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NWA POWER TV REPORT
JANUARY 1, 2020
ATLANTA, GA. AT GPB STUDIOS
REPORT BY MICHAEL TAYLOR, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Stu Bennett, Joe Galli
– The show opened with highlights of the on-going saga between NWA Heavyweight champion Nick Aldis and Tim Storm. Storm was shown being interviewed by Dave Marquez declaring he still had something left to prove. “Into the Fire” began as did the Power intro video. The camera entered the studio and panned the audience before landing on the announcers. Bennett and Galli ran down the card for the evening and threw to Dave Marquez.
-In the interview booth, Marquez interviewed Tim Storm. Storm said his year was starting perfectly because he would be facing Nick Aldis in the Television title tournament. Marquez asked if Storm would eventually challenge for the Heavyweight title in the future. Storm said he would focus on that later. He asked Momma Storm to forgive him and turned his attention back to Aldis, saying he would “kick his ass” later in the night. The crowd cheered but quickly started booing as Nick Aldis and Kamille entered the booth. Aldis began talking down to Storm when a fan in the audience shouted, “You’re an asshole!” Aldis told the fan to shut his mouth and show some respect for the world’s champion. He told Storm he needed to calm down or his blood pressure would catch up to him. Aldis pointed out that Storm was dressed to fight while he was dressed in a suit. Another fan yelled that the suit was cheap to which Aldis responded: “don’t yell insults you know aren’t true”. He said he entered the Television tournament for fun and just to prove a point. Aldis told Storm to stop staring at him and taunted him. Kamille got between the two and starred condescendingly at Storm. Aldis said the entire NWA locker room needed to change their ways or he was going to make a change for them. He and Kamille returned to the back.
(Taylor’s Analysis: This was the perfect response to Storm’s great babyface promo on last week’s episode. Aldis was getting real heat from a crowd that is completely invested in the face/heel dynamics. Seeing a heel get to interact with a live audience is such a refreshing change of pace. This segment felt real and there was no sense of scripting or memorized lines.)
-A commercial for NWA tapings aired.
-National Heavyweight Champion Aron Stevens and Question Mark were shown in a pre-taped interview. Stevens said they would be challenging for all the “belts” of the NWA because they had the “power of Karate.” Question Mark ended the interview with his signature “KA-RAH-TEY!” pose and the show returned to the ring. Aron Stevens made his ring entrance, dressed in full Karate garb, with his opponent already in the ring.
(1) ARON STEVENS (CHAMPION) vs. SAUL RINAURO, Non-title submission exhibition
-Formal ring introductions took place and the bell rang. Bennett called Stevens the “king of Hollywood” and said Dwayne Johnson was out of roles since Stevens returned to movies. Stevens taunted the crowd and hit a Judo throw on Rinauro. Stevens knocked Rinauro to the mat and tried to cinch in an armbar, but Rinauro reached the ropes. Both men returned to their feet and the pace quickened. Rinauro dodged a dropkick and tried to cinch in a figure four leg lock with Stevens on the mat. Stevens kicked out of the hold and locked in the Mongrovian clutch for the win. After the bell, Stevens refused to break the hold, which caused Trevor Murdoch to run to the ring and stop the attack.
WINNER: Aron Stevens via submission
-Stevens entered the interview booth and said Murdoch’s actions were un-sportsmanlike. Murdoch said what Stevens did to Rinauro wasn’t right, and that Stevens shouldn’t be abusing young wrestlers in the business. He called Stevens out for interfering in his match with Question Mark at Into the Fire. Stevens said he was once an intellectual savior and said he knew Murdoch was trying to get a shot at his title. Murdoch said he didn’t care about his title, but that he wanted to kick Steven’s ass. Stevens said he would wrestle Murdoch only if Murdoch’s spot in the Television title tournament was on the line. Murdoch accepted the challenge and both men entered the ring.
(Taylor’s Analysis: This is the most effective Stevens has been since his debut. He has retained enough of his comedy act to be annoying but is far more vicious in the ring. Murdoch’s promo was just as effective. Like the Aldis promo at the start of the show, it felt real and unscripted. Murdoch is great at being the straight-talking, gritty babyface and it comes across in his words. I loved that he stopped the attack after the bell. The whole segment felt like classic pro-wrestling.)
-The show returned, and the bell rang.
(2) ARON STEVENS (CHAMPION) vs. TREVOR MURDOCH, Television Title tournament qualifying match
-Murdoch knocked Stevens to the mat with a clothesline. Stevens retreated to the outside. Back in the ring, Stevens tried to land Karate strikes on Murdoch, but Murdoch blocked them. From there, Murdoch hit two power slams and scored a two count. Murdoch cinched in a modified chokehold, but Stevens was able to reach to ropes and broke the hold. Stevens took control with a flurry of strikes. Stevens tried to cinch in the Mongrovian clutch, but Murdoch avoided the hold. Murdoch then cinched in the Indian deathlock for the win.
WINNER: Trevor Murdoch via submission
(Taylor’s Analysis: I don’t normally like champions losing in non-title matches, but Steven is such a cowardly heel it made sense to give Murdoch the win. Stevens can continue his title reign by cheating to win when the title is on the line.)
-The Pope was shown talking to Homicide and Eddie Kingston in a pre-taped segment. He said they had the potential to be tag champions and that Kingston had the potential to be world champion. Kingston agreed and the three men talked about Homicide’s past world title wins as the segment quickly ended.
-A black and white video package aired highlighting the events at Into the Fire, including the debut of Marty Scurll. It also showed Nick Aldis turning on Tim Storm. The package included a Country song with the words “Hard Times” in the lyrics. As the package ended, a graphic for NWA’s next pay-per-view “Hard Times” was shown.
-A replay of Eli Drake’s drunk celebration on last week’s episode aired. The camera entered the studio and Drake entered the interview booth. He walked around the booth and Joe Galli. Galli asked what Drake’s plans were for the new year. Drake and the audience participated in his signature “Yeah!” chant. He said he got “lost in the sauce” last week but that he knew it had been two weeks since he had a match on Power. He wondered if Nick Aldis was trying to keep Drake off the show so that he wouldn’t become a title contender. He said he agreed with everything Ricky Morton previously said about Nick Aldis. He said if Aldis wouldn’t fight Morton, he and a partner would challenge The Rock ‘n’ Rolle express for the Tag Team titles. Drake said he would have to find a partner and wondered if it might be Ken Anderson. He called Anderson a two-time loser, which caused Colt Cabana to interrupt him. Cabana said he was tired of hearing Drake run down Anderson because Anderson was his friend. He said Drake and Anderson both attacked each other from behind and various points and that Drake should let the grudge go. Drake asked if Cabana was offering to be his tag partner. Cabana quick said “no” and that he had Ken Anderson’s back. Drake said if Anderson was Cabana’s partner, Cabana would never hold the tag team gold. Cabana said he respected Drake’s championship intentions, but that he held gold Drake has never had: The NWA Heavyweight title. Drake said would “whip Cabana just like he whipped Anderson”. Ken Anderson came out from the back and tried to attack Drake, but was stopped by Cabana and several officials.
(Taylor’s Analysis: This continued the streak of great segments throughout the night. I’m not sure what this is building to, but the tension was between Drake and Cabana was palpable. This continues to be Cabana’s best mike-work since his days in Ring of Honor. His serious side is his best side.)
-A commercial for Flag Under 14 aired.
-A bumper for a new NWA show called “Girl Power” aired.
-The trio of Melina, Marti Belle, and Thunder Rosa was showing talking in a pre-taped segment at ringside. Melina said she could not stand Allysin Kay. Belle said she thought Kay was her best friend, but Kay was only pretending. Rosa said Kay never thought Belle was good enough. Another pre-taped segment at ringside began, this time with Allysin Kay, Ashley Vox, Tasha Steelz, and ODB. Kay asked the group for advice on how to handle Marti Belle. Kay said she was very blunt but was only that way because she cared about her friends. The group agreed that Melina and Rosa were manipulating Belle and that the situation had spiraled out of control. The show returned with Tasha Steelz in the ring. Marti Belle made her entrance with Melina at her side.
(Taylor’s Analysis: No details were disclosed regarding what “Girl Power” will be like. If it’s like the two segments shown back-to-back, I’m intrigued. This would be a unique take the heel/face dynamics of the locker room. The writers need to make sure it keeps a level of authenticity but should avoid forcing a “behind-the-scenes” feel.)
(3) TASHA STEELZ vs. MARTI BELLE
-The bell rang, and they locked up. The announcers talked about how important it was for Belle to win the match to impress Melina. Belle knocked Steelz to the mat and threw her in the corner. Belle repeatedly looked to Melina for approval while she landed a series of strikes. From there, Belle kicked Steelz in the face and scored a two count. Melina yelled at Belle to ignore the boos from the crowd. Belle charged at Steelz in the corner, but Steelz avoided contact and rallied with a flurry of offense. Steelz hit a swinging neck breaker for two count. Steelz then countered a charging Belle and hit a modified cutter for the win. After the match, Melina entered the ring and belittled Belle for losing.
WINNER: Tasha Steelz via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: The announcers did a great job telling the story of Melina as the manipulative leader of her trio. Giving Steels the win created the perfect opportunity for Melina to showcase her heel side after the match. This storyline is shaping up to be the best run of Melina’s pro-wrestling career.)
-A commercial for NWA tapings aired.
-Kyle Davis and Anastasia Fletcher were shown in a pre-taped segment. Fletcher drew the next two Television title tournament participants. The names drawn were Zicky Dice and Caleb Konley.
-The show returned with Tim Storm making his ring entrance. Aldis entered the studio surrounded by The Wild Cards, Kamille, and Mae Valentine. They entered the interview booth. Marquez pointed out that Aldis was not dressed for competition. Aldis said Storm took all the fun out of Television title tournament. The crowd started a “Coward!” chant. Aldis said, “that was the most PG chant he had ever heard in his life.” He announced the name of his group was “Strictly Business” and as CEO, he made the decision that couldn’t risk injury in a Television tournament match. Storm tried to attack the group, but the referee stopped him. Marquez approached Storm. Storm said the NWA fans were right and that Aldis was a coward. Aldis entered the ring but quickly retreated. The crowd booed. Aldis said Storm was his past and that he was done with him. He said Royce Issacs would be taking his place in the match. Issacs looked shocked and said he was not warmed up. Latimer and Valentine convinced Issacs to enter the ring and the match began.
(4) TIM STORM vs. ROYCE ISSACS, Television Title tournament qualifying match
-The bell rang, and Storm hit a clothesline followed by a power slam. He punished Issacs in the corner and hit a suplex for a two count. From there, Storm hit a fall-away slam. Latimer tried to enter the ring. With Storm’s back turned, Issacs took control. Issacs hit a flurry of strikes in the corner. Issacs slammed Storm to the mat and scaled the second rope. Storm avoided a senton bomb and rallied with a flurry of offense. Storm signaled for the perfect storm, but Issacs countered with a cutter for a two count. With both men back on their feet, Storm countered Issacs and hit the perfect storm for the win. Aldis was shown looking angry at ringside. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express came out from the back and told Aldis to never turn his back on his opponents. “Into the Fire” began and the show ended.
WINNER: Tim Storm via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: Royce Issacs’s role in Strictly Business was clearly defined tonight. He will be the lowest ranking member; the one who will take the beatings and the losses. This continues his character development from last week and it’s awesome to see such follow through weekly.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: This was the best episode of Power since its debut. Personal conflicts bloomed. Titles were emphasized. The promos felt authentic and organic. The audience is invested in face/heel dynamics. This is what pro-wrestling should feel like. If the next few weeks are this consistent, “Hard Times” will be a great pay-per-view. Tonight’s episode was a must-watch hour of pro-wrestling.
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