NWA Hard Times Review - January 24, 2020

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Trevor Murdoch def. The Question Mark in an NWA Television Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match

This seemed like a strange match to open the event, as it wasn't all that appealing from an in-ring standpoint and the result wasn't going to kick off the night on a high note. Maybe it was because Murdoch went on to become a big part of the tourney, but I would have gone with something else in this spot. It was a fine match while it lasted, but I didn't expect Question Mark to be bumped so early given how popular he's been lately.

Dan Maff def. Zicky Dice in an NWA Television Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match

I'm familiar with Maff from his recent run in Ring of Honor, but it would have been nice to get more background on him prior to this match so more viewers had a reason to care about him. In fact, Dice has been more established in the NWA than Maff and has actually been quite the character on Powerrr. This was a bit better than the opener but was way too short to be anything overly special.

Ricky Starks def. Matt Cross in an NWA Television Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match

This was easily the best of the three tournament matches up to this point in the show. Cross was announced as a Ring of Honor representative, even though he isn't signed to the promotion. I'm not sure if he'll be making more appearances for the NWA in the future, but I hope they bring him back after this performance. He and Starks had a fun match in the time allotted and Starks advancing made the most sense given his recent push.

Tim Storm def. Ken Anderson by Forfeit in an NWA Television Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match

Apparently, Anderson wasn't medically cleared to compete after somehow suffering an injury. I don't know where that would have occurred since he was perfectly fine the last time we saw him on Powerrr (though I realize that was taped a month ago), nor do I know whether this was real or not. I was looking forward to him participating in the tournament considering he's been a big focal point on Powerrr in recent weeks, but hopefully he'll be back soon. Storm's promo was solid as he talked about what the TV title tourney meant to him.

Eli Drake & James Storm def. The Rock 'N' Roll Express and The Wild Cards in a Three-Way Tag Team Match to Win the NWA World Tag Team Championship

Drake and Storm kind of came out of nowhere as a team, but considering they've always had a mutual respect for each other, maybe it makes sense after all. They have excellent chemistry as partners and the crowd is super behind them. I figured The Wild Cards would bounce back by regaining the gold here, but Drake and Storm picked up the surprise victory instead and I can't say I'm complaining. This was an enjoyable three-way tag and the time had come for The Rock 'N' Roll Express to drop the belts.

Thunder Rosa def. Allysin Kay to Win the NWA Women's Championship

The NWA has hosted a handful of truly terrific matches since Powerrr debuted a few months ago, but this very well may have been the best one I've seen yet. Their women's division isn't the biggest, but the level of talent is incredible and this was proof of that. Rosa has been on an undeniable roll since arriving in the NWA and this was her time to shine. Kay put in a phenomenal performance as well and I loved that this lasted as long as it did. Rosa capturing the championship was the right result and the crowd ate it up. You could just feel the tension between Rosa and Melina afterward, so you know that breakup is coming sooner rather than later.

NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis Confronted Marty Scurll

Scurll hasn't made many appearances on Powerrr over the past month, but I'm glad that's changing now that the NWA and ROH are working together again. Scurll's appearance on this pay-per-view should have been advertised in advance, but I wasn't too bothered by it. Scurll spoke about wanting another shot at Aldis' NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, which led to Aldis agreeing to make his match with Flip Gordon later in the night a title match. If Aldis won, however, he'd negotiate with Scurll on his own terms. I loved this exchange and am a fan of how they're dragging their feud out.

Trevor Murdoch def. Dan Maff in an NWA Television Championship Tournament Semifinal Match

Although Murdoch and Maff are big dudes, I didn't know what to expect from this outing since they wrestle two totally different styles. They're both a bit older too, so I didn't have high hopes. It wasn't an instant classic or anything, but as a semifinal match in the TV title tourney, it served its purpose in getting Murdoch to the finals. They were clearly telling a story with him and the crowd was happy to see him continue his winning ways.

Ricky Starks def. Tim Storm in an NWA Television Championship Tournament Semifinal Match

This was much flashier in terms of presentation compared to Murdoch vs. Maff. It went almost a full two minutes longer and they made the most of their minutes by producing a nicely-paced match. Storm is a brilliant babyface, so while it would have been cool to see him make it to the finals, that spot was already reserved for Murdoch. Therefore, Starks advancing over him was logical.

Scott Steiner def. NWA National Champion Aron Stevens by Disqualification

Was it ever explained why Steiner was randomly awarded a title shot? He's wrestled all of one match in the NWA, which he lost. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind Steiner being in the NWA (assuming it's in small doses), but I have no desire to see him challenge for a singles title like he did here. Unsurprisingly, the match was medicare and the finish was flat with Question Mark interfering before Stevens could submit and lose his title. I honestly hope they don't book a rematch.

NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis def. Flip Gordon

Aldis and Gordon have faced off for the Ten Pounds of Gold before, so I expected this to be an above-average outing and they definitely delivered. Gordon gave it a great effort, but it ultimately wasn't enough to win him the title. I've said this before, but I dig how all of Aldis' matches have a big-fight feel to them and how he's made magic with a variety of opponents. Aldis is in full control in his feud with Scurll as a result of this victory and I assume he books their rematch for Crockett Cup, which is where they clashed for the title last year.

Ricky Starks def. Trevor Murdoch to Win the NWA Television Championship

While Aldis vs. Gordon was more of a main event match in my opinion, I appreciated that they decided to spotlight the NWA Television Championship and make the crowning of the new champion feel as important as possible. Murdoch isn't known for having amazing matches, but they told a solid story here with Starks being the up-and-comer that had his number. Starks was the smarter choice to go with in the role, though I'm interested to see what becomes of his rivalry with National Champion Aron Stevens. Will the belts be unified at some point?

Overall Show

For what it's worth, we found out from Stu Bennett halfway through the show that the NWA's next pay-per-view will be the returning Crockett Cup and that it will be held in April. I'm relieved to hear that they aren't doing monthly pay-per-views as I originally feared. At any rate, this was another entertaining event from the NWA that clocked in at a perfect two-and-a-half hours. The three title changes made it a newsworthy night, the inclusion of ROH talent was well done and seeds were planted for future episodes of Powerrr and the Crockett Cup in April. The NWA remains a cool product with a lot to like and enough to make it stand out from all the other promotions. If you have yet to give the brand a chance, this (or Into the Fire from last month) is as good of a place to start as any.