By Jon
COMMENTATORS: Joe Galli & Stu Bennett
Team Morton takes on Strictly Business in a six man tag team action this week on Powerrr and if Team Morton wins then Ricky Morton gets a shot at the ten pounds of gold next week. Also on the show The Dawsons face one another for a shot at getting into the NWA TV Title tournament, Melina makes her singles debut, and Outlaw Inc. face Aron Stevens & The Question Mark.
CHAMPIONS
- NWA WORLD’S HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: “The National Treasure” Nick Aldis
- NWA WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPION: Allysin Kay
- NWA NATIONAL CHAMPION: Aron “Shooter” Stevens
- NWA WORLD’S TELEVISION CHAMPION: Vacant
- NWA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPION: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)
LINEUP
- NWA TV TITLE TOURNAMENT – QUALIFYING MATCH: Zane Dawson vs. Dave Dawson (**1/4)
- Ashley Vox vs. Melina (**1/4)
- Outlaw Inc. vs. Aron Stevens & The Question Mark (**1/2)
- Team Morton vs. Strictly Business (**1/2)
*****
-Galli and Bennett welcome the home audience and hype the Team Aldis vs. Team Morton six-man tag team main event.
–Dave Marquez welcome The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) to the interview podium. Morton says RNR always put the fans number one, which is why they never minded being number two (cool?), and that they paved the way for newer generations to make millions. Morton says he’s just like the fans who have to wake up at the crack of dawn to go to work and pay his bills, and the fans are all that matter to him. Morton reminds everyone that if his team wins tonight he gets a shot at the World Heavyweight Title. Marquez asks who will be on Team Morton; Gibson says they’re going to let Team Aldis keep guessing.
-The NWA Television Title brackets are revealed for Hard Times:
- BLOCK A: Tim Storm vs. the winner of tonight’s Dawsons match, Ricky Starks vs. a mystery opponent to be revealed on next week’s show
- BLOCK B: Zicky Dice vs. mystery opponent revealed next week, Question Mark vs. winner of Murdoch/Latimer (apparently it’s spelled Thom and not Tom, I’ll try to remember that going forward)
-Marquez is at the podium with Zicky Dice and Ricky Starks. Dice asks Starks what he has done to deserve this opportunity, Starks calls him a broke-ass Guy Fieri but Dice doesn’t get it. Starks says he took Aldis to his limit while compared to him Dice has done NOTHING. Starks is coming to eat because Stroke Daddy is hungry. Dice tells Starks to hope they don’t come face to face because the only thing he’ll be stroking is the Dice man’s curls. Real cornball stuff; I like Starks a lot but his mic work has been nothing but corny in the NWA.
NWA TV TITLE TOURNAMENT: QUALIFYING MATCH
Dave Dawson vs. Zane Dawson
“LET’S GO DAWSON/DAWSON SUCKS” chant which is pretty funny. The brothers talk trash, Zane uses his good arm to grab a side headlock. Dave escapes, they run into each other but no one budges. Dave splashes Zane, Zane splashes Dave, Dave tries again but eats a boot and Zane follows up with a flying shoulderblock for a two-count. Dave catches Zane with a dropkick after missing a clothesline and covers for a two-count. Dave charges, Zane sends him into the middle buckle and connects with a running back elbow. Dave pie faces Zane, Zane headbutts him and lays in a series of chops. Dave dodges a forearm and goes after Zane’s taped-up wrist. Ref pulls Dave out of the corner, Zane belts him with a right hand from the taped-up hand for the 1…2…3.
Zane Dawson defeated Dave Dawson via pinfall (3:57)
- An evenly-contested matchup as expected given the two are brothers and teammates. I like watching them collide into each other; no matter how old I get watching big folk clobber each other still puts a smile on my face. Dave selling the right hand from Zane like it was from a cast was a stretch for me though, admittedly. (**1/4)
Zane favors his wrist in lieu of celebrating. No pain, no gain, my friend.
-Hype video plays for Hard Times set to a country-ish acoustic song from Billy Corgan.
-BREAKING NEWS: Nick Aldis invades an ROH event.
-VIDEO: Mr. Anderson denies being bitter, Colt Cabana still believes he can help his friend/tag team partner.
Ashley Vox vs. Melina
This is Melina’s singles debut in an NWA ring, I believe. Bell rings and Vox immediately sends her into the corner with a shotgun dropkick. Melina quickly rebounds though, bringing her to the mat by the hair and clubbing her with blows to the side of the head. Melina charges in the corner, Vox dodges by sliding out to the corner and comes back in with a headscissors that…was a little awkward as they fell into the ropes. Vox misses a corner cannonball, Melina stomps her into the canvas and whiplashes the back of her head against the top rope. Vox with a series of forearms and a headbutt to the chest, Melina responds with a pair of kicks, one Chick and one hook. Melina and Vox trade forearms, Vox ducks a clothesline and goes for the Real Catch but Melina backs her into the corner and hits an inverted DDT, doing the splits on top of Vox to drive her to the mat for the 1…2…3.
Melina defeated Ashley Vox via pinfall (3:09)
- A little wonky but it worked; Melina turning into a hoss is an interesting development and I like her finishing move. Vox brought it with another great underdog performance and had the crowd solidly behind her, hopefully she can ride that wave to some wins as the show progresses over the year. (**1/4)
Galli stops Melina at ringside for some post-match comments. Melina stumbles a bit then announces her intention to challenge Allysin Kay for the Women’s Championship, calling her out. Allysin Kay obliges and tells Melina to say it to her face. Kay wants to fight RIGHT NOW, Melina says not until next week where she will be destroyed.
-VIDEO: Nick Aldis invades an ROH show in Atlanta, attacking Marty Scurll. He then invades again at a show in NC to trash talk Scurll some more. Security forces Strictly Business out of the building. Aldis challenges FLIP GORDON (?!?) for Hard Times.
-Marquez is with The Pope and Outlaw Inc. (Homicide & Eddie Kingston). Pope says Outlaw Inc. doesn’t need a manager, he just worked some of his magic to get them an opportunity. Pope said he told Aron Stevens to step in the ring with Outlaw Inc. if he wants to prove he’s great. Marquez asks if Homicide has been cleared (his left shoulder is taped), Homicide says he’s ready to go. Pope calls Eli Drake & James Storm (who are in title contention) a team of convenience, while Outlaw Inc. are a team of brothers.
Outlaw Inc. (Homicide & Eddie Kingston) [w/ The Pope] vs. Aron “Shooter” Stevens & The Question Mark
Stevens tries a karate kick, Kingston easily catches it and slaps him in the chest and drives him to the mat. Kingston goes to hit Stevens, Stevens screams and takes a powder. Back in the ring Kingston belts Stevens with a right, Homicide tags in and Outlaw Inc. hit a double suplex for a two-count. Homicide with a running forearm in the corner but Stevens dodges the second one and he goes injured shoulder-first into the buckles. Stevens tries a DDT, Homicide counters with a short-arm clothesline and shakes off the pain in his shoulder. Stevens yanks it and sends him to the mat and drives him shoulder-first into the buckles. Armbreaker for a two-count, Stevens goes right to an armbar. Stevens antagonizes Kingston a bit and reapplies another armbar. Kingston has enough of his nonsense and attacks Stevens, Mark hits him with a Mongrovian Spike. Homicide tries a 187 but his shoulder gives out, Mark hits him with a Mongrovian Spike as well and Stevens covers for the 1…2…3.
Aron Stevens & The Question Mark defeated Outlaw Inc. via pinfall (4:50)
- Entertaining match, hard to reconcile THE QUESTION MARK being the deciding factor in getting a win over two legitimate badasses like Homicide and Kingston but that’s a me problem. (**1/2)
Pope walks off disappointed while Kingston checks on Homicide and his injured shoulder. I mean I can’t blame him, they lost to ARON STEVENS & THE QUESTION MARK.
-Ad plays for Dr. Austin Idol: Wrestling Psychologist.
-LAST WEEK: Ricky Starks goes the 6:05 distance with Nick Aldis. Ricky Morton tries to goad Aldis into giving Starks five more minutes but Aldis refuses, Morton then challenges Aldis himself and Aldis still refuses. This leads to tonight’s Team Morton vs. Team Aldis main event, with Scott Steiner stepping in as the third man BROTHER.
-Marquez welcomes Strictly Business to the interview podium, plus Scott Steiner who has a title belt with him. Nick Aldis says he was warned about the snakes in wrestling when he came to America, including Scott Steiner…who turned out to be a real mentor. Steiner yanks the mic out of Marquez’s hand and says he knew Aldis would be a World Champion when he met him, and appreciates getting the call to beat somebody up. Steiner says every day he wakes up he wants to punch somebody, and calls people fat (they’re FAT). Steiner shows off the “original” Tag Team title belt, and says Morton’s team is about to get their ass kicked. High fives all around.
–The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express make their way out. It’s revealed that Eli Drake and Tim Storm will be Robert Gibson’s mystery partners. Aw part of me was hoping for Marty Scurll or Flip Gordon (this was taped before that whole thing though so maybe it wasn’t in the cards yet).
Team Morton (Robert Gibson, Eli Drake, & Tim Storm) [w/ Ricky Morton] vs. Strictly Business (“Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner, Thom Latimer, & Royce Isaacs) [w/ “The National Treasure” Nick Aldis & Kamille]
Latimer beats Drake down in the corner, Drake dodges a splash and connects with a neckbreaker. Gibson tags in, double back elbow. Storm tags in and wrenches the arm of Latimer with a wristlock, bringing him to his knees. Latimer escapes, Storm kicks him in the side of the head and hits a neckbreaker of his own for a two-count. Isaacs tags in and runs into a clothesline and fallaway slam. Storm with a snap mare and running kick for the 1…2…Isaacs kicks out. Gibson tags back in for some forearms then tags Drake back in. Drake ducks a clothesline and hits a powerslam followed by a leaping elbowdrop for the 1…2…Isaacs kicks out once again. Drake gets distracted with Latimer, Isaacs with an ankle pick and a clothesline. Steiner tags in for the first time and connects with a belly-to-belly suplex but picks him up when he covers so everyone can do more damage. Latimer tags in and drives an elbow to the back of the head before locking in a cravat. Isaacs tags in and applies a chinlock. Drake fights out, Isaacs ducks a clothesline and hits a BEAUTIFUL belly-to-back suplex for the 1…2…not yet. Steiner tags back in and hits a release overhead belly-to-belly for the 1…2…Drake kicks out again.
Isaacs tags in and clotheslines Drake, then distracts the ref so Latimer can hit a cheapshot. Latimer tags in and covers for the 1…2…Drake kicks out and we go back to a chinlock. Drake almost brakes out, Latimer rakes the eyes, Drake counters a backdrop attempt with a DDT. Gibson gets the hot tag and catches Isaacs with a pair of rights and a back elbow. Isaacs reverses a corner whip, Gibson hops over and rolls him up with a sunset flip for the 1…2…Isaacs kicks out. Gibson applies a sleeperhold, Latimer breaks it up. Drake tosses Latimer out, Latimer pulls him to the floor. Storm and Steiner brawl on the other side of the ring, the former getting thrown into the steps. Drake rolls in, stuns Isaacs, and Gibson rolls him up for the 1…2…3!
Team Morton defeated Strictly Business via pinfall (9:15)
- And Royce Isaacs takes yet another pinfall loss for Strictly Business. Poor guy. Where was Mae Valentine to help get his head in the game? Good main event, went a lot longer than I was expecting; show has conditioned me to expect like 6:05 tops for matches so when it goes past that it’s noticeable. I enjoyed it for the most part, glad that Gibson got the win and Ricky Morton gets the title shot. (**1/2)
Aldis vs. Morton is made official for next week’s show as the babyfaces celebrate in the ring. OH MAN PLEASE MAKE RICKY MORTON A GODDAMN WORLD CHAMPION IN 2020.
*****
FINAL THOUGHTS: Another solid episode of Powerrr, setting up for a stacked show next week as it heads into Hard Times. Man I really hope they get weird with it and make Ricky Morton champion but I probably would’ve heard about it by now if they had. I’m still going to hold out hope though. I also hope that’s not the last we see of Scott Steiner; at the very least have him around to show up and wreck a jobber for old time’s sake on another episode or something.
- MATCH OF THE NIGHT: Team Morton vs. Strictly Business
- MOMENT OF THE NIGHT: Robert Gibson gets the win for his team, Aldis in disbelief at having to now defend the World Title next week before Hard Times
