By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
NWA Nuff Said Pay-Per-View
Streamed live February 11, 2023 on FITE.TV
Tampa, Florida at the Egypt Shrine Center
This is a large convention center room; the fans are seated in ornate chairs. The crowd is maybe 400. Joe Galli and Tim Storm provided commentary. We start out with four pre-show matches that are available on the NWA YouTube page.
NWA Nuff Said Pre-Show
1. La Rosa Negra defeated Missa Kate at 6:06. LRN put Kate on her shoulders and did an airplane spin to get a nearfall. She hit several legdrops across the throat, then a top-rope frogsplash for the pin. Solid match, and the crowd liked it.
2. Dak Draper and Mims defeated Blake Troop and Jax Dane at 7:32. I don’t think I’ve seen Blake Troop before; he has a chain (think 1980s Hercules) around his neck and he wrestles barefoot. Blake and Dane attacked before the bell. Blake removed his shirt and he’s got a great physique; he beat up Mims in the corner. Dane hit a Samoan Drop on Mims. Draper made the hot tag at 2:30, but he missed a springboard move. Dane hit a decapitating clothesline.
Blake entered and hit a gut0wrench suplex on Draper. Blake is making me think of a taller, stronger Tom Lawlor with his MMA look and style. Draper hit a big German Suplex on Dane at 6:00. Mims entered and hit a clothesline. Draper rolled up Blake Troop for the pin. That was decent and will probably be better than several matches on the main card.
* May Valentine interviewed EC3 backstage. May said he has signed a full-time NWA contract. EC3 said he’s bringing people back to the sport they love.
3. Odinson defeated Joe Alonzo at 6:56. Odinson is taller and thicker, and he easily shoved Alonzo to the mat. Alonzo crotched Odinson around the ring post. Alonzo worked as the heel, ripping up a fan’s foam finger at ringside. Odinson, who has been a heel here in recent months, is being cheered. (This feels random; when did Odinson become a fan favorite again?) Odinson hit a side slam for a nearfall at 4:30. Alonzo hit an enzuigiri. Odinson hit a gorilla press and a legdrop to the throat for a nearfall.
Alonzo dove through the ropes onto Odinson; there is very little room on the floor. Alonzo hit a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall. Alonzo missed a Lionsault Press. Odinson nailed a Pounce, then a Lesnar-style F5 slam for the pin. I do think Odinson works better as a babyface, so this is the right call.
* May Valentine interviewed Thrillbilly Silas backstage. Silas said that Kratos made it personal by attacking Pollo Del Mar when they last fought. They have each won one match, so this is the rubber match. He said Kratos “isn’t going to survive the thrill ride.”
4. Mercurio & Natalia Markova defeated Jennacide & Max the Impaler (w/Amy Rose) at 7:00 even. Mercurio kissed Jennacide’s hand at the bell; she shoved him to the mat. Jennacide hit a slam on Natalia for a nearfall. Max entered at 2:00 and bodyslammed Markova. Max hit a running Stinger Splash in the corner. Mercurio and Natalia hit a team suplex on Max. Max and Mercurio stood nose-to-nose, and they traded forearm shots.
Mercurio dropped Max with a superkick, but he missed a moonsault. Max dropped him with a clothesline. Max and Jennacide began arguing in the corner. They shoved Natalia back and forth at each other. Natalia hit a double-arm DDT to pin Jennacide. Ok match that was often comedy.
* Magic Jake Dumas hit the ring, cigarette dangling from his lips. He jawed at Mercurio. Dumas shoved Mercurio.
NWA Nuff Said Main Card
Velvet Sky has joined the commentary team.
1. Thom Latimer defeated “Psycho Boy” Fodder at 6:22. They each carried a Singapore cane to ringside; Latimer chased him around the ring. Fodder gets in the ring and I start the clock. Thom hip-tossed Fodder across the ring and dropped him face-first on the top turnbuckle. They fought on the floor. Latimer jumped off the top rope, but Fodder caught him with a blow from the cane. Fodder took control in the ring. He hit a Russian leg sweep with the cane across the throat at 3:00 for a nearfall.
Fodder hit Thom several times across the back with the cane and got a nearfall. Thom fired back with a series of punches. Thom nailed a jumping piledriver. He applied a crossface move with the Singapore cane in Fodder’s mouth, as Thom cranked back. Fodder tapped out. Short but enjoyable.
* May Valentine interviewed Matt Cardona backtage. Cardona said he previously won the title fair and square, and he was never pinned for the title. He vowed to make history later tonight and be a two-time NWA champion.
2. Kerry Morton (w/Ricky Morton) defeated Alex Taylor to retain the NWA Junior Heavyweight Title at 10:29. Morton has a wrap on his broken right thumb, but it doesn’t appear to be a thick cast like he was wearing during his recent matches in GCW. Quick reversals at the bell. Kerry hit a dropkick. They fought on the ring apron, where Kerry hit a DDT at 4:30. Taylor dove through the ropes onto Kerry. In the ring, Taylor hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall, and he stayed in control.
Kerry hit a swinging neckbreaker at 7:30. He pulled down his kneepad and hit a kneestrike to the chest for a believable nearfall. Taylor hit a superkick. Kerry hit a modified Sister Abigail slam for the pin. Decent match. Kerry worked well here as a babyface, but I really enjoyed his heel work in GCW.
3. Thrillbilly Silas (w/Pollo Del Mar) defeated JR Kratos at 10:06. They traded punches at the bell. Silas hit several shoulder tackles. They brawled to the floor, and Kratos slammed Silas on the ring apron at 2:30. In the ring, Kratos hit a suplex. He removed a corner buckle pad. Kratos hit a short-arm clothesline for a nearfall at 4:30 and he stayed in control. Silas fired back with some open-hand slams and a bodyslam at 7:00.
Silas hit a Stinger Splash in the corner and a hard clothesline, and they were both down. Silas nailed a standing powerbomb for a believable nearfall. Kratos hit a bodyslam for a nearfall. Silas hit a Boss Man-style sidewalk slam for a believable nearfall; I thought that was it. Kratos leapt at the corner and landed face-first on the exposed turnbuckle. Silas immediately applied an Anaconda Vice on the mat, and the ref stopped the match, as Kratos was gushing blood from his head. As Silas headed to the back, he wiped the blood all over his chest and face. Gross.
* May Valentine interviewed Angelina Love backstage. Love mocked May, and she said she’s wrestled bigger girls in every promotion she’s been in. She was confident she could end Kamille’s 600-day reign as champion. Love made fun of May for appearing on the cover of Playboy magazine. (I truly didn’t know they still made printed editions!)
4. Robyn Renegade and Charlette Renegade defeated “Pretty Empowered” Kenzie Paige & Ella Envy to win the NWA Women’s Tag Titles at 8:58. The Renegade twins came out first, and one has makeup over the left eye and the other twin has it over the right eye… isn’t that ruining the ability for the ‘twin magic switcheroo?’ I see their tops aren’t exactly identical, either. Charlette has a shirt that covers more skin; I can’t otherwise tell them apart. Ella stalled on the floor. One of the twins hit Ella on the floor and tossed her back in the ring.
Kenzie hit Robyn from behind as Robyn was headed to the top rope, and PE began working over Robyn in their corner. Kenzie choked Robyn in the ropes and she barked at the referee. Ella hit a rolling cannonball for a nearfall at 5:30. PE hit a team slam for a nearfall. Charlette made the hot tag at 8:00 and she hit a fisherman’s suplex on Ella for a nearfall, but Kenzie made the save. Ella missed a spin kick; Charlette ducked the kick, got a rollup, and pinned Ella. New champions! The crowd cheered for the well-deserved new champs.
5. EC3 defeated Kevin Kiley Jr. (f/k/a Alex Riley) at 8:31. Kiley’s hair is shorter so he’s barely recognizable from the last time I saw him (for me, that was in the G.L.O.W. Netflix series.) He wore jeans and a T-shirt and tennis shoes, not looking at all like he’s prepared to wrestle. It was a stark contrast from EC3, who wore trunks, showing off his great upper body physique. An intense lockup at the bell. EC3 dropped Kiley face-first on the top turnbuckle at 3:00. EC3 hit a snap suplex and he grounded Kiley with a chinlock, and he worked over Kiley with some basic stomps. This has been fairly dull.
Kiley hit some clotheslines and a swinging neckbreaker, then a spinebuster at 7:00. He ripped off his shirt and dove head-first over the top rope. I think he landed awkwardly; the cameras didn’t catch it, but he seemed more hurt by the move than EC3. EC3 rolled him in the ring, applied a modified Crippler Crossface, and Kiley tapped out. I have to wonder if Kiley hurt himself on that dive. I have nothing good to say about this match. EC3 looks great, but this is the second straight NWA PPV where he had an underwhelming match. I don’t think any indy promotions will be lining up to book Kiley after seeing this match.
6. “La Rebellion” Bestia 666 and Mecha Wolf defeated Carnage and Damage (w/Aron Stevens) via DQ to retain the NWA Tag Team Titles at 5:59. Carnage (Marsche Rockitt) and Damage (Rodney Mack) wear black masks and pants. They beat up Bestia 666 early on. Mecha Wolf made the hot tag at 3:30. Bestia hit a T-bone suplex. All four brawled in the ring. Bestia hit a dive through the ropes, and all four were brawling on the floor. Stevens hit Bestia 666 with a loaded glove, causing the disqualification. That never even quite got going, so I’ll say this was highly disappointing for a PPV. Stevens, Carnage and Damage kept beating up the tag champs after the match and were loudly booed.
7. Chris Adonis defeated Trevor Murdoch at 8:21. Standing switches to begin. Murdoch laid in some chops. They traded forearm shots, and the brawled to the floor at 2:30. Back in the ring, Murdoch was dominating the offense, ramming Adonis shoulder-first in the corner. Adonis hit a flying shoulder tackle at 6:30, but Murdoch immediately hit a hard clothesline for a nearfall. Trevor hit a D’Lo-style Sky-High powerbomb. Adonis applied the Master Lock in the center of the ring, and Murdoch passed out; he did not tap out. The appropriate length of match for these two at this point in their careers; anything longer would have just made the match worse.
8. Kamille defeated Angelina Love in a street fight for the NWA Women’s Title at 12:39. Love came out first. Kamille ran into the ring and barreled into Love to start the match. Kamille was wearing jean shorts rather than ring gear, which is a nice nod that this is a “street fight,” not a match. She hit some European Uppercuts. They brawled to the floor at 2:00. There is seriously maybe only four feet of floor space between the ring and the guardrails. Love whipped Kamille into the guardrail, and she slammed a chair across Kamille’s back. They got back in the ring at 4:30, with Love in charge, choking her on the mat.
They fought back to the floor, where Kamille rammed Love back-first into the ring post at 7:00. In the ring, Kamille put her on her back and did a Lex Luger-style Torture Rack, before eventually slamming Love to the mat. Kamille placed a garbage can over Love’s face in the corner, and she hit a coast-to-coast missile dropkick onto the garbage can at 10:00. Impressive move; I don’t know if I’ve seen a woman do a ‘Van Terminator’ before.
Kamille went under the ring and got a table, and the crowd popped. Love hit a “Botex Injection” Mafia Kick on Kamille for a nearfall, and Velvet Sky was shocked that didn’t get the win. Kamille hit a spear, sending Love through the table which was set up in the corner. She was slow to make the cover but still got the pin. Easily best match of the show. Kamille stood up and she had a cut and was bleeding under her right eye. Joe Galli wondered who could beat her.
* Backstage, May Valentine interviewed Tyrus and Blk Jeez. Tyrus said he is “the mountain top.” He bashed the Twitter nerds in their basements as trolls, saying “your boos build my self-esteem.” He concluded that “It’s my world and you’re just living in it.” Blk Jeez insisted that there was no issues between them. The more he told us there were no problems, the less I believed him.
9. Cyon (w/Austin Idol) defeated Homicide to retain the NWA National Heavyweight Title at 16:25. Idol got on the mic and told the crowd how he started his career there in Florida, but then he turned on the state. “If they gave the world an enema, they’d stick it in Tampa,” he said. The impatient Homicide attacked Cyon to start the match. Cyon bailed to regroup. Homicide followed to the floor, and he tore at Cyon’s mask. In the ring, Homicide applied a Boston Crab at 3:00. Homicide tried removing Cyon’s mask and the ref stepped in to stop him.
Cyon rammed Homicide shoulder-first into the corner. They brawled back to the floor, where Cyon slammed Homicide on the ring apron. Idol kicked Homicide while the ref was distracted. In the ring, Cyon hit a snap suplex for a nearfall at 7:00. Cyon choked Homicide and hit a bodyslam, and remained in charge. Homicide hit some overhand chops. Cyon hit a powerslam for a nearfall at 10:00. Cyon got on the mic and he demanded that “Homicide apologize to my father.”
Homicide fired up and hit some punches and a tornado DDT for a nearfall. Homicide hit the Three Amigos rolling suplexes at 13:00. Cyon nailed a top-rope superplex, and they were both down. Homicide hit a Rude Awakening standing neckbreaker, then a running stunner for a nearfall. They fought on the ropes in the corner. Cyon hit an Abyss-style sidewalk slam for a nearfall at 16:00. Homicide looked up at Cyon and gave him the middle finger. Cyon picked him up, nailed a Death Valley Driver, and scored a clean pin. That was good stuff.
* Bully Ray hit the ring and said “It’s great to be in Tampa!,” earning a pop. He then walked to the commentary booth at the top of the bleeachers, far from ringside; he replaced Velvet Sky on commentary. Matt Cardona walked out next to them and he jawed at Bully Ray. Ray pointed out that Cardona is correct when he says he never lost the NWA title; he was stripped due to injury.
10. Tyrus defeated Matt Cardona to retain the NWA Championship at 13:17. Again, the stipulation is no managers were allowed at ringside. Tyrus will turn 50 next week. Tim Storm absurdly said that Tyrus is in good shape and appears better every week. They locked up and Cardona immediately complained that his hair was pulled. He went to the floor to regroup. In the ring, Cardona went for a shoulder tackle, but he was the one to fall, and he again rolled to the floor at 2:00. He jawed at Bully Ray.
In the ring, Cardona hit a dropkick and he choked Tyrus in the ropes. Cardona stayed on offense with basic kicks and stomps, then a neckbreaker for a nearfall at 5:00. He began working over the left knee, and he applied a Figure Four Leglock. He went for a move off the ropes, but Tyrus just shoved him away. Tyrus hit a bodyslam at 7:30, then a Stinger Splash in the corner. He missed a second attempt; Cardona moved really early and the move looked awful. Cardona hit three running boots in the corner and got a nearfall.
Cardona grabbed the title belt from a table at ringside and brought it into the ring. Tyrus accidentally hit the ref. Tyrus hit a T-Bone suplex on Cardona and an elbow drop for a visual pin, but the ref is out. Rolando Freeman hit the ring and cracked it across Tyrus’ back at 10:30. Tyrus hit a suplex on Rolando. However, Cardona hit two chairshots on Tyrus. Cardona hit Tyrus with the belt; the ref woke up and we had a two-count. Tyrus accidentally splashed the ref in the corner. Mike Knox jumped in the ring and nailed Tyrus. Knox got the ring bell. Bully Ray left the commentary booth and he beat up Knox, and he argued with Cardona. Bully Ray got up and applied the Tongan Death Grip to the throat and hit a chokeslam for the pin.
* Bully Ray got in the ring, holding the title belt. “I don’t give much of a damn about you, but I do respect you, because you are the NWA world champion,” Bully Ray told him. Bully said he watched Tyrus “doing that stupid shit while you were dancing around,” but he eventually won the people over and earned his spot. Tyrus said no one comes to help him because they all fear him. He concluded by saying, “We ain’t friends.” He dropped the mic and stormed out of the ring, leaving Bully Ray behind.
Final Thoughts: Tyrus is just completely miscast. With his incredible size and (let’s be honest) being nearly immobile in the ring, he really should be the heel. I am more okay with him as champion than most fans, but I don’t know if a feud with Bully Ray (their combined age is over 100!) is the way to go next.
Kamille vs. Angelina Love earned best match. Love has been so good for so long, and Kamille is still green but has consistantly shown she can have good matches with the right dance partner, and that was the case here. Cyon-Homicide earns second best, as the second half of that match was really good. For a distant third, Kratos-Silas was a good brawl that told a decent story. I can’t imagine that Kratos meant to have that much blood-loss at the end of the match, but it worked with how Silas smeared it over his body to celebrate the win.
NWA still loads their shows with too many short matches that don’t mean a lot. And EC3 vs. Kevin Kiley will be an early pick for worst match of the year.
I feel like NWA’s biggest problem is they don’t have a young core to care about. Cyon is 40; I first saw him wrestle live in IWA-Mid South in 2004. Homicide has been wrestling more than 20 years. Murdoch, Adonis, etc. … there isn’t a good youth movement. So, that’s why I was so intrigued by what I saw in Blake Troop. I hope he’s given chance for some quick upward mobility.
I thought EC3 and Kevin Kiley were telling a story that hasn’t been captured by this review.
Earlier in the night, EC3 cut a backstage promo saying Kiley hadn’t been seen for years after the industry ate him alive. He invited Kiley to NWA because it’s a place where he’ll be able to rediscover his love of the business and control his own narrative. (I’m paraphrasing).
Kiley’s t-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes symbolised a man who had lost everything in his career, including his ring gear. He looked broken and pathetic – in the literal sense of the word.
As the match progressed, the commentators noted that EC3’s motives didn’t seem sincere. He looked more interested in degrading Kiley, who seemed helpless in responding.
Kiley finally rediscovered the fire in his belly when he mustered some offence and ripped off his t-shirt, but was cruelly stopped when he tried too much by going for a dive over the top rope. I doubt the dive was meant to be botched that badly, but it ended up fitting the story as EC3 leaned over him and shook his head, saying “Why would you do that?”
So now we wait to see if Kiley is sticking around to rebuild his career from scratch and seek revenge on EC3. Or, perhaps EC3 ‘invites’ other talent to NWA, only so he can similarly degrade or manipulate them.