Joe Galli and Stu Bennett are joined at the announce desk with the NWA Tag Team Champions, “Cowboy” James Storm and Eli Drake. Eli has the headset as the team’s general philosophy is “Don’t give Cowboy a mic when he’s been drinking.” They’re guest commentary on the tag team contest about to begin.
The Dawsons (w/ The Pope) vs The Bouncers (w/ Eddie Kingston)
The story of Eddie Kingston and Pope continues in this proxy war where the competitors combine for over 1300lbs! The big boys from Ring of Honor take a few last sips of their adult beverage while the crowd chants “We like beer!” Dave Dawson and The Beer City Bruiser start us out with a plethora of clotheslines that fail to move each other until Bruiser gets Dawson off rhythm and off his feet. Brian Milonas gets told by Zane Dawson that he’s not so big but the massive Milonas proves otherwise when he gets the better of their chop battle. Dawson is thrown down into the corner and gets multiple squats on his chest from Milonas before BCB hits him with a running knee. Smart tag work turns it around for The Dawsons and they isolate Bruiser. He takes his lumps but hits a double clothesline and a hot tag to Milonas. Multiple avalanches to Dave Dawson before flattening him middle of the ring with a 400+lb cross body block!
Pope and Kingston are about ready to go at it at ringside so Kingston can’t warn Milonas of the Dawson double team. Milonas has ascended to the second turnbuckle but The Dawsons block him and pull off a huge double power bomb! 2.999 count as Bruiser gets back in the ring with nanoseconds to spare. Bruiser whips Zane Dawson (Or is it Dave? Even Galli and Bennett seem at odds on this) into the ringpost on the outside. Dave has started going up top but is superplexed off the top turnbuckle by Milonas as Bruiser hits a 300lb frog splash! This ode to Power & Glory is dubbed The Blackout and the match is recorded for The Bouncers.
Winners by pinfall: The Bouncers
James Storm dumps a few beers (both his and The Bouncers’) into the Crockett Cup and celebrates with them by passing it around between them! Eli Drake gets in on the action by holding up the cup… and sneaking some water out of his shaker bottle.
Flashback to Ring of Honor’s Free Enterprise event this past Sunday and NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Nick Aldis, is with RoH’s Quinn McKay. His message for “The Villain” Marty Scurll is that he wants an answer for his challenge: Yes or No. With the NWA title representing a half million dollars of revenue for he and the NWA, Aldis no longer sees this as strictly business.
Joe Galli welcomes Thom Latimer to the podium. Thom comes out with the stunning Kamille and says that he’s looking forward to kicking the crap out of “old fart,” Tim Storm. Galli suggests that a win against a former NWA heavyweight champ could put Latimer in line for a title shot but Thom says that Nick Aldis is his best mate and that he’s more focused on getting his and Royce Isaacs’ tag titles back. He says that James Storm and Eli Drake are a “rubbish” team and that, in tonight’s main event, Aldis and Isaacs are going to lay out The Rock n’ Roll Express. Galli makes another doomed attempt at getting a word from Kamille but she just punks him with a slap feint and a pat on the cheek.
Thom Latimer vs Tim Storm
Latimer attacks Storm while his back is turned but gets clotheslined over the top shortly after. The two powerhouses shove each other around the ring without gaining advantage but Storm is quicker with his fists and follows up with a big back body drop. They go shot-for-shot until Latimer distracts the referee with a discarded elbow pad and hits Storm with a chop to the throat followed by a spear tackle. Only a two count. Gary Goodridge style 12-to-6 elbows only get another two count. A storm is brewing as Tim hulks up to take Latimer off his feet multiple times and gets a two count after a neckbreaker. Tim Storm’s splash in the corner is countered by tossing him up and over the ropes. Latimer has him set up for a piledriver but Storm back drops his way out. Latimer hits a lifting DDT and that’s all that Mama Storm’s baby boy can take in this match.
Winner by pinfall: Thom Latimer (while wearing Kamille’s merch throughout!)
The Mama Storm impersonator comes out and berates Tim for putting himself in harm’s way again. Tim Storm is still bewildered by this guy’s behavior and brushes right past him.
A recap of Aron Stevens escaping with his (third degree!) National Championship when time expired moments before Trevor Murdoch could put him away. Big Trev is at the podium with David Marquez and he is frothing mad about Aron Stevens running away, ducking opponents, or winning through the interference by the Question Mark. He demands a rematch but Question Mark is the one responding! His Mongrovian promo is lost on me but his English skills appear to have grown to the point that he can issue a challenge of “You. Me. Ka-ra-taay.”
Sean Mooney gives us an update on the prospective World Heavyweight Championship match at The Crockett Cup between Nick Aldis and Marty Scurll. After teaming with Rush against Scurll and PCO, Aldis was given a counteroffer by The Villain: If Marty win, he’s NWA champ. If Nick wins, Marty will cut him a check for $500,000! Aldis accepts.
Next week, Mooney will be host of The Circle Squared as NWA Powerrr goes on a one week hiatus and we get the new reality program where prospective NWA talents will compete for a spot on the roster.
Matt Cross vs Ricky Starks (c) for the NWA Television Championship
The two highfliers keep it grounded with mat wrestling during the first minutes as time ticks off the 6:05 clock. Once the action speeds up, Ricky has the advantage with a shoulder block and a dropkick to the face but Cross catches him in mid-air for a backbreaker. The audience duels with “Let’s go Ricky! Let’s go Cross!” Handspring back elbow by Cross only gets a two count and a pump kick does no better. Both men attempt to suplex each other over the course of nearly half a minute until Starks succeeds. Tornado DDT plants Cross but he recovers to hit The Cross Cutter! Seven seconds left but he makes the mistake of ascending for a Shooting Star Press! Time expires and Ricky Starks retains the TV title.
The result of this contest is a time limit draw.
Zickey Dice comes out to David Marquez’s podium, declaring the match a snoozefest. He taunts Ricky over not being able to finish his opponent and does so in his trademark “outlandish” manner.
After a recap of the stellar Allysin Kay/Thunder Rosa rematch from last week’s NWA Powerrr, Marti Belle is with Kyle Davis at the podium. Marti goes on about how Melina has made it all happen. When Kyle questions Melina’s motivations and machinations, Marti reads him the riot act, saying that Melina cared about her while former best friend, Allysin Kay, cared only for herself. Allysin comes out and tells Marti that she can’t say Allysin doesn’t care about the fans or her. She may be drinking Melina’s Kool-Aid but Allysin will be there for her. Marti seems less moved than she is conflicted and backs away.
Melina vs Tasha Steelz
Melina shows disdain for the booing crowd but gets a few “You still got it!” chants for her trademark split entrance. After a nose-to-nose face-off, Tasha goes on the offensive but Melina has an answer for her hummingbird pace at every turn. A head scissor with an axe kick and a snapmare driver keep Tasha from floating like a butterfly as Melina’s kicks and punches sting like a Louisville Slugger. The crowd taunts seem to distract Melina from what has become an outright mugging and Tasha mounts a comeback. Running knees and a flying smash in the corner precede a neckbreaker for two. Lifting DDT by Melina only gets a two count, as well. Big running clothesline and the split-legged legdrop do the job, though. (And so does Tasha Steelz.)
Winner by pinfall: Melina
Melina grabs a hold of David Marquez and his microphone to question who anyone is to question her. She says that she “proved herself” before she ever showed up and declares a title match: Melina vs Thunder Rosa! David Marquez asked her who approved this match and Melina says that’s he did (and it’s apparent she believes that should be enough.)
The Rock n’ Roll Express vs Nick Aldis & Royce Isaacs
Sal Rinauro & Royce Isaacs girlfriend, May Valentine, are seen taking their seats in the crowd for a platonic night out. Isaacs is distracted and Robert Gibson almost gets three off of a schoolboy! Isaacs gets grounded and stretched by the veterans and their trademark tag and tandem offense. An eye rake by Isaacs brings in Nick Aldis. He gets the better of Gibson but his power bomb attempt on Ricky Morton gets turned into a hurricanrana! On the outside, Issacs is now the legal man but Aldis makes the difference with a pick play the drops Morton. Aldis tags back in and batters Ricky Morton but makes a mistake and eats the top turnbuckle for it. Hot tags bring in Isaacs and Gibson. The wily veteran suplexes Isaacs and tosses Aldis off of the top turnbuckle. Backslide pin is broken up by Aldis and, in the confusion, Royce Isaacs is able to get the pin by putting his feet on the ropes.
Winners by pinfall: Nick Aldis & Royce Isaacs
May Valentine bounces down out of the stands to give her man a hug. Isaacs is still angry at Sal Rinauro but May’s broken-armed BFF patronizes his jealousy.
Five Takeaways from NWA Powerrr Episode 18
- Not sure if you want to see NWA’s version of Tough Enough/Gut Check? Would revealing the location and date of The Crockett Cup get you to watch next week? They seem to be banking on that.
- Sue me but I think the bit with Sal Rinauro hanging round May Valentine and causing jealousy in Royce Isaacs just as he’s getting his mojo back (women weaken legs, Rock!) has some potential. Similar tales have hit (George “The Animal” Steele/Miss Elizabeth/Randy Savage) or missed (Sable/Marc Mero/Tom Brandy) in the past.
- The Bruisers going over The Dawsons made sense but it seemed to do more for the RoH talent than push the storyline involving Eddie Kingston. A shame considering the buzz around his promo on Pope last week.
- For all the build that has gone into it, I feel a little underwhelmed by the prospect of Melina vs Thunder Rosa. Maybe it’s because we didn’t see the champ this week. Maybe because it seems too soon after her back-to-back wins over Allysin Kay.
- Ricky Starks vs Zickey Dice. Thunder Rosa vs Allysin Kay. Tim Storm vs Strictly Business. Trevor Murdoch vs The Glorious Nation of Mongrovia. No shortage of great rivalries created since autumn.
NWA Powerrr Episode 17 ‘Pride vs. Thunder’ and the rest of the NWA Power on the National Wrestling Alliance YouTube page.
https://youtu.be/FP9eQtgec1I
