NWA Powerrr Review - January 18, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Trevor Murdoch Interrupted Matt Cardona and Mike Knox

Cardona pulling out his phone to play his entrance music got a good laugh out of me. I liked how Murdoch didn't stand for his crap and instead came out and challenged him to a match that Cardona didn't want right away. Murdoch showed excellent intensity during his promo and laid the groundwork nicely for their eventual title match. This was a solid start to the show after their involvement in last week's three-way tag team main event.

Kylie Rae def. NWA World Women's Tag Team Champion Allysin Kay

Both of these women are obviously skilled, so it was hardly a surprise that this was a quality contest. The action was entertaining and they made the most of the time they had. Rae teetered back and forth between being a babyface and a heel for a while, but it looks like she's firmly a face now that she's aligned with Tootie Lyn. Speaking of which, I expect Rae and Lynn to challenge for the women's tag titles coming out of this.

Captain YUMA and Ill Begotten Interrupted The Dirty Sexy Boys

It appears Dirty Dango has revered back to his "weird" persona from his NXT: Redemption days, and the dude doesn't look like he's aged a day. Bless him. His eccentric antics likely won't be for everyone, but I found him funny here. Dango agreed to face any three members of Ill Begotten in a Handicap match later in the show. I wish we knew more about who Ill Begotten are because they're almost never on the show and it's difficult to care about them as a result.

Melina def. Madi

Madi, best known as Madi Wrenkowski, has been a regular on AEW's Dark and Elevation shows over the last year or so. She's shown signs of potential, so I'm glad she got this chance to shine against a notable name in women's wrestling. She showcased her skills and was made to look credible in defeat, which was a pleasant surprise. I don't know what's next for Melina, but this win did help her get back on track a bit.

Idolmania Sports Management Addressed the Audience

Ah, my least favorite segment on every episode of Powerrr. I'd say I was happy Austin Idol wasn't out there with them rambling on about whatever, but we got that at the commentary table instead, which was arguably worse. This didn't go on for more than a few minutes, but it felt like forever. They basically established that they want more gold in their stable, to which I say no thanks. This promo wasn't necessary at all if we were going to get them again in the main event.

The Ill Begotten (Rush Freeman and The Fixers) def. The Dirty Sexy Boys in a 3-on-2 Handicap Match

The Fixers were announced as "temporary" members of The Ill Begotten, much to the surprise of YUMA. However, Freeman was on board with it and picked up the win for his team as The Fixers walked out with Joe Galli referencing that they were paid off and their job was done. JTG and Dirty Dango had to fight from underneath and gave it a good effort but ultimately fell short. They told a logical story with this and I assume it'll lead to Dirty Sexy Boys vs. The Fixers in a tag team match. Whatever happened to Dirty Sexy Boys vs. Aron Stevens and Kratos?

Kyle Davis Interviewed Rodney Mack and Anthony Mayweather

Mack and Mayweather both have their issues with Jax Dane. Dane talked trash about Jazz last week and that brought out Mack to defend her honor, so I don't think we've seen the last of those two together. As for Mayweather, he's been feuding with Dane for months and this restraining order of one mile (yes, seriously) ensures that isn't over yet. I have no idea why they keep dragging it out. It's high time both guys move on to other opponents.

Hawx Aerie def. Idolmania Sports Management (Jordan Clearwater and Marshe Rockett)

Clearwater and Rockett are two talented guys, but as previously documented, the Idolmania Sports Management stuff is just awful. The group is going nowhere, which is why Hawx Aerie had to win this match and I'm glad they did. It was a perfectly solid main event, and although there wasn't anything overly special about it, Hawx Aerie never cease to work well together and have enjoyable matches any time I see them in action.

Overall Show

This was one of those editions of Powerrr where it felt like they tried to cram a lot into the hour and not all of it was effective. I appreciate their attempt to build certain matches up with segments at the podium, but it makes more sense to do them right before the match happens and not at a different point in the show entirely, at least in my opinion. Otherwise, it just feels like they're killing time. The women were the highlight of this episode in my opinion, specifically from an in-ring standpoint, and there was some quality mic work to boot. It wasn't the most exciting episode, but the storyline progression was well done.

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