Exclusive: NWA Champions Colby Corino and Kenzie Paige Discuss NWA's New Era Ahead of Samhain

Credit: NWA/Hiban Huerta

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NWA's two-night 75 Anniversary pay-per-view extravaganza in late August marked the end of an era for the promotion, while Saturday's Samhain event will mark the beginning of another.

NWA 75 saw several new champions crowned, including Colby Corino and Kenzie Paige. Corino completed his journey to the NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship by beating Kerry Morton for the belt on Night 1 while Paige ended the two-year-plus NWA World Women's Heavyweight Championship reign of the undefeated Kamille on Night 2.

Both will be in action at Samhain this Saturday, October 28th, emanating live from Cleveland and airing on FITE TV, defending their titles against elite competition in Joe Alonzo and Ruthie Jay, respectively.

For Paige, her upcoming clash with Jay is an opportunity for her to show the world what the NWA women's division is made of. Although she praised Jay as being a star on the rise, she added that Jay being a rookie to the pay-per-view scene will be what "eats her up" and gives Paige the ultimate advantage.

"I think in this match you're going to see two women who want to prove to themselves as well as to all the fans that the women's matches are always going to hold up in the NWA, especially on pay-per-view," Paige told WrestleRant. "She's my first defense on pay-per-view and I think it puts a lot of pressure on her as well. This is where we show this is where it is and who we are. From this point on, it's on us.”

The women's division has been a recurring highlight for the NWA for quite some time with Kamille doing an exceptional job of elevating everyone she worked with during her two years on top. Paige is determined to keep the momentum now that the gold is in her grasp.

“With other companies, fans found a lot to cling to, but with the NWA in certain scenarios, all what they could cling to in certain scenarios where what the women were putting out there," she said. "That's almost like an eye-opener. 'These women's matches are getting this much press and attention?' All what the girls bring to the table in the NWA is that we want hold this company up to a high standard like every other company.”

​Corino has plans to do the same with the NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship. Kerry Morton dominated the division for a full year and conquered all challengers, including Corino on multiple occasions. He's already proven himself to be a traveling champ by taking the title to independent wrestling events all over the country and defending it against a variety of opponents.

“I might be a little biased, but I think the junior heavyweight division is one of the best divisions in the NWA," Corino said. "Everybody talks about the tag division, but the juniors really put in some work. We have a different style of match compared to a lot of the other divisions in the NWA.”
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It was only after leaving the NWA for a six-month period and resurfacing over the summer that Corino was finally able to climb that mountain and secure the title that had alluded him for so long. He's more well-rounded than he was the last time he appeared in front of the fans of NWA by modeling his in-ring style after Roderick Strong, using Eddie Kingston for inspiration on promos, and being intentionally unique in everything he does.

Of course, the Colby Corino of one year ago would have loved to be a champion, but he feels it was worth the wait and he was more ready for this run a year later.

"In hindsight, NWA 75 was the perfect time for a Colby win," he said. "I feel like I was a different wrestler and I'm more of a complete performer now. With NWA 75 on the whole, it ushered in a new era and a new presentation for NWA. I'm glad to be a part of that new era as opposed to being just another champion a year ago, which maybe I would have been.”

"It felt like a cloud that followed me around," Corino continued. "I challenged for the belt so many times and never won it. It felt like something I was missing. I needed to win this title to make it to the next level, but now that I have it, I'm not rushing anywhere. I'm trying to setting records with title defenses. It's all about representing the NWA brand the best, elevating the brand and showing people why exactly I'm champion and why I want to defend this title eight times in one month. This is the coming out party, not just for me but the NWA, too.”

​Paige had a similar emotional experience at NWA 75 when he reigned supreme as the new NWA World Women's Champion in what she referred to as her favorite match to date with the promotion (along with the Hardcore tag team match she had alongside Ella Envy at NWA 74).

Having her father and brother in attendance made the moment that much sweeter for her.

"The tears just started flowing," she said in regards to when she saw her family sitting ringside at NWA 75. "This was the payoff for Pretty Empowered, for me, for my family. My dad was an indie wrestling promoter, so wrestling's always been in the family. Dethroning Kamille at 813 days has to put some credit and credibility on my title reign as well.”

Paige is not only the youngest NWA Women's World Champion in company history but also the NWA's first-ever women's Triple Crown Champion having become the inaugural NWA Women's Television Champion earlier this year. She won a tournament to capture the newly-created prize, and following her success in the tag team ranks with Pretty Empowered, she felt her time as TV champ was a trial run of sorts to see if would buckle under pressure.

In the end, the 21-year-old excelled, perfectly preparing her for the NWA Women's World Championship she now holds. Going forward, she's excited to usher in NWA's new era at the helm of the stacked women's division, get more eyes on the product, and make women's wrestling the centerpiece of the promotion.

"New era, to me, as a champion, means that we better be up to standards. My girls and I like to call it the Pretty Era, but hearing new era, anyone who hasn't watched up until this point, make sure whatever you're doing is appealing to that person, capturing their attention and keeping them around. It's not pressure, but it's a task. [NWA] is doing things on their end, now it's time the wrestlers do things on our end.”

Corino shares the same sentiment. He's been wrestling under the NWA banner for years but has grown exponentially since arriving on the scene. He's back where he belongs and is ready to take the company to the next level as a fighting champion.

"I feel like I'm very at home in the NWA and the NWA locker room is a very positive, uplifting place," he said. "Every time I'm there, I get just a little bit better. No matter what, whenever I leave the NWA, I feel like a better wrestler.”

​In addition to Corino and Paige, Samhain this Saturday will feature several fresh faces being showcased. That's the message NWA is trying to send with this new era and that their future is as bright as their decorated past. They'll be two of NWA's many champs leading the charge.

"What I would like to see more of is more of what we're already doing," Corino said. "We're presenting a lot of young talent. I feel like one of the main criticisms of NWA over the years has been that they've showcased a lot of ex-TV talent and I feel like now, we've got that base. We have veteran talents to help the younger people to improve, but now the younger talent has been handed the ball and running with it. I think that's exactly what the wrestling landscape needs right now. We need new stars and NWA is creating them.”

Catch NWA Samhain as it airs on Saturday, October 28th live on FITE.