The SmarK Rant for NWA Powerrr – 07.06.21

The SmarK Rant for NWA Powerrr – 07.06.21

Taped from Atlanta, GA

Your hosts are Joe Galli, Velvet Sky & Tim Storm

I skipped the past couple of weeks, but this is a pretty legit loaded show, with the finals of the National title tournament.

NWA TV Title: The Pope v. Sal Rinauro

This is Pope’s sixth title defense, and if he defends it here and then one more, he can cash in the TV title for a shot at the World title. Sal is injured from an attack by Colby Corino last week, which postponed the match until this week. They trade wristlocks to start and Pope takes him down with a headlock and then puts him down with a shoulderblock, which hurts Sal’s injured shoulder for a nice simple storyline. Tim Storm has no sympathy, noting that Sal coming out with his shoulder all taped up is putting a target on it saying “Please attack me”. Pope with a back suplex, but Sal fights back with a corner clothesline and Pope puts him down with an STO for two. Pope keeps coming with a rolling suplex, but Sal superkicks him for two. Pope has had enough and hits the neckbreaker in the corner, and then finishes with the Elijah Express at 4:17 to retain. And that point Tim reveals that Sal was actually working with a broken collarbone. 1 for 1. This brings out Austin Idol and his stable of morons, which I assume means that Tyrus gets another shot at the TV title as the final defense for Pope.

Austin Idol and his crew stop by the desk and Idol does a particularly rambling promo about Tyrus and even the interviewer is like “I have no idea what you’re talking about?” Finally after an extended ramble, Idol gets to the point of Tyrus challenging the Pope for the TV title at some point. And as for the other guys hanging out with him, there’s no I in “team” but there is an I in “Idol”. I don’t know what Idol was smoking but this was a horrible promo that made no sense and took forever to get to the point.

Thunder Rosa & Skye Blue v. Kylie Rae & Serena Deeb

Deeb and Rosa get all BOWED UP on each other and then Deeb backs off and tags in Smiley Kylie instead to turn herself heel. So Rosa and Kylie fight over a lockup and Rosa takes her to the mat for two and tries for a dragon sleeper and then does a nice switch and ends up on top for a facelock before going to work on the arm. Over to Skye Blue, who hits Rae with a leg lariat in the corner and a pair of rollups for two. Kylie puts her down with a knee strike and wraps her up with a Gory Special, but Blue gets a sunset flip for two. Deeb finally comes in and beats on Blue with forearms and then goes to an abdominal stretch while ripping at the face. AND she hooks the foot! Gorilla Monsoon would approve for once. Back to Kylie, but she lets Blue make the hot tag to Rosa and she runs wild and beats on Kylie with kicks before dropkicking Deeb off the apron. So they have words on the apron, but Deeb pokes the eyes and gets a neckbreaker on the ropes as Rae gets two. Back to Blue, but Kylie hits a legsweep and taps her out with a crossface at 7:25. Fun little match and Serena Deeb is a pretty effective heel already. 2 for 2.

Jax Dane and Crimson join us at the desk to continue their awkward tag team dynamic, and Jax is all embarrassed and worried, but then brings out Slice Boogie to be his new tag team partner in a weird thing where the subtext of “exchanging text messages” and jealousy on Crimson’s part is obviously code for something else.

Meanwhile, Kratos admits that he sort of likes his tag team partner Aron Stevens after getting hired to do a job, but respect is earned.

Luke Hawx, PJ Hawx & El Rudo v. Bestia 666, Mecha Wolf & Homicide

Damn, that’s a big pickup on the Mexican side. Homicide was around for the early Powerrr era but then disappeared before the pandemic. PJ manages to control both Wolf and Bestia on the mat to start, so Homicide comes in and puts the boots to the kid. And then they hit him with a triple superkick to put him out on the floor. El Rudo comes in and manages to suplex some guys all over, but La Rebelion double-teams him with a running knee to put him down again. The Hawxseseeses double-team Bestia with a double backbreaker and send him to the floor, where PJ follows with a dive, but Homicide hits Luke with a neckbreaker. Rudo goes after the heels and that goes badly for him, as they slam the babyfaces onto each other, but Luke does a pretty swank moonsault from the outside middle rope onto Homicide for two. But then Bestia and Mecha Wolf hit Luke with a double team into a 450 to finish at 5:55. Another really entertaining match this week. 3 for 3.

NWA National title finals: Chris Adonis v. JTG

JTG has looked fantastic since returning and he could really get a push with the national promotions easily. Also he is the author of two of the funniest books about wrestling I’ve read, Damn, Why Did I Write This Book?, and the sequel Damn Why Did I Write This Book Too? They feel each other out to start and JTG gets a facebuster for two and slugs away in the corner, but Adonis puts him down with a sideslam and a butterfly suplex gets two. Adonis gets a chinlock and then switches to a choke on the mat before chopping him in the corner and adding a slam. J fights back with a clothesline and arm trap neckbreaker, into a pop-up neckbreaker for two. JTG with some knees, but Adonis bounces him off the ropes and into the Masterlock, but JTG powers out. So Adonis goes back to it, and JTG is fading, but Fred Rosser throws in the towel for him and Adonis regains the title at 9:48. Trevor Murdoch, on commentary, questions why Rosser would do that instead of letting JTG fight out of the move himself, but Rosser insists that he had to do it because JTG is his boy and JTG will thank him eventually. Kind of disappointing they jumped through all those hoops with Adonis and then just put the belt right back on him again but there’s clearly an endgame here. 4 for 4.

Really liked this episode, as it had lots of solid wrestling and good storylines that make sense. For the most part, I dunno what was up with Austin Idol’s promo, though.