NWA Powerrr

[peachchaos]

Just now, El-P said:

As far as using the term derogatorily, well, it comes straight from Cornette, who has used it for a long time now to shit on the indy guys (some of which AEW employees on TNT now, outlaw mud show notwithstanding) he felt weren't "real wrestlers", whatever that meant. So, when he used it on the very first episode on NWA Powerr which had this absolutely, completely retro look and presentation, well, the irony was on himself, really.

Ah, yeah, the old "you have awful taste" thingy. Well. I'm a Raven fan.

It's dumb when Corny says it too and you're just doubling down on the stupid! I get it, I just wish you'd BOTH stop forever. 

You have great taste but let's not even mention Raven and Sami Callihan in the same thread. One of them was involved in some of the hottest matches, feuds, and angles in wrestling history and the other is a footnote to Cornette's podcast.

[El-P]

Ok. I promise to never EVER say this word on this board, ever again. Because I'm cool like that.

Callihan is just terrific though, best grudge angle worker I've seen in the last three years, always delivers and elevates the person he's working with. MVP everywhere I've seen him, in late LU, MLW and IMPACT.

[The Thread Killer]

I thought this week's episode was pretty good.  It seems to me that they are learning how to edit the shows together and pace them properly so there is a proper mix of interviews and in ring action.

I liked the opening promo with the RnR's putting over Kingston & Homicide.  I have to admit, I have never been a huge RnR fan.  I am pretty sure this dates back to the JCP days and their feud with The Midnight Express.  Back then I thought they were just annoying pretty boys with annoying teenage girl fans and I was more of a MX fan.  As I got older and matured as a Pro Wrestling fan I grew to respect them a lot more as workers, especially Ricky Morton but they still probably wouldn't be my pick as the greatest Tag Team of all time.  When I heard the big spoiler out of this set of tapings, I cringed.  Even if they were great, they're like 137 years old or whatever now.  I'm all for the NWA being an old school nostalgia act, but I think pushing guys who were actually stars during the heyday of JCP is pushing it a bit too far.  I am going to try and keep an open mind about the RnR having an active role in the NWA now, but this is one of the rare instances where I can actually see the validity of one of the criticisms being levied at the promotion.

I loved the Trevor Murdoch vs. Caleb Konley match.  This is exactly what I want to see, and Murdoch is awesome and tailor-made for this promotion.  More of this kind of stuff, please.

I assume the Stevens/Starks rivalry is over but I really hope this isn't the last we see of Aron Stevens.  I don't know if they just brought him in to this set of tapings to get Starks over or what, but he's been great. I'm sure his agent has lots of movie offers lined up for the Romanian direct to VHS market, but I hope he is sticking around.

The Women's Tag Team match was what it was.  It wasn't long enough to be offensive. Thunder Rosa is awesome and if they are insisting on trying to have a Women's Division in the NWA then they really need to build it around her.  Also, please never give Marti Belle a microphone again. 

I am bit puzzled by the James Storm promo (aside from the fact that he has "bigger frish to fry") in that he was throwing a temper tantrum about losing the National Title to Colt Cabana but then pretty much switched his focus during the promo midstream to start ranting about how he wanted a shot at Aldis.  Immediately after losing your title seems like an odd time to demand a Title Match for the World Heavyweight Championship...but what do I know?

Just like last week, I am "meh" over Colt Cabana, his championship and his promo.  However this seemed to set up a match between Cabana and Starks for the National Title, and that could be pretty good...so okay.

I am really on the fence about "The Question Mark."  Based on the vignettes and this match, this is either the greatest thing I have ever seen in Professional Wrestling...or the worst.  I haven't decided yet.  I am assuming based on the fact that "The Spiritual Advisor" was doing the voice-over for the vignettes and based on the Question Mark's "physique" that is Jocephus under that mask...so okay.  I'll take this over what they have been doing with him thus far, but I hope they have an end game in mind.

Okay, now is where I am having some issues with this show.  Maybe.  For the first month + of NWA Power, I have really been enjoying the complicated storytelling regarding Nick Aldis and Kamille.  They have incorporated a sideline with Tim Storm and Eli Drake and I haven't been able to figure out where they're going with all this.  However after seeing this segment, I am starting to get nervous that they don't actually have any plan at all, and they're basically just throwing a bunch of shit at the wall and are waiting to see what sticks.  I really, really hope that isn't the case...but this angle is starting to get so convoluted I can't figure out what the hell they're doing.  Either they don't actually know what they're doing, or they're being too clever by half.

Let's recap: Nick Aldis defeats Tim Storm in a match for the World Heavyweight Championship, and now Storm can never challenge for the title again.  During the match, Aldis accidentally injures Kamille, who Aldis won't let speak about the incident.  Meanwhile, Tim Storm is so devastated about the loss that he starts to publicly mull retirement.  Eli Drake tries to persuade him not to retire.  Aldis inserts himself into the situation and seems to be advocating for Tim Storm.  So we have poor discouraged Tim Storm being pulled in different directions by Drake and Aldis.  Even the announcers speculate that Drake is trying to manipulate Storm.  During all this, Kamille still won't talk.  So I assume that either Storm is going to align himself with Aldis, or Drake is going to turn on Storm and end up facing off with Aldis who will defend his former foe.  Meanwhile, Kamille is an x-factor during this whole situation. Fine.

Eli Drake cuts a promo this week which is almost heelish, saying he doesn't care what Kamille has to say and Aldis is keeping her from talking because she loves him or something.  So fine, that helps build the potential angle between Aldis and Storm.  Except for some reason this brings out the Tag Team Champions of all people, and one of them (I get them confused, it's the guy who wears the kilt) tells Drake to "stay out of his business." WTF?  So one of the guys in Wild Card has something going with Kamille?  How can any of that pay off? And then in the middle of all this, for reasons I'm not quite clear on, Mr. Anderson comes out and whispers his name...which is supposed to accomplish I'm not sure what.  And on top of all that, Aldis is now firing back at James Storm in promos...which seems to have nothing to do with any of the aforementioned storylines.

Like I said, I am really hoping these guys have some sort of idea where they're going with all this because it's starting to look like they don't.  I'd hate to think that, but I can't see any conceivable way they are going to be able to pay off all these different stories and that will look really stupid and be kind of annoying if that is what ends up happening.  This is evidenced by the fact that pretty much the entire roster ended up coming out at the end of the show for a big verbal confrontation with each other and I have no idea what that was supposed to accomplish aside from confuse me and look odd. I really hope they aren't just writing this stuff week to week without any idea of what their creative end game is going to be.

I really liked the Main Event.  I don't dislike Wild Card anywhere near as much as some other people do, I think they're actually not bad at all. They're a damn sight better than The Dawsons.  This match and the opener with Murdoch were two really solid matches, a couple of the best they've had on this show so far.  I assume that this signals the end of Homicide and Eddie Kingston challenging for the Tag Team titles, which in a way could be good.  I think they should split those guys up and have them work singles, this roster is so thin they are both needed, to be honest.

Anyhow, once again I really enjoyed the show and the hour just flew by.  This is still my favorite weekly show, by far.  I'm just getting a little nervous about the creative leading into the PPV.

 

[Coffey]

4 minutes ago, The Thread Killer said:

I thought this week's episode was pretty good.

I also really enjoyed this weeks episode. My biggest complaint is that I want the show to be an hour long. I dislike when it's over after forty minutes. That's at least two different weeks where I felt like it ended prematurely.

Here's my scattered, rambling thoughts:

Firstly, since I'll be more positive than negative as it pertains to NWA, let me get this out of the way. The roster is very small. The whole thing fits into one picture & that picture included the commentators, announcers & Billy Corgan. There's like twenty people. If you're a fan of them all, that's great. But when the roster is that small, a guy like Ken Anderson being around, whom I think brings nothing to the table, starts to stand out a lot more. Not in a good way. I generally feel the same way about Colt Cabana but honestly, thus far, he's not been too bad. Maybe a bit irksome but not the overbearing annoyance that he usually is for me.

The women are not good. Thunder Rosa so far is at least intriguing & feels like a star. But she's going to have to start wrestling more & from what I seen of her in Lucha Underground, unless a lot has changed in a small time, she's not sure good. Allysin Kay is also not great & she's the champion. Marti Belle is downright bad. So they definitely need help with the women. I feel like, and I think I've said this before, but this is another example of companies feeling like they have to do a women's division now because WWE has put women on a bigger platform. The thing is though, WWE have the talent to do it. NWA does not. I still think AEW is a bit away as well & they're definitely higher up than NWA. But again, I think this is also an issue that stems from having a smaller roster.

I like David Marquez a lot as an interviewer. He has a very authentic feel about him. I think that the commentary so far has been mostly fine too although Cornette maybe hamming it up a bit too much trying to get his "witty" one-liners in there. Reminds me more of like heel Jerry Lawler trying to tell jokes to an uninterested Jim Ross during Monday Night RAW in the 90's to me than anything, which is not a compliment. 

I'm a fan of Nick Aldis. I think he's a fine champion. I do think he's starting to get outshined by Kamille. She's just incredible looking - genuinely looks different & feels like a star. She carries herself really well. I'm a big fan of Tim Storm. When he talks you want to listen. As has been mentioned before - and it feels like this was very much on purpose - the promos of the talent is the strong suit of NWA so far. So it's interesting that Kamille has gotten over without having to say a single word so far. You have guys like Eddie Kingston cutting blistering promos & guys like Tim Storm cutting quiet, everyday man promos & Kamille just nods to get a reaction. That's pretty cool. I still think James Storm has a good look but I do think his character not talking about drinking beer hurts his gimmick some. 

Shout out to Trevor Murdoch's Bulldog finish in his short match. That looked great! 

I'm not sold on Eli Drake. But Ricky Starks has been eye opening. Homicide doesn't act like he even wants to be there. Aron Stevens seems to be having fun & getting some nice reactions but I don't know if you want to be playing for reactions like that, with crowd participation, in a 200 person studio. That can backfire quickly as just one loud fan can ruin an entire segment.

The Question Mark I'm just going to try to have fun with. It's very corny & ridiculous but I was cracking myself up on Twitter talking about how the NWA athletic commission needs to step in & make sure that his ancient, secret martial arts strikes are regulatory before someone gets hurt.

I know that Billy is talking about a big, bright future but honestly, I don't think this incarnation of NWA works as anything more than a weekly one hour YouTube show. Like this doesn't work on TV. It doesn't work on a bigger scale because it's too thin. I think getting people to pay for a PPV is a pretty big leap, to be honest. I enjoy it for what it is & it entertains me. It's fun, an easy watch & they have talent for sure but what are they going to try to build to? They have a women's title, tag titles, midcard title & world title with a roster of twenty people. And in the current landscape of professional wrestling with WWE (soaking up everyone for NXT & NXT UK) along with Impact, ROH, AEW & even MLW, it's not like there's a ton of free agents running around out there to liven things up. So I'm a bit concerned. Like how different is NWA if WWE just sign Kamille?

I feel like they might be building to Eli Drake feuding with Nick Aldis for the NWA Title with Kamille turning on Aldis. But that doesn't explain what Tim Storm will be doing with it all. And now that they're starting to tease the inclusion of other people like Ken Anderson as well, I have no idea. Maybe Aldis is planning on starting a stable? Anderson, after he turns on Colt to win the midcard title. Kamille still with him. Eli Drake after beating down Tim Storm. So then it'd be Drake, Aldis, Anderson with Kamille against Storm, Cabana & who? And would there be another woman, like Allysin, to thwart Kamille on the outside?

[El-P]

Glad I'm not the only one not getting the right feel about that main angle, so I don't feel like such an idiot.

Kamille is like those old-school valets, Precious or Baby Doll. She doesn't do much, but if she's not there, there's a void.

[gordi]

11 hours ago, The Thread Killer said:

Except for some reason this brings out the Tag Team Champions of all people, and one of them (I get them confused, it's the guy who wears the kilt) tells Drake to "stay out of his business." WTF?  So one of the guys in Wild Card has something going with Kamille?  How can any of that pay off?

 

I don't know if this helps at all, but the guy who wears the kilt (I looked it up: Thomas Latimer, a/k/a Bram) and Kamille are a real-life couple (like Roman and Becky)! 

Also, apparently, Bram used to be married to Charlotte Flair and Kamille used to date Braun (That probably won't be part of the larger NWA Power storyline, though). 

 

 

[El-P]

Matching fanny pack. How cute. That's love.

[Mad Dog]

I really wish they should just shelve the women for now. It's a weekly low point for the show and they could better use that time for something that could be good.

I might take a bite on the PPV if they get some matches announced and I can pre-order it for the lower price. I also like the pins they are selling of the title belts.

[C.S.]

Finally caught this week’s episode… 

Enough other people have summed up the highs and lows, so I’ll just say that part of me wishes NWA Powerrr was taped weekly because then Billy and Lagana would be able to more quickly react to what doesn’t work (The Wild Cards aren’t over at all) and what does (Eddie Kingston is a star and would have won gold if the show was taped weekly). 

[Mad Dog]

I agree on Eddie Kingston. I would say he's kind of wasted in a tag team. I think he should be mixing it up with Aldis, Storm, Drake and those guys. 

I don't hate the Wild Cards but they really aren't getting promo time and they just feel kind of there. The Outlaws, RNR and Dawsons are all more interesting. 

[The Thread Killer]

On 11/15/2019 at 12:14 AM, gordi said:

I don't know if this helps at all, but the guy who wears the kilt (I looked it up: Thomas Latimer, a/k/a Bram) and Kamille are a real-life couple (like Roman and Becky)! Also, apparently, Bram used to be married to Charlotte Flair

Thanks for the info.  Shows you how dumb I am, I saw Bram in TNA and NOAH yet for some stupid reason I never put it together that he was Thomas Latimer.

And I know this is terribly sexist and horrible and it makes me a bad person to even think this, never mind say it...but if Bram went from being with Charlotte to Kamille?  Dude traded UP, big time.

[Mad Dog]

So my theory is. We get Eli Drake vs. Nick Aldis at the PPV. Kamille and Tim Storm turn on Aldis and help Drake win the title. 

[SirEdger]

That's very plausible. Seems to be headed in that direction.

[Mad Dog]

I am not 100% sure where they go with Tim Storm. A heel turn seems likely but I could see him stare into the abyss at the PPV and then do the right thing. 

[Coffey]

Kamille looks like a superstar. She's gotten over without even having to say a word or work a match. All she's done is not speak & take a clothesline & she's one of the most over people on the roster. I would be shocked to not see her wind up at a bigger promotion making more money. Assuming she wants to pursue wrestling to a larger degree, that is. 

Also, shout out to her Instagram because goddamn.

 

[The Thread Killer]

The Drake/Aldis scenario seems possible.  Perhaps Kamille turns on Aldis but Storm turns on Drake?  All signs point to a heel turn for Storm, but maybe not.  I'm not even sure if that would be a good idea, he is such a natural and sympathetic babyface it seems a shame to waste that. Still not sure how Thomas Latimer would fit into the storyline despite his real life involvement, nor what any of this has to do with Ken Anderson.  Time will tell, hopefully.

And also, regarding that picture of Kamille...DAMN.

[C.S.]

Speaking of Bram/Thomas "Mr. Charisma" Latimer, didn't he sue the publisher of the Charlotte/Ric book because she accused him of being abusive, or was that some other disgruntled ex of Charlotte's? 

[SirEdger]

Ooh, I like your scenario here and it actually makes sense with Tim Storm's character. I could see Storm watching everything unfold with Kamille turning on Aldis in an attempt to help Drake win the title and then, Storm becomes the equalizer and Aldis actually retains over Drake. Given that Storm is the epitomy of the old school white-meat babyface, it'd be logical to have him stay in that role

[SirEdger]

1 minute ago, C.S. said:

Speaking of Bram/Thomas "Mr. Charisma" Latimer, didn't he sue the publisher of the Charlotte/Ric book because she accused him of being abusive, or was that some other disgruntled ex of Charlotte's? 

I don't even think I'm sure it was Bram/Latimer that she was talking about. I think it was somebody else. As far as I know, Bram and Charlotte split on good terms but I could be wrong.

[C.S.]

2 minutes ago, SirEdger said:

I don't even think I'm sure it was Bram/Latimer that she was talking about. I think it was somebody else. As far as I know, Bram and Charlotte split on good terms but I could be wrong.

You're right.

I just googled it, and it's some guy named Riki Johnson.

[peachchaos]

Lagana was on Busted Open and mentioned Aldis vs. Murdoch on this week's show. I'm into that. 

[The Thread Killer]

3 minutes ago, peachchaos said:

Lagana was on Busted Open and mentioned Aldis vs. Murdoch on this week's show. I'm into that. 

For real? Fuck yeah, that match could and should be outstanding.  Hell, I wouldn't mind seeing those guys working a program against each other.  Count me in.

[SirEdger]

Oh shit, this one will be fun!

[NintendoLogic]

In his lawsuit, Johnson claimed there was dashcam footage of Charlotte making racist remarks to police officers. WWE settled with him out of court. That's very unlike them, which leads me to believe he had some serious dirt on Charlotte and they cut him a check to buy his silence.

[C.S.]

Why the hell would Lagana admit this? 

Really hope that's a clickbait headline and there's actually a lot more to what he said. Otherwise, oof!