By: Mike Murray
Hey folks!
Welcome to the POST Wrestling NWA Into the Fire report
There has been a lot of buzz with wrestling fans over the last few months with NWA’s new weekly program POWERRR. With its nostalgic presentation and a return to studio filmed wrestling, POWERR definitely brings back some strong memories of wrestling shows from the 70s and early 80s. They have done a fantastic job introducing
their characters and giving motivations for the wrestlers as well as setting up relationships and alliances between characters.
The whole season (as they are calling it ) of POWERRR has been leading up to tonight’s INTO THE FIRE and the build has been great. This first pay per view in this new era for the NWA will hopefully have the payoff that people are looking for:
What did Kamille say to James Storm and where do her loyalties lie?
Will Colt Cabana be sticking around now that he has wrapped up his tenure with ROH?
Can the Rock N Roll Express keep their newly won Tag Team Championships?
Who will be walking away with the NWA World’s Championship after a 2 out of 3 falls match in the main event?
Is the Question Mark really this over?
And finally – Is there a place in today’s crowded wrestling landscape for this kind of show? A call back to a different time? Do people want to watch this kind of alternative product?
I started the show late, the Queen of the C Block had an early Saturday night hockey game, but I’m ready to turn up the Dokken!
The PPV opens with Stu Bennett (Wade Barrett from WWE) reciting a poem over a video highlights package of POWERRR
Joe Galli and Stu Bennett are set to call the action.
ELI DRAKE VS MR KEN ANDERSON
Drake comes down through the crowd to the ring. Same with Anderson.
Anderson makes like he is going to throw his shirt into the crowd, then drops it in the corner.
Both guys work hammerlocks on each other to start.
Drake eventually works over Anderson’s neck with a Hangman’s neck breaker, and various holds on the mat.
Anderson tries a sunset bomb, Drake blocks it and sits down on Anderson with all his weight on Anderson’s shoulders.
WINNER: Eli Drake
David Marquez interviews Nick Aldis. Aldis talks about where the NWA is now. Tells James Storm that they are the two men that can live forever. That Storm will have to go into deep water tonight. Aldis reiterates that Kamille has the night off. Storm comes out cuts a promo as well and says he will be the “And new world champion”.
Recap of Melina’s first appearance on POWERRR and the formation of the alliance of Melina, Thunder Rosa, and Marti Belle
TASHA STEELZ VS THUNDER ROSA
Steelz calls over Marquez before Rosa comes out and introduces herself (it is her debut match). Crowd chants for Rosa.
Steelz has a hard time getting out of the gates. Rosa puts Steelz in the tree of woe and hits her with a dropkick. Rosa hits a drop toe hold. into a version of a surfboard. Rosa misses a top rope stomp. Steelz gets back into the match hits some offense before Rosa hits a couple of dropkicks and nails the top rope stomp.
WINNER: Thunder Rosa
Post-match, Rosa mounts and pounds Steelz. Ashley Vox comes in to make the save. Rosa hits a shoulder breaker on Vox and an arm lock. Rosa leaves Vox in the ring and Galli and Bennett don’t think that Vox will
be able to compete in her match later on.
QUESTION MARK (?) VS TREVOR MURDOCH
Aron Stevens comes out with ? and is wearing a Karate Gi. Stevens is now a black belt in Mongrovian Karate. Stevens cuts a promo explaining that ? is his sensei and that for the first time on American soil ? will perform the Mongrovian flag ceremony. Stevens unrolled the flag and ? sings the national anthem of Mongrovia. Crowd really loves ? I hope they hang the Mongrovian flag in the rafters with the other flags.
Murdoch hit two scoop slams, crowd chants for one more time and Murdoch hit a hat trick. The crowd is back and forth cheering each guy but booing whenever someone gets too much of an advantage.
? hits the Mongrovian spike to the throat and Murdoch kicks out! ? hits chops to Murdoch’s head. Murdoch backs ? into the corner and hits a series of knife-edge chops. ? hits a second rope missile dropkick.
Murdoch hits a spinebuster and grabs the Mongrovian Flag from the masked flag bearer outside the ring and Murdoch throws it to the floor. ? is extremely upset that his country’s flag was desecrated and hits a Double Mongrovian Spike.
WINNER: The Question Mark
WILD CARDS VS ROCK N ROLL EXPRESS for the NWA TAG TEAM BELTS
Gibson and Morton come out first, crowd chants Rock and Roll. Homicide and Eddie Kingston come out with champs and make their way to see Marquez at the desk. Wild Cards brings out the Dawsons as their backup.
The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express are wearing the same gear they wore from Starrcade 33 years ago.
Ricky Morton hits a dive through the ropes to Wild Cards on the floor.
Morton hits a Canadian Destroyer and the Dawsons start brawling with Homicide and Kingston when Gibson and Morton hit a double dropkick to Royce Isaacs and the pin.
WINNERS: The Rock and Roll Express.
The story of this quick match was that the challengers had youth and speed and strength but all that was no use against the experience advantage of the champs.
The next pay per view is scheduled for January 24 and it will feature the return of the NWA Television Championship.
Eli Drake talks to Marquez. He says that he thinks James Storm will win the belt. Drake says it doesn’t matter who the champion is. Also starts talking about people pumping his gas, Anderson comes out and attacks Drake and uses a steel chair. Anderson puts the chair around Drake’s neck and runs it into the ring post. Anderson attacks the officials that come out. Anderson sets up the chair in the ring and hits Drake with the Mic Check onto the chair
ALLYSIN KAY (NWA Women’s Champion) & ? VS MELINA and MARTI BELLE
Marquez announces that Kay will have a partner even though Ashley Vox (who was supposed to be Kay’s partner) was taken out by Thunder Rosa. ODB is the surprise partner for Kay.
Kay chases Melina around the ring, Melina tags in Belle. Kay takes it to Belle but keeps her eyes on Melina. Kay brings Melina into the ring but eventually, Belle and Melina get the advantage and Belle tags Melina in. Belle tags back in and gives Kay a side Russian Leg Sweep.
ODB finally tagged. Shoulder blocks by ODB to Belle. Hits avalanche in the corner of Belle and a Bronco Buster.
Kay hits her AK47 Piledriver on Melina when neither is legal. Kay feeds Belle to ODB who hits a Samoan Drop for the win.
WINNERS Allysin Kay and ODB.
Pretty quick match, not sure what the plan is next for Kay as Melina and Belle were disposed of cleanly.
Kay and ODB walk past the announcers. Kay has a swig from ODB’s mickey and when they offer Joe Galli a drink, he says he is too young!
Amazing video recap from Ten Pounds of Gold episode of Storm and Aldis talking about choosing the referees for the title match tonight. Storm has picked Brian Hebner the head referee of the NWA. Aldis has picked Tim Storm as is ref. Storm, who Aldis defeated on the first episode of POWERRR and the stipulation was that if Storm was defeated he could not challenge for the World’s Championship again.
RICKY STARKS VS ARON STEVENS VS COLT CABANA (C) for the NWA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Stevens looks ridiculous wearing the nude-colored trunks again. The Question Mark is in Stevens’ corner.
Starks starts out by going after Stevens. Starks and Cabana work over Stevens and then both try and pin him. Stevens escapes to the floor and hides behind a Christmas tree on the studio floor.
Starks and Cabana exchange offense, Stevens gets back in and they get to get the better of the former Damien Sandow.
The Question Mark gets on the apron distracts the ref and Stevens hits Cabana with a low blow. The crowd boos heavily. Stevens hits a discus clothesline on Stark for a 2 count. Stevens then hits a Side Russian Leg Sweep on Starks. and drops an elbow. Galli explains that Stevens’ time in the Mongrovian Karate dojos has prepared him for the abuse he has taken tonight.
Question Mark hits Cabana in the jaw, outside the ring.
Cabana tries to get back in the ring, but Stevens doesn’t let him back in.
Starks hits a sling blade on Stevens.
Starks and a returning Cabana hit tandem Atomic Drops on Stevens and make a wish on Stevens.
Starks hits a missile dropkick to Cabana and a senton to Stevens. Starks tries an abdominal stretch on Cabana who gets out and puts Starks into The Billygoat’s Curse.
With Stevens outside the ring, Starks and Cabana a good sequence with just the two of them. Stevens is shown hiding by the Christmas tree, under a blanket?!?
Cabana has Starks pinned with his Superman pinning sequence, and the Question Mark hits the Mongrovian Spike to Cabana from the floor. Starks spear Cabana, Question Mark grabs Starks and drags him out of the ring and Stevens sneaks in and steals the pin.
WINNER and NEW CHAMP: Aron Stevens
Crowd boos but still cheers Question Mark. Stevens tells the crowd he used the “power of karate” and takes a victory lap around the crowd.
Fun and silly match.
Tim Storm comes out to talk to Marquez wearing his referee shirt.
NWA WORLD’S HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP. 2 OUT OF 3 FALLS
JAMES STORM VS NICK ALDIS (C)
Video package reviewing (AGAIN) the story leading up to this match. In case anyone has forgotten, Aldis is shown again saying that he has given Kamille the night off.
Fall 1: Ref Brian Hebner
Fall 2: Ref Tim Storm
Fall 3: Ref determined by a coin flip.
They have done a fantastic job throughout POWERRR and this PPV explaining the history and weight of “The 10 Lbs of Gold”.
The match starts out with a series of hammerlocks and headlocks as Storm and Aldis feel each other out.
Kamille comes out and Aldis chastises her to go to the back, which she does. Storm hits the Last Call as Aldis is distracted.
WINNER OF THE FIRST FALL James Storm
Storm keeps saying “Just one more” and is all over Aldis
Storm takes Aldis up into the crowd. Storm bounces Aldis’ head off Marquez’s table. Storm hits a snap suplex on the floor and leaves Aldis outside. Tim Storm counts him to 9.
Aldis whips Storm into the Christmas tree but the camera missed it… Crowd chants Merry Christmas while Bennett explains he is worried about Storm getting electrocuted by the unsafe Christmas lights.
Back in the ring Storm targets Aldis’ legs.
Aldis hits a belly to belly suplex and two clotheslines. Storm regains the advantage and hits Eye of the Storm for only a 2 count.
Crowd chants Nation Treasure at Aldis who is lying facedown on the mat. James Storm goes for a steel chair. Tim Storm warns him that he will be disqualified.
Aldis tries a backslide for a 2 count. Then the champ gets Storm in a small package for the pin.
WINNER OF SECOND FALL Nick Aldis
Both guys brawl before they can have the coin toss to determine the ref for the third fall. Another ref comes out, flips the coin and its tails, Brian Hebner is the ref.
Aldis hits a Michinoku Driver on Storm for a two count.
Backstabber by Storm for 2.
Aldis hits Storm with a Superplex for 2.
Aldis tries another Superplex but it’s blocked by Storm who headbutts to the mat. Storm drops an elbow from the top rope for a two count.
Storm gets Aldis in a Figure Four. Aldis reverses the hold and Storm makes it to the ropes.
Tombstone piledriver by Aldis and the champ goes up top and hits an elbow drop for a 2 count.
Storm signals that his neck is hurt to the ref. Ref checks him out.
Aldis inadvertently clotheslines referee Hebner who is down and DDTs Storm.
Tim Storm comes to referee the match. Storm hits the Last Call. Aldis takes the top turnbuckle pad off the corner, Storm tries for a pin but Aldis kicks out and Storm’s face goes into the exposed turnbuckle.
Tim Storm gives both men a standing 10 count, Aldis gets up and locks in his version of the Texas Cloverleaf but James Storm is out and Tim Storm calls for the bell.
WINNER and STILL CHAMPION: Nick Aldis
Good match, leaves lots of questions.
James Storm was out cold because of Aldis taking off the padding.
Tim Storm was not the scheduled ref.
After Aldis talks to Marquez and says that there isn’t a man alive that can take the championship away from him, the lights go down and MARTY SCURLL comes in through the crowd and they proceed to go crazy.
This was a really fun show and as John P would say an easy watch.
The crowd was super into everyone. The amount of comedy on the card was just right and never seeped into the big matches
There are also enough hanging threads to pick up and see where they lead. The debut by Scurll was a huge deal to the crowd and a great way to end off the show and drive eyeballs to whatever comes next (POWERRR season 2?).
BUT,
For my two cents, INTO THE FIRE came off a little too much like an extended episode of POWERRR. I can’t imagine anyone ordering this PPV who hasn’t been watching POWERRR (and its 9 episodes). The whole show was less than 2 and a half hours (THUMBS UP!) but so many video recaps (THUMBS DOWN).
I would like to see if they can take the energy and vibe from POWERRR in its studio setup and translate that to another location for their PPVs going forward, It would make the PPVs seem like a bigger event and a bigger deal.
All in, good show, thumbs up and I want to see what happens next.
