Once upon a time in Georgia, a man called William Patrick Corgan was decided to bring new life to an old, legendary, and never forgotten wrestling company called NWA. Keep the nostalgic and old-school aspect of it, but with a twist of modernity. With a bunch of renegades, he built a 20-year plan to give themselves the time to succeed. This was 2 years and a half ago. Ever since, Nick Aldis has become the NWA World Champion, defending The Ten Pounds of Gold everywhere he could. NWA POWERRR made his debut on YouTube, NWA have been creating a whole roster. The first PPV, NWA 70, was a success. But Into The Fire was the PPV of a new ear, the exclamation point of Season One of POWERRR. Want a few Nygma words on it? So here we go…

Results:

– Eli Drake defeated Ken Anderson.
– Thunder Rosa defeated Tasha Steelz.
– The Question Mark defeated Trevor Murdoch.
– NWA Tag Team Title Match: Champions The Rock & Roll Express (Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton) defeated The Wild Cards (Tom Latimer & Royce Isaacs).
– ODB & Allysin Kay defeated Melina & Marti Belle.
– NWA National Title Match: Aron Stevens w/ The Question Mark defeated Champion Colt Cabana & Ricky Starks
– 2 out of 3 Falls NWA Title Match: Champion Nick Aldis defeated James Storm (2-1).

Nygma’s Best Bits:

– Eli Drake and Ken Anderson
If Eli Drake won the match clean in a good, basic and strongly-worked opener, Ken Anderson was not happy of the result. When Drake was explaining he wanted a shot at an NWA belt, Ken Anderson attacked him viciously with a chair. Anderson wrapped a chair around his neck and posted him. He fought off officials and then hit the mic check onto the chair to stand tall.

– Mongrovia forever
Aron Stevens and The Question Mark are the stars of NWA. This Mongrovian thing is hilarious. The hymn, the flag, the attitude, the mic thing, that’s nothing else but pleasure. But if you only focus on that, you would miss the fact that both men won their matches at Into the Fire. The Question Mark, whoever he may be, may have won against Trevor Murdoch with a little help from Stevens but his performance was good. When it comes to Stevens, there was no doubt in my mind the Mongrovian state of mind would prevail and make him win the National title. He hid behind the Xmas tree to let Colt Cabana and Ricky Starks fight, he was helped by The Question Mark, but all the stars were aligned yesterday for him to shine.

– Thunder Rosa, NWA’s powerful asset
If I was pretty disappointed by the female tag team match, Thunder Rosa got rid of Tasha Steelz in like 4 minutes and she did it the strong way. When Ashley came to make the save, she killed it too. Rosa is not like any wrestler. Like Allysin Kay, she has the MMA background that makes her a rock-solid talent in the ring. There is no doubt in my mind Thunder Rosa should and could be the #1 contender for the NWA Women’s title. Want some reasons?  Her matches against Kay would be 5-star bouts. And she earned it.

– ODB is in the house, BAM!
As Impact Wrestling infamous reviewer here, you read me say ODB was involved in a Triple Threat Match for the Knockouts title at Hard To Kill on January 12. Not only was I surprised to see her on NWA but to hear Stu Bennett it was not a one-shot. Let’s be honest, ODB has never said she signed with Impact Wrestling. ODB also said she has never retired. Impact Wrestling have never said they have signed her back. Surprise aside, ODB is in the NWA house and BAM! Advice for Joe Galli, you may be young but, if ODB is meant to stay, you will have to try her alcohol, boy!

– Nick Aldis, NWA’s National Treasure
I was slightly unhappy with the match. Kamille came, Aldis told her to go back, Storm got the first fall. Then the Champion was getting his ass whooped by Storm and we were on the way to have a new Champion. But Storm grabbed a chair, referee Tim Storm (not related) did his job and Aldis got the second fall with a small package. Things started to get a little bit more physical with Storm maintaining control but a referee bump, Aldis removing a corner pad, and the third fall went to the Champion. When you know what these 2 guys are capable of, you have every reason to be disappointed because they can provide great matches.
Storyline wise, this was not that bad, they told a good story teasing that Aldis would get screwed, but he eventually overcame. But Storm didn’t quit and can continue to claim conspiracy in that the buckle was exposed, and he lost when Aldis’ man called it off, setting us up for a likely rematch. But now, there will be an umbrella between them…

For NWA Sake:

– Old-school till PPV
NWA Into the Fire 2019 was a strong PPV from the company, staying true to the formula laid out with POWERRR, and delivering strong wrestling throughout. Like Stu Bennett stated, they was no time to go to the bathroom as the matches were short but sharp, no big promos between, and a real true wrestling intensity.

– 2 hours and 30 minutes PPV
You will agree with me if I say beyond 3 hours, a PPV starts to be boring. Usually, I fall asleep or I do something else. Clocked in at a lovely 2.5 hours in length, Into The Fire was a blessing to watch. It even gave the fans this sensation of “I wanted more…”

– The entrance through the audience
That was one of the things I loved the most in Lucha Underground. Wrestlers connecting with the fans right from the entrance. During weekly episodes, wrestlers are coming from behind a curtain. This time, they went down the stairs, high-fiving with the fans or ignoring them.

– A whole roster on PPV
I may be wrong but every NWA wrestler was on PPV. If Dane and Zane Dawson accompanied The Wild Cards and Eddie Kingston and Homicide The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, every wrestler you have seen on POWERRR over the last 10 weeks were there in the ring or at ringside. That is a testament to the fact NWA is not just a brand, it’s a family coming and working together to make the business better.

– The announce team NWA deserved
Wanted controversy? Sorry, that was neither the day nor the PPV for it. Joe Galli and Stu Bennett did a fantastic job at commentary. It was fun when it was supposed to be, intense when the action was intense. Bennett was flawless in the colour commentator role when Galli was into the action. May it still be like that for the next taping sessions and PPVs…

– Marty Scurll
The one who will tell me he saw it coming is a liar. It was known Marty Scurll was done with ROH after Final Battle and it was more or less confirmed he would not sign a new contract on Saturday morning. People wanted to see him on AEW or NJPW. Missed, he signed with NWA. On social media, we can hear the usual suspects saying he is wasting his career there, etc. You know, Marty Scurll brings his umbrella exactly where he wants to. If he chose NWA, then well done!

The next NWA PPV will take place on Friday, January 24, 2020, from GPB Studios in Atlanta, GA at 6.05 PM. Some tapings for NWA POWERRR should happen the days before or after. As announced on Twitter, the NWA National Television Heavyweight Championship will make its comeback. This legendary title has been vacant since 1985. To name a few, Tony Atlas, Blackjack Lanza, Stu Hansen, Terry Funk, Ronnie Garvin and The Iron Sheik wore this belt around their waist.

BREAKING on #IntoTheFire

The NWA TV Title returns.

January 24 on PPV via @FiteTV https://t.co/ZPTySE5pZ0 pic.twitter.com/ryKZtIfpg4

— NWA (@nwa) December 15, 2019

Season 2 of NWA POWERRR is taped this Sunday and Monday nights. What will happen on Tuesday night? Honestly, I have no clue. Into The Fire did its job, it locked the door on a very good first season, opened another on a promising second one. The PPV was full of promises, NWA has been “on TV” for only 2 months and you can feel how strong the product is and could be. All I could add is, this is just the beginning…

All pics and screencaps courtesy of NWA and Fite