NWA Powerrr Review - January 4, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Jamie Stanley def. Jeremiah Plunkett, Miguel Robles and Alex Taylor in an NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship Tournament Play-In Four-Way Match

Considering Stantley was the only one of the four to get mic time beforehand, it was pretty predictable he was winning. He was also the only one to really stand out during the match. Plunkett has been an NWA regular for a while now, but we don't know much about him other than he's the resident jobber of the promotion. Thus, Stanley was the right choice. The Rude Dudes are entertaining and this was a fine four-way to get Stanley into the bracket despite some clunky moments.

The Dirty Sexy Boys Interrupted Aron Stevens and Kratos

I still feel weird typing "Dirty Sexy Boys", but it's the team name JTG and Dirty Dango, so I guess that's what we're going with. They're the perfect foil for Stevens' new (old?) character. This was a bizarre confrontation (with Kratos looking wildly out of place), but I realize that was the point. It actually felt like something we would have seen on that Redemption season of NXT (back when there were seasons) a decade ago. If nothing else, this continued the feud between the two teams.

Marshe Rockett and Jordan Clearwater def. Cyon in 2-on-1 Handicap Match

I believe the stipulation was that if Cyon won, he would've earned another shot at Tyrus' NWA Television Championship. It told a solid story of him fighting from underneath only to come up short. At this point, I have no idea why this feud is still going. I understand they're trying to drag it out, but considering Cyon lost clean here (though the odds were stacked against him), it might be time to move on. I also have no idea why they haven't revealed his identity yet. It's long overdue.

The Smiley Dragons def. NWA World Women's Champion Kamille and Missa Kate

I'm curious if Kylie Rae and Tootie Lyn, a.k.a. The Smiley Dragons, will be a regular team going forward, but either way, they worked well together here. Kamille and Kate teased tension beforehand, telegraphing the finish of this match. It was fun with everyone getting a chance to shine. With Rae picking up the victory for her team, I assume she'll be next in line for a shot at Kamille's title. I just wish they'd define her character better because I feel like she's constantly bouncing back and forth between being a babyface and a heel.

Matt Taven def. Wrecking Ball Legursky

I really like the pairing of The Fixers and Colby Corino, and it appears The OGK will be appearing regularly for the NWA from here on out while Ring of Honor is on hiatus. I've been following the careers of Taven and Legursky for a long time through Northeast Wrestling, and seeing as how both men are former Northeast Wrestling Champions, it was cool seeing them go one-on-one here. Legursky can move around really well for a guy his size and Taven is obviously very talented, so this was a quality contest.

Kyle Davis Interviewed Matt Cardona and Mike Knox

Knox was present for this segment, but Cardona did all the talking. I honestly thought this was one of the best promos I've heard Cardona cut. Yes, he talked about action figures at one point, but everything he said was relevant to his rivalry with Trevor Murdoch. His gimmick is basically that he's attempting to bring "sports entertainment" to the NWA and that automatically makes him a heel, of course. This left me looking forward to Cardona challenging Murdoch for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship at some point.

Natalia Markova def. Paola Blaze

Truth be told, Blaze just isn't very good due to being green. Maybe she'll improve and I applaud her effort, but she clearly has a long way to go. Thankfully, Markova was on offense for a majority of the match and was therefore in control, not allowing Blaze to get much in. With Markova winning decisively, it will be interesting to see if Taryn Terrell cuts ties with her, especially now that Jennacide isn't part of their mini group anymore.

Homicide and NWA World Tag Team Champions La Rebelion def. Jax Dane and The End

I'm always down for a Homicide appearance whenever and wherever I can get one. It continues to amaze me how he's competed for the NWA, ROH and MLW in the last several months, not to mention all the stuff he's done with GCW and the one-off appearance he made in AEW back in September. This was a well-worked main event with an enjoyable clash of styles. The finish came off a bit awkwardly, but it looked like the intention was to protect Parrow in defeat.

Overall Show

When I saw the hour-and-17-minute runtime, I was worried the show would be filled with a million different segments as it has been in the past. However, the fact that wasn't the case was a pleasant surprise. Almost all of the matches featured pre-match promos from some of the competitors involved and there were some backstage promos as well. A majority of the matches were given more time than usual and the ones that weren't didn't need it. I really liked the layout and served as a strong start to the year for the NWA.

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