Hello, readers, and welcome to the very first edition of recapping NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood. I am JP Nichols. You may remember my write-ups from the Impact Insight, and I decided to turn my attention to this promotion. It seems to be a very intriguing company that deserves a lot more attention than it receives.
We open the show with a shot of Todd Keneley and Excaliber (of PWG fame) hyping the NWA Championship Match between champion Adam Pearce and Colt Cabana, giving their thoughts on the match and hyping the history that Cabana and Pearce have by showing a a great video package of it, including Adam Pearce shooting a fireball into Cabana’s face.
We get a speech from Executive Director of the NWA Robert K. Trovich talking how about the NWA Championship match must be fair so he is ordering The Standard of Austin Aries, Peter Avalon, and Joey Kaos to face Joey Ryan, Willie Mack, & Scorpio Sky tonight.
Match #1: The Standard (Austin Aries, Peter Avalon, & Joey “Kaos Munoz) vs. Joey Ryan, Willie Mack, & Scorpio Sky
Joey Ryan gets on the mic to start and says Scorpio Sky has a concussion, so it looks like it will be 2-on-3. But it is April Fool’s, so they bring out their real partner, Nick Madrid, who has been feuding with The Standard as well.
Willie Mack & Peter Avalon start off. They collar and elbow tie up, but Mack shoves Avalon down to the ground, showing off his power. Mack takes down Avalon a few times with shoulder blocks, and Kaos tags in. Mack then tags in Ryan, and he and Kaos immediately go at it. Ryan takes down Kaos with a backbody drop and looks for the superkick but Kaos quickly goes outside for a pep talk with Austin Aries. He gets back in and tags in Aries. Aries wants Nick Madrid to tag in, which he does. Aries quickly takes control over Madrid taking him down with a shoulder tackle and a few stomps. He chops Madrid in the corner, but Madrid counters and throws a few elbows. Madrid goes for a victory roll and Aries tries to grab Avalon for help, but the ref kicks his hands off. Aries rolls through and dropkicks Madrid in the face and tags in Avalon. Kaos and Avalon exchange a few tags and start wearing down Madrid. Madrid gets an enzugiri out of nowhere on Avalon and tries to crawl for his corner. Ryan and Aries tag in respectively and Ryan takes down Aries a few times. He goes for the Superkick, which Aries counters at first but Ryan hits it. Kaos and Mack are tagged in and Mack dominates Kaos. He t-bone suplexes Kaos into the corner and tags in Madrid. Madrid lays out Kaos with a DDT and goes for a cover, but gets two. All six men are now in the ring and all hell has broken loose. Mack throws Avalon over the rail into the crowd. Aries (assumingly) took Ryan out as he is holding Madrid’s leg as he is on the top turnbuckle, and Kaos delivers a Yakuza kick to Madrid, takes him off the tope rope, and hits a sitout Fireman’s carry on Madrid for the 1-2-3.
Result: The Standard (Austin Aries, Peter Avalon, Kaos [W]) over Willie Mack, Joey Ryan, and Nick Madrid [L] via sitout fireman’s carry in 6:56.
Pretty solid match here, but not a lot to say. For my first time seeing them as a unit, I think The Standard works very well together (especially Aries & Avalon, since I am not too familiar with Kaos.) I am a huge fan of Willie Mack, and he showed some good power game in here. **1/2
Afterwards, The Standard pose in the ring.
Match #2: NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match: Adam Pearce (C) vs. Colt Cabana
The match has a 60 minute time limit. If Pearce is counted out or disqualified, he loses the belt.
The crowd is completely behind Colt Cabana. They have a nose-to-nose staredown and tie-up. Cabana immediately slaps Pearce, and Adam runs to the outside. The crowd lets him know that he got bitch-slapped. Pearce comes back in and slaps Cabana, who immediately responds with another, and Pearce once again goes to the outside. Pearce shoulderblocks Colt, and then Colt takes him down with a hurricanarana and sends Pearce back to the outside. He goes to the top rope, but Pearce walks away calling for a timeout. Cabana goes to the outside and chops Pearce and shoves Pearce’s head into the apron. He chops him again and drags him around the ring, beating Pearce along the guardrail. The ref tells them to get in the ring. Pearce grabs the belt and looks to hit Colt, but misses. Colt picks up the belt but the ref stops him and takes the belt away. Pearce took a cheap shot at Colt, throws him to the ropes but Colt takes down Pearce with a takedown. Colt does a pescado to the outside successfully on Pearce. Colt brings him back in the ring and hits a straight fist for a 1 count. He puts Pearce in the corner and drives his shoulder into Pearce. Colt goes for another pin and gets two. He puts Pearce in the corner and goes for the ten punches in the corner. Pearce gets under him and drops Colt so his face hits the top turnbuckle. Pearce goes to the outside and grabs a chair and tosses it into the ring. While the ref removes the chair, Pearce HITS colt with the NWA Title, immediately causing Colt to bleed. Pearce BITES the wound, and spits blood at the ref. Colt is completely woozy on his feet.
He digs his fingers into Cabana’s cut, much to the dismay of the fans in attendance. Pearce continues to work the cut and tries to punch Colt, but Colt is hulking up! Pearce pushes Colt into the corner and chops him and bites him. Colt fires back though with chops and punches of his own. Pearce then chop blocks the left knee of Colt. Pearce immediately locks in the Figure-Four leglock, working over the knee of Colt. The fans try to rile Colt up, who reverse the Figure-Four who reaches the ropes. Pearce immediately gets up and chop blocks Colt’s knee again. He trash talks Colt before attempting to go back to the Figure Four, but Colt counters it. Colt goes for jabs and then bites Pearce!. He rolls up Pearce and trys to manuever it into Billy Goat’s Curse, but Pearce reaches the ropes. Pearce hits a neckbreaker on Colt as we go to commercial.
Back from commercial, and Pearce is in a full mount biting Colt’s head. He goes for a cover and gets 2. Pearce hits another neckbreaker and goes for the cover for 2. The crowd chants for Colt. Pearce goes for another neckbreaker, but Colt reverses it into a backslide. Pearce then levels Colt with a clothesline. Another cover for only 2. Pearce chokes Colt on the ropes. He pushes the ref so he does not see Pearce throw Cabana over the rope rope (which would be a DQ by NWA rules.) Pearce throws Cabana to the guardrail and scoop slams Cabana on the floor. Pearce rolls in the ring as the ref proceeds to count Cabana out. Before he can reach ten Colt gets back in and IMMEDIATELY eats a Piledriver from Pearce. He goes for a cover, but Colt kicks out! Pearce is not happy with this at all!. He yells in Colt’s voice “I have NEVER hated anyone more than you,” runs to the ropes, but COLT HITS A PILEDRIVER! Both men are down. They both get to a knee and exchange several punches. Colt gets the upperhand and lays in with the jabs before a big elbow. He goes for the FLYING APPLE! Pearce gets an Okana roll on Cabana but Cabana knocks Pearce off sending him through the middle rope, as we go to another commercial.
Back and both men are on the floor. Pearce is now bleeding. Cabana brings Pearce into the ring, and hits Adam’s cut repeatedly, causing the blood to pour. He throws Pearce to the corner, Pearce counters, and eats a boot. Cabana goes for a sunset flip, Pearce counters, but Cabana has a small package for a NEAR 3 count. Cabana is up, hits a FLYING APPLE for ANOTHER NEARFALL. Pearce is loopy. He begs Cabana to not hit him. The fans want Colt to lay him outs. Pearce gets a low blow when the ref isn’t looking. He goes for a piledriver but Colt reverses and catapults Pearce into the turnbuckle. Another flying apple attempt, but Pearce stops him and sets up in the top turnbuckle. Pearce is looking for a top rope back superplex, but Cabana knocks him off and HITS A MOONSAULT. 1-2-NO! Colt gets up locks Pearce in the Billy Goat’s Curse….AND PEARCE TAPS!~
Result: Colt Cabana defeats Adam Pearce to become the NEW NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION in 22:22 (shown).
Great old school match as you’d expect from Pearce and Colt. I don’t know if I liked this match as much as the NWA Title Match that Pearce had with Albright in Ring of Honor a couple years ago, but this match was definitely great with a lot of fantastic old school-work. From the ways Pearce tried to trick the ref, to the blood, to Colt’s comeback. I really appreciated a lot of stuff in this match. Definitely check this out! ****1/4
The lockerroom empties out to celebrate with Colt as everyone celebrates. Colt then throws chocolate milk out to the fans in the crowd. They show replays of the match and put over how big Cabana’s victory is. The fans chant Cabana’s name. Colt gets on the mic and says even though it was one-on-one, he had all the fans behind him. He puts over the lineage behind the NWA title, and says screw the past it is time for the future: COLT “BOOM BOOM” CABANA!~
OVERALL
Largely a one match show, but this was a great first exposure to the product for me. The one main match on here is totally worth checking out. They really put over just how big of a match this was. NWA Hollywood seems to have a great roster, and I am highly looking forward to seeing where Colt’s reign goes from here.
Good write up man. It was a good match and really I do feel that NWA from Hollywood could spark a lot more talk about the NWA with the talent they are using.
Anyone else see a young Hugh Morris/Bill Demott in Willie Mack? So far, every match I’ve seen of Willie’s has been great fun and entertaining, and I see a lot of potential in him to become a big Indie star. I would however, like to see him go up against some different opponents,seems like 90% of the matches I’ve seen him in have Peter Avalon somewhere on the opposing side.
Agreed, Taylor. I honestly see Willie as more of an answer to Samoa Joe though, seeing as since Joe left the regular independent scene there has not been someone who is a “bigger fast guy” tear it up like him in quite a while. I am VERY excited for PWG Card Subject to Change 3 to be released so we can see how awesome Willie Mack/Roderick was.
Oh wow, Mack/Strong sounds like an awesome match, now I’m looking forward to that as well. Also, MackStrong would make a great Tag-Team name. Or StrongMack.