NWA Powerrr

[fakeplastictrees]

I can't wait to watch Powerrr tonight once it drops on Youtube. I never thought the NWA would become appointment viewing for me, but here we are. Fantastic!

[Log]

3 hours ago, fakeplastictrees said:

I can't wait to wait Powerrr tonight once it drops on Youtube. I never thought NWA would become appointment viewing for me, but here we are. Fantastic!

I think the buzz around Power and AEW show how important presentation is.  I mean, if put the rosters of WWE, AEW and NWA next to each other, I would have almost zero interest in AEW's or NWA's compared with the talent on WWE's roster.  But when I actually watch the shows, I look forward to them waaaay more than any WWE programming.   

[Coffey]

When I was in high school, Tuesday was always a fun day because I would spend a lot of the day chatting with friends about what had happened the night before on RAW/Nitro. But other than the discussion with friends, I miss the feeling of anticipation working through the week, waiting for the next Monday to come around so that the shows would be on again. There was a buzz & excitement that came from the shows getting closer. They really did feel like can't miss programs to me & my friends as wrestling fans.

NWA Power has kind of rekindled some of those feelings now, twice my life later. Which is pretty cool. I've been waiting all day for Power tonight & I'm excited for a weekly wrestling program again & that's pretty sweet.

I like AEW Dynamite too, don't get me wrong but NWA Power just makes me feel different. I really like the format. 

[Coffey]

I'll put my thoughts throughout the episode in spoilers. And just edit my post to update it.

 

• The Kingston promo was fun. I really like him.
• That women's match was not good but it was fast. Didn't make either of them look like anything worth watching again.
• I'm def ordering one of those NWA title lapel pins.
• The Dawson's promo was fine. 
• I don't like the crowd trying to yell & make themselves a part of the show, especially during the Aron Stevens promo. Some of that was brutal because of the marks trying to yell. I do like the kids getting into the show though. That's always fun to see; kids having a good time at a wrestling show.
• Caleb Konley vs. Dan Parker - I didn't know either guy. So it was interesting in a "will either of you impress me?" kind of way. They didn't, really. The finish I've seen Jacob Fatu do better & more impressively. They didn't really get a lot of time though.
• Tim Storm is great. He's just really believable. He just comes off natural when speaking & that's a big deal in pro wrestling. "Mama Storm still loves me too." Eli Drake came out during the promo & was pretty good too. 
• The Spiritual Adviser Hair Cream commercial was nowhere near as good as the Waffle & Tire Irons one!
• I really like Dave Marquez.
• Colt Cabana is still fucking awful & always will be. I don't know what the hell to think about Jocephus still. He's just been a jobber so far, really. I did like the powder spot. I'm not sure this is doing anything for James Storm... I REALLY don't want to see Cabana/Anderson getting a lot of time on this show but I reckon it will be inevitable. 
• The Nick Aldis/Kamille angle is the most interesting thing NWA has going right now I think. That woman has a lot of mystic & intrigue around her & I can see it getting Aldis some legit heat.
• The Dawson's Vs. Eli Drake & Tim Storm tag team main event. It was OK. Probably the best actual match that NWA Power has had so far but I think it's really obvious that this show isn't really about the ring work. I expect that's what the PPV will be. The match still only went like seven or eight minutes. It was really just a vessel to build toward the Dawson's Vs. Kingston/Homicide match which is fine.
• Show ended abruptly about ten minutes early. 

Decent week of story building but nothing amazing really happened. They gave Kingston mic time & used the main event to build the upcoming tag title match so that's cool. 

[sek69]

I popped for Kingston's "don't steal my heat, Jim" when Cornette tried to speak during his promo.

Also Kamille rules as the world's hottest Mike Enos. 

[El-P]

Honestly, once the novelty wears off, I don't see how this show will keep the hype it first had. This third show really was light on everything. No good wrestling at all. Women's match was bad. Konley vs Parker, whoever they are, was two indie guys who look interchangeable doing stuff, the kind of match I already don't care for in MLW. The Josephus/Cabana/James Storm was just plain bad. The main event was "ok" by 1993 standards. I mean, the Dawsons legit look and work like two guys who would be jobbers in IMPACT today, hell, they look and work like two guys who would do jobs in SMW in 1995, slaughtered in three minutes by the Gangstas. Bring on the old-ass RnR Express already.

Highlights were Kingston's promo, including the bit about Corny stealing his heat, the Spiritual Adviser commercial which had me legit laugh at the WTF nature of it (and the acid drenched visuals), Tim Storm & Eli Drake doing total SMW/mid 80's promo segment (anyone noticed how Storm kinda look like a jacked up Jerry Lawler ?) and the Aldis/Kamille segment.

37 minutes ago, sek69 said:

Also Kamille rules as the world's hottest Mike Enos. 

Yeah, this. She's a trooper too, she takes great bumps. This girl could go some places. 

Anyway, it's easy to watch, fun in parts, but the lack of actual good wrestling really showed this week. No idea where this is going...

[sek69]

The Spiritual Advisor is Jocephus's manager on the indies. I suppose they are going to do a deal where he goes to her to turn things around since James Storm keeps punking him out. 

[The Thread Killer]

I agree with and can relate to what @fakeplastictrees and @Coffey are saying, I feel exactly the same way about this show. Earlier today it crossed my mind: "Today is Tuesday, there's a new episode of Power tonight!" I can't even remember the last time I actually looked forward to a weekly Pro Wrestling television show. I've seen every episode of AEW Dynamite since they debuted, and I've watched every episode of NXT since they've been running in opposition to AEW. Those shows have been technically excellent for the most part, but last week I found both of them to be a bit of a chore to get through. I can't even watch Raw or Smackdown anymore.  But I find that so far, Power has flown by and leaves me looking forward to the next episode.

When you watch this show, it is obvious that there are some areas for improvement. I feel they need to strike a better balance between the interviews/segments, and the in ring action. I don't think a Pro Wrestling TV show should ever go from an interview, into a commercial and then return and go into another interview. To me, it's a matter of pacing - and editing I guess, since this show is taped in advance.

As far as the quality of the actual in ring action, I am of two minds. This show is going for an old school presentation, and old school wrestling shows on television generally featured a bunch of squash matches, interviews and then a television Main Event which more often than not ended up as a DQ or some sort of angle advancement intended to promote house shows or an upcoming Supercard or PPV. So far, I really enjoyed the Aldis/Storm match during the first episode, and I thought the Main Event last week was fair, but the outside interference and general shenanigans happened before I could get a great feel for the match. This week, I thought the Main Event was okay, especially considering how limited the Dawson Twins are physically.

The question is, should the NWA be presenting competitive matches between their top talent on Power, and I'm not 100% sold that they should be. Like I said earlier, I have been closely following AEW and NXT over the past three weeks, and one thing that really struck me is that 95% of the matches on television are actually competitive matches which feature lots of highspots, the obligatory dives of course, and lots of near falls. You see guys having trouble beating opponents who are clearly beneath them, and even repeated use of finishing manoeuvres. At least NXT present one or two squashes a week, but those seem to be the exception, not the rule.

I know this is looked upon as an out of touch opinion, but honestly I think the Pro Wrestlers on television right now are doing too much. They are giving away stuff on free television which they should be keeping in reserve for big shows or Pay Per View. In my opinion, that's why you see guys having to practically kill themselves to get a crowd reaction on the big shows, because the fans have been desensitized and expect all matches to be competitive sprints. The NWA is clearly building towards their December Pay Per View, and I assume that all the angle advancement they have done so far and will continue to do will build to payoff matches we'll get to see at the PPV in December. I don't know that they should be giving any of those matches away on TV.

As far as this week's show, I really liked it.

I liked the Eddie Kingston promo to start the show. Power is my first real exposure to him, and I like what I have seen so far, this guy has a great presence. I am well familiar with Homicide from the early years of ROH and his time in TNA, but I seemed to miss Kingston's arrival in ROH and Impact both. I really like the vibe of their team and they have actually managed to get me interested in seeing them fight the Dawson Brothers. That has the potential to be a good brawl.

The women's match was misfire, and that's putting it kindly. Like @C.S. mentioned earlier in this thread, let's be honest, WWE/NXT has signed up all the great female talent out there. When even AEW is struggling to put together a strong women's roster, you know that the NWA just isn't going to be able to compete. I don't think the NWA should be heavily featuring their women's division until they actually have a women's division to feature. If this match is indicative of they kind of talent they have in the women's division, then...not good. Who knows, maybe this "Thunder Rosa" they featured in the vignette will turn out to be good, but in the meantime I think the TV matches are too valuable to waste on talent that clearly aren't ready for prime time. Some of the spots in this women's match were cringe worthy.

I didn't mind the Dawson Brothers promo, it was passable - as are their ring skills. Let's call it what it is...these are a couple of big fat brawlers. In the territory days they probably would have been regional stars in a small territory, but they'd have been lucky to make the mid-card in the WWF or NWA/WCW. That's fine. There obviously isn't a lot of unsigned Tag Teams out there right now, so the NWA is making do with what they have...and like I said, The Dawson Brothers are passable. If it is laid out properly, their inevitable match with Kingston & Homicide could turn out to be a fun little brawl.

I loved the Aron Stevens interview. It always bummed me out that he had so much potential in WWE but got dropped after that great run with The Miz. I hear his Impact run was totally forgettable, but I am glad the NWA picked him up. His interviews last week and this week proved he still has a gift for comedy, if nothing else. I did my best to avoid eye contact with him, and I am going to order my Romanian VHS copy of "Tropical Pirates" ASAP. And if you didn't like this interview, then all I have to say is..."SILENCE!"

In my opinion, the next match is exactly the kind of match they should be featuring on this show. Caleb Konley is the same kid who got beat by Eli Drake on the first show, but it looks like they are planning on doing something with him. If this venture has a future, it's in the hands of guys like Konley and Ricky Starks. This was a short sprint with a decisive finish and I was reminded while watching it how good Jim Cornette is as a Color Commentator. He is always so great at putting over the talent and the little details that will get the fans to buy into them.

I'm really impressed by how well this Tim Storm angle is going. Here's a guy who if he was featured anywhere else, he'd probably get jeered or laughed at. Not only is he old, but he plays such an old school "white meat" babyface (for gawd's sake, the guy talks about his Momma.) But Storm is great as the grizzled old veteran who thinks his time has passed and he is considering hanging up his boots. . But the fans are into him, and I find myself wondering where this angle with him is going. Is Aldis going to offer him another shot, but make Storm put his career on the line? Is Storm going to turn heel, as foreshadowed by the uncharacteristic low blow when he fought Aldis? Or is Drake going to keep on encouraging Storm, only to end up turning on him? I don't know...there are a bunch of possibilities and I really like the way this is playing out.

As much as I love this show and am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt a lot of the time, this whole deal with Jocefus has been a big dud, as far as I'm concerned. They've presented the guy as a total doofus and if this is supposed to make me want to see him fight James Storm for the National Championship...it isn't working.  And now to top that off, here comes Colt Cabana to do more of his patented unfunny comedy crap. I'm sorry, but as much as the NWA needs all the names they can find...Colt Cabana sucks. His whole tongue-in-cheek comedy shtick annoys the hell out of me, it's always comes across like he thinks the entire sport is a joke. It's no wonder this guy never broke through in one of the major organizations - he clearly doesn't take himself or Professional Wrestling seriously, so why should anybody take him seriously? Last week he was clowning around during his match and this week he's inserting himself into this Jocefus mess, which was bad enough before he stuck his nose in. Ugh. Pass.

They've clearly put a lot of thought and planning into this angle with Nick Aldis and Kamille, it has been heavily featured on all three episodes so far. I am getting an early Macho Man & Miss Elizabeth vibe from this deal so far, and it is intriguing. I am curious to see how this plays out, and how and if this story will tie into whoever ends up being the next challenger for the World Heavyweight Championship. I assume Aldis defending the title will be the Main Event of the PPV, and I am wondering who he will be defending against and how the drama with Kamille will enter into it. Kamille is awesome by the way - a classic beauty who has gotten her character across without saying a word.

I didn't mind the Main Event. I was a bit shocked at the finish, but I assume that will end up playing into the onging angle with Tim Storm, and maybe now Eli Drake. And what was Nick Aldis doing out there? Plus this helped continue the build for the eventual showdown between the Dawson Brothers and Kingston & Homicide.

Another great episode, it really flew by and I can't wait for next week. I am sold on this product for now, and will definitely be supporting them and buying the Pay Per View in December. Based on some of the things I have read, even they are a bit surprised by the overwhelmingly positive response to this show so far, and how many people are viewing it. I hope they can keep this up.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to buy some of The Spiritual Advisor's Invisible Hair Cream. It's only $59.95 (per week) an if I hurry, I am eligible for the free Spiritual Advisor Invisible Voice Cream, too.

 

[Stiva]

This Aaron Stevens gimmick with the terrible B-roll footage is fantastic. It makes me wonder where Hollywood Bob Holly may have went in SMW with more money behind it. 

[fakeplastictrees]

On 10/22/2019 at 5:22 PM, Coffey said:

When I was in high school, Tuesday was always a fun day because I would spend a lot of the day chatting with friends about what had happened the night before on RAW/Nitro. But other than the discussion with friends, I miss the feeling of anticipation working through the week, waiting for the next Monday to come around so that the shows would be on again. There was a buzz & excitement that came from the shows getting closer. They really did feel like can't miss programs to me & my friends as wrestling fans.

NWA Power has kind of rekindled some of those feelings now, twice my life later. Which is pretty cool. I've been waiting all day for Power tonight & I'm excited for a weekly wrestling program again & that's pretty sweet.

I like AEW Dynamite too, don't get me wrong but NWA Power just makes me feel different. I really like the format. 

Yeah. Work sucked, but then I remembered the Powerrr/Dark wrestling block and all of a sudden the day became a little brighter.

[C.S.]

My thoughts:

- Eddie Kingston has such a unique charisma about him, and his promo was awesome.

- For all of the WWE's faults (and they are too numerous to list), they really do have the best women's division in the world - and it's not even close. AEW can't touch them. Impact and ROH certainly can't touch them. And the NWA definitely can't touch them. With that said, wasn't Marti Belle in a previous Mae Young or on an NXT show at least? I know I've seen her before. I am intrigued to see what the Darby Allin-looking Thunder Rosa brings to the table. Memorable look, at least.

- Before NWA Powerrr, Jocephus was a pretty cool badass brawler. Now? I don't know what the fuck he is, or more importantly, why he's being presented this way. Is he being buried? Again, I realize he got his hair shaved in an angle,  but his current "Zach Galifianakis from The Hangover" look isn't doing him any favors. 

- Colt Cabana has been awful so far, to the point where I retroactively agree with every awful thing Jim Cornette has ever said about him and I agree 100% with Punk dropping him as a friend no matter how petty his reasons might have been. Seriously though, this shit isn't working at all with what the NWA is trying to be now. I realize he's one of the guys who built the bridge during those lean years, and the NWA is showing him a loyalty he has surely earned, but he really needs to upgrade his lame act. Now I understand why he never made it in WWE and never would have even if Vince McMahon himself was behind him.

- The jury is still out on Aron Stevens, who also seems like a misfit, but the fake straight-to-video movie trailers are promising.

- Caleb Konley looked great a couple of weeks ago but was "just there" this week vs. Dan Parker. I like Parker's Canadian Maple Leaf trunks though.

- Nick Aldis is an excellent Worlds Champion and representative of the NWA, and not deserving of any of the hate he gets. The Kamile angle is weird AF though. I have no idea where it's going. It seems like an abusive situation, which wouldn't work at all in 2019, so I hope they're smarter than that.

- The Leather Daddies team is growing on me, just because we haven't seen acts like that since the early '90s heyday of WCW Saturday Night. 

- Tim Storm is the real fucking deal, and I love him so much. I hope he isn't bogged down in a team with Eli Drake though, or worse yet, used to set up Aldis vs. Drake (I really hope that isn't what the NWA plans to main event with at the next PPV).

Overall: Nothing was "great" on this show (except for Tim Storm), but at under 50 minutes, everything flies by and it's still such a fun presentation. 

[sek69]

14 minutes ago, C.S. said:

For all of the WWE's faults (and they are too numerous to list), they really do have the best women's division in the world - and it's not even close. AEW can't touch them. Impact and ROH certainly can't touch them. And the NWA definitely can't touch them. With that said, wasn't Marti Belle in a previous Mae Young or on an NXT show at least? I know I've seen her before. I am intrigued to see what the Darby Allin-looking Thunder Rosa brings to the table. Memorable look, at least.

She was in one of the Mae Young Classics but you probably remember her as part of the Dollhouse in TNA with Taryn Terrell and Jade (Mia Yim). 

[Stiva]

Kind of crazy that, even now, Tim Storm can go out there and be the most white-meat babyface in the world, give shout-outs to his momma and everyone watching him at home like a long-lost Von Erich brother and everyone on the internet is calling for him to get a major league run. I'm not disagreeing since he's great in the role but it's solid proof that what worked in wrestling 30 years ago works now.

[sek69]

On its face, booking wrestling isn't that hard. The trick was always finding the right personalities that click with the audience. The stories themselves used to be the easier part of the equation. 

[Tim Evans]

2 hours ago, sek69 said:

She was in one of the Mae Young Classics but you probably remember her as part of the Dollhouse in TNA with Taryn Terrell and Jade (Mia Yim). 

She was in the first one and had a match with Rachel Ellering that was so bad they called an audible and had Rachel win instead of Marti apparently.

[El-P]

After 5 days, the second episode had about 200k less viewers than the first episode. At the same state, the third episode has about 70-100k less viewers than the second episode had. It's still doing way more than MLW (which is on TV otherwise), and it's still a really good number anyway, but the trend right now is not exactly reflecting the hype the show first got. I wonder at what number they will settle down...

[goodhelmet]

Sort of like AEW... interesting. 

[El-P]

7 minutes ago, goodhelmet said:

Sort of like AEW... interesting. 

Well, not exactly. AEW is already on a major national TV and they are doing bigger numbers than expected, and really good numbers with the demographic that they are aiming for, despite the overall slow decreasing trend. NWA is a taped Youtube show that is not financially sustainable. They lost half of their initial viewership in two weeks. If they want to keep on going they will need TV. Hopefully for them they can maintain this weeks number or get back some traction.

[goodhelmet]

The pattern is the same. Better than expected debut numbers. Big droppoff in the 2nd week. Less of a dropoff in the 3rd week. But thank you for educating me on the difference between cable tv and youtube. Very enlightening. 

[El-P]

3 minutes ago, goodhelmet said:

The pattern is the same. Better than expected debut numbers. Big droppoff in the 2nd week. Less of a dropoff in the 3rd week. But thank you for educating me on the difference between cable tv and youtube. Very enlightening. 

Well, sorry is my post rubbed you wrong, but the apparent pattern isn't enough to say it's the same thing as AEW that's all. It would be interesting to have the medium age of the viewers of the program, because I don't really see a majority of 40 years old + watching stuff mostly on Youtube. Yet I don't see this show drawing youngsters either. Same for MLW. Who is actually watching those shows ?

[C.S.]

1 minute ago, El-P said:

Who is actually watching those shows ?

Old fucks like us.

Let's not act like YouTube is this impenetrable fortress that's only accessible to people under 30.

[El-P]

8 minutes ago, C.S. said:

Old fucks like us.

Let's not act like YouTube is this impenetrable fortress that's only accessible to people under 30.

Hey, I watch tons of shit on Youtube, more than on actual TV really, but I know I'm not representative of anything, so...

[goodhelmet]

33 minutes ago, El-P said:

Well, sorry is my post rubbed you wrong, but the apparent pattern isn't enough to say it's the same thing as AEW that's all. It would be interesting to have the medium age of the viewers of the program, because I don't really see a majority of 40 years old + watching stuff mostly on Youtube. Yet I don't see this show drawing youngsters either. Same for MLW. Who is actually watching those shows ?

Billy Corgan already went on record as saying the current model is not self sustaining.  Dave Lagana has been doing the media rounds on the company's goals and expectations. When you say it's not self sustaining and pretend to be concerned, you aren't really adding anything that hasn't already been said. 

Also, the internet (and especially Netflix) has changed viewing habits.  I watched the 1st show,  liked what I saw,  and am waiting for a few more to drop so I can binge watch.  I am not saying 100,000 other people are doing the same but it wouldn't surprise me if they were. 

[Mad Dog]

I think the real test will be when they run their first and second iPPVs. If they could turn this into say 20k buys I think that would be a win for them. 

I still don't know what network they could end up with. I think a streaming service would maybe help them out. Do they have any old footage they can leverage? 

[El-P]

26 minutes ago, goodhelmet said:

When you say it's not self sustaining and pretend to be concerned, you aren't really adding anything that hasn't already been said. 

I never pretended concern. I said "hopefully for them". I just made an observation and gave reasons why it was actually not exactly the same thing as AEW. No need to be passive agressive. I dunno, if I posted "NWA Powerr lost half their viewers in two weeks, lolcosplay.", yeah, I would get it, but really...