicked the ropes as the champ returned and lowblowed EC3. Cardona nailed EC3 and knocked him off the apron through a golden-painted table set up on the floor. EC3 was bleeding. That shot went to black and white.
Cardona pullled out a broken glass frame with a picture of EC3 and his TNA aunt Dixie Carter. Carter DDT'd him on it and then dug a jagged piece of glass into EC3's face. The match has remained in black and white. Back in the ring, Cardona drilled EC3 in the mid-section with a chair and covered him for a two count. He choked the champion against the ring ropes.
EC3 made a comeback but missed a charge with a double axehandle into the corner. Cardona nailed him with a chair and EC3 was cataonic, sitting in the corner. Cardona placed a chair over his face and nailed the Reboot. He covered EC3 for a two count. Cardona swung a chair but missed and it rebounded off the ropes into his face. Cardona was then sent into another chair wedged between the buckles. The crowd chanted, "This is awesome!"
A woozy EC3 went to the floor and pulled another door into the ring. Cardona was now bleeding as well. Cardona was almost sent into the door but escaped it, then turned into EC3 hitting Thesz Press through the door - just the way Lou Thesz used to do it! Just kidding. EC3 covered Cardona for a near fall and grabbed a steel chair. EC3 piled up pieces of the broken (but not forbidden) doors in the center of the ring. He set up for the One Percenter but Cardona avoided and slammed him on the door pieces for a two count.
Cardona smashed EC3 over the head with a guitar and The One Percenter for another two count. Cardona was stunned he didn't gain the pinfall. He pulled a tub of action figures out from under the ring and dumped them in the ring. Cardona used them as weapons, digging a toy Mick Foley into EC3's face. Cardona worked over EC3 with the action figure, but was powerbombed onto the pile for a two count.
EC3 grabbed a box from under the ring. He poured out thumb tacks into the ring. The crowd chanted, "You sick f***" and they were right. Cardona caught him with Radio Silence onto the tacks for a two count. Cardona pulled light tubes into the ring. He went to use them but was low blowed. EC3 grabbed them and smashed them over Cardona's head, then hit the One Percenter. He cinched in his submission, The Purpose and Cardona tapped.
Your winner and still NWA Champion EC3!
You could see the live crowd was loving the hell out of this. Once they went to black and white, that sort of killed the golden weapons gimmicks. The work was good with all the sick spots you've come to expect from a match of this style.
Unless you are adverse to the blood and guts stuff (which was mitigated once they went from color), a solid jumping on point for the promotion. Billy Corgan has tried to focus on positioning the talents, characters and matches for a style that would be easy for fans outside the wrestling bubble to find and watch - and we'll see if the move to the CW App brings any additional eyeballs to the promotion.
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