NWA Powerrr: Time To Pull The Plug?
Will you be paying to watch?
In this edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable, we discuss the return of NWA Powerrr.
Did you watch NWA Back For The Attack? If so, what did you think?
Chad Gelfand: I only saw Aron Stevens’ promo, which was fantastic.
Steven Jackson: Yep, I watched (and reviewed) NWA “Back for the Attack” and really enjoyed the show. The matches were all really fun, and the way the show was devoted to Joseph Hudson was really well done.
John Corrigan: Didn’t see it. But based on Voices of Wrestling’s live tweets, I need to check out the main event and Kamille vs. Thunder Rosa.
Jack Goodwillie: Didn’t see the show, save for some clips. Aron Stevens cut one of the top two or three promos of his career, and it was simple and to the point. I was very impressed, and as a whole, the show was pretty good. It lacked star power of course, but I don’t think they’ll have too much trouble replenishing the roster, especially with post-Mania cuts looming.
Will you be watching NWA Powerrr on FITE TV?
Gelfand: Most likely not because there’s already so much weekly wrestling to keep up with. I don’t think I could fit in another hour.
Jackson: If I can afford to watch NWA Powerrr now that it is only viewable via subscription, yes! However, if I am unable to afford the subscription, I will seek out particular matches and moments where I can.
Corrigan: No. If I won’t pay to watch an exploding deathmatch, I’m not paying for this.
Goodwillie: Not consistently. We’ve begun to see the downside of the streaming era. If you’re going to be invested, you’d better not have cable. I’m currently a subscriber to the WWE Network (soon to be a Peacock subscription), Netflix, Prime, Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu no ads, UFC Fight Pass, Spotify, YouTube premium and most recently, Paramount+. Admittedly, I share a couple of those accounts, but when you add it all up, the total comes to more than $60 per month on content. Then, you need to find the time to make each of your investments worthwhile. Would there be room, financially and timewise, to add FITE, NJPW World and Impact’s streaming service to my queue? It’s hard to say. Right now, I’m passing on that monthly subscription but that could change soon. In the meantime, I’ll be finding the clips I need to see on a weekly basis.
Tomorrow at 6:05, #NWAPowerrr returns to Tuesday nights! If you enjoyed #BackForTheAttack, there’s more where that came from! The stars you know and love are back along with a few… surprises.
— NWA (@nwa) March 22, 2021
Subscribe on @FiteTV: https://t.co/QTgYaEk7HA pic.twitter.com/hHwONTzW3l
If you won’t be, is there anything that will make you watch NWA Powerrr?
Gelfand: I don’t know if there is. Between AEW, WWE, NXT and Impact Wrestling, many of the top and upcoming stars on the scene have been signed, so unless NWA develops a rising star, I probably won’t be too enticed to watch.
Jackson: Same as above, and the thing that would make me watch in a flash is if the show was on YouTube for free.
Corrigan: If Tim Storm challenges Nick Aldis, I’ll pay for that week’s show.
Goodwillie: Take the belt off Nick Aldis. Give it to anybody else, just for a little while. I love Nick as a performer, but for fuck’s sake we’re coming up on 30 months with him as the champion. I know the roster has undergone a bit of a purge in the last year, but make a star and grab some headlines!
Should Billy Corgan cut his losses now and end the NWA?
Gelfand: As long as he’s willing to run the promotion and pay the wrestlers and production staff, then he should keep the doors open.
Jackson: Not at all. The NWA is a great brand and the way it has gradually built back up over the last several years has been amazing. The NWA is more relevant now than it has been for the last 15 years.
Corrigan: Yes. Nobody is watching this on FITE TV. I loved NWA Powerrr on YouTube, but with the roster depleted, so much competition out there and less access than before, it’s time to shut er down.
Goodwillie: No way. The NWA is still able to offer professional wrestling in a bit of a different flavor than most people are accustomed to these days, and there are many wrestlers not previously exposed to WWE and AEW television who are looking for TV time and experience. Plus, I don’t think it’s been that big of a strain on Corgan’s wallet. In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Corgan said, “We were never in any financial peril. We were totally on a growth pattern. The plan for last year before things kind of hit the skids was to start pivoting.” While the landscape has changed since the pandemic began, there’s ample room for Corgan’s NWA to continue to grow.
If you could add anybody to the NWA roster, who would it be?
Gelfand: Carlito seems to be a free agent again, so I wouldn’t mind him popping up in NWA.
Jackson: My good friend “The Man in Black” Alex Salyers. He has all the tools needed to fit perfectly into the NWA, and he would be an awesome threat for the National and TV Titles! Sign Alex!
Corrigan: NWA should incorporate most of Synergy Pro Wrestling’s roster. Now that the New Jersey-based promotion has shut down, we need a new home for TJ Crawford, Brandon Kirk, Kasey Catal, Frightmare, etc.
Goodwillie: Well, the count is 0-2 for my Tessa Blanchard predictions, but let’s face facts here: she can’t be a professional workout warrior, can she? Do those exist? I mean, sure they do, but despite her personality faults, it would be an incredible waste of ability for her to not pop back up on TV soon somewhere. Mexico isn’t currently running shows and that’d be a waste of her talent as well, so there COULD be a fit with her and the NWA. Obviously, her father’s history with Jim Crockett Promotions is well documented so a Blanchard holding gold under the NWA banner wouldn’t be foreign. The kicker is whether or not Corgan can afford to pay her, but she’s also running out of leverage. If Impact wanted to bring her back, or if WWE or AEW wanted to make a play at her, it would’ve already happened by now. By continuing to sit out, she runs the risk of casual fans forgetting her, and the best thing she can do is get on TV somewhere to keep her name on the tip of everybody’s tongue. That said, I don’t believe Allysin Kay is her biggest fan, so maybe it’s not the BEST fit, but a fit nonetheless.
Of course, I heard Andrade might be looking for work right now…
About Author
It is past-time that Billy Corgan made up his mind. Is Corgan committed to resurrecting and growing the NWA brand or not? Since he purchased the NWA, Corgan refuses to insert his own celebroty-self into the fray. Given Corgan’s name recognition, it is probable that this would get mainstream media attention.
Using tired “retreads” never has worked in pro wrestling and never will work. Developing workers with good gimmicks and placing them under contracts is necessary. If a wrestler is to be an NWA standard-bearer, it is paramount that the worker is restricted and can only work NWA cards, not hire-out to non-NWA promotions.
As it stand on this day, the NWA is a spot company. It can be better. But that will take Corgan proving to wrestling consumers that he is serious.