NWA Championship Wrestling From Hollywood
Episode 80
Taped: April 8, 2012
Okay, after Episode 79 I still have high hopes for this weekly show. Some of the under card sucks but a lot of the top main event slot guys are good. Therefore this show can be very hit or miss sometimes. I hoping with Cabana’s title win, it will give the show momentum and improve the product overall.
-Ryan Taylor opens the show with a promo. He fumbles his words a bit. He does end with a great line though, “The dark horse is coming.” He challenges Scorpio Sky for the NWA International Television Title in the main event.
–Ray RRRRRRRRRRRosas vs. Willie Mack
This was good. Both guys are really talented but they didn’t have a whole lot of time. It seemed like they could have taken the match into another gear, but it didn’t have chance to possibly steal the show. Both guys got some of their usual spots in. Willie did the power moves while Rosas went with the speed and technical moves. A very interesting spot had Willie hit a clothesline but Rosas held onto his arm, hooked it with Willie’s head and took him down for a submission. Willie at one point Tazplexed Rosas all the way across the ring. To one up Willie, Rosas did a Benoit-esque diving head all the way across the friggin’ ring! Wow! The finish was really good as Mack went for the Chocolate Thunder Bomb but Rosas rolled through Dragod Kid style and sunset flip Mack for the upset 3 count at 7:06. Rosas then opens his fanny pack, yes a fanny pack which essentially makes Ray Rosas the Icarus of the west coast, and throws rose petals all over the ring in celebration. Amazing. I had quite the chuckle at that one. Man I wish this had more time. ***
-They showed footage from during the break where The Scorpio Sky Experience offered Willie Mack a spot to join in. They offer him money, women, personal drivers, the works. Willie says no. Sky tries to convince him. Sky says he’s pulling out that card. He say’s the NWA is keeping them down. It’s because there both young talented workers and not because they’re black right? Willie Mack slaps the contract away. I liked this segment. Sky reminds me of Tully Blanchard when he was U.S. and T.V. champ and had the whole Tully Blanchard Enterprises gimmick with J.J. Dillon.
-Angel Lopez vs. ?
Lopez waits for his opponent to come out but from behind comes James Morgan, who is color commentator for the shows, and low blows him. The bell rings and Morgan makes Lopez tap to the cross faced chicken wing in like :10. DUD Morgan then cuts a promo that he’s back and the Family Stone (Stu Stone’s heel group with Adam Pearce) is stronger than ever. Ehh, I think this guy should stick to commentary.
-Footage is shown from Adam Pearce’s locker room moments after his lost last week. Stu Stone cuts a seemingly angry promo about he hates Colt Cabana, revenge is coming, blah, blah, blah, the usual Empire Strikes Back type jargon.
-A jobber is in the ring when Percy Pringle III (Paul Bearer) comes out. He’s like the GM of NWA Hollywood or something. He says he’s making a tournament in honor of himself. The first match happens right now and Shaun Ricker, Pringle’s boy, is entered to face the jobber right now.
–Percy Pringle III Cup Tournament Match: Shaun Ricker vs. Jobber
There’s still rose petals in the ring. Ha! Anyway, squash job. Pringle then sends the ref back because apparently he screwed over Ricker in his last match. He hits his finisher The Gravy Train (A Kryptonite Crunch) and Pringle counts 3. Ricker cuts a good promo afterward. This was whatever. I hope this goes somewhere.
-Johnny Goodtime and Joey Ryan cut a promo on The Tribe. Their challenging them for the NWA Heritage Tag Team Titles at the next set of TV tapings.
–Timothy Thatcher vs. Brian Cage (-Taylor)
Thatcher is from England. Yeah, I’m not buying it. This guy is trying so hard to be William Regal with the grimmest face as if he smells something bad and his mannerisms. Even some people in the crowd shout “William Regal” at him. I hate this gimmick. Anyway Brian Cage (-Taylor) is awesome so this looked to be decent, but it ending up being like half a match. They started with some basic chain wrestling making the crowd chant “This is Wrestling!” which is probably the worse use of the chant ever because that chain sequence was pretty average. Some European uppercuts where exchanged. But Cage wins with a roll up out of nowhere at 4:56. Thatcher does a revenge post match attack and applies the Thatcher stretch (GargaNO Escape) until officials and wrestlers come out to break it up. This seemed more of an angle than a match. But it feels like Thatcher is pretending to be a great technical wrestler almost as if he was a Doppleganger to William Regal like GEKIDO in CHIKARA. I know that seems strange, but that’s the vibe I’m getting. Hopefully I’m wrong about the guy and he can have a good match later on with Cage. **
-NWA International Television Title: Scorpio Sky(c) vs. Ryan Taylor
This was basically a PWG under card match. This was good, but not great. I think it could have been great, but it felt like they were holding something back. Story of the match is that Sky kept trying to lock in the rear-naked choke which is Sky’s finisher. Sky’s character right now is kind of like a fighter that is crossed with boxing, MMA and wrestling. He comes out with a boxing robe and has a ring girl. Sky controlled the match withTaylorhaving brief comebacks before Sky slowing it down to his pace again. The finish sawTaylorgo for his finisher but Sky’s manager distracted him. WhenTaylorwent for his finisher again Sky countered it. Taylorthen tried a springboard clothesline but Sky caught him with an Ace Crusher, held on, rolled backward and turned it into the rear naked choke. Taylor’s arms went down three times for Sky to retain the title at 9:42. Sky has been champion for about eleven months now. Very impressive reign for Sky. I think in Reseda and a different story, this could have been a lot better. ***
*Okay episode. Two good matches, but nothing going out of your way to see. A lot of storylines where either advanced or planted but nothing major like the previous episode. They still have a lot of problems with the under card though. And I’m sick of squash matches. And no Shelley Martinez this week. Boo!!!
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