Holy shit I love it again already. Aaron Stevens is awesome.

andy kaufman

Totally. Who is gonna play Lawler?

Actually Tim Storm vs Aaron Stevens would be interesting. Storm is unable to challenge for the NWA Championship anyway. Could be interesting dichotomy with the characters there.

LOL @ Trevor Murdoch "GOOD JOB KID IT JUS WADENT MY NIGHT"

Ricky Starks with a helluva promo! Kid's got a silver tongue!

MR. Anderson teaming with Colt Cabana is pretty decent.

For the lazy folks

<iframe width="1193" height="671" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/21wZ00iNvb8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Pleasantly surprised.

What the actual fuck? Trevor Murdoch is only 39 :eek:

Glad to see Brian Hebner again. Had no idea that Cabana is a 2-time NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion.

Loved the Austin Idol commercial...

I enjoyed week two even more than week one tbh. I'm kind of invested.

So good.

Ricky Starks has something. He reminded me a bit of The Rock.

Aron Stevens looked really good.

Just going to say it, because credit due where credit due: Eli Drake was awesome in his role this week. Sorry, Eli. I can admit it when I’m wrong.

Waffles & tire irons.

A few thoughts:

First of all...

Secondly, I like how the NWA does one thing amazingly well: They make all of their Belts feel very important. Everyone they featured made it a point to say that they want a shot at the National Title or the World Title. And their Singles Champions made it very clear why they held their titles.

I'd rather see Cabana vs. Anderson than Cabana team with Anderson.

Eli Drake felt a bit more authentic here than he did in his first promo, but he's no James Storm.

My buddy who watched the show a little before me said "James Storm is one hell of a promo." And he's right.

Aldis bullying the commentator is funny. I fell like the run up to Camille finally talking will be good.

Ricky Starks has something to him, and he's a star in the making. His match was solid against a veteran like Murdoch, who knew how to make him look like a star. Get him some women drooling all over him, and you've got money.

Aaron Stevens has this weird Lanny Poffo/Kaufman tone to his voice. He got the fans laughing until he got them pissed off at him. I can see him fitting in well.

Only weak part to me was Wild Card vs. Homicide and Kingston. They just didn't click for me. It was decent. Dawsons were the best part of that match.

That was my thoughts on Episode 2. Also, one more thing:

He's just misunderstood

Another great show. With everyone else trying to do 5 star matches every show this is refreshing.

I meant to mention this: Murdoch put that kid over both in the ring and with that statement.

Because so many times a Roll-up type pin like that is played off as a fluke. Especially when you have matches that go way too long and feature guys kick out of everything from Superplexes to getting a tank dropped on them, only to end with a small package.

Murdoch treated that finish as a legitimate win, not a fluke. And with a kid the NWA is clearly investing in, it's a smart move by a veteran worker.

I gotta put this in my signature.

Don't look for such platitudes from me, though. I will say, however, that he was a lot more tolerable here. Sounded more natural and less hacky, gimmicky, or Dollar Store Miavia. It was just one promo out of years of awful backlog, though, so I'm not going to jump on his dick from one portion of a taped set. This might be a one-off thing.

He's still a shit sandwich, just not a sloppy one.

He's nowhere near the best thing on the shows, but they're not presenting him that way. If he's cutting down on the Mock Rock stuff, then maybe he's listening to Cornette or something, and that will make him a lot better.

The Rock is an obvious inspiration to many, including Drake and Starks on NWA. I can't blame them or say it's wrong, he's the best ever, so it's like when we had 10 Nature Boys... bound to happen.

Eli and James Storm seems like a good potential program. Storm seems to care less for the NWA National title and his aggression is quite heelish. I think Storm loses to Drake and ends up in the 10lbs of Gold scene like he wants in a hell feud with Aldis.

Cabana and Mr. Anderson is interesting. I didn't watch Anderson in TNA at all so it's kind of refreshing for me to see him for the first time in like a decade. They set the stage for his heel turn early on when Cabana topped of Anderson's entrance gimmick. It was a funny moment but I think that it will go further as weeks go on leading to Anderson turning on Cabana and having a program as enemies. However inserting two singles acts into the tag division interests me as well, it's a good way to get a further story, be it they stay together are never quite get a long thus "funny" or Anderson turns on Cabana and we get a reason to really cheer Colt against a bastard heel.

Cabana and Anderson were pretty good. They didn't steal the show, but they were comfortable performing. I think I'd rather see Storm & Drake as a team than as opponents.

https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/n...re-december-14

NWA PPV on Dec 14th, "Into the Fire"... sounds great but....

It looks like they will run the PPV in the TV studio, if that is the case I'm pretty disappointed. I wish they could run a small auditorium/venue that would give a more arena feel than the studio does, for the PPV. Hoping I'm wrong and they announce Center Stage or something.

Well I asked Dave Lagana and he said yes the show will be at the tv studio. Hoping they do away with the set and make the studio feel different for PPV.

I agree. They should at least run something with a few hundred people.

I'm hoping the add bleachers where the set is and do a proper ringside and shoot it with the camera view being the stadium seating. I just want a different feel than the tv.

Week 3, best episode yet.

Hope you guys feel the same. Tim Storm and Eli Drake were awesome.

Wasn't a fan of Aron Stevens part but was a good show.

He's got more chops than Ric Flair

I just think he should be more serious. His movie just felt like one of their commercials, which are great.

He's clearly somewhat of a comedy heel. But he could kinda end up being Honky Tonk man levels of effective (a lengthy mid-card title holder)

Yeah I think that's what he's comfortable with. Similar to his time in TNA with the Liberace gimmick I didn't like.

That’s him. He’s not a serious contender. He’s a gimmicky midcard heel. And he’s great at it. Not everyone has to try to be a serious main eventer.

It's crazy how much this show feels like the old school real deal. It does have an indy quality don't get me wrong but there is a lot more to it than that. Tim Storm have built so much BELIEF in the 10lbs of Gold just by losing his chance to compete for it. Aldis is coming off like a combination of Flair and Bockwinkle mixed with his own thing because he's not just copying he is inspired. James Storm is so vicious... I am wondering who is going to be the challenge for the 10lbs of Gold at the PPV?

I need some Invisible Hair Cream to go with my Waffles and Tire Irons.

The end definitely hinted at an Aldis vs. Drake feud.

I love how Aldis is a dick but doesn’t go overboard with it for the sake of being a heel. He’s very “real” in his heelishness.

it is amazing how the WWE fails to understand the economy of words. If you say less, what you say means so much more (granted you're a good talker).

Even in WWF, during the 80s, with Hogan and Savage, they didn't come out and open up Superstars with a 45-minute promo.

Of course it had to be you that praised Trevor Murdoch. I saw this and was like i hope Rowdy see this but of course you posted it

That was absolutely lovely.

I love that promo, but you can kind of feel Regal losing his place and stepping over his own lines -- but that is fine because it's believable! People can stammer and repeat a word or two and it works alright when they're mad. Especially if they're usually eloquent.

I was never a MASSIVE fan of Regal. I mean, he's one of my favorite memories of wrestling. Friends and I used to do his faces when we were pretending to be mad to crack each other up. But I never took him seriously and could never imagine him as a babyface. That promo made me fucking LOVE the guy in a few minutes. I was genuinely heartbroken when Triple H destroyed him with a sledgehammer later in the show. But props to Triple H, because he genuinely sold Regal in the actual promo itself (his face read "I'm in trouble now").

Another great Regal promo that no one talks about, but stood out to me, was when he was feuding with Edge in that weird period of 2002 when they were struggling to find a new identity. Regal appeared on the titantron and cut a promo about being mocked for being British, and then reminded Edge that he must be pretty stupid, because if he knew about history, he'd know the English are the most barbaric race in human history. I fucking loved that line. I loved Edge as a babyface at the time too, but going back, he does not hold up well. Felt overly forced and he didn't really raise good points, but was doing kind of a Rock/Jericho-lite thing where he'd just rattle off some corny insults that didn't have the same charismatic support.

I haven't watched NWA Power this week, but I intend to. I'm actually saving it as a treat. I haven't done that with wrestling in some time.

By the way, on the WWE 20-minute promo: Obviously the WWF had some great talkers like The Rock that you just wanted to let go, but I really do think the long-winded monologue is a Triple H influence. He could do them fine, some were hit and some were miss, but they got especially tired on repeat and when he had Raw on lock-down. But I think they've got this idea that that is how stars must act.

Loving POWERRR

But then have been watching Tim Storm and Ricky Starks since 2011 or so.

Eli Drake gets my gold star of the week this week.

Great action this week. Ricky Starks feels like the star on the horizon that's going to take them to the next level. Murdoch vs. Josephus was a fun fight, and Josephus getting a little taste of his own medicine was a great payoff. Homicide and Kingston vs. Dawsons was nasty and uncomfortable, well worth it. The Women's match was good. And the Six Man. Oh My God, the Six Man. I am curious where the World Title picture is going.

Kayfabe cocktails

Lol I don’t get what they’re going for with Eli Drake: Motivational Speaker. But I kinda love it. He “should” be a heel but this is working.

Both motivational speaker and shit-stirrer. Or, just a walking plot device. Same with you, no matter what he is, I'm enjoying it.

Trevor Murdoch vs Josephus now in a match between two guys that have come off as jobbers over the last couple weeks yet somehow I’m invested in the match. That’s how you fill time without over-exposing your stars.

This show seems like it’s going too fast which is also a crazy concept nowadays.

Fan, do you think it's possible for anybody other than big dweebs like us to enjoy this awesome shit?

--by us, i mean weiner wrestling fans who are weiners enough to already love wrestling.

Fuck. Buy 3 waffles, get 4 tire irons free is an incredible deal. I gotta make a trip out to Paducah.

Definitely. I mean... it’s purely a nostalgia trip for wrestling nerds like us. But I think there’s a fan base to be had. Ric Flair is “in” nowadays and it certainly isn’t based on his late 2000s WWE run. I think embracing old timey shit is a thing nowadays. Especially as throwaway YouTube entertainment.

The only problem is that, as an old school wrestling fan, it’s tough to explain the charm of the slow build. It’s been 25 years since that was a thing.

was aaron stevens always this out of shape and doughy?

Iceman King Gertner approves of this show

Surprised Gertner loves this. When I think Gertner, I do not think of studio wrestling.

Think he was a lot more fatter or pudgy looking from the time between his WWE release till taking a break from wrestling for theater-related stuff.

Mr. Anderson’s pudginess was more alarming to me but I missed most of his TNA run.

I fucking love this show.

I think the camera angle and lighting both play a roll in the guys' bodies looking weird. This isn't a "body-first" company so it's not like the WWE, where they're focused on everyone looking like an action figure on-screen.

Oh God yes. I love NWA wrestling from the mid to late 80s. Especially Center Stage tapings.

Aron Stevens did have some fat man boobs forming but he's pretty entertaining.

Yeah he's got a nice act. Just something I noticed.

Something I thought about since watching this show: everything on the show took place for a reason, and everything made sense.

That is good booking, plain and simple.

Aron Stevens looks like he has slimmed down in the face. He’s not cut or anything, but I remember him being bulkier in WWE.

It’s so strange how they’ve brought new life to so many guys I was pretty tired of or soured on like Ken Anderson, James Storm and even Aaron Stevens. This is a pretty wild creative boom in the industry.

NWA seems real. The characters, rather than being idiotic caricatures that only do things because the script tells them to, react as real people would to their various circumstances.

I think Fan discussed how he cared about the Jocephus vs Murdoch match -- it's because even those are undercard dudes, they're still put over as tough men, not to be fucked with. Sure, they're not title contenders, but their inability to hang with the truly top tier guys doesn't mean they're fucking loser nerds who can't get laid (or who are cucks). They're still mean and nasty men who'll kick your teeth out, given the chance.

And guess what... that means when Nick Aldis is doing a featured non-title match against Trevor Murdoch where the winner is obvious, he can still get over despite his opponent's standing. Why? Because Aldis could show grit against the nasty Texan, who'll likely try to dirty things up with his smashmouth style.

I just came in here to say I found myself fantasizing about Trevor Murdoch today. Fuck, he might be one of the more underrated guys in the business. I wish I had appreciated him more earlier.

Everything he does is so minimal but so spot-on. And his promos made me love him. His promo about wanting a contract with the NWA made me think about all these stories that could involve him proving himself and shit. And that’s just to get a job at the entry level. I’m probably going to wipe away a tear when his mug celebrates earning a contract.

I thought they would do Aron Stevens in that sort of role. But man, can you imagine an arena full of “Captain Morgan” chants and that “No!”/“Yes!” shtick?

I like that Anderson isn’t doing his own introductions all the time.

Colt Cabana has impressed me. When he’s not being a complete goof, him being a goof is just his personality. He’s the underachieving class clown that you know is really smart. Or the guy with lots of good ideas that just doesn’t follow through enough. He’s what people have tried to tell me Orange Cassidy is.

I haven’t done this in ages, but I made up a story in my head about Marti Belle’s style. She’s all about ring positioning. So much of her offense is tripping her opponent and her hitting the ropes, which a lot of women don’t do. Vox managed to beat her because she had the veteran’s tested maneuver scouted and Belle went for it too many times. Vox got her planned counter in and Hebner was right in position to count to fall — ironic for Belle who is all about placement. None of that may have been intentional, but it worked for me, and I enjoyed the shit out of the match for that.

I appreciate your enthusiasm and positivity but good lord you're a strange fellow.

:rofl:

:lol::rofl::lol::rofl::lol:

Of all people, Trevor Murdoch?

Apparently Jim Cornette got into trouble with NWA management regarding recent Twitter rants involving him promoting suicide for his critics.


Edit: NWA probably not going to be happy finding out that after releasing the statement, Cornette's been retweeting tweets that are bashing people who complained about him openly telling others to go kill themselves.

I thought for a second that the National Suicide Prevention Life Line was their own thing they were branching out with (I’m not American). It’s early.

Cornette’s rants are wonderfully on-point and colorful, but it’s the passion and the logic that make them glorious. He doesn’t need to use violent imagery. The guy is obviously able to censor himself and be TV friendly. Someone just needs to tell him that’s not the sort of edge he needs. He’d be far more “edgy” just being blunt about things and not stooping to that level.

He’d be a huge loss to the NWA.

He's not capable of long term employment. The past shows that. I wonder who they can replace him with that would make sense?

Looking up Cornette’s Twitter, I can’t see anything about any suicide stuff. His retweets seem to be in regards to Joey Mercury’s issues with ROH and “Greg the Office Boy.” Cornette famously had issues with Greg at ROH. I don’t think it’s about being censored by the NWA so much as it is one of his boys being fucked over by corporate management.

Well, that’s not true. Dude was working for the WWF/E, TNA and ROH for years, and he quit that because of his issues with how it was run. His work with MLW was always part-time.

The guy hasn’t worked or needed to work a job outside wrestling.

He was just telling people to go kill themselves is all. Nothing really too crazy for Cornette.

Well, that’s not cool anyway. Cornette has been in the bubble of wrestling for a long time, so he doesn’t care about winning internet arguments with tact and avoiding certain logical fallacies when he wants to yell at people, but he’s obviously smarter than that. He’s got so much to offer, but it’s just the wrong way to fall when you’re using mental illness to fuck with people. But it should be noted that he doesn’t go after Super Humman hard because “there’s obviously something there.” He’s doing it in the abstract for effect, and it’s just not effective anymore.

Really looking forward to hearing Joey Mercury on the Experience if Cornette can get him. But the NWA and ROH have a good working relationship, so that might be dicey.

God, ROH is such a hole. Mercury is accusing Greg of lying about talking to Kelly Klein about working with a concussion and Mercury caught it and is PISSED.

Except that's not at all what happened.


The story makes it out like Cornette told the girl to commit suicide or some friend of hers. This is not true at all. Cornette reviewed some wrestling match (over a YEAR ago) and said the ring announcer was so poorly dressed he should have been drug out into the parking lot and hung. Which was obvious hyperbole and was not at all him encouraging suicide. When this girl brought it up, Cornette gave the line that others could have been involved in the hanging. Again, an obvious joke, since no one was hung and no one would hang someone for being poorly dressed. The "sexist" stuff was Cornette working her up, because this lady constantly attacks Cornette on Twitter and pointed to an old Andy Kaufman line he used on someone else as sexist. The whole thing is stupid snowflake nonsense. Cornette says a lot of over the top things about people, but he was not encouraging anyone to commit suicide.

Not surprising as Jim Cornette despite his antics as clearly a decent man.

These fucking bitches are unbearable. Looking for a reason to get offend just because he doesn't like the wrestling you like. Jesus Christ. What the fuck has happened.

Not that I don't tune Cornette out when he goes on rants. The minute AEW gets brought up on his The Drive Thru I skip ahead. I was gonna stop listening, but I do enjoy listening to him talk old wrestling. I think I only heard 30 minutes of the show this week .

I enjoy his podcast but it's gotten to the point where he's just hating on most things. He's not wrong about alot of stuff especially his stance on women's wrestling. Should really just go back to the classics but the hate is really too good to pass up and he's a natural heel so he can't resist.

He's pandering to his audience, which I totally understand.

It's just old.

I love listening to Cornette’s takes on new stuff because it actually teaches me shit. Often something doesn’t sit well with me and I don’t understand why, and he kind of clears it up. It’s especially good when he goes into the psychology of booking and stuff. I hate the “out of touch” criticism, because it’s obvious this guy keeps up. Didn’t he get excellent reviews from MLW because he was more “up-to-date” than Bruce Prichard, who actually tries to endear himself to that audience?

Cornette is obviously not really calling for people to be hurt. His piece on Omega this week was pretty funny. And the line he’s apparently gotten into trouble for wasn’t even about suicide. That being said, I don’t mind people calling out disgusting shit. It’s just when they actually miss the point. With Cornette, it’s usually because people miss the point. If Cornette actually said something egregious, but the point was taken for what it was, and someone was just like “Hey Jim, maybe don’t use (example) because of (valid reason)” then I’d be fine with it. Honestly, Cornette probably would be too (the wake of the Sonny Kiss stuff).

People have their ideas about Cornette being out of touch and start there and then just pin a bunch of warped values he doesn’t actually hold on top of that. Because he “hates everything,” he must hate whatever thing you can pull out of a hat, for example.

He just thinks his way is the best. Similar to Vince which is why they both get the out of touch stuff.

It’s not really “his way” though. Vince comes up with crazy, zany ideas. Cornette just thinks wrestling should make sense. Most of his shit is borrowed because it works.