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The second half of 2019 has been a great time for professional wrestling in terms of the rise of alternatives for WWE. While AEW is the obvious choice, another promotion that has been making waves is the granddaddy of wrestling promotions, the National Wrestling Alliance.
While not up to the level of NJPW or AEW, NWA has distinguished itself with its highly entertaining Youtube show named 'Powerrr'. While the prestige of the NWA World Heavyweight title had been at all overall low during the past few years, the new Billy Corgan owned NWA has sought to re-establish the brand, and so far the outlook is good.
'Powerrr' takes the users back to the forgotten studio wrestling environment, with a roster consisting of new faces and former WWE/Impact wrestling personnel. This article takes a look at 3 ups and downs for the show.
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1. Up - Authentic retro feel with a great Champion
What makes NWA Powerrr different from any other wrestling show is the fact that it is a genuine throwback to 80's wrestling. With the studio environment being completely new to a large number of fans, it is a unique setting.
Powerrr also makes sure that the show is primarily about the NWA World's Champion and Nick Aldis makes a great Champion. Aldis has been carrying the gold for over 430 days now and his steady run has given credibility back to the title. The fact that the NWA Championship was featured on the 'All in' PPV and that Aldis beat Cody Rhodes to begin his latest reign have also helped.
Aldis also dresses the part, similar to the likes of Ric Flair and the matches against him instantly have a 'big bout' feel. He has also built a heel stable around him with Kamille, Thomas Latimer, and Royce Isaacs. In addition to this, Powerrr has also tapped into nostalgia, with the Rock n Roll express reigning as the tag team champions and the likes of Trevor Murdoch and James Storm adding an old-school flavor. With their first PPV 'Into the fire' getting a positive reception, NWA no longer seems a dead brand.
2. Up - Tim Storm: The best pure babyface in all of wrestling
A majority of wrestling fans might not have heard of Tim Storm - Storm is a 54-year-old school history teacher from Euless, Texas who has also been wrestling for the past 25 years. Storm was the NWA Heavyweight Champion when Billy Corgan purchased the NWA and before Nick Aldis came to the picture, he was the primary focus of the NWA Youtube shows.
'The ten pounds of gold' series primarily focused on Storm and his ascent to the top of the NWA, with Storm describing the title as his 'mountain top'. Storm has continued to remain relevant even after losing the title to Aldis, with his sympathetic babyface persona.
Storm might be the best pure babyface in all of the wrestling - his impassioned promos, his fight for the title as well as his fight against father time and his allegiance to the history of the NWA have all resulted in Storm getting a strong following. Mamma Storm's baby boy seems to be in line to challenge Aldis once again and the program has the potential to elevate Powerrr even further.
3. Down - Aaron Stevens is not comedy gold
NWA Powerrr isn't perfect - With most of the talent allowed to say what they want on TV, it has resulted in a number of goof ups during promos. Then there is Aaron Stevens.
The former Damien Sandow may not have had trouble remembering his lines, but the issue is that with him being given creative control for his character, the promos he comes up with are pretty bland and boring. Tapping into the comedy component that got him over in the WWE, Stevens has been putting out promo after promo which have proved that he is actually an overrated performer - in terms of in-ring work as well as mic skills.
His thespian promos have been bad to the point of cringeworthy, whereas his new partnership with 'Question Mark' seems to be interesting only because of the latter's presence. The only reason he is pushed seems to be because of his past WWE history and he hardly deserves the NWA National Championship that he currently holds.
For a person who got over by becoming a stunt double, Stevens was always going to struggle as a solo act and his stint outside the WWE has proved it.
4. Down - No real challengers for Nick Aldis
Another issue with the NWA is that while Nick Aldis is a great Champion, there is hardly anyone on the roster who seems to be a genuine challenger for the Brit. The likes of James Storm, Eli Drake and Colt Cabana have all been positioned as a level below Aldis, where as Tim Storm is in the position of 'close.. but no cigar' challenger while feuding with Aldis.
One exception to this is the person who showed up at 'In to the fire' to close out the show - Marty Scurll. NWA has teased Scurll vs Aldis since then and while the Villain remains a high profile draw and a worthy opponent to take Aldis' title, all rumours point towards a short run for Scurll in NWA.
A free agent as of now, it seems inevitable that Scurll would make a jump to AEW once he honours his independent dates and NWA would surely once again fall back on Aldis. NWA needs to develop younger talent and build them up to have an alternative.
5. Up - Kamille is the most over person in NWA
The biggest homegrown talent on NWA Powerrr is undoubtedly Kamille. Nick Aldis' insurance policy, the 5'10 160 pounds former Women's Football (American) star has turned heads with her presence alongside Aldis.
She has had zero matches on TV and she hasn't even spoken a word, but the audience is intrigued. A storyline exploring why she hasn't been allowed to talk on TV by Aldis eventually led to Kamille teasing a confrontation with the Champ before eventually attacking Aldis' foe Tim Storm and revealing it all to be a ruse.
Kamille would remind the WWE Universe of an attitude era Chyna and she definitely has the attributes to be a top female competitor. She had been wrestling in smaller independent promotions, so it might just be a matter of time before she steps inside an NWA ring as well.
6. Down - Sometimes old school is not cool
Jim Cornette recently lost his job as NWA Powerrr commentator after making a racist joke. The fact that NWA allowed the taped episode to air with the comment initially and then chose to punish Cornette seemed a little odd, but old Jim got what he deserved. The controversy was needless and it got NWA a lot of negative press.
While it was an isolated incident, NWA Powerrr does seem to be catering too much to the stars of the past while ignoring up and comers. Former WWE diva Melina has been given a prominent spot on the women's roster even though she hardly wrestles while the likes of Aaron Stevens is also pushed really hard.
The Rock n Roll express as the tag champions is definitely catering to nostalgia and it shouldn't hurt if it is a short term move. Ricky Morton pulling off a Canadian Destroyer in a match definitely warrants the tag title the team possesses, but sooner than later younger talent needs to get over.
