SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NWA POWER TV REPORT
JANUARY 28, 2020
ATLANTA, GA. AT GPB STUDIOS
REPORT BY MICHAEL TAYLOR, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Stu Bennett, Joe Galli
-The show opened with highlights of the saga between Nick Aldis and Marty Scurll at Hard Times. Nick Aldis said that if he beat Flip Gordon in their match, his business with Scurll would be on his terms. The package ended with Aldis pinning Gordon and celebrating his victory in the ring with Strictly Business. The camera entered the studio and panned the audience before landing on the announcers. Galli and Bennett introduced the latest member of the NWA broadcast team Sean Mooney.
-Mooney introduced Nick Aldis who entered the studio to boos from the crowd. Mooney congratulated Aldis for retaining the title but said there was still a lot of tension between Aldis and Marty Scurll. Aldis welcomed Mooney to the NWA and said he wasn’t a man to brag. Aldis tried to quiet the crowd by telling them to sit down and shut up. He called Flip Gordon one of the most formidable wrestlers in the world today. The crowd started a “Flip!” chant. He said when Flip was in the ring with him, Flip was just a flop. Aldis said Scurll didn’t want to challenge him for the title and called himself the greatest wrestler of the modern era. Mooney pointed out that Aldis had Scurll escorted from the building at Hard Times. Aldis told Mooney not to embarrass himself and called his words fake news. The crowd started a “Coward!” chant. Aldis said he had Scurll removed to maintain the integrity of the NWA Heavyweight title by stopping the possibility of outside interference. He said everyone in the NWA knows who was running the show and called himself the “marathon man.” Aldis said he arranged a private, closed-set meeting with Scurll, and the meeting would air at the end of the show. He said by the time everyone saw the meeting, everyone would know why he was also called “the dealer.” Aldis walked off and Mooney threw back to the announcers. Galli and Bennett said three titles changed hands at Hard Times and all the new champions would be on the show.
-Highlights from the Tag title match at Hard Times aired. Eli Drake and James Storm celebrated their title win in the ring. Storm and Drake shook hands with The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express and the crowd cheered all four men. Ricky Morton started an “NWA!” chant as the packaged ended.
-The show returned to the studio and Joe Galli introduced Sal Rinauro on commentary. Rinauro was wearing a sling and said he was supposed to wrestle tonight but he broke his arm. Royce Issacs made his ring entrance alongside Mae Valentine. His opponent, Andre Guhn, was already in the ring. The crowd started a “Let’s go Andre!” chant.
(1) ROUCE ISAACS vs. ANDRE GUHN
The bell rang, and they locked up. Issacs forced Guhn to the ropes and struck him. Guhn created separation and quickened the pace, but Royce kicked a charging Guhn in the knee. Eventually, Guhn dodged a charging Isaacs and hit a dropkick. Issacs retreated to the outside to be consoled by Valentine. On commentary, Rinauro said Issacs had been “neutered by Valentine.” Isaacs confronted Rinauro and was almost counted out. Back in the ring, Guhn scored a two count with a small package. Isaacs stood and hit the hush money for the win. After the match, Isaacs berated Valentine and told Rinauro to mind his business.
WINNER: Royce Issacs via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: I’m not sure what the purpose of this was. Issacs didn’t need to win a squash match. He’s the cowardly heel of Strictly Business who takes the losses. This could be used to elevate Rinauro higher on the card, and an eventual win over Issacs would help to accomplish that.)
-Highlights of the match between Thunder Rosa and Allysin Kay aired. Rosa hit Kay with the Thunder driver for the win. Marquez announced Rosa as the new NWA Women’s champion as Rosa celebrated her win in the ring. Melina entered the ring and congratulated Rosa as the highlights ended.
-A commercial for NWA.com aired.
-Highlights of the saga between Outlaw Inc and Pope aired. Eddie Kingston was shown accepting an open challenge. Kingston was attacked by The Dawsons in the ring. Pope looked on from outside the ring and seemed to be impressed by what he saw.
(Taylor’s Analysis: This never aired but was presented as if it had been on a previous episode Power. Why not just have a graphic on the screen that says, “exclusive footage” or “previously unaired footage”? This was a very confusing way to advance this story and made it feel unimportant and uninteresting.)
-The show returned with Kyle Davis in the interview booth. He introduced Thunder Rosa who entered the studio to loud cheers and a “Thunder Rosa!” chant. Melina and Marti Belle followed her and were greeted with boos. Davis asked how Rosa was feeling, but Melina spoke for her. Melina said she set Rosa’s victory in motion and that with her guidance, champions were made. She said every time the crowd chanted for Rosa she was responsible for it. Davis said the crowd wanted to hear from Rosa which caused the crowd to cheer. Rosa looked into the audience and smiled. Melina said they taught Kay a lesson. Davis announced that Kay would be exercising her rematch clause on next week’s episode of Power. The crowd cheered. Rosa said Melina opened doors for her, but she would be the one to face Kay in the ring next week. She said if she had to fight Kay a million times, she would win a million times. Rosa said there wasn’t a woman on the planet who could stop her. She said winning the title was the most unbelievable night of her career and her life. Melina said they were going to save “this emo crap” for another millennial and they walked to the back.
(Taylor’s Analysis: The tension between Rosa and Melina has developed in interesting ways. Melina should continue to rob Rosa of her glory as champion until Rosa decides to stand up for herself. This is how you get the crowd invested in a babyface.)
-Highlights of Stu Bennett announcing the 2020 Crockett Cup aired, followed by a replay of the interview with Nick Aldis from earlier in the show.
-Marty Scurll was shown in a pre-taped segment, waiting for Nick Aldis at Ringside.
-Highlights of Ricky Stars winning the TV title at Hard Times aired. Starks pinned Murdoch in the final and celebrated his title win in the ring.
-Back in the studio, Marquez introduced Ricky Starks. Starks entered to cheers. Starks said he had to go through three of the toughest individuals on the roster. He said he knew he would have to defend the title every week and then ran down a list of former TV champions. Starks said he wasn’t trying to rewrite history but there were more pages to add to the book. He said everywhere they crowd looked; they would see his face. Starks called out Zicky Dice. Dice walked out to boos. Dice rallied the crowd behind Starks and said his victories were outlandish. Dice said he would have won if he didn’t have to face a mystery opponent. He said Starks looked broke and tired. Dice turned his attention to various articles of his clothing and pointed out how much they cost. He asked the crowd how much they thought his fanny pack cost. A “Fanny Pack!” chant broke out. Dice said it cost $16,000.00. Starks said Dice was confused and challenged him to match. Dice entered the ring and Starks followed him.
(Taylor’s Analysis: Starks sounds more natural every week. The crowd likes him, and he has great matches. If he continues to develop his promos, he could be in the world title picture sooner rather than later.)
(2) RICKY STARKS (CHAMPION) vs. ZICKY DICE – NWA TV Title match
The bell rang, Dice posed for the crowd. On commentary, Galli pointed out the 6:05 time limit. Dice knocked Starks to the mat with a shoulder tackle. Starks responded with a series of arm drags. Starks hit a dropkick and Dice retreated to the outside. They brawled on the ring apron. Back in the ring, Dice dove from the second rope, but Starks counted with a strike to the midsection. Dice hit a clothesline and stomped him in the corner. From there, Starks hit a Northern lights suplex for a two count. On commentary, Galli said if the TV title holder successfully defended the title seven times in a row, he would qualify for a Heavyweight title shot. Bennett said time limit draws count as a successful defense for the champion. Eventually, Starks hit a dropkick from the second rope for a two count. Dice attempted the snake rattle and roll. Starks countered and hit the stroke for the win.
WINNER: Ricky Starks via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: Wrestlers shouldn’t be allowed to make matches on the spot. What was scheduled during this time? Did it get pushed off the show because of this match?)
-Eli Drake and James Storm entered the interview booth. Galli introduced them as the new Tag champions. The crowd cheered started a “Talk to Us!” chant. Galli asked if they had a name for their tag team. Drake said it didn’t matter if they had a name because they were champions. Storm began to talk but was interrupted by Aron Stevens and Question Mark. Stevens introduced himself and Question Mark to Drake and Storm. Stevens said Steiner couldn’t beat him at Hard Times. Storm said Stevens looked like the cow from Chick-fil-A but not as athletic and rich. Storm said he was drunk and taunted Stevens with various jokes. Drake said he needed a drink in order to talk to Stevens and took a drink of Storm’s beer. Drake asked if Galli could do him a favor. He demanded Galli respond with “Yeah!”. Eventually, Galli responded accordingly. Drake asked Galli to welcome Stevens and Question Mark to take a number and said when they got to them it would be their ass. Drake and Storm walked to the back. Stevens said he and Question Mark were going to challenge for the Tag titles. Stevens was interrupted by Trevor Murdoch. Murdoch asked if the crowd saw what he did at Hard Times. He said the better man won at Hard Times and that he respected Ricky Starks. He said he didn’t respect Stevens because he always runs from his matches. Murdoch said NWA officials granted him a National title match against Stevens on next week’s episode of Power. The crowd cheered, but Question Mark hit the Mongrovian Spike on Murdoch.
(Taylor’s Analysis: What a mess. These overlapping promos are overkill and really drag the show down. It’s hard for anything to stand out as memorable when so much is said in such a short time.)
-Highlights from the match between Aldis and Gordon aired.
-A commercial for NWA.com aired.
-Marty Scurll was shown waiting for Nick Aldis at ringside. Aldis walked out and placed the NWA heavyweight title between them. He said he asked Scurll there because he thought it was important that Scurll understood how his actions affected him. Aldis said he did everything right and always went above and beyond for the NWA. He said he had been saddled with a difficult reputation unfairly. His voice cracked as he said he and Scurll had been friends for years. He said both he and Scurll knew several people in the business who claimed to be nice guys but were s*it heads behind the scenes. Aldis said he thought Scurll was different and that he supported Scurll more than anyone. He said despite his support, Scurll challenged him for the world title and Aldis agreed because Scurll was deserving. He said the match strained their friendship, but they made it through and were still friends. Aldis said Scurll landed a life-changing deal, but that still wasn’t good enough for him. Scurll said his recent challenge to Aldis had nothing to do with his deal. He said he was defined by the fact that he was never world champion and that he felt like a failure. Aldis said Scurll should stop crying and look at his bank account. Scurll said the money didn’t matter because he hadn’t won a world title in his 15-year career. He said he thought about his loss to Aldis for days after the match and that he thought Aldis wasn’t satisfied with his win. Scurll said he wanted one last chance at the title. Aldis said he would dictate the terms and they would have the match at the Crockett Cup. Aldis added an extra stipulation to the match and said if Scurll lost, Scurll would have to personally cut a check and refund every ticket buyers money. Scurll thought about the deal as Aldis walked off as the show ended.
(Taylor’s Analysis: Aldis was great at making himself the victim as usual. The drama of this segment was palpable, until the extra stipulation at the end. How are they going to make this feel like a relatable situation? Are they going to calculate the total cost of all the tickets sold a week before the show and flash that dollar amount on the screen? Does this include pay-per-view buys? This is a corny addition to a match that didn’t need anything extra.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: This was an incredibly promo-heavy show. The wrestling that took place felt inconsequential. While the Aldis-Scurll match has been muddied, there’s still plenty of time before the Crockett Cup. Hopefully, the build will be less chaotic and more focused than it was for Hard Times.
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