SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NWA POWER TV REPORT
FEBRUARY 25, 2020
ATLANTA, GA. AT GPB STUDIOS
REPORT BY MICHAEL TAYLOR, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Stu Bennett, Joe Galli
– The show’s opening theme “I’m Broken” began as did the Power intro video. After, the camera entered the studio and panned the audience before landing on the announcers. Galli and Bennet announced Thunder Rosa would be facing Melina in a women’s title match in the main event. They threw to Dave Marquez who introduced Tim Storm.
Marquez asked Storm about his loss to Latimer and the Mama Storm impersonator. Storm said Latimer is a true competitor, but he was not ready to give up. He called the Mama Storm impersonator “ridiculous” and called Mama Storm his “hot button”. Latimer walked out to boos and told Storm to shut his mouth. He said Strictly Business was done with him, and said he was tired of Storm trying to drive a wedge between himself and Aldis. Latimer said he was the best man at Nick’s wedding and that if a match ever happened between the two of them, they had already decided to let the best man win. Latimer walked off. Storm asked if this was the point the impersonator would come out dressed as Mama Storm.
-Danny Deals walked out in his own clothes and said he wouldn’t be happy if someone impersonated his mother. It was obvious Deals was the impersonator over the last few weeks. Danny said he had a deal for Storm and would get him back to the top with a tag partner. He asked Storm to accept and the crowd booed. Storm asked when he could get his hands on Deals for impersonating his mother. Deals told storm said the deal could go two ways and called the second option “hellfire”. Storm said there was a third option and it was getting his hands around Danny’s neck. Deals said Storm and his mystery opponent would have a match and if Storm lost, the mystery opponent would get an NWA contract. He added that if Storm won, Storm would get five minutes alone with Deals. Deals introduced former NWA champion, Jax Dane. Dane walked out and got in Storm’s face as the crowd booed.
(Taylor’s Analysis: It would have been beneficial to establish Danny Deals as an on-screen character in the weeks leading up to this segment. While the it was obvious Deals was the impersonator once he started talking, it was never officially stated which could have caused confusion for some viewers. Regardless, this was an interesting way to introduce Jax Dane and there’s a lot of history to establish a feud between Dane and Storm.)
-A commercial featuring Nikita Koloff’s “Man Camp” featuring Lex Luger.
-The show returned with Dave Marquez interviewing Matt Cross. Cross said it was an honor to be in the NWA. He said he, like the NWA, had heart, history, and spirit. He said it felt like the time and place and that the people were “his people.” Cross said there was a word the NWA wasn’t afraid of and it was “wrestling”. The crowd cheered wildly ad Cross entered the ring. Zicky Dice entered to boos, followed by Ricky Starks.
(Taylor’s Analysis: Great promo by Cross. He sounded natural, genuine, and connected with the crowd.)
(1) RICKY STARKS (CHAMPION) vs. ZICKY DICE vs. MATT CROSS
-Before the bell, Galli said the match was not for the TV title. Zicky Dice yelled at the crowd and said no one better touch his fanny back. The bell rang, and Starks chased Dice out of the ring. Cross threw Starks into the ropes, but Dice pulled him outside the ring and threw him into the ring post. Cross hit a suicide dive on both men. Back in the ring, Starks rolled Cross up from behind for a two count. Dice remained on the outside of the ring but snuck back in and rolled Cross up for a two count. On commentary, Bennet said, “you can’t take your eyes off Dice because he grows on you like a fungus”. Starks and Cross threw Dice out of the ring. Cross hit the cross-cutter followed by a shooting star press. Dice entered the ring and threw Cross to the outside. He covered Starks for the win.
WINNER: Zicky Dice via pinfall.
(Taylor’s Analysis: Starks, the TV champion, should not have been the one to take the pin in this match. He shouldn’t have been in the match at all. While I disagree with the finish, the way Dice stole the victory does give him legitimate heat and makes him a great heel challenger for Starks.)
-A commercial for NWA.com aired.
-A new episode of Mae Valentine’s Diary aired. She called Royce Issacs the “love of her life”. She said after Issacs beat the Rock ‘n’ Roll express last week, Issacs told her he loved her for the first time. Footage was shown of Valentine hanging out with Sal Rinauro and Kamille. She said Kamille is more fun then she wants to admit. The segment ended with footage of Valentine putting make-up on Rinauro with Kamille looking on displeased.
-The show returned, and Galli introduced Aron Stevens. Stevens walked out to boos. He asked the audience just how good he was, and the crowd booed. Galli said Stevens only had two title defenses, and he retreated both times. Galli and Stevens started a “yes” and “no” back-and-forth. Galli asked if Stevens wanted to be considered a fighting champion. Steven said you can’t be a third-degree National champion without being a fighting champion. Stevens turned his attention to Question Mark who entered to cheers. Stevens said Question Mark had match right now, and Question Mark entered the ring, followed by Trevor Murdoch.
(2) QUESTION MARK vs. TREVOR MURDOCH
-The bell rang, and Murdoch knocked Question Mark down with clotheslines. Question Mark stood and went for the Mongrovian Spike, bust missed. Murdoch hit a bulldog from the second rope for the win. After the match, Stevens attacked Murdoch from behind. Question Mark joined him before leaving the ring.
WINNER: Trevor Murdoch via pinfall
(Taylor’s Analysis: A Murdoch-Stevens feud for the National title should be great. Their personalities contrast each other in the best way possible.)
-A commercial for NWA.com aired.
-The show returned with Sean Mooney introducing Nick Aldis. He taunted the crowd as he walked into the studio. Mooney asked what was next with Villain Enterprises. Aldis pointed out how well he was dressed and called himself the “ultimate thoroughbred”. He said he defeated “Flop Gordon” at Hard Times, and then beat The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express with Royce Issacs. He said his wins were proof that he was leading the NWA as no one else had before. Aldis said he knew Scurll was in the back, and that he would give Scurll one last chance to back out of their deal. Scurll walked out to cheers from the crowd. Moony asked Scurll if he was still up for the challenge. Scurll said he wasn’t going to back out of anything and challenged Aldis to a match right now. Scurll ran into the ring. Aldis asked if he was sure as Strictly Business walked out from the back. Aldis began entering the ring. Brodie King ran through the crowd and attacked Strictly Business. A brawl ensued as NWA officials ran out from the back to stop the chaos.
-A commercial for The Crockett Cup aired, followed by a commercial for NWA Circle Squared.
-The show returned with Dave Marquez introducing Eddie Kingston. Kingston walked out to cheers. Marquez asked about the situation with The Dawsons and The Pope. Kingston said Marquez was doing “great” journalism. Kingston tapped his hands as he was talking and said he was going to bust somebody up. He called out Pope and dared him to come out from the back. Pope walked out and pretended to tape his hands. Pope called himself the “Pope of Pimptasticness”. He said he does what he wants all the time. The Bouncers walked out. Pope continued to talk as The Bouncers attacked Kingston from behind. They threw Kingston in the ring and continued to beat him down. They doubled-teamed Kingston and Pope taunted him from outside the ring.
(Taylor’s Analysis: This program has been a mess. It seems like a different person has been writing it each week. What happened to The Dawsons? Will that ever be explained, or will they just show back up on TV in a few weeks without acknowledging their alliance to Pope?)
-A video package highlighting the saga between Melina and Thunder Rosas aired, followed by a commercial for NWA.com.
-Sean Mooney recounted the stipulation between Aldis and Scurll at the Crockett Cup. He announced that the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express would be the first team to enter the Crockett Cup. He concluded that on next week’s episode of Power, Ricky Starks would defend the title against Zicky Dice, and The Bouncers would face James Storm and Eli Drake for the Tag titles.
-The show returned, and Dave Marquez introduced Melina and Thunder Rosa.
(3) THUNDER ROSA (CHAMPION) vs. MELINA – NWA Women’s Title match
-The bell rang, and Melina began talking to Thunder Rosa. The argued as Melina got into Rosa’s face. Rosa shoved her, and the crowd cheered. Melina rolled outside the ring and walked up the steps in the audience. The referee counted her out. As Melina kept retreating, Allysin Kay stopped her and forced her back in the ring. Kamille ran out and speared Kay. Thunder Rosa entered the ring and locked eyes with Kamille. The crowd started a “Thunder!” chant as the show ended.
(Taylor’s Analysis: While a lot happened in a short amount of time, there are some interesting questions to be answered here. Kamille needed to get involved in the title picture at some point, while Kay can now focus on feuding with Melina. A title feud between Rosa and Kamille would be excellent and can establish both as the top of the NWA women’s division.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: This episode did a better job establishing feuds as The Crockett Cup approaches. The NWA needs to practice patience and not rush these feuds on TV. Give us promos and video packages that lead to pay-per-view matches, while establishing new stars on a weekly basis. Establish booking philosophy and stick with it.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.