NWA Powerrr Review - April 20, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis Interrupted Trevor Murdoch

When Murdoch first came to the NWA, I never thought I'd want to see him in the world title picture, but here we are. He plays his role remarkably well and is the quintessential babyface. He's also cut some terrific promos since the NWA relaunch. He was here to challenge Chris Adonis to a rematch for the NWA National Championship but got interrupted by Aldis. This made me want to see these two go one-on-one for the top title. It also effectively set the stage for the main event.

Sal Rinauro and Tim Storm def. NWA World Tag Team Champions Aron Stevens and Kratos (Non-Title)

Rinauro has been begging for a tag title shot for weeks now and has been promising a former champion as his partner. Yes, Storm stepped up here, but only because he was sick of seeing Kratos bully Rinauro. He was technically declared the winner even though he never actually declared he was Rinauro's partner. The commentators played this up as a massive upset because it marked Rinauro's first win in the NWA. This was a well-done angle and the duo of Rinauro and Storm could have some potential. If and when they get their opportunity to vie for the tag titles, I assume they win because Stevens and Kratos are teasing tension, anyway.

NWA Television Champion Da Pope and Tyrus Came Face-to-Face; Tyrus def. Marshe Rockett and Matt Cross in an NWA Television Championship No. 1 Contender's Three-Way Match

I'm still not sure why Tyrus is paired off with Austin Idol when Tyrus can speak and has spoken for himself, but I enjoyed their promo exchange more than I thought I would. I maintain that I'd rather see other people in the spot he's currently in, but at least they have quality chemistry on the mic. The subsequent three-way was fine with Cross and Rockett doing most of the work. We'll see if Pope can carry Tyrus to a competent contest when they eventually clash for the championship.

Kamille def. Jennacide

This stemmed from Jennacide going face-to-face with Kamille a few weeks ago. I still think Jennacide looks like a goof (not to mention the problematic ring name) and it's difficult to take her seriously as a result. That said, they had a pretty decent match here as Kamille continues to improve at a rapid rate. They matched up nicely and it was a good win for Kamille. The NWA is clearly killing time with her until she gets her chance to contend for the NWA World Women's Championship once current champ Serena Deeb is cleared to compete. Melina is a logical temporary rival for her.

NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis vs. Jordan Clearwater Ended in a No Contest

Aldis referred to this as an "exhibition" in the opening segment. Interestingly, Aldis and Clearwater previously clashed on the December 22, 2020 edition of Shockwave, where Aldis obviously emerged victorious. Clearwater came out of that looking good, but this was over almost as soon as it started due to Adonis and Thom Latimer attacking Murdoch at ringside and the referee throwing it out as a result. Aldis approved of their actions it seemed but didn't attack Murdoch himself, so it was strange. As I mentioned earlier, I assume this is building to Aldis vs. Murdoch eventually and I'm all for that.

Overall Show

Powerrr is slowly but surely catching steam again and it's cool to see. Feuds are building in pretty much every division and the progression of each program from week to week has been well done. Most people seem to have a clear direction and some fresh faces are being incorporated into the mix, too. I don't know if it's worth paying five bucks a month for on FITE TV when the first few seasons were free on YouTube, but I've enjoyed it since the relaunch and I thought this was another efficient episode that moved things along.